MAGNETIC COOLING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20140366557A1
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Min Soo, MUN, Il Ju
• Granted Patent: US 9,784,482 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 cooling apparatus having a plurality of cooling modules, where each of the cooling modules includes at least one magnetic regenerator allowing a heat transfer fluid to pass therethrough and filled with a magnetocaloric material; and a fluid supply device to supply the heat transfer fluid into the magnetic regenerator. The cooling modules are rotatably arranged in a circumferential direction.

Claims

1. A magnetic cooling apparatus comprising a plurality of cooling modules, each of the cooling modules including:

at least one magnetic regenerator allowing a heat transfer fluid to pass therethrough and filled with a magnetocaloric material; and

a fluid supply device to supply the heat transfer fluid into the magnetic regenerator,

wherein the cooling modules are rotatably arranged in a circumferential direction.

2. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of magnets to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic regenerator and withdraw the applied magnetic field,

wherein the cooling modules are disposed in the magnetic field created by the magnet.

3. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnets are disposed at an inner side and an outer side in a circular form, with the magnetic regenerator placed between the magnets.

4. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnets are four-pole magnets configured with four magnetic field regions and four non-magnetic field regions.

5. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cooling modules are disposed between the inner-side magnets and outer-side magnets of the magnets in a circumferential direction.

6. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic regenerators are arranged in an array between the inner magnets and the outer magnets to construct a magnetic regenerator unit.

7. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a flow passage to guide flow of the heat transfer fluid supplied to the fluid supply devices is provided at opposite ends of the magnetic regenerator unit.

8. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a heat exchanger is disposed on the flow passage provided at opposite ends of the magnetic regenerator unit.

9. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply devices provided to the cooling modules are connected to each other to form one unit such that the heat transfer fluid flows in the same direction.

10. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first drive unit to drive the fluid supply devices;

a second drive unit to rotate the magnetic regenerators; and

a controller to control operation of the first drive unit and the second drive unit.

11. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the first drive unit and second drive unit includes a separate motor.

12. The magnetic cooling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first drive unit and second drive unit are a single motor.

13. A method of controlling a magnetic cooling apparatus including a plurality of cooling modules, each of the cooling modules including at least one magnetic regenerator allowing a heat transfer fluid to pass therethrough and filled with a magnetocaloric material, and a fluid supply device to supply the heat transfer fluid into the magnetic regenerator, the method comprising:

rotating, by a controller, the magnetic regenerator; and

operating, by the controller, the fluid supply device at the time when magnetization and demagnetization of the magnetic regenerator are switched from one to the other according to rotation of the magnetic regenerator.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the magnetic cooling apparatus further includes a plurality of magnets to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic regenerator and withdraw the applied magnetic field,

the method further comprising operating, by the controller, the fluid supply device when magnetization and demagnetization of the magnetic regenerator are switched from one to the other according to rotation of the magnets.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, when the magnets rotate, the magnetic regenerator is fixed so as not to rotate.

16. A cooling module for a magnetic cooling apparatus, comprising:

a magnetic regenerator allowing a heat transfer fluid to pass therethrough and filled with a magnetocaloric material; and

a fluid supply device to supply the heat transfer fluid into the magnetic regenerator.

17. The cooling module according to claim 16, further comprising a plurality of magnets to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic regenerator and withdraw the applied magnetic field.

18. The cooling module according to claim 17, wherein the magnets are four-pole magnets configured with four magnetic field regions and four non-magnetic field regions.

19. The cooling module according to claim 16, wherein the heat transfer fluid comprises one or more of water, alcohols and antifreezes, and

the antifreezes include one or more of ethylene glycol and helium gas.

20. The cooling module according to claim 16, wherein the magnetocaloric material includes one or more of gadolinium (Gd), manganese iron compounds (MnFe) and lanthanum iron compounds (LaFe).