Thermophotovoltaics on the move to applications

Bitnar, Bernd; Durisch, W.; Holzner, R.

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.12.067

Cited by 92 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In TPV systems, thermal radiation from a heat source at high temperature drives a suitable small bandgap photovoltaic cell. The heat can be produced by hydrocarbon combustion ideal for lightweight, high power density portable power sources, [1][2][3][4] by radioisotopes such as a radioisotope general purpose heat source (GPHS) ideal for space missions and remote missions requiring power sources with long lifetimes and low maintenance, 5 or by solar radiation absorbed by a suitable absorber and converted to heat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of tantalum-tungsten alloy selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic systems

et al. 2014

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A tantalum tungsten solid solution alloy, Ta 3% W, based 2D photonic crystal (PhC) was designed and fabricated for high-temperature energy conversion applications. Ta 3% W presents advantages compared to the non-alloys as it combines the better high-temperature thermomechanical properties of W with the more compliant material properties of Ta, allowing for a direct system integration path of the PhC as selective emitter/absorber into a spectrum of energy conversion systems. Indeed metallic PhCs are promising as high performance selective thermal emitters for thermophotovoltaics (TPV), solar thermal, and solar TPV applications due to the ability to tune their spectral properties and achieve highly selective emission. A 2D PhC was designed to have high spectral selectivity matched to the bandgap of a TPV cell using numerical simulations and fabricated using standard semiconductor processes. The emittance of the Ta 3% W PhC was obtained from near-normal reflectance measurements at room temperature before and after annealing at 1200• C for 24h in vacuum with a protective coating of 40 nm HfO 2 , showing high selectivity in agreement with simulations. SEM images of the cross section of the PhC prepared by FIB confirm the structural stability of the PhC after anneal, i.e. the coating effectively prevented structural degradation due to surface diffusion. The mechanical and thermal stability of the substrate was characterized as well as the optical properties of the fabricated PhC. To evaluate the performance of the selective emitters, the spectral selectivity and useful emitted power density are calculated as a function of operating temperature. At 1200• C, the useful emitted irradiance is selectively increased by a factor of 3 using the selective emitter as compared to the non-structured surface. All in all, this paper demonstrates the suitability of 2D PhCs fabricated on polycrystalline Ta-W substrates with an HfO 2 coating for TPV applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of tantalum-tungsten alloy selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic systems

et al. 2014

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“…Micro-TPV system has been extensively studied as a portable, compact, quiet and clean solid-state energy conversion system in the past decade [1][2][3]. In this system, hydrogen or hydrocarbon fuel with oxidant is burned in the micro-combustor and thermal energy is generated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a high-temperature and high-uniformity micro planar combustor for thermophotovoltaics application

Jiang

Yang

Tang

2015

Energy Conversion and Management

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“…Even with improved selective emitter designs, some parasitic emission generally remains in the mid-and far-IR [67]. This sub-band gap emission is expected to cause the greatest system efficiency losses [28]; thus, filtering becomes necessary to significantly improve the STPV efficiency and reuse the unabsorbed low-energy photons.…”

Section: Filters and Photon Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, refractory metals are known to have a wide emission spectrum and their respective TPV efficiency is low, unless spectral shaping is introduced. It may be achieved by using cold-side filters [67], modifying the photonic density of states to achieve wavelength selectivity, or combining emitter selectivity with a filter [29]. The 1D, 2D or 3D PhCs [50,61,[68][69][70] and metamaterials [52,54,71] are good examples of structures that can strongly modify the photonic density of states.…”

Section: Selective Thermal Emittersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As was previously mentioned, rare-earth-based emitters have naturally selective emission that can be matched to available PV cell technologies. For instance, erbium oxide and ytterbium oxide can be fabricated either in a mantle structure [65], coated on a foam ceramic [67] or on MoSi 2 substrates [72], and can be used as thermal emitters whose selective radiation band matches well with Si and Ge PV cell band gaps. Figure 7A shows the spectral matching between a mantle ytterbium(III) oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ) emitter and Si PV cell.…”

Section: Rare-earth Emittersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Solar thermophotovoltaics: reshaping the solar spectrum

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Recently, there has been increasing interest in utilizing solar thermophotovoltaics (STPV) to convert sunlight into electricity, given their potential to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit. Encouragingly, there have also been several recent demonstrations of improved systemlevel efficiency as high as 6.2%. In this work, we review prior work in the field, with particular emphasis on the role of several key principles in their experimental operation, performance, and reliability. In particular, for the problem of designing selective solar absorbers, we consider the trade-off between solar absorption and thermal losses, particularly radiative and convective mechanisms. For the selective thermal emitters, we consider the tradeoff between emission at critical wavelengths and parasitic losses. Then for the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) diodes, we consider the trade-off between increasing the potential short-circuit current, and maintaining a reasonable opencircuit voltage. This treatment parallels the historic development of the field, but also connects early insights with recent developments in adjacent fields. With these various components connecting in multiple ways, a system-level end-to-end modeling approach is necessary for a comprehensive understanding and appropriate improvement of STPV systems. This approach will ultimately allow researchers to design STPV systems capable of exceeding recently demonstrated efficiency values.

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Thermophotovoltaics on the move to applications

Cited by 92 publications

References 32 publications

Performance of tantalum-tungsten alloy selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic systems

Performance of tantalum-tungsten alloy selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic systems

Development of a high-temperature and high-uniformity micro planar combustor for thermophotovoltaics application

Solar thermophotovoltaics: reshaping the solar spectrum

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