Thermoelectric Coatings for Waste Heat Recovery and Photo-Thermal Power
AssigneeLawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
InventorsJoseph C. Farmer, James Kaschmitter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An energy harvesting system for collecting energy from sources of thermal energy that exist in the environment and convert the energy to electricity. The system has N-P junctions mounted on the outer surface of a conduit, pipe or flue. A hot medium flows through the conduit, pipe or flue. The p-n junctions operate as thermoelectric power generators. Heat absorbed at the p-n junctions increases the kinetic energy of charge carriers causing migration of the charge carriers. This thermally-driven migration of charge carriers is used to drive an electrical current in an external circuit.
Claims16
An apparatus for energy harvesting, comprising:
- a conduit,
- a coating of an N-material on said conduit producing an N-junction on said conduit,
- a coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a P-junction on said conduit,
- a separator on said conduit between said N-junction on said conduit and said P-junction on said conduit, and
- electrical connectors for said N-junction and said P-junction.
An apparatus for energy harvesting, comprising:
- a conduit,
- a coating of an N-material on said conduit producing a first N-junction on said conduit,
- a coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a first P-junction on said conduit,
- a separator on said conduit between said first N-junction and said first P-junction,
- a coating of an N-material on said conduit producing a second N-junction on said conduit,
- a coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a second P-junction on said conduit,
- a separator on said conduit between said first N-junction and said first P-junction,
- a separator on said conduit between said second N-junction and said second P-junction, and
- an electrical conductor extending from said first N-junction to said first P-junction to said second N-junction to said second P-junction.
A multilayer apparatus for energy harvesting, comprising:
- a conduit;
- a first coating of an N-material on said conduit producing a first N-junction on said conduit;
- a first coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a first P-junction on said conduit, and
- a separator on said conduit between said first N-junction and said first P-junction, wherein said first N-junction and said first P-junction are a first layer on said conduit;
- a second coating of an N-material producing a second N-junction on said first layer;
- a second coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a second P-junction on said first layer;
- a separator between said second N-junction and second first P-junction, wherein second N-junction and second P-junction are a second;
- and
- an electrical conductor extending from said first N-junction to said first P-junction to said second N-junction to said second P-junction.
An apparatus for energy harvesting, comprising:
- a conduit,
- a coating of an N-material on said conduit producing an N-junction on said conduit,
- a coating of a P-material on said conduit producing a P-junction on said conduit,
- a separator on said conduit between said N-junction on said conduit and said P-junction on said conduit,
- additional coatings of an N-material on said conduit producing additional N-junctions on said conduit,
- additional coatings of a P-material on said conduit producing additional P-junctions on said conduit, and
- electrical connectors for said N-junction, said P-junction, said additional N-junctions, and said additional N-junctions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.