Thermal characterisation of isotopic heat sources for enhanced thermophotovoltaic systems

IF 4.9 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL

International Journal of Thermal Sciences Pub Date : 2024-09-25 DOI:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2024.109443

Zhiheng Xu , Jiyu Wang , Yuqiao Wang , Shifan Zhu , Hongyu Wang , Dandan Yang , Yunpeng Liu , Xiaobin Tang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Radioisotope thermophotovoltaics (RTPVs) are playing an increasingly important role in the energy supply for deep space exploration. The output performance of RTPVs can be significantly improved by increasing the surface temperature of isotopic heat sources and reducing the high-temperature degradation effect of the thermophotovoltaic cells. This work proposes methods such as selective emission coating and adjusting heat source structure to improve heat source temperature and optimize heat distribution. Results showed that the surface temperature of the heat source could generally reach more than 1000 K by using the selective coating when the thermal power of the isotopic heat source was 500 W. The use of selective coatings can also make the thermophotovoltaic cells closer to the heat source, and the volume of RTPVs could be reduced from 1.23 × 10⁻³ m³ to 0.49 × 10⁻³ m³, with a reduction of ∼60 %. Under the condition of W@SiO₂ selective coating and 500 W heat source, RTPVs could produce the maximum output power of 22 mW/cm² when the distance between the InGaAs cell and the heat source is 2 cm. The results provided effective guidance for the design of the heat source and miniaturization of RTPVs in space applications.

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用于增强型热光电系统的同位素热源的热特性分析

放射性同位素热光电（RTPV）在深空探测的能源供应中发挥着越来越重要的作用。通过提高同位素热源的表面温度，降低热光电池的高温衰减效应，可以显著提高 RTPV 的输出性能。本研究提出了选择性发射涂层和调整热源结构等方法来提高热源温度和优化热量分布。结果表明，当同位素热源的热功率为 500 W 时，通过使用选择性涂层，热源表面温度一般可达到 1000 K 以上；使用选择性涂层还可使热光伏电池更靠近热源，RTPV 的体积可从 1.23 × 10-3 m3 减小到 0.49 × 10-3 m3，减小了 ∼ 60 %。在 W@SiO2 选择性涂层和 500 W 热源条件下，当 InGaAs 电池与热源之间的距离为 2 cm 时，RTPV 可产生 22 mW/cm2 的最大输出功率。这些结果为空间应用中的热源设计和 RTPV 微型化提供了有效指导。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Thermal Sciences 工程技术-工程：机械

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

11.10%

发文量

531

审稿时长

55 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Thermal Sciences is a journal devoted to the publication of fundamental studies on the physics of transfer processes in general, with an emphasis on thermal aspects and also applied research on various processes, energy systems and the environment. Articles are published in English and French, and are subject to peer review. The fundamental subjects considered within the scope of the journal are: * Heat and relevant mass transfer at all scales (nano, micro and macro) and in all types of material (heterogeneous, composites, biological,...) and fluid flow * Forced, natural or mixed convection in reactive or non-reactive media * Single or multi–phase fluid flow with or without phase change * Near–and far–field radiative heat transfer * Combined modes of heat transfer in complex systems (for example, plasmas, biological, geological,...) * Multiscale modelling The applied research topics include: * Heat exchangers, heat pipes, cooling processes * Transport phenomena taking place in industrial processes (chemical, food and agricultural, metallurgical, space and aeronautical, automobile industries) * Nano–and micro–technology for energy, space, biosystems and devices * Heat transport analysis in advanced systems * Impact of energy–related processes on environment, and emerging energy systems The study of thermophysical properties of materials and fluids, thermal measurement techniques, inverse methods, and the developments of experimental methods are within the scope of the International Journal of Thermal Sciences which also covers the modelling, and numerical methods applied to thermal transfer.