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Exotic Solar Technologies
Published in Anco S. Blazev, Solar Technologies for the 21st Century, 2021
Thermo-photovoltaics (TPV) is the generation of electricity in low-band-gap solar cells from the radiant energy emitted by conventional sources of heat. Gas, coal, wood, nuclear fuel and petrol all burn at temperatures in the range 500±2500 K, radiating energy over a relatively broad spectrum like the sun, but at longer wavelengths. This can be converted into electricity by low band gap cells. Recent interest has been stimulated by the possibility of surrounding the source by an “emitter” which re-radiates in a narrower spectrum rather like an old-fashioned gas mantle.
A practical approach-based technical review on effective utilization of exhaust waste heat from combustion engines
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2023
Rajesh Ravi, Oumaima Douadi, Manoranjitham Ezhilchandran, Mustapha Faqir, Elhachmi Essadiqi, Merouan Belkasmi, Shivaprasad K. Vijayalakshmi
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion is a process in which the heat energy is converted into power with the help of photons. The fundamental components of a TPV system include a PV diode cell and a thermal emitter. The temperature of the thermal emitter varies between 900°C and 1300°C in different systems (Teo Sheng Jye, Pesiridis, and Rajoo 2013). The working mechanism of the TPV process is shown in Figure 8. The TPV devices can extract energy from an emitter at higher temperature than the PV device and is made up of any material including a solid or a specifically engineered structure. In contrast to traditional solar cells, where the sun acts as the emitter, the TPV systems primarily rely on radiation in near-infrared and infrared frequencies (Ismail et al. 2015).
Optimization of a thermophotovoltaic system for the combi boiler
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2021
The thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system converts radiation from an emitter into electricity by the thermophotovoltaic cell. The TPV system consists of four main components (Heide 2012). The schematic diagram and main components of the thermophotovoltaic system are shown in Figure 1 (Rashid et al. 2020).
Effect of Evanescent Waves on the Dark Current of Thermophotovoltaic Cells
Published in Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, 2020
Dudong Feng, Eric J. Tervo, Shannon K. Yee, Zhuomin M. Zhang
A thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell is a photodiode that converts thermal radiation from a high-temperature source into electricity. TPV cells can receive photons from a wide range of heat sources at moderately high temperatures (e.g., 800–2000 K), including combustion [1, 2], waste heat recovery [1–3], nuclear reactions [4], and solar energy [5], among others. With the advantages of compact size and solid state operation, TPV systems are considered to be a promising technology for energy harvesting and conversion applications such as remote power generation, aerospace power, concentrated solar power, off-grid power generation, and chip-scale power generation [1–6]. Assuming 100% external quantum efficiency, the light-to-electricity conversion of traditional far-field TPV devices is limited by the number of incident photons with energies greater than the cell bandgap, which is dictated by Planck’s distribution corresponding to the emitter’s temperature. However, bringing the emitter and cell to sub-micron separation distances permits a drastic enhancement in the photonic density of states [7, 8]. Coupled evanescent waves from total internal reflection and surface polaritons in certain materials dominate the radiative heat exchange in the near field; this can lead to increases in radiative heat flux by orders of magnitude [9]. The photocurrent and output power can also be significantly enhanced by operating TPV systems in the near field, which is called microscale or near-field TPV systems [10–12]. The near-field effect on the performance of TPV cells has been extensively studied theoretically considering various enhancement methods and nanostructured materials [13–20]. Experimental studies were carried out as early as 2001 [21] and 2007 [22] with qualitative demonstration of near-field enhancement. More recently, Fiorino et al. [23] demonstrated a 60 nm nanogap microscale TPV system with a 40-fold enhancement in the output power relative to the far field, though the active area is less than 0.1 mm2. Note that near-field enhancement in radiative heat transfer between flat surfaces with an area on the order of 1 cm2 has already been demonstrated by a number of groups [24–29]. Other near-field radiative devices for power generation and refrigeration have also been proposed and analyzed [30–37], promising future developments of microscale TPV systems.