Recent advances in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion efficiency have increased interest in investigating the use of TPV in a wider spectrum of applications. This paper discusses a micropower system under development that utilizes a radioisotope heat source, microelectromechanical (MEM) thermal insulation, 3‐D tungsten photonic crystal (PC) emitter, and thermophotovoltaic modules for the energy conversion. The 3‐D tungsten photonic crystal (PC) emitter is a selective emitter that is designed to match the bandgap of the TPV module. Compared to bulk tungsten, the PC has increased emittance in the convertible wavelength range and decreased emittance in the nonconvertible wavelength range, which results in a greater than 10% improvement in conversion efficiency.
Radioisotope Micropower System Using Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion
SPACE TECH.& APPLIC.INT.FORUM-STAIF 2006: 10th Conf Thermophys Applic Microgravity; 23rd Symp Space Nucl Pwr & Propulsion; 4th Conf Human/Robotic Tech & Nat'l Vision for Space Explor.; 4th Symp Space Coloniz.; 3rd Symp on New Frontiers & Future Concepts ; 2006 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 813 , 1 ; 545-551
2006-01-20
7 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Radioisotope Micropower System Using Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion
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