FLOW-SYNCHRONOUS FIELD MOTION REFRIGERATION
First Claim
1. In a method for operating a heat pump comprising pumping heat exchange fluid through an active magnetocaloric or electrocaloric regenerator from a cold end to a hot end of said regenerator, said regenerator comprising magnetocaloric or electrocaloric regenerator material encased within a housing and having at least one magnetic or electric field source positioned exterior of said housing so as to act upon said regenerator material and thereby increase the temperature thereof and, in turn, the temperature of said heat exchange fluid passing therethrough, the improvement wherein:
- (a) said field source of a length less than or equal to the length of said regenerator moves lengthwise relative to said regenerator, or vice versa, with said field source acting upon only a portion of said regenerator material at one time, so as to subject said regenerator material to changing fields and thereby produce corresponding changes in the temperature of said regenerator material and said heat exchange fluid passing therethrough; and
(b) said heat exchange fluid is pumped through said regenerator in synchronous flow with said relative motion of said field source;
the combination of said relative motion of said field source and said synchronous flow of said heat exchange fluid enabling improved management of heat flow through said regenerator.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved method to manage the flow of heat in an active regenerator in magnetocaloric or an electrocaloric heat-pump refrigeration system, in which heat exchange fluid moves synchronously with the motion of a magnetic or electric field. Only a portion of the length of the active regenerator bed is introduced to or removed from the field at one time, and the heat exchange fluid flows from the cold side toward the hot side while the magnetic or electric field moves along the active regenerator bed.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. In a method for operating a heat pump comprising pumping heat exchange fluid through an active magnetocaloric or electrocaloric regenerator from a cold end to a hot end of said regenerator, said regenerator comprising magnetocaloric or electrocaloric regenerator material encased within a housing and having at least one magnetic or electric field source positioned exterior of said housing so as to act upon said regenerator material and thereby increase the temperature thereof and, in turn, the temperature of said heat exchange fluid passing therethrough, the improvement wherein:
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(a) said field source of a length less than or equal to the length of said regenerator moves lengthwise relative to said regenerator, or vice versa, with said field source acting upon only a portion of said regenerator material at one time, so as to subject said regenerator material to changing fields and thereby produce corresponding changes in the temperature of said regenerator material and said heat exchange fluid passing therethrough; and (b) said heat exchange fluid is pumped through said regenerator in synchronous flow with said relative motion of said field source; the combination of said relative motion of said field source and said synchronous flow of said heat exchange fluid enabling improved management of heat flow through said regenerator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification