Apparatus and methods for cooling and liquefying a fluid using magnetic refrigeration

• US 6,467,274 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2001
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prometheus Technologies LCC
• Original Assignee: University of Victoria Innovation and Development Corporation
• Inventors: Barclay, John A., Brook, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/850,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20020040583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 62/31, 626/06, 626/07, 626/08
• 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: F25J 1/001 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0022 Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0225 using other external refrigeration means not provided before, e.g. heat driven absorption chillers
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2270/908 by regenerative chillers, i.e. oscillating or dynamic systems, e.g. Stirling refrigerator, thermoelectric ("Peltier") or magnetic refrigeration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for magnetically cooling and liquefying a process stream include a plurality of active magnetic regenerative refrigerators (AMRRs) configured in parallel or in series and parallel. Active magnetic regenerative liquefiers (AMRLs) include such AMRRs and are configured to liquefy, for example, natural gas or hydrogen. In specific embodiments, a magnetic field is produced by hexagonally arrayed solenoids and magnetic refrigerants are selected to provide a thermal mass that is dependent on an applied magnetic field.

Claims

1. An active magnetic regenerative liquefier (AMRL), comprising:

at least a first and a second active magnetic regenerative refrigerators (AMRRs), the first AMRR configured to receive and cool a process stream, and deliver the process stream to the second AMRR, wherein the first and second AMRRs have respective thermal reservoirs at a common temperature.

2. The AMRL of claim 1, further comprising at least a third through a sixth AMRR, the fourth through sixth AMRR is configured to serially receive and cool a process stream.

3. The AMRR of claim 2, wherein the first through sixth AMRRs have respective cold reservoirs at temperatures of about 192, 120, 78, 48, 32, and 20 K, respectively.

4. The AMRL of claim 3, wherein the first through third AMRRs are arranged in parallel.

5. The AMRL of claim 4, wherein the fourth through sixth AMRRs are arranged in series.

6. The AMRL of claim 2, wherein the first through third AMRRs are arranged in parallel.

7. The AMRL of claim 4, wherein the fourth through sixth AMRRs are arranged in series.

8. A hydrogen liquefier, comprising an AMRL as recited in claim 2.

9. A hydrogen liquefier, comprising:

at least three active magnetic regenerator refrigerators (AMRRs) situated and configured to receive and serially cool a hydrogen process stream; and

at least two ortho to para convertors situated between at least two of the AMRRs.