Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems are very promising for waste heat recovery. This work analyzes the performance of a near-field TPV device with a gold reflecting layer on the backside of the cell. The radiative transfer from a tungsten radiator, at a temperature ranging from 1250 K to 2000 K, to an In0.18Ga0.82Sb TPV cell at 300 K is calculated using fluctuational electrodynamics. The current generation by the absorbed photon energy is modeled by the minority carrier diffusion equations considering recombination. The energy conversion efficiency of the cell is determined from the generated electrical power and the net absorbed radiant power per unit area. A parametric study of the cell efficiency considering the gap spacing and other parameters is conducted. For an emitter at temperature 1250 K, the efficiency enhancement by adding a mirror, which reduces the sub-bandgap radiation, is shown to be as much as 35% relative to a semi-infinite TPV cell. In addition, the potential for further improvement by reducing surface recombination velocity from that of a perfect ohmic contact is examined. The cell performance is shown to increase with decreasing gap spacing below a critical surface recombination velocity.
Skip Nav Destination
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287
Article navigation
Research-Article
Performance of Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic Cells Enhanced With a Backside Reflector
T. J. Bright,
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
T. J. Bright
George W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
Search for other works by this author on:
L. P. Wang,
Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287
L. P. Wang
School for Engineering of Matter
,Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287
Search for other works by this author on:
Z. M. Zhang
Z. M. Zhang
1
Fellow ASME
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: zhuomin.zhang@me.gatech.edu
George W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: zhuomin.zhang@me.gatech.edu
1Corresponding author.
Search for other works by this author on:
T. J. Bright
George W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
L. P. Wang
School for Engineering of Matter
,Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287
Z. M. Zhang
Fellow ASME
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: zhuomin.zhang@me.gatech.edu
George W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: zhuomin.zhang@me.gatech.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received June 5, 2013; final manuscript received January 6, 2014; published online March 7, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Wilson K. S. Chiu.
J. Heat Transfer. Jun 2014, 136(6): 062701 (9 pages)
Published Online: March 7, 2014
Article history
Received:
June 5, 2013
Revision Received:
January 6, 2014
Citation
Bright, T. J., Wang, L. P., and Zhang, Z. M. (March 7, 2014). "Performance of Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic Cells Enhanced With a Backside Reflector." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. June 2014; 136(6): 062701. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4026455
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
On Prof. Roop Mahajan's 80th Birthday
J. Heat Mass Transfer
Thermal Hydraulic Performance and Characteristics of a Microchannel Heat Exchanger: Experimental and Numerical Investigations
J. Heat Mass Transfer (February 2025)
Related Articles
Performance Analysis of a Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic Device With a Metallodielectric Selective Emitter and Electrical Contacts for the Photovoltaic Cell
J. Heat Transfer (May,2017)
Enhanced Photon Tunneling by Surface Plasmon–Phonon Polaritons in Graphene/hBN Heterostructures
J. Heat Transfer (February,2017)
Solar Thermophotovoltaic Converters Based on Tungsten Emitters
J. Sol. Energy Eng (August,2007)
Tungsten Nanowire Metamaterials as Selective Solar Thermal Absorbers by Excitation of Magnetic Polaritons
J. Heat Transfer (May,2017)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Short-Pulse Collimated Radiation in a Participating Medium Bounded by Diffusely Reflecting Boundaries
International Conference on Mechanical and Electrical Technology, 3rd, (ICMET-China 2011), Volumes 1–3
Radiation
Thermal Management of Microelectronic Equipment
Radiation
Thermal Management of Microelectronic Equipment, Second Edition