MAGNETIC REFRIGERATING DEVICE AND MAGNETIC REFRIGERATING METHOD

• US 20080236171A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Hideo, Kasahara, Akihiro, Koga, Akihiro, Tsuji, Hideyuki, Saito, Akiko, Takahashi, Takuya, Kobayashi, Tadahiko, Hisano, Katsumi
• Application Number:
  US11/860,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20080236171A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/00 Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/002 by using magneto-caloric effects
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0022 with a rotating or otherwise moving magnet
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0023 with modulation, influencing or enhancing an existing magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

A magnetic refrigerating device includes: at least one set of double-structured Halbach type magnet including a ring-shaped inner Halbach type magnet and a ring-shaped outer Halbach type magnet which are coaxially arranged one another so that a magnetic field generated by the inner Halbach type magnet is superimposed with a magnetic field generated by the outer Halbach type magnet; a magnetic refrigerant or a magnetic refrigeration working chamber including the magnetic refrigerant therein disposed in a bore space of the inner Halbach type magnet; and a rotating mechanism to rotate the outer Halbach type magnet while the inner Halbach type magnet is stationed.

Claims

1. A magnetic refrigerating device, comprising:

at least one set of double-structured Halbach type magnet including a ring-shaped inner Halbach type magnet and a ring-shaped outer Halbach type magnet which are coaxially arranged one another so that a magnetic field generated from said inner Halbach type magnet is superimposed with a magnetic field generated from said outer Halbach type magnet;

a magnetic refrigerant or a magnetic refrigeration working chamber including said magnetic refrigerant therein disposed in a bore space of said inner Halbach type magnet; and

a rotating mechanism to rotate said outer Halbach type magnet while said inner Halbach type magnet is stationed.

2. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer medium which can realize a heat exchange with said magnetic refrigerant through a contact of said heat transfer medium with said magnetic refrigerant.

3. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is rendered particulate.

4. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said outer Halbach type magnet includes a gear and is configured so as to be rotated around said inner Halbach type magnet by said rotating mechanism through the engagement of said gear of said outer Halbach type magnet with said rotating mechanism.

5. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 4,

wherein said outer Halbach type magnet is thermally insulated from said inner Halbach type magnet.

6. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is composed of a plurality of magnetic refrigerants or said magnetic refrigeration working chamber is composed of a plurality of magnetic refrigeration working chambers.

7. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant includes a magnetic material “

A”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

A”

is increased by applying a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

A”

is decreased by removing a magnetic field, a magnetic material “

B”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

B”

is decreased by applying a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

B”

is increased by removing a magnetic field, a heat conductive material “

a”

exhibiting higher heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and lower heat conductivity without a magnetic field, and a heat conductive material “

b”

exhibiting lower heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and higher heat conductivity without a magnetic field,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is configured so as to include at least one layered structure denoted by “

AaBb”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

a”

, “

B”

, “

b”

or at least one layered structure denoted by “

AbBa”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

b”

, “

B”

, “

a”

.

8. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 7,

wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a metallic phase state to an insulating phase state by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

9. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 7,

wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a ferromagnetic metallic phase state to a non-magnetic insulating phase state by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

10. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein at least one of said inner Halbach type magnet and said outer Halbach type magnet is composed of a plurality of Halbach type magnets so that the direction of a magnetic field generated by said inner Halbach type magnet is different from the direction of a magnetic field generated by said outer Halbach type magnet by shifting said plurality of Halbach type magnets.

11. A magnetic refrigerating method, comprising:

disposing a magnetic refrigerant or a magnetic refrigerating working chamber including said magnetic refrigerant therein in a bore space of at least one set of double-structured Halbach type magnet including a ring-shaped inner Halbach type magnet and a ring-shaped outer Halbach type magnet which are coaxially arranged one another so that a magnetic field generated from said inner Halbach type magnet is superimposed with a magnetic field generated from said outer Halbach type magnet; and

rotating said outer Halbach type magnet while said inner Halbach type magnet is stationed so that a first magnetic field with a first intensity is applied to said magnetic refrigerating material and a second magnetic field with a second intensity smaller than said first intensity is applied to said magnetic refrigerant, thereby generating a magneto-caloric effect in said magnetic refrigerant and thus, conduct a heat transfer.

12. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said heat transfer is conducted through a heat transfer medium which can realize a heat exchange with said magnetic refrigerant through a contact of said heat transfer medium with said magnetic refrigerant.

13. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is rendered particulate.

14. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said outer Halbach type magnet includes a gear and is configured so as to be rotated around said inner Halbach type magnet by said rotating mechanism through the engagement of said gear of said outer Halbach type magnet with said rotating mechanism.

15. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 14,

wherein said outer Halbach type magnet is thermally insulated from said inner Halbach type magnet.

16. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is composed of a plurality of magnetic refrigerant or said magnetic refrigeration working chamber is composed of a plurality of magnetic refrigeration working chambers.

17. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant includes a magnetic material “

A”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

A”

is increased by applying a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

A”

is decreased by removing a magnetic field, a magnetic material “

B”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

B”

is decreased by applying a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

B”

is increased by removing a magnetic field, a heat conductive material “

a”

exhibiting higher heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and lower heat conductivity without a magnetic field, and a heat conductive material “

b”

exhibiting lower heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and higher heat conductivity without a magnetic field,

wherein said magnetic refrigerant is configured so as to include at least one layered structure denoted by “

AaBb”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

a”

, “

B”

, “

b”

or at least one layered structure denoted by “

AbBa”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

b”

, “

B”

, “

a”

.

18. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 17,

wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a metallic phase state to an insulating phase state by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

19. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 17,

wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a ferromagnetic metallic phase state to a non-magnetic insulating phase state by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

20. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 11,

wherein at least one of said inner Halbach type magnet and said outer Halbach type magnet is composed of a plurality of Halbach type magnets so that the direction of a magnetic field generated by said inner Halbach type magnet is different from the direction of a magnetic field generated by said outer Halbach type magnet by shifting said plurality of Halbach type magnets.