Title: Thermoelectric generator devices and methods

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Claims: What is claimed is:

1. A method for converting heat energy to electrical energy with alkali metal serving as the working substance and which comprises: ( 1) ionizing said alkali metal to cations in a first reaction zone at one side of solid electrolyte while maintaining a temperature in said first reaction zone in a range in excess of 300.degree. C.; (2) reconverting said alkali metal cations in a second reaction zone at the other side of said solid electrolyte having porous electrode in electrical contact therewith to elemental alkali metal; (3) vaporizing said elemental alkali metal from said porous electrode to a furnace zone surrounded by a furnace wall having shaped opening means therein; (4) discharging from said furnace zone through said shaped opening means alkali metal vapor to cooling means for condensing alkali metal while maintaining said cooling means at a temperature in a range at least about 100.degree. C. below the temperature in said first reaction zone and at least a major portion of said furnace wall at a temperature in a range in excess of the temperature of said cooling means.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the alkali metal comprises sodium.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, which comprises discharging said alkali metal vapor from said furnace zone through said shaped opening means at or near its sonic velocity.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, which comprises maintaining said alkali vapor in said furnace zone at a pressure in a range of about 0.5-20 torr.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the alkali metal comprises sodium and said furnace wall is maintained in a range above a temperature about 25.degree. C. below the temperature of said first reaction zone.

6. A thermoelectric generator device with one or more series electrical connections and wherein heat energy is converted directly to electrical energy, which comprises:

(1) enclosure means for a first reaction zone;

(2) enclosure means for a second reaction zone comprising a furnace wall;

(3) reaction zone separation means which:

(a) separate and essentially complete enclosure of said first reaction zone and said second reaction zone, and

(b) comprises at least two portions of cationically-conductive, electrolyte solids, said solids being individually essentially impermeable to elemental alkali metal and compounds thereof and ionically conductive with respect to cations of said alkali metal;

(4) alkali metal within said first reaction zone and in respective fluid communication with said portions of electrolyte solids;

(5) electrode elements within said second reaction zone and in respective electrical contact with said portions of electrolyte solids and individually sufficiently porous to permit alkali metal to pass therethrough;

(6) conduction means (I) for electron flow between

(a) a first portion of said alkali metal which is within said first reaction zone and in fluid communication with a first of said portions of electrolyte solids, and

(b) a first portion of said electrode elements within said second reaction zone which is in electrical contact with a second of said portions of electrolyte solids; and

conduction means (II) for electron flow between (a) a second portion of said alkali metal which is within said first reaction zone and in fluid communication with said second of said portions of electrolyte solids and (b) a second portion of said electrode elements within said second reaction zone which is in electrical contact either with said first portion of, or still another of said portions of electrolyte solids;

(7) inlet means for introducing said portions of alkali metal, electrically insulated from one another, into said first reaction zone so as to place them in respective fluid communication with said portions of electrolyte solids;

(8) temperature control means adapted to maintain a temperature in said first reaction zone in a range at least 100.degree. C. in excess of the lowest temperature in said second reaction zone and a temperature of said furnace wall in a range in excess of said lowest temperature; and

(9) means for collection within said second reaction zone of alkali metal vapor which comprises:

(a) a furnace zone in vapor communication with said electrode elements and surrounded by said furnace wall;

(b) cooling means for alkali metal adapted to maintain said lowest temperature;

(c) shaped opening means in said furnace wall for discharging alkali metal vapor from said furnace zone to said cooling means.

7. The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein said shaped opening means for discharging is adapted to permit a passage at or near sonic velocity of alkali metal vapor from said furnace zone to said cooling means.

8. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said cooling means comprises a sufficient number of electrically insulated, one from another, cooling areas for condensing said discharged alkali metal to a liquid and its insulated return to said inlet means.

9. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein each of said portions of electrolyte solids comprises at least one tubular member comprising one of said electrolyte solids.

10. The device in accordance with claim 9, wherein said tubular member has a tubular second member in external physical and electrical contact therewith which comprises one of said electrode elements.

11. The device in accordance with claim 10, wherein said alkali metal is sodium.

12. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said temperature control means is adapted to maintain said conduction means (I) essentially isothermal.

13. A thermoelectric generator device wherein heat energy is converted directly to electrical energy with alkali metal serving as a working fluid and which comprises: (1) enclosure means to a first reaction zone; (2) enclosure means for a second reaction zone comprising a furnace wall; (3) reaction zone separation means which, (a) separates and essentially completes enclosure of said first reaction zone and said second reaction zone, and (b) comprises one or more cationically-conductive, electrolyte solids, said solids essentially being impermeable to elemental alkali metal and compounds thereof and ionically conductive with respect to cations of said alkali metal; (4) alkali metal within said first reaction zone and in fluid communication with said electrolyte solids; (5) electrode elements within said second reaction zone in electrical contact with said electrolyte solids and sufficiently porous to permit alkali metal to pass therethrough; (6) conduction means for electron flow between said alkali metal within said first reaction zone and said electrode elements within said second reaction zone; (7) inlet means for introducing said alkali metal into said first reaction zone; (8) temperature control means adapted to maintain a temperature in said first reaction zone in a range of at least 100.degree. C. in excess of the lowest temperature in said reaction zone and a temperature of said furnace wall in a range in excess of said lowest temperature; and (9) means for collection within said second reaction zone of alkali metal vapor which comprises:

(a) a furnace zone in vapor communication with said electrode elements and surrounded by said furnace wall,

(b) cooling means for condensing alkali metal adapted to maintain said lowest temperature, and

(c) shaped opening means in said furnace wall for discharging said alkali metal vapor from said furnace zone to said cooling means.

14. The device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said reaction zone separation means comprises a plurality of said electrolyte solids in tubular form individually having a plurality of said electrode elements in tubular form in physical contact therewith, said electrode elements collectively in electrical contact with one another.

15. The device in accordance with claim 14, wherein said electrolyte solid comprises a beta alumina electrolyte.

16. The device in accordance with claim 15, wherein said alkali metal is sodium.

17. In a method for converting heat energy to electrical energy with alkali metal serving as the working substance and which comprises: (1) generating electrons by ionizing said alkali metal to cations in a first reaction zone at one side of solid electrolyte while maintaining a temperature in said first reaction zone in a range in excess of 300.degree. C.; (2) reconverting said alkali metal cations in a second reaction zone at the other side of said solid electrolyte having porous electrode in electrical contact therewith to elemental alkali metal by permitting electron flow from said first reaction zone to said porous electrode; (3) vaporizing said elemental alkali metal from said porous electrode to a furnace zone in vapor communication therewith; (4) collecting from said furnace zone said alkali metal vapor at cooling means for condensing alkali metal adapted to maintain a temperature in a range of at least 100.degree. C. below the temperature in said first reaction zone, the improvement which comprises (A) positioning between said first reaction zone wherein alkali metal is ionized to cations and said second reaction zone wherein said ionized alkali metal is reconverted to elemental alkali metal solid electrolyte comprising at least two portions of electrolyte solids wherein each of said portions has effectively in electrical contact therewith one said porous electrode comprising electrode elements in electrical contact with one another, and wherein each of said electrolyte solids has inner and outer sides; (B) providing for series of electrical connection by permitting electron flow through an essentially isothermal conduction means between (I) said alkali metal ionizing to cations in said first reaction zone at the inner side of a first electrolyte solid of a first portion of said electrolyte solids and (II) said reconverting alkali metal cations in said second reaction zone at the outer side of a second electrolyte solid of a second portion of said electrolyte solids.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said collecting comprises providing sufficient pressure in said furnace zone for streaming alkali metal vapor through shaped opening means and from said furnace zone to said cooling means wherein said cooling means comprises cooling areas, insulated one from another, which are sufficient in number to at least equal the number of said portions of electrolyte solids.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18 which further comprises returning said alkali metal collected in said cooling areas in portions, electrically insulated from one another, each of said portions of alkali metal returning from one cooling area, so as to place them in respective electrical contact with those inner sides of said electrolyte solids which are in the portion of electrolyte solids which have electrode elements in electrical contact with one another.

20. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said alkali metal to sodium.

21. The method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the sodium vapor streaming through said shaped opening means from said furnace zone exits from said furnace zone in a stream having a velocity at or near its sonic velocity.

22. A method for continuous conversion of heat energy to electrical energy using an ionizable working substance which method comprises (1) ionizing said working substance to ions in a first reaction zone at one side of solid electrolyte or porous electrode in electrical contact therewith while maintaining a temperature in said first reaction zone in excess of 100.degree. of the lowest temperature in a second reaction zone; (2) reconverting said ions in said second reaction zone at the other side of said solid electrolyte having porous electrode in electrical contact therewith to elemental working substance; (3) vaporizing said reconverted elemental working substance from said porous electrode into a furnace zone within said second reaction zone at a temperature essentially equal to that temperature in said first reaction zone; (4) collecting said vaporized and reconverted working substance in a collection zone which is within said second reaction zone and adapted to maintain said lowest temperature, said collecting comprising streaming said vaporized and reconverted working substance from said furnace zone through shaped opening means at a rate having electrical energy associated with its reconversion which is at least three times the rate of energy associated with heat energy concurrently passing through said shaped opening means from said furnace zone to said collection zone.

Other info:

Inventors: Bettman, Max (Southfield, MI, US)

Application Number: 813711
Filing Date: 1977-07-07
Publication_date: 1978-07-04
Assignee: Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, MI)
Primary Class(es): 429/17 429/11, 429/20
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3458356	Jul, 1969	Kummer	429/11.
3511715	May, 1970	Angus	429/17.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Mack, John H.
Assistant Examiner: Feeley, H. A.
Attorney: Ross, Jr.; Edmund C., Zerschling; Keith L.