JP2012069626A - Thermal power generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of a limited device thickness in conventional thermoelectric conversion devices, causing a voltage loss depending on the thickness.SOLUTION: The terminal power generation device is composed of a lamination group generated by stacking, in a device thickness direction 20, metal layers 11 and thermoelectric material layers 12 laminated with inclination to a lamination direction 14. Thus, the problem of voltage loss in the case of a large device thickness is solved, and the device is useful as an efficient device having high design performance.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermoelectric power generation device that converts thermal energy into electrical energy.

  Thermoelectric power generation is a technology that directly converts thermal energy into electrical energy using the Seebeck effect in which an electromotive force is generated in proportion to the temperature difference applied to both ends of a substance. This technology has been put to practical use in remote power supplies, space power supplies, military power supplies, and the like.

  A conventional thermoelectric power generation device has a plate-like structure called a π-type structure that combines a P-type semiconductor and an N-type semiconductor with different carrier codes, and is connected in parallel and electrically in series. ing. One surface of the flat device is brought into contact with a heat source, and the other surface is cooled to cause a temperature difference in the device to generate power.

  In addition, the present inventors have used a device utilizing the anisotropy of thermoelectric properties in a laminated structure of different materials made of Bi, which is a metal and a thermoelectric material, in the thickness ratio of each material in the laminated body (hereinafter referred to as the lamination ratio). And the inventors have found that excellent power generation performance is realized by appropriately selecting the inclination angle q in the stacking direction, and invented a thermoelectric power generation device using this (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4078392

  In order to generate power from a heat source having various features, it is necessary to appropriately set the size of the thermoelectric power generation device. However, as a result of research conducted by the present inventors, it has been found that if the thickness (d) of the device with respect to the length of the device increases, a loss occurs in the electromotive voltage at both ends of the laminated structure, and the power generation efficiency is significantly reduced. It was. As described above, in the conventional thermoelectric conversion device, the thickness of the device is limited, and voltage loss occurs depending on the thickness. Therefore, in the case where the thickness of the device becomes large, efficient thermoelectric generation cannot be performed.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and allows the shape of a thermoelectric power generation device to be set as appropriate, thereby realizing thermoelectric power generation for various heat sources.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the present inventors have made extensive studies and, as a result, stacked a stacked body in which a metal layer and a thermoelectric material layer are inclined with respect to the stacking direction in a direction in which a temperature gradient is generated. Thus, it has been found that efficient power generation is possible without causing voltage loss.

  According to the present invention, a device having high power generation performance can be realized without restriction on the thickness of the device.

Sectional drawing of the inclination laminated body in Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional drawing of the thermoelectric power generation device in Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional view of thermoelectric power generation device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention The perspective view of the thermoelectric generator in Embodiment 3 of this invention FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a thermoelectric generator device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. A perspective view of a thermoelectric generator device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention Sectional drawing of the comparative example 1 in Example 1 of this invention Sectional drawing of the comparative example 2 in Example 1 of this invention Sectional drawing of the electric power generation device in Example 1 of this invention

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
A thermoelectric generator constituting the thermoelectric generator of the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric power generation device is configured by combining materials having a structure in which the metal 11 and the thermoelectric material 12 are alternately laminated at a constant lamination ratio. This material is an inclined laminate. A direction 13 parallel to the boundary line between the metal 11 and the thermoelectric material 12 is inclined at an angle θ with respect to a direction 14 (stacking direction) perpendicular to the temperature gradient. The preferred range of stacking ratio and tilt angle is determined by the combination of metal and thermoelectric material. For example, in the case of a combination of Cu and Bi, θ is preferably in the range of 5 ° to 45 °. The stacking ratio can be selected from the range of 1: 9 to 9: 1.

  FIG. 2 illustrates the thermoelectric power generation device of the present invention. The thermoelectric power generation device is a device in which the inclined laminated body 21 in FIG. 1 and the inclined laminated body 22 in which the inclination direction in the inclined laminated body 21 in FIG. 1 is reversed are alternately laminated in the thickness direction 20 of the device. In addition, wirings 25 are arranged in series in this laminate. In addition, it is necessary to coat the upper and lower surfaces of each inclined laminate with an electrical insulator 23 having high thermal conductivity so as not to be electrically short-circuited. In addition, in order to extract electric power, it is necessary to sandwich both ends of the inclined laminate 21 and the inclined laminate 22 between the electrodes 24.

  FIG. 3 shows a thermoelectric power generation device of the present invention. The thermoelectric generator is configured by laminating the inclined laminated body 31 of FIG. Further, it is necessary to coat the upper and lower surfaces of each inclined laminate with an electrically insulating layer 33 having high thermal conductivity so as not to cause an electrical short circuit. Further, in order to extract electric power, it is necessary to provide wiring 34 after installing the electrode 32 as shown in the drawing of the inclined laminate.

  The metal 11 is not particularly limited as long as it has a good electrical and thermal conductivity. Specifically, Cu, Ag, Al, Au, etc. are good.

Thermoelectric material 12, Bi, Bi ₂ Te _3, or, Sb, Bi which was doped due Se, Bi ₂ Te _3, or, CoSi, but good like PbTe, is not limited to, various Any thermoelectric material can be used.

  As the electrical insulator 23, for example, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, zirconium nitride, tantalum oxide, polyimide, fluorine resin, or the like can be used. Further, a metal coated with these materials may be used.

  The electrode 24 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having good electrical conductivity. The electrode 24 can be omitted if the both ends of each inclined laminate are made of the metal 11.

  Further, the wiring 25 for connecting the electrodes is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having good electrical conductivity. The shape and method are not limited as long as the electrodes can be electrically connected. For example, not only wires but also paste-like conductive materials can be used to electrically connect electrodes easily. In addition, if a thin metal plate is used as the wiring 25, the mechanical strength of the device can be increased.

  The method for manufacturing the thermoelectric generator of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the above structure can be realized, and various methods can be used. For example, there is a method in which the metal 11 and the thermoelectric material 12 previously processed on a flat plate are stacked and joined by heating and pressing, and then cutting so that the inclination angle becomes θ.

(Embodiment 2)
The configuration of the thermoelectric generator of the present invention that realizes a higher electromotive voltage will be described with reference to FIG. By using this configuration, a higher electromotive voltage can be realized, and it can be used for a more general purpose. The thermoelectric power generation device of the present embodiment is obtained by molding a plurality of thermoelectric power generation devices 41 manufactured in the same process as in the first embodiment into a desired size and electrically connecting them through the electrodes 42. It is done. At this time, it is necessary to perform wiring so that the electromotive voltage generated due to the temperature difference does not cancel out between the adjacent thermoelectric generators 41. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the wiring 43 is connected in series so as to increase the electromotive voltage.

(Embodiment 3)
The configuration of the thermoelectric generator of the present invention that realizes a higher electromotive voltage will be described with reference to FIG. By using this configuration, a higher electromotive voltage can be realized, and wiring between the inclined laminated bodies can be relatively easily performed. The thermoelectric power generation device in the present embodiment is configured by alternately installing thermoelectric power generation devices 41 that can be manufactured in the same process as in the first embodiment and thermoelectric power generation devices 52 in which the inclination directions are reversed.

  The wiring 54 is connected in series so that the electromotive force is increased as shown in FIG. 5 so that the electromotive voltage generated due to the temperature difference does not cancel out between adjacent thermoelectric generation devices, and the electrode 53 is connected to each inclined laminate. Place at both ends. With the above configuration, a thermoelectric power generation device that can realize a higher electromotive voltage and can be wired relatively easily can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
The configuration of the thermoelectric generator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. By using this configuration, there is an advantage that a high electromotive voltage can be realized as in the second embodiment, and a device can be manufactured relatively easily. First, after producing a plurality of inclined laminated bodies 61 produced in Embodiment 1, the laminated direction is reversed, and pressurization and overheating are performed. At that time, an electrical insulating layer 64 is provided in order to electrically insulate between the inclined laminated bodies. Thereafter, a cut is made from the upper 62 and the lower 63, and the wiring 66 is provided in series so that the electromotive voltage due to heat does not cancel out. Further, the electrodes 65 are disposed at both ends of each inclined laminated body. With this configuration, the thermoelectric generator of this embodiment is completed.

  The notches 62 and 63 can be created using various methods without limitation as long as the structure shown in the figure can be realized. As a method, there is a method of making a cut with a disk saw or a cutter.

The thermoelectric generator of the present invention was produced using oxygen-free copper as the metal and Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ as the thermoelectric material. Seven pieces of oxygen-free copper and six pieces of Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ previously processed on a flat plate were alternately stacked, and a 1 kg copper block was placed on the material so that a constant pressure was applied in the stacking direction. In addition, a graphite sheet was inserted between the copper block and the material in order to avoid adhesion due to heating. At this time, the stacking ratio of oxygen-free copper and Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ was designed to be 1: 4, and the thicknesses were 2 mm and 8 mm, respectively. The laminated body thus assembled was heated and pressure-bonded at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in an Ar-flowed box furnace, and taken out after cooling to room temperature. Next, the laminate was cut with a precision cutting machine so that the inclination angle was 30 °, and then the cut surface was coated with aluminum nitride at a thickness of 2 mm to form an electrical insulating film. The size of the inclined laminate was 6.5 × 1 × 2 cm ³ . The ratio of the thickness to the length of the tilted laminate is 0.14.

  The same process was repeated to produce a total of seven tilted laminates. As shown in FIG. 2, arranged so that the direction of inclination of the adjacent inclined laminates are alternately reversed, and again in a box furnace that was Ar-flowed in the same process, after heating at 500 ° C. for 2 hours, Cooled to room temperature. Next, a silver paste that hardens at room temperature was applied to produce an electrode. Finally, a silver paste was used to connect the electrodes with a copper wire as shown in FIG. 2 to obtain the thermoelectric generator of the present invention. This device is referred to as Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1-1)
A thermoelectric generation device of Comparative Example 1-1 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. Flat Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ and oxygen-free copper were alternately stacked at the same thickness and thickness ratio as in Example 1 to form a tilted laminate 61 in the same process as in Example 1. Thereafter, the inclined laminate 71 was molded so that the inclination angle was 30 °. The size of the device in this comparative example was 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ . The electrode 72 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1-2)
A thermoelectric generation device of Comparative Example 1-2 was produced with the configuration shown in FIG. The inclined laminated body 81 produced in the same process as that of Comparative Example 1 was arranged so that the inclination directions were reversed. Each inclined laminated body 71 was 6.5 × 7 × 1 cm ³ . The electrode 82 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 2. In Comparative Example 1-2, when the inclined laminate 81 was produced with a size of 6.5 × 1 × 1 cm ³ , electric power could be taken out.

(Comparison result)
Using two copper heat sinks 92 and 93 coated with aluminum nitride with a thickness of 1 μm, the thermoelectric generator 91 in this example was sandwiched and fixed with Apiezon grease, and an electric generator as shown in FIG. 9 was produced. Copper pipes are embedded in the copper heat sinks 92 and 93. The heat sinks 92 and 93 can be cooled by flowing cold water through the pipe, and the heat sinks 92 and 93 can be heated by flowing hot water through the pipe. A similar power generation device was also produced in the comparative example.

  A temperature difference was given to the power generation device by flowing 15 ° C. cold water on one of the copper heat sinks 92 and 93 and flowing hot water of 65 ° C. on the other. Table 1 shows the power generation amount of each device at that time. Comparative Example In Comparative Examples 1-1 and 1-2, the power generation amount was 0 mW, whereas in Example 1, a maximum power of 50 mW could be extracted due to a temperature difference of 50 ° C.

A thermoelectric power generation device of the present invention was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. Seven pieces of oxygen-free copper and six pieces of Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ previously processed on a flat plate were alternately stacked, and a 1 kg copper block was placed on the material so that a constant pressure was applied in the stacking direction. In addition, a graphite sheet was inserted between the copper block and the material in order to avoid adhesion due to heating. At this time, the stacking ratio of oxygen-free copper and Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ was designed to be 1: 4, and the thicknesses were 2 mm and 8 mm, respectively. The laminated body thus assembled was heated and pressure-bonded at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in an Ar-flowed box furnace, and taken out after cooling to room temperature. Next, the laminate was cut with a precision cutting machine so that the inclination angle was 30 °, and then the cut surface was coated with aluminum nitride at a thickness of 2 mm to form an electrical insulating film. The size of the inclined laminate was 6.5 × 1 × 2 cm ³ . The ratio of the thickness to the length of the tilted laminate is 0.14.

  The same process was repeated to produce a total of seven tilted laminates. As shown in FIG. 2, they are arranged so that the inclination directions of adjacent inclined laminates are the same direction, and again in a box furnace in which Ar was flown in the same process, after heating at 500 ° C. for 2 hours, Cooled to room temperature. Next, a silver paste that hardens at room temperature was applied to produce an electrode. Finally, a silver paste was used to connect the electrodes with a copper wire as shown in FIG. 3 to obtain the thermoelectric generator of the present invention. This device is referred to as Example 2.

(Comparative Example 2-1)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 2-1 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. Flat Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ and oxygen-free copper were alternately stacked at the same thickness and thickness ratio as in Example 1 to form an inclined laminate 71 in the same process as in Example 1. Thereafter, the inclined laminate 71 was molded so that the inclination angle was 30 °. The size of the device in this comparative example was 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ . The electrode 72 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 2-2)
The thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 2-2 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. The inclined laminated body 71 produced in the same process as in Comparative Example 1 was arranged and arranged so that the direction of inclination was reversed. Each inclined laminated body 71 was 6.5 × 7 × 1 cm ³ . The electrode 82 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 2.

(Comparison result)
Using two copper heat sinks 92 and 93 coated with aluminum nitride with a thickness of 1 μm, the thermoelectric generator 91 in this example was sandwiched and fixed with Apiezon grease, and an electric generator as shown in FIG. 9 was produced. Copper pipes are embedded in the copper heat sinks 92 and 93. The heat sinks 92 and 93 can be cooled by flowing cold water through the pipe, and the heat sinks 92 and 93 can be heated by flowing hot water through the pipe. A similar power generation device was also produced in the comparative example.

  A temperature difference was given to the power generation device by flowing 15 ° C. cold water on one of the copper heat sinks 92 and 93 and flowing hot water of 65 ° C. on the other. Table 1 shows the power generation amount of each device at that time. Comparative Examples In Comparative Examples 2-1 and 2-2, the power generation amount was 0 mW, whereas in Example 1, a maximum power of 25 mW could be extracted due to a temperature difference of 50 ° C.

The thermoelectric generator of the present invention was fabricated using nickel as the metal and Bi _0.3 Sb _1.7 Te ₃ as the thermoelectric material. Seven nickel and six Bi _0.3 Sb _1.7 Te ₃ previously processed on a flat plate were alternately stacked, and a 1 kg copper block was placed on the material so that a constant pressure was applied in the stacking direction. In addition, a graphite sheet was inserted between the copper block and the material in order to avoid adhesion due to heating. At this time, the stacking ratio of nickel and Bi _0.3 Sb _1.7 Te ₃ was designed to be 1: 4, and the thicknesses were 2 mm and 8 mm, respectively. The laminated body thus combined was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. Next, the laminate was cut with a precision cutting machine so that the inclination angle was 35 °, and then the cut surface was coated with aluminum nitride with a thickness of 2 mm to form an electrical insulating film. The size of the inclined laminate was 6.5 × 1 × 2 cm ³ . The ratio of the thickness to the length of the tilted laminate is 0.14.

  The same process was repeated to produce a total of seven tilted laminates. As shown in FIG. 2, they were arranged so that the inclination directions of adjacent inclined laminated bodies were alternately reversed, and again heated at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in a box furnace in which Ar was flowed in the same process. Next, a silver paste that hardens at room temperature was applied to produce an electrode. Finally, a silver paste was used to connect the electrodes with a copper wire as shown in FIG. 2 to obtain the thermoelectric generator of the present invention. This device is referred to as Example 2.

(Comparative Example 3-1)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 3-1 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. Flat Bi _0.3 Sb _1.7 Te ₃ and nickel were alternately stacked at the same thickness and thickness ratio as in the example, and the inclined laminate 61 was formed in the same process as in the example 2. Thereafter, the inclined laminate 71 was molded so that the inclination angle was 30 °. The size of the device in this comparative example was 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ . The electrode 72 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 3.

(Comparative Example 3-2)
A thermoelectric generator of Comparative Example 3-2 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. The inclined laminated body 81 produced in the same process as that of Comparative Example 3-1 was arranged so that the direction of inclination was reversed. Each inclined laminated body 81 was 6.5 × 7 × 1 cm ³ . The electrode 82 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 3.

(Comparison result)
As in Example 1, two copper heat sinks 92 and 93 coated with aluminum nitride having a thickness of 1 μm were used to sandwich the thermoelectric generation device 91 in this example and fixed with Apiezon grease, as shown in FIG. A simple power generation device was fabricated. Copper pipes are embedded in the copper heat sinks 92 and 93. The heat sinks 92 and 93 can be cooled by flowing cold water through the pipe, and the heat sinks 92 and 93 can be heated by flowing hot water through the pipe. A similar power generation device was also produced in the comparative example.

  A temperature difference was given to the power generation device by flowing 15 ° C. cold water on one of the copper heat sinks 92 and 93 and flowing hot water of 65 ° C. on the other. Table 2 shows the amount of power generated by each device. In Comparative Examples 3-1 and 3-2, each had a power generation amount of 0 mW, whereas in Example 3, a maximum power of 45 mW could be taken out due to a temperature difference of 50 ° C.

The thermoelectric generator of the present invention was produced using oxygen-free copper as the metal and Bi as the thermoelectric material. Using the same method as in Example 2, the stacking ratio of oxygen-free copper and Bi was designed to be 1: 1, and the respective thicknesses were 4 mm and 4 mm. The laminated body thus combined was pressure-bonded by heating at 200 ° C. for 2 hours in an Ar-flowed box furnace, and taken out after cooling to room temperature. Next, the laminate was cut with a precision cutting machine so that the inclination angle was 40 °, and then the cut surface was coated with aluminum nitride at a thickness of 2 mm to form an electrical insulating film. The size of the inclined laminate was 6.5 × 1 × 2 cm ³ . The ratio of the thickness to the length of the tilted laminate is 0.14.

  The same process was repeated to produce a total of seven tilted laminates. As shown in FIG. 2, arranged so that the direction of inclination of the adjacent inclined laminates are alternately reversed, and again in a box furnace that was Ar-flowed in the same process, after heating at 200 ° C. for 2 hours, Cooled to room temperature. Next, a silver paste that hardens at room temperature was applied to produce an electrode. Finally, silver paste was used to connect the electrodes with a copper wire as shown in FIG. 2, and wiring was applied to the back side of the device so that the electromotive force due to heat was increased. The thermoelectric power generation device of the present invention was obtained using the above method. This device is referred to as Example 3.

(Comparative Example 4-1)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 4-1 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. Flat Bi and oxygen-free copper were alternately stacked at the same thickness and thickness ratio as in Example 4 to form an inclined laminate 71 in the same process as in Example 1. Thereafter, the inclined laminated body 71 was molded so that the inclination angle was 40 °. The size of the device in this comparative example was 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ . The electrode 62 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 4.

(Comparative Example 4-2)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 4-2 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. The inclined laminated body 81 produced in the same process as that of Comparative Example 4-1 was arranged and arranged so that the direction of inclination was reversed. Each inclined laminated body 71 was 6.5 × 7 × 1 cm ³ . The electrode 82 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 4.

(Comparison result)
Using two copper heat sinks 92 and 93 coated with aluminum nitride with a thickness of 1 μm, the thermoelectric generator 91 in this example was sandwiched and fixed with Apiezon grease, and an electric generator as shown in FIG. 9 was produced. Copper pipes are embedded in the copper heat sinks 92 and 93. The heat sinks 92 and 93 can be cooled by flowing cold water through the pipe, and the heat sinks 92 and 93 can be heated by flowing hot water through the pipe. A similar power generation device was also produced in the comparative example.

  A temperature difference was given to the power generation device by flowing 15 ° C. cold water on one of the copper heat sinks 92 and 93 and flowing hot water of 65 ° C. on the other. Table 4 shows the amount of power generated by each device. In Comparative Examples 4-1 and 4-2, the power generation amount was 0 mW, respectively, whereas in Example 4, a maximum power of 15 mW could be extracted due to a temperature difference of 50 ° C.

The thermoelectric generator of the present invention was fabricated using aluminum as the metal and PbTe as the thermoelectric material. The same method as in Example 1 was used, and the stacking ratio of nickel and PbTe was designed to be 1: 4. Each thickness was 2 mm and 8 mm. The laminated body thus assembled was heated and pressure-bonded at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in an Ar-flowed box furnace, and taken out after cooling to room temperature. Next, the laminate was cut with a precision cutting machine so that the inclination angle was 30 °, and then the cut surface was coated with aluminum nitride at a thickness of 2 mm to form an electrical insulating film. The size of the inclined laminate was 6.5 × 1 × 2 cm ³ . The ratio of the thickness to the length of the tilted laminate is 0.14.

  The same process was repeated to produce a total of seven tilted laminates. As shown in FIG. 2, arranged so that the direction of inclination of the adjacent inclined laminates are alternately reversed, and again in a box furnace that was Ar-flowed in the same process, after heating at 500 ° C. for 2 hours, Cooled to room temperature. Next, a silver paste that hardens at room temperature was applied to produce an electrode. Finally, silver paste was used to connect the electrodes with a copper wire as shown in FIG. 2, and wiring was applied to the back side of the device so that the electromotive force due to heat was increased. The thermoelectric power generation device of the present invention was obtained using the above method. This device is referred to as Example 1.

(Comparative Example 5-1)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 5-1 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. Flat-shaped PbTe and nickel were alternately stacked at the same thickness and thickness ratio as in Example 1 to form an inclined laminate 71 in the same process as in Example 1. Thereafter, the inclined laminate 71 was molded so that the inclination angle was 30 °. The size of the device in this comparative example was 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ . The electrode 72 was installed using a silver paste in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 5-2)
A thermoelectric power generation device of Comparative Example 5-2 was fabricated with the configuration shown in FIG. The inclined laminated body 81 produced in the same process as that of Comparative Example 1 was arranged so that the direction of inclination was reversed. Each inclined laminated body 81 was 6.5 × 7 × 1 cm ³ . The electrode 82 was installed using a silver paste as in Example 2.

(Comparison result)
Using two copper heat sinks 92 and 93 coated with aluminum nitride with a thickness of 1 μm, the thermoelectric generator 91 in this example was sandwiched and fixed with Apiezon grease, and an electric generator as shown in FIG. 9 was produced. Copper pipes are embedded in the copper heat sinks 92 and 93. The heat sinks 92 and 93 can be cooled by flowing cold water through the pipe, and the heat sinks 92 and 93 can be heated by flowing hot water through the pipe. A similar power generation device was also produced in the comparative example.

  A temperature difference was given to the power generation device by flowing 15 ° C. cold water on one of the copper heat sinks 92 and 93 and flowing hot water of 65 ° C. on the other. Table 5 shows the power generation amount of each device at that time. In Comparative Examples 5-1 and 5-2, the power generation amount was 0 mW, while in Example 5, a maximum power of 30 mW could be extracted due to a temperature difference of 50 ° C.

A thermoelectric power generation device similar to that in Example 1 as shown in FIG. 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. The size of all the devices in this example is 6.5 × 7 × 2 cm ³ , which is the same, but the number of inclined laminated bodies constituting the devices is different as shown in Table 2.

  Table 6 shows the power generation amount of each device measured by attaching a temperature difference of 50 ° C. to the upper and lower surfaces of each device in this example. From the results of this example, it was found that the power generation amount decreased as the thickness with respect to the device length increased.

Four graded laminates made of oxygen-free copper and Bi _0.5 Sb _1.5 Te ₃ were produced in the same manner as in Example 1, and thermoelectric power generation devices were produced by thermocompression bonding them. The size of the obtained device was 6.5 × 7 × 4 cm ³ . The obtained device was cut into five pieces with a precision cutting machine, and a thermoelectric power generation device was constructed as shown in FIG.

  Each inclined laminate was connected in series so as not to cancel the electromotive voltage generated by the temperature difference. At that time, room-temperature-curing silver paste was used for the electrodes, and copper wires were used for the connection.

  A power generation device similar to that of Example 1 was prepared, and a temperature difference of 50 ° C. was set on the upper and lower surfaces of the device. The electromotive voltage obtained by measurement at that time was 50 mV. When compared with a device having the same configuration and the same size as in Example 1, an electromotive voltage of about 4 times was obtained.

  In the same manner as in Example 7, five thermoelectric generator devices were obtained. It installed so that the direction of the inclination of an inclination laminated body might reverse in each adjacent device.

  Each inclined laminate was connected in series so as not to cancel the electromotive voltage generated by the temperature difference. At that time, room-temperature-curing silver paste was used for the electrodes, and copper wires were used for the connection. Compared with Example 6, the copper wires used for connection did not intersect, and in this example, connection could be performed relatively easily.

  The electromotive force when a temperature difference of 50 ° C. was set on the upper and lower surfaces of the device was the same as in Example 7.

Using the same process as in Example 1, a thermoelectric generator device composed of two types of graded laminates was produced. One was 11 × 6.5 × 1 cm ³ and the other was 11 × 6.5 × 0.5 cm ³ . The top and bottom surfaces of the inclined laminates having different sizes were coated with aluminum nitride having a thickness of 2 mm, and heat-pressed at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in a box furnace in which Ar layers were alternately stacked as shown in FIG. Thereafter, a cut was made in a precision cutting machine. At that time, the cuts were alternately made from the upper and lower directions as shown in FIG. In the case of from the top, a cut was made up to the upper surface of the bottom inclined laminate, and in the case of the bottom, a cut was made to the bottom surface of the top inclined laminate. Next, the electrodes at the ends were connected by using a silver paste that hardens at room temperature, and copper wires were used for the wiring.

  A power generation device similar to that of Example 1 was prepared, and a temperature difference of 50 ° C. was set on the upper and lower surfaces of the device. The electromotive voltage obtained by measurement at that time was 35 mV. When compared with a device having the same configuration and the same size as in Example 1, an electromotive voltage of about three times was obtained.

  According to the present invention described in the above embodiments and examples, a device having high power generation performance can be realized without restriction on the thickness of the device. This is because, as described above, the laminated inclined laminated bodies are stacked in the temperature gradient direction. In particular, when the inclination of the metal and the thermoelectric material is reversed between the stacked bodies, a larger amount of power generation can be expected. Therefore, the electrode is not an essential component, and any configuration other than the electrode may be used as long as an electromotive force generated in the thermoelectric device of the present invention can be taken out.

  The thermoelectric power generation device according to the present invention solves the problem of voltage loss when the thickness of the device is large, and is useful as a more efficient and highly designable device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Metal 12 Thermoelectric material 13 Direction parallel to layer 14 Direction perpendicular to temperature gradient 20 Device thickness direction 21 Inclined laminated body 22 Inclined laminated body in which inclination direction is reversed 23 Electrical insulating layer 24 Electrode 25 Wiring 31 Inclined laminated body 32 Electrode 33 Electrical insulating layer 34 Wiring 41 Inclined laminated body 42 Electrode 43 Wiring 51 Inclined laminated body 52 Inclined stacking body in which inclination direction is reversed 53 Electrode 54 Wiring 61 Inclined laminated body 62 Upper 63 Lower 64 Electrical insulating layer 65 Electrode 66 Wiring 71 Inclined Laminate 72 Electrode 81 Inclined Laminate 82 Electrode 91 Heat Collector 92 Heat Dissipator 93 Thermoelectric Device

Claims (11)

A first laminate in which a metal layer and a thermoelectric material layer are laminated with an inclination with respect to the lamination direction;
In a plane including the stacking direction and the direction in which the first stack is inclined, the first stack is disposed on the first stack in the thickness direction which is an axis perpendicular to the stacking direction. A second laminate in which the metal layer and the thermoelectric material layer are inclined at a second angle that is symmetrical to the first angle at which the first laminate is inclined;
A thermoelectric device comprising: Further, the first stacked body and the second stacked body are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the thickness direction, and the metal layer and the thermoelectric material layer have the same angle as the first angle. A third laminate inclined in the direction;
A fourth laminated body disposed on the third laminated body in the thickness direction, wherein the metal layer and the thermoelectric material layer are inclined in the same direction as the second angle;
The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, comprising: The thermoelectric device according to claim 2, wherein the first stacked body and the third stacked body, and the second stacked body and the fourth stacked body are arranged so as to be aligned in the perpendicular direction. The thermoelectric device according to claim 2, wherein the first stacked body and the fourth stacked body, and the second stacked body and the third stacked body are arranged so as to be aligned in the perpendicular direction. Furthermore, the thermoelectric device of Claim 1 provided with an electrode in the both ends of the said 1st laminated body and the said 2nd laminated body in the said lamination direction. The thermoelectric device according to claim 3, further comprising electrodes at both ends of the first stacked body, the second stacked body, the third stacked body, and the fourth stacked body in the stacking direction. 5. The thermoelectric device according to claim 4, further comprising electrodes at both ends of the first stacked body, the second stacked body, the third stacked body, and the fourth stacked body in the stacking direction. In the electrode provided at the same end of either of the first stacked body and the second stacked body, the stacked body having the first angle and the stacked body having the second angle are connected. The thermoelectric device according to claim 5. A laminate having the first angle in an electrode provided at the same end of any one of both ends of the first laminate, the second laminate, the third laminate, and the fourth laminate. The thermoelectric device according to claim 6, wherein the laminate having the second angle is connected. And a fifth stacked body that is disposed on the second stacked body and the fourth stacked body in the thickness direction and in which a metal layer and a thermoelectric material layer are stacked at an inclination of the first angle.
The thermoelectric device according to claim 3. A first laminate in which a metal layer and a thermoelectric material layer are laminated with an inclination with respect to the lamination direction;
In a plane including the stacking direction and the direction in which the first stack is inclined, the first stack is disposed on the first stack in the thickness direction which is an axis perpendicular to the stacking direction. A sixth laminate in which the metal layer and the thermoelectric material layer are inclined at a first angle at which the first laminate is inclined;
Electrodes provided at both ends of the first laminate,
Electrodes provided at both ends of the sixth laminate,
A thermoelectric device comprising:

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