Magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly with an axially pinned magneto-caloric cylinder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648706-B2
Application number	US-201815955830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2018
Priority date	Apr 18, 2018
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly includes a magneto-caloric cylinder with a plurality of magneto-caloric stages. Each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages has a respective Curie temperature. The magneto-caloric cylinder also includes a plurality of insulation blocks and a plurality of pins. The plurality of magneto-caloric stages and the plurality of insulation blocks are distributed sequentially along an axial direction in the order of magneto-caloric stage then insulation block. One or more the plurality of pins extends along the axial direction between each magneto-caloric stage and a respective insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly, comprising:
a magneto-caloric cylinder comprising a plurality of magneto-caloric stages and a plurality of insulation blocks, the plurality of magneto-caloric stages and the plurality of insulation blocks distributed sequentially along an axial direction in the order of magneto-caloric stage then insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder, each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages having a respective Curie temperature, the magneto-caloric cylinder further comprising a plurality of pins, one or more of the plurality of pins extending along the axial direction between each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages and a respective insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder; and
a plurality of thermal stages stacked along the axial direction between a cold side and a hot side, each of the plurality of thermal stages comprises a plurality of magnets and a non-magnetic ring, the plurality of magnets distributed along a circumferential direction within the non-magnetic ring in each of the plurality of thermal stages;
wherein the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder are configured for relative rotation between the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder.

2. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
a cold side thermal stage of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned at the cold side;
a hot side thermal stage of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned at the hot side;
each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is positioned between a respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction;
one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned closer to the cold side along the axial direction;
the other of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages is positioned closer to the hot side along the axial direction;
the plurality of magnets of each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is spaced from the non-magnetic ring of the one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction; and
the plurality of magnets of each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is in conductive thermal contact with the non-magnetic ring of the other of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages.

3. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of magnets of each of the plurality of thermal stages between the cold side thermal stage and the hot side thermal stage is spaced from the non-magnetic ring of the one of the respective pair of the plurality of thermal stages along the axial direction by insulation.

4. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a heat exchanger positioned at the cold side.

5. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnets is spaced from the non-magnetic ring along the radial direction and the circumferential direction within each of the plurality of thermal stages.

6. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of thermal stages further comprises insulation positioned between the plurality of magnets and the non-magnetic ring along the radial direction and the circumferential direction.

7. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-magnetic ring is an aluminum ring.

8. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnets are uniformly spaced apart along the circumferential direction within the non-magnetic ring in each of the plurality of thermal stages.

9. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of thermal stages comprises no less than ten magnets.

10. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermal stages and the magneto-caloric cylinder are configured for relative rotation about an axis that is parallel to the axial direction.

11. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnets and the non-magnetic ring of each of the plurality of thermal stages collectively define a cylindrical slot, the magneto-caloric cylinder positioned within the cylindrical slot.

12. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cylindrical slot has a width along a radial direction, the magneto-caloric cylinder having a thickness along the radial direction within the cylindrical slot, the width of the cylindrical slot being about one hundredth of an inch greater than the thickness of the magneto-caloric cylinder.

13. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermal stages comprises no less than eight thermal stages.

14. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages has a respective length along the axial direction, the length of one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages being different than the length of another of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages, each of the plurality of thermal stages having a respective length along the axial direction, the length of each of the plurality of thermal stages corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages.

15. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 14 , wherein the length of each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages corresponds to a Curie temperature spacing between adjacent magneto-caloric stages of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages.

16. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 15 , wherein the Curie temperature spacing of the one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages is greater than the Curie temperature spacing of the another of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages, and the length of the one of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages is greater than the length of the another of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages.

17. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magneto-caloric stages are adhered to the plurality of insulation blocks.

18. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of pins is adhered to each of the plurality of magneto-caloric stages and the respective insulation block within the magneto-caloric cylinder.

19. The magneto-caloric thermal diode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pins includes a plurality of interior pins and a plurality of end pins, each of the plurality of interior pins extends along the axial direction through a respective insulation block and into both magneto-caloric stages between which the respective insulation block is positioned, and two or more of the plurality of end pins extend along the axial direction between an insulation block positioned at an end portion of the magneto-caloric cylinder and an adjacent magneto-caloric stage.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Schroeder Michael Goodman

Classifications

• F25B21/00 Primary

  Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects · CPC title

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• H01F1/012

  adapted for magnetic entropy change by magnetocaloric effect, e.g. used as magnetic refrigerating material (refrigeration systems using magnetic effects F25B21/00) · CPC title

• F25D17/065

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F28D15/0275

  Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores · CPC title