A refrigerator appliance includes a fresh food working fluid circuit that couples a hot side heat exchanger, a fresh food cold side heat exchanger and a fresh food regenerator. A first pair of diverter valves and a hot side reservoir are coupled to the fresh food working fluid circuit. The hot side reservoir is positioned below one or both of the first pair of diverter valves. A freezer working fluid circuit couples a freezer cold side heat exchanger and a freezer regenerator. A second pair of diverter valves and a fresh food cold side reservoir are coupled to the freezer working fluid circuit. The fresh food cold side reservoir is positioned below one or both of the second pair of diverter valves. A liquid-liquid heat exchanger is also coupled to the fresh food working fluid circuit.

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 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 plurality of supports is positioned within the plurality of thermal stages. The plurality of supports is distributed along the axial direction. The plurality of supports contacts the magneto-caloric cylinder such that the plurality of supports limits deflection of the magneto-caloric cylinder along a radial direction. The plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder are configured for relative rotation between the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder.

A multi-stage fluid conditioning system having a housing with a fluid inlet and outlet. A shaft extends within the housing and supports a first fan unit with a first magnet/electromagnet plate on an inlet side of said housing and a second fan unit with a second magnet/electromagnet supporting plate on an outlet side of the housing. Each of the first and second magnet/electromagnet supporting plates include at least one vane configured to direct fluid flow. The shaft rotates the plates in order to draw a fluid flow through the inlet and successively across the inlet and outlet sides for thermal conditioning resulting from creation of high frequency oscillating magnetic fields according to a succeeding conditioning operations before being outputted the conditioned fluid from the housing through the fluid outlet.

A fluid thermal conditioning (heating/cooling) system including a housing containing a fluid holding tank and having an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. A drive shaft rotatably supports either of a conductive plate or a plurality of spaced apart magnetic or electromagnetic plates positioned within the housing. The conductive plate can be reconfigured as an elongated conductive component supported within the housing and including a plurality of individual plates which alternate in arrangement with axially spaced and radially supported magnetic/electromagnetic plates. Upon rotation of the shaft, an oscillating magnetic field is generated for thermally conditioning the fluid.

A fluid conditioning system with a housing having a fluid inlet. A sleeve shaped support extends within the housing. A plurality of spaced apart magnetic or electromagnetic plates are communicated with the fluid inlet and extend radially from the sleeve support. An elongated conductive component arranged about the sleeve support and incorporates a plurality of linearly spaced apart and radially projecting fluid communicating packages which alternate in arrangement with the axially spaced and radially supported magnetic/electromagnetic plates. A conduit extends from the fluid inlet to a fluid outlet of the housing, each of the fluid communicating packages includes individual inlet and outlet locations to the conduit. A motor or other rotary inducing input rotates the sleeve support and magnetic/electromagnetic plates to generate an oscillating magnetic field, resulting in conditioning of the fluid circulated within each fluid communicating package by either heating or cooling of the fluid.

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. Each of the plurality of thermal stages includes a plurality of magnets and a non-magnetic ring. The plurality of magnets is distributed along a circumferential direction within the non-magnetic ring in each of the plurality of thermal stages. The plurality of magnets and the non-magnetic ring of each of the plurality of thermal stages collectively define a cylindrical slot. The magneto-caloric cylinder is positioned within the cylindrical slot. In each of the plurality of magnets in one of the plurality of thermal stages, a first, second, third and fourth magnet segments are positioned and oriented such that the first, second, third and fourth magnet segments collectively form a closed loop high-field zone across the cylindrical slot.

There are provided a magnetic work body unit in which plate-shaped magnetic work bodies can be easily laminated and a magnetic heat pump device using the same. Magnetic work body units 26A to 26D are provided with a plurality of plate-shaped magnetic work bodies 28 laminated in a zigzag shape as viewed in the flowing direction of a heat medium between the facing inner surfaces of rectangular ducts 27A to 27D forming flow passages through which the heat medium passes. A magnetic heat pump device is configured by alternately performing magnetization and demagnetization of the magnetic work body units 26A to 26D.

Integral linear cryogenic Stirling refrigerator comprised of the free piston positive displacement pressure wave generator, the moving assembly of which is connected to the free piston displacer by the dynamic spring-mass-spring mechanical phase shifter the mechanical properties of which (spring rates and weight) are selected to provide a predetermined phase lag of motion of the displacer piston relative to the moving assembly of pressure wave generator.

A method for forming a caloric regenerator includes depositing layers of additive material. The additive material includes a caloric material. The method also includes joining the layers of additive material to one another. After joining the layers of additive material, the caloric regenerator includes a regenerator body that extends longitudinally between a hot end portion and a cold end portion. A working fluid is flowable through the regenerator body between the hot and cold end portions of the regenerator body. The layers of additive material are deposited such that one or more of a cross-sectional area of the regenerator body, a void fraction of the regenerator body, a characteristic size of the caloric material, and a composition of the caloric material varies along a length of the regenerator body between the hot and cold end portions of the regenerator body.