Improved Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) Performance Using Dielectric Photon Concentrations (DPC)

Baldasaro, P.F. ; Fourspring, P.M.

Lockheed Martin Inc., Schenectady, NY 12301-1072 (United States)

关键词: Efficiency;    Dielectric Materials;    Photons;    Refractive Index;    Power Density;   

DOI  :  10.2172/820723
RP-ID  :  LM-02K136
RP-ID  :  AC12-00SN39357
RP-ID  :  820723

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This report presents theoretical and experimental results, which demonstrate the feasibility of a new class of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy converters with greatly improved power density and efficiency. Performance improvements are based on the utilization of the enhanced photon concentrations within high refractive index materials. Analysis demonstrates that the maximum achievable photon flux for TPV applications is limited by the lowest index in the photonic cavity, and scales as the minimum refraction index squared, n{sup 2}. Utilization of the increased photon levels within high index materials greatly expands the design space limits of TPV systems, including: a 10x increase in power density, a 50% fractional increase in conversion efficiency, or alternatively reduced radiator temperature requirements to as low as {approx} 1000 F.