Magnetic refrigerating device and magnetic refrigerating method

• US 8,099,964 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Akiko, Kobayashi, Tadahiko, Tsuji, Hideyuki, Iwasaki, Hideo, Hisano, Katsumi, Koga, Akihiro, Kasahara, Akihiro, Takahashi, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Judy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANDEROS, IGNACIO EMMANUEL
• Application Number:
  US11/860,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20080078184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 62/34, 62/36, 335/306
• 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]

Abstract

A magnetic refrigerating device includes: a magnetic refrigerating unit including a magnetic material “A” exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of the material “A” is increased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of the material “A” is decreased by the removal of a magnetic field, a magnetic material “B” exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of the material “B” is decreased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of the material “B” is increased by the removal of a magnetic field, a heat conductive material “a” exhibiting higher heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and lower heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, and a heat conductive material “b” exhibiting lower heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and higher heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, wherein the magnetic refrigerating unit is configured so as to include at least one layered structure denoted by “AaBb” or “AbBa”; and a magnetic field-applying means to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic refrigerating unit.

Claims

1. A magnetic refrigerating device, comprising:

a magnetic refrigerating unit including a magnetic material “

A”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

A”

is increased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

A”

is decreased by the removal of a magnetic field, a magnetic material “

B”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

B”

is decreased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

B”

is increased by the removal of a magnetic field, a heat conductive material “

a”

exhibiting higher heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and lower heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, and a heat conductive material “

b”

exhibiting lower heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and higher heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, wherein said magnetic refrigerating unit is configured so as to include at least one layered structure denoted by “

AaBb”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

a”

, “

B”

, “

b”

or at least one layered structure denoted by “

AbBa”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

b”

, “

B”

, “

a”

; and

a magnetic field-applying means to apply a magnetic field to said magnetic refrigerating unit.

2. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said magnetic field-applying means is a superconducting magnet.

3. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said magnetic field-applying means is a permanent magnet.

4. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said permanent magnet is a Halbach-type magnet.

5. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 4,

wherein said permanent magnet is a double-structured Halbach-type magnet composed of an inner Halbach-type magnet and an outer Halbach-type magnet,

wherein said magnetic refrigerating unit is disposed in a bore space of said inner Halbach-type magnet.

6. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 5, wherein at least one of said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet is composed of a plurality of Halbach-type magnets which are configured such that the direction of a magnetic field generated from said inner Halbach-type magnet is different from the direction of a magnetic field generated from said outer Halbach-type magnet and a motive energy load for shifting the relative position between said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet is reduced.

7. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said plurality of Halbach-type magnets are stacked along a flow direction of heat generated.

8. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a rotating mechanism to shift the relative position between said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet through the rotation of at least one of said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet.

9. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said rotating mechanism is configured such that said outer Halbach-type magnet is rotated while the relative position between said inner Halbach-type magnet and said magnetic refrigerating unit disposed in said bore space of said inner Halbach-type magnet is fixed.

10. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a driving mechanism to shift the relative position between said magnetic refrigerating unit and said magnetic field-applying means.

11. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a metallic state phase to an insulating state phase by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

12. The magnetic refrigerating device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material “

a”

or “

b”

include a substance which is shifted from a ferromagnetic metallic state phase to a non-magnetic insulating state phase by changing an intensity of a magnetic field to be applied thereto.

13. A magnetic refrigerating method, comprising:

applying a first magnetic field with a first intensity to a magnetic refrigerating unit including a magnetic material “

A”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

A”

is increased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

A”

is decreased by the removal of a magnetic field, a magnetic material “

B”

exhibiting a magneto-caloric effect that the temperature of said material “

B”

is decreased by the application of a magnetic field and the temperature of said material “

B”

is increased by the removal of a magnetic field, a heat conductive material “

a”

exhibiting higher heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and lower heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, and a heat conductive material “

b”

exhibiting lower heat conductivity under the application of a magnetic field and higher heat conductivity under the removal of a magnetic field, wherein said magnetic refrigerating unit is configured so as to include at least one layered structure denoted by “

AaBb”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

a”

, “

B”

, “

b”

or at least one layered structure denoted by “

AbBa”

which is formed by subsequently stacking said materials “

A”

, “

b”

, “

B”

, “

a”

; and

applying a second magnetic field with a second intensity smaller than said first intensity to said magnetic refrigerating unit,

wherein the thus generated heat is transferred from one end to the other end of said magnetic refrigerating unit.

14. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first magnetic field and said second magnetic field are generated from a superconducting magnet.

15. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first magnetic field and said second magnetic field are generated from a permanent magnet.

16. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said permanent magnet is a Halbach-type magnet.

17. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 16,

wherein said permanent magnet is a double-structured Halbach-type magnet composed of an inner Halbach-type magnet and an outer Halbach-type magnet,

wherein said magnetic refrigerating unit is disposed in a bore space of said inner Halbach-type magnet.

18. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 17, wherein at least one of said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet is composed of a plurality of Halbach-type magnets which are configured such that the direction of a magnetic field generated from said inner Halbach-type magnet is different from the direction of a magnetic field generated from said outer Halbach-type magnet and a motive energy load for shifting the relative position between said inner Halbach-type magnet and said outer Halbach-type magnet is reduced.

19. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 18, wherein said plurality of Halbach-type magnets are stacked along a flow direction of heat generated.

20. The magnetic refrigerating method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first magnetic field and said second magnetic field are generated by shifting a relative position between said magnetic refrigerating unit and a magnetic applying means.