MAGNETIC HEAT PUMP SYSTEM AND AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM USING THAT SYSTEM

• US 20130327062A1
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Fuse, Takuya, Yatsuzuka, Shinichi, Nishizawa, Kazutoshi, Watanabe, Naoki, Morimoto, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,885,500 B2
• 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 2321/0022 with a rotating or otherwise moving magnet
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

A magnetic heat pump system which arranges permanent magnets at the two sides of a magnetocalorific effect material to thereby strengthen the magnetic field to improve the cooling and heating ability, which magnetic heat pump system uses first and second magnets which move inside and outside of the containers in the state facing each other to change a magnitude of a magnetic field which is applied to a plurality of containers in which a magnetocalorific effect material is stored so as to change a temperature of a heat transport medium which is made to flow through the containers by a reciprocating pump, the intensity of the magnetic field which is applied to the magnetocalorific effect material in the containers being increased to enlarge the change of temperature of the heat transport medium which is discharged from the magnetic heat pump and improve the cooling and heating efficiency.

Claims

1. A magnetic heat pump system which comprises

material containers inside of which a magnetocalorific effect material which has a magnetocalorific effect is arranged and inside of which a heat transport medium circulates,

magnetic field changing means for changing a magnitude of a magnetic field which is applied to the magnetocalorific effect material,

heat transport medium moving means for making the heat transport medium move back and forth between the two ends of the material containers,

a heat absorbing means for making the heat transport medium which is discharged from one end sides of the material containers absorb heat of the outside, and

a heat radiating means for radiating to the outside the heat which the heat transport medium which is discharged from the other end sides of the material containers has,

the magnetic heat pump system characterized in that

the magnetic field changing means are provided with first magnets and a yoke which are arranged at one sides of the material containers, second magnets and a yoke which are arranged at the other sides of the material containers so as to face the first magnets with different poles, a drive means which is coupled with the first magnets and yoke, and a holding mechanism which holds the second magnets and a yoke so as to rotate following the first magnets and yoke.

2. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein said holding mechanism is a bearing, a lubricating oil, or an air layer.

3. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein said yokes to which said second magnets are attached are driven from the outside by an outside drive mechanism.

4. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein said yokes to which said second magnets are attached are driven from the outside by an outside drive mechanism.

5. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein said outside drive mechanism is driven by said drive means.

6. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 4, wherein said outside drive mechanism is driven by said drive means.

7. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein said outside drive mechanism is driven by a drive means separate from said drive means.

8. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 4, wherein said outside drive mechanism is driven by a drive means separate from said drive means.

9. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein

said material containers and said magnetic field changing means are respectively provided at the two sides of said heat transport medium moving means, and

one of said material containers is connected to said heat absorbing means, while the other is connected to said heat radiating means.

10. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 8, wherein

said material containers and said magnetic field changing means are respectively provided at the two sides of said heat transport medium moving means, and

one of said material containers is connected to said heat absorbing means, while the other is connected to said heat radiating means.

11. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein said heat transport medium moving means are provided at the two ends of said material containers as first heat transport medium moving means and second heat transport medium moving means.

12. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 8, wherein said heat transport medium moving means are provided at the two ends of said material containers as first heat transport medium moving means and second heat transport medium moving means.

13. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein

said drive means is a motor which is provided with a shaft,

said first magnets are provided in at least one set of two magnets with different facing polarities at point symmetric positions with respect to said shaft, and

said material containers are arranged in a ring-shaped region sandwiched between said first magnets and said second magnets.

14. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 12, wherein

said drive means is a motor which is provided with a shaft,

said first magnets are provided in at least one set of two magnets with different facing polarities at point symmetric positions with respect to said shaft, and

said material containers are arranged in a ring-shaped region sandwiched between said first magnets and said second magnets.

15. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 9, wherein said material containers are arranged in said ring-shaped region so that a direction of flow of said heat transport medium becomes parallel to said shaft.

16. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein said material containers are arranged in said ring-shaped region so that a direction of flow of said heat transport medium becomes parallel to said shaft.

17. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 6, wherein said material containers are arranged in said ring-shaped region so that a direction of flow of said heat transport medium becomes vertical to said shaft.

18. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein said material containers are arranged in said ring-shaped region so that a direction of flow of said heat transport medium becomes vertical to said shaft.

19. The magnetic heat pump system according to claim 11, wherein

said drive means is a motor which is provided with a shaft (21),

said first magnets are provided in at least one set of two magnets with different facing polarities at point symmetric positions with respect to said shaft,

said material containers are arranged in a ring-shaped region sandwiched between said first magnets and said second magnets, and

gear boxes are provided which change the rotational speed of said shaft between said first heat transport medium moving means and one end of said material containers and between said second heat transport medium moving means and another end of said material containers.

20. An air-conditioning system which uses a magnetic heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein

a heat absorbing means is arranged as a cooler unit at an upstream side of a cooling passage of an air-conditioning system and wherein

a heat radiating means is arranged as a heater unit in a heating passage which is positioned at a downstream side of an air mix damper which controls an amount of intake of air-conditioned air which passes through the heat absorbing means.