Variable band-gap materials for thermophotovoltaic generators. Final technical repor5, 15 August 1984-15 August 1985

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6127452

Woolf, L D; Bass, J C

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) properties of InGaAs cells with band gaps of either 1.15 or 1.2 eV, GaAs cells, and Si cells were investigated. In particular, dark and illuminated current vs voltage characteristics were obtained for a number of these concentrator cells at cell temperatures ranging from 300 to 550 K and currents varying from 10/sup -8/ to 10 A. Based on these data, the temperature dependence of the TPV efficiency for each of these cells was inferred for a fixed value of the parasitic absorption of the below-band-gap energy photons. For a given weighted parasitic absorption of 5%, the InGaAs cells have a significantly higher TPV efficiency than the GaAs or Si cells. TPV efficiencies approaching 40% at 300 K and 26% at 500 K appear feasible for the InGaAs cells. Based on these data, it was calculated that the specific mass of a space-based nuclear-TPV energy conversion system would be 10 kg/kW if InGaAs cells with 5% weighted parasitic absorption were used. In addition, a theoretical model was developed for determining the optimum efficiency of single and multiple band gap cells in TPV energy conversion.

• Research Organization: GA Technologies, Inc., San Diego, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6127452
• Report Number(s): AD-A-161987/3/XAB; GA-A-18140
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140600 -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300800* -- Direct Energy Conversion-- Miscellaneous Converters
ABSORPTION
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CONVERSION
CURRENTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
EFFICIENCY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY CONVERSION
ENERGY GAP
FUNCTIONS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
MASS
MATERIALS
OPTIMIZATION
PNICTIDES
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
THERMOPHOTOVOLTAIC CONVERSION
WEIGHTING FUNCTIONS