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Application of Impedance Matching for Enhanced Transmitted Power in a Thermophotovoltaic System

Chungwei Lin, Bingnan Wang, and Koon Hoo Teo

Prabhakar Bandaru

  • Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, 201 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA

  • University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA

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Phys. Rev. Applied 7, 034003 – Published 6 March, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.7.034003

Abstract

Based on the impedance-matching condition, we propose a few configurations that can greatly enhance radiation power transfer from the emitter to the photovoltaic (PV) cell for a near-field-based thermophotovoltaic system. In addition to the emitter and the PV cell, these configurations involve the use of additional materials that support resonant modes, such as a metallic material whose dielectric function can be described by a Drude model, or a dielectric material whose dielectric function can be approximated by a Lorentz oscillator model. We show that, by coating the PV cell on both the front and back sides with Lorentz materials, the transferred power can be 2.5 times larger than that without any decorations. When Drude metals are included in the configuration, the optimal transferred power can be 3 times larger than the system without additional materials. We find that the key to enhancing transmitted power is to place a thin layer of Drude or Lorentz material on the front side (facing the emitter) of the PV cell.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 7, 034003– Published 6 March, 2017
  • Received 7 October 2016
Article part of CHORUS

© 2017 American Physical Society

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