Magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly with a rotating heat exchanger

• US 10,684,044 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Schroeder, Michael Goodman
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mendoza-Wilkenfel, Erik
• Application Number:
  US16/037,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20200025423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/00 Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0021 with a static fixed magnet
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0022 with a rotating or otherwise moving magnet
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/02 with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0275 Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/02 with sensing element expanding and contracting in response to changes of temperature G05D23/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 1/012 adapted for magnetic entropy change by magnetocaloric effect, e.g. used as magnetic refrigerating material refrigeration systems using magnetic effects F25B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly, comprising:

a magneto-caloric cylinder;

a plurality of thermal stages stacked along an axial direction between a cold side and a hot side, each of the plurality of thermal stages comprises a plurality of magnets and a non-magnetic ring, the plurality of magnets distributed along a circumferential direction within the non-magnetic ring in each of the plurality of thermal stages, the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder configured for relative rotation between the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder; and

a heat exchanger comprising

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 spaced from the cylindrical stator by a cylindrical gap, the cylindrical rotor configured to rotate relative to the cylindrical stator about a rotation axis;

wherein 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.

2. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical stator is positioned within the cylindrical rotor.

3. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 2, wherein the cylindrical stator is positioned coaxial with the cylindrical rotor.

4. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of spaced planar fins extending from the cylindrical rotor along a radial direction, the plurality of spaced planar fins defining an axial intake channel extending parallel to the rotation axis through one or more planar fins of the plurality of spaced planar fins.

5. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 4, wherein the axial intake channel is one of a plurality of axial intake channels, and each of the plurality of axial intake channels extends parallel to the rotation axis through one or more planar fins of the plurality of spaced planar fins.

6. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of axial intake channels is positioned at a common radial distance from the rotation axis.

7. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of spaced planar fins is spaced from an adjacent one of the plurality of spaced planar fins by an axial gap, the axial gap being no greater than about twenty-five micrometers.

8. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein the shearing liquid zone has a thickness along a radial direction, the thickness of the shearing liquid zone being no less than about one hundredth of an inch and no greater than about one tenth of an inch.

9. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein:

a cold side thermal stage of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned at the cold side;

a hot side thermal stage of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned at the hot side;

each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is positioned between a respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction;

one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned closer to the cold side along the axial direction;

the other of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned closer to the hot side 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 the one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction; and

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 in conductive thermal contact with the non-magnetic ring of the other of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages.

10. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 9, wherein 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 the one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction by insulation.

11. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets is spaced from the non-magnetic ring along the radial direction and the circumferential direction within each of the plurality of thermal stages.

12. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of thermal stages further comprises insulation positioned between the plurality of magnets and the non-magnetic ring along the radial direction and the circumferential direction.

13. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein 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 positioned within the cylindrical slot.

14. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 13, wherein the cylindrical slot has a width along the radial direction, the magneto-caloric cylinder having a thickness along the radial direction within the cylindrical slot, the width of the cylindrical slot being about one hundredth of an inch greater than the thickness of the magneto-caloric cylinder.

15. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages has a respective length along the axial direction, the length of one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages being different than the length of another of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages, each of the plurality of thermal stages having a respective length along the axial direction, the length of each of the plurality of thermal stages corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages.

16. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 15, wherein the length of each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages corresponds to a Curie temperature spacing between adjacent magneto-caloric stages of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages.

17. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1, wherein the magneto-caloric cylinder further comprises a plurality of insulation blocks, the plurality of magneto-caloric stages and the plurality of insulation blocks distributed sequentially along the axial direction in the order of magneto-caloric stage then insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder.