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US 12,136,898 B2Granted
Apparatus and methods for efficient conversion of heat to electricity via emission of characteristic radiation
AssigneeLightCell Inc.
InventorsDanielle A. Fong, Stephen E. Crane, Gregory Fong, Jonathan Mapel
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Abstract
An apparatus for generating electricity via thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion is described. High efficiency is obtained by introducing a material into a combustion chamber that emits bright near-monochromatic visible light upon heating. This light is then directed to fall on an array of photovoltaic (PV) cells which convert the light to electricity. Heat and infrared radiation that is not absorbed by the PV cells is returned to the combustion chamber to further improve conversion efficiency.
Claims14
An apparatus comprising;
- a combustion chamber comprising a transparent wall;
- an emitting material comprising an alkali metal, within the combustion chamber;
- an oxidizer in fluid communication with the combustion chamber;
- a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and configured to receive the oxidizer;
- and
- a photovoltaic cell outside of the combustion chamber and in optical communication with characteristic radiation transmitted from the emitting material through the transparent wall,
- wherein exhaust gases of the combustion chamber are in fluid communication with the heat exchanger, and
- wherein a portion of the emitting material remains within the combustion chamber using a wicking structure comprising the heat exchanger.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.