RU2280919C2 - Thermoelectric battery - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: thermoelectric instrumentation engineering; thermoelectric battery mechanical design.

SUBSTANCE: proposed thermoelectric battery has series-connected thermal cells, each being assembled of two p and n semiconductor legs, respectively. These legs are linearly disposed. Switching members are made in the form of flexible insulating heat conductors or copper buses with contact pads at ends made of electricity conducting material. First contact pads are connected on both ends with p and n semiconductor legs. Second contact pads are connected to mutually insulated pads made in the form of metal or alloy strips covering ceramic heat-transfer wafers or in the form of copper wafers soldered onto insulated film contacts of ceramic wafers. All even-numbered switching wafers are connected to one heat-transfer wafer and odd-numbered ones, to other heat-transfer wafer.

EFFECT: facilitated battery connection to objects being cooled (heated) or to heat source and heat dump system at hard-to-get-at places.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to thermoelectric instrumentation, in particular to the construction of thermoelectric batteries (TEB).

The prototype of the invention is the thermopile, described in [1]. A fuel cell consists of semiconductor thermoelements connected in series in an electric circuit in the form of a meander, each of which is formed by two branches (columns made either cylindrical or in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped) made of a p- and n-type semiconductor, respectively. The branches of thermocouples are interconnected along the line by means of continuous patch plates made, as a rule, of copper. Thermoelements that form thermopiles electrically connected in series by switching plates are enclosed between two highly thermally conductive insulating plates - heat transfers (usually ceramic).

A disadvantage of the known design is the impossibility of mechanically decoupling the cooling object, the thermopile and the heat sink system, as well as the difficulty of interfacing with the cooled (heated) object when the thermopile is working as a refrigerator and the heat-supplying (heat-removing) unit in the case of the thermopile being used as a thermoelectric generator located in hard-to-reach places remote from each other, including those that are an integral part of the unit with a tight packing of elements, or placed in an airtight volume.

To eliminate this drawback, a thermopile is declared, the switching elements of which are made in the form of flexible electrically insulated heat conductors with contact pads at the ends, one contact pads which are connected to the branches of p- and n-type semiconductors on both sides, and the second contact pads are electrically insulated from each other pads made in the form of films of metals or alloys deposited on ceramic plates - heat transfer, or in the form of copper plates soldered to electrically insulated film Here, contacts the ceramic plate, wherein the switching all even plates are connected to one and the odd - with another heat transfer - the ceramic plate.

The design of the thermopile is shown in the drawing.

The fuel and energy complex contains semiconductor thermoelements connected in series to the electric circuit, each of which is formed by two branches (columns made either cylindrical or in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped) made of p- and n-type semiconductors 1 and 2, respectively. The thermoelement branches 1 and 2 are located along the line, and switching elements 3 and 4 are made in the form of flexible heat-insulated heat conductors from each other - copper buses 5 with contact pads 6 and 7 at the ends made of electrically conductive material. The contact pads 6 are connected on both sides with the branches of the p-type and n-type semiconductor 1 and 2, and the contact pads 7 are connected with the contact pads 8 electrically insulated from each other, made in the form of metal films or alloys deposited on ceramic plates — heat transfer 9, or in the form of copper plates soldered to the electrically insulated film contacts of a ceramic plate, with all even patch plates 4 connected to one, and odd 3 to another heat transfer. Contacts 10 serve to supply electrical energy to the fuel and energy complex in the case of its operation as a thermoelectric cooler and to drain electric energy from the fuel and energy complex in the event of its operation as a thermoelectric generator.

In the thermoelectric refrigerator mode, the fuel and energy element works as follows.

When a constant electric current is supplied through the thermopile, supplied from an electric energy source through contacts 10, between switching elements 3 and 4, which are contacts of p- and n-type branches 1 and 2, a temperature difference arises due to the release and absorption of Peltier heat in places p-type branch 1 - contact pad 6 - n-type branch 2 and n-type branch 2 - contact pad 6 - p-type branch 1. With the polarity of the electric current indicated in the drawing, switching elements 3 are heated and cooling mutation elements 4. Correspondingly, there is a cooling of the upper heat transfer 9, contacting through electrically insulated pads with switching elements 3. If, however, due to heat removal, the temperature of the lower heat transfer 9, contacting through pads 8 with switching elements 3, is maintained at a constant level, then the temperature of the upper heat transfer , which is in thermal contact with the switching elements 4 through the contact pads 8, will drop to a certain certain value. For a given electric current, the magnitude of the temperature decrease at the upper heat transfer 9 will depend on the heat load on it. The heat load consists of the heat influx from the environment, heat from hot contacts, due to the thermal conductivity of the thermopile forming branches, the Joule heat, and also the heat coming from the cooling object.

The proposed design of the fuel and energy complex will allow mechanically flexible articulation of the cooled object (heat source) and the heat release system, as well as contact with the cooled (heated) object located in an inaccessible place due to the special design of the switching elements (length and flexibility), while the heat loss on the switching items will be negligible.

The thermopile in the thermoelectric generator mode operates as follows.

In the presence of a heat source heating, for example, the lower heat transfer 9, as well as switching elements 3 having direct thermal contact with it, and a system dissipating heat from the upper heat transfer 9 and switching elements 4, a certain temperature difference is established between the switching elements 3 and 4. In the presence of such a temperature difference between the switching plates 3 and 4, which make contact between the p- and n-type branches 1 and 2, a potential difference arises between the contacts 10 - the thermo-emf caused by the Seebeck effect. When the contacts 10 are closed to a certain electric load, a constant electric current arises in the formed circuit. The magnitude of the electric current flowing in the circuit depends on the value of thermo-emf, which in turn depends on the coefficient of thermo-emf. thermoelectric material, the number of thermocouples in the thermopile, the temperature difference between the switching elements 3 and 4 and the magnitude of the electrical load.

The advantage of using this design is the ability to flexibly couple the heat release element, the thermopile and the heat transfer system, as well as the convenience of pairing the heat transfer 9 with a system that dissipates heat and a heat source located in hard-to-reach and remote places.

Literature

1. Pozdnyakov BS, Koptelov EA Thermoelectric power. M .: Atomizdat, 1974.

Claims (1)

Thermoelectric battery, consisting of semiconductor thermoelements connected in series through electrical elements by switching elements, each of which is formed by two branches made of p-type and n-type semiconductor, respectively, enclosed between two heat transitions, characterized in that the switching elements are made in the form of flexible electrical insulated heat conductors with contact pads at the ends, one contact pads of which on both sides are connected to the branches of p- and n semiconductors -type, and the second contact pads - with contacts insulated from each other, made in the form of films of metals or alloys deposited on heat transitions - ceramic plates, or in the form of copper plates soldered to electrically insulated film contacts of a ceramic plate, and all even switching elements are connected with one, and odd ones with another heat transfer - a ceramic plate.