A refrigeration system includes a refrigeration circuit and a coolant circuit separate from the refrigeration circuit. The refrigerant circuit includes a gas cooler/condenser, a receiver, and an evaporator. The coolant circuit includes a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from a refrigerant circulating within the refrigeration circuit into a coolant circulating within the coolant circuit, a heat sink configured to remove heat from the coolant circulating within the coolant circuit, and a magnetocaloric conditioning unit configured to transfer heat from the coolant within a first fluid conduit of the coolant circuit into the coolant within a second fluid conduit of the coolant circuit. The first fluid conduit connects an outlet of the heat exchanger to an inlet of the heat sink, whereas the second fluid conduit connects an outlet of the heat sink to an inlet of the heat exchanger.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a first magneto-caloric cylinder and a second magneto-caloric cylinder. The second magneto-caloric cylinder and a second plurality of thermal stages are nested concentrically within the first magneto-caloric cylinder and a first plurality of thermal stages. A plurality of magnets is distributed along a circumferential direction within a non-magnetic ring in each thermal stage of the first and second pluralities of thermal stages. Each thermal stage of the first and second pluralities of thermal stages has a first half and a second half. A polarity of the magnets of the plurality of magnets within the first half is oriented opposite a polarity of the magnets of the plurality of magnets within the second half along the radial direction in each thermal stage of the first and second pluralities of thermal stages.

In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a working component for magnetic heat exchange comprises arranging at least two articles comprising a magnetocalorically active phase and an elongated form with a long axis having a length l and a shortest axis having a length s, wherein l1.5 s, such that the shortest axes of the at least two articles are substantially parallel to one another and securing the at least two articles in a position within the working component such that the shortest axes of the at least two articles are substantially parallel to one another within the working component.

This invention relates to magnetocaloric materials comprising ternary alloys useful for magnetic refrigeration applications. The disclosed ternary alloys are 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 no thermal and structural hysteresis losses. This makes these compositions attractive candidates for use in magnetic refrigeration applications. The performance of the disclosed materials is similar or better to many of the known expensive rare-earth based magnetocaloric materials.

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.

Various implementations include a magnetic heat exchange device including a magnetocaloric chamber, a magnet, a heating loop, and a cooling loop. The magnetocaloric chamber contains a magnetocaloric material and is configured to transfer heat between the magnetocaloric material and a fluid. The magnet is movable between a first position and a second position. The magnetic field from the magnet interacts with the magnetocaloric material in the first position, and the magnetic field from the magnet does not interact with the magnetocaloric material in the second position. In the heating mode, the magnet is in the first position and the fluid flows through the heating loop and the magnetocaloric chamber. In the cooling mode, the magnet is in the second position and the fluid flows through the cooling loop and the magnetocaloric chamber.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a magneto-caloric regenerator with a plurality of magneto-caloric stages. Each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages has a respective Curie temperature. Each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages also has a stack of magneto-caloric material blocks and metal foil layers distributed sequentially along an axial direction in the order of magneto-caloric material block then metal foil layer.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a magneto-caloric cylinder with a plurality of magneto-caloric stages. Each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages has a respective Curie temperature. The magneto-caloric cylinder also includes a plurality of insulation blocks and a plurality of pins. The plurality of magneto-caloric stages and the plurality of insulation blocks are distributed sequentially along an axial direction in the order of magneto-caloric stage then insulation block. One or more the plurality of pins extends along the axial direction between each magneto-caloric stage and a respective insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder.

A one-piece part based on magnetocaloric material comprising an alloy comprising iron and silicon and a lanthanide, comprises a base in a first plane defined by a first and second direction and N unitary blades secured to the base; the blades having a first and second dimension in the first and second direction, respectively, and a third dimension in a third direction at right angles to the first and second dimensions; an ith blade being separated from an (i+1)th blade by an ith distance; the ratio between the second dimension and first dimension being at least 10; the ratio between the third dimension and first dimension being at least 6; the first dimension being the same order of magnitude as the distance separating an ith blade from an (i+1)th blade. The magnetocaloric material can be rare-earth alloy or a composite material based on polymer binder and rare-earth alloy.

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber. The cabinet has a duct with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and outlet of the duct is contiguous with the chilled chamber of the cabinet such that air within the chilled chamber is flowable into the duct at the inlet of the duct and air within the duct is flowable into the chilled chamber at the outlet of the duct. A heat pump system is operable to cool the chilled chamber of the cabinet. The heat pump system includes a cold side heat exchanger in thermal communication with the air within the duct. The heat pump system also includes features for condensing water vapor from the air within the duct prior to the cold side heat exchanger.