Magnetic heat pump with agitating structure and additives for heat transfer medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magnetic heat pump systems using water or anti-freeze as heat transport mediums have low heat-exchange performance, leading to increased system size and weight to achieve higher cooling performance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a heat transport medium with a higher coefficient of thermal conductivity, such as carbon nano-tubes or alumina, and using a magnetic field to agitate the medium for effective heat exchange with magnetocaloric effect materials, thereby enhancing cooling and heating capacities without enlarging the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If water or anti-freeze liquid is used as heat transport medium, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but heat-exchange performance is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite heat transport medium containing magnetic particles suspended in water or anti-freeze liquid. This composite formulation combines the ease of handling conventional liquids with enhanced thermal conductivity and magnetic responsiveness, allowing the medium to be easily pumped while simultaneously improving heat-exchange performance through magnetic field-induced agitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static heat transport medium into a dynamic system by introducing magnetic particles that respond to alternating magnetic fields. The magnetic particles continuously agitate and move within the fluid, creating dynamic micro-convection currents that enhance heat transfer efficiency without requiring mechanical agitation devices.
2Productivity
If the system size is increased to improve cooling performance, then cooling capacity is increased, but weight of the system is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal and magnetic parameters of the heat transport medium by incorporating magnetic particles. This increases the medium's thermal conductivity and enables magnetic field responsiveness, allowing for more efficient heat transfer per unit volume. Consequently, smaller system components can achieve the same cooling capacity, reducing overall system weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical agitation systems (such as pumps, impellers, or mixing devices) with a magnetic field-based agitation mechanism. The alternating magnetic field induces motion in the magnetic particles suspended in the heat transport medium, creating natural convection currents that enhance heat transfer without requiring additional mechanical components, thereby reducing system weight.
3Device complexity
If conventional heat transport medium is used, then the system structure is simple, but heat exchange between heat transport medium and magnetocaloric effect material is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates a composite heat transport medium by suspending magnetic particles in conventional water or anti-freeze liquid. This maintains the simplicity of using conventional liquids while adding magnetic responsiveness that enables enhanced heat exchange efficiency through field-induced agitation and improved thermal conductivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic particles in the heat transport medium act as intermediaries between the magnetic field and the heat transfer process. These particles respond to the alternating magnetic field by moving and agitating, thereby transferring magnetic energy into mechanical motion that enhances convective heat transfer between the heat transport medium and the magnetocaloric effect material.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution increases heat exchange efficiency, reduces start-up time for cooling and heating functions, and enhances cooling and heating capacities by maintaining a constant flow speed, without the need for larger system sizes.
Implementation Method 1
When magnetic field is applied to the magnetocaloric effect material, heat is generated in the magnetocaloric effect material, while when the magnetic field is removed, temperature thereof is decreased (this phenomenon is called as 'magnetocaloric effect')
Implementation Method 2
heat exchange is carried out between the heat transport medium and the magnetocaloric effect material
Data Source
AI summary
In a magnetic heat pump system, in which heat transport medium is heated or cooled by magnetocaloric effect material accommodated in a magnetic heat pump device. A material having a coefficient of thermal conductivity, which is higher than that of the heat transport medium, or a material having a specific heat or a volume specific heat, which is higher than that of the heat transport medium, is mixed in the heat transport medium. A coefficient of thermal conductivity of the heat transport medium is thereby increased so as to increase heating and/or cooling performance of the magnetic heat pump system.