A solar power system includes a plurality of solar power cells mounted on an outer surface of a spherical frame, the spherical frame including an inner surface that defines an interior volume; a heat sink that includes a hollow housing mounted within the interior volume of the spherical frame; and a phase change material positioned in the hollow housing of the heat sink, the phase change material thermally coupled to the inner surface of the spherical frame to receive heat from the outer surface of the spherical frame.

A magnetocaloric structure incorporating magnetocaloric material for inclusion in an electrical transmission line conductor, such that the magnetic Held generated by alternating current transmission cause the magnetocaloric material to exhibit a magnetocaloric effect. Also provided is an electrical power transmission line conductor comprising a bundle of at least one electrical conductor configured for transmission of high voltage alternating current electrical power, at least one strengthening structure bundled with the electrical conductor to provide physical support to the electrical conductor, and at least one magnetocaloric structure comprising magnetocaloric material. A changing magnetic field generated by transmission of high voltage alternating current electrical power via the at least one conductor cause the magnetocaloric material composition to exhibit a magnetocaloric effect to regulate the operating temperature of the electrical power transmission line conductor. Also provided is a method of transmission line conductor design to utilise magnetocaloric effects for regulating transmission line temperature.

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).

A magnetic heat pump device (1) has magnetic working bodies (11A to 11D), a permanent magnet (6), a circulating pump (24), rotary valves (8, 9), and heat exchangers (21, 28). A plurality of types of magnetic working substances (13A to 13C) is charged into a duct (12) of each of the magnetic working bodies in the ascending order of the Curie points from a low-temperature end (16) to a high-temperature end (14), whereby the magnetic working substances are connected in cascade and a dimension in which each of the magnetic working substances is charged is made to correspond to a predetermined specific temperature range in which the temperature change is large thereof. By effectively connecting the plurality of types of the magnetic working substances in cascade, required cooling and heat dissipation temperatures can be obtained.

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.

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 magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a first magneto-caloric cylinder and a second magneto-caloric cylinder. First and second pluralities of thermal stages are stacked along an axial direction between a cold side and a hot side. The second magneto-caloric cylinder and the second plurality of thermal stages are nested concentrically within the first magneto-caloric cylinder and the first plurality of thermal stages. Each thermal stage of the first and second pluralities 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 thermal stage of the first and second pluralities of thermal stages.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a plurality of thermal stages stacked along an axial direction between a cold side and a hot side. A plurality of magnets is distributed along a circumferential direction within a non-magnetic ring in each of the plurality of thermal stages. Each of the plurality of thermal stages between a cold side thermal stage and a hot side thermal stage is positioned between a respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction. The plurality of magnets of each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is spaced from the non-magnetic ring of one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction and is in conductive thermal contact with the non-magnetic ring of the other of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages.

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 Currie temperature. The magneto-caloric cylinder has a length along an axial direction. The plurality of magneto-caloric stages is distributed along the length of the magneto-caloric cylinder. A plurality of thermal stages also has a length along the axial direction. The length of the plurality of thermal stages is less than the length of the magneto-caloric cylinder. The magneto-caloric cylinder is received within the plurality of thermal stages such that the magneto-caloric cylinder is movable along the axial direction relative to the plurality of thermal stages.

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a plurality of elongated magneto-caloric members. Each of a plurality of thermal stages includes a plurality of magnets and a plurality of non-magnetic blocks distributed in a sequence of magnet then non-magnetic block along a transverse direction. The plurality of thermal stages and the plurality of elongated magneto-caloric members are configured for relative motion along the transverse direction. The plurality of magnets and the plurality of non-magnetic blocks are spaced along the transverse direction within each of the plurality of thermal stages. Each of the plurality of magnets in the plurality of thermal stages is spaced from a respective non-magnetic block in an adjacent thermal stage towards a cold side thermal stage along the lateral direction and is in conductive thermal contact with a respective non-magnetic block in an adjacent thermal stage towards a hot side thermal stage along the lateral direction.