Electromagnetic waveguide based thermal energy extraction with emissive materials and modifications

Patent · 19 October 2021

OSTI ID:1859968

Poole, Zsolt; Ohodnicki, Jr., Paul R.

The method presented uses thermally emissive materials for the extraction of heat through the use of electromagnetic waveguides, wherein the emissive material comprises materials which emit electromagnetic radiation due to thermal excitation, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is coupled to electromagnetic waveguides; a receiver adapted to receive the electromagnetic radiation for utilization, wherein the extracted electromagnetic radiation may propagate arbitrary distances inside the waveguides before the need for processing, for example, to maximize the temperature differential between the emissive material and that of the receiver; and the exchange of the chemical composition of some portion of the environment the apparatus is housed in. The thermal energy extraction apparatus described herein has the purpose of removing heat from a source for conversion to other forms of energy such as electricity and for thermal management applications. Wherein for heat management, the benefit of waveguides would constitute reduced interference with electronics through electromagnetic coupling.

• Research Organization: U.S. Dept. of Energy (USDOE), Washington, DC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Assignee: U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): 11,150,038
• Application Number: 15/276,514
• OSTI ID: 1859968
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English