CN110715470A

CN110715470A - Heat regenerator and magnetic refrigeration device with same

Info

Publication number: CN110715470A
Application number: CN201911109199.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪魁; 罗胜; 杨蓉
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2019-11-13
Filing date: 2019-11-13
Publication date: 2020-01-21

Abstract

The invention provides a heat regenerator and a magnetic refrigeration device with the same. According to the technical scheme, under the cold flow process and the hot flow process, the heat exchange media in the containing part can be connected with the flow dividing and collecting structure through different circulation channels to realize heat exchange, and when the heat regenerator is switched from the hot flow process to the cold flow process or from the cold flow process to the hot flow process, the heat exchange media in the previous mode cannot be subjected to reverse flow or backflow at two ends and inside of the containing part to influence the performance of the heat regenerator because of the sudden change of the flow direction of fluid. The pressure loss caused by reducing from the pipe orifice to the accommodating part is reduced, and the power consumption of the driving fluid is reduced; meanwhile, the flow of the magnetic working medium accommodating part is more uniform due to the flow dividing and collecting functions, and the flow dead angle is reduced; the heat exchange medium flows in one direction in the inner channel of the whole heat regenerator part, the influence of the retention volume on the temperature span and the refrigerating capacity of the heat regenerator is solved, and the heat exchange efficiency of the heat regenerator is effectively improved.

Description

Heat regenerator and magnetic refrigeration device with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of magnetic refrigeration equipment, in particular to a heat regenerator and a magnetic refrigeration device with the same.

Background

The magnetic refrigeration technology is a solid refrigeration mode based on the magnetocaloric effect, adopts water and other environment-friendly media as heat transfer fluid, has the characteristics of zero GWP (greenhouse effect potential value/global warming potential value), zero ODP (atmospheric ozone layer loss potential value), intrinsic high efficiency, low noise, low vibration and the like, and has wider application prospect in the room temperature range compared with the low-temperature refrigeration field, such as the application in the fields of household refrigerators, air conditioners, medical health care and the like.

The magnetic regenerator (regenerator) is used as a core component of a magnetic refrigerator, a porous medium (magnetic working medium) is arranged in the magnetic regenerator for a heat exchange medium to flow through, and the magnetic regenerator has the following problems:

the uniformity of the flow of the magnetic filler flowing into the fluid inlet is insufficient, and the retention volume exists in the inlet and outlet pipelines or chambers. The retention volume is a fluid which is not introduced into the heat exchanger for heat exchange but flows into the regenerator after being converted in direction at the next cycle because the fluid flowing out of the regenerator is retained in an outlet duct of the regenerator, and the fluid in the volume causes mixing of cold and heat in the regenerator, thereby affecting heat exchange efficiency. In addition, because the inlet of the regenerator is generally small, the problem of uneven flow in the regenerator is often caused. The heat exchange effect is deteriorated, thereby causing the problem of low heat exchange efficiency of the magnetic refrigerator.

Furthermore, a part of retention volume also exists in the magnetic working medium filling area, the retention volume of the channel and the inlet transition area can be avoided through an independent inlet and an independent outlet in the conventional magnetic regenerator design, but the retention volume in the magnetic regenerator is not solved at all, when the retention volume is switched in the fluid direction, the heat exchange fluid in the magnetic working medium filling area in the magnetic regenerator vibrates between the cold end and the hot end, so that the temperature gradient in the regenerator is influenced.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a heat regenerator and a magnetic refrigerating device with the same, and aims to solve the problem of low heat exchange efficiency of a magnetic refrigerator in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a regenerator including: the accommodating part is used for accommodating the magnetocaloric material and the heat exchange medium, the accommodating part is arranged adjacent to the magnetic field generating device, and the accommodating part can form a hot end and a cold end by applying a changed magnetic field to the magnetocaloric material through the magnetic field generating device; the inside of the magnetocaloric material is provided with a cold flow channel set and a hot flow channel set which are independent of each other; the hot end inlet pipe is connected with the hot end and communicated with the inlet of the hot flow channel group in the accommodating part; the hot end outlet pipe is connected with the hot end and communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group in the accommodating part; the cold end inlet pipe is connected with the cold end and communicated with an inlet of the cold flow channel group in the containing part; the cold end outlet pipe is connected with the cold end and communicated with an outlet of the heat flow channel group in the accommodating part; the heat regenerator has a hot flow process and a cold flow process, when the heat regenerator is in the cold flow process, a heat exchange medium enters the accommodating part from the cold end inlet pipe, and after heat exchange is carried out with the magnetocaloric material through the cold flow channel group, the heat exchange medium is discharged out of the accommodating part through the hot end outlet pipe.

Further, the containing part has the relative first lateral wall and the second lateral wall that set up, and the hot junction advances the pipe and the hot junction exit tube all is connected with first lateral wall, and the cold junction advances the pipe and the cold junction exit tube all is connected with the second lateral wall.

Furthermore, the hot end inlet pipe and the hot end outlet pipe are independently arranged, and the cold end inlet pipe and the cold end outlet pipe are independently arranged.

Further, the regenerator further comprises: the first division and collection structure is connected with the first side wall, and the hot end inlet pipe and the hot end outlet pipe are communicated with the accommodating part through the first division and collection structure.

Further, a variable magnetic field is applied to the magnetocaloric materials through the magnetic field generating device, the magnetocaloric materials in the accommodating part can form a hot side and a cold side through a plurality of cycles, the hot side is arranged close to the hot end, and the cold side is arranged close to the cold end; the cold flow channel set comprises a plurality of first micro channels which are arranged at intervals, the hot flow channel set comprises a plurality of second micro channels which are arranged at intervals, the first micro channels are provided with inlets positioned at the cold side and outlets positioned at the hot side, and the second micro channels are provided with inlets positioned at the hot side and outlets positioned at the cold side; the hot end inlet pipe is connected with the hot end and communicated with an inlet of the hot flow channel group, the hot end outlet pipe is connected with the hot end and communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group, the cold end inlet pipe is connected with the cold end and communicated with an inlet of the cold flow channel group, and the cold end outlet pipe is connected with the cold end and communicated with an outlet of the hot flow channel group.

Further, the first distribution flow structure includes: the hot end inlet pipe is communicated with an inlet of the hot flow channel group through the first channel group, and the hot end outlet pipe is communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group through the second channel group; the first channel group comprises a plurality of first channels which are arranged at intervals, the second channel group comprises a plurality of second channels which are arranged at intervals.

Further, the first channel group is a plurality of, and the second channel group is a plurality of, and a plurality of first channel groups and second channel group set up along the depth direction of holding portion crisscross.

Further, the regenerator further comprises: the second branch collecting structure is connected with the second side wall, the second branch collecting structure and the first branch collecting structure are arranged oppositely, and the cold end inlet pipe and the cold end outlet pipe are communicated with the containing part through the second branch collecting structure.

Further, the second distribution flow structure includes: the cold end inlet pipe is communicated with an inlet of the cold flow channel group through the third channel group, and the cold end outlet pipe is communicated with an outlet of the hot flow channel group through the fourth channel group; the third channel group comprises a plurality of third channels which are arranged at intervals, the fourth channel group comprises a plurality of fourth channels which are arranged at intervals.

Furthermore, the third channel group is a plurality of, the fourth channel group is a plurality of, and a plurality of third channel groups and fourth channel group set up along the depth direction crisscross of holding portion.

Furthermore, the first flow dividing and collecting structure is integrally formed with the first side wall, and the second flow dividing and collecting structure is integrally formed with the second side wall.

Furthermore, a plurality of magnetocaloric material filling units are arranged on the side wall of the accommodating part adjacent to the first side wall and the second side wall.

Further, the magnetocaloric material comprises a plurality of magnetocaloric material units, and the plurality of magnetocaloric material units are internally provided with a cold flow channel set and a hot flow channel set which are communicated with each other.

Further, the magnetocaloric material is a solid block structure, and the magnetocaloric material has a plurality of first microchannels and a plurality of second microchannels.

Further, the magnetocaloric material comprises a magnetocaloric material main body, a plurality of first microchannels and a plurality of second microchannels are arranged in the magnetocaloric material main body, and a powder magnetic working medium filling cavity is formed between the plurality of first microchannels and the plurality of second microchannels and the magnetocaloric material main body.

Furthermore, a powder magnetic medium filling cavity is formed between the adjacent first micro-channels, and/or a powder magnetic medium filling cavity is formed between the adjacent second micro-channels, and/or a powder magnetic medium filling cavity is formed between the first micro-channels and the second micro-channels.

Further, the magnetocaloric material comprises a magnetocaloric material main body, the magnetocaloric material main body is of a hollow structure, interlayer thin walls are arranged in the magnetocaloric material main body, the interlayer thin walls are multiple, the interlayer thin walls divide the interior of the magnetocaloric material main body into a cold flow channel set and a hot flow channel set, and the cold flow channel set and the hot flow channel set are alternately arranged.

Further, granular magnetocaloric materials are disposed in the cold flow channel group and the hot flow channel group.

Furthermore, the hot end inlet pipe, the hot end outlet pipe, the cold end inlet pipe, the cold end outlet pipe and the accommodating part are integrally formed.

Furthermore, the accommodating part is positioned in a working air gap of the magnetic field generating device, and the accommodating part and the magnetic field generating device are movably arranged relatively to each other to generate a magnetic field.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic refrigeration apparatus comprising a regenerator, the regenerator being the regenerator described above.

By applying the technical scheme of the invention, under the cold flow process and the hot flow mode, the heat exchange medium in the accommodating part can be connected with the flow dividing and collecting structure through different circulation channels to realize heat exchange, so that the heat regenerator is switched from the hot flow process to the cold flow process, or from the cold flow process to the hot flow process, the heat exchange medium in the previous mode cannot be suddenly changed due to the flow direction of the fluid, and the performance of the heat regenerator is influenced by the reverse flow or backflow at the two ends and inside of the accommodating part. By adopting the heat exchange mode of the structure, the pressure loss caused by the diameter change from the pipe orifice to the accommodating part is reduced, and the power consumption of the driving fluid is reduced; meanwhile, the flow of the magnetic working medium accommodating part is more uniform due to the flow dividing and collecting functions, and the flow dead angle is reduced; and all heat exchange media flow in one direction in the internal channel of the heat regenerator, so that the influence of the retention volume on the temperature span and the refrigerating capacity of the heat regenerator is completely solved. The heat exchange mode can effectively improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat regenerator.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a schematic structural view of a first embodiment of a regenerator according to the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a schematic structural view of a second embodiment of the regenerator according to the present invention;

fig. 3 shows a schematic structural view of a third embodiment of the regenerator according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the structure of the inlet and outlet channels and the internal fluid regions and the receiver cavities of the flow diversity arrangement of the first embodiment of the regenerator in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 6 shows a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a first divided flow structure of a regenerator in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 7 shows a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a second partial flow structure of a regenerator according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic structural view of a first embodiment of magnetocaloric material of the regenerator according to the present invention;

fig. 9 shows a schematic structural view of a second embodiment of magnetocaloric material of the regenerator according to the present invention;

fig. 10 shows a schematic structural view of a third embodiment of magnetocaloric material of a regenerator according to the present invention.

Wherein the figures include the following reference numerals:

10. an accommodating portion; 11. a hot end; 12. a cold end; 13. a first side wall; 14. a second side wall; 15. a magnetocaloric material filling unit;

20. a hot end outlet pipe;

30. a hot end inlet pipe;

40. cold end inlet pipe;

50. a cold end outlet pipe;

60. a first divided flow structure; 61. a first flow-dividing structural body; 611. a first channel group; 6111. a first channel;

612. a second channel group; 6121. a second channel;

70. a second flow distribution structure; 71. a second flow distribution structure body; 711. a third channel group; 7111. a third channel;

712. a fourth channel group; 7121. a fourth channel;

80. a housing; 81. screw holes; 82. a sealing groove;

16. a magnetocaloric material; 161. a cold flow channel set; 1611. a first microchannel; 162. a set of heat flow channels; 1621. a second microchannel; 163. filling the cavity with a powder magnetic working medium; 164. a body of magnetocaloric material; 165. the interlayer is thin-walled; 166. a hot side; 167. the cold side.

Detailed Description

It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present application may be combined with each other without conflict. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

It is noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, and it should be understood that when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, devices, components, and/or combinations thereof, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of this application and in the drawings described above are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Exemplary embodiments according to the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These exemplary embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein. It is to be understood that these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art, in the drawings, it is possible to enlarge the thicknesses of layers and regions for clarity, and the same devices are denoted by the same reference numerals, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to fig. 1 to 10, a regenerator is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the regenerator includes a containment 10, a hot end inlet tube 30, a hot end outlet tube 20, a cold end inlet tube 40, and a cold end outlet tube 50. The accommodating part 10 is used for accommodating magnetocaloric materials and heat exchange media, the accommodating part 10 is disposed adjacent to a magnetic field generating device, and the accommodating part 10 can form a hot end 11 and a cold end 12 by applying a magnetic field to the magnetocaloric materials through the magnetic field generating device. The magnetocaloric material 16 has therein a cold flow channel group 161 and a hot flow channel group 162 that are independent of each other. Hot end inlet tube 30 is connected to hot end 11 and communicates with the inlet of hot flow channel set 162 in receiver 10. A hot end outlet tube 20 is connected to hot end 11 and communicates with the outlet of cold flow set 161 in housing 10. Cold inlet pipe 40 is connected to cold end 12 and communicates with the inlet of cold flow set 161 in housing 10. Cold end exit tube 50 is connected to cold end 12 and communicates with the outlet of the set of hot flow channels 162 in the containment 10. Wherein, the regenerator has hot flow process and cold flow process, when the regenerator is in cold flow process, heat transfer medium advances the pipe 40 from the cold junction and gets into in the holding portion 10, after carrying out the heat exchange with the magnetocaloric material through cold flow channel group 161, heat transfer medium passes through hot end exit tube 20 and discharges outside the holding portion 10, when the regenerator is in hot flow process, heat transfer medium advances the pipe 30 through the hot end and gets into in the holding portion 10, after carrying out the heat exchange with the magnetocaloric material through hot flow channel group 162, heat transfer medium discharges outside the holding portion 10 through cold end exit tube 50.

In this embodiment, in the cold flow process and the hot flow mode, the heat exchange medium in the accommodating portion can be connected with the flow dividing and collecting structure through different circulation channels to realize heat exchange, so that when the heat regenerator is switched from the hot flow process to the cold flow process or from the cold flow process to the hot flow process, the heat exchange medium in the previous mode cannot suddenly change due to the flow direction of the fluid, and the performance of the heat regenerator is affected by the reverse flow or backflow at the two ends and inside of the accommodating portion, that is, the pressure loss caused by the diameter change from the pipe orifice to the accommodating portion is reduced by adopting the heat exchange mode of the structure, and the power consumption of the driving fluid is reduced; meanwhile, the flow of the magnetic working medium accommodating part is more uniform due to the flow dividing and collecting functions, and the flow dead angle is reduced; and all heat exchange media flow in one direction in the internal channel of the heat regenerator, so that the influence of the retention volume on the temperature span and the refrigerating capacity of the heat regenerator is completely solved. The heat exchange mode can effectively improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat regenerator.

The receiving portion 10 has a first side wall 13 and a second side wall 14 disposed opposite to each other. Hot end inlet tube 30 and hot end outlet tube 20 are both connected to first sidewall 13, and cold end inlet tube 40 and cold end outlet tube 50 are both connected to second sidewall 14. This arrangement can improve the reliability of the connection of the hot end inlet tube 30, the hot end outlet tube 20, the cold end inlet tube 40, and the cold end outlet tube 50.

Preferably, in order to further improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger, the hot end inlet pipe 30 and the hot end outlet pipe 20 are independently arranged, and the cold end inlet pipe 40 and the cold end outlet pipe 50 are independently arranged.

Further, the regenerator further includes a first distribution flow structure 60. The first collecting flow structure 60 is connected to the first sidewall 13, and the hot end inlet pipe 30 and the hot end outlet pipe 20 are communicated with the receiving part 10 through the first collecting flow structure 60. This arrangement can ensure that the heat exchange medium flows out of the accommodating part 10 from the inside of the accommodating part 10 or the heat exchange medium flows into the accommodating part 10 at a uniform rate, thereby enabling the heat exchange medium to perform sufficient heat exchange work with the magnetocaloric material.

According to an embodiment of the present application, by applying a changing magnetic field to the magnetocaloric materials 16 through the magnetic field generating device, the magnetocaloric materials 16 in the container 10 can form a hot side 166 and a cold side 167 through several cycles, the hot side 166 is disposed near the hot end 11, and the cold side 167 is disposed near the cold end 12; the magnetocaloric material 16 has a cold flow channel set 161 and a hot flow channel set 162 inside, which are independent of each other, the cold flow channel set 161 includes a plurality of first microchannels 1611, the plurality of first microchannels 1611 are arranged at intervals, the hot flow channel set 162 includes a plurality of second microchannels 1621, the plurality of second microchannels 1621 are arranged at intervals, the first microchannels 1611 have inlets located at the cold side 167 and outlets located at the hot side 166, and the second microchannels 1621 have inlets located at the hot side 166 and outlets located at the cold side 167; the hot end inlet pipe 30 is connected to the hot end 11 and communicated with the inlet of the hot flow channel set 162, the hot end outlet pipe 20 is connected to the hot end 11 and communicated with the outlet of the cold flow channel set 161, the cold end inlet pipe 40 is connected to the cold end 12 and communicated with the inlet of the cold flow channel set 161, and the cold end outlet pipe 50 is connected to the cold end 12 and communicated with the outlet of the hot flow channel set 162.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and 6, the first collecting flow structure 60 includes a first collecting flow structure body 61. The first collecting structural body 61 is provided with a first channel group 611 and a second channel group 612. The first channel group 611 is disposed adjacent to the second channel group 612, and the hot end inlet pipe 30 communicates with the inlet of the hot flow channel group 162 through the first channel group 611. The hot end outlet tube 20 communicates with the outlet of the cold flow set 161 via a second set 612 of channels. The first channel group 611 includes a plurality of first channels 6111, the plurality of first channels 6111 are arranged at intervals, the second channel group 612 includes a plurality of second channels 6121, and the plurality of second channels 6121 are arranged at intervals. This arrangement makes it possible to make the speeds of the heat exchange medium flowing into the receiving portion 10 through the first collecting and distributing structure 60 uniform, and to make the heat exchange medium perform a sufficient heat exchange operation with the magnetocaloric material.

Preferably, the first channel group 611 is plural, the second channel group 612 is plural, and the plural first channel groups 611 and the plural second channel groups 612 are alternately arranged in the depth direction of the receiving part 10.

As shown in fig. 1 and 7, the regenerator further includes a second sub-manifold structure 70. The second collecting flow structure 70 is connected to the second sidewall 14, the second collecting flow structure 70 is disposed opposite to the first collecting flow structure 60, and the cold end inlet pipe 40 and the cold end outlet pipe 50 are communicated with the accommodating portion 10 through the second collecting flow structure 70. Specifically, the second flow dividing structure 70 includes a second flow dividing structure body 71. A third channel group 711 and a fourth channel group 712 are arranged on the second branch collecting structure body 71, the third channel group 711 and the fourth channel group 712 are adjacently arranged, the cold end inlet pipe 40 is communicated with the inlet of the cold flow channel group 161 through the third channel group 711, and the cold end outlet pipe 50 is communicated with the outlet of the hot flow channel group 162 through the fourth channel group 712; the third channel group 711 includes a plurality of third channels 7111, the plurality of third channels 7111 are disposed at intervals, the fourth channel group 712 includes a plurality of fourth channels 7121, and the plurality of fourth channels 7121 are disposed at intervals. This arrangement makes it possible to make the speeds of the heat exchange medium flowing into the receiving portion 10 through the second collecting and distributing structure 70 uniform, and to make the heat exchange medium perform a sufficient heat exchange operation with the magnetocaloric material.

Preferably, the third channel group 711 and the fourth channel group 712 are provided in plural, and the plural third channel groups 711 and the plural fourth channel groups 712 are alternately arranged in the depth direction of the accommodating part 10. That is, in the present embodiment, the structure of the second collecting flow structure 70 may be provided in the same manner as the structure of the first collecting flow structure 60.

Preferably, the first collecting flow distributing structure 60 is integrally formed with the first sidewall 13, and the second collecting flow distributing structure 70 is integrally formed with the second sidewall 14. This arrangement can improve the stability of the regenerator.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of magnetocaloric material filling units 15 are opened on the side walls of the accommodating portion 10 adjacent to the first side wall 13 and the second side wall 14. The arrangement can improve the heat exchange efficiency and the installation stability of the magnetocaloric material.

As shown in fig. 5, the hot end inlet pipe 30, the hot end outlet pipe 20, the cold end inlet pipe 40, and the cold end outlet pipe 50 are integrally formed with the container 10. This arrangement can further improve the stability and reliability of the regenerator.

The regenerator in the above embodiments may also be used in the technical field of magnetic refrigeration equipment, that is, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic refrigeration device, including a regenerator, where the regenerator is the regenerator in the above embodiments.

Particularly, by adopting the magnetic refrigerating device, the volume of heat exchange media retained at the inlet and outlet parts of the heat regenerator can be reduced, and the heat exchange efficiency of a heat exchange system is improved. (the retention volume means a volume of fluid flowing from the regenerator, which is retained in an outlet pipe of the regenerator and flows into the regenerator again due to a change in the direction of the fluid when the fluid does not flow into the heat exchanger for heat exchange in the next cycle, and the fluid in the volume of fluid mixes cold and heat in the regenerator to affect the heat exchange efficiency.

Because the inlet of the regenerator is generally small, the problem of uneven flow of fluid flowing into the regenerator often exists, so that the heat exchange effect is poor, and the heat exchange efficiency of the magnetic refrigerator is reduced. By adopting the magnetic refrigerating device, the uniformity of the fluid flow in the heat regenerator is effectively improved.

The end of the inlet of the regenerator is provided with a plurality of micro channels (including the first channel and the second channel) to form a liquid distributor, so that fluid can uniformly flow when entering the regenerator, and the heat exchange efficiency is improved. The two sides of the magnetic working medium adopt a double-channel independent inlet and outlet design, when the flow direction in the heat regenerator is switched, the switching of an inlet and an outlet is realized simultaneously, so that the fluid in the inlet and outlet pipelines of the heat regenerator keeps intermittent unidirectional flow. Wherein, can set up the control valve body in each advances pipe and exit tube and realize the condition of opening of passageway, for example this valve body structure can be check valve.

The end part of the heat regenerator is provided with a flow dividing and collecting structure consisting of a plurality of tiny independent channels which are respectively connected with the inlet channel and the outlet channel. So that the flow of fluid into and out of the regenerator is uniform. The design of independent inlets and outlets of two channels is adopted, when the flow direction in the heat regenerator is switched, the switching of the inlets and the outlets is realized simultaneously, so that the fluid in the inlet and outlet pipelines of the heat regenerator keeps intermittent unidirectional flow, the retention volume of the inlet and the outlet parts of the heat regenerator is reduced, the retention volume refers to the condition that the fluid flowing out of the heat regenerator is retained in the outlet pipeline of the heat regenerator, does not flow into the heat exchanger for heat exchange, and flows into the heat regenerator after the direction switching in the next circulation, and the fluid with the volume can cause the cold and heat mixing in the heat regenerator, so that the heat exchange efficiency is influenced.

In the present application, the regenerator mainly comprises a cover (not shown), a casing 80, and a sealing member (not shown), wherein the casing is provided with a sealing groove 82, a magnetic medium filling unit, a flow dividing and collecting structure, and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The cover and housing are preferably tightened by screw holes 81 evenly distributed through the edges. The shell comprises a plurality of magnetic medium filling units. The space where the magnetic working medium filling unit is located is used for filling the magnetocaloric materials (magnetocaloric materials) in the shapes of micro-channel blocks, particles, powder, irregular sheets, chips and the like. The magnetic medium units form a magnetic medium filling area, which is generally a porous medium for fluid to pass through so as to exchange heat with the magnetic medium filling area. The regenerator comprises two branch collecting structures which are respectively arranged at two ends of the regenerator. The end of the regenerator close to the cold end heat exchanger is called the low temperature end, the inlet and outlet connected with the regenerator are called the cold inlet and the cold outlet, the end close to the hot end of the heat exchanger is called the high temperature end, and the inlet and outlet connected with the regenerator are called the hot inlet and the hot outlet.

In magnetic refrigeration, a regenerator is a core component where heat and cold are generated and heat exchange is performed. The magnetic medium filling units in the regenerator are filled with one or more magnetocaloric materials at curie temperatures, which are preferably ordered in the regenerator according to the prior art according to the curie temperatures, wherein the high temperature end is close to the hot end heat exchanger and the low temperature end is close to the cold end heat exchanger. In the magnetizing cold flow process, when a magnetic field of the magnetic field generating device is applied to the regenerator, the magnetocaloric material in the regenerator generates a magnetocaloric effect, and the temperature is increased under an adiabatic condition. At the moment, a heat exchange medium is introduced from a cold inlet of the regenerator, the heat exchange medium comprises but is not limited to aqueous solution and liquid metal, meanwhile, fluid at a cold outlet does not flow, the temperature of the heat exchange medium flowing into the cold inlet is increased after the heat exchange medium absorbs heat in the regenerator, the heat exchange medium flows out from a hot outlet of the regenerator, and then flows into a hot-end heat exchanger for heat exchange. In the demagnetizing heat flowing process, when the magnetic field applied to the heat regenerator by the magnetic field generating device is removed, the temperature in the heat regenerator is reduced due to the magnetocaloric effect, the heat exchange medium from the hot end heat exchanger flows into the heat regenerator through the hot inlet of the heat regenerator, the heat exchange medium absorbs cold and flows out from the cold outlet of the heat regenerator, and then flows through the cold end heat exchanger, so that the cold and heat flowing process is completed, and the refrigeration is realized for many times through periodic circulation.

As shown in fig. 1, because of the bilateral symmetry of the regenerator, if one end is defined as a cold end, the other end is a hot end, and the inlet and outlet connected to the hot end are called a hot inlet and a hot outlet, and the inlet and outlet connected to the cold end heat exchanger are called a cold inlet and a cold outlet. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the right side is defined as the cold side and the left side as the hot side.

If the regenerator has only one inlet and one outlet, the section of the channel from the channel connection (shown as the thread structure in the figure) to the contact surface of the cold end and the hot end of the magnetic working medium is a common channel, and the working condition of the regenerator is oscillation flow generally, namely, the heat end flows to the cold end, and then the cold end flows to the hot end. Therefore, the single inlet and outlet channel can have the heat exchange medium which is not discharged reversely flowing back to the regenerator in the reverse process, thereby affecting the efficiency of the regenerator. Therefore, the setting that adopts the binary channels of this application can need to flow through the heat transfer medium who comes from the hot end heat exchanger at the regenerator, then flows in through hot entry, cold exit flows out, and hot exit and cold entry are closed this moment, and hot entry and cold exit are opened, when the regenerator need flow through the heat transfer medium who comes from the cold end heat exchanger, then flow in through cold entry, the outflow of hot exit, two other mouths are closed this moment. This ensures that both flows flow through separate conduits and are unidirectional. Thereby avoiding the mixing of cold and hot fluids, solving the problem of retention volume and improving the efficiency of the magnetic refrigerator. The function of the set current dividing and collecting structure is a current dividing effect, so that the heat exchange medium can uniformly flow through the magnetic working medium unit.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the cross-section of the channel in the diversity flow structure is a rectangular micro-hole with a side of 0.2mm to 5 mm.

As shown in fig. 6, a micro-pore arrangement of a first distribution flow structure is shown, having 6 layers, wherein each layer is horizontally through and does not communicate with each other. Different layers are alternately and respectively connected with the hot inlet flow passage area and the hot outlet flow passage area, so that liquid separation and liquid collection are formed. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, "·" indicates a vertical paper out, indicating an in-flow, in communication with the hot inlet channel region. "X" indicates a vertical plane of the paper facing inwards, indicating outflow.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, a sector regenerator is shown. This embodiment is based on an embodiment of a sector regenerator. The construction of the regenerator of the present application is also applicable to regenerators of other shapes. Such as rectangular, circular, fan-shaped, trapezoidal, oval, U-shaped, etc. in cross-section along the direction of fluid flow.

According to another embodiment of the present application, the magnetocaloric material 16 includes a plurality of magnetocaloric material units having a cold flow channel set 161 and a hot flow channel set 162 penetrating each other inside the plurality of magnetocaloric material units. This arrangement can improve the efficiency of the regenerator.

As shown in fig. 8, the magnetocaloric material 16 may be a solid block structure, and the magnetocaloric material 16 has a plurality of first microchannels 1611 and a plurality of second microchannels 1621.

As shown in fig. 9, the magnetocaloric material 16 includes a magnetocaloric material main body 164, a plurality of first microchannels 1611 and a plurality of second microchannels 1621 are disposed in the magnetocaloric material main body 164, and a powder magnetic medium filling cavity 163 is formed between the plurality of first microchannels 1611 and the plurality of second microchannels 1621 and the magnetocaloric material main body 164. This arrangement can increase the contact area of the magnetocaloric material with the fluid. The first micro channel 1611 may be disposed between adjacent first micro channels for filling the powder magnetic medium filling cavity 163, the second micro channel 1621 may be disposed between adjacent second micro channels for filling the powder magnetic medium filling cavity 163, and the powder magnetic medium filling cavity 163 may be formed between the first micro channel 1611 and the second micro channel 1621. The magnetocaloric material bodies 164 are preferably made of a material having a good thermal conductivity.

As shown in fig. 10, in another embodiment of the present application, the magnetocaloric material 16 includes a main magnetocaloric material 164, the main magnetocaloric material 164 has a hollow structure, a thin barrier wall 165 is provided in the main magnetocaloric material 164, the thin barrier walls 165 are plural, the thin barrier walls 165 divide the inside of the main magnetocaloric material 164 into a cold flow channel set 161 and a hot flow channel set 162, and the cold flow channel set 161 and the hot flow channel set 162 are alternately arranged. In this embodiment, the cold flow channel set 161 and the hot flow channel set 162 are used to fill the granular magnetocaloric material, and the heat exchange fluid can flow in the gaps between the granules. The thin spacer wall 165 is preferably made of a material having good thermal conductivity.

In the present application, the receptacle 10 is located in the working air gap of the magnetic field generating device, and the receptacle 10 and the magnetic field generating device are arranged to be movable relative to each other to generate a magnetic field. If the magnetic field generating device is an electromagnet, the accommodating portion is located in the working air gap of the magnetic field generating device. If the magnetic field generating device is a permanent magnet, the magnetic field generating device and the accommodating part move relatively to generate a changing magnetic field, namely, magnetization and demagnetization.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "above … …," "above … …," "above," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one device or feature's spatial relationship to another device or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, devices described as "above" or "on" other devices or configurations would then be oriented "below" or "under" the other devices or configurations. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" can include both an orientation of "above … …" and "below … …". The device may be otherwise variously oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

In addition to the foregoing, it should be noted that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "another embodiment," "an embodiment," or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment described generally throughout this application. The appearances of the same phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the scope of the invention to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments.

In the foregoing embodiments, the descriptions of the respective embodiments have respective emphasis, and for parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to related descriptions of other embodiments.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A regenerator, comprising:

the container (10) is used for containing the magnetocaloric materials (16) and the heat exchange medium, the container (10) is arranged adjacent to the magnetic field generating device, and the container (10) can form a hot end (11) and a cold end (12) by applying a changing magnetic field to the magnetocaloric materials (16) through the magnetic field generating device; the magnetocaloric material (16) has a cold flow channel set (161) and a hot flow channel set (162) therein, which are independent of each other;

the hot end inlet pipe (30), the hot end inlet pipe (30) is connected with the hot end (11) and communicated with the inlet of the hot flow channel group (162) in the accommodating part (10);

the hot end outlet pipe (20), the hot end outlet pipe (20) is connected with the hot end (11) and communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group (161) in the containing part (10);

a cold end inlet pipe (40), wherein the cold end inlet pipe (40) is connected with the cold end (12) and communicated with an inlet of a cold flow channel set (161) in the accommodating part (10);

a cold end outlet tube (50), the cold end outlet tube (50) being connected to the cold end (12) and communicating with an outlet of a set of hot flow channels (162) in the containment (10);

the regenerator has a hot flow process and a cold flow process, when the regenerator is in the cold flow process, the heat exchange medium enters the accommodating part (10) from the cold end inlet pipe (40), and after heat exchange is performed with the magnetocaloric material (16) through the cold flow channel group (161), the heat exchange medium is discharged out of the accommodating part (10) through the hot end outlet pipe (20), when the regenerator is in the hot flow process, the heat exchange medium enters the accommodating part (10) through the hot end inlet pipe (30), and after heat exchange is performed with the magnetocaloric material (16) through the hot flow channel group (162), the heat exchange medium is discharged out of the accommodating part (10) through the cold end outlet pipe (50).

2. The regenerator according to claim 1, wherein the container (10) has a first side wall (13) and a second side wall (14) which are arranged opposite to each other, the hot end inlet tube (30) and the hot end outlet tube (20) are both connected to the first side wall (13), and the cold end inlet tube (40) and the cold end outlet tube (50) are both connected to the second side wall (14).

3. The regenerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hot end inlet tube (30) is provided independently of the hot end outlet tube (20), and the cold end inlet tube (40) is provided independently of the cold end outlet tube (50).

4. The regenerator of claim 2 further comprising:

the first dividing and collecting structure (60) is connected with the first side wall (13), and the hot end inlet pipe (30) and the hot end outlet pipe (20) are communicated with the accommodating part (10) through the first dividing and collecting structure (60).

5. The regenerator according to claim 4, characterized in that a varying magnetic field is applied to the magnetocaloric material (16) by the magnetic field generating means, and the magnetocaloric material (16) in the container (10) can form a hot side (166) and a cold side (167) by several cycles, the hot side (166) being arranged near the hot end (11) and the cold side (167) being arranged near the cold end (12);

the cold flow channel group (161) comprises a plurality of first micro channels (1611), a plurality of the first micro channels (1611) are arranged at intervals, the hot flow channel group (162) comprises a plurality of second micro channels (1621), a plurality of the second micro channels (1621) are arranged at intervals, the first micro channels (1611) are provided with inlets positioned at the cold side (167) and outlets positioned at the hot side (166), and the second micro channels (1621) are provided with inlets positioned at the hot side (166) and outlets positioned at the cold side (167);

the hot end inlet pipe (30) is connected with the hot end (11) and communicated with an inlet of the hot flow channel group (162), the hot end outlet pipe (20) is connected with the hot end (11) and communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group (161), the cold end inlet pipe (40) is connected with the cold end (12) and communicated with an inlet of the cold flow channel group (161), and the cold end outlet pipe (50) is connected with the cold end (12) and communicated with an outlet of the hot flow channel group (162).

6. The regenerator according to claim 5, wherein the first distribution flow structure (60) comprises:

the heat pipe comprises a first distribution structure body (61), wherein a first channel group (611) and a second channel group (612) are formed in the first distribution structure body (61), the first channel group (611) and the second channel group (612) are arranged adjacently, a hot end inlet pipe (30) is communicated with an inlet of a hot flow channel group (162) through the first channel group (611), and a hot end outlet pipe (20) is communicated with an outlet of the cold flow channel group (161) through the second channel group (612);

the first channel group (611) comprises a plurality of first channels (6111), the first channels (6111) are arranged at intervals, the second channel group (612) comprises a plurality of second channels (6121), and the second channels (6121) are arranged at intervals.

7. The regenerator according to claim 6, wherein the first channel group (611) is plural, the second channel group (612) is plural, and the plural first channel groups (611) and the plural second channel groups (612) are arranged alternately in a depth direction of the housing (10).

8. The regenerator of claim 4 further comprising:

the second distribution structure (70), the second distribution structure (70) is connected with the second side wall (14), the second distribution structure (70) is arranged opposite to the first distribution structure (60), and the cold end inlet pipe (40) and the cold end outlet pipe (50) are communicated with the accommodating part (10) through the second distribution structure (70).

9. The regenerator according to claim 8, wherein the second flow dividing and collecting structure (70) comprises:

the cold end inlet pipe (40) is communicated with an inlet of the cold flow channel group (161) through the third channel group (711), and the cold end outlet pipe (50) is communicated with an outlet of the hot flow channel group (162) through the fourth channel group (712);

wherein the third channel group (711) comprises a plurality of third channels (7111), the plurality of third channels (7111) are arranged at intervals, the fourth channel group (712) comprises a plurality of fourth channels (7121), and the plurality of fourth channels (7121) are arranged at intervals.

10. The regenerator according to claim 9, wherein the third channel group (711) is plural, the fourth channel group (712) is plural, and the plural third channel groups (711) and the fourth channel groups (712) are arranged alternately in a depth direction of the housing (10).

11. The regenerator according to claim 9, wherein the first flow dividing and collecting structure (60) is integrally formed with the first side wall (13) and the second flow dividing and collecting structure (70) is integrally formed with the second side wall (14).

12. The regenerator according to claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of magnetocaloric material filling cells (15) are provided on the side walls of the housing (10) adjacent to the first side wall (13) and the second side wall (14).

13. The regenerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the magnetocaloric material (16) comprises a plurality of magnetocaloric material cells having internally a set of cold flow channels (161) and a set of hot flow channels (162) that interpenetrate each other.

14. The regenerator according to any of claims 1 to 2 and 4 to 12, characterized in that the magnetocaloric material (16) is a solid block structure, the magnetocaloric material (16) having a plurality of first microchannels (1611) and a plurality of second microchannels (1621).

15. The regenerator according to any of claims 1 to 2 and 4 to 12, wherein the magnetocaloric material (16) comprises a magnetocaloric material body (164), a plurality of first microchannels (1611) and a plurality of second microchannels (1621) are arranged in the magnetocaloric material body (164), and a powder magnetic medium filling cavity (163) is formed between the plurality of first microchannels (1611) and the plurality of second microchannels (1621) and the magnetocaloric material body (164).

16. The regenerator of claim 15,

the powder magnetic medium filling cavities (163) are formed between the adjacent first micro-channels (1611), and/or

The powder magnetic medium filling cavity (163) is formed between the adjacent second micro-channels (1621), and/or

The first microchannel (1611) and the second microchannel (1621) form the powder magnetic medium filled cavity (163) therebetween.

17. The regenerator according to any of claims 1 to 2 and 4 to 12, wherein the magnetocaloric material (16) comprises a magnetocaloric material body (164), the magnetocaloric material body (164) has a hollow structure, a thin barrier wall (165) is provided in the magnetocaloric material body (164), the thin barrier wall (165) is plural, the thin barrier wall (165) divides the interior of the magnetocaloric material body (164) into a cold flow channel group (161) and a hot flow channel group (162), and the cold flow channel group (161) and the hot flow channel group (162) are alternately arranged.

18. The regenerator according to claim 17, wherein the cold flow channel set (161) and the hot flow channel set (162) have granular magnetocaloric material disposed therein.

19. The regenerator according to claim 1, wherein the hot end inlet pipe (30), the hot end outlet pipe (20), the cold end inlet pipe (40), and the cold end outlet pipe (50) are integrally formed with the container (10).

20. Regenerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) is located in the working air gap of the magnetic field generating means, the housing (10) and the magnetic field generating means being arranged movable relative to each other for generating the magnetic field.

21. A magnetic refrigeration apparatus comprising a regenerator, the regenerator being according to any one of claims 1 to 20.