There are provided a magnetic work body capable of increasing the porosity to improve the heat exchange efficiency and a magnetic heat pump device using the same.

A plurality of tubular bodies 30 formed of a magnetic work substance and having a porosity adjusting hole 30a adjusting the porosity when a plurality of rod-shaped bodies are made adjacent to each other and joined in an axial direction of the rod-shaped body are joined so that the cross-sectional shapes of gaps 31 surrounded by the adjacent tubular bodies have the same shape and heat medium passages passing a heat medium are formed with the inner surfaces of the tubular bodies and the gaps 31.

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.

The present disclosure relates to a magnetic cooling system and provides a magnetic cooling system including: a magnetocaloric material for generating and emitting heat when a magnetic field is applied thereto, and absorbing heat when the magnetic field is removed therefrom; a magnetic heat exchanger containing the magnetocaloric material therein; a heat transfer fluid for heat-exchanging with the magnetocaloric material while flowing inside the magnetic heat exchanger, a magnetic field applying part including a first magnetic field applying part and a second magnetic field applying part, which are installed to have the magnetic heat exchanger disposed therebetween; and a driving part for moving one of the first magnetic field applying part and the second magnetic field applying part, where, as the driving part moves one of the first magnetic field applying part and the second magnetic field applying part, the attraction force between the first magnetic field applying part and the second magnetic field applying part causes synchronous movement of the other thereof.

A thermomagnetic cycle device includes a magnetocaloric effect element disposed between a high temperature end and a low temperature end, and a medium that that performs heat exchange with the magnetocaloric effect element. A magnetic field modulator periodically modulates an intensity of an external magnetic field so as to alternately repeat a magnetization period, during which the external magnetic field is applied to the magnetocaloric effect element, and a demagnetization period, during which the external magnetic field is annihilated. A heat transport device creates a relative movement between the magnetocaloric effect element and the medium. At least one of the magnetic field modulator and the heat transport device is configured such that a first heat exchange amount of the heat exchange during the magnetization period is different from a second heat exchange amount of the heat exchange during the demagnetization period.

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.

Magnetocaloric refrigerator or heat pump comprising an externally activatable thermal switch for transferring heat from a heat source to a heat sink, comprising: an insulator cage with thermally conductive windows for the source and sink; a magnetic nanofluid, comprised within said cage, wherein said magnetic nanofluid is able to flow under a magnetic field inside the insulator cage between a contact of the thermally conductive window of the heat source and a contact of the thermally conductive window of the heat sink; and a activatable magnet placed at either one of the thermally conductive windows, such that the produced magnetic field is aligned substantially parallel to the temperature gradient from heat source to heat sink. The apparatus alternates between: activating the magnet, such that the nanofluid flows to establish a thermal contact with the thermal source but not with the sink; deactivating the magnet, such that the nanofluid flows to establish a thermal contact with the thermal sink but not with the source.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a magneto-caloric cylinder. Each of a 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. A variable speed motor is coupled to one of the magneto-caloric cylinder and the plurality of thermal stages. The variable speed motor is operable to rotate the one of the magneto-caloric cylinder and the plurality of thermal stages relative to the other of the magneto-caloric cylinder and the plurality of thermal stages.

A thermomagnetic cycle device includes: a magneto-caloric element; a magnetic field modulation device that modulates an external magnetic field applied to the magneto-caloric element; a heat transport device that generates a both-way flow of heat transport medium; a phase controller that adjusts a phase difference between a magnetic field phase of change in the external magnetic field generated by the magnetic field modulation device and a flow phase of the both-way flow generated by the heat transport device; and a control device that controls the phase controller. The control device includes: a phase acquisition part that acquires the flow phase of the both-way flow of the heat transport medium or a reaction phase represented by change in heat emitted or absorbed by the magneto-caloric element; and a control part that controls the phase controller based on the flow phase or the reaction phase.

A magnetic refrigerator includes a plurality of magnetic working substances arranged at predetermined first intervals in a first direction, and a magnetic field application unit that causes a relative movement with respect to the magnetic working substances in the first direction, and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic working substances. The magnetic field application unit includes one magnetic field generator, a first core provided closer to one magnetic pole of the magnetic field generator, and a second core provided closer to an other magnetic pole of the magnetic field generator. Three or more magnetic gaps are provided between the first core and the second core, and arranged at second intervals that are twice or more the first intervals in the first direction. A refrigeration apparatus includes the magnetic refrigerator and a heating medium circuit to exchange heat with the magnetic refrigerator.

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.