Preliminary investigations of a thermotunnel converter
Abstract
The thermotunnel converter (TTC) is a means of converting heat into electricity; it uses no moving parts and has characteristics in common with both thermionic and thermoelectric converters. An analytical model of the TTC has been formulated. This model and extrapolation of low-temperature lightly loaded potassium-intercalated highly oriented pyrolytic graphite thermoelectric data to higher temperatures and heavy loadings indicate that the TTC has the potential for higher efficiencies than conventional thermoelectric materials.
- Publication:
-
1988 IECEC; Proceedings of the Twenty-third Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Volume 1
- Pub Date:
- 1988
- Bibcode:
- 1988iece....1..573H
- Keywords:
-
- Electron Tunneling;
- Thermionic Power Generation;
- Thermoelectric Power Generation;
- Pyrolytic Graphite;
- Quantum Mechanics;
- Thermionic Emission;
- Energy Production and Conversion