Thermoradiative Energy Conversion Technology

Organization
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Reference Code
0033-NPP-JUL24-GRC-TechDev
Application Deadline
7/1/2024 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

The thermoradiative cell is a new concept for converting heat energy into electrical power, using solid-state physics principles similar to the operation of a photovoltaic cell. The technology has possible application for radioisotope power conversion for space applications, but to date most of the theoretical analyzes looked only at ideal performance, and the real-world efficiency loss mechanisms are not well understood, in particular, the loss of energy to infrared emissivity.
Desired is research on understanding and improving the efficiency of thermoradiative cell technology, including understanding the losses under real-world conditions.
Some references are :  Rune Strandberg (2015a) “Theoretical efficiency limits for thermoradiative energy conversion,“   J. Appl. Phys., 117, 055105; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4907392
Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes; Muhammad H. Sazzad; Lamees Al Kiyumi; Michael P. Nielsen; Peter Reece; Alex Mellor; Martin A. Green; and Andreas Pusch (2020) “Generating Power at Night Using a Thermoradiative Diode, How is this Possible?“ 47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 15 June-21 Aug. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC45281.2020.9300980

 


Location:
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

Field of Science:Technology Development

Advisors:
Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey.Landis@nasa.gov
216-433-2238

Timothy J Peshek
timothy.j.peshek@nasa.gov
216-433-2386

 

 

 

 

 

Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Doctoral Degree.
NPP
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