Field-active heat pumping using liquid materials

Abstract

Heat pump cycle provided with a fluidic loop connecting two heat exchangers. The fluidic loop is filled with an electro-caloric liquid as a heat transfer medium. Applying electric filed in one of the heat exchangers the temperature of the electro-caloric liquid is changed.

1 . A heat pump cycle for heat exchange, comprising:
 providing a fluidic loop between two heat exchangers in fluidic communication with each other;   energizing at least a first heat exchanger of the two heat exchangers to generate an electric field in the first heat exchanger;   advecting a field-active liquid through the fluidic loop;   changing an entropy of the field-active liquid in response to advecting into the electric field of the at least first heat exchanger; and   exchanging heat between the field-active liquid and the two heat exchangers in response to the changing of the entropy of the field-active liquid.   
     
     
         2 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising imposing an electric field in the first and the second heat exchangers. 
     
     
         3 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of rejecting or absorbing heat in the field-active liquid in response to the advecting of the field active liquid through the at least first heat exchanger. 
     
     
         4 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing liquid-gas heat exchangers or liquid-liquid heat exchangers in a counter flow or cross-counter flow configuration; and   applying the electric field to one fluid stream of the liquid-gas heat exchangers or the liquid-liquid heat exchangers.   
     
     
         5 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising using an active electrocaloric liquid as the field-active liquid that is selected from one of a single component field-active liquid, a multi-component mixture of field-active liquids, a pumpable multi-component mixture including field-active liquid and field-active solid materials, or an inactive dielectric liquid added to a solid field-active material to enable pumping of the solid material field-active material. 
     
     
         6 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 5 , further comprising using a liquid crystal as the field-active liquid. 
     
     
         7 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising energizing the at least first heat exchanger to continuously generate the electric field. 
     
     
         8 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising energizing the field-active liquid to change entropy of the field-active liquid. 
     
     
         9 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1  wherein at least the first heat exchanger of the two heat exchangers comprises two electrically conductive channels separated by an insulating material to define a flow channel for the field-active liquid between the two electrically conductive channels. 
     
     
         10 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1  wherein at least the first heat exchanger of the two heat exchangers comprises a polymer channel defining a flow channel for the field-active liquid, the polymer channel including a first electrode on one side and a second electrode on another side to generate the electric field. 
     
     
         11 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a second fluidic loop between two additional heat exchangers in fluidic communication with each other;   placing the energized first heat exchanger in a heat exchanger relationship with a deenergized heat exchanger of the second fluidic loop.   
     
     
         12 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 energizing at least a first heat exchanger of the two additional heat exchangers.   
     
     
         13 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 providing a third fluidic loop between two further heat exchangers in fluidic communication with each other;   placing the energized first heat exchanger of the two additional heat exchangers in a heat exchanger relationship with a deenergized heat exchanger of the third fluidic loop.   
     
     
         14 . The heat pump cycle of  claim 13 , wherein placing the energized first heat exchanger in a heat exchanger relationship with a deenergized heat exchanger of the second fluidic loop comprises physically stacking the energized first heat exchanger and the deenergized heat exchanger of the second fluidic loop. 
     
     
         15 . A regenerative field-active heat pump cycle for heat transport having a regenerator and secondary heat exchanger elements, comprising:
 energizing the regenerator and a first heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements to apply an intermittent electric field;   changing an entropy of the field-active liquid resident in the regenerator and a first heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements in response to the electric field;   advecting the field-active liquid from the regenerator into the first heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements while maintaining the electric field;   transferring heat from the first heat exchanger to a hot ambient temperature in response to advecting the hot energized field-active liquid into the heat exchanger;   releasing the field in the regenerator and a first heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements;   changing an entropy of the field-active liquid resident in the regenerator and a first heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements in response to releasing the electric field;   advecting the cold field-active liquid from the regenerator into the second heat exchanger of the secondary heat exchanger elements while maintaining the electric field; and   transferring heat from the second heat exchanger to a cold ambient temperature in response to advecting the cold de-energized field-active liquid into the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         16 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 15 , further comprising advecting the field-active liquid through the regenerator and the secondary heat exchanger elements by pumping using a linear actuator, a mechanical pump, an electrophoretic electric field pump, or an electrostatic electric field pump. 
     
     
         17 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 15 , wherein the field-active liquid is static in the regenerator and a secondary fluid is advected through the regenerator and the secondary heat exchanger elements. 
     
     
         18 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 17 , further comprising transferring heat from the field-active liquid and the secondary fluid in the regenerator. 
     
     
         19 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 15 , further comprising providing the regenerator with an active solid electrocaloric material. 
     
     
         20 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 19 , further comprising energizing the regenerator active solid structure and the field-active liquid with the same electrodes. 
     
     
         21 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 15 , further comprising providing the regenerator and at least the first of the secondary heat exchanger elements with an active solid electrocaloric material. 
     
     
         22 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 21 , further comprising energizing the at least first heat exchanger, the regenerator, and the field-active liquid with the same electrodes simultaneously or in sequence. 
     
     
         23 . The regenerative field-active heat pump cycle of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 providing at least one of the regenerator and the secondary heat exchanger elements from magnetocaloric materials, elastocaloric materials, or optocaloric materials; and   applying an electric field to the field-active liquid while energizing at least one of the regenerator and the secondary heat exchanger elements with an applied magnetic, strain, or light field, respectively in an advantageous phase relationship.