초록

The disclosure relates to refrigeration through magnetizing and demagnitizing a body by rotating it within a magnetic field. Internal and external heat exchange fluids and in one embodiment, a regenerator, are used.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of refrigeration approximating a Brayton cycle utilizing near its Curie temperature, a ferromagnetic body which is geometrically structured to undergo magnetization and demagnetization in accordance with its orientation in a magnetic field, said body being rotatable about an axis substantia

A method of refrigeration approximating a Brayton cycle utilizing near its Curie temperature, a ferromagnetic body which is geometrically structured to undergo magnetization and demagnetization in accordance with its orientation in a magnetic field, said body being rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the field between substantially magnetized and substantially demagnetized positions, and an internal heat exchange fluid containing regenerator slidably positioned about the body along the axis between a bottom position and a top position and thermally communicating with two external heat exchange transfer fluids, the method comprising the steps of: (a) positioning the regenerator and body in a substantially demagnetized orientation within the field at a temperature essentially TH, the body being oriented so that its demagnetizing factor due to its geometric structure is near unity, the regenerator being in its bottom position; (b) rotating the body within the regenerator to a substantially magnetized position, thereby magnetizing the body and increasing its temperature from essentially TH to essentially TH +DH; (c) moving the generator from its bottom position to its top position, thereby warming the internal heat exchange fluid therein and cooling the still magnetized body to a temperature of essentially TC; (d) again rotating the body within the regenerator to a substantially demagnetized position to adiabatically demagnetize the body from its temperature of essentially TC to a temperature of essentially TC -DC; (e) moving the regenerator to its bottom position to cool the internal heat exchange fluid therein and warm the body to essentially TH; and (f) transferring heat from the internal heat exchange fluid appropriately during the cycle to two external heat exchange transfer fluids to accomplish refrigeration.