A solid-state refrigeration apparatus includes a plurality of solid refrigerators, a heating medium circuit with the plurality of solid refrigerators connected, and a conveying mechanism to convey a heating medium in the heating medium circuit. Each of the solid refrigerators includes a solid refrigerant substance having a caloric effect on an external energy and an induction section to cause the solid refrigerant substance to produce the caloric effect. The heating medium circuit includes first and second channels in which the solid refrigerators are connected in series and through which the heating medium is supplied to first and second heat exchange sections. At least one bypass mechanism is connected to the first and/or second channel. The bypass mechanism switches between an action of making the heating medium flow through the solid refrigerator and an action of making the heating medium bypass the solid refrigerator.

Provided are a refrigeration cycle device and a magnetic refrigeration device capable of suppressing an increase in device size, an increase in complexity, and an increase in cost. A magnetic refrigeration device includes a magnetocaloric material, first piping, second piping, a magnetic field generating unit, and a switching unit. The first piping supplies a refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a first refrigerant direction. The second piping supplies the refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a second refrigerant direction. The magnetic field generating unit is capable of applying a magnetic field to the magnetocaloric material. The switching unit switches between a first state and a second state in response to the magnetic field. In the first state, the refrigerant is supplied from the first piping to the magnetocaloric material. In the second state, the refrigerant is supplied from the second piping to the magnetocaloric material.

A magnetic heat pump includes magnetocaloric members, an impeller, deformable members, a casing, an electric motor, and a magnetic field generator. The impeller has accommodation chambers. The deformable members face the accommodation chambers. The casing has an interior space accommodating the magnetocaloric members, the impeller, and the deformable members and allowing a heat transport medium to circulate, a first inlet, and a first outlet spaced apart from the first inlet in the circumferential direction. The magnetic field generator produces a magnetic field becoming stronger along the first direction, in a first region extending from the first inlet to the first outlet in the first direction in the interior space. The shapes of the deformable members individually change with the rotation. The volumes of the accommodation chambers individually increase and decrease with change in shape of the deformable members.

A magnetic refrigeration device includes a magnetic heat container, a magnetic field generation device, a high temperature-side heat exchanger, a low temperature-side heat exchanger, and a pump. The magnetic heat container is filled with a magneto-caloric material. The pump is capable of transporting a heat transport medium in a reciprocable manner between the high temperature-side heat exchanger and the low temperature-side heat exchanger via the magnetic heat container. The magnetic heat container has a spiral shape extending in a spiral on an identical plane and allows the heat transport medium transported by the pump to flow along the spiral shape.

A magnetic refrigerator comprises an electromagnet for magnetic refrigeration. The electromagnet for magnetic refrigeration includes: a return yoke; at least one pair of opposite magnetic poles disposed inside the return yoke and spaced from each other by a gap; a pipe disposed in the gap to pass a heat transport medium therethrough; a magnetocaloric member disposed inside the pipe to exchange heat with the heat transport medium; and a coil to surround at least one of the paired opposite magnetic poles to generate a magnetic flux passing across the gap when the coil is energized.

A cooling apparatus that cools a cooling target object in a state in which an electromagnetic field or an electric field acts on the cooling target object is provided. The cooling apparatus includes a refrigeration machine to cool a cooling target object, an electromagnetic wave irradiation device to generate an electromagnetic field which acts on the cooling target object, a controller to control operations of the refrigeration machine and the electromagnetic wave irradiation device and perform a subcooling operation of cooling the cooling target object by using the refrigeration machine in a state in which the electromagnetic field is generated, and a temperature sensor to measure a temperature of the cooling target object. In the subcooling operation, the controller controls the intensity of the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnetic wave irradiation device in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising: one or more portions of material configured to vibrate at one or more ultrasonic frequencies when the material is positioned within a varying magnetic field; and wherein the one or more portions of material configured to vibrate at one or more ultrasonic frequencies are positioned so that, when a varying magnetic field is applied to the apparatus, the vibration caused by the varying magnetic field provides increased cooling within a cooling system.

A heat pump system is provided that uses MCM to provide for heating or cooling. The heat pump can include one or more stages of MCM, each stage having an original peak Curie temperature. In the event the magneto caloric response of one or more stages of MCM degrades, the present invention provides for operating the heat pump system so that one or more stages of MCM are held at a different temperature from the original peak Curie temperature so as to restore the MCM to its original peak Curie temperature or to within a certain interval thereof. The present invention can be used with e.g., an appliance, air-conditioning systems (heating or cooling), or other devices using such a heat pump system as well.

A magnetocaloric regenerator unit comprising (A) at least one magnetocaloric material unit having a higher temperature hot side and a lower temperature cold side during operation, wherein the magnetocaloric material unit contains at least one magnetocaloric material, (B) at least one magnetic unit for producing a magnetic field over the magnetocaloric material contained in the magnetocaloric material unit, (C) at least one magnetic shielding comprising at least one window wherein the at least one magnetic shielding is mounted flexible to allow movement of the magnetic shielding between at least one first position and at least one second position thereby insulating the magnetocaloric material contained in the magnetocaloric material unit from the magnetic field when the magnetic shielding is in a first position and allowing the magnetic field to act on the magnetocaloric material through the at least one window when the magnetic shielding is in a second position.

This magnetic refrigeration module includes a magnetic refrigeration operation unit which has a magnetic refrigeration material, and extends in a longitudinal direction, and a fixed magnetic field excitation unit and a variable magnetic field excitation unit which are disposed apart from each other in an outer peripheral direction of the magnetic refrigeration operation unit, in which the fixed magnetic field excitation unit applies a fixed magnetic field to the magnetic refrigeration operation unit, and the variable magnetic field excitation unit applies a variable magnetic field to the magnetic refrigeration operation unit when being in an ON state and does not apply the variable magnetic field to the magnetic refrigeration operation unit when being in an OFF state.