High Porosity Particulate Beds Structurally Stabilized by Epoxy
First Claim
1. A thermal regenerator apparatus comprising:
- one or more layers of substantially spherical magnetocaloric particles held together by a binding agent in a solid agglomeration providing a flow channel through the magnetocaloric particles wherein the ratio of the average porosity of the thermal regenerator apparatus to the tapped porosity of unbound particles comprising the thermal regenerator apparatus is at least 1.05 and the average porosity of the thermal regenerator is at least 40%.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a porous thermal regenerator apparatus and method of making a porous thermal regenerator comprised of metallic or intermetallic particles that are held together in a porous three dimensional network by a binding agent (such as epoxy). One aspect of the apparatus is that the porosity of the porous thermal regenerator is greater than the tapped porosity of the particles comprising the porous thermal regenerator; moreover, the high-porosity apparatus is durable, that is, it remains intact when exposed to strong time-varying magnetic forces while immersed in aqueous fluid. This high porosity, when combined with high strength and aqueous heat transfer fluid stability, leads to improved porous thermal regenerators and concomitantly to magnetic refrigerators with improved performance.
63 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermal regenerator apparatus comprising:
one or more layers of substantially spherical magnetocaloric particles held together by a binding agent in a solid agglomeration providing a flow channel through the magnetocaloric particles wherein the ratio of the average porosity of the thermal regenerator apparatus to the tapped porosity of unbound particles comprising the thermal regenerator apparatus is at least 1.05 and the average porosity of the thermal regenerator is at least 40%. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A thermal regenerator apparatus comprising:
one or more layers of magnetocaloric particles held together by a binding agent in a solid agglomeration providing a flow channel through the magnetocaloric particles wherein the ratio of the average porosity of the thermal regenerator apparatus to the tapped porosity of unbound particles comprising the thermal regenerator apparatus is at least 1.05 and the average porosity of the thermal regenerator is at least 45%. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of fabricating a thermal regenerator having one or more layers comprising the following steps:
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(a) mixing a plurality of magnetocaloric particles and a binding agent to form a moldable porous mass; (b) transferring a predetermined weight of the moldable porous mass to a mold; (c) distributing the moldable porous mass to fill a cross-section of the mold such that the moldable porous mass extends to a substantially constant predetermined height within the mold defining a desired volume to form a layer; (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) with a second predetermined weight of the moldable porous mass distributed to extend to a second substantially constant desired height within the mold defining a second predetermined volume; and (e) allowing the binding agent to harden within the mold to form a hardened mass. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of fabricating a thermal regenerator having one or more layers which includes the steps of:
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(a) mixing a plurality of magnetocaloric particles and a primary binding agent to form a porous mass; (b) forming clusters of particles from the porous mass and at least partially curing the clusters; and (c) collecting the partially cured clusters of particles and adding a secondary binding agent into a larger mass to form a new porous mass.
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Specification