Superconductor technology: apparatus – material – process – High temperature devices – systems – apparatus – com- ponents,... – Measuring or testing system or device
Patent
1996-10-17
1998-05-05
Gorgos, Kathryn L.
Superconductor technology: apparatus, material, process
High temperature devices, systems, apparatus, com- ponents,...
Measuring or testing system or device
505161, 505163, 505191, 505235, 505330, 505701, 505875, 505876, 505891, 136200, 136201, 136205, 136224, 136225, 136228, 1362361, 136238, H01L 3906, H01L 3922, H01L 3504, H01L 3514
Patent
active
057474184
ABSTRACT:
An apparatus and method for producing electricity from heat. The present invention is a thermoelectric generator that uses materials with substantially no electrical resistance, often called superconductors, to efficiently convert heat into electrical energy without resistive losses. Preferably, an array of superconducting elements is encased within a second material with a high thermal conductivity. The second material is preferably a semiconductor. Alternatively, the superconducting material can be doped on a base semiconducting material, or the superconducting material and the semiconducting material can exist as alternating, interleaved layers of waferlike materials. A temperature gradient imposed across the boundary of the two materials establishes an electrical potential related to the magnitude of the temperature gradient. The superconducting material carries the resulting electrical current at zero resistivity, thereby eliminating resistive losses. The elimination of resistive losses significantly increases the conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric device.
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El-Genk Mohamed S.
Metzger John D.
Carroll Chrisman D.
Dixon Harold M.
Gorgos Kathryn L.
Gottlieb Paul A.
Moser William R.
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