Magnetic refrigerator

• US 5,156,003 A
• Filed: 11/05/1991
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koatsu Gas Kogyo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koatsu Gas Kogyo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshiro, Saji, Inoue, Masaru, Sato, Manabu, Toda, Hiroaki, Takagi, Tetsuo, Sugioka, Takao, Otani, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohan, Alan
• Application Number:
  US07/788,100
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 62/3.1, 505/891
• 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 2321/0021 with a static fixed magnet
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0023 with modulation, influencing or enhancing an existing magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 505/891 Magnetic or electrical effect cooling

Abstract

A magnetic refrigerator comprising a magnet generating a high-intensity magnetic field, a tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield, a magnetic working material and a reciprocating means for reciprocatively moving the superconducting magnetic shield or the magnetic working material, the magnetic refrigerator being arranged such that a magnetization process wherein the magnetic working material is magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field and a demagnetization process wherein the magnetic working material is demagnetized by being accommodated in the hollow section of the magnetic shield are repeated by the reciprocating means so that the magnetic working material generates coldness.

By using the property of a tube-shaped superconductor which can shield the magnetism of an external magnetic field passing through the hollow section of the tube and can generate a zero-intensity magnetic field in the hollow section, the magnetic working material magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field generated by the magnet is inserted into the hollow section of the tube-shaped superconducting shield and is demagnetized in an adiabatic condition to generate coldness. This coldness is used to cool the target cold bath.

Claims

1. A magnetic refrigerator comprising a magnet generating a high-intensity magnetic field, a tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield, a magnetic working material and a reciprocating means for reciprocatively moving the superconducting magnetic shield or the magnetic working material, whereby a magnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field and a demagnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is demagnetized by being accommodated in the hollow section of said magnetic shield are repeated by said reciprocating means so that said magnetic working material generates coldness.

2. A static magnetic refrigerator comprising a magnet generating a high-intensity magnetic field, a magnetic working material fixed in the high-intensity magnetic field, a tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield having a hollow section capable of accommodating the magnetic working material and a reciprocating means for reciprocatively moving the superconducting magnetic shield, whereby a magnetization process wherein the magnetic working material is magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field by being extracted from the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield and a demagnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is demagnetized in the almost-zero-intensity magnetic field in the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield by being accommodated in the hollow section of said shield are repeated by said reciprocating means so that said magnetic working material generates coldness.

9. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a lamination body comprising thin superconductor ring-shaped pieces and thin nonmagnetic metal ring-shaped pieces.

10. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a lamination body made by winding band-shaped thin superconductor layer pieces and band-shaped thin nonmagnetic metal layer pieces into the form of a tube.

11. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a powder-forming sintered body made of an oxidized superconductor or a sintered body made by winding band-shaped thin oxidized superconductor layer pieces and band-shaped thin nonmagnetic metal layer pieces into the form of a tube.

3. A static magnetic refrigerator comprising a superconducting coil for generating a high-intensity magnetic field and a magnetic working material disposed in the hollow section of the superconducting coil, wherein a tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is disposed in the hollow section of said superconducting coil so that said shield can reciprocate inside the range between both the opening ends of the hollow section of said superconducting coil and so that the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield can accommodate said magnetic working material, whereby a demagnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is demagnetized by being accommodated in the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield and a magnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is magnetized be being extracted from the hollow section are repeated by reciprocating said superconducting magnetic shield using a reciprocating means.

4. A magnetic refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein one end surface of said magnetic working material is connected to a high-temperature heat bath via a high-temperature heat switch means to allow heat transfer to said high-temperature heat bath and the other end surface of said magnetic working material is connected to a low-temperature heat bath via a low-temperature heat switch means to allow heat transfer to said low-temperature heat bath.

5. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein said high-temperature heat switch means is arranged such that said high-temperature heat bath is formed by a fluid bath, one end of a bellows with resilience is connected to said fluid bath, the other end of said bellows is hermetically sealed by a magnetic substance to form a sealing end section, and the sealing end section is disposed close to said magnetic working material so that the external surface of the sealing end section faces and can closely contact the surface of said magnetic working material.

6. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein said low-temperature heat switch means is adapted such that said low-temperature heat bath is formed by a fluid bath, one end of a bellows with resilience is connected to said fluid bath, the other end of said bellows is hermetically sealed by a superconductor to form a sealing end section, and the sealing end section is disposed close to said magnetic working material so that the external surface of the sealing end section faces and can closely contact the surface of said magnetic working material.

7. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein said high-temperature heat switch means is adapted such that said high-temperature heat bath is formed by a fluid bath, said high-temperature fluid bath is sealed by a magnetic substance to form a high-temperature sealing end section, and the high-temperature sealing end section is disposed close to said magnetic working material so that the external surface of the high-temperature sealing end section faces and can closely contact the surface of said magnetic working material, and said low-temperature heat switch means is arranged such that said low-temperature heat bath is formed by a fluid bath, said low-temperature fluid bath is sealed by a nonmagnetic substance to form a low-temperature sealing end section, and the low-temperature sealing end section is disposed close to said magnetic working material so that the external surface of the low-temperature sealing end section faces and can closely contact the other surface of said magnetic working material, and such that said magnetic working material is disposed and movable reciprocatively via an adiabatic bearing fixed to a fixing member, is connected to an adiabatic elastic member, one of which is fixed to said fixing member or the fixing side base section of said bearing, and elastically energized by said elastic member in the demagnetization process so that said magnetic working material closely contacts the external surface of the low-temperature sealing end section.

8. A static magnetic refrigerator according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said magnetic working material is a lamination body or a wound body comprising thin magnetic substance layers and thin heat conductor layers.

12. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator comprising a magnet generating a high-intensity magnetic field, a tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield having a hollow section fixed close to the magnet, a magnetic working material movable to be accommodated into the hollow section and a reciprocating means for reciprocatively moving the magnetic working material, said magnetic refrigerator is adapted such that a magnetization process wherein the magnetic working material is magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field by being extracted from the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield and a demagnetization process wherein said magnetic working material is demagnetized in the almost-zero-intensity magnetic field in the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield by being accommodated in the hollow section of said magnetic shield are repeated by said reciprocating means so that said magnetic working material generates coldness.

13. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein said magnetic refrigerator comprises a high-temperature heat bath having a surface capable of contacting at least one surface of said magnetic working material magnetized in the high-intensity magnetic field and a low-temperature heat bath having a surface capable of contacting the other surface of said magnetic working material demagnetized in the hollow section of said superconducting magnetic shield.

14. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said magnetic working material is a lamination body or a wound body comprising thin magnetic substance layers and thin heat conductor layers.

15. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a lamination body comprising thin superconductor ring-shaped pieces and thin normally conducting metal ring-shaped pieces.

16. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a lamination body made by winding band-shaped thin superconductor layer pieces and band-shaped thin nonmagnetic metal layer pieces into the form of a tube.

17. An unstatic magnetic refrigerator according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said tube-shaped superconducting magnetic shield is a powder-forming sintered body made of an oxidized superconductor or a sintered body made by winding band-shaped thin oxidized superconductor layer pieces and band-shaped thin nonmagnetic metal layer pieces into the form of a tube.