A cooling apparatus includes a magnetocaloric material, a magnetizing device, a converting device for applying pressure or tension to the magnetocaloric material, and a movement mechanism to move the magnetocaloric material. The magnetocaloric material changes its temperature when there is a change in an external magnetic field and when there is a change in an applied pressure. The movement mechanism moves the magnetocaloric material to expose it alternatingly to the external magnetic field and the change in pressure and to cause a periodic temperature change in the magnetocaloric material, whereby periods of lower temperature can be used for cooling.

A refrigerator appliance includes a fresh food cold side heat exchanger positioned within a cabinet at a fresh food chamber and a freezer cold side heat exchanger positioned within the cabinet at a freezer chamber. Working fluid is flowable through a caloric material within a regenerator housing. The refrigerator appliances also includes features for flowing the working fluid from the regenerator housing to the fresh food cold side heat exchanger and for separately flowing the working fluid from the regenerator housing to the freezer cold side heat exchanger.

Provided are a sheath-integrated magnetic refrigeration member capable of preventing degradation of a magnetic refrigeration material with time in a magnetic refrigeration system without lowering the magnetocaloric effect and the thermal conductivity of the magnetic refrigeration material and its production method, and a magnetic refrigeration system using the sheath-integrated magnetic refrigeration member.

The invention is a linear or thin band-like sheath-integrated magnetic refrigeration member including a sheath part 1 containing a non-ferromagnetic metal material and a core part 2 containing a magnetic refrigeration material. The production method for a sheath-integrated magnetic refrigeration member of the invention includes a step of filling a powder of a magnetic refrigeration material into the cavity of a pipe containing a non-ferromagnetic metal material, and a step of linearly working the pipe filled with a powder of a magnetic refrigeration material according to one or more working methods selected from the group consisting of grooved reduction rolling, swaging and drawing. The magnetic refrigeration system of the invention is provided with a means of operating in an AMR (active magnetic refrigeration) cycle using the sheath-integrated magnetic refrigeration member of the invention as the AMR bed.

A magnetic refrigerator includes a plurality of magnetic working substances arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction, and a magnetic field application unit that causes a relative movement with respect to the magnetic working substances in the circumferential direction and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic working substances. The magnetic field application unit includes a first member spaced from the magnetic working substances in an axial direction, and first and second magnets that are arranged between the first member and the magnetic working substances and apply a magnetic field so that a magnetic flux flows in an in-plane direction of the magnetic working substances. The first and second magnets can move relative to the magnetic working substances in the circumferential direction. A refrigeration apparatus includes the magnetic refrigerator and a heating medium circuit to exchange heat with the magnetic refrigerator.

A heat pump, as provided herein, may include a hot side heat exchanger, a cold side heat exchanger, a pump, and a caloric heat pump. The caloric heat pump may include a regenerator housing, a plurality of stages, and a field generator. The regenerator housing may extend along an axial direction between a first end portion of the regenerator housing and a second end portion of the regenerator housing. The plurality of stages may be arranged sequentially along the axial direction from the first end portion to the second end portion. The plurality of stages may be arranged so that caloric temperature peaks of the plurality of stages increase along the axial direction according to a predetermined, non-linear curve. The field generator may be positioned adjacent to the plurality of stages to subject the plurality of stages to a variable field generated by the field generator.

A method of realizing a ferroic response is provided. The method includes applying a first conjugate field to a ferroic material in a non-singular-stepwise manner and applying a second conjugate field to the ferroic material in a non-singular-stepwise manner.

A method of realizing a ferroic response is provided. The method includes applying a positive or negative conjugate field, which is of a first polarity, to a ferroic material to obtain a substantially minimized entropy of the ferroic material (301) and applying a slightly negative or a slightly positive conjugate field, which is of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, to the ferroic material to obtain a substantially maximized entropy of the ferroic material (302).

Magnetic cooling device comprising a magnetocaloric element, the magnetocaloric element comprising a paramagnetic garnet ceramic.

The density of the paramagnetic garnet ceramic is preferably greater than or equal to 90%.

The garnet ceramic is preferably a gadolinium gallium garnet ceramic or an ytterbium gallium garnet ceramic.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a magneto-caloric cylinder. A plurality of thermal stages is stacked along an axial direction between a cold side and a hot side. A heat exchanger includes a cylindrical stator positioned at and in thermal communication with the cold side or the hot side of the plurality of thermal stages. A cylindrical rotor is spaced from the cylindrical stator by a cylindrical gap. The cylindrical rotor is configured to rotate relative to the cylindrical stator about a rotation axis. A shearing liquid zone is defined between a surface of the cylindrical stator that faces the cylindrical gap and a surface of the cylindrical rotor that faces the cylindrical gap when the cylindrical gap is filled with a liquid.

The invention is for an apparatus and method for a refrigerator and a heat pump based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) offering a simpler, lighter, robust, more compact, environmentally compatible, and energy efficient alternative to traditional vapor-compression devices. The subject magnetocaloric apparatus alternately exposes portions of an MCE material to strong and weak magnetic field while coordinating the heat flow between the exposed portions by heat bridges to move the heat up the thermal gradient. The invention may be practiced with multiple MCE material portions or segments to attain large differences in temperature. Key applications include thermal management of electronics, as well as industrial and home refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning. The invention offers a simpler, lighter, compact, and robust apparatus compared to magnetocaloric devices of prior art. Furthermore, the invention may be run in reverse as a thermodynamic engine, receiving low-level heat and producing mechanical energy.