Thermal pulse energy harvesting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072638-B2
Application number	US-201414151224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Jan 9, 2013
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A device for thermal energy harvesting can use pulsed heat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for thermal energy harvesting comprising:
a heat source that generates pulsed heat, wherein the pulsed heat is periodic, intermittent or oscillating;
a heat engine thermally connected to the heat source by a first thermal conduit; and
a heat sink thermally connected to the heat engine by a second thermal conduit,
wherein the first thermal conduit and the second thermal conduit are distinct;
wherein the heat source configures to achieve pulsed heat transfer across the heat engine;
wherein the heat engine converts the pulsed heat; and
wherein the heat sink dissipates heat.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed heat is produced by a pulsed heat flux from the heat source.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the pulsed heat flux includes a system that produces periodic heat.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the system includes a periodically burning gas heater.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the pulsed heat flux includes an intermittently flowing heat transfer fluid.

6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the pulsed heat flux includes an oscillating heat flux.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein when the pulsed heat flux is on, the rate of temperature change for the heat source varies.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein when the pulsed heat flux is on, the rate of temperature change for the heat source is defined as:

dT
S

dt



closed

=

Q

m
s

⁢

c
s

-

(

T
S

-

T
R

)

R
E

⁢

m
s

⁢

c
s

wherein closed means that the pulsed heat flux is on, Q is input power, m s is mass of the heat source, c s is specific heat of the heat source, T S is the temperature of the heat source, T R is the temperature of the heat sink, and R E is the thermal resistance of the heat engine.

9. The device of claim 2 , wherein when the pulsed heat flux is off, the rate of temperature change for the heat source varies.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein when the pulsed heat flux is off, the rate of temperature change for the heat source is defined as:

dT
S

dt



open

=

(

T
S

-

T
R

)

R
E

⁢

m
s

⁢

c
s

wherein open means that the pulsed heat flux is off, T S is the temperature of the heat source, T R is the temperature of the heat sink, R E is the thermal resistance of the heat engine, m s is the mass of the heat source, and C s is the specific heat of the heat source.

11. The device of claim 2 , wherein the rate of temperature change for the heat sink varies.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the rate of temperature change for the heat sink is defined as:

dT
R

dt



open
/
closed

=

(

1
-

η
E

)

⁢

(

T
S

-

T
R

)

R
E

⁢

m
R

⁢

c
R

-

(

T
R

-

T
∞

)

R
R

⁢

m
R

⁢

c
R

wherein open means that the pulsed heat flux is off, closed means that the pulsed heat flux is on, η E is heat engine efficiency, T S is the temperature of the heat source, T R is the temperature of the heat s

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Mckay Ian
• Wang Evelyn

Classifications

• F01N5/025

  the device being thermoelectric generators · CPC title

• F03G7/0641

  Motors; Energy harvesting or waste energy recovery · CPC title

• Y02T10/16

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03G7/06

  using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like (using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K) · CPC title

• F03G7/04 Primary

  using pressure differences or thermal differences occurring in nature (F03G7/06 takes precedence) · CPC title