Thermophotovoltaic technology
AssigneeThe Gillette Company
InventorRobert E. Nelson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high output, narrow band thermally energized radiation source comprises a rare earth oxide radiator member that has a cross-sectional dimension in the range of five to thirty micrometers, the rare earth oxide radiator member, when heated to about 1700.degree. C., having a concentrated radiated flux over the 400-2500 nanometer wavelength range such that at least 50% of the radiated flux is within a spectral band that is less than 400 nanometers wide.
Claims35
A thermophotovoltaic device comprising a photocell, a rare earth metal oxide radiator disposed in optically coupled relation to said photocell, and means for thermally exciting said radiator to cause it to emit radiation, said radiator, when heated to 1700.degree. C., emitting radiation in a spectral irradiance profile that has a narrow radiated flux peak that is located less than four hundred nanometers below the electron production threshold of said photocell, said flux peak having a full width at half maximum of less than four hundred nanometers and said relative spectral irradiance profile of said radiator also having suppressed skirt characteristics such that, at wavelengths five hundred nanometers above and below said flux peak, the radiated flux levels of said skirts are less than ten percent of the radiated flux at said peak.
A thermophotovoltaic device comprising:
- a photovoltaic device of the germanium-type,
- said photovoltaic device having an electron production threshold,
- a fuel supply,
- a fuel supply conduit connected to said fuel supply and having an outlet port,
- a mantle of erbium oxide material supported on said fuel supply conduit adjacent said outlet port,
- said photovoltaic device being in optically coupled relation to said mantle,
- a fuel control for controlling the flow of fuel to said mantle through said conduit, and
- an igniter mechanism for igniting said fuel to cause said mantle to emit radiation that has a wavelength peak below said electron production threshold, said peak having a full width at half maximum of less than about 150 nanometers and said mantle, when heated to about 1700.degree. C., having a concentrated radiated flux output over the 400-2500 nanometer wavelength range such that at least 50% of said radiated flux is within a band less than 400 nanometers in width.
A thermophotovoltaic device comprising:
- a photovoltaic device of the silicon-type,
- said photovoltaic device having an electron production threshold,
- a fuel supply,
- a fuel supply conduit connected to said fuel supply and having an outlet port,
- a mantle of ytterbium oxide material supported on said fuel supply conduit adjacent said outlet port,
- said photovoltaic device being in optically coupled relation to said mantle,
- a fuel control for controlling the flow of fuel to said mantle through said conduit, and
- an igniter mechanism for igniting said fuel to cause said mantle to emit radiation, said mantle, when heated to 1700.degree. C., emitting radiation in a spectral irradiance profile that has a narrow radiated flux peak that is located less than four hundred nanometers below the electron production threshold of said photovoltaic device, said flux peak having a full width at half maximum of less than four hundred nanometers and said relative spectral irradiance profile of said mantle also having suppressed skirt characteristics such that, at wavelengths five hundred nanometers above and below said flux peak, the radiated flux levels of said skirts are less than ten percent of the radiated flux at said peak.
A thermophotovoltaic device comprising:
- a photovoltaic device,
- said photovoltaic device having an electron production threshold,
- a fuel supply,
- a fuel supply conduit connected to said fuel supply and having an outlet port,
- a metal oxide mantle supported on said fuel supply conduit adjacent said outlet port,
- said photovoltaic device being in optically coupled relation to said mantle,
- a fuel control for controlling the flow of fuel to said mantle through said conduit, and
- an igniter mechanism for igniting said fuel to cause said mantle to emit radiation, said mantle, when heated to 1700.degree. C., emitting radiation in a spectral irradiance profile that has a narrow radiated flux peak that is located less than four hundred nanometers below the electron production threshold of said photovoltaic device, said flux peak having a full width at half maximum of less than four hundred nanometers and said relative spectral irradiance profile of said mantle also having suppressed skirt characteristics such that, at wavelengths five hundred nanometers above and below said flux peak, the radiated flux levels of said skirts are less than ten percent of the radiated flux at said peak.
A method of operating a thermophotovoltaic device comprising the steps of disposing a radiator of erbium oxide material in optically coupled relation to a germanium-type photocell, and thermally exciting said radiator to heat said radiator to a temperature in the range of 1500.degree.-2000.degree. C. to cause said radiator to emit radiation in a spectral irradiance profile that has a narrow radiated flux peak that is located less than four hundred nanometers below the electron production threshold of said photocell, said flux peak having a full width at half maximum of less than about one hundred fifty nanometers and said spectral irradiance profile of said radiator also having suppressed skirt characteristics such that, at wavelengths five hundred nanometers above and below the flux peak, the radiated flux levels of the skirts are less than ten percent of the radiated flux at said peak, and said radiator-photocell system has a photon conversion efficiency of more than fifty percent.
A method of operating a thermophotovoltaic device comprising the steps of disposing a radiator of ytterbium oxide material in optically coupled relation to a silicon type photocell, and thermally exciting said radiator to heat said radiator to a temperature in the range of 1500.degree.-2000.degree. C. to cause said radiator to emit radiation in a spectral irradiance profile that has a narrow radiated flux peak that is located less than four hundred nanometers below the electron production threshold of said photocell, said flux peak having a full width at half maximum of less than about four hundred nanometers and said spectral irradiance profile of said radiator also having suppressed skirt characteristics such that, at wavelengths five hundred nanometers above and below the flux peaks, the radiated flux levels of the skirts are less than ten percent of the radiated flux at said peak, and said radiator-photocell system has a photon conversion efficiency of more than fifty percent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.