Controllable magnetorheological fluid temperature control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9953755-B2
Application number	US-201514833223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2015
Priority date	Aug 5, 2015
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

Method for controlling heat transfer between two objects. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a first current through a first electromagnet disposed about a container holding magnetorheological fluid to generate a first magnetic field such that particles in the magnetorheological fluid align with the first magnetic field to conductively couple a first conductive element to a second conductive element; and providing a second current through a second electromagnet disposed perpendicular to the first electromagnet to generate a second magnetic field perpendicular to the first magnetic field such that the particles in the magnetorheological fluid align with the second magnetic field to conductively uncouple the first conductive member from the second conductive member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling heat transfer, the method comprising:
providing a first current through a first electromagnet disposed about a container holding magnetorheological fluid to generate a first magnetic field such that particles in the magnetorheological fluid align with the first magnetic field to conductively couple a first conductive element to a second conductive element; and
providing a second current through a second electromagnet disposed perpendicular to the first electromagnet to generate a second magnetic field perpendicular to the first magnetic field such that the particles in the magnetorheological fluid align with the second magnetic field to conductively uncouple the first conductive element from the second conductive element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the first current provided to the first electromagnet controls an amount of heat transferred.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first current is reduced in combination with providing the second current through the second electromagnet to conductively uncouple the first conductive element from the second conductive element.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first current is reduced to zero.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the second current though the second electromagnet aligns the particles with a direction of the second magnetic field.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the first current through the first electromagnet aligns the particles in a parallel arrangement.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a second current through a second electromagnet comprises:
pulsing the second current during an interruption in the first current provided to the first electromagnet.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Barron David
• Peterson Chelsie M

Classifications

• F28F2013/008

  Variable conductance materials; Thermal switches · CPC title

• F28F2013/001

  Particular heat conductive materials, e.g. superconductive elements · CPC title

• F28F13/00 Primary

  Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing (F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01F7/20 Primary

  without armatures (cores H01F3/00; coils H01F5/00 {; shaping metal by applying magnetic forces B21D26/14; electromagnets specially adapted for NMR applications G01R33/381}) · CPC title

• H01F1/447

  characterised by magnetoviscosity, e.g. magnetorheological, magnetothixotropic, magnetodilatant liquids (electrorheological fluids C10M171/001) · CPC title