Caloric heat pump system
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsMichael Goodman Schroeder, David G. Beers, Michael Alexander Benedict
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A caloric heat pump system includes a plurality of stages, a plurality of conduits and a plurality of flow restrictors. Each stage includes a caloric material disposed within a respective chamber of a plurality of chambers. Each conduit is coupled to a regenerator housing at a respective one of the plurality of chambers. Each flow restrictor is coupled to the regenerator housing or a respective one of the plurality of conduits. A related method for regulating fluid flow through a plurality of stages of a caloric heat pump is also provided.
Claims20
A caloric heat pump system, comprising:
- a regenerator housing comprising a plurality of chambers;
- a plurality of stages, each stage comprising a caloric material disposed within a respective chamber of the plurality of chambers;
- a plurality of conduits, each conduit coupled to the regenerator housing at a respective one of the plurality of chambers;
- a pump coupled to the conduits of the plurality of conduits, the pump operable to circulate a working fluid through the conduits of the plurality of conduits and the stages of the plurality of stages;
- and
- a plurality of flow restrictors, each flow restrictor coupled to the regenerator housing or a respective one of the plurality of conduits, the flow restrictors of the plurality of flow restrictors configured such that a flow rate of the working fluid through each stage of the plurality of stages is uniform.
A caloric heat pump system, comprising:
- a regenerator housing comprising a plurality of chambers;
- a plurality of stages, each stage comprising a caloric material disposed within a respective chamber of the plurality of chambers;
- a plurality of conduits, each conduit coupled to the regenerator housing at a respective one the plurality of chambers;
- a pump coupled to the conduits of the plurality of conduits, the pump operable to circulate a working fluid through the conduits of the plurality of conduits and the stages of the plurality of stages;
- and
- a plurality of flow restrictors, each flow restrictor coupled to the regenerator housing or a respective one of the plurality of conduits, the flow restrictors of the plurality of flow restrictors configured such that a flow rate of the working fluid through each stage of the plurality of stages is within five percent of one another,
- wherein the flow restrictors of the plurality of flow restrictors comprise at least one of an orifice, a needle valve or a pinch valve.
A method for regulating fluid flow through a plurality of stages of a caloric heat pump, the method comprising
- flowing a fluid through each stage of the plurality of stages;
- measuring a flow rate of the fluid through each stage of the plurality of stages;
- and
- adjusting a plurality of flow restrictors such that the flow rate of fluid through each stage of the plurality of stages is uniform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.