Magnetocaloric Heat Exchange Device

Abstract

Various implementations include a magnetic heat exchange device including a magnetocaloric chamber, a magnet, a heating loop, and a cooling loop. The magnetocaloric chamber contains a magnetocaloric material and is configured to transfer heat between the magnetocaloric material and a fluid. The magnet is movable between a first position and a second position. The magnetic field from the magnet interacts with the magnetocaloric material in the first position, and the magnetic field from the magnet does not interact with the magnetocaloric material in the second position. In the heating mode, the magnet is in the first position and the fluid flows through the heating loop and the magnetocaloric chamber. In the cooling mode, the magnet is in the second position and the fluid flows through the cooling loop and the magnetocaloric chamber.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 662,346, filed Apr. 25, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]Existing heating, venting, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) systems utilizing refrigerant are used in many residential and commercial applications. These systems change the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant to cause phase changes in the refrigerant, which causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from a space and then transfer that heat to the atmosphere. However, the refrigerant cycle used in existing HVAC systems is inefficient.[0003]Existing magnetocaloric heat exchange devices also suffer from energy inefficiencies. These devices use mechanical controls or constant timers to switch between cycles, which do not account for other variables affecting the device.[0004]Thus, a need exists for a magnetic heat exchange device that is ener...

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