A Portable Thermoelectric Power Generator Based on a Microfabricated Silicon Combustor with Low Resistance to Flow

Abstract

A portable-scale thermoelectric power generator was designed, fabricated, and tested. The basis of the system is a mesoscale silicon reactor for the combustion of butane over an alumina-supported platinum catalyst. The system is integrated with commercial bismuth telluride thermoelectric modules to produce 5.8 W of electrical power with a chemical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 2.5% (based on LHV). The energy and power densities of the demonstrated system are 321 W h kg-1 and 17 W kg-1, respectively. The pressure drop through the system is 130 Pa for the highest now rate used, resulting in a parasitic power requirement for air-pressurization of ~0.1 W. The demonstration represents an order-of-magnitude improvement in portable-scale electrical power from thermoelectrics and hydrocarbon fuels, and a notable increase in the conversion efficiency compared with previous studies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 14, 2010
Accession Number
ADA540440

Entities

People

  • C. H. Marton
  • G. S. Haldeman
  • K. F. Jensen

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Cooled
  • Air Flow
  • Calorific Value
  • Chemistry
  • Combustion
  • Construction
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Fabrication
  • Flow Rate
  • Generators
  • Heat Loss
  • Heat Of Combustion
  • Heat Transfer
  • Materials
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Thermal Conductivity

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Solar Photovoltaics and Thermoelectric Devices.