Magneto caloric heat pump with variable magnetization

A heat pump system, comprising:

• a regenerator housing defining a circumferential direction and rotatable about an axial direction, the axial direction extending between a first end and a second end of the regenerator housing, the regenerator housing comprising a plurality of chambers with each chamber extending longitudinally along the axial direction between a pair of openings, the plurality of chambers arranged proximate to each other along the circumferential direction;
• a plurality of stages, each stage comprising magneto caloric material positioned within one of the plurality of chambers and extending along the axial direction;
• a pair of valves comprising a first valve attached to the first end of the regenerator housing and a second valve attached to the second end of the regenerator housing, the first valve and second valve each comprising a plurality of apertures spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction with each aperture positioned adjacent to one of the pair of openings of one of the plurality of chambers;
• a magnetic element positioned proximate to the regenerator housing and extending along the axial direction, the magnetic element creating a magnetic field, the magnetic element positioned so that a subset of the plurality of stages are moved in and out of the magnetic field as the regenerator housing is rotated about the axial direction;
• a pair of seals comprising a first seal positioned adjacent to the first valve and a second seal adjacent to the second valve such that the regenerator housing and the pair of valves are rotatable relative to the pair of seals, the first seal and the second seal each comprising a pair of ports positioned in an opposing manner relative to each other and also positioned so that each port can selectively align with at least one of the pair of openings of the plurality of chambers as the regenerator housing is rotated about the axial direction;
• and
• an actuator configured for moving the magnetic element, the regenerator housing, or both along the axial direction so as to control the amount of magneto caloric material experiencing the magneto caloric effect as said regenerator housing is rotated about the axial direction.