Extruded TPV Receiver Core With Gas Curtains and Active Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
TPV receivers face challenges in operating at high temperatures due to temperature-sensitive components that require active cooling and are prone to volatile component deposition at lower temperatures, necessitating a design that maintains low-temperature operation and shields from condensation.
Innovation Solution
A TPV receiver design featuring a core with gas supply and return channels forming gas curtains and coolant channels for active cooling, integrated submount assemblies with thermally conductive pads and heat sinks, and laminar gas flow to protect TPV modules from condensation and maintain desired temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If TPV receivers operate at high temperatures to maximize radiative power and conversion efficiency, then power generation efficiency is improved, but temperature-sensitive components cannot operate and volatile components deposit on cooler surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct temperature zones: a hot zone for the emitter operating at high temperatures to maximize radiative power, and a cool zone for the receiver components that require low temperatures to operate reliably. This spatial segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal temperature range, resolving the contradiction between power efficiency and component reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A laminar flow gas curtain acts as an intermediary barrier between the hot emitter and the cool receiver components. This gas curtain prevents volatile components from the hot environment from depositing on the cooler surfaces, while allowing thermal radiation to pass through. The gas curtain thus mediates the interaction between the two temperature zones, protecting sensitive components while maintaining high power conversion efficiency.
2Reliability
If active cooling is used to maintain low temperatures of TPV components, then component operation stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas supply system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it creates the laminar flow gas curtain to prevent deposition, provides cooling to the receiver components, and helps maintain the temperature gradient between emitter and receiver. By making the gas supply system multi-functional, the patent reduces overall device complexity while maintaining component reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic flow (laminar gas flow) to achieve both cooling and protective functions. By utilizing fluid dynamics principles, the system maintains low temperatures of components and prevents volatile deposition without requiring complex mechanical cooling systems, thus improving reliability while minimizing added complexity.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If gas curtains are used to protect TPV modules from condensation deposits, then component life is extended, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas channels are integrated into the structural framework of the receiver, merging the protective gas curtain function with the existing structural components. This integration allows the gas channels to serve both as structural support and as conduits for the protective gas flow, extending component life while minimizing increases in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas channels perform multiple functions: they provide structural support to the receiver, deliver the laminar flow gas curtain for protection, and assist in thermal management. By making the gas channel structure multi-functional, the patent extends component life through condensation prevention while avoiding proportional increases in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively maintains TPV modules at low temperatures while operating in high-temperature environments, preventing condensation and extending component life by actively cooling and shielding from volatile components.
Implementation Method 1
The coolant channels circulate the cooling fluid through the core, thereby maintaining the core and module temperature within the desired temperature ranges
Implementation Method 2
The gas channels are used to form sweeping gas curtains over each face and thermophotovoltaic modules, thereby protecting the modules from undesirable condensation deposits
Implementation Method 3
Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) are a class of heat engines that exploit the photovoltaic effect to convert radiant light from a heated body into electricity
Implementation Method 4
The total power radiated per unit area of a TPV emitter ('blackbody' in Stefan-Boltzmann Law) is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature P∝T4. Higher temperatures also shift the peak of the emitted spectrum towards shorter wavelengths (per Wien's Displacement Law)
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are thermophotovoltaic receivers comprising cores and integrated submount assemblies with thermophotovoltaic cells as well as thermophotovoltaic systems (e.g., energy-storage systems) comprising such receivers. Specifically, a core comprises a set of gas supply channels, a set of gas return channels, a coolant supply channel, and a coolant return channel, such that this core and all channels are formed by extrusion (e.g., aluminum). The core also comprises four faces such that a set of thermophotovoltaic modules is positioned on each face and thermally coupled to the core. The gas channels are used to form sweeping gas curtains over each face and thermophotovoltaic modules, thereby protecting the modules from undesirable condensation deposits. The coolant channels circulate the cooling fluid through the core, thereby maintaining the core and module temperature within the desired temperature ranges. In some examples, modules are equiped with heat sinks, fluidically coupled to the coolant channels.