公开(公告)号：EP2167881A2

公开(公告)日：2010-03-31

申请号：EP08767819.9

申请日：2008-05-20

申请人： GMZ Energy, Inc.

发明人： CHEN, Gang ,  REN, Zhifeng

IPC分类号： F24J2/00 ,  H01L31/04 ,  F03G6/00

CPC分类号： F03G6/068 ,  F03G6/001 ,  F24S23/00 ,  F24S23/30 ,  F24S23/70 ,  H01L35/30 ,  Y02E10/46

摘要： An energy generation method includes receiving solar radiation at a solar absorber, providing heat from the solar absorber to a hot side of a set of thermoelectric converters, generating electricity from the set of thermoelectric converters, and providing heat from a cold side of the set of thermoelectric converters to a fluid being provided into a solar fluid heating system or a solar thermal to electrical conversion plant. A system for carrying out the method includes at least one thermoelectric device and a solar fluid heating system or a solar thermal to electrical conversion plant

公开(公告)号：EP2656404A2

公开(公告)日：2013-10-30

申请号：EP11850669.0

申请日：2011-12-19

申请人： Trustees of Boston College ,  GMZ Energy, Inc.

发明人： REN, Zhifeng ,  YAN, Xiao ,  JOSHI, Giri ,  CHEN, Gang ,  POUDEL, Bed ,  CAYLOR, James Christopher

IPC分类号： H01L35/02 ,  H01L35/12

CPC分类号： H01L35/18 ,  B22F1/0018 ,  B22F2998/10 ,  C22C1/02 ,  C22C12/00 ,  B22F9/08 ,  B22F3/10 ,  B22F2009/043

摘要： Thermoelectric materials and methods of making thermoelectric materials having a nanometer mean grain size less than 1 micron. The method includes combining and arc melting constituent elements of the thermoelectric material to form a liquid alloy of the thermoelectric material and casting the liquid alloy of the thermoelectric material to form a solid casting of the thermoelectric material. The method also includes ball milling the solid casting of the thermoelectric material into nanometer mean size particles and sintering the nanometer size particles to form the thermoelectric material having nanometer scale mean grain size.

公开(公告)号：EP2436043A2

公开(公告)日：2012-04-04

申请号：EP10781286.9

申请日：2010-05-28

申请人： GMZ Energy, Inc.

发明人： CHEN, Gang ,  REN, Zhifeng ,  POUDEL, Bed ,  BENT, Aaron

IPC分类号： H01L31/058

CPC分类号： H01L35/30 ,  F24S10/45 ,  F24S10/90 ,  F24S23/30 ,  F24S23/70 ,  F24S23/74 ,  F24S80/52 ,  F24S80/54 ,  Y02B10/22 ,  Y02B10/70 ,  Y02E10/44

摘要： An apparatus includes an evacuated enclosure which comprises a tubular member extending along a longitudinal axis, a radiation absorber disposed in the enclosure and having a front surface and a back surface, the front surface being adapted for exposure to solar radiation so as to generate heat, at least one thermoelectric converter disposed in the enclosure and thermally coupled to the absorber, the converter having a high-temperature end to receive at least a portion of the generated heat, such that a temperature differential is achieved across the at least one thermoelectric converter, a support structure disposed in the enclosure coupled to a low-temperature end of the thermoelectric converter, where the support structure removes heat from a low-temperature end of the thermoelectric converter, and a heat conducting element extending between the support structure and the evacuated enclosure and adapted to transfer heat from the support structure to the enclosure. The absorber, the at least one thermoelectric converter, and the support structure are arranged as a planar unit located within the tubular member.

摘要翻译： 一种装置包括：抽真空的外壳，其包括沿着纵向轴线延伸的管状构件，设置在外壳中的辐射吸收体，具有前表面和后表面，前表面适于暴露于太阳辐射以产生热量， 至少一个热电转换器，其设置在所述外壳中并热耦合到所述吸收器，所述转换器具有高温端以接收所产生的热量的至少一部分，使得跨所述至少一个热电转换器实现温度差， 支撑结构，设置在外壳中，耦合到热电转换器的低温端，其中支撑结构从热电转换器的低温端移除热量，以及在支撑结构和抽真空的外壳之间延伸的导热元件 并且适于将热量从支撑结构传递到外壳。 吸收器，至少一个热电转换器和支撑结构被布置为位于管状构件内的平面单元。