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Performance of a mesoscale liquid fuel‐film combustion‐driven TPV power system
Author(s) -
Li YuehHeng,
Lien YungSheng,
Chao YeiChin,
DunnRankin Derek
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.877
Subject(s) - thermophotovoltaic , combustor , process engineering , liquid fuel , combustion , materials science , miniaturization , electricity generation , nuclear engineering , environmental science , photovoltaic system , mechanical engineering , power (physics) , electrical engineering , engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Combustion‐driven thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems have obtained increasing attention in recent decades, but most studies have focused on developing narrowband photovoltaic cells and selective emitters. In terms of the heat source, conventional combustion configurations and light gaseous fuels are extensively utilized in macro‐ or meso‐scale TPV power systems to simplify thermal management and mechanical fabrication. As far as miniaturization is concerned, however, fuelling these systems with liquid hydrocarbons would provide inherent advantages of high energy density and low volatility. Liquid fuels also promise easy and safe fuel recharging for small‐scale power systems. In this paper, a central porous‐medium combustor was employed in a small scale TPV power system. The combustor incorporated an emitting chamber wall and a heat recuperator. The radiant efficiency and overall efficiency were compared using different liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the system. The electric output characteristics of the combustion driven TPV system have been investigated to demonstrate the feasibility of a GaSb cell‐based TPV power system and to provide design guidance for mesoscale liquid‐burning TPV systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.