JP6984195B2 - How to use the thermoelectric conversion module and the thermoelectric conversion module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion module used by fixing to a heating element or a cooling element, and a method for manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion module.

The thermoelectric conversion element is an electronic element capable of mutually converting thermal energy and electric energy by the Seebeck effect or the Pertier effect.
The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which an electromotive force is generated when a temperature difference is generated at both ends of a thermoelectric conversion element, and heat energy is converted into electric energy. The electromotive force generated by the Seebeck effect is determined by the characteristics of the thermoelectric conversion element. In recent years, the development of thermoelectric power generation utilizing this effect has been active.
The Peltier effect is a phenomenon in which when electrodes or the like are formed at both ends of a thermoelectric conversion element to generate a potential difference between the electrodes, a temperature difference is generated at both ends of the thermoelectric conversion element, and electric energy is converted into thermal energy. An element having such an effect is particularly called a Peltier element, and is used for cooling and temperature control of precision equipment and small refrigerators.

As a thermoelectric conversion module using the above-mentioned thermoelectric conversion element, for example, a module having a structure in which n-type thermoelectric conversion elements and p-type thermoelectric conversion elements are alternately connected in series has been proposed.
In such a thermoelectric conversion module, heat transfer plates are arranged on one end side and the other end side of a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements, respectively, and the thermoelectric conversion elements are connected in series by the electrode portions arranged on the heat transfer plates. It is said to have a structure. As the heat transfer plate described above, an insulated circuit board provided with an insulating layer and an electrode portion may be used.

Then, by creating a temperature difference between the heat transfer plate arranged on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element and the heat transfer plate arranged on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element, the electric energy is generated by the Seebeck effect. Can be generated. Alternatively, by passing a current through the thermoelectric conversion element, the heat transfer plate arranged on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element and the heat transfer plate arranged on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element are caused by the Pertier effect. It is possible to create a temperature difference.

Here, in the above-mentioned thermoelectric conversion module, for example, it is attached to a heating element of various furnaces such as a rotary kiln furnace or a cooling element such as a cooling pipe, and power is generated by using the heat of the heating element or the cooling element. ing.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a temperature sensor for a rotary kiln furnace for measuring the internal temperature of the furnace body of a rotary kiln furnace, the temperature sensor in which a temperature sensitive portion is arranged inside the furnace body, and the furnace body. A transmitter that is arranged to transmit the measurement data of the temperature sensor, a receiver that receives the measurement data transmitted from the transmitter, and a thermal battery that collects heat radiation from the furnace body and supplies power to the transmitter. , Is proposed.
The heat cell includes a heat absorption plate arranged on the furnace body side, a heat release plate arranged opposite to the heat absorption plate, and a thermoelectric conversion element arranged between the heat absorption plate and the heat release plate. It is said to be a thermoelectric conversion module equipped with.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-241648

Here, in the temperature measuring device for a rotary kiln furnace described in Patent Document 1, since a jig is used when the heat absorption plate of the heat cell is mounted on the furnace body side of the rotary kiln furnace, the mounting structure of the heat cell is different. It became complicated and could not be easily attached and detached. In addition, since the heat absorption plate is arranged away from the furnace body, it is not possible to sufficiently recover the heat radiation from the furnace body, and the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate and the heat release plate can be secured. There was a risk that sufficient power could not be obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, can be easily attached to a heating element or a cooling element, and is sufficient to secure a temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoelectric conversion module capable of obtaining various electric power and a method of using the thermoelectric conversion module.

In order to solve the above problems, the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention has a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements, a first electrode portion arranged on one end side of these thermoelectric conversion elements, and a second arranged on the other end side. It is a thermoelectric conversion module having an electrode portion and having a plurality of the thermoelectric conversion elements electrically connected via the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, and is one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. A first heat transfer plate provided with a first heat transfer layer and the first electrode portion formed on one surface of the first heat transfer layer is disposed of the first heat transfer plate. A first magnet is arranged on the surface of the first electrode portion, and a second heat transfer plate provided with the second electrode portion is arranged on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. A second magnet is arranged on the surface of the second electrode portion of the second heat transfer plate, and the first magnet and the second magnet face each other and the facing surfaces become poles different from each other. It is characterized in that the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate are configured such that a magnetic force acts in a direction in which the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate are close to each other .

According to the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention, a first insulating layer and a first electrode portion formed on one surface of the first insulating layer are provided on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. 1 A heat transfer plate is arranged, and since a first magnet is arranged on this first heat transfer plate, it should be directly attached to the surface of a heating element or a cooling element made of a magnetic material such as iron. Is possible. Therefore, the first heat transfer plate comes into contact with the heating element or the cooling element, and the temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element can be secured, and sufficient electric power can be obtained.
Further, since the first magnet is used for attachment, it is not necessary to use a jig or the like separately, and the attachment and detachment to the heating element or the cooling element can be easily performed.

Further, the first magnet and the second heat transfer plate are arranged so that the magnetic force acts in the direction in which the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate are close to each other. By arranging the second magnet, the thermoelectric conversion element disposed between the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate is strongly sandwiched, and the first heat transfer plate and the thermoelectric conversion element, Further, it is possible to improve the adhesion between the thermoelectric conversion element and the second heat transfer plate.

Further, in the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention, a heat sink is laminated and arranged on the side of the second heat transfer plate opposite to the second electrode portion, and the heat sink contains a third magnet. May be good.
In this case, the heat sink can be laminated and arranged on the second heat transfer plate by using the third magnet contained in the heat sink, and the temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element can be further secured. Can be done. Further, the heat sink can be arranged relatively easily, and the structure of the thermoelectric conversion module becomes simple.

Further, in the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention, the first heat transfer plate may be provided with a first heat dissipation layer on a surface of the first insulating layer opposite to the first electrode portion.
In this case, the first heat radiating layer comes into contact with the heating element or the cooling element, and the heat can be spread by the first heat radiating layer and transferred to the entire first insulating circuit board. A first magnet may be arranged on the first heat dissipation layer.

In the method of using the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention, a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements and a first electrode portion arranged on one end side and a second electrode portion arranged on the other end side of these thermoelectric conversion elements are provided. It is a method of using the thermoelectric conversion module in which a plurality of the thermoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected via the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, and is the first method of the above-mentioned thermoelectric conversion module. It is characterized in that the thermoelectric conversion module is attached to a heating element or a cooling element by using the first magnet arranged on the heat transfer plate.

According to the method of using the thermoelectric conversion module having such a configuration, the thermoelectric conversion module can be made into a heating element or a heating element by using the first magnet arranged on the first heat transfer plate of the above-mentioned thermoelectric conversion module. Since it is attached to the cooling element, the first heat transfer plate comes into direct contact with the heating element or the cooling element, and the temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element can be secured, which is sufficient. You can get power.
Further, since it is attached using the first magnet, it is not necessary to separately use a jig or the like, and it can be easily attached to and detached from the heating element or the cooling element.

According to the present invention, a thermoelectric conversion module that can be easily attached to a heating element or a cooling element, secures a temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element, and can obtain sufficient electric power. , And how to use the thermoelectric conversion module can be provided.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the thermoelectric conversion module which is an embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the 1st heat transfer plate (the 1st insulation circuit board) of the thermoelectric conversion module which is an embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the 2nd heat transfer plate (second insulation circuit board) of the thermoelectric conversion module which is an embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the usage method of the thermoelectric conversion module which is an embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that each of the embodiments shown below is specifically described in order to better understand the gist of the invention, and is not limited to the present invention unless otherwise specified. In addition, the drawings used in the following description may be shown by enlarging the main parts for convenience in order to make the features of the present invention easy to understand, and the dimensional ratios of each component are the same as the actual ones. It is not always the case.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric conversion module 10 according to the present embodiment is arranged on a plurality of columnar thermoelectric conversion elements 11 and one end side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the thermoelectric conversion element 11 in the length direction. Laminated on the first heat transfer plate 20 provided, the second heat transfer plate 30 arranged on the other end side (upper side in FIG. 1) in the length direction of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, and the second heat transfer plate 30. It is provided with a heat sink 40 and a heat sink 40.
Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first electrode portion 25 is formed on the first heat transfer plate 20 arranged on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11 is formed. A second electrode portion 35 is formed on the second heat transfer plate 30 arranged in the above, and the thermoelectric conversion element 11 forming a plurality of columns is electrically formed by the first electrode portion 25 and the second electrode portion 35. Is connected in series to.

The first heat transfer plate 20 is a first insulating circuit board including a first insulating layer 21 and a first electrode portion 25 formed on one surface (upper surface in FIG. 1) of the first insulating layer 21. It is composed of.
In the present embodiment, in the first insulating circuit board to be the first heat transfer plate 20, as shown in FIG. 1, the first heat radiation is generated on the other surface (lower surface in FIG. 1) of the first insulating layer 21. The layer 26 is formed.

The first insulating layer 21, for example, aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon nitride _{(Si 3 N} 4), alumina _(Al 2 _{O 3)} highly insulating ceramic material such as or, is made of an insulating resin or the like. In this embodiment, the first insulating layer 21 is made of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ). Here, the thickness of the first insulating layer 21 made of alumina is within the range of 100 μm or more and 2000 μm or less.

The first electrode portion 25 is made of a metal material having excellent conductivity, for example, copper or copper alloy, silver or silver alloy, gold or gold alloy, platinum or platinum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. In the present embodiment, the first electrode portion 25 is formed by joining an aluminum plate having a purity of 99.99 mass% or more to one surface of the first insulating layer 21.
Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the first electrode portion 25 is formed in a pattern on one surface of the first insulating layer 21.

The first heat dissipation layer 26 is made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, for example, copper or copper alloy, silver or silver alloy, gold or gold alloy, platinum or platinum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. In the present embodiment, the first heat dissipation layer 26 is formed by joining an aluminum plate having a purity of 99.99 mass% or more to the other surface of the first insulating layer 21, similarly to the first electrode portion 25. ..

The method of joining the aluminum plate to be the first electrode portion 25 and the first heat dissipation layer 26 is not particularly limited, and for example, joining using an Al—Si brazing material, solid phase diffusion joining, or the like may be applied. good. Further, it may be bonded by a transient liquid phase bonding method (TLP) in which additive elements such as Cu and Si are fixed to the bonding surface and melted and solidified by diffusing these additive elements. When a metal material such as silver or a silver alloy, gold or a gold alloy, platinum or a platinum alloy is used as the first electrode portion 25 and the first heat radiation layer 26, a paste containing these metal components is directly applied to the insulating layer. Then, the first electrode portion 25 and the first heat dissipation layer 26 may be formed by firing.

A first magnet 24 is arranged on the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first magnet 24 is arranged at each of the four corners of one surface of the first insulating layer 21.
Here, it is preferable to select the material of the first magnet 24 according to the operating temperature. For example, use a heat-resistant neodymium magnet when the operating temperature is 150 ° C or lower, a ferrite magnet when the operating temperature is 200 ° C or lower, a samarium cobalt magnet when the operating temperature is 200 ° C or lower, and an alnico magnet when the operating temperature is 400 ° C or lower. Can be done. It is preferable to use a magnet having the strongest magnetic force according to the operating temperature.
Further, the area occupied by one surface of the first insulating layer 21 of the first magnet 24 is preferably 1% or more and less than 99%. If you want to perform thermoelectric power generation efficiently, you can set it to around 1%, and if you need to fix it securely, but you do not need a large amount of power for sensing applications, you can set it to around 99%. If it is less than 1%, the magnetic force is weak with respect to the thermoelectric conversion module and fixing may be difficult, and if it is 99% or more, the efficiency of thermoelectric power generation may be significantly impaired.

The method of arranging the first magnet 24 is not particularly limited, and a housing recess is formed in the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board), and the first magnet 24 is fitted in the housing recess. The first magnet 24 may be caulked and fixed by forming a fixing claw. Further, it may be bonded to the first insulating layer 21 made of ceramics or the like, or may be bonded to the first electrode portion 25 and the first heat dissipation layer 26 made of a metal material. As these joining methods, a ceramic adhesive, a heat-resistant resin such as epoxy, or the like can be applied.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first magnet 24 is bonded to the surface of the first electrode portion 25 made of aluminum with an adhesive made of ceramics.

The second heat transfer plate 30 is a second insulating circuit board including a second insulating layer 31 and a second electrode portion 35 formed on one surface (lower surface in FIG. 1) of the second insulating layer 31. It is composed of.
In the present embodiment, in the second insulating circuit board to be the second heat transfer plate 30, as shown in FIG. 1, the second heat dissipation is applied to the other surface (upper surface in FIG. 1) of the second insulating layer 31. The layer 36 is formed.

The second insulating layer 31 is, for example, aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon nitride _{(Si 3 N} 4), alumina _(Al 2 _{O 3)} highly insulating ceramic material such as or, is made of an insulating resin or the like. In the present embodiment, the second insulating layer 31 is made of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ). Here, the thickness of the second insulating layer 31 made of alumina is within the range of 100 μm or more and 2000 μm or less.

The second electrode portion 35 is made of a metal material having excellent conductivity, for example, copper or copper alloy, silver or silver alloy, gold or gold alloy, platinum or platinum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. In the present embodiment, the second electrode portion 35 is formed by joining an aluminum plate having a purity of 99.99 mass% or more to one surface of the second insulating layer 31.
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the second electrode portion 35 is formed in a pattern on one surface of the second insulating layer 31.

The second heat dissipation layer 36 is made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, for example, copper or copper alloy, silver or silver alloy, gold or gold alloy, platinum or platinum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. In the present embodiment, the second heat dissipation layer 36 is formed by joining an aluminum plate having a purity of 99.99 mass% or more to the other surface of the second insulating layer 31, similarly to the second electrode portion 35. ..

The method of joining the aluminum plate to be the second electrode portion 35 and the second heat dissipation layer 36 is not particularly limited, and for example, joining using an Al—Si brazing material, solid phase diffusion joining, or the like may be applied. good. Further, it may be bonded by a transient liquid phase bonding method (TLP) in which additive elements such as Cu and Si are fixed to the bonding surface and melted and solidified by diffusing these additive elements. When a metal material such as silver or a silver alloy, gold or a gold alloy, platinum or a platinum alloy is used as the second electrode portion 35 and the second heat radiation layer 36, a paste containing these metal components is directly applied to the insulating layer. Then, the second electrode portion 35 and the second heat radiating layer 36 may be formed by firing.

A second magnet 34 is arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the second magnet 34 is arranged at each of the four corners of one surface of the second insulating layer 31.
Here, as with the first magnet 24, it is preferable to select the material of the second magnet 34 according to the operating temperature.
Further, the area occupied by one surface of the second insulating layer 31 of the second magnet 34 is preferably 1% or more and less than 99%.

The method of arranging the second magnet 34 is not particularly limited, and a housing recess is formed in the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board), and the second magnet 34 is fitted in the housing recess. The second magnet 34 may be caulked and fixed by forming a fixing claw. Further, it may be bonded to the second insulating layer 31 made of ceramics or the like, or may be bonded to the second electrode portion 35 and the second heat radiating layer 36 made of a metal material. As these joining methods, a ceramic adhesive, a heat-resistant resin such as epoxy, or the like can be applied.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a second magnet 34 is bonded to the surface of the second electrode portion 35 made of aluminum with an adhesive made of ceramics.

Here, in the present embodiment, the first magnet 24 arranged on the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) and the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulated circuit board) are arranged. The second magnet 34 is arranged so as to face each other and the facing surfaces have different poles from each other, and the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) and the second heat transfer plate 30 (second heat transfer plate 30). (2 Insulated circuit board) is configured so that a magnetic force acts in a direction close to each other.

The heat sink 40 includes a top plate portion 41 laminated on the second heat dissipation layer 36 of the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board), and fin portions 42 erected from the top plate portion 41. There is.
A third magnet 44 is arranged on the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40. Here, the second magnet 34 arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board) and the third magnet 44 arranged on the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40 face each other and face each other. The facing surfaces are arranged so as to have different poles from each other, and the second heat transfer layer 36 of the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board) and the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40 are fixed by magnetic force. ing. The heat sink 40 is made of a material having high heat transfer properties, for example, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, copper, a copper alloy, or the like.
Further, the area occupied by the surface of the top plate portion 41 of the third magnet 44 is preferably 1% or more and less than 50%.
The method of arranging the third magnet 44 is not particularly limited, but as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to form a housing recess in the heat sink 40 and insert the third magnet 44 into the housing recess. .. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the direct contact between the second heat radiating layer 36 and the heat sink 40 does not reduce the heat conduction from the second heat radiating layer 36 to the heat sink 40.

The thermoelectric conversion element 11 has an n-type thermoelectric conversion element 11a and a p-type thermoelectric conversion element 11b, and these n-type thermoelectric conversion elements 11a and p-type thermoelectric conversion elements 11b are arranged alternately.
A metallized layer (not shown) is formed on one end surface and the other end surface of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, respectively. As the metallized layer, for example, nickel, silver, cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum or the like, or a non-woven fabric made of metal fibers thereof or the like can be used. The outermost surface of the metallized layer (the joint surface with the first electrode portion 25 and the second electrode portion 35) is preferably composed of Au or Ag.

The n-type thermoelectric conversion element 11a and the p-type thermoelectric conversion element 11b are, for example, sintered bodies of tellurium compounds, scuterdite, filled scutterdite, whistler, half whistler, krastrait, silicide, oxide, silicon germanium and the like. It is configured.
As the material of the n-type thermoelectric conversion elements 11a, for _{example, Bi 2 Te 3, PbTe,} La 3 Te 4, CoSb 3, FeVAl, ZrNiSn, Ba 8 Al 16 Si 30, Mg 2 Si, FeSi 2, SrTiO 3, CaMnO 3 , ZnO, SiGe and the like are used.
Further, as the material of the p-type thermoelectric conversion element 11b, for example, Bi ₂ Te ₃ , Sb ₂ Te ₃ , PbTe, TAGS (= Ag-Sb-Ge-Te), Zn ₄ Sb ₃ , CoSb ₃ , CeFe ₄ Sb ₁₂ , Yb _{14 MnSb 11} , FeVAL, MnSi _1.73 , FeSi ₂ , NaxCoO ₂ , Ca ₃ Co ₄ O ₇ , Bi ₂ Sr ₂ Co ₂ O ₇ , SiGe and the like are used.
There are compounds that can take both n-type and p-type depending on the dopant, and compounds that have only one of n-type and p-type properties.

Next, a method of using the thermoelectric conversion module 10 according to the present embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIG.
In the thermoelectric conversion module 10 of the present embodiment, for example, the first heat transfer plate 20 side is used as a high temperature part and the second heat transfer plate 30 side is used as a low temperature part, and conversion between heat energy and electric energy is carried out. Will be done.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the thermoelectric conversion module 10 is a rotary kiln furnace which is a heating element using a first magnet 24 arranged on a first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board). It is attached to the side wall of the furnace body 3 of. Here, since the side wall of the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace is usually made of a steel material which is a magnetic material, it can be easily attached by the first magnet 24. As a result, the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) comes into direct contact with the side wall of the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace.

Then, by recovering the heat radiation from the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace, the first heat transfer plate 20 side becomes the high temperature portion. On the other hand, heat sinks 40 are laminated and arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 side, and the heat sink 40 promotes heat dissipation, and the second heat transfer plate 30 side becomes a low temperature portion.
In this way, the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) disposed on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11 and the second heat transfer plate 30 disposed on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11. A temperature difference is secured between the (second insulated circuit board) and the (second insulated circuit board), and electric power can be efficiently obtained.

According to the method of using the thermoelectric conversion module 10 and the thermoelectric conversion module 10 of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration, the first heat transfer plate 20 arranged on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11 ( Since the first magnet 24 is arranged on the first insulating circuit board), it is directly attached to a heating element made of a magnetic material such as iron (in this embodiment, the side wall of the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace). Is possible. Therefore, the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) comes into direct contact with the heating element, and the temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11 can be secured, which is sufficient. You can get power.
Further, since the first magnet 24 is used for mounting, it is not necessary to use a jig or the like separately, and mounting and removal of the heating element (in this embodiment, the side wall of the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace) can be performed. It can be done easily.

Further, in the present embodiment, the second magnet 34 is arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulation circuit board) arranged on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, and the first heat transfer plate is arranged. The first magnet 24 arranged on the 20 (first insulated circuit board) and the second magnet 34 arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulated circuit board) face each other and face each other. Are arranged so as to have different poles from each other, so that the first heat transfer plate 20 (first heat transfer circuit board) and the second heat transfer plate 30 (second heat transfer circuit board) are oriented in a direction close to each other. The magnetic force acts on the heat transfer plate 20 (first insulation circuit board) and the thermoelectric conversion element 11, and the heat transfer conversion element 11 and the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulation circuit board). It is possible to improve the adhesion.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first heat transfer plate 20 (first insulating circuit board) is provided with the first heat radiating layer 26 on the surface of the first insulating layer 21 opposite to the first electrode portion 25. Therefore, the first heat radiating layer 26 comes into contact with the heating element (in this embodiment, the side wall of the furnace body 3 of the rotary kiln furnace), and the heat is spread by the first heat radiating layer 26 to spread the heat to the first heat transfer plate 20 (in this embodiment). The heat can be transferred to the entire first insulated circuit board).

Further, in the present embodiment, since the heat sink 40 is laminated and arranged on the second heat transfer layer 36 of the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulation circuit board), heat is efficiently dissipated from the second heat transfer plate 30. It is possible to further secure the temperature difference between one end side and the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11.
Further, a third magnet 44 is arranged on the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40, and the second magnet 34 arranged on the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board) and the top plate of the heat sink 40 are arranged. Since the third magnet 44 disposed in the portion 41 is disposed so as to face each other and the facing surfaces have different poles from each other, the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board) is arranged. The heat sink 40 can be fixed to the second heat radiation layer 36 by magnetic force.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the second insulated circuit board is arranged as the second heat transfer plate 30 on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, thermoelectricity is used. The second heat transfer plate may be configured by arranging the second electrode portion on the other end side of the conversion element 11 and laminating the insulating substrate and pressing the insulating substrate in the laminating direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the structure is described in which the first magnet 24 is arranged on the first electrode portion 25 of the first insulating circuit board, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first magnet 24 may be arranged on one surface or the other surface of the first insulating layer 21, or the first magnet 24 may be arranged on the first heat radiating layer 26.

Further, in the present embodiment, the second heat transfer layer 36 of the second heat transfer plate 30 (second insulating circuit board) and the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40 are fixed by the second magnet and the third magnet. The second heat transfer plate 30 and the top plate portion 41 of the heat sink 40 may be joined by, for example, brazing, soldering, TLP, solid phase diffusion bonding, or the like.

Further, the first insulating circuit board may be configured to be bendable along, for example, a cylindrical surface on the side surface of the furnace body by making a notch in the first insulating layer 21 of the first insulating circuit board. In this case, since the amount of deformation on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element is larger than that on the one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element, only the second electrode portion may be arranged on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. , The size of the second insulated circuit board may be set larger than that of the first insulated circuit board.

Further, in the present embodiment, the thermoelectric conversion module has been described as being used by being attached to the furnace body of a rotary kiln furnace which is a heating element, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention is a boiler. It may be used by attaching it to another heating element such as a pipe. Further, it may be used by being attached to a cooling body such as a cooling pipe.
Further, in the present embodiment, the heat sink has been described as having a structure including a top plate portion and fins, but the structure of the heat sink is not limited.

10 Thermoelectric conversion module 11 Thermoelectric conversion element 20 1st heat transfer plate (1st insulation circuit board)
21 1st insulation layer 24 1st magnet 25 1st electrode part 30 2nd heat transfer plate (2nd insulation circuit board)
31 2nd insulating layer 34 2nd magnet 35 2nd electrode part 40 Heat sink 44 3rd magnet

Claims (4)

It has a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements, a first electrode portion arranged on one end side of these thermoelectric conversion elements, and a second electrode portion arranged on the other end side, and the first electrode portion and the first electrode portion. A thermoelectric conversion module in which a plurality of the thermoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected via two electrode portions.
A first heat transfer plate including a first insulating layer and the first electrode portion formed on one surface of the first insulating layer is disposed on one end side of the thermoelectric conversion element. A first magnet is arranged on the surface of the first electrode portion of the first heat transfer plate.
A second heat transfer plate provided with the second electrode portion is disposed on the other end side of the thermoelectric conversion element, and a second magnet is placed on the surface of the second electrode portion of the second heat transfer plate. Arranged and
The first magnet and the second magnet are arranged so that the surfaces facing each other and facing each other are different poles, and the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate are close to each other. A thermoelectric conversion module characterized in that a magnetic force acts in the direction of the magnet. The thermoelectric conversion according to claim 1 , wherein a heat sink is laminated and arranged on the side of the second heat transfer plate opposite to the second electrode portion, and the heat sink contains a third magnet. module. Wherein the first heat transfer plate is the surface opposite to the first electrode portion of the first insulating layer, as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a first heat radiation layer Thermoelectric conversion module. It has a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements, a first electrode portion arranged on one end side of these thermoelectric conversion elements, and a second electrode portion arranged on the other end side, and the first electrode portion and the first electrode portion. It is a method of using a thermoelectric conversion module in which a plurality of the thermoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected via two electrode portions.
The thermoelectric conversion module is attached to a heating element or a cooling element by using the first magnet arranged on the first heat transfer plate of the thermoelectric conversion module according to any one of claims 1 to 3. How to use the thermoelectric conversion module.

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