Magnetic heat pumps using the inverse magnetocaloric effect
First Claim
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1. A heat pump system operative by the inverse magnetocaloric effect and including:
- (a) a working medium comprising a superconductive body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. an having paired charge carriers;
(b) magnet means to produce a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat of said body when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-conductive state;
(c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductive body;
(d) a cold heat exchange means from which heat is removed by said superconductive body; and
(e) magnetic field change means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body into and out of said magnetic field to reversibly change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers; and
(f) motor means to bring said body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said hot heat exchange means and said cold heat exchange means.
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Abstract
A heat pump system operates by the inverse magnetocaloric effect in which the working medium is a superconductive body of type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23° K. The superconductive body is cooled to below its critical temperature and subjected to a changing magnetic field, which decreases the concentration of paired charged carriers without their complete elimination and induces cooling and/or absorbs heat of the working medium.
125 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A heat pump system operative by the inverse magnetocaloric effect and including:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductive body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. an having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means to produce a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat of said body when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-conductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductive body; (d) a cold heat exchange means from which heat is removed by said superconductive body; and (e) magnetic field change means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body into and out of said magnetic field to reversibly change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers; and (f) motor means to bring said body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said hot heat exchange means and said cold heat exchange means. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35)
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2. A Carnot Cycle magnetic heat pump system operative by the inverse magnetocaloric effect and including:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductive body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means having at least two magnetic fields each sufficient to decrease the concentration of paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to thereby induce cooling thereof when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductive body; (d) a cold heat exchange means to be cooled by said superconductive body; and (e) magnetic/field change means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body into and out of said magnet fields to reversibly change the concentration of the paired charge carriers of the superconductive body by application and withdrawal of said magnet fields relative to said body without elimination of all paired charge carriers; and (f) motor means to bring said superconductive body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said hot heat exchange means and said cold heat exchange means in two adiabatic and two isothermic steps. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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3. A Brayton Cycle magnetic heat pump system operative by the inverse magnetocaloric effect and including:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductive body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means having a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of the paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat therein when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange mean to remove heat from said superconductive body; (d) a cold heat exchange means to be cooled by said superconductive body; (e) a counterflowing recuperative heat exchange means to heat and to cool the superconductive body; (f) magnetic field change means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body adiabatically into and out of the magnetic field of said magnet means to reversibly change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers; and (g) motor means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said cold heat exchange means and then with said recuperative heat exchange means within the high constant magnetic field, and then with the said hot heat exchange means and then with the recuperative heat exchange means within the low or nil magnetic field, essentially in two isentropic and two isomagnetic steps. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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4. An Ericcson Cycle magnetic heat pump system operative by the inverse magnetocaloric effect and including:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductive body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnetic means having a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of the paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat therein when the superconductive body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductive body; (d) a cold heat exchange means to be cooled by said superconductive body; (e) magnetic field change means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body into and out of the magnetic field of said magnet means to reversibly change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers; and (f) motor means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said cold heat exchange means and then with said recuperative heat exchange means and then with the said hot heat exchange means and then with the recuperative heat exchange means in essentially two isothermal and two isomagnetic steps. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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36. The method of transferring heat from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir at a relatively higher temperature in order to cool said cold reservoir by cooling a type II high temperature superconductor body having a critical temperature above 23°
- K. to below the critical temperature of the superconductor body and then, in a repeated sequence, adiabatically imposing on said body at least one magnetic field without quenching the superconductor body to a normal non-superconductive state to adiabatically lower the temperature of said body, and adiabatically withdrawing the magnetic field from said body to adiabatically raise the temperature of said body.
- View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48, 49, 50)
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37. The method of transferring heat from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir at a relatively higher temperature in order to cool said cold reservoir by cooling a type II high temperature (about 28°
- K.) superconductor body to below its critical temperature and then, in a repeated sequence, imposing on said body at least one magnetic field without quenching the superconductor body to a normal non-superconductive state to isothermally absorb heat from said cold reservoir, and withdrawing the magnetic field from said body to isothermally exude heat to said hot reservoir.
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38. The method of transferring heat from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir at a relatively higher temperature in order to cool said cold reservoir by cooling a type II high temperature superconductor body having a critical temperature above 23°
- K. to below the critical temperature of the superconductor body and then, in a repeated sequence, lowering the superconductor body temeprature with a recuperative heat exchanger isomagnetically under a low or nil magnetic field and then raising the superconductor body temeprature with a recuperative heat exchanger isomagnetically under a higher magnetic field.
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45. The method of operating a heat pump system using the inverse magnetocaloric effect in which the heat pump includes:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductor body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means to generate a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of paired charge carriers at the superconductor body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat of said body when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductor body; (d) a cold heat exchange means from which heat is removed by said superconductor body; and (e) motor means; said method including the step of repeatedly moving said superconductive body relative to said magnet means to reversibly change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body and to bring said body in repeated and sequential thermal conductive contact with said hot heat exchange means and said cold heat exchange means. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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46. The method of operating a Carnot Cycle magnetic heat pump system using the inverse magnetocaloric effect, in which the heat pump includes:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductor body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temeprature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means having a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of paired charge carriers of the superconductor body and to thereby induce cooling thereof when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductor body; (d) a cold heat exchange means to be cooled by said superconductor body; and (e) motor means; said method including the step of operating said motor means to repeatedly move said superconductive body relative to said magnet means to reversibly change the concentration of the paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers and to bring said superconductive body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said hot heat exchange means and said cold heat exchange means in a repeated sequence of two adiabatic and two isothermic steps without quenching the superconductor body to a normal non-superconductive state.
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47. The method of operating a Brayton Cycle magnet heat pump system using the inverse magnetocaloric effect, in which the heat pump includes:
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(a) a working medium comprising a superconductor body of high temperature type II superconductive material having a critical temperature above 23°
K. and having paired charge carriers;(b) magnet means having a magnetic field sufficient to decrease the concentration of the paired charge carriers of the superconductor body and to thereby induce cooling and/or absorb heat therein when the superconductor body is below said critical temperature but insufficient to quench the superconductive body to a normal non-superconductive state; (c) a hot heat exchange means to remove heat from said superconductor body; (d) a cold heat exchange means to be cooled by said superconductor body; (e) motor means; and (f) a recuperative hot heat exchanger means having two opposing thermal gradient portions one portion positioned within the magnetic field and one portion positioned outside the magnetic field, to heat and to cool the body respectively, and the process includes the steps of; (g) using said motor means to repeatedly bring said superconductive body into and out of the magnetic field of said magnet means to change the concentration of said paired charge carriers of the superconductive body without elimination of all paired charge carriers and to repeatedly bring said superconductive body in sequential thermal conductive contact with said heat exchange means and then said recuperative heat exchange means;
then with said cold heat exchange means; and
then with said recuperative heat exchange means;(h) flowing a fluid n the direction counter to the direction of movement of said body to maintain a positive temperature gradient in said recuperative heat exchange means portion within the magnetic field and a negative temperature gradient in said recuperative heat exchange means portion outside of the magnetic field.
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51. A method as in claim s 45, 46 or 47 wherein said motor operation moves said superconductor body relative to said magnetic means in a straight-line reciprocal motion.
Specification