Fabergé optics and edge filter for a wood powder fuelled thermophotovoltaic system

In order to achieve high efficiency in a TPV generator, it is important that a high fraction of emitted photons with energies below the TPV cell bandgap are reflected back to the emitter. This can be accomplished in several ways. We present the idea of an internally reflecting egg-shaped double cone with the emitter at one end, an edge filter at the wide center, and the TPV array at the other end. This geometry has so far been studied by means of both ray tracing analysis and by means of measurements with a simulated emitter. A sharp switchover from transmission to reflection in a multiple layer dielectric filter can be achieved only if the angles of incident rays are confined to a fairly narrow angular interval. The two methods both show that the studied optics can lower the angular spread of rays incident onto the filter and that some 96% of the emitted rays (in the ideal case) reach their goal without passing the filter or being reflected by the filter more than once. The concept of the whole of the wood powder fuelled TPV system is also given.     

稀土辐射器TPV利用高温余热发电的性能研究

利用热光伏(TPV)系统回收高温废气中的余热,并为余热型TPV系统选择适当的辐射器、滤波器和热光伏电池等组件,采用蒙特卡洛法对TPV系统进行了理论分析,同时对不同形式的TPV系统的工作性能进行了试验研究.结果表明:稀土辐射器的光谱选择性能和TCO滤波器的光谱过滤功能可使系统热电转换效率大幅度提高,但同时对系统的输出功率产生不利影响,尤其是TCO滤波器使系统的输出功率降幅较大;与太阳能光伏发电相比,余热TPV系统的发电成本较低,具有较好的经济性.     

Power generation performance of hydrogen-fueled micro thermophotovoltaic reactor

A tubular platinum reactor with a perforated annular array enables fuel/air mixtures to exchange sides, thus sustaining flames and preventing heat loss. Consequently, the combustion efficiency and operational range can be enhanced. A hydrogen/air mixture was introduced into inner and outer chambers at different equivalence ratios and flow velocities to chemically and physically investigate the interplay between the chambers. The benefits of hydrogen include a high gravimetric heating value, flame speed, and diffusion capacity and short chemical reaction time. The coexistence of heterogeneous (surface) and homogeneous (gas) reactions in the micro TPV reactor was examined and elucidated in terms of aerodynamics, mass and heat transfer, and chemical reactivity. Furthermore, a TPV reactor with TPV cell arrays was assembled, and the corresponding radiant efficiency of the emitter and the overall efficiency of the proposed micro TPV system were determined in this study.     

Small thermophotovoltaic prototype systems

In an earlier paper we reported on a small grid-connected thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system consisting of an ytterbia mantle emitter and silicon solar cells with 16% efficiency (under solar irradiance in standard test conditions, STCs). The emitter was heated up using a butane burner with a rated thermal power of 1.35 kW (referring to the lower heating value). This system produced an electrical output of 15 W, which corresponds to a thermal to electric (direct current) conversion efficiency of 1.1%. In the interim, further progress has been made, and significantly higher efficiencies have been achieved. The most important development steps are: (1) the infrared radiation-absorbing water filter between emitter and silicon cells (to protect the cells against overheating and against contact with flue gasses) has been replaced by a suitable glass tube. By doing this, it has been possible to prevent losses of convertible radiation in water. (2) Cell cooling has been significantly improved, in order to reduce cell temperature, and therefore increase conversion efficiency. (3) The shape of the emitter has been changed from spherical to a quasi-cylindrical geometry, in order to obtain a more homogeneous irradiation of the cells. (4) The metallic burner tube, on which the ytterbia emitter was fixed in the initial prototypes, has been replaced by a heat-resistant metallic rod, carrying ceramic discs as emitter holders. This has prevented the oxidation and clogging of the perforated burner tube. (5) Larger reflectors have been used to reduce losses in useful infrared radiation. (6) Smaller cells have been used, to reduce electrical series resistance losses. Applying all these improvements to the basic 1.35 kW prototype, we attained a system efficiency of 1.5%. By using preheated air for combustion (at approximately 370 °C), 1.8% was achieved. In a subsequent step, a photocell generator was constructed, consisting of high-efficiency silicon cells (21% STC efficiency). In this generator, the spaces between the cells were minimized, in order to achieve as high an active cell area as possible, while simultaneously reducing radiation losses. This new system has produced an electrical output of 48 W, corresponding to a system efficiency of 2.4%. This is the highest-ever-reported value in a silicon-cell-based TPV system using ytterbia mantle emitters. An efficiency of 2.8% was achieved by using preheated air (at approximately 500 °C). An electronic control unit (fabricated of components with low power consumption, and including a battery store) was developed, in order to make the TPV system self-powered. This unit controls the magnetic gas supply valve between gas supply cylinder and burner as well as the high-voltage ignition electrodes. Both the control unit’s own power consumption and the battery-charging power are supplied directly by the TPV generator. A small commercial inverter is used to transfer excess power to the 230 V grid.     

Optimum efficiency of single and multiple bandgap cells in thermophotovoltaic energy conversion

A theory is developed to examine the efficiency of multiple bandgap cells in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion. Based on this general theory, explicit equations for the TPV efficiency of one- and two-bandgap cells are derived. The maximum TPV efficiency and optimum bandgap(s) are shown to depend on three parameters: the blackbody emitter temperature, the cell temperature and the magnitude of the parasitic absorption of below bandgap energy photons. For selected values of these parameters, the maximum TPV efficiency and associated bandgap(s) are calculated for the one-bandgap and the two-bandgap case. The maximum TPV efficiency for two bandgaps is approximately 10% larger than that for one bandgap. For reasonable values of emitter temperature, cell temperature and parasitic absorption, TPV efficiencies in excess of 35% and 40% appear feasible for one- and two-bandgap cells respectively.     

Thermal modeling for thermophotovoltaic systems adopting the radiation network method

The radiation heat transfer model for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system is constructed by adopting a total-spectrum radiation network. However, no consideration of the wavelength shift in the optical filter will lead to the discrepancy between the evaluated spectral emissive power of the optical filter and the Planck law result. Therefore, a modified spectral radiation network in which the wavelength shift effect is expressed as the form of spectral heat source is developed. The modified spectral radiation network is applied in the thermal analysis of a realistic TPV system in which a quartz envelope takes the place of the optical filter, while the optical filter is combined with the cell array. Several important design parameters are figured out, including spectral radiation power density and spectral efficiency of the system, as well as the equivalent radiative temperature of the quartz envelope.     

Analytical evaluation of a solar thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converter

This parametric analysis of a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converter considers emitter temperature, cell reflectance to radiation with energy below the cell's bandgap energy, and concentration ratio requirements. The concentration ratio is rigorously considered to determine its influence on converter performance. Important conclusions are that an emitter temperature near 2000 K is optimal; a cell reflectance value of 0.98 is required for below-bandgap irradiation; a secondary concentrator must be used with a parabolic-dish primary; and a mirror quality resulting in a 4-mrad reflected-beam dispersion is required for a 24 per cent conversion efficiency.     

Effect of Evanescent Waves on the Dark Current of Thermophotovoltaic Cells

ABSTRACT

The output power of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells may be greatly increased when the gap between the emitter and cell is reduced to submicron distances (near-field regime), at which photon tunneling due to evanescent waves becomes important. Accurate modeling of TPV cells in these conditions is crucial for the design and optimization of near-field TPV systems. The conventional or standard modeling method uses the summation of the dark current and the short-circuit current, while the direct method applies the photon chemical potential. It has been shown that the two methods are linked through a modification of the direct method using Wien’s approximation. By contrasting different modeling approaches, we quantitatively analyze the effects of evanescent waves on the TPV cell performance parameters, especially the dark current, for different emitter and cell materials in the near-field regime. Our results show that the saturation current by radiative recombination is strongly affected by evanescent waves and the bandgap energy. The current-voltage characteristics calculated by different modeling methods are displayed to demonstrate that a constant saturation current typically used in the standard method could cause substantial error in the near-field regime. For a TPV system with an emitter operating at relatively low temperatures, we show that it is necessary to include the photon chemical potential in the computation of the net radiative heat transfer between the emitter and receiver.     

Characterisation of rare earth selective emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications

We investigate selective radiation emitters made from rare earth oxides suitable for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems. Yb₂O₃ and Er₂O₃ emitters were fabricated and their radiation power, temperature and emissivity were measured in the entire relevant spectral range. We found temperatures of 1735 K for the Yb₂O₃ emitter and of 1680 K for the Er₂O₃ emitter both heated with a 1.35 kW butane burner. The maximum emissivities of the selective peaks were 0.85 at 1.27 eV, and 0.82 at 0.80 eV for the Yb₂O₃ and the Er₂O₃ emitter, respectively. The emission spectra show gas emission lines originating from the combustion process in addition to the selective emission bands. An estimation based on a simplified combustion model show that a TPV system with a system efficiency of about 10% can be realised using an Yb₂O₃ emitter, silicon photocells and a perfect selective filter.     

Cost-efficient thermophotovoltaic cells based on germanium substrates

This paper describes the realisation of cost-efficient thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells based on germanium substrates. Because the majority of the photons incident on the TPV cell in a typical TPV system will have a long wavelength it is important to apply optical confinement in the TPV cell. In this paper this has been done by using a highly reflective rear contact. Electrical contact at the rear has been created with a laser (laser fired contact, LFC) such that the metal is locally heated and contact is formed.The optimal TPV cell is based on a low doped p-type germanium substrate having a 500 nm thick n-type emitter , where front and rear are both passivated with hydrogen rich PECVD amorphous silicon. An AM1.5G record efficiency has been measured for a germanium TPV cell with an LFC rear contact. The application of optical confinement leads to a clear improvement of the spectral response in the wavelength region which is dominant in TPV systems and results in a potential 20% increase of current density compared to the use of a classical germanium photovoltaic cell.     

Numerical and Experimental Studies of Mixing Enhancement and Flame Stabilization in a Meso-Scale TPV Combustor With a Porous-Medium Injector and a Heat-Regeneration Reverse Tube

Understanding the flow dynamics, chemical kinetics, and heat transfer mechanism within a miniature thermophotovoltaic (TPV) combustor is essential for the development of devices for combustion-based power microelectromechanical systems, which may have a much higher energy density than that of conventional batteries. In this study, methods for enhancing the intensity and uniformity of the combustion chamber wall (emitter) illumination through the design of combustion and thermal management of the combustor in a miniature TPV system are proposed, discussed, and demonstrated. The proposed miniature TPV system consists of a swirling combustor with the combustion chamber wall acting as the emitter, a heat-regeneration reverse tube, and mixing-enhancing porous-medium fuel injection, which improves the low nonuniform illumination or incomplete combustion problems associated with conventional miniature TPV systems. Experiments and numerical simulations are performed to analyze the details of the flame structure and flame stabilization mechanism inside the meso-scale combustor with and without a reverse tube. Results indicate that the proposed swirling combustor with a heat-regeneration reverse tube and porous medium can improve the intensity and uniformity of the combustion chamber (emitter) illumination and can increase the surface temperature of the chamber wall. From the systematic numerical and experimental analysis, suitable operational parameters for the meso-scale TPV combustor are suggested, which may be used as a guideline for meso-scale TPV combustor design.     

Fabrication and simulation of GaSb thermophotovoltaic cells

In this paper we report on the recent progress in fabrication and simulation of GaSb photovoltaic (PV) cells with a Zn diffused emitter. The form of Zn profiles in the emitter has an essential impact on the power output of a PV cell. Different types of Zn profiles were realized and used for simulation of PV device parameters. Calculations based on PV cell measurements show that efficiencies up to 30% can be achieved assuming a blackbody temperature of 1300–1500 K and a perfect band edge filter.     

Control of spectral emittance using a rare‐earth oxide film coated on a ceramic plate

The spectral emission of a ceramic plate coated with a rare‐earth oxide thin film was investigated for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications using a one‐dimensional radiative transfer analysis. The selective emitter has emission bands at wavelengths around 1 and 1.5 μm due to erbium. In the temperature range between 1400 and 1500 K, the radiant energy within these bands is remarkably large, because the Planck distribution has a peak at a wavelength of approximately 2 μm. In addition, the spectral response of a GaSb TPV cell has a peak at around 1.5 μm; therefore, the radiant energy of the emission bands is quite useful for the TPV generation of electricity. The total spectral efficiency for both the 1 μm and 1.5 μm bands reaches a maximum value of 0.295 for a film thickness between 0.2 and 0.3 mm. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20286     

Porous media combustion for micro thermophotovoltaic system applications

The micro combustor is the key component of the micro TPV power generator. To obtain high power density and performance efficiency, it is important for a micro combustor to achieve a high and uniform temperature distribution along the wall. In this paper, we compare the performance of a micro cylindrical combustor with and without employing porous media. Results indicate that packing the combustor with porous media can significantly enhance the heat transfer between the high temperature combustion products and the emitter wall. The use of porous media increases the contact area thereby increasing the temperature along the wall of the micro combustor resulting in an increase in its radiation energy. The effects of some parameters on radiation energy of the micro combustor are also highlighted.     

The application of quantum well solar cells to thermophotovoltaics

We discuss the advantages of quantum well solar cells (QWSCs) for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications and illustrate them with InP/InGaAs and GaInAsP/InGaAs QWSCs which were designed for other applications and have not been optimised for TPV. It is shown that an InP p-i-n solar cell with 15 lattice matched InGaAs quantum wells (QWs) in the i region has an increase in open circuit voltage (V_oc) of (1.7 ± 0.1) times that of a control cell of InP with InGaAs in the i-region under an illuminating spectrum close to that expected from an ideal ytterbia emitter. Also, using an InGaAsP quaternary cell of band gap wavelength of 1.1 Am with 60 InGaAs QWs under the same illuminating spectrum the current density is increased by a factor of (2.4 ± 0.1) over that of the InP QWSC. The quaternary cell also absorbs longer wavelengths without any significant loss in V_OC. Better temperature coefficients for the former quantum well solar cell than the control cell are observed in a spectrum approximating a black body at 3000 K. Further advantages of QWs for narrow band and broad band illuminating spectra are discussed.     

Effect of edge junction isolation on the performance of laser doped selective emitter solar cells

The effect of laser and chemical edge junction isolation on electrical performance of industrially manufactured laser doped selective emitter solar cells with light induced plated n-type contacts is investigated in this work. Directly after the formation of the aluminium back surface field, photoluminescence images indicates that laser edge junction isolation causes substantial damage around the perimeter of the cell, extending several millimeters from the laser edge isolation groove. On finished devices, regions of high series resistance are evident around the perimeter, caused by parasitic plating nucleating in the damaged laser grooved region which induce shunting and inhibits further plating taking place in the surrounding regions. The use of chemical edge junction isolation eliminates both of these issues and can result in efficiency gains of more than 2% absolute compared to that fabricated using laser edge isolation, suggesting a far superior method of edge junction isolation for the industrial manufacture of laser doped selective emitter solar cells with light induced plated contacts.     

Performance of low bandgap thermophotovoltaic cells in a small cogeneration system

In recent years there has been significant progress in fabrication of low bandgap thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices, such as InGaAsSb, InGaAs and GaSb cells. However, only limited data are available in the literature with respect to the performance of these TPV cells in combustion-driven radiant sources. In this study, power generation using InGaAsSb TPV cells has been investigated in a gas-fired home heating furnace. The radiant power density and radiant efficiency of a gas-heated radiator were determined at different degrees of exhaust heat recuperation. Heat recuperation is shown to have a certain effect on combustion operation and radiant power output. The electric output characteristics of the InGaAsSb TPV devices were investigated under various operating conditions. An electric power density of 5.4×10³ W m⁻² was produced at a radiator temperature of 1463 K for the small cogeneration system. The cell short circuit density was observed to be greater than 1×10⁴ A m⁻² at a radiator temperature of 1203 K. Furthermore, the design aspects of combustion-driven TPV systems have been discussed. It is shown that development of a special combustion device with high conversion level of fuel chemical energy to useful radiant energy is required, to improve further the system efficiency.     

Upper bounds for solar thermophotovoltaic efficiency

The main components of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices are the primary lens (or mirror), the absorber, the PV cell, and a photon recuperator system. A theory integrating all these components is used in this paper to analyse a particular type of TPV device (plane disk absorber and PV cell). The TPV efficiency is maximized by using three optimization parameters, namely absorber, PV cell temperatures, and cell voltage. Almost ideal operation conditions are envisaged and upper bounds are obtained for the TPV efficiency. They are strongly dependent on PV cell bandgap and radiation concentration. Preliminary results suggest the existence of an optimum solar radiation concentration ratio. The improvement in thermal design quality allows the usage of PV cells based on wide bandgap semiconductors.     

Thin semiconducting layers as active and passive emitters for thermophotonics and thermophotovoltaics

Thermophotovoltaics involves the photovoltaic conversion by a receiver cell of radiation from an emitter, which could be heated by various sources including sunlight. A prime difference from normal solar photovoltaics is that emitted energy unable to be used by the receiver can, in principle, be recycled allowing high conversion efficiency. Thermophotonics is a recent development of this concept where the emitter is “active”, namely a heated diode, increasing the rate of energy transfer for a given emitter temperature and concentrating emission in an energy range more suited for conversion by the receiver. This paper evaluates thin semiconducting layers as emitters for thermophotovoltaics and thermophotonics. It is shown that thermophotonics avoids a major challenge for thermophotovoltaics: the sensitive dependence of system efficiency on the recycling of below bandgap radiation. Possible ways of achieving the high external quantum efficiency light-emitting diode required for thermophotonics are discussed.     

FULLSPECTRUM: a new PV wave making more efficient use of the solar spectrum

The project FULLSPECTRUM — an Integrated Project (IP) in the terminology of the European Commission — pursues a better exploitation of the FULL solar SPECTRUM by (1) further developing concepts already scientifically proven but not yet developed and (2) by trying to prove new ones in the search for a breakthrough in photovoltaic (PV) technology. More specific objectives are the development of: (a) III–V multijunction cells (MJC), (b) solar thermo-photovoltaic (TPV) converters, (c) intermediate band (IB) materials and cells (IBC), (d) molecular-based concepts (MBC) for full PV utilisation of the solar spectrum and (e) manufacturing technologies (MFG) for novel concepts including assembling. MJC technology towards 40% efficiency will be developed using lower cost substrates and high light concentration (up or above 1000 suns). TPV is a concept with a theoretically high efficiency limit because the entire energy of all the photons is used in the heating process and because the non-used photons can be fed back to the emitter, therefore helping in keeping it hot. In the IBC approach, sub-bandgap photons are exploited by means of an IB. Specific IB materials will be sought by direct synthesis suggested by material-band calculations and using nanotechnology in quantum dot (QD) IBCs. In the development of the MBC, topics such as the development of two-photon dye cells and the development of a static global (direct and diffuse) light concentrator by means of luminescent multicolour dyes and QDs, with the radiation confined by photonic crystals, will be particularly addressed. MFG include optoelectronic assembling techniques and coupling of light to cells with new-optic miniconcentrators.