Experimental investigation and feasibility analysis of a thermophotovoltaic cogeneration system in high-temperature production processes

Abstract

The experimental I-V characteristics of a Si cell module in a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system were investigated using SiC or Yb₂O₃ radiator. The results demonstrate that the short-circuit current increases while the open-circuit voltage, along with the fill factor, decreases with the cell temperature when the radiator temperature increases from 1273 to 1573 K, leading to a suppressed increase of the output power of the system. The maximum output power density of the cell module is 0.05 W/cm² when the temperature of the SiC radiator is 1573 K, while the electrical efficiency of the system is only 0.22%. The efficiency is 1.3% with a Yb₂O₃ radiator at the same temperature, however, the maximum output power density drops to 0.03 W/cm². The values of the open-circuit voltage and the maximum output power obtained from the theoretical model conform to the experimental ones. But the theoretical short-circuit current is higher because of the existence of the contact resistance inside the cell module. In addition, the performance and cost of TPV cogeneration systems with the SiC or Yb₂O₃ radiator using industrial high-temperature waste heat were analyzed. The system electrical efficiency could reach 3.1% with a Yb₂O₃ radiator at 1573 K. The system cost and investment recovery period are 6732 EUR/kWel and 14 years, respectively.

Keywords

thermophotovoltaic (TPV) / industrial waste heat / ytterbium oxide / system efficiency

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Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg