Modeling low-bandgap thermophotovoltaic diodes for high-efficiency portable power generators

Chan, Walker R.; Huang, R.K.; Wang, Christine; Kassakian, J.G.; Joannopoulos, John D.; Čelanović, Ivan

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2009.11.015

Cited by 84 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…10. Approximately 12% losses come from heat exhaust in the absence of a recuperator (when oxygen is used as oxidizer instead of air; with air as oxidizer these losses would be higher); 24% losses from radiation losses off to the side; 60% from low-energy photons that cannot be converted into electricity; and 3% from the operation of the thermophotovoltaic cell, including shadowing, open-circuit voltage degradation, hotcarrier thermalization, and radiative recombination at the maximum power point.…”

Section: Experimental Results For Two Silicon Reactor Designsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and moderate-temperature chip-scale thermophotovoltaics

Chan

Bermel

Pilawa-Podgurski

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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165

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The challenging problem of ultra-high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and small-scale portable power generation is addressed here using a distinctive thermophotovoltaic energy conversion mechanism and chip-based system design, which we name the microthermophotovoltaic (μTPV) generator. The approach is predicted to be capable of up to 32% efficient heat-to-electricity conversion within a millimeter-scale form factor. Although considerable technological barriers need to be overcome to reach full performance, we have performed a robust experimental demonstration that validates the theoretical framework and the key system components. Even with a much-simplified μTPV system design with theoretical efficiency prediction of 2.7%, we experimentally demonstrate 2.5% efficiency. The μTPV experimental system that was built and tested comprises a silicon propane microcombustor, an integrated high-temperature photonic crystal selective thermal emitter, four 0.55-eV GaInAsSb thermophotovoltaic diodes, and an ultrahigh-efficiency maximum power-point tracking power electronics converter. The system was demonstrated to operate up to 800°C (silicon microcombustor temperature) with an input thermal power of 13.7 W, generating 344 mW of electric power over a 1-cm 2 area.catalytic combustion | micro generator | thermal radiation W ith the recent proliferation of power-hungry mobile devices, significant research efforts have been focused on developing clean, quiet, and portable high-energy-density, compact power sources. Although batteries offer a well-known solution, limits on the chemistry developed to date constrain the energy density to ∼0.2 kWh/kg, whereas many hydrocarbon fuels have energy densities closer to 12 kWh/kg. The fundamental question is, How efficiently and robustly can these widely available chemical fuels be converted into electricity in a millimeter-scale system? Indeed, it is difficult to tap the full potential of hydrocarbon fuels on a small scale. However, their high energy density allows even relatively inefficient generators to be competitive with batteries. To this end, researchers have explored different energy conversion routes, such as mechanical heat engines (1), fuel cells (2, 3), thermoelectrics (4, 5), and thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) (6, 7).TPVs present an extremely appealing approach for small-scale power sources due to the combination of high power density limited ultimately by Planck blackbody emission, multifuel operation due to the ease of generating heat, and a fully static conversion process. Small-scale TPVs have yet to be demonstrated and are particularly challenging because of the need to develop strong synergistic interactions between chemical, thermal, optical, and electrical domains, which in turn give rise to requirements for extreme materials performance and subsystems synchronization.In this work, we present a proof of concept microthermovoltaic (μTPV) system, shown in Fig. 1, that validates the theoretical foundation and paves the way toward a new breed of ultra-highenergy-density, hi...

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Section: Experimental Results For Two Silicon Reactor Designsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and moderate-temperature chip-scale thermophotovoltaics

Chan

Bermel

Pilawa-Podgurski

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

165

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“…Thus, we attempted to estimate the mass of a completed TPV microgenerator by assuming that the mass was dominated by the heat sink required to cool the cells. We coupled a temperature-dependent cell model with a fan-cooled heat sink model and numerically optimized the heat sink area, TPV system area, and fan power for lowest total mass for each net electrical output power [18,19]. The analysis was repeated for a photonic crystal emitter with improved hemispherical emissivity and a cold side filter [12].…”

Section: Towards a Microgeneratormentioning

confidence: 99%

A Thermophotovoltaic System Using a Photonic Crystal Emitter

Chan

Stelmakh

Soljačić

et al. 2016

Volume 1: Micro/Nanofluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip; Nanofluids; Micro/Nanoscale Interfacial Transport Phenomena; Micro/Nanoscale Bo

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The increasing power demands of portable electronics and micro robotics has driven recent interest in millimeter-scale microgenerators. Many technologies (fuel cells, Stirling, thermoelectric, etc.) that potentially enable a portable hydrocarbon microgenerator are under active investigation. Hydrocarbon fuels have specific energies fifty times those of batteries, thus even a relatively inefficient generator can exceed the specific energy of batteries. We proposed, designed, and demonstrated a first-ofa-kind millimeter-scale thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system with a photonic crystal emitter. In a TPV system, combustion heats an emitter to incandescence and the resulting thermal radiation is converted to electricity by photovoltaic cells. Our approach uses a moderate temperature (1000-1200 • C) metallic microburner coupled to a high emissivity, high selectivity photonic crystal selective emitter and low bandgap PV cells. This approach is predicted to be capable of up to 30% efficient fuel-to-electricity conversion within a millimeter-scale form factor. We have performed a robust experimental demonstration that validates the theoretical framework and the key system components, and present our results in the context of a TPV microgenerator. Although considerable technological barriers need to be overcome to realize a TPV microgenerator, we predict that 700-900 Wh/kg is possible with the current technology.

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“…Also, selective emitters made by rare earth materials have intrinsic emission properties that may greatly improve TPV performance [22,23]. Recent [63][64][65][66][67][68][69] Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Energy Conversion and Management j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r .…”

Section: Overview Of Tpv Mechanism and Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for high-performance thermophotovoltaic conversion efficiencies exceeding the Shockley–Queisser limit

Zhou

Chen

Bermel

2015

Energy Conversion and Management

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Modeling low-bandgap thermophotovoltaic diodes for high-efficiency portable power generators

Cited by 84 publications

References 12 publications

Toward high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and moderate-temperature chip-scale thermophotovoltaics

Toward high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and moderate-temperature chip-scale thermophotovoltaics

A Thermophotovoltaic System Using a Photonic Crystal Emitter

Prospects for high-performance thermophotovoltaic conversion efficiencies exceeding the Shockley–Queisser limit

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