JP6039348B2 - Thermoelectric power generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermoelectric power generation apparatus that converts a thermal energy into an electrical energy by giving a temperature difference to a thermoelectric conversion module.

  A power generation technique for converting thermal energy into electrical energy using a thermoelectric conversion element is known. The thermoelectric conversion element uses a Seebeck effect in which a potential difference is generated between a high-temperature part and a low-temperature part by giving a temperature difference to a separated part, and the power generation amount increases as the temperature difference increases. Such a thermoelectric conversion element is used in the form of a thermoelectric conversion element module in which a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements are joined. Then, the thermoelectric conversion module is sandwiched between the heating-side plate member and the cooling-side plate member, and the heating-side plate member is heated and the cooling-side plate member is cooled to give a temperature difference to the thermoelectric conversion module. Thus, a thermoelectric power generation apparatus that obtains electricity from the thermoelectric conversion module is configured (see Patent Document 1, etc.).

JP 2009-088408 A

  In this type of power generation device, it is known that as the temperature difference given to the thermoelectric conversion module increases as described above, the amount of power generation increases and the power generation performance improves. As one of the measures for increasing the temperature difference of the thermoelectric conversion module, the plate members on the heating side and the cooling side, which are arranged with the thermoelectric conversion module interposed therebetween, are brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module in a uniform state. It is effective to increase the thermal conductivity through the substrate.

  For example, as in Patent Document 1, each plate member can be brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module using a fastening member such as a tie rod or a nut in a pressurized state. However, when such a member is used, it is difficult to press the plate member to the thermoelectric conversion module with a uniform pressure, and the configuration of the apparatus becomes complicated and the cost increases. In addition, there are cases where the design and the degree of freedom of the design are limited, and there is also a problem that it is disadvantageous when the apparatus is intended to be reduced in weight as much as possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main problem is that the plate members disposed on both sides of the thermoelectric conversion module are complicated and expensive in order to give a temperature difference to the thermoelectric conversion module. An object of the present invention is to provide a thermoelectric conversion power generator that can be brought into close contact with a thermoelectric conversion module in a uniform pressure state and can contribute to improvement in design and freedom of design and weight reduction.

The thermoelectric conversion power generation device of the present invention includes a heating-side plate member and a cooling-side plate member that are disposed to face each other, and a thermoelectric conversion module that is disposed between these plate members, by temperature difference to the thermoelectric conversion module and the cooling side of the plate member with the side of the plate member is heated is cooled is provided, a thermoelectric power generation unit thermoelectric conversion module generates power, the cooling A pressure plate is disposed on the outer surface side of the plate member on the side, and an elastic member is sandwiched between the plate member on the cooling side and the pressure plate, and the plate member on the cooling side is moved to the thermoelectric conversion by the elastic member. The module is pressurized and abutted, and a cooling medium flows between the cooling-side plate member and the pressing plate, and the cooling medium contacts the elastic member .

According to the present invention, the cooling-side plate member is pressed against and contacted with the thermoelectric conversion module by the elastic action of the elastic member. Without using fastening members such as tie rods and nuts, the plate member on the cooling side is pressed by the elastic member and brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module. Therefore, the plate member is attached to the thermoelectric conversion module without being complicated and expensive. It can be adhered in a uniform pressure state. And since the member for fastenings, such as a bolt and a nut, is not used, it can contribute to the improvement in design, the freedom degree of design, and weight reduction. Further, it is possible to improve the rigidity of the cooling side of the plate member by the elastic member, deformation of the plate member can be suppressed, to the plate member easily brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module.

Also, by fixing presses the pressing plate to the plate member side of the cooling side against the elastic force of the elastic member to generate an elastic force to the elastic member, and can be held, the elastic member A structure that reliably imparts elastic force to the thermoelectric conversion module can be obtained. Further, since the temperature of the cooling-side plate member is transmitted to the elastic member, and the elastic member is cooled by the cooling medium, the cooling efficiency of the cooling-side plate member is improved. That is, the heat dissipation effect by the elastic member can be obtained. Therefore, the elastic member is preferably formed in a fin shape for promoting cooling. Examples of the fin shape include a corrugated cross section, a V shape, a U shape, and an Ω shape.

Moreover, in this invention, the said elastic member is joined to either one of the said cooling-side plate member or the said press plate, and the other side includes the form which is a non-joining state. In this embodiment, since the elastic member is joined to either the cooling-side plate member or the pressing plate, the elastic member can be easily handled and assembled. In addition, when the thermoelectric conversion module or the cooling-side plate member expands / shrinks due to heating / cooling, the non-joined side of the elastic member can move relative to the thermoelectric conversion module or the cooling-side plate member. It is difficult to cause a problem such as deformation due to stress caused by heat.

Further, in the present invention, the cooling-side plate member that is pressed against and contacted with the thermoelectric conversion module by the elastic member has a rigid portion that has rigidity and is brought into contact with the thermoelectric conversion module, and the rigid portion. And a deformable portion that is formed in a row, has flexibility that can be deformed by receiving the elastic force of the elastic member, and causes the rigid portion to contact the thermoelectric conversion module by deformation. In this embodiment, the portion of the cooling-side plate member that comes into contact with and closely contacts the thermoelectric conversion module is a rigid portion, so that it does not deform and reliably contacts the thermoelectric conversion module on the surface, and the thermoelectric conversion Easy to obtain uniform pressure on the module.

  The present invention further includes a sealed container including the heating-side plate member and the cooling-side plate member, wherein the thermoelectric conversion module is disposed between the plate members in the sealed container, and the sealed It includes a form in which the inside of the container is in a reduced pressure state. In this form, since the inside of the sealed container is depressurized, the inside of the sealed container is less likely to be heated than when a gas such as air is present at normal pressure, and the internal gas expands and affects the plate member. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems such that the thermoelectric conversion module is heated and deteriorates.

According to the present invention, the plate member on the cooling side for giving a temperature difference to the thermoelectric conversion module can be brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module in a uniform pressure state without making the apparatus complicated and expensive. In addition, there is an effect that a thermoelectric conversion power generation device that can contribute to improvement in design and freedom of design and weight reduction is provided.

1 is an overall perspective view of a thermoelectric conversion power generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the sealing board in the thermoelectric conversion electric power generating apparatus of one Embodiment. It is a side view of the thermoelectric conversion power generation device of one embodiment. It is IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG. It is a front view of the thermoelectric conversion type generator of one embodiment. It is VI-VI sectional drawing of FIG. (A) The front view of the electric power generation unit which comprises the thermoelectric conversion type electric power generating apparatus of one Embodiment, (b) It is the side view except the elastic board. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the airtight container of the same electric power generation unit, and an edge part cooling part, Comprising: (a) The state before joining a cooling case, (b) A movable plate by joining a cooling case and an elastic plate The state where the inner rigid part of a part is pressurized by the thermoelectric conversion module is shown. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the airtight container and intermediate | middle cooling part of the same electric power generation unit, Comprising: An inner side rigid part is pressurized by the thermoelectric conversion module with the elastic board pinched | interposed between the inner side rigid parts of a movable plate part. It shows the state. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of an elastic board, Comprising: (a) The state before joining a cooling case, (b) Joining a cooling case, the inner side rigid part of a movable board part is added to a thermoelectric conversion module with an elastic board. The state of being pressed is shown. It is a figure which shows the modification of another elastic board, Comprising: (a) The state before joining a cooling case, (b) Joining a cooling case, the inner rigid part of a movable board part is thermoelectric conversion module by an elastic board. The state of being pressurized is shown.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1] Overall Configuration of Thermoelectric Conversion Power Generation Device FIGS. 1 to 6 show a thermoelectric conversion power generation device (hereinafter referred to as a power generation device) 1 according to an embodiment. In this power generation device 1, a plurality of power generation units 2 each having a sealed container 3 are stacked in a parallel state with a cooling unit 5A sandwiched in the Y direction in the figure, and cooling units are also provided on both side surfaces of the entire device 1, that is, both ends in the Y direction. 5B is arranged. The number of the power generation units 2 is arbitrary, and in this case, the power generation apparatus 1 is configured by stacking four power generation units 2.

  The hermetic container 3 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped casing 30 whose longitudinal section (YZ section) is long in the Z direction, and a flat tube whose longitudinal section disposed in the center of the casing 30 is long in the Z direction. And a sealing cover 38 that closes the openings at both ends in the X direction. Both the casing 30 and the flow pipe 35 are open at both ends in the X direction, and the inside of the flow pipe 35 is a hollow portion 351 through which a heating fluid described later flows in the X direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the housing 30 has a pair of movable plate portions (cooling-side plate members of the present invention) 31 parallel to the XZ plane and the upper and lower edges of the movable plate portion 31. A pair of flat end plate portions 32 to be connected is formed into a substantially rectangular box shape. The flow pipe 35 has a semicircular cross section that connects a pair of opposed inner plate portions (plate members on the heating side of the present invention) 36 parallel to the XZ plane and upper and lower end edges of the inner plate portion 36. A pair of arcuate curved portions 37 is formed into a flat tubular shape.

  Fins 352 are disposed inside the flow pipe 35, that is, in the hollow portion 351 of the sealed container 3. The fins 352 are formed, for example, by bending a plate material into a corrugated plate shape, and are joined by a joining means such as brazing while the outer side of the bent portion is in contact with the inner surface of the inner plate portion 36.

  A substantially annular internal space 3a having a long vertical section in the Z direction is formed in the sealed container 3, that is, between the inner surface of the housing 30 and the inner surface of the flow pipe 35. And the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is each arrange | positioned in the state pinched | interposed between the movable plate part 31 of the housing | casing 30, and the inner plate part 36 of the flow pipe 35 in the Y direction both sides in this internal space 3a. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the plurality of sealed containers 3 in which the thermoelectric conversion modules 4 are disposed in a pair of states in regions on both sides in the Y direction of the internal space 3 a include the cooling unit 5 </ b> A between the movable plate units 31. They are stacked in parallel in the Y direction. In addition, cooling units 5B are also disposed on the outer surfaces of the movable plate 31 at both ends in the Y direction. Hereinafter, the cooling unit 5A between the sealed containers 3 is referred to as an intermediate cooling unit 5A, and the cooling units 5B at both ends in the Y direction are referred to as end cooling units 5B.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the thermoelectric conversion module 4 connects one surface and the other surface of a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements 41 arranged in a plane in a zigzag manner by an electrode 42 made of copper or the like. The electrode 42 on one surface side is joined to the inner surface of the inner plate portion 36 of the flow pipe 35 by a joining means such as brazing. The electrode 42 on the other surface side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is in contact with the inner surface of the inner rigid portion 312 described later of the movable plate portion 31 of the housing 30. That is, the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is in a non-bonded state with the inner rigid portion 312, and both can move relative to each other along the contact surface.

  As the thermoelectric conversion element 41 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 4, a type having a high heat-resistant temperature is used. For example, a silicon-germanium system, a magnesium-silicon system, a manganese-silicon system, an iron silicide system, or the like is preferably used. The thermoelectric conversion module 4 is connected to a pair of terminals 43 for taking out electricity. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the terminal 43 extends upward in the upper part of the internal space 3 a, and penetrates the end plate portion 32 on the upper side of the sealed container 3 and protrudes to the outside. The through hole of the terminal 43 of the end plate part 32 is subjected to a process of hermetically closing.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the opening on the X side of the internal space 3 a of the sealed container 3 is closed by an oval sealing cover 38 as a whole with a U-shaped section that is recessed inward. The sealing cover 38 is airtightly joined to the inner surface of an outer rigid portion 311 (described later) of the movable plate portion 31 and the outer surface of the end portion in the X direction of the flow pipe 35. The internal space 3 a of the sealed container 3 is hermetically sealed by the housing 30, the distribution pipe 35 and the sealing cover 38. Outer covers 33 are joined to both end surfaces in the X direction of the casing 30 of each sealed container 3, and both sides in the X direction of the apparatus 1 are covered with the outer covers 33. Both end portions in the X direction of each flow pipe 35 protrude from each housing 30, and the protruding end portions pass through flow pipe insertion holes 331 formed in the outer cover 33 and protrude to the outside.

[2] Configuration of Airtight Container As shown in FIG. 7, the movable plate portion 31 constituting the casing 30 of the airtight container 3 includes an outer rigid portion 311 formed in a rectangular frame shape, and an outer rigid portion. The inner rigid portion 312 having the same thickness as the outer rigid portion 311 disposed on the inner side of 311 and the gap 314 having a constant width formed between the outer rigid portion 311 and the inner rigid portion 312 are closed. The deformed portion 313 is thinner than the thickness of each rigid portion 311, 312.

  The inner edge 311a of the outer rigid portion 311 is formed in a substantially oval shape, and the outer edge 312a of the inner rigid portion 312 is formed in a substantially oval shape with a certain gap 314 from the inner edge 311a of the outer rigid portion 311. Yes. A flexible thin plate 315 is joined to the outer surface of the inner rigid portion 312 by a joining means such as brazing. The thin plate 315 has a size that covers the gap 314 between the rigid portions 311, 312 and reaches the outer surface of the outer rigid portion 311, and the outer edge portion is joined to the outer surface of the outer rigid portion 311 such as brazing. It is joined with. The thin plates 315 are connected so that the rigid portions 311 and 312 are in the same plane. In the present embodiment, the rigid portions 311 and 312 are present in the same plane, but the positional relationship between the rigid portions 311 and 312 is not limited to this, and one of the rigid portions 311 and 312 is displaced inward by the thin plate 315. The connected structure may be sufficient.

  A portion of the thin plate 315 covering the gap 314 constitutes a substantially annular deformable portion 313 having flexibility, and a convex portion projecting inward is formed at the center in the width direction of the deformable portion 313 as shown in FIG. A strip 313a is formed over the entire circumference. The deformable portion 313 is provided in a state of extending from the outer side of the peripheral surface 312 b of the inner rigid portion 312 to the outer side of the inner edge 311 a of the outer rigid portion 311. Edges on both sides in the Z direction of the outer rigid portion 311 are formed so as to be integrated with the end plate portion 32. That is, the outer rigid portion 311 on both sides is integrally formed with the pair of upper and lower end plate portions 32, and the inner rigid portion 312 is joined to the outer rigid portion 311 via the thin plate 315 to constitute the housing 30. The inner rigid portion 312 has a size that covers the thermoelectric conversion module 4 and is in contact with the entire surface of one side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4.

  A plurality of decompression sealing ports 321 are provided in the upper end plate portion 32 of the sealed container 3, and the internal space 3 a in the sealed container 3 is decompressed using these decompression sealing ports 321.

[3] Cooling unit and elastic plate The intermediate cooling unit 5A and the end cooling unit 5B include cooling cases 53A and 53B, respectively. The cooling case 53 </ b> A of the intermediate cooling unit 5 </ b> A is formed in a frame shape along the periphery of the outer rigid portion 311 of the movable plate portion 311, and is sandwiched between adjacent outer rigid portions 311. It is joined to the outer peripheral edge. That is, in the present apparatus 1, the adjacent casings 30 are in a state where the adjacent outer rigid portions 311 are joined together via the cooling case 53A. A cooling jacket 53a is formed inside the intermediate cooling part 5A surrounded by the cooling case 53A and the movable plate parts 31 on both sides sandwiching the cooling case 53A to cool the movable plate part 31 as a cooling water flow path. Has been.

  On the other hand, the cooling case 53B of the end cooling unit 5B is formed in a lid shape that covers the movable plate 31 at the end, and the shallow recess formed on one side is directed toward the movable plate 31 to end the cooling plate 53B. The edge is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the outer rigid portion 311. A cooling jacket 53 b that is supplied with cooling water to cool the movable plate portion 31 is formed in the end cooling portion 5 </ b> B surrounded by the inner surface of the cooling case 53 </ b> B and the movable plate portion 31.

  In each of the cooling cases 53A and 53B of the intermediate cooling unit 5A and the end cooling unit 5B, a cooling water supply port 51 is formed at the lower end surface, and a cooling water drain port 52 is formed at the upper end surface. The cooling water supply port 51 and the cooling water drain port 52 are formed in the center in the X direction, and a cooling water supply pipe and a drain pipe (not shown) are connected to the cooling water supply port 51 and the cooling water drain port 52, respectively. The

  A plurality of elastic plates 7 are provided in the cooling jackets 53a and 53b of the intermediate cooling portion 5A and the end cooling portion 5B to press the inner rigid portion 312 of the movable plate portion 31 against and contact the thermoelectric conversion module 4. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, in the end cooling part 5B, the plurality of elastic plates 7 are sandwiched between the cooling case 53B and the inner rigid part 312 in a compressed state. The elastic plate 7 has a fin shape with a corrugated cross section. One end of the elastic plate 7 is joined to the inner surface of the cooling case 53B, the other end abuts the inner rigid portion 312 and is not joined.

  FIG. 8A shows a state before the cooling case 53B is joined to the outer rigid portion 311 of the movable plate portion 31, and the other end portion on the inner rigid portion 312 side of the elastic plate 7 in the free state is connected to the inner side. The rigid portion 312 is in contact with the outer surface. In this state, the joining edge of the cooling case 53B to the outer rigid portion 311 is spaced apart from the outer rigid portion 311. The cooling case 53B moves toward the movable plate portion 31 against the elastic force of the elastic plate 7, presses the joining edge against the outer rigid portion 311 and is joined to the outer rigid portion 311 while maintaining this state. . When the cooling case 53B is assembled to the movable plate portion 31 in this way, the elastic plate 7 in the cooling jacket 53b is sandwiched between the cooling case 53B and the inner rigid portion 312 in an elastically compressed state.

As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of elastic plate 7 provided in the cooling jacket 53a of the intermediate cooling unit 5A, one end is joined to either one of the inner rigid section 312, the other end portion and the other of the inner rigid It contacts the part 312 and is not joined. The elastic plate 7 of the intermediate cooling part 5A is compressed by bringing the adjacent inner rigid parts 312 close to each other when the adjacent sealed containers 3 are joined via the cooling case 53A. Is held between the two.

  The airtight container 3 sucks the internal air from the decompression sealing port 321 to decompress the internal space 3a in the airtight container 3 to a predetermined pressure (for example, about 1 to 100 Pa), and welds the decompression sealing port 321. Thus, it is in an airtightly sealed state. As a result, a pressure difference is generated in the sealed container 3 such that the inside has a pressure lower than that of the outside atmosphere, and the movable plate portion 31 of the housing 30 receives a force that is pressurized inward by the pressure difference.

  FIG. 8B shows a state in which the internal space 3a in the sealed container 3 is depressurized, and when the internal space 3a is depressurized and the movable plate portion 31 is pressurized inward, a deformable portion having flexibility. 313 is deformed so that the ridge portion 313a further protrudes inward as shown in the figure, whereby the inner rigid portion 312 strongly contacts the thermoelectric conversion module 4 in addition to the elastic force of the elastic plate 7. Then, the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is uniformly adhered. In other words, it is realized by the deformation of the deforming portion 313 that the contact surface of the inner rigid portion 312 with the thermoelectric conversion module 4 moves so as to be in close and uniform contact with the thermoelectric conversion module 4.

[4] Action of Power Generation Device In the power generation device 1 having the above-described configuration, cooling water is supplied and circulated in the cooling jackets 53a and 53b, and the movable plate portion 31 of the hermetic container 3 is cooled. On the other hand, a high-temperature heating fluid H is passed through each flow pipe 35 from one end side to the other end side to heat the flow pipe 35. The temperature of the cooled movable plate portion 31 is transmitted to the outer surface side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4, and the outer surface side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is cooled, while the temperature of the inner plate portion 36 of the heated flow pipe 35 is heated. The inner surface side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is heated. The heating fluid H does not diffuse by flowing through the hollow portion 351, and the inner plate portion 36 of the flow pipe 35 is efficiently heated.

  In the present embodiment, the movable plate portion 31 of the housing 30 serves as a cooling-side plate member, and the inner plate portion 36 of the flow pipe 35 constitutes a heating-side plate member. In this way, a temperature difference is given between the outer surface side and the inner surface side of the thermoelectric conversion module 4, whereby the thermoelectric conversion module 4 generates power and electricity is taken out from the terminal 43.

  In the power generation apparatus 1 of this embodiment, for example, exhaust heat gas generated in a factory or a garbage incinerator, automobile exhaust gas, or the like is used as the heating fluid H.

[5] Effects of One Embodiment According to the power generation apparatus 1 of the one embodiment, the thermoelectric power is generated by the elastic force of the elastic plate 7 in which the inner rigid portion 312 of the movable plate portion 31 that is the cooling- side plate member is compressed. The conversion module 4 is pressed against and comes into close contact. Since the inner rigid portion 312 is pressed by the elastic plate 7 to be brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module 4 without using a fastening member such as a tie rod or nut, the inner side with respect to the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is not complicated and expensive. The rigid portion 312 can be brought into close contact in a uniform pressure state. And since the member for fastenings, such as a bolt and a nut, is not used, it can contribute to the improvement in design, the freedom degree of design, and weight reduction. In addition, the elastic plate 7 can improve the rigidity of the inner rigid portion 312, the deformation of the inner rigid portion 312 can be suppressed, and the inner rigid portion 312 can be easily adhered to the thermoelectric conversion module 4.

  Further, the inner rigid portion 312 is brought into close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module 4 in a pressurized state also by a pressure reducing action in the sealed container 3. The inner rigid portion 312 is set to a thickness that does not cause deformation even when pressurized to the thermoelectric conversion module 4 side. On the other hand, when the inner space 3a in the sealed container 3 is depressurized, the deformable portion 313 is the inner rigid portion. It can be deformed following the inward movement of 312. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the inner rigid portion 312 from being deformed, and the inner rigid portion 312 can reliably come into contact with the thermoelectric conversion module 4 on the surface and be in close contact with the thermoelectric conversion module 4.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the elastic plate 7 accommodated in the cooling jacket 53 a of the intermediate cooling part 5 </ b> A is sandwiched and installed between the inner rigid parts 312 of the adjacent sealed containers 3. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, the elastic plate 7 accommodated in the cooling jacket 53b of the end cooling section 5B is elastically pressed by fixing the cooling case 53B to the housing 30 side. A force can be generated and held, and the elastic force of the elastic plate 7 can be reliably applied to the thermoelectric conversion module 4.

  The elastic plate 7 has one end joined to the cooling case 53B in the end cooling part 5B and to one side of the inner rigid parts 312 on both sides sandwiched in the intermediate cooling part 5A. The other end is in contact with the other side in a non-bonded state. Thereby, the handling of the elastic plate 7 becomes easy, and the effect that it is easy to assemble is obtained. Further, when the thermoelectric conversion module 4 and the inner rigid portion 312 are expanded and contracted by heating / cooling, the non-joined side of the elastic plate 7 can be moved relative to the thermoelectric conversion module 4 and the inner rigid portion 312. Therefore, it is difficult to cause a problem such as deformation due to stress caused by heat.

  Moreover, since the internal space 3a in the sealed container 3 is depressurized, the internal space 3a is less likely to be heated than when a gas such as air is present in the internal space 3a at normal pressure. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the malfunction that internal gas expand | swells and affects the airtight container 3, or the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is heated and deteriorated is suppressed. The deformable portion 313 of the movable plate portion 31 can be deformed because the plate thickness is smaller than that of the inner rigid portion 312, and the deformable portion 313 can be easily provided.

  In the present embodiment, the cooling water that flows in the cooling jackets 53 a and 53 b contacts the elastic plate 7. Since the temperature of the inner rigid portion 312 is transmitted to the elastic plate 7 and the elastic plate 7 is cooled by the cooling water, a heat dissipation effect by the elastic plate 7 can be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable that the elastic plate 7 is formed in a fin shape as in this embodiment because the cooling effect is improved.

[6] Modification of Embodiment The elastic plate 7 is not limited to the shape of the above embodiment as long as the inner rigid portion 312 is pressed against the thermoelectric conversion module 4. For example, a pair of elastic plates 7 having a V-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 10 are arranged in a bilaterally symmetric state, or a convex strip 71 having a Ω cross section is formed in parallel as shown in FIG. And an elastic plate 7. In these drawings, (a) shows a state before the cooling case 53B of the end cooling part 5B is joined to the outer rigid part 311 of the movable plate part 31, and (b) shows that the cooling case 53B is joined to the outer rigid part 311. In this state, the inner rigid portion 312 of the movable plate portion 31 is pressed against the thermoelectric conversion module 4 by the elastic plate 7. As the elastic plate 7, a fin-shaped plate that can contact the cooling water and obtain a heat radiation effect as described above is suitable.

  Further, the thermoelectric conversion module 4, the cooling side plate member (in this case, the inner rigid portion 312 of the movable plate portion 31 in the sealed container 3) and the heating side plate member (in this case, the inside of the flow pipe 35 in the sealed container 3). For example, a cushioning material made of a flexible material may be disposed between at least one of the plate portions 36). In the case of such a configuration, the sealed container 3 abuts against the thermoelectric conversion module 4 through the buffer material in a pressurized state, and the thermoelectric conversion module 4 is protected by the buffer material.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermoelectric conversion type generator 3 ... Sealed container 31 ... Movable plate part of a housing | casing (plate member by the side of cooling)
312 ... Inner rigid part 313 ... Deformation part 36 ... Inner plate part of the flow pipe (plate member on the heating side)
4 ... Thermoelectric conversion module 53B ... Cooling case (pressing plate)
7 ... Elastic plate (elastic member)

Claims (6)

A heating-side plate member and a cooling-side plate member disposed to face each other;
A thermoelectric conversion module disposed between these plate members,
The thermoelectric conversion power generator generates electric power by the thermoelectric conversion module by heating the plate member on the heating side and cooling the plate member on the cooling side to give a temperature difference to the thermoelectric conversion module,
A pressing plate is disposed on the outer surface side of the cooling side plate member, and an elastic member is sandwiched between the cooling side plate member and the pressing plate,
Said elastic member by the cooling side of the plate member is pressurized to the thermoelectric conversion module abuts, the cooling medium between the cooling side plate member and the pressing plate is caused to flow, the cooling medium is the A thermoelectric conversion power generation device which is in contact with an elastic member . The thermoelectric conversion power generator according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is bonded to either the cooling-side plate member or the pressing plate and is not bonded to the other side. . The plate member on the cooling side that is pressed against and contacts the thermoelectric conversion module by the elastic member,
A rigid portion that has rigidity and is brought into contact with the thermoelectric conversion module;
A deformable portion that is formed continuously with the rigid portion, has flexibility that can be deformed by receiving the elastic force of the elastic member, and deforms the rigid portion to contact the thermoelectric conversion module;
Thermoelectric power generation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a. A sealed container including the heating-side plate member and the cooling-side plate member, wherein the thermoelectric conversion module is disposed between each plate member in the sealed container, and the inside of the sealed container is in a reduced pressure state The thermoelectric conversion power generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein The elastic member, thermoelectric power generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is formed in the fin shape for cooling promotion. 6. The thermoelectric conversion power generation device according to claim 5 , wherein the elastic member has a cross section formed into a corrugated shape, a V shape, a U shape, an Ω shape, or other fin shape.

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