JP5816491B2 - Magnetic refrigeration equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a magnetic refrigeration apparatus suitably used for home appliances such as a freezer and a refrigerator, a gas liquefaction apparatus, and the like, and more particularly to a magnetic refrigeration apparatus using a magnetocaloric effect. The present invention relates to a magnetic refrigeration apparatus.

  Gas refrigeration technology using a chlorofluorocarbon gas as a refrigerant causes environmental problems such as ozone depletion, while magnetic refrigeration technology using a magnetic material as a refrigerant does not generate such a problem in recent years. In this magnetic refrigeration technology, it is necessary to change the magnetic field of the magnetic material, and a method of rotating a permanent magnet has been developed to reduce the size of the magnetic refrigeration apparatus.

  This type of magnetic refrigeration apparatus is described in Patent Document 1, for example. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus includes a main body having a rotor having a permanent magnet fixed thereon, a stator having a magnetic working body including a magnetic working material whose temperature changes in accordance with an increase or decrease of a magnetic field, and a magnetic work. A cooling fluid circulation means for circulating a cooling fluid in a circulation path between the bodies, and a heat exchanger provided in the circulation path are provided. The magnetic working body is arranged so that the entire inner circumference of the stator is magnetically axisymmetric so as to reduce the torque of the rotor. Further, an auxiliary magnetic body having a magnetic resistance equivalent to that of the magnetic working body is disposed between the magnetic working bodies on the inner surface of the stator.

JP 2008-51412 A

  However, in the magnetic refrigeration apparatus having the conventional configuration described in Patent Document 1, a narrow gap, that is, a nonmagnetic space, is provided between the magnetic working bodies arranged on the inner surface of the stator or between the magnetic working body and the auxiliary magnetic body. Exists. Due to the existence of such a nonmagnetic space, the electromagnetic force repulsive torque of the permanent magnet becomes nonuniform at the rotation angle and fluctuates greatly.

  As a result, extra power is required to increase the rotational torque of the permanent magnet, and power efficiency is reduced. In addition, there is a problem that smooth rotation cannot be obtained because the rotation speed changes due to torque fluctuation and the rotation is uneven.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the rotational torque of the magnet, increase the operating efficiency, and rotate the magnet. An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic refrigeration apparatus that can perform smooth and stable operation.

In order to achieve the above object, a magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention rotatably supports a magnet at an axial center position in a cylindrical stator, and includes the stator and the magnet. A magnetic refrigeration apparatus having a plurality of heat exchange ducts filled with a magnetic material between which a cooling medium flows, wherein a dummy duct body made of a nonmagnetic material is heated in the heat exchange duct. The inside of the replacement duct is disposed so as to be partitioned, and the thickness of the dummy duct body is set to the same thickness as that of the nonmagnetic space formed between the heat exchange ducts .

  A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the dummy duct body is arranged so that the inside of the heat exchange duct is equally divided.

  A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the dummy duct body is formed of a dummy duct plate and is disposed so as to extend in the radial direction of the stator. It is characterized by that.

A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein a plurality of communication holes through which a cooling medium flows are opened in the dummy duct plate.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, the dummy duct plate is disposed at a central position in the circumferential direction in each heat exchange duct. Features.

  A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the heat exchange ducts are arranged at an equal length in the circumferential direction. Features.

  A magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the heat exchange duct extends in an oblique direction with respect to an axis in the stator. It is arranged so that it may be arranged.

  The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the magnet extends in an oblique direction with respect to an axis in the stator. It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be exhibited.
In the magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the magnet is rotatably supported at the axial center position in the cylindrical stator, and a magnetic material is filled between the stator and the magnet. A plurality of heat exchange ducts through which the cooling medium flows are arranged. A dummy duct body made of a non-magnetic material is disposed in the heat exchange duct so as to partition the heat exchange duct. For this reason, the inside of the heat exchange duct is divided into a plurality of nonmagnetic portions formed by dummy duct bodies, and the same function as when a plurality of heat exchange ducts are arranged is obtained, and torque due to magnetic field fluctuations is reduced. be able to. Therefore, the magnet can rotate smoothly with a small rotational torque.

  Therefore, according to the magnetic refrigeration apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the rotational torque of the magnet and increase the operation efficiency, and to achieve an effect that the rotation of the magnet can be smoothly performed and a stable operation can be performed.

The sectional side view which shows the magnetic refrigeration apparatus in embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a magnetic refrigeration apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the dummy duct board in the duct for heat exchange. The front view which shows a dummy duct board. It is a figure which shows the side surface of a magnetic refrigeration apparatus, Comprising: The left view of FIG. The perspective view which shows the rotor and the duct for heat exchange arrange | positioned around it. The perspective view which shows the rotor which consists of an iron core and a permanent magnet. The perspective view which shows another example of the duct for heat exchange. The perspective view which shows another example of the rotor which consists of an iron core and a permanent magnet.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the magnetic refrigeration apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a cylindrical stator 11 is supported by legs 12, and both ends of the stator 11 are disk-shaped. A side plate 13 is joined. A sealed space 14 is formed by the stator 11 and both side plates 13, and permanent magnets 17 constituting a rotor 15 are supported by the side plates 13 at the axial center of the stator 11 in the sealed space 14. It is arranged so that.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rotor 15 is configured by joining permanent magnets 17 having a rectangular column shape and having an outer peripheral surface formed in a circular arc shape on both side surfaces of an iron core 16 having a quadrangular column shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 15 composed of the iron core 16 and the permanent magnet 17 can be rotated by the driving means 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, four circulation holes 19 are opened in each of the side plates 13 so that cooling water as a cooling medium can be circulated. The circulation holes 19 of the side plates 13 are provided at positions that differ by 45 degrees in the circumferential direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the annular annular space 20 between the stator 11 and the permanent magnet 17 is filled with a particulate magnetic material 21 and cooling water as a cooling medium flows. A plurality (eight in this embodiment) of heat exchanging ducts 22 are arranged with an equal length. As the magnetic material 21, lanthanum, iron, cobalt and silicon compounds, gadolinium and the like are used. A slight gap is formed between adjacent heat exchange ducts 22 to form a nonmagnetic space 23. A magnetic field is generated in the magnetic material 21 in the heat exchanging duct 22 by the rotation of the permanent magnet 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a dummy duct plate 24 as a dummy duct body made of a nonmagnetic material extends in the radial direction of the stator 11 at the center position in the circumferential direction in each of the heat exchange ducts 22. The replacement duct 22 is joined so as to be equally divided into two compartments 25. That is, the dummy duct plates 24 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. As the nonmagnetic material, synthetic resins such as acrylic resin and vinyl chloride resin, glass, ceramics, and the like are used.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dummy duct plate 24 has a large number of communication holes 26 through which cooling water flows at regular intervals so that the cooling water in both compartments 25 can enter and exit from each other. It is like that.

  As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the magnetic material 21 in the heat exchanging duct 22 at the position where the permanent magnet 17 is opposed is magnetized to a high temperature and the temperature of the cooling water is increased, while the permanent magnet 17 is opposed. The magnetic material 21 in the heat exchanging duct 22 at the position where it is not demagnetized is lowered in temperature, and the temperature of the cooling water is lowered. A cooling device (not shown) is disposed outside the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 so that the cooling water whose temperature has decreased is circulated through a circulation path by a circulation pump (not shown) to cool an object to be cooled in the cooling device. It is configured.

Next, the operation of the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the magnetic material 21 in the high-temperature side heat exchange duct 22 at the position (0 ° and 180 °) where the permanent magnets 17 face each other is magnetized and the temperature rises. On the other hand, the magnetic material 21 in the low-temperature side heat exchange duct 22 at a position (90 ° and 270 °) different from that by 90 °, for example, is demagnetized and the temperature is lowered. At this time, the cooling water flowing through the heat exchange duct 22 on the low temperature side flows into an external cooling device (not shown) to cool the object to be cooled. The cooling water that has cooled the object to be cooled flows into the heat exchange duct 22 on the high temperature side and circulates. The cooling water from the inside of the cooling device cools the cooling water in the heat exchange duct 22 on the high temperature side and reaches an external heat exchanger (not shown) where a predetermined amount of heat is released.

  Subsequently, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, when the permanent magnet 17 is rotated by 90 °, the magnetic material 21 in the heat exchange duct 22 on the low temperature side at the positions of 0 ° and 180 ° is demagnetized. Temperature decreases. On the other hand, the magnetic material 21 in the heat exchanging duct 22 on the high temperature side where the permanent magnets 17 are at 90 ° and 270 ° is magnetized and the temperature rises. For this reason, the object to be cooled of the cooling device is cooled by the cooling water in the heat exchange duct 22 on the low temperature side.

  As described above, by repeating the rotation of the permanent magnet 17, the temperature of the cooling water on the low temperature side is lowered to a temperature at which the refrigerating capacity and the heat load are balanced. On the other hand, the temperature of the cooling water on the high temperature side reaches a constant temperature by balancing the exhaust heat capacity and the refrigeration capacity of the exhaust heat exchanger.

  During this time, a dummy duct plate 24 made of a non-magnetic material is disposed in each heat exchange duct 22 so as to divide the heat exchange duct 22 in half. For this reason, the inside of each heat exchange duct 22 is divided into two equal parts by the non-magnetic portion formed by the dummy duct plate 24, and the same function as when the two heat exchange ducts 22 are arranged is expressed, and magnetic field fluctuations are caused. The accompanying torque is reduced. Therefore, the permanent magnet 17 can smoothly rotate with a small rotational torque.

The effects exhibited by the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 according to the embodiment described in detail above will be collectively described below.
(1) In the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 in the present embodiment, the permanent magnet 17 is rotatably supported at the axial center position in the cylindrical stator 11, and between the stator 11 and the permanent magnet 17. A plurality of heat exchange ducts 22 filled with a magnetic material 21 and through which cooling water flows are arranged. In the heat exchange duct 22, a dummy duct plate 24 made of a nonmagnetic material is disposed so as to partition the heat exchange duct 22. For this reason, the inside of the heat exchange duct 22 is divided into a plurality of non-magnetic portions formed by the dummy duct plate 24, and the same effect as when a plurality of heat exchange ducts 22 are arranged can be obtained, and torque due to magnetic field fluctuations can be obtained. Can be suppressed.

Therefore, according to the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the rotational torque of the permanent magnet 17 can be reduced, the operation efficiency can be increased, and the permanent magnet 17 can be smoothly rotated to perform a stable operation. The effect that can be demonstrated.
(2) The dummy duct plate 24 is arranged so that the inside of the heat exchange duct 22 is equally divided. For this reason, the compartment 25 of the same size is formed in the heat exchanging duct 22, the rotation of the permanent magnet 17 can be made smoother, and a highly stable operation can be performed.
(3) The dummy duct body is composed of a dummy duct plate 24 and is disposed so as to extend in the radial direction of the stator 11. Therefore, the dummy duct plate 24 is located in the direction in which the permanent magnet 17 extends, and the magnetic material 21 in the compartment 25 of the heat exchange duct 22 is evenly arranged in the rotation direction of the permanent magnet 17. Accordingly, there is no uneven rotation of the permanent magnet 17, a constant speed rotation can be obtained, and the rotational torque can be reduced.
(4) The dummy duct plate 24 has a plurality of communication holes 26 through which cooling water flows. For this reason, the cooling water in the compartment 25 of the heat exchange duct 22 is smoothly moved, and the refrigeration efficiency of the magnetic refrigeration apparatus 10 can be maintained.
(5) The dummy duct plate 24 is disposed at the center position in the circumferential direction in each heat exchange duct 22. Therefore, each heat exchange duct 22 can be equally divided into two by the dummy duct plate 24 to form a compartment 25 having the same volume, and when two heat exchange ducts 22 having the same size are formed. Work can be obtained. Therefore, torque due to magnetic field fluctuations can be reduced, and operating efficiency can be significantly improved.
(6) The heat exchanging duct 22 is arranged with a uniform length in the circumferential direction. For this reason, the magnetic material 21 filled in the heat exchanging duct 22 is uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, so that uneven rotation of the permanent magnet 17 can be suppressed, and a highly stable operation can be continued.

It should be noted that the embodiment described above can be modified and embodied as follows.
As shown in FIG. 8, each heat exchange duct 22 may be configured to extend in an oblique direction (spiral direction) with respect to the axis of the stator 11. The inclination angle in the oblique direction can be set arbitrarily. When configured in this way, the magnetic material 21 filled in each heat exchange duct 22 can continuously increase the time of change of the magnetic field received from the permanent magnet 17 and improve the uniformity of the change of the magnetic field. And the effect of the embodiment can be further improved.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the rotor 15 composed of the iron core 16 and the permanent magnet 17 can be configured to extend in an oblique direction (spiral direction) with respect to the axis of the stator 11. The outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 17 is always located on a cylinder indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Also in this case, the inclination angle in the oblique direction can be set freely. According to this configuration, the magnetic material 21 filled in each heat exchanging duct 22 can continuously increase the magnetic field change time received from the permanent magnet 17 and improve the uniformity of the magnetic field change. And the effect of the embodiment can be further improved.

The rotor 15 can be composed of only the permanent magnet 17 without using the iron core 16.
It is also possible to arrange a plurality of the dummy duct plates 24 at equal intervals in the heat exchange duct 22.

  As the dummy duct body, in addition to the dummy duct plate 24, a thin sheet or a thick block can be used. Further, the thickness of the dummy duct plate 24 can be set to the same thickness as the nonmagnetic space 23 between the heat exchanging ducts 22, and the nonmagnetic portion can be formed uniformly over the entire circumference of the stator 11.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Magnetic refrigeration apparatus, 11 ... Stator, 17 ... Permanent magnet, 21 ... Magnetic material, 22 ... Heat exchange duct, 24 ... Dummy duct board as a dummy duct body, 26 ... Communication hole.

Claims (8)

A magnet is rotatably supported at an axial center position in a cylindrical stator, and a plurality of heat exchange ducts are disposed between the stator and the magnet and filled with a magnetic material and through which a cooling medium flows. A magnetic refrigeration apparatus,
A dummy duct body made of a non-magnetic material is arranged in the heat exchange duct so that the inside of the heat exchange duct is partitioned, and the thickness of the dummy duct body is formed between the heat exchange ducts. A magnetic refrigeration apparatus characterized in that the thickness is set to be the same as that of the nonmagnetic space . The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dummy duct body is arranged so that the inside of the heat exchange duct is equally divided. 3. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dummy duct body includes a dummy duct plate and is disposed so as to extend in a radial direction of the stator. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the dummy duct plate has a plurality of communication holes through which a cooling medium flows. 5. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the dummy duct plate is disposed at a central position in a circumferential direction in each heat exchange duct. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat exchange ducts are arranged in a uniform length in a circumferential direction. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat exchange duct is arranged to extend in an oblique direction with respect to an axis in the stator. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the magnet is arranged to extend in an oblique direction with respect to an axis in the stator.

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