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US 7,166,796 B2Granted
Method for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion
OwnerMichael C. Nicoloauinventor
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OwnerMichael C. Nicoloauinventor
Estimating the term…
In devices used for the direct conversion of heat into electricity, or vice versa, known in the art as thermoelectric power generators, thermoelectric refrigerators and thermoelectric heat pumps, the efficiency of energy conversion and/or coefficient of performance have been considerably lower than those of conventional reciprocating or rotary, heat engines and/or vapor-compression systems, employing certain refrigerants. The energy conversion efficiency of power generating devices, for example, aside from the hot and cold junction temperatures, also depends on a parameter known in the art as the thermoelectric figure of merit Z=S2σ/k, where S is the thermoelectric power, σ is the electrical conductivity and k is the thermal conductivity, of the material that constitutes the p-type, and/or n-type, thermoelements, or branches, of the said devices. In order to achieve a considerable increase in the energy conversion efficiency, a thermoelectric figure of merit of the order of 10−2 K−1, or more, is needed. It is reasonably expected that such an order of magnitude, for the figure of merit, can be realized with a composition of matter, comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, and optionally comprising one, or more, additional doping materials.
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelectric, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, wherein the atomic proportion of barium relative to the maximum atomic stoichiometric proportion of magnesium in the absence of barium varies from 0.1 to 0.4, and wherein the atomic proportion of lead relative to the maximum atomic stoichiometric proportion of silicon in the absence of lead varies from 0.1 to 0.3.
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, wherein the composition of matter includes one or more additional doping materials, wherein the atomic proportion of barium relative to the maximum atomic stoichiometric proportion of magnesium in the absence of barium varies from 0.1 to 0.4, wherein the atomic proportion of lead relative to the maximum atomic stoichiometric proportion of silicon in the absence of lead varies from 0.1 to 0.3, wherein the atomic or molecular proportion of the doping material or materials in the said composition of matter varies from 10−8 to 10−1 and wherein the free charge carrier concentration varies from 1×1015 to 5×1020 carriers per cm3.
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium suicide, Mg2Si, wherein part of magnesium is replaced by barium and part of silicon is replaced by lead, wherein said composition of matter thus is an alloy or solid solution of intermetallic compounds containing magnesium silicide, magnesium plumbide, barium silicide and barium plumbide, wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium silicide, Mg2Si, wherein part of magnesium is replaced by barium and part of silicon is replaced by lead, wherein said composition of matter thus is an alloy or solid solution of intermetallic compounds containing magnesium silicide, magnesium plumbide, barium silicide and barium plumbide and wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium silicide, Mg2Si, wherein part of magnesium is replaced by one or more elements selected from the group consisting of beryllium, calcium, strontium and barium, and wherein part of silicon is replaced by one or more elements selected from the group consisting of germanium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium, wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium silicide, Mg2Si, wherein part of magnesium is replaced by one or more elements selected from the group consisting of beryllium, calcium, strontium and barium, and wherein part of silicon is replaced by one or more elements selected from the group consisting of germanium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, selenium and tellurium, and wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric enemy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, wherein the composition of matter includes one or more additional doping materials, wherein said additional doping material, or materials, for the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device, are selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, rubidium and cesium, wherein said doping materials are chemically reacted to form compounds with silicon and/or lead, prior to their introduction into the host material, wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, wherein the composition of matter includes one or more additional doping materials, wherein said additional doping material or materials for the n-type branch or thermoelement of the said device are selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, bromine and iodine, wherein said doping materials are chemically reacted to form compounds with magnesium and/or barium prior to their introduction into the host material, wherein said composition of matter has the following constitutional formula:
A process for producing a device for direct thermoelectric energy conversion, consisting of a p-type branch or thermoelement, an n-type branch or thermoelement, a hot junction and a cold junction, comprising preparing the n-type branch or thermoelement and/or the p-type branch or thermoelement of the said device with a composition of matter comprising magnesium, silicon, lead and barium, wherein the composition of matter includes one or more additional doping materials, wherein said one or more additional doping material, or materials, required for the n-type, and p-type, branches or thermoelements of the said device, are combined together so as to bring about a composition of matter having the following constitutional formula:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.