Apparatus and method for establishing a temperature gradient, comprising at least one gas-tight working space having a first boundary layer that is connected to a first electrode and a second boundary layer that is connected to a second electrode, wherein when an electric voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode in the working space, an electric field can be produced between the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface, and wherein a distance between the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface is less than 5000 nm, wherein the first boundary surface comprises at least one field-enhancement device, in particular a peak, so that if an electric voltage is applied to the electrodes, a field strength of the electric field in a region of the field-enhancement device is greater than an average field strength of the electric field in the working space.

A mechano-caloric heat pump includes a mechano-caloric stage, an elongated lever arm pivotable about a point, and a motor is operable to rotate a cam. The elongated lever arm is coupled to the mechano-caloric stage proximate a first end portion of the elongated lever arm and to the cam proximate a second end portion of the elongated lever arm such that the motor is operable to stress the mechano-caloric stage via pivoting of the elongated lever arm as the cam rotates.

A vehicle seating assembly comprises a body with a center portion and four corner portions and a seating surface. A supporting layer is disposed below the body. A thermal transfer node is disposed in the body. The thermal transfer node includes a heat sink and a thermoelectric device. The heat sink is located between the seating surface and the thermoelectric device. The heat sink and the thermoelectric device are configured to draw heat away from the heating surface. A fluid moves proximate the thermal transfer node and into the supporting layer to draw heat away from the thermal transfer node. A phase change material is disposed between the seating surface and the heat sink.

An apparatus includes a separator tank, a heat exchanger, a compressor-less heat separator, and a fluid cooler. The separator tank separates a first refrigerant into a vapor component and a liquid component. The heat exchanger is exposed to a load. The heat exchanger uses the liquid component of the first refrigerant to remove heat from a space proximate the load. The space includes at least one of a refrigeration unit and walk-in cooler or freezer. The compressor-less heat separator extracts heat from the vapor component of the first refrigerant and uses electrical power to move the heat to a second refrigerant. The fluid cooler removes heat from the second refrigerant.

A magnetic cooling apparatus may include a fixing module and a rotation module rotatably provided at the fixing module. The fixing module includes a plurality of magnetic regenerators and a thermal fluid supply apparatus allowing thermal fluid to exchange with the plurality of magnetic regenerators, and the thermal fluid supplying apparatus is configured to operate by the rotation module without an additional configuration, which enables the magnetic cooling apparatus to have a similar configuration.

An apparatus includes a separator tank, a heat exchanger, a compressor-less heat separator, and a fluid cooler. The separator tank separates a first refrigerant into a vapor component and a liquid component. The heat exchanger is exposed to a load. The heat exchanger uses the liquid component of the first refrigerant to remove heat from a space proximate the load. The space includes at least one of a refrigeration unit and walk-in cooler or freezer. The compressor-less heat separator extracts heat from the vapor component of the first refrigerant and uses electrical power to move the heat to a second refrigerant. The fluid cooler removes heat from the second refrigerant.

A vehicle seating assembly comprises a body with a center portion and four corner portions and a seating surface. A supporting layer is disposed below the body. A thermal transfer node is disposed in the body. The thermal transfer node includes a heat sink and a thermoelectric device. The heat sink is located between the seating surface and the thermoelectric device. The heat sink and the thermoelectric device are configured to draw heat away from the heating surface. A fluid moves proximate the thermal transfer node and into the supporting layer to draw heat away from the thermal transfer node. A phase change material is disposed between the seating surface and the heat sink.

An air cooling-type refrigeration device includes a device body, an air cooling system attached to the device body, and a drawer which may be pulled out relative to the device body, the drawer being capable of receiving cold air provided by the air cooling system, so as to cool an object stored in the drawer. The air cooling-type refrigeration device further comprises a magnetic field generating apparatus and a detection apparatus. When the magnetic field generating apparatus is powered on, a magnetic field acting on the object stored in the drawer is generated. The detection apparatus is used to detect whether the drawer is pulled out. The magnetic field generating apparatus and the detection apparatus are configured such that the magnetic field generating apparatus is powered off when the detection apparatus detects that the drawer is pulled out.

A magnetic refrigerator, and a device including the same, include a hot-end heat exchanger, a cold-end heat exchanger, a magnetic material arranged so as to provide a temperature gradient between the hot-end heat exchanger and the cold-end heat exchanger, and a heat exchange medium, and satisfying the following Equation 1.
k=T.sub.h/T.sub.c=S.sub.c/S.sub.h>1EQUATION 1
In Equation 1, T.sub.h is a temperature of a hot-end heat exchanger, T.sub.c is a temperature of a cold-end heat exchanger, S.sub.h is an entropy change of a magnetic material at T.sub.h, and S.sub.c is an entropy change of a magnetic material at T.sub.c.

A method for cooling an optical element for EUV applications is disclosed. Heat is transferred from the optical element to a heat sink, and, via a first feed line, a first cooling medium is introduced into a cooling channel in the heat sink, in such a way that the first cooling medium effects laminar flow through the cooling channel and in the process absorbs heat from the heat sink. After flowing through the cooling channel, the first cooling medium is discharged into a discharge line leading away from the optical element. A second cooling medium is introduced into the discharge line via a second feed line, and the first cooling medium and the second cooling medium, downstream of the second feed line at a location that is further away from the optical element than the cooling channel, are subjected to a force field introduced into the discharge line externally.