Magnetocaloric heat pump, cooling device and method of operating thereof

Abstract

A magnetocaloric heat pump with a regenerator assembly and a rotatable field generator, containing: a shaft, oriented along a rotation axis and inserted into an axial orifice of a regenerator body of the regenerator assembly and into an axial orifice of a generator body of the rotatable field generator, the rotatable field generator, wherein the generator body is peripherally situated in a periphery of the rotation axis, the generator body containing a first and a second magnetic ring section, which are located diametrically opposite to each other in relation to the rotation axis, wherein the rotatable field generator is attached to the shaft, and the regenerator assembly, wherein the regenerator body is peripherally situated in a periphery of a rotation axis, the regenerator body containing a magnetocaloric material distributed in the regenerator body and wherein the regenerator assembly is arranged around the shaft.

1 . A magnetocaloric heat pump with a regenerator assembly and at least one rotatable field generator, comprising:
 a shaft, oriented along a rotation axis and inserted into an axial orifice of a regenerator body of the regenerator assembly and into an axial orifice of at least one generator body of the at least one field generator,   the at least one field generator, wherein the at least one generator body is peripherally situated in a periphery of said rotation axis, said generator body comprising a first and a second magnetic ring section, which are located diametrically opposite to each other in relation to the rotation axis, wherein the first and second magnetic ring section comprises a first and second permanent magnet respectively, and each of the first and second permanent magnets of the respective field generator is mounted on a support structure, wherein the at least one field generator is attached to the shaft,   the regenerator assembly, wherein the regenerator body is peripherally situated in a periphery of a rotation axis, said regenerator body comprising magnetocaloric material distributed in the regenerator body and wherein the regenerator assembly is arranged around the shaft,   wherein:   the support structure comprises a first and a second yoke section with a first and second yoke body, wherein the first and second yoke body are located diametrically opposite to each other in relation to the rotation axis,   the regenerator body is in form of a ring body and the magnetocaloric material is distributed regularly, in particular piecewise but equal, in the ring body, and   a magnetic field portion predominantly is guided as an internal magnetic field of the permanent magnets into the first and second yoke body, wherein a further magnetic field portion extends as an external magnetic field of the permanent magnets out of the field generator in the range of the first and second magnetic ring section, such that   the magnetocaloric material is exerted to the external magnetic field depending on the relative rotational position of the regenerator body and the generator body.   
     
     
         2 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second magnetic ring sections of the at least one field generator each extend along less than 50% of a total circumference of the respective field generator. 
     
     
         3 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein each support structure comprises two field-harmonising sections arranged to attach each yoke body at the respective permanent magnet via the field-harmonising section. 
     
     
         4 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the field generator comprises polyhedral shaped components. 
     
     
         5 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second yoke bodies are equally shaped and comprise a tailored part to focus the internal magnetic field of the permanent magnets in the magnetic ring sections. 
     
     
         6 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the magnetocaloric material is distributed in the regenerator body sectionally at an inner periphery line of the regenerator assembly and/or is distributed in the regenerator body sectionally at an outer periphery line of the regenerator assembly. 
     
     
         7 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 6 , wherein the magnetocaloric material (MCM) forms at least two MCM-segments, which are separated by respective intermediate sections, and/or wherein an intermediate section has a prismatic shape that allows two rectangular adjacent MCM-segments to contact each other at the tip of the triangular shape. 
     
     
         8 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the regenerator assembly comprises at least one regenerator carrier, wherein the at least one regenerator carrier is adapted to carry at least one regenerator body. 
     
     
         9 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , further comprising a first and a second field generator, wherein at least the first field generator is attached to the shaft and wherein the regenerator assembly is arranged between the first and second field generator. 
     
     
         10 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , further comprising an encasement arranged to provide an external access to the shaft. 
     
     
         11 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 10 , wherein the regenerator assembly is coupled to the encasement via the regenerator carrier. 
     
     
         12 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the field generator is attached to the shaft by a first and a second attachment section, wherein the first and second attachment sections are located diametrically to each other with respect to the rotation axis and/or wherein the first and second attachment sections are arranged to guide the magnetic field portion as an internal magnetic field of the permanent magnets around the shaft. 
     
     
         13 . The magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the regenerator assembly comprises at least one further regenerator body arranged around the shaft and further magnetocaloric material. 
     
     
         14 . A cooling device, comprising
 the magnetocaloric heat pump according to  claim 1 ,   a motor, arranged to rotate the field generator with the shaft around the rotation axis,   at least a first and a second supply pipe system, which are configured and arranged to supply a fluid directing system with fluid,   at least one hot reservoir and at least one cold reservoir, arranged to provide the at least first and second supply pipe system with fluid and to transport heat out of the cooling device, and   a pump, which is arranged and configured to pump a fluid through the magnetocaloric material.   
     
     
         15 . The cooling device according to  claim 14 , further comprising at least four valves, comprising two active valves arranged to control the pump and two passive valves arranged to control and maintain a supply of the fluid directing system with fluid. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operating a magnetocaloric heat pump, the method comprising:
 providing a regenerator assembly with magnetocaloric material distributed around a rotation axis,   providing at least one field generator wherein a magnetic field portion predominantly is guided as an internal magnetic field of permanent magnets into a first and second yoke body, wherein a further magnetic field portion extends as an external magnetic field of the permanent magnets out of the field generator predominantly in the range of a first and second magnetic ring section, such that   the magnetocaloric material is exerted predominantly to the external magnetic field depending on the relative rotational position of the regenerator body and the generator body,   rotating the at least one field generator with respect to the rotation axis for rotating the external magnetic field of the permanent magnets which is applied to the magnetocaloric material, and   providing the magnetocaloric material with a fluid flowing through the magnetocaloric material periodically, wherein a period of fluid supply depends on a rotation frequency of the field generator.