[go: up one dir, main page]

US3300660A - Thermionic energy converter with photon ionization - Google Patents

Thermionic energy converter with photon ionization Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3300660A
US3300660A US377238A US37723864A US3300660A US 3300660 A US3300660 A US 3300660A US 377238 A US377238 A US 377238A US 37723864 A US37723864 A US 37723864A US 3300660 A US3300660 A US 3300660A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
electron emissive
electron
space
channels
vapor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US377238A
Inventor
Bensimon Jacques
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Thales SA
Original Assignee
CSF Compagnie Generale de Telegraphie sans Fil SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CSF Compagnie Generale de Telegraphie sans Fil SA filed Critical CSF Compagnie Generale de Telegraphie sans Fil SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3300660A publication Critical patent/US3300660A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J45/00—Discharge tubes functioning as thermionic generators

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to direct thermo-electronic converters for converting directly thermal energy into electrical energy.
  • such a converter comprises a pair of electrodes, particularly an-emitter and an electron collector, disposed within a vacuum-tight enclosure at a mutual distance, preferably no greater than the average free path of the electrons within the medium filling the enclosure.
  • These electrodes may be insulated from one another or also may be connected by a relatively resistant metallic conductor, but at any rate no voltage from an external source is applied t-herebetween.
  • heat is applied to the emitter, the energy of certain electrons within the emissive material increases beyond the work function, whereupon these electrons leave the emitter and move in the direction toward the collector provided the interelectrode space charge effects are not too significant.
  • the portion of the energy of the electrons captured by the collector is dissipated in the form of heat, whereas the remaining portion, corresponding to the difference in work functions between two electrodes, represents the difference in contact potential and appears between the emitter and the collector in the form of an electric voltage which may be applied to a suitably matched charging or load resistance.
  • the possibility for operation of such a device depends on the absence or negligible importance of the effects of the space charge. It is, therefore, necessary to compensate for the latter, and it is already known in the prior art to do so by introducing within the enclosure an ionizable gas or vapor, for example, of cesium, potassium or rubidium of which the ionization potential is less than the work function of the material of the surface of a conductor on which fall the atoms of the gas or of the vapor filling the enclosure which condense thereon.
  • This surface may be that of the emitter or that of a separate auxiliary electrode in which case the converter is no longer a diode but becomes a triode. It is also possible to utilize a non-homogeneous emitter comprising alternate emissive portions with non-emissive portions forming the surface in question.
  • the metallic vapor is supplied by the surface of a liquid metal contained in a tank, and the temperature of this metal may be maintained and possibly also be regulated by suitable means to an appropriate value in order to establish a vapor pressure corresponding to a desired flow of ionizable metal across the capillary body in such a manner as to establish an equilibrium between the ions produced and the space charge.
  • the ionization of the ionizable metal which is produced within said capillary channels by the effect of surface ionization may be insufficient if the Work function of the emitter is too small.
  • the object of this invention is to further improve the converter of the type defined above, so as to render the ioniaztion more effective and the operation of the converter more efiicient notwithstanding the relatively small work function of the emitter.
  • the means provided by the present invention favor the ionization in volume of the ionizable substance on the inside of the capillary channels of the emitter in such a manner that this volume ionization effect is added to the surface ionization and thereby remedies the insufficiency thereof.
  • a converter provided with a capillary emitter the channels of which have at least in part a form and shape permitting the penetration of light energy from an external source, comprisesmeans to admit this light energy into the inside of these channels in order of facilitate, thanks to the action of the photons, the ionization of the atoms of the ionizable substance by a larger quantity of particles of low energy circulating on the inside of the capillary channels.
  • thermo-electronic converter of the type described above which eliminates by simple and effective means the afore-mentioned drawbacks and shortcomings encountered in the prior art constructions.
  • Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a thermo-electronic energy converter in which the ionization of the ionizable metal is increased notwithstanding the relatievly low and insufiicient value of the work function of the emitter.
  • Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a thermo-electronic energy converter which enables a considerable improvement in the output of the converter by utilizing the dual effect of surface and volume ionization.
  • the converter illustrated therein comprises an emitter 1, for example, of tungsten, realized in such a manner as to possess capillary channels 2, for example, rectilinear capillary channels realized, for instance, by assembly of capillary tubes.
  • capillary tubes cylindrical tubes or the like in which the capillary forces acting on the liquid which penetrates the same, play a preponderant role which leads in practice to a diameter generally inferior to the order of magnitude of 1 mm.
  • This emitter 1 is mounted in front of a transparent window 3, for example, of sapphire with respect to which the channels 2 are perpendicular.
  • the window 3 is set into or encased in a fixed mounting 4 secured to a metallic ring 5 sealed to an insulating cylinder 6 and supporting the emitter 1 to which it is electrically connected.
  • the cylinder 6 is sealed to a metallic ring 7 to which is secured a collector 8, for example, of copper.
  • the window 3, support or mounting 4, the rings 5 and 7, the cylinder 6 and the collector 8 define a vacuum-tight enclosure which is evacuated across the pumping stem 9 out after the operation, and placed in communication across the passage 10 provided in the mounting support 4 with a reservoir 11 of ionizable material such as cesium, carried by conventional heating means 12 at a temperature at which the cesium in the channels 2 flows in an ionized flow.
  • the cesium vapor penetrates into the capillary channels 2 through the space between the window 3 and the emitter 1.
  • Connections 17 and are made, respectively, wit-h the ring 5 and the collector 8 to permit collecting the electric voltage produced by the converter.
  • a calorific and light flow is directed according to the arrows 19 with a slight inclination to a line perpendicular with respect to the window 3; the calorific and light fiow traverses this window 3, penetrates into the channels 2, and, thanks to its slight inclination, irradiates a portion of the walls of these channels 2 in such a manner as to heat the same and produce the electron emission.
  • certain photons of this flow facilitate the ionization of the cesium atoms under the impact of the electrons issued from the walls or other particles circulating in the capillary channels 2.
  • the gas flow escaping the channels 2 within the enclosure is thus substantially ionized under the dual effect of surface and volume ionization.
  • the converter described operates then as a usual conver-ter but with an improved efiiciency which may express itself, for example, by a relative lowering of the temperature of the emitter. This improvement is due to the excitation of the cesium atoms by photons on the inside of the capillary channels 2 of the emitter 1 in such a manner as to superpos-e the effects of volume and surface ionization.
  • the output voltage is collected at the terminals or connections 17 and 18.
  • the capillary channels 2 'be rectilinear they may, in contrast thereto, be curved or bent, provided they present to the entry of the light a portion sufficiently rectilinear in order that the light energy may penetrate the same.
  • the structural realization comprising an assembly of capillary tubes is also not limitative of the present invention, as the desired form and shape -of the channels may also be obtained in a porous body sintered in any suitable conventional manner. It is understood that converters comp-rising variations of this nature fall also within the frame and spirit of the present invention.
  • thermo-electronic energy converter comprising within an evacuated envelope: electron emissive means operative upon heating supported within said envelope, electron collecting means supporting within said envelope and electrically insulated from said electron emissive means, said electron collecting means substantially facing and spaced from said electron emissive means to define a space therebetween and made of a material having a work function lower than said electron emissive means, illumination enabling means comprising a part of said evacuated envelope, said electron emissive means being comprised of a body provided with a number of capillary channels which open at one end thereof into the space between said electron emissive means and said electron collecting means, and at the other end thereof terminate on the opposite surface of said electron emissive means and open into a second space defined by the opposite surface of said electron emissive means and said illumination enabling means, tank means containing a liquid metal having an ionizing potential lower than the work function of said electron emissive means, means interconnecting said tank means and said second space for supplying vapor from said
  • the illumination enabling means admits the rays of visible spectrum energy in a direction slightly inclined at an angle with respect to the said capillary channels to an extent such that at least a portion of the internal walls of said channels are struck by said rays of energy thereby illuminating and heating said walls to emit electrons.
  • thermo-electronic energy converter set forth in claim 1 wherein said illumination enabling means comprises a window transparent to light and comprising a part of the evacuate-d envelope, said window being spaced from and facing the opposite surface of the electron emissive means.
  • thermo-elect-ronic energy converter according to claim 1 wherein said illumination enabling means comprises a window transparent to light and comprising a part of the evacuated envelope, said window being spaced from and facing the opposite surface of the electron emissive means and admitting the rays of visible spectrum energy in a direction slightly inclined at an anglewi-th respect to the said capillary channels to an extent such that at least a portion of the internal walls of said channels are struck by said rays of energy thereby illuminating and heating said walls to emit electrons.
  • said illumination enabling means comprises a window transparent to light and comprising a part of the evacuated envelope, said window being spaced from and facing the opposite surface of the electron emissive means and admitting the rays of visible spectrum energy in a direction slightly inclined at an anglewi-th respect to the said capillary channels to an extent such that at least a portion of the internal walls of said channels are struck by said rays of energy thereby illuminating and heating said walls to emit electrons.

Landscapes

  • Electron Sources, Ion Sources (AREA)
  • X-Ray Techniques (AREA)
  • Solid Thermionic Cathode (AREA)

Description

5 J. BENSIMON 3,300,660
THERMIONIC ENERGY CONVERTER WITH PHOTON IONIZATION Filed June 23, 1964 INVENTOR: J.BEN$/MON United States Patent Ofitice 3,309,660- Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,300,660 THERMIONIC ENERGY CONVERTER WITH PHOTON IONlZATlON Jacques Bensimon, Paris, France, assignor to CSF- Compagnie Generale de Telegraphic Sans Fil, Paris, France Filed June 23, 1964, Ser. No. 377,238 Claims priority, application France, July 10, 1963, 941,000
4 Claims. (Cl. 310-4) The present invention relates to direct thermo-electronic converters for converting directly thermal energy into electrical energy.
It is known that in its simplest form, such a converter comprises a pair of electrodes, particularly an-emitter and an electron collector, disposed within a vacuum-tight enclosure at a mutual distance, preferably no greater than the average free path of the electrons within the medium filling the enclosure. These electrodes may be insulated from one another or also may be connected by a relatively resistant metallic conductor, but at any rate no voltage from an external source is applied t-herebetween. When heat is applied to the emitter, the energy of certain electrons within the emissive material increases beyond the work function, whereupon these electrons leave the emitter and move in the direction toward the collector provided the interelectrode space charge effects are not too significant. If the work function of the material of the collector is less than that of the emitter, the portion of the energy of the electrons captured by the collector, corresponding to the work function thereof, is dissipated in the form of heat, whereas the remaining portion, corresponding to the difference in work functions between two electrodes, represents the difference in contact potential and appears between the emitter and the collector in the form of an electric voltage which may be applied to a suitably matched charging or load resistance.
As already indicated hereinabove, the possibility for operation of such a device depends on the absence or negligible importance of the effects of the space charge. It is, therefore, necessary to compensate for the latter, and it is already known in the prior art to do so by introducing within the enclosure an ionizable gas or vapor, for example, of cesium, potassium or rubidium of which the ionization potential is less than the work function of the material of the surface of a conductor on which fall the atoms of the gas or of the vapor filling the enclosure which condense thereon. This surface may be that of the emitter or that of a separate auxiliary electrode in which case the converter is no longer a diode but becomes a triode. It is also possible to utilize a non-homogeneous emitter comprising alternate emissive portions with non-emissive portions forming the surface in question.
If this surface is sufiiciently hot so that the atoms may reevaporate, many among them lose an electron and escape from the surface in the form of positive ions. As a result of this phenomenon, known usually under the nameof surface or contact ionization, ions are obtained which intermingle or mix with the electrons of the space charge and neutralize the charge thereof by forming a plasma. The converters utilizing this manner of compensating the space charge are usually called plasma" converters or wet converters, and the present invention relates more particularly to this type of converter.
It has already been proposed in the co-pending application Serial No. 108,062, filed on May 5, 1961, now Patent No. 3,191,076, in the joint names of Harry Huber and the applicant herein, and assigned to the same assignee, to improve this type of converter by providing an emitter electrode constituted by a capillary body having straight channels, the interior of said converter being supplied through said channels with metallic vapor producing electrons and ions due to the ionization thereof, the mass of this body being made of a substance having a work func tion higher than the ionizing potential of the metal of said vapor. The metallic vapor is supplied by the surface of a liquid metal contained in a tank, and the temperature of this metal may be maintained and possibly also be regulated by suitable means to an appropriate value in order to establish a vapor pressure corresponding to a desired flow of ionizable metal across the capillary body in such a manner as to establish an equilibrium between the ions produced and the space charge.
As shown by experience, the ionization of the ionizable metal, which is produced within said capillary channels by the effect of surface ionization may be insufficient if the Work function of the emitter is too small.
The object of this invention is to further improve the converter of the type defined above, so as to render the ioniaztion more effective and the operation of the converter more efiicient notwithstanding the relatively small work function of the emitter.
The means provided by the present invention favor the ionization in volume of the ionizable substance on the inside of the capillary channels of the emitter in such a manner that this volume ionization effect is added to the surface ionization and thereby remedies the insufficiency thereof.
According to the present invention, a converter provided with a capillary emitter, the channels of which have at least in part a form and shape permitting the penetration of light energy from an external source, comprisesmeans to admit this light energy into the inside of these channels in order of facilitate, thanks to the action of the photons, the ionization of the atoms of the ionizable substance by a larger quantity of particles of low energy circulating on the inside of the capillary channels.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermo-electronic converter of the type described above which eliminates by simple and effective means the afore-mentioned drawbacks and shortcomings encountered in the prior art constructions.
Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a thermo-electronic energy converter in which the ionization of the ionizable metal is increased notwithstanding the relatievly low and insufiicient value of the work function of the emitter.
Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a thermo-electronic energy converter which enables a considerable improvement in the output of the converter by utilizing the dual effect of surface and volume ionization.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the ac companying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring now to the single figure of the drawing which shows for purposes of illustration only an axial crosssectional view through a thermo-electronic energy converter in acordance with the present invention, the converter illustrated therein comprises an emitter 1, for example, of tungsten, realized in such a manner as to possess capillary channels 2, for example, rectilinear capillary channels realized, for instance, by assembly of capillary tubes. One normally understands by capillary tubes cylindrical tubes or the like in which the capillary forces acting on the liquid which penetrates the same, play a preponderant role which leads in practice to a diameter generally inferior to the order of magnitude of 1 mm.
This emitter 1 is mounted in front of a transparent window 3, for example, of sapphire with respect to which the channels 2 are perpendicular. The window 3 is set into or encased in a fixed mounting 4 secured to a metallic ring 5 sealed to an insulating cylinder 6 and supporting the emitter 1 to which it is electrically connected. At the other extremity thereof, the cylinder 6 is sealed to a metallic ring 7 to which is secured a collector 8, for example, of copper. The window 3, support or mounting 4, the rings 5 and 7, the cylinder 6 and the collector 8 define a vacuum-tight enclosure which is evacuated across the pumping stem 9 out after the operation, and placed in communication across the passage 10 provided in the mounting support 4 with a reservoir 11 of ionizable material such as cesium, carried by conventional heating means 12 at a temperature at which the cesium in the channels 2 flows in an ionized flow. The cesium vapor penetrates into the capillary channels 2 through the space between the window 3 and the emitter 1. Connections 17 and are made, respectively, wit-h the ring 5 and the collector 8 to permit collecting the electric voltage produced by the converter.
A calorific and light flow is directed according to the arrows 19 with a slight inclination to a line perpendicular with respect to the window 3; the calorific and light fiow traverses this window 3, penetrates into the channels 2, and, thanks to its slight inclination, irradiates a portion of the walls of these channels 2 in such a manner as to heat the same and produce the electron emission. At the same time, certain photons of this flow facilitate the ionization of the cesium atoms under the impact of the electrons issued from the walls or other particles circulating in the capillary channels 2. The gas flow escaping the channels 2 within the enclosure is thus substantially ionized under the dual effect of surface and volume ionization.
The converter described operates then as a usual conver-ter but with an improved efiiciency which may express itself, for example, by a relative lowering of the temperature of the emitter. This improvement is due to the excitation of the cesium atoms by photons on the inside of the capillary channels 2 of the emitter 1 in such a manner as to superpos-e the effects of volume and surface ionization. The output voltage is collected at the terminals or connections 17 and 18.
It should be noted that it is not indispensible for the present invention that the capillary channels 2 'be rectilinear; they may, in contrast thereto, be curved or bent, provided they present to the entry of the light a portion sufficiently rectilinear in order that the light energy may penetrate the same. The structural realization comprising an assembly of capillary tubes is also not limitative of the present invention, as the desired form and shape -of the channels may also be obtained in a porous body sintered in any suitable conventional manner. It is understood that converters comp-rising variations of this nature fall also within the frame and spirit of the present invention.
Thus, while I have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.
I claim:
1. A thermo-electronic energy converter, comprising within an evacuated envelope: electron emissive means operative upon heating supported within said envelope, electron collecting means supporting within said envelope and electrically insulated from said electron emissive means, said electron collecting means substantially facing and spaced from said electron emissive means to define a space therebetween and made of a material having a work function lower than said electron emissive means, illumination enabling means comprising a part of said evacuated envelope, said electron emissive means being comprised of a body provided with a number of capillary channels which open at one end thereof into the space between said electron emissive means and said electron collecting means, and at the other end thereof terminate on the opposite surface of said electron emissive means and open into a second space defined by the opposite surface of said electron emissive means and said illumination enabling means, tank means containing a liquid metal having an ionizing potential lower than the work function of said electron emissive means, means interconnecting said tank means and said second space for supplying vapor from said liquid metal to the second space and thereby supply said vapor also through said channels into the space between said emissive and collecting means, said illumination enabling means serving to illuminate with visible spectrum energy the interior of said capillary channels for heating said electron emissive means to emission temperature and enhancing, by the effect of photons of said visible spectrum energy, the ionization of the atoms of said vapor.
2. The the-rmo-electronic energy converter according to claim 1 wherein the illumination enabling means admits the rays of visible spectrum energy in a direction slightly inclined at an angle with respect to the said capillary channels to an extent such that at least a portion of the internal walls of said channels are struck by said rays of energy thereby illuminating and heating said walls to emit electrons.
3. The thermo-electronic energy converter set forth in claim 1 wherein said illumination enabling means comprises a window transparent to light and comprising a part of the evacuate-d envelope, said window being spaced from and facing the opposite surface of the electron emissive means.
4. The thermo-elect-ronic energy converter according to claim 1 wherein said illumination enabling means comprises a window transparent to light and comprising a part of the evacuated envelope, said window being spaced from and facing the opposite surface of the electron emissive means and admitting the rays of visible spectrum energy in a direction slightly inclined at an anglewi-th respect to the said capillary channels to an extent such that at least a portion of the internal walls of said channels are struck by said rays of energy thereby illuminating and heating said walls to emit electrons.
References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1962 Geer 3104 6/1965 Huber et a1. 3104

Claims (1)

1. A THERMO-ELECTRONIC ENERGY CONVERTER, COMPRISING WITHIN AN EVACUATED ENVELOPE: ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS OPERATIVE UPON HEATING SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE, ELECTRON COLLECTING MEANS SUPPORTING WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE AND ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS, SAID ELECTRON COLLECTING MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY FACING AND SPACED FROM SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS TO DEFINE A SPACE THEREBETWEEN AND MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A WORK FUNCTION LOWER THAN SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS, ILLUMINATION ENABLING MEANS COMPRISING A PART OF SAID EVACUATED ENVELOPE, SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS BEING COMPRISED OF A BODY PROVIDED WITH A NUMBER OF CAPILLARY CHANNELS WHICH OPEN AT ONE END THEREOF INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS AND SAID ELECTRON COLLECTING MEANS, AND AT THE OTHER END THEREOF TERMINATER ON THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS AND OPEN INTO A SECOND SPACE DEFINED BY THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS ND SAID ILLUMINATION ENABLING MEANS, TANK MEANS CONTAINING A LIQUID METAL HAVING AN IONIZING POTENTIAL LOWER THAN THE WORK FUNCTION OF SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS, MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID TANK MEANS AND SAID SECOND SPACE FOR SUPPLYING VAPOR FROM SAID LIQUID METAL TO THE SECOND SPACE AND THEREBY SUPPLY SAID VAPOR ALSO THROUGH SAID CHANNELS INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID EMISSIVE AND COLLECTING MEANS, SAID ILLUMINATION ENABLING MEANS SERVING TO ILLUMINATE WITH VISIBLE SPECTRUM ENERGY THE INTERIOR OF SAID CAPILLARY CHANNELS FOR HEATING SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE MEANS TO EMISSION TEMPERATURE AND ENHANCING, BY THE EFFECT OF PHOTONS OF SAID VISIBLE SPECTRUM ENERGY, THE IONIZATION OF THE ATOMS OF SAID VAPOR.
US377238A 1960-05-17 1964-06-23 Thermionic energy converter with photon ionization Expired - Lifetime US3300660A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR827393A FR1265242A (en) 1960-05-17 1960-05-17 Improvements to thermoelectronic converters of thermal energy into electrical energy, in particular to the structures of their electrodes

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3300660A true US3300660A (en) 1967-01-24

Family

ID=8731552

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US108062A Expired - Lifetime US3191076A (en) 1960-05-17 1961-05-05 Energy converter
US377238A Expired - Lifetime US3300660A (en) 1960-05-17 1964-06-23 Thermionic energy converter with photon ionization

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US108062A Expired - Lifetime US3191076A (en) 1960-05-17 1961-05-05 Energy converter

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (2) US3191076A (en)
FR (1) FR1265242A (en)
GB (2) GB903375A (en)

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3899696A (en) * 1974-03-27 1975-08-12 Nasa Electric power generation system directly from laser power
US4667126A (en) * 1982-11-26 1987-05-19 Rasor Associates, Inc. Thermionic converter
US5973259A (en) * 1997-05-12 1999-10-26 Borealis Tech Ltd Method and apparatus for photoelectric generation of electricity
US6720704B1 (en) 1997-09-08 2004-04-13 Boreaiis Technical Limited Thermionic vacuum diode device with adjustable electrodes
US20040189141A1 (en) * 1997-09-08 2004-09-30 Avto Tavkhelidze Thermionic vacuum diode device with adjustable electrodes
US20060006515A1 (en) * 2004-07-09 2006-01-12 Cox Isaiah W Conical housing
US20060038290A1 (en) * 1997-09-08 2006-02-23 Avto Tavkhelidze Process for making electrode pairs
US20060226731A1 (en) * 2005-03-03 2006-10-12 Rider Nicholas A Thermotunneling devices for motorcycle cooling and power
US20070013055A1 (en) * 2005-03-14 2007-01-18 Walitzki Hans J Chip cooling
US20070053394A1 (en) * 2005-09-06 2007-03-08 Cox Isaiah W Cooling device using direct deposition of diode heat pump
US20070192812A1 (en) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-16 John Pickens Method and system for streaming digital video content to a client in a digital video network
US7427786B1 (en) 2006-01-24 2008-09-23 Borealis Technical Limited Diode device utilizing bellows
US7904581B2 (en) 2005-02-23 2011-03-08 Cisco Technology, Inc. Fast channel change with conditional return to multicasting
US8816192B1 (en) 2007-02-09 2014-08-26 Borealis Technical Limited Thin film solar cell
US10686886B2 (en) 2016-10-19 2020-06-16 Mirosoft Technology Licensing, LLC Establishing secure sessions for stateful cloud services

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1265242A (en) * 1960-05-17 1961-06-30 Csf Improvements to thermoelectronic converters of thermal energy into electrical energy, in particular to the structures of their electrodes
DE1297175B (en) * 1965-02-25 1969-06-12 Bbc Brown Boveri & Cie Thermionic energy converter
US3452224A (en) * 1965-08-18 1969-06-24 Atomic Energy Commission Method of operating a thermionic converter
US3793542A (en) * 1972-09-08 1974-02-19 Thomson Csf Thermoionic converter

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3026439A (en) * 1959-08-03 1962-03-20 Hoffman Electronics Corp Solar energy converters
US3191076A (en) * 1960-05-17 1965-06-22 Csf Energy converter

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2510397A (en) * 1946-10-02 1950-06-06 Rca Corp Heat-to-electrical energy converter
CH305872A (en) * 1951-11-19 1955-03-15 Siemens Ag Cathode for electrical discharge vessels.
US2953706A (en) * 1957-08-01 1960-09-20 Thomson Houston Comp Francaise Electric discharge device
US2980819A (en) * 1958-07-01 1961-04-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp Thermal energy converter
US3002116A (en) * 1958-11-03 1961-09-26 Gen Electric Thermionic generator
US3021472A (en) * 1958-12-15 1962-02-13 Rca Corp Low temperature thermionic energy converter

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3026439A (en) * 1959-08-03 1962-03-20 Hoffman Electronics Corp Solar energy converters
US3191076A (en) * 1960-05-17 1965-06-22 Csf Energy converter

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3899696A (en) * 1974-03-27 1975-08-12 Nasa Electric power generation system directly from laser power
US4667126A (en) * 1982-11-26 1987-05-19 Rasor Associates, Inc. Thermionic converter
US5973259A (en) * 1997-05-12 1999-10-26 Borealis Tech Ltd Method and apparatus for photoelectric generation of electricity
US7658772B2 (en) 1997-09-08 2010-02-09 Borealis Technical Limited Process for making electrode pairs
US6720704B1 (en) 1997-09-08 2004-04-13 Boreaiis Technical Limited Thermionic vacuum diode device with adjustable electrodes
US20040189141A1 (en) * 1997-09-08 2004-09-30 Avto Tavkhelidze Thermionic vacuum diode device with adjustable electrodes
US20060038290A1 (en) * 1997-09-08 2006-02-23 Avto Tavkhelidze Process for making electrode pairs
US20060006515A1 (en) * 2004-07-09 2006-01-12 Cox Isaiah W Conical housing
US7904581B2 (en) 2005-02-23 2011-03-08 Cisco Technology, Inc. Fast channel change with conditional return to multicasting
US20060226731A1 (en) * 2005-03-03 2006-10-12 Rider Nicholas A Thermotunneling devices for motorcycle cooling and power
US7798268B2 (en) 2005-03-03 2010-09-21 Borealis Technical Limited Thermotunneling devices for motorcycle cooling and power generation
US20070013055A1 (en) * 2005-03-14 2007-01-18 Walitzki Hans J Chip cooling
US7589348B2 (en) 2005-03-14 2009-09-15 Borealis Technical Limited Thermal tunneling gap diode with integrated spacers and vacuum seal
US20070053394A1 (en) * 2005-09-06 2007-03-08 Cox Isaiah W Cooling device using direct deposition of diode heat pump
US7427786B1 (en) 2006-01-24 2008-09-23 Borealis Technical Limited Diode device utilizing bellows
US20070192812A1 (en) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-16 John Pickens Method and system for streaming digital video content to a client in a digital video network
US8713195B2 (en) 2006-02-10 2014-04-29 Cisco Technology, Inc. Method and system for streaming digital video content to a client in a digital video network
US8816192B1 (en) 2007-02-09 2014-08-26 Borealis Technical Limited Thin film solar cell
US10686886B2 (en) 2016-10-19 2020-06-16 Mirosoft Technology Licensing, LLC Establishing secure sessions for stateful cloud services

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR1265242A (en) 1961-06-30
GB903375A (en) 1962-08-15
GB1035067A (en) 1966-07-06
US3191076A (en) 1965-06-22

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3300660A (en) Thermionic energy converter with photon ionization
US3201618A (en) Thermionic converter
US4843266A (en) Metal-halogen discharge lamp with conically shaped insulating elements in outer envelope
US3470393A (en) High ionization density thermionic converters
ES440664A1 (en) Fluorescent lamp with reduced wattage consumption having electrode shield with getter material
US3217189A (en) Energy converter
US3155849A (en) Thermionic converter
EP0115444B1 (en) Beam mode lamp with voltage modifying electrode
US3983423A (en) Thermionic converter
US2053879A (en) Discharge tube
US1932025A (en) Electrode positive column lamp
US3029359A (en) Thermionic electrode for discharge lamps
US3855491A (en) Hollow cathode discharge lamp for generating radiation characteristic of the gas fill within the envelope
US3313961A (en) Thermionic energy converter employing multiple reflection ionization
US3278789A (en) Cold emission cathode
US3202843A (en) Thermionic converters
US3439209A (en) Positive column gas discharge lamp employing an alloy of two metals with impedance-free terminal connections
US2524227A (en) Thermionic emitting device
US2053002A (en) Vacuum vessel
US2236289A (en) Thermionic device
US1954420A (en) Glowlamp
US1716545A (en) Geobqe m
US3278768A (en) Thermionic energy converter
US3205380A (en) Energy converter
US1758710A (en) Electron-discharge device