JP2013008780A - Asphalt heat utilizing thermoelectric generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power generator by thermoelectric generation corresponding to a peak of power demand by utilizing overheat of asphalt such as a road and can be sited at a place near a demand place.SOLUTION: A polar plate A is installed just under an asphalt road surface which becomes a high temperature heat source, the polar plate A being in contact with the asphalt road surface. After that, a polar plate B and a polar plate C are installed so as to contact with water supply and sewerage pipes, a water storage groove, etc. which become low temperature heat sources. The polar plate B and the polar plate C do not come in contact with each other. The polar plate A and the polar plate B are connected with each other in a vertical direction with a p type semiconductor therebetween. The polar plate A and the polar plate C are connected with each other in a vertical direction with a n type semiconductor therebetween. The polar plates B, C are mutually connected by a conducting wire to configure a closed circuit. When heat is inputted to an asphalt road surface such as a road which is the high temperature heat source, a temperature difference is generated between the asphalt road surface and the water supply and sewerage pipes, etc. which are the low temperature heat sources. Consequently, a direct current is generated along a direction of the order of the p type semiconductor, the polar plate B, the conducting wire, the polar plate C, the n type semiconductor, the polar plate A, and the p type semiconductor.

Description

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric power generator that generates electricity by a thermoelectric effect utilizing a temperature difference, using a surface asphalt surface of a road or the like that generates heat by light irradiation as a high-temperature heat source, an underground water and sewage pipe, a water storage groove, etc. as a low-temperature heat source. It is about.

Conventionally, the following patent documents have been introduced as thermoelectric power generation technologies. In addition, the following two power generation methods have been mainly used as a power generation method using a temperature difference in nature.
(1) Geothermal power generation (2) Ocean temperature difference power generation

Patent Publication 2010-207077

Illustrated Energy Engineering Tetsuo Hirata, Makoto Tanaka, Hiroyuki Kumano, Yoshiaki Haneda Morikita Publishing Co., Ltd. Thermoelectric conversion material The Ceramic Society of Japan / Thermoelectric Society of Japan [Edit] Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun

In thermoelectric power generation, it is important to incorporate not only high-temperature heat sources but also high-temperature and low-temperature heat sources into the power generation mechanism. However, with the previously introduced thermoelectric power generation technology, the temperature difference that occurs in the natural world Was not fully utilized.
In the geothermal power generation of (1), boring of several hundred to several thousand meters is required in order to use high-temperature steam or hot water heated by the heat of the underground magma chamber.
In the ocean temperature difference power generation of (2), it is necessary to take a large temperature difference between the surface layer hot water and the deep layer cold water, and therefore, a pump for pumping out the deep layer cold water needs several hundred to about 1,000 m.
In both cases, the area that can be located far away from the power demand area is limited, and a large-scale mechanism is required. Moreover, at the time of high temperatures in summer, the peak of power demand occurs due to the use of cooling or the like, but a power generation method that matches this peak has not been so far adopted. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems.

When a closed circuit is formed by sandwiching a semiconductor between a plurality of electrode plates and a temperature difference is given between the electrode plates, an electromotive force proportional to the temperature difference is generated due to the Seebeck effect. In order to use this, on asphalt road surfaces such as roads where water and sewage pipes, reservoirs, etc. are buried, first, just below the asphalt road surface that becomes a high-temperature heat source when heat is generated by sunlight irradiation, etc. An electrode plate A is installed as a high-temperature joint to be in contact. Next, an electrode plate B and an electrode plate C that are low-temperature joint portions are installed in contact with a water and sewage pipe, a water storage groove, and the like that are low-temperature heat sources. The electrode plate B and the electrode plate C are not in contact with each other. The electrode plate A and the electrode plate B are connected in the vertical direction by a p-type semiconductor, and the electrode plate A and the electrode plate C are connected in the vertical direction by an n-type semiconductor. The electrode plates B and C are connected by a conductive wire to form a closed circuit. When there is heat input on an asphalt road surface such as a road that is a high-temperature heat source, a temperature difference occurs between the water and sewage pipes, the water ditch, and the like that are low-temperature heat sources whose temperature is stable in the ground. Along with this, the thermoelectric generator generates a direct current in the direction of p-type semiconductor-> electrode B-> conductor-> electrode C-> n-type semiconductor-> electrode A-> p-type semiconductor. Electric power can be used by connecting an appropriate electrical device between the conductors.

In order to use the thermoelectric generator stably and with an increased electromotive force, the following methods are used.
(1) By covering the surface of the thermoelectric generator with an insulator, the entire apparatus is electrically independent from the outside.
(2) In the thermoelectric generator, a heat insulating layer is formed by embedding a heat insulating material between the electrode plate A and the electrode plates B and C, and the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor are disposed in the heat insulating layer. This is removed and the plates A and B and A and C are connected in the vertical direction. This increases the electromotive force by making the temperature difference between the electrode plate A, which is a high-temperature bonding part, and the electrode plates B, C, which are low-temperature bonding parts, easy to increase.
(3) The electromotive force is increased by connecting the thermoelectric generators in series.

Conventionally, the heat energy that overheats the asphalt road surface, which has been seen as the cause of the heat island phenomenon, can be used for power generation, and the higher the road surface temperature correlated with the outside air temperature, the higher the power generation amount. There is aptitude. In addition, since it can be installed anywhere under a paved road, it can be installed in the immediate vicinity of buildings and houses that are places where electricity is demanded, and there is very little transmission loss. Furthermore, since no propeller, turbine, or the like is used, the noise is low and maintenance is easy, so the running cost is low.

Schematic diagram in Example 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing between electrode plate A and electrode plates B and C in Example 2 of the present invention In Example 3 of this invention, the schematic diagram at the time of connecting three in series Schematic diagram in Example 4 of the present invention

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
First, an electrode plate A (2) serving as a high-temperature joint in contact with the asphalt road surface (1) such as a road serving as a high-temperature heat source is installed. Next, an electrode plate B (4) and an electrode plate C (5) to be a low-temperature joint are installed in contact with the water and sewage pipe, the water storage groove, etc. (3) to be a low-temperature heat source. The electrode plate B (4) and the electrode plate C (5) are not in contact with each other. Between the electrode plate A (2) and the electrode plate B (4) is connected in the vertical direction by a p-type semiconductor (6), and between the electrode plate A (2) and the electrode plate C (5) is n-type in the vertical direction. Connect with semiconductor (7). The electrode plates B (4) and C (5) are connected by the conducting wire (8) to form a closed circuit. Moreover, the electrical resistance between conducting wires (8) is represented as a load (9). In addition, in order to make the entire thermoelectric generator electrically independent from the outside, the surface of the apparatus is covered with an insulator. The materials, shapes, and sizes of the electrode plates A (2), B (4), C (5), the p-type semiconductor (6), and the n-type semiconductor (7) are determined by the practitioner depending on the situation. Shall.

[Example 1]
The present invention is configured as described above, and when there is heat input to an asphalt road surface (1) such as a road serving as a high-temperature heat source, due to a difference in the way heat is transmitted, a water and sewer pipe serving as a low-temperature heat source, a water ditch, etc. There is a temperature difference with 3). Accordingly, p-type semiconductor (6)-> electrode plate B (4)-> conductor (8)-> electrode plate C (5)-> n-type semiconductor (7)-> electrode plate A (2)-> A direct current is generated in the direction of the p-type semiconductor (6). Electric power can be used by connecting an appropriate electrical device between the conductors (8) as a load (9).

[Example 2]
A heat insulating material is buried between the electrode plate A (2) and the electrode plates B (4) and C (5) to form a heat insulating layer (10). The p-type semiconductor connects the electrode plate A (2) and the electrode plate B (4) in the vertical direction by eliminating the heat insulating layer (10). Similarly, the n-type semiconductor connects the electrode plate A (2) and the electrode plate C (5) in the vertical direction by eliminating the heat insulating layer (10). Thereby, the temperature difference between the said high temperature heat source and a low temperature heat source can be expanded, and electric power generation efficiency can be improved.

[Example 3]
The electromotive force is increased by connecting the thermoelectric generators described in Example 1 or 2 in series.

[Example 4]
In the first embodiment, the case where the asphalt road surface (1) is a high-temperature heat source has been described. However, at night or in a cold region, the asphalt road surface (1) is used as a low-temperature heat source, and the water and sewage pipe (7) is used as a high-temperature heat source. You can also. In that case, in the mechanism described above, the direction of the direct current is reversed.

Although the present invention cannot always be a stable power source, in Example 1, the clearer and the higher the outside air temperature, the more the heat is transmitted between the asphalt road surface and the ground, particularly the surface in contact with water. Due to the difference, the temperature difference between the high-temperature heat source and the low-temperature heat source increases, and the electromotive force generated by thermoelectric power generation increases. In addition, considering that it can be installed in the immediate vicinity of the power consumption area, it is used at the same time as power generation on the spot rather than being placed on the existing power grid, that is, as a cooling power source in summer, home, office, etc. It is most suitable for operating the cooling equipment.

1 Asphalt road surface
Bipolar plate A
3 Water and sewage pipes, reservoirs, etc.
5-pole plate C
6p type semiconductor 7n type semiconductor 8 conductor 9 load

Claims (5)

Temperature difference between asphalt road surface where water and sewage pipes, reservoirs, etc. are buried, which generates heat due to sunlight irradiation, etc., with the surface asphalt road surface as a high-temperature heat source and underground water and sewage pipes and storage grooves as a low-temperature heat source A thermoelectric generator that uses One electrode is contacted with the high temperature heat source and two electrode plates are contacted with the low temperature heat source to form a high temperature junction and a low temperature junction, respectively, and one between the electrode plates of the high temperature junction and the low temperature junction is a p-type semiconductor. By connecting the other electrode plate with an n-type semiconductor, and connecting the two electrode plates of the low-temperature junction with a conducting wire to form a closed circuit, power generation by the thermoelectric effect is realized. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1. The thermoelectric power generator according to claim 2, wherein the entire device is electrically independent from the outside by covering the surface of the thermoelectric generator with an insulator. In the thermoelectric generator, a heat insulating layer is formed by embedding a heat insulating material between the electrode plate of the high temperature bonding portion and the electrode plate of the low temperature bonding portion, and the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor are formed of the heat insulating layer. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the inside is removed and the electrodes of the high-temperature joint and the low-temperature joint are connected in the vertical direction. A thermoelectric power generation apparatus in which electromotive force is increased by connecting the thermoelectric power generation apparatuses according to claim 2, 3, or 4 in series.

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