thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic micro renewable ......i. introduction a common refrain heard...

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Thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic micro renewable power systems for home use Akshaya Srivastava, Mark Pinder, Shaan Shah * Vrishank Raghav and Narayanan Komerath School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332 Terrestrial mass-market needs for off-grid power generators offer applications and chal- lenges for space research. Synergy between research on extraterrestrial in situ resource exploitation, and research on terrestrial mass-market needs for standalone power genera- tors, offers avenues to advance both, with large potential impact on the quality of life. The technologies have been shown to work. However, closing the business case for such devices requires careful definition of requirements and attention to a wide array of issues. In this paper, two systems derived from space technology are discussed. The first is a thermoelec- tric generator for use with rudimentary wood stoves. This is designed to produce enough power for a fan to augment air flow through the stove, a DC LED floodlamp for steady lighting, and an ultraviolet LED water purifier. The power budget for this system will close well under the 10-watt level that is projected for a single semiconductor thermoelec- tric generator; however serious challenges remain in active thermal control. The second system is a thermophotovoltaic generator for use with trash incinerators sized for middle class families or neighborhoods. Radiation from ceramic emitters placed in the incinerator is concentrated and filtered into a set of photovoltaic cells tuned to the radiation spectrum. Power levels of several tens to hundreds of watts have already been demonstrated from such systems. I. Introduction A common refrain heard among researchers on extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques, is that government space agencies are unable to provide the sustained funding levels that they need, especially as missions to other planets and asteroids get pushed back. This creates a mismatch between the supply of new technological advancements, and the demand for these. On the other hand, hundreds of millions of people on our planet would benefit from micro renewable energy devices that are portable, or sized for a single family, or from viable systems to clean the air and provide lighting and drinking water to off-grid communities. Despite decades of strong interest, such devices have not been successful in the mass market, primarily (in the opinion of the lead author) because they are not really viable in the marketplace, they fail to achieve the advertised effectiveness as stand-alone systems, and cannot exploit synergies due to fear of predatory competition. The present venture capital model for commercializing space program spinoffs usually requires inventors to push a single technology with great speed as a miracle device into marketplaces that may require long-term education and slow percolation by example. Multiple ISRU technologies incorporated into these devices with the same seriousness that is shown in planning a payload for an interplanetary mission, could make a difference in maximizing their effectiveness. At the same time, mass market success could provide the huge increase in funding that is needed to take ISRU research to the levels needed for spacefaring civilizations. A few points are listed below: * Undergraduate. AIAA student member. PhD candidate. AIAA student member Professor. AIAA Associate Fellow. 1 of 12 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

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Page 1: Thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic micro renewable ......I. Introduction A common refrain heard among researchers on extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques,

Thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic micro

renewable power systems for home use

Akshaya Srivastava, Mark Pinder, Shaan Shah∗

Vrishank Raghav†

and Narayanan Komerath‡

School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332

Terrestrial mass-market needs for off-grid power generators offer applications and chal-lenges for space research. Synergy between research on extraterrestrial in situ resourceexploitation, and research on terrestrial mass-market needs for standalone power genera-tors, offers avenues to advance both, with large potential impact on the quality of life. Thetechnologies have been shown to work. However, closing the business case for such devicesrequires careful definition of requirements and attention to a wide array of issues. In thispaper, two systems derived from space technology are discussed. The first is a thermoelec-tric generator for use with rudimentary wood stoves. This is designed to produce enoughpower for a fan to augment air flow through the stove, a DC LED floodlamp for steadylighting, and an ultraviolet LED water purifier. The power budget for this system willclose well under the 10-watt level that is projected for a single semiconductor thermoelec-tric generator; however serious challenges remain in active thermal control. The secondsystem is a thermophotovoltaic generator for use with trash incinerators sized for middleclass families or neighborhoods. Radiation from ceramic emitters placed in the incineratoris concentrated and filtered into a set of photovoltaic cells tuned to the radiation spectrum.Power levels of several tens to hundreds of watts have already been demonstrated fromsuch systems.

I. Introduction

A common refrain heard among researchers on extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques,is that government space agencies are unable to provide the sustained funding levels that they need, especiallyas missions to other planets and asteroids get pushed back. This creates a mismatch between the supplyof new technological advancements, and the demand for these. On the other hand, hundreds of millionsof people on our planet would benefit from micro renewable energy devices that are portable, or sized fora single family, or from viable systems to clean the air and provide lighting and drinking water to off-gridcommunities. Despite decades of strong interest, such devices have not been successful in the mass market,primarily (in the opinion of the lead author) because they are not really viable in the marketplace, they failto achieve the advertised effectiveness as stand-alone systems, and cannot exploit synergies due to fear ofpredatory competition. The present venture capital model for commercializing space program spinoffs usuallyrequires inventors to push a single technology with great speed as a miracle device into marketplaces thatmay require long-term education and slow percolation by example. Multiple ISRU technologies incorporatedinto these devices with the same seriousness that is shown in planning a payload for an interplanetarymission, could make a difference in maximizing their effectiveness. At the same time, mass market successcould provide the huge increase in funding that is needed to take ISRU research to the levels needed forspacefaring civilizations. A few points are listed below:

∗Undergraduate. AIAA student member.†PhD candidate. AIAA student member‡Professor. AIAA Associate Fellow.

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1. Support for space ventures must come from a much broader base of the population than what thepresent national space programs manage to garner. Today most people are asked to support spaceexploration on the arguments that we must explore the origins of our Universe and of Life, and thatspace technology and the sight of brave people cavorting in inflated suits will inspire K-12 studentsto learn calculus. Rightly or not, most taxpayers can imagine less expensive and more direct ways ofachieving these objectives.

2. A close synergy between extraterrestrial ISRU systems and micro renewable energy systems (MRES)that people use at home, will enable a much better understanding of the value of advanced research inboth arenas. It will at least provide a source of growing support to develop the elements needed for aSpace-based economy.

3. Venture capital models of funding for MRES have not been successful, and with good reason. Devicessuch as micro wind turbines are only now catching the attention of consumer watchdog agenciesand organizations. The fact that many vendors advertise performance well beyond what the laws ofphysics will allow, is not difficult for such entities to realize. In the case of the systems of interest inthis paper, the end-use customers in the mass market are not likely to be able to afford such systemsat the beginning. Instead, governments and non-governmental organizations would have to fund thembased on a business model where the cost of the devices is traded off against the opportunity costs ofdelaying education, healthcare and information access to the end-users. These are issues calling for theemployment of talents and expertise from well beyond traditional aerospace engineering.

Dudley-Rowley and Gangale,1,2 in wide-ranging papers, have pointed out the need to consider sustain-ability as part of long-term exploration missions, raising concerns about funding stability. While cautioningagainst over-reliance on in situ resource utilization technologies at the expense of backup resource plan-ning, they also recognize that much of the innovation required for multi-year sustained long-duration spacemissions is along the lines of the same kind of innovation needed to respond to worsening environmentalconditions and their unexpected consequences. They also argue for efforts involving global cooperation todevelop long-term missions including comprehensive human factors considerations. Marsh and Rygalov3

point to the need for self-sustainable behaviors and activities to increase the stability of closed ecological lifesupport systems. Pass et al.,4 in describing humanity’s cultural imperative to colonize Space, points to thedifficulties in recognizing the spinoffs from the Space programs to terrestrial applications.

On the other hand, people all over the world are demonstrating that they can use the products of techno-logical innovation, without worrying about how they work. New applications for technology are coming upeverywhere as people get access to these devices, and many of these uses are far from what the initial devel-opers anticipated, because their frame of reference was far from that of many present users. We reason thatbottom-up empowerment of people to develop their own stand-alone renewable energy solutions is the bestway to encourage rapid adoption of renewable energy, and reduction of fossil fuel usage. This provides a con-temporary public imperative to develop the synergy between aerospace technology and the market for MRES.

II. Thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic generator systems

In a paper at SPESIF2010,5 our team presented the opportunity for synergy between ISRU research andthe mass market for renewable power generators sized for a single family. We made the point that peoplewho do not have access to the electric power grid pay extremely high costs per unit power, since they haveto depend on batteries or fossil-burning generators. Our approach to this issue is to work at the interfacebetween the technology innovators and the mass market users. We have developed five testbeds which arebeing refined through analysis, simulation and testing. In this paper two such concepts are discussed.

Many families around the world must do their cooking using rudimentary wood-burning stoves made ofthree stones or bricks, burning whatever wood scraps they can gather. These stoves are inefficient. With nomore than natural convection for exhaust removal, they generate high levels of pollution. This leads to ahigh incidence of health problems. With mothers having to attend to cooking, their children must do theirhomework sitting in the same kitchen, with poor lighting and air quality. A high possibility of bacterial

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infection from drinking water is also a reality. In the communities where they live, outdoor burning of trashgenerates high levels of smoke and air pollution.

The relevance of Space technology to the above situation is examined in this paper using two simple ex-amples. The first device is a thermoelectric converter. This is suitable for small heat sources with moderatetemperatures. Earlier bimetal strips have given way to more compact semiconductor devices with higherefficiency and mass-specific power. They find application primarily as a source for small amounts of electricpower on long-duration space missions. The heat source in the Space mission case is the radioactive decayof nuclear isotopes, but more recently such devices are finding use in extracting power from the exhaustpipes of luxury automobiles. While the efficiency is very low, on the order of 5 to 6 percent, the simplicityof the device enables a useful amount of power to be extracted without much expense. Coupled with othertechnologies that use little power, it is shown that the system design will close at least at the conceptualstage, with excellent prospects for economic viability when mass-market economics and socio-economics ofpublic policy are brought into the equation, rather than depending on venture capital schemes alone.

The second is a more involved system, and a bit further away in market readiness. It depends on the spacetechnology of pyrophotovoltaics. Here a high-intensity, high-temperature heat source (the short-duration fir-ing of a rocket engine in the case of space applications, a home garbage incinerator for the mass market) isused to heat up a suitable object placed in the exhaust, so that it emits strong radiation. The emitter is cho-sen so that its emission in the relevant temperature range is preferably with a sharp spectral peak, focusingthe radiation onto a narrow-band photovoltaic cell array with high conversion efficiency in that spectral band.A Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system concept shown later in the paper has two photovoltaic cells. One isfor the infrared band, and one for the visible band of radiation, and they are separated by a dichroic mirror.This has the advantage of locating the converter some where it can be insulated from the high temperatures,and allows use of short-duration flames. This system may be more suitable for village-level landfill burnoffsor waste incinerators. In both types of systems, the involvement of the aerospace community in articulatingthe socio-economics and policy implications, is argued to be essential at least until mass-market acceptanceignites. A corollary offshoot of the above is a low-cost version where ceramic elements are used to generatebroad-band radiation, with inexpensive broadband solar cells used to generate electricity.

II.A. Prior Work on Thermoelectric Conversion

Thermoelectric generators (TEG) have been considered as general heat engines by Gordon.6 Previously,thermoelectric generators have been used in conjunction with nuclear thermal sources. In the case of theTransit Satellites 4A and 4B, each thermoelectric generator (one per satellite) produced 2.7 Watts of electricpower at the beginning of the mission by using a radioisotope heat source.7,8 These radioisotope thermoelec-tric generators (RTGs) known as SNAP-3B in 1961 were among the forerunners to current thermoelectrictechnologies.

In 1972, the next iteration of RTGs, the SNAP-19, was designed for the Transit Triad series under thesame program. The RTG was not sealed. Excess heat was radiated to thermoelectric panels to provideadditional power. The new RTG succeeded in the mission objective of providing 30 We at the end of a 5year mission at a minimum of 3 V..9 The SNAP-19 then powered the Nimbus-3 Meteorological Satellite.Two SNAP-19 RTGs were combined to provide 56.4 We after 1 year in orbit, comprising about 20 % ofthe total power supply. The SNAP-19 also went on the Pioneer missions to Jupiter and Saturn and on theViking Mars Landers.10,11 Variations of the RTGs on the Viking Landers have been on every interplanetarymission, either as a supplemental power supply or, as the main power supply.12

Bass et al.13 describe a 1-kilowatt thermoelectric generator for terrestrial diesel engines. Ikoma et al14

reported a generator to use with gasoline engines. Snyder and Ursell15,16 discuss the design of systems withsegmented and cascaded generators. The application of thermoelectric generation to power micro-deviceshas been explored beyond the Space power application. Schaevitz17 and Stordeur and Stark18 describe ap-plications to microsystems. Nuwayhid et al.19 discuss a low-cost stove-top thermoelectric generator. Bulls20

describes the invention of thermolectric modules where the addition of trace amounts of thallium to bismuthtelluride increases the conversion efficiency of bismuth telluride thermoelectric modules from roughly 6 % to

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10 %.

The most common thermoelectric materials are composed of some combination of bismuth, telluride, andantimony.21 Efficient thermoelectric materials exhibit high values of ZT , shown here as equation 1, where Sis the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, and κ is the thermal conductivity.21–23 At 300K,ZT of .003 is obtained using Bi2Te3.22 Combinations of Bismuth, Antimony, and Telluride can yield a ZTas high as 1.2 at 300K.23

ZT =S2σ

κT (1)

II.B. Prior Work on PyroPhotoVoltaic Conversion

Green and Baillie24 have reported a solar cell with 43 percent efficiency, splitting the sunlight into spectralbands, sent to different types of cells. Barnett et al25 have reported a design where the split solar spectrumis directed to very high efficiency conversion modules in the UV and IR portions, while a low-cost siliconcell is used for the mid-band. Sunlight passes through a front lens and hollow pyramid concentrator onto a dichroic prism. The low energy part of the spectrum below 1.4 eV passes through. The middle bandbetween 1.4 and 2.4EV is directed on to a mid-energy solar cell. The concentrator transmitted over 93% of the incident solar energy. At 20X concentration, the design targets 53.5 % total efficiency, out of atotal thermodynamic efficiency of 64.2 %. Thermophotovoltaic generators based on the Gallium Antimonide(GaSb) cell, which is sensitive to the infrared band of the spectrum include a 1.5 kWe residential combinedheat and power thermophotovoltaic generator, a 100 W generator combined with a 25,000 BTU stove, anda 20 watt Butane-fed portable generator.26 Their system achieves a power to mass ratio of 942 Wh perkg compared to only 145 for a Lithion Ion battery. Chen and Goldstein27 describe a man-portable TPVgenerator that produced 112 watts of electric power using atmospheric combustion of propane, and a ytterbiaemitter mantle. A fused silica absorption filter and 12 water-cooled silicon concentrator arrays were used,with a fuel-to-electric conversion of 1 to 2 %. Khvostikov et al.28have discussed TPV generators based onGallium Antimonide. They showed 19 percent conversion from the emission spectrum of tungsten. Withthe emission spectrum truncated to be above 1870nm, 27 percent conversion was shown, and the optimumtemperature range of tungsten emitters was given as 1800-2000K. Bitnar29,30 describes high-efficiency TPVsystems using Yb2O3 selective emitters and Si or SiGe PV cells.

Azorin31 has reviewed the thermoluminescence properties of materials for the emitter part of the py-rophotovoltaic system. Desired emitter characteristics are28 high thermal conductivity, mechanical stabilityin the operating temperature range, selectivity of the emission spectrum and compatibility with the PV cellsensitivity spectrum, and stability to thermal shocks. Tantalum and Silicon Carbide have been preferredfor high radiation environments. To avoid oxidation, emitters have been placed in vacuum or inert gasatmospheres. For the case of a fire, a ceramic piece such as aluminum oxide would be appropriate, beingcommonly available and able to withstand the highest temperatures that are likely to be encountered. Onedifficulty is that the emitted spectrum changes substantially with temperature, so that it will fluctuate witha time scale on the order of several seconds. Saxton32 studied emitter candidate materials to work witha T-58 naval gas turbine. Materials had to withstand a 1573K combustion gas environment and thermalshocks, and have an emissivity of 90 percent. He concluded that C/SiC with a SiC overcoat, and SiC/Siwere the most viable emitter candidates.

III. Concept Designs

III.A. The EduKitchen Prototype: Thermoelectric generator for fuel efficiency,pollution control, lighting and safe water

Our TEG system uses a bismuth telluride alloy module, placed in an aluminum envelope suitable for insertingdirectly into a home 3-brick stove along with firewood. The aluminum envelope is made from recycled soda

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cans. A thermocouple monitors the temperature, while a DC fan powered by a 12-volt battery drives air intothe fire through a flat nozzle, also cooling the sink side of the TEG. The battery powers the fan, a 5-watt DCLED floodlight, and a milliwatt level narrow-band LED operating in the deep UV band of 254-274 nm aspart of a water purification system modeled on the UV WaterWorks 40-watt blacklight device developed byGadgil at LLNL ,33 based on the early experiments by General Electric corporation.34 These studies showedthat 254 nanometer far-ultraviolet radiation effectively killed well over 99 percent of bacteria present in water,quickly enough to permit installation of the blacklight over slowly-flowing water. More recent studies havesuggested that the range of radiation between 260 and 270 nm, centered probably at 264 nm, is much moreeffective, since this includes the resonance wavelengths of the DNA of these bacteria. The power budget isseen to close with the levels of heat available from home stoves. The DC fan takes roughly 5 watts, the flood-lamp takes about 3 watts and the water purifier less than a watt, bringing the total well within the capabilityof a single thermoelectric module. Figure 1 shows the concept graphically. The module is sized to fit at theedge of a wood-burning stove. The DC floodlamp is sized to provide steady white illumination, sufficient fora child to read and write under. Thus the EduKitchen system is intended to revolutionize the family’s livingenvironment, providing clean-burning and fuel-efficient cooking stoves, efficient electric lighting and clean,safe drinking water. The technical and socio-economic challenges in perfecting such a device are formidableand span several disciplines. It opens a long-term research portfolio with immediate application to the tesbed.

Figure 1. Concept Map

While the prototype will contain only a dial to turn the airflow up and down, the ultimate goal for thedevice is to be self-powered and self-monitored. A feedback loop should be able to sense the ideal temper-ature and adjust the airflow accordingly to achieve ideal combustion. The key to the loop will be codingchemical equations into MATLAB or other similar languages in such a way that reduces the inputs requiredfrom the user. An ideal device would need only to be plugged in, and sensors should be able to ascertainthe wood type and ideal combustion conditions.

A side view of the fan/nozzle/thermoelectric generator device that is the crux of the full system is shownbelow as Figure 2. Here, the clamps apply a pressure of at least 5 psia, which is needed to improve theperformance of the thermoelectric generator. The fan exhaust is shown in green, and is to convect away theheat passing through the TEG, as well as augment the oxygen flow through the fire.

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Figure 2. Fan/Nozzle/Generator Schematic (side view)

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IV. ThermoElectric Module

A 22 Watt TEG from Custom ThermoElectric Inc achieves its theoretical capacity when the hot side of themodule is at 300◦C and the cold side is maintained at 25◦C, resulting in a temperature difference of 275◦C.However, it is useful to mention that most commercial devices won’t be able to sustain power generation ata temperature in excess of 200◦C due to themal interface degradation on the hot side.

Performance tests using an electric iron are being used to develop the integrated device. Transientexperimental results are shown in Figure 3. The iron was heated to operating temperature, and placed onthe TEG. The electric power output rises rapidly and reaches a maximum near 1.2 watts, corresponding tothe expected power for the temperature difference between the iron and the cold side of the TEG (≈ 50◦C).The wattage begins to drop as the temperature equalizes.

Figure 3. ThermoElectric Generator Standalone Test Results

V. Measuring Fan Flow Rate to Augment Combustion

A setup, shown in Figure 4 was used to measure the flow rate. The flow was measured at 5 points at theexit: the center, the left side, the right side, the top, and the bottom. Figure 5 shows the variation of speedwith respect to voltage for the different positions. Results on mass flow rate variation with fan voltage areshown in Figure 6

Assuming a completely uniform fuel (we used black spruce wood due to the availability of chemical com-position), we can predict how much air is needed to completely combust a kilogram of wood. Using anassumed value for the heat release of the wood, we can figure out how much heat is released per kilogramof wood, which can then be extended to how much heat is released per 16.275 moles of air, given a fuel richenvironment. This analysis is shown as Figure 7 and shows that we can add up to 20 kJ/sec of heat justby using the fan alone. The specific stoichiometric equations and analysis are left for an appendix. The fancapacity is more than sufficient to vary the equivalence ratio of the combustion in a typical home stove overthe entire range of flammability.

Recent work has been focusing on the larger problem of using the fan flow to remove heat from thebackside of the TEG. A contoured nozzle was set up under the TEG with the electric iron used to heat it.Figure 8 shows an increase in peak power, and the power remains higher than in the case without the fan.However the heat removal rate is nowhere near adequate, and methods of increasing the heat removal by anorder of magnitude are being considered such as a stronger fan, or even possibly redesigning the system toallow the cold side of the TEG to be water-cooled.

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Figure 4. Setup to Measure Airflow

Figure 5. Results of Airflow Measurements

Figure 6. Air Mass Flow Rate vs Voltage

Figure 9 shows one prototype of an EduKitchen system, with a DC Cyclone Blower fan being run. Thisfan comes integrated with a 90-degree turn of the flow, compatible with building the insert and permittinga substantial reduction in size from the initial prototype.

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Figure 7. Heating Rate vs. Airflow

Figure 8. Effect of Fan on Power Generation

Figure 9. Prototype of Fan and Nozzle of the EduKitchen Thermoelectric Generator

V.A. Pyrophotovoltaic System

A second societal problem in many nations is urban garbage, and the air pollution that results from uncon-trolled open-air burning of garbage and fallen leaves. A simple incinerator with a gas starter and a chimney,

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is beginning to catch on as an effective solution to this problem. We propose to add an electricity generatorto such incinerators in order to power simple needs such as lighting in the surrounding area, and again, aforced convection fan to optimize flame equivalence ratio. Here the power need and the potential for powergeneration are both an order of magnitude larger than those of the home TEG.

A pyrophotovoltaic (PPV) system is appropriate for this application. As presently conceived, this consistsof a set of emitter rods, probably of a ceramic material, that is placed in the fire and hence glow withsubstantial radiant emission. Narrow-band filters are used with an array of narrowband photovoltaic cells,giving high conversion efficiency. Where the power requirement is smaller, a more cost-effective approachis to use a ceramic emitter and a broadband solar cell. The generated power may have several applicationsspecific to the community. These may include powering controlled air flow through the incinerator to optimizeheat release and minimize pollution, street lighting, public telephone kiosks, purification of drinking waterfor public fountains, pumping water for public use, irrigation systems or low-votage lighting for gardens, toname a few. The net benefits of such a system extend beyond disposing of garbage, to eliminating one ofthe worst sources of air pollution in many cities around the developing world. The markets for both typesof devices run into the millions, perhaps hundreds of millions for the ”Edukitchen” application.

Figure 10. Schematic Sketch of a Thermophotovoltaic system

VI. Conclusions

In the above we show that a conceptual design for a thermoelectric generator can close. In the case ofthe thermophotovoltaic generator, there are already several devices in the general specification range of theintended application to domestic and urban garbage incinerators. However neither of these applicationsis widely seen today, and the market for such devices has not developed. In the case of the integratedthermoelectric device, that is because the intended customers most certainly do not have the disposableincome to afford such devices, otherwise they would not be living in conditions where the device is needed.A recreational version could be designed to cater to people going on camping trips in developed nations,but this is not likely to capture enough of a market to justify the investment. In the case of the TPVsystem, various applications have been identified, but mass-market success does not appear to have arrived.The argument for such devices includes their positive effects to the environment, public health, children’seducation, and the opportunities opened for economic participation of more people. Accounting for suchaspects requires incorporation of social and public policy considerations. Specific conclusions at this writingare:

1. Even 10 watts of power generated by a thermoelectric module should suffice to close the design of asystem to achieve stoichiometric combustion in a home woodburning stove sized for a single family,power a DC LED flooodlight, and a UV water purifier.

2. An initial configuration of an EduKitchen thermoelectric generator system has been constructed andis undergoing testing.

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3. Convective heat removal from the sink side of the thermoelectric generator appears to pose a substantialproblem in generating sufficient power.

4. Solutions for this problem are being investigated, and may require further infusion of advanced space-craft active thermal control technology.

Acknowledgment

This study was enabled by NASA Grant NNX09AF67G S01, the EXTROVERT initiative to develop resourcesfor cross-disciplinary innovation. Mr. Tony Springer is the technical monitor.

VII. References

1 Dudley-Rowley, M. and Gangale, T., “Sustainability Public Policy Challenges of Long-Duration SpaceExploration,” Proceedings AIAA ARIC Spec. Mtg., 2006.

2 Dudley-Flores, M. and Gangale, T., “The globalization of space–the astrosociological approach,” AIAASpace 2007 Meeting Papers on Disc, Citeseer, 2007.

3 Marsh, M., Rygalov, V., and Livingston, D., “Life Support Systems Functional Stability and HumanControl Limitations-An Astrosociological Approach,” SPACE 2008 Conference and Exposition, No. 2008-7814, AIAA, September 2008.

4 Pass, J., Dudley-Rowley, M., and Gangale, T., “The Cultural Imperative to Colonize Space: An Astroso-ciological Perspective,” 2006.

5 Komerath, N., “Terrestrial Micro Renewable Energy Applications of Space Technology,” Physics Procedia,Vol. 20, February 2011, pp. 255–269.

6 Gordon, J., “Generalized power versus efficiency characteristics of heat engines: The thermoelectricgenerator as an instructive illustration,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 59, 1991, pp. 551.

7 Laboratory, J. H. U. A. P., “Artificial Earth Satellite Designed and Fabricated by the Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory,” 1980.

8 Dick, P. and Davis, R., “Radioisotope Power System Operation in the Transit Satellite,” AlEE Aero-SpaceTrans-, portation Conference-1962 Summer General Meeting, Denver, Colo, 1962.

9 Bradshaw, G. and Postula, F., “Beginning of mission flight data on the TRANSIT RTG, Paper 739091,”Proceedings of the 8th intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, held in Philadelphia, Penn-sylvania, Vol. 13, 1973, p. 16.

10 Brittain, W. and Skrabek, E., “SNAP 19 RTG performance update for the Pioneer and Viking missions,”Proceedings of the 18th intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Orlando, Florida, Vol. 21,1983, p. 26.

11 Brittain, W., “SNAP-19 Viking RTG mission performance, Paper 769255,” Proceedings of the 11th inter-society energy conversion engineering conference, State Line, Nevada, Vol. 12, 1976, p. 17.

12 Bennett, G., “Space nuclear power: opening the final frontier,” 4th International Energy ConversionEngineering Conference and Exhibit , 2006, pp. 26–29.

13 Bass, J., Elsner, N., and Leavitt, F., “Performance of the 1 kW thermoelectric generator for dieselengines,” AIP Conference Proceedings, IOP INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS PUBLISHING LTD, 1995, pp.295–295.

14 Ikoma, K., Munekiyo, M., Furuya, K., Kobayashi, M., Izumi, T., and Shinohara, K., “Thermoelectricmodule and generator for gasoline engine vehicles,” Thermoelectrics, 1998. Proceedings ICT 98. XVIIInternational Conference on, IEEE, 1998, pp. 464–467.

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15 Snyder, G. and Ursell, T., “Thermoelectric efficiency and compatibility,” Physical review letters, Vol. 91,No. 14, 2003, pp. 148301.

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