KR20040033297A - compositeness change atomic cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A composite converting atomic battery is provided to achieve improved energy efficiency by using a thermoelectric energy conversion system and a thermion conversion system. CONSTITUTION: A power converting method comprises a step of allowing a thermionic electron emission to be performed even at a low temperature by using an oxide film having a high emission ratio; a step of producing a high vacuum state by using the thermal expansion of a metal so as to lengthen the lifespan of an oxide barium coated cathode; and a step of producing an electrical energy from the heat transmitted to an anode by the thermionic electron emission.

Description

Composite Conversion Atomic Cells

The present invention relates to a method of making an efficient nuclear cell, and to improving energy efficiency in converting thermal energy into electrical energy by using a thermoelectric conversion method and a heat ion conversion method that can convert heat into electric power.

The thermoelectric nuclear cell used now uses the Seebeck effect. This method is briefly described as follows. When a metal is connected to both sides of the N-type semiconductor and a temperature difference is applied to each junction, many electrons are excited at the high temperature part, move to the conduction band in the full band, and diffuse toward the low temperature part. As a result, an electric field is generated from the high temperature portion toward the low temperature portion, and the energy level inside the semiconductor is inclined. Thus, a temperature difference occurs between the Fermi levels of the metals on both sides, so that the hot portion generates the thermoelectric power of the positive potential. In the case of p-type semiconductors, this action is reversed, and the low-temperature portion generates a thermoelectric power of positive potential. However, the thermoelectric conversion method has a disadvantage of low energy conversion efficiency.

Another method is to use thermal ion conversion. This method is briefly described as follows. When heat is applied to the metal, electrons on the surface of the metal rise in energy levels and escape to free space. This is a hot electron. When the escaped hot electrons are collected in another metal, the escaped metal forms a positive charge, and in the metal to which the hot electrons move, more electrons are generated. Therefore, when two metals are connected by a conductor, current flows. In general, thermoelectric conversion is mostly used to make nuclear batteries. This is because most metals melt before emitting hot electrons, so that the hot cathode used for thermal ion conversion is limited to tungsten tungsten + thorium alloy oxide. The tungsten hot cathode must be heated to 2200 degrees and the tungsten + thorium hot cathode to 1500 degrees to release the hot electrons. However, it is not easy to raise more than 1500 degrees with radioactive material. In comparison, the oxide cathode starts to emit hot electrons even at 600 degrees. However, there is a disadvantage in that ions are weaker than tungsten hot cathode or tungsten + thorium hot cathode. There must be a vacuum between the cathode and anode of the thermal ion conversion method, and it is impossible to make a complete vacuum with the current diffusion pump. Therefore, the remaining gas becomes ions by hot electrons emitted from the hot cathode and collides with the oxide film to shorten the lifetime of the oxide cathode. The key to using oxide cathodes in thermal ion conversion is to create a high vacuum. In addition, nuclear cells using only heat ion conversion methods have a disadvantage in that energy conversion efficiency is small.

In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention uses an oxide cathode to improve energy conversion efficiency by using a thermoelectric conversion method and a thermal ion conversion method together and to operate at a low temperature in the thermal ion conversion method. The purpose is to make a practical nuclear battery by extending the lifetime of the oxide cathode.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of converting power at low temperature by using an oxide cathode that emits hot electrons even when the heat source of radiation is 600 degrees. Extending the life of the oxide-coated cathode by maintaining a high vacuum between the anode and the anode, and heating the metal and semiconductor junctions with heat transferred to the anode by hot electrons emitted from the thermal ion-type hot cathode with heat from the radiation heat source. The effect is characterized by consisting of the step of converting thermal energy into electric power.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a front (a) and a side (b) of a radiation heat source and a thermoelectric ion converter.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a cross-sectional view (i) showing the flow of current during operation of the present invention

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

1: Invar 2: Brass

3: radioactive material 4: junction part

5: wire 6: oxide film

7: electrical insulator 8: thermal electrical insulation

9: vacuum part 10: electric conductor

11: N-type semiconductor 12: P-type semiconductor

13: direction of electron movement

Hereinafter, described in detail by the accompanying drawings as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a view of separating a radioactive material portion and a thermoelectric ion converter portion, which are heat sources of the present invention. 1, it can be seen that the radioactive material 3 is wrapped with the thermal and electrical insulators 8. Alpha radiation is a helium nucleus during radiation, so the penetrability is weak enough to stop if you proceed a few cm in the air. Therefore, if plutonium 238 (half-life 88) or curium 244 (half-life 17.9), which emits only alpha rays, is used as a heat source, the alpha rays emitted by plutonium 238 and curium 244 are mostly absorbed by the radioactive material (3) and absorb the energy. Give to (3). Therefore, if the radioactive material is wrapped with a thermal and electrical insulator, it can produce a high temperature.

The solid solid line of the thermoelectric-ion converter of FIG. 1 represents a joint surface, and the thick solid line shows the close contact surface with no air between materials.

When the radioactive material heat source and the thermoelectric and ion conversion device are combined as shown in Fig. 2A, the operation is performed as follows. The heat of the radioactive material 3 is transferred to the oxide film 6 through the ingots 1-a, and the transferred heat is transferred to the brass through the ingots 1-b which are in close contact with the oxide film 6 again. . Since the brass 2 expanded by heat has a higher thermal expansion rate than the ingot 1, a vacuum 9 portion is formed between the oxide film 6 and the invar 1-b as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the temperature of the oxide film 6 exceeds 600 degrees, hot electrons start to be emitted from the surface of the oxide film 6. As shown in Fig. 2A, since the vacuum between the oxide film 6 and the invar 1-b is in a vacuum state, the hot electrons emitted from the oxide film 6 move to the invar 1-b. Due to the hot electrons moving to the Invar 1-b, a voltage is generated between the Invar 1-a and the Invar 1-b. This is the step of converting thermal energy into electrical energy by thermal ion conversion. Invar 1-b obtains thermal energy from the hot electrons emitted from the oxide film 6, and the heat is transferred back to the N-type semiconductor 11 and the P-type semiconductor 12 through the electric insulator 7, respectively. At this time, in the N-type semiconductors 11-a and 11-b and the P-type semiconductors 12-a and 12-b, the electrons of the N-type semiconductors 11-a and 11-b are heated by the Seebeck effect. It moves from the high temperature side to the low temperature side, and at the same time, the holes of the P-type semiconductors 12-a and 12-b move in the same manner to the low temperature portion. Therefore, when two types of semiconductors, namely, N-type semiconductors 11-a and 11-b and P-type semiconductors 12-a and 12-b are connected as shown in Fig. 2A, the N-type semiconductors 11-a are connected. Flows of electrons to the P-type semiconductor (b). This is the step of converting thermal energy into electrical energy by thermoelectric conversion.

When the thermoelectric conversion method and the thermal ion conversion method are combined as shown in Fig. 2A, electron movement occurs as shown in Fig. 2B, so the N-type semiconductor 11-b is the negative electrode P-type semiconductor 12-b. ) Becomes the anode. By using both the thermal conversion method and the thermal ion conversion method as in the present invention, the energy lost in the process of converting heat into electric power can be minimized, and the volume of the battery can be reduced by creating a vacuum using thermal expansion of metal. .

As described above, the present invention reduces the loss of heat in the process of converting thermal energy into electrical energy by using a thermoelectric conversion and a thermal ion conversion, and furthermore, by using the thermal expansion coefficient of the metal in the thermal ion conversion method, By creating a high vacuum between the positive electrodes, the battery life can be extended and the volume of the battery can be reduced.

Claims (1)

In the device for converting thermal energy into electrical energy, Steps to use thermoelectric conversion method and thermal ion conversion method together In the thermal ion conversion method, Arranging the metal as shown in the drawing to create a high vacuum with the thermal expansion rate