This invention relates to magnetocaloric materials comprising alloys useful for magnetic refrigeration applications. In some embodiments, the disclosed alloys may be Cerium, Neodymium, and/or Gadolinium based compositions that are fairly inexpensive, and in some cases exhibit only 2.sup.nd order magnetic phase transitions near their curie temperature, thus there are limited thermal and structural hysteresis losses. This makes these compositions attractive candidates for use in magnetic refrigeration applications. Surprisingly, the performance of the disclosed materials is similar or better to many of the known expensive rare-earth based magnetocaloric materials.

A process that includes pre-cooling a H.sub.2 gas feedstock with a compressed liquid natural gas via a heat exchanger, introducing the pre-cooled H.sub.2 gas feedstock into an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator H.sub.2 liquefier module, and delivering liquid H.sub.2 from the active magnetic regenerative refrigerator H.sub.2 liquefier module to a liquid H.sub.2 vehicle dispenser.

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.

The subject of this invention is a method of heat transfer in the embedded structure of a heat regenerator and the design thereof. It regards the related heat regenerators, which operate on the principle of the described method and enable a reduction of the pressure drop due to the fluid flow through the heat regenerator and consequently an increase of the power density. The concept of the operation of the heat regenerator by this invention, in which for the oscillation of the flow of the primary (first) fluid (P), electromechanical elements are applied. In the housing (1) between the elements (2) for the oscillation of the primary (first) fluid (P), there are positioned a primary hot heat exchanger (PT) and a primary cold heat exchanger (PH). In the direction of the arrow (A) the unidirectional flow of the secondary (second) fluid (S) flows from the heat sink into the primary cold heat exchanger (PH). In the direction of the arrow (B) the unidirectional flow of the secondary (second) fluid (S) exits from the primary cold heat exchanger (PH) and flows towards the heat source. Meanwhile, in the direction of the arrow (C), the unidirectional flow of the secondary (second) fluid S enters the primary hot heat exchanger (PT) and exits in the direction of the arrow (D) as the unidirectional flow of the secondary (second) fluid S of the primary hot heat exchanger (PT) towards the heat sink. Between both primary heat exchangers, (PT) and (PH), the porous regenerative material is positioned, which is part of the regenerator 4, with the hydraulically separated segments.

A magnetic refrigerator including an electromagnet for magnetic refrigeration. The electromagnet for magnetic refrigeration includes: a return yoke; at least one pair of opposite magnetic poles disposed inside the return yoke and spaced from each other by a gap; a pipe disposed in the gap to pass a heat transport medium therethrough; a magnetocaloric member disposed inside the pipe to exchange heat with the heat transport medium; and a coil to surround at least one of the paired opposite magnetic poles to generate a magnetic flux passing across the gap when the coil is energized.

An actively heated drinkware container includes a vessel with a chamber that receives and holds a volume of liquid. The drinkware container includes a heating module with a first heating element operable to heat one portion of the chamber and a second heating element operable to heat another portion of the chamber, the second heating element spaced from the first heating element. Operation of the first and second heating elements generates a circulation current in the volume of liquid in the chamber that mixes the liquid and diffuses a temperature of the liquid to thereby reduce temperature stratification of the liquid in the chamber and so that a temperature of the liquid throughout the volume of liquid in the chamber is approximately uniform.

A magnetocaloric lattice element formed by fibres of magnetocaloric material, wherein the fibres are arranged in respective parallel lattice planes, each fibre having a respective mass of magnetocaloric material, the fibres of given lattice plane do not contact each other but each fibre of a given lattice plane is attached to at least two fibres in a next neighbouring lattice place, and wherein the magnetocaloric lattice element exhibits exactly one predominant mass-weighted direction of longitudinal fibre extension.

An apparatus is provided that includes a first thermal device; a second thermal device: and a connection element configured to connect the first thermal device to the second thermal device.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, comprising a first thermal device; a second thermal device; and a connection element configured to connect the first thermal device and the second thermal device.

A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a magnetic-field source and two or more bed rings. The bed rings can be arranged in pairs with shared cold and hot fluid plenums. A flow of heat transfer fluid may pass at least partially radially through the shared fluid plenum or through a connection between the fluid plenum and one or more flow tubes. The MR apparatus and systems of the present disclosure may further include one or more circumferential flux returns with radial through-hole passageways to accommodate flow tubing. For apparatus configurations with an even number of bed rings, the axial dimension of the passageways may be smaller than the circumferential dimension of the passageways.