Magnetic Refrigeration Device with Magnetocaloric Material Coupled to a Shaft and Rotating Between Radial Magnets.

摘要

A magnetic refrigeration device (10 fig 1) for transferring heat has a shaft 14 rotatable about an axis, and includes an inner magnet 12 disposed at one of the axis and a radial distance from the axis and an outer magnet 16 disposed a radial distance from the axis outside of the inner magnet. Together the inner and outer magnets defining a magnetic gap within which a magnetocaloric material (20 fig 3) rotates. The magnetocaloric material is coupled to the shaft such that they rotate together, and during rotation of the shaft a portion of the magnetocaloric material alternates between a magnetized position within the magnetic gap and a demagnetized position outside of the magnetic gap. A heat transfer fluid can be circulated through the magnetocaloric material, and the cooled fluid may be used to effect refrigeration via a heat exchanger. The magnetocaloric material may be arranged in an annular container 17 having axially extending fluid channels 34 and the annular container may be directly fixed to the shaft. The inner and outer magnets may be arranged to be stationary with respect to the rotating shaft and its associated magnetocaloric material.