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 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 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 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.

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 magnetic member for a magnetic refrigerator may include a tubular outer layer and a wall body having magnetocaloric effect. The wall body may extend along an axial direction of the outer layer inside the outer layer and partition an inner space of the outer layer into a plurality of spaces. The wall body may be unitary and define a plurality of passages that extend in the axial direction inside the outer layer.

A magnetocaloric effect element performs a magnetocaloric effect. The magnetocaloric effect element is accommodated in a container. The container has a container member which provides walls of the container. The container member is made of a nonmagnetic material. The container has a reinforcing member which is provided partially in the container and reinforces the container member. The container member is made of a magnetic material. The reinforcing member has a cross section that is vertically long with respect to the magnetic flux supplied to the magnetocaloric effect element.

A magnetocaloric cascade contains a sequence of magnetocaloric material layers having different Curie temperatures T.sub.C, wherein the magnetocaloric material layers include a cold-side outer layer, a hot-side outer layer and at least three inner layers between the cold-side outer layer and the hot-side outer layer, and each pair of next neighboring magnetocaloric layers of the magnetocaloric cascade has a respective Curie-temperature difference amount T.sub.C between their respective Curie temperatures, wherein the hot-side outer layer or the cold-side outer layer or both the hot-side and cold-side outer layer exhibits a larger ratio mS.sub.max/T.sub.C in comparison with any of the inner layers, m denoting the mass of the respective magnetocaloric material layer and S.sub.max denoting a maximum amount of isothermal magnetic entropy change achievable in a magnetic phase transition of the respective magnetocaloric material layer.

[Object] To provide a wire capable of obtaining a wide temperature span.

[Solving Means] An outer surface 121 of a wire 12A formed of a magnetocaloric material having a magnetocaloric effect partially has at least one of a concave portion 122 and a convex portion 123, the concave portion 122 is recessed in a radial direction of the wire 12A, and the convex portion 123 protrudes in the radial direction in a longitudinal direction of the wire 12A.

Disclosed herein are new face-centered cubic (f.c.c.) high-entropy alloys with compositions (in atomic %) of Fe.sub.aNi.sub.bMn.sub.cAl.sub.dCr.sub.eC.sub.f where a is between 37-43 atomic %, b is between 8-14 atomic %, c is between 32-38 atomic %, d is 4.5-10.5 atomic %, e is between 2.5-9 atomic % and f is between 0-2 atomic %. The undoped alloy has strength of 159 MPa and 40% elongation to failure, but the doped, carbon-containing alloy having 1.1 atomic percent carbon has yield strength of 360 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1200 MPa and 50% elongation to failure at room temperature. At 700 C., the yield strength is 214 MPa with 24% elongation to failure. Thus, the present alloy may replace austenitic stainless steels in applications where better strength is needed at both room temperature and elevated temperature in an oxidation resistant alloy.