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WO2002054445A2 - Pile a photons - Google Patents

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Publication number
WO2002054445A2
WO2002054445A2 PCT/SG2001/000257 SG0100257W WO02054445A2 WO 2002054445 A2 WO2002054445 A2 WO 2002054445A2 SG 0100257 W SG0100257 W SG 0100257W WO 02054445 A2 WO02054445 A2 WO 02054445A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
radioactive
power cell
cell according
fluorescent material
photon power
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.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/SG2001/000257
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English (en)
Other versions
WO2002054445A3 (fr
Inventor
Guy Andrew Vaz
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.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of WO2002054445A2 publication Critical patent/WO2002054445A2/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Publication of WO2002054445A3 publication Critical patent/WO2002054445A3/fr
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21H—OBTAINING ENERGY FROM RADIOACTIVE SOURCES; APPLICATIONS OF RADIATION FROM RADIOACTIVE SOURCES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; UTILISING COSMIC RADIATION
    • G21H1/00—Arrangements for obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources, e.g. from radioactive isotopes, nuclear or atomic batteries
    • G21H1/12—Cells using conversion of the radiation into light combined with subsequent photoelectric conversion into electric energy
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
    • H10F77/00—Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass
    • H10F77/40—Optical elements or arrangements
    • H10F77/42—Optical elements or arrangements directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
    • H10F77/45—Wavelength conversion means, e.g. by using luminescent material, fluorescent concentrators or up-conversion arrangements
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
    • H10F77/00—Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass
    • H10F77/80—Arrangements for preventing damage to photovoltaic cells caused by corpuscular radiation, e.g. for space applications
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/52—PV systems with concentrators

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electrical power generation and is particularly concerned with providing a photon power cell for converting the energy of photons of light into electrical energy.
  • a photon power cell comprising:
  • At least one photo-electric cell at least one photo-electric cell, and an artificially-energised fluorescent material wherein photons from the artificially-energised fluorescent material are converted into electrical energy by the photo-electric cell.
  • the artificially-energised fluorescent material preferably comprises a radioactive- energised fluorescent material. It is, however, contemplated that other, non-radioactive energised artificial fluorescents which do not require sunlight, such as chemical fluorescents and bio-chemical fluorescents, could be used in the present invention.
  • the photo-electric cell comprises a plurality of solar cells and the artificially-energised fluorescent material is applied to each of the solar cells.
  • Each solar cell wafer may conveniently comprise an industry standard silicon wafer of P-type material with diffused coatings of N-type material, such as phosphorus, applied to both major surfaces of the wafer.
  • solar cells may be utilised in the present invention, for example a solar cell having a wafer of N-type material between layers of P-type material.
  • the photo-electric cell preferably includes one or more layers of a filter material which is substantially transparent to photons within a required frequency spectrum to produce the photo-electric effect, but which absorbs unwanted radioactive particles from the radioactive energised fluorescent material.
  • the layers of filter material are preferably provided between the or each solar cell wafer and the radioactive-energised fluorescent material.
  • the or each filter layer comprises glass to which radioactive particle absorbing material is added.
  • the radioactive energised fluorescent material may be applied to the filter layers either as a continuous coating or as a discontinuous coating, such as in substantially parallel lines or as a sputter sprayed coating.
  • the radioactive energised fluorescent material is preferably a chemical-radioactive fluorescent.
  • suitable chemical-radioactive fluorescents suitable for use in the present invention include uranium-fluoride based fluorescents tritium-phosphorus fluorescents and promethium based fluorescents. It will, however, be appreciated that various other chemical-radioactive fluorescent materials may be used in the present invention, including "light fluorescents" in fluid form which are suitable for use in larger power applications.
  • Figure 1 is an enlarged cross-section through a photon power cell in accordance with the invention
  • Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a photon power cell comprising radioactive fluorescent material interposed between a plurality of solar cell wafers;
  • Figure 3 is a front or rear view of a photon power cell showing the radioactive fluorescent material applied in parallel lines;
  • Figure 4 is a front or rear view of a photon power cell showing the radioactive fluorescent material applied as a sputter spray coating
  • Figure 5 is a schematic view of a photon power cell comprising a solar cell stack using a light fluorescent.
  • the photon power cell shown in Figure 1 comprises a solar cell wafer 10 with filter layers 15 applied to both major surfaces of the solar cell wafer 10, and coatings 20 of chemical-radioactive material applied to the filter layers 16.
  • the solar cell wafer 10 may conveniently be formed from an industry standard solar cell comprising: coatings 12 of N-type material, applied to both major surfaces of a silicon wafer 14 of P-type material.
  • the silicon wafer 14 is typically about 200 mm in diameter.
  • the thickness of the wafer 14 may be 300 microns ( ⁇ m) or less.
  • the wafer has a thickness in the range of 5 to 25 microns ( ⁇ m), more preferably about 15 microns ( ⁇ m).
  • the N-type material preferably comprising diffused coatings 12 of phosphorus.
  • the boundary between each phosphorus coating 12 and the silicon wafer 14 constitutes a P-N junction across which an electric potential is developed when photons within a particular range of wavelengths impinge upon the solar cell wafer.
  • the thickness of silicon wafer is preferably such as to create a photo-electric effect for photons within the blue-green spectrum of light.
  • a conducting grid 16 is applied to both sides of each phosphorus coating 12.
  • Silver is the preferred material for the conducting grids because of its high electrical conductivity and easy diffusion to the phosphorus (N-type) material.
  • the thickness of each conducting grid 16 is preferably about 50-75 microns ( ⁇ m) high.
  • the lines of the silver conducting grids 16 are preferably about 150-200 microns ( ⁇ m) wide and are placed about 2mm apart.
  • Both sides of the silicon wafer 10 are passivated with filter layers 15.
  • the coatings 20 of chemical-radioactive fluorescent material are then applied to the outer surfaces of the filter layers 15.
  • the fluorescent material coating 20 has two parts: a chemical-radioactive component and a fluorescing component.
  • the chemical-radioactive component causes the fluorescing component to glow brightly thereby providing the light source for the photon power cell.
  • the light source in turn provides the solar wafer 10 with photons which are converted into electrical energy at the P-N junction. Generally, a brighter light source will produce more photons and therefore more power is generated by the photon power cell.
  • Tritium-phosphorus One chemical-radioactive fluorescent which has been used in a prototype power cell in accordance with the invention is tritium-phosphorus.
  • other types of chemical-radioactive fluorescents can be used in the present invention, such as uranium- fluoride based fluorescents which can provide brighter light in a broad spectrum for several years.
  • Tritium-phosphorus has a much shorter half-life of about 15 years. It is estimated that a tritium based photon power cell can effectively last for 7-10 years.
  • Tritium-phosphorous fluorescents can be further enhanced by doping the phosphor with titanium and/or by adding thallium to the tritium-phosphorous compound. These additional elements boost the fluorescence of the phosphorous.
  • Another type of chemical-radioactive fluorescent which is contemplated is a promethium-based fluorescent.
  • Promethium is a powerful source of electrons and has a Beta decay of 220keN and a half-life of about 2.5 years. This would be suitable for small products with high power requirements.
  • the filter layers 15 are provided to protect the P-N junctions of the solar cell wafers
  • the filter layers 15 preferably comprise glass with a radioactive-absorbing material such as gold and/or lead and/or graphite power added to the glass.
  • leaded glass with about 0.05% lead is used, though it is envisaged that higher energy radioactive materials, such as radium, uranium or plutonium energised fluorescents will require higher levels of gold, lead or graphite to be added to the glass and may also require thicker glass deposition.
  • radioactive materials such as radium, uranium or plutonium energised fluorescents will require higher levels of gold, lead or graphite to be added to the glass and may also require thicker glass deposition.
  • the fluorescent material 20 may be applied to the glass filter layers 15 in a number of different ways.
  • Figure 3 shows the fluorescent material 20 applied in parallel lines 22, whereas
  • Figure 4 shows the fluorescent material 20 applied to the glass filter layer 15 as a sputter spray 24.
  • concentrated fluorescent tritium was sputter sprayed onto the glass to a thickness of about 200 microns ( ⁇ m) to cover approximately 30% of the total surface of the glass filter layer 15. Whilst it is possible for the fluorescent coating 20 to cover the glass filter surface completely, this is generally not preferred for two reasons. First, the gaps allow more light to. pass through and be bounced around between two wafers in a multi-layer photon power cell (see Fig 2). Secondly, less heat is produced, thus reducing or eliminating a need for a cooling system. Tritium in gaseous form may be injected when it is required, for example before transporting the power cell.
  • FIG. 2 there is shown schematically a photon power cell comprising a stack of solar cell wafers 10 disposed between a plurality of layers of chemical- radioactive fluorescent material 20.
  • Each solar cell wafer 10 is preferably of the same construction as described with reference to Figure 1, having a silicon wafer of P-type material sandwiched between coatings of N-type material with conducting grids on each side of the P-N junctions.
  • Glass filter layers 15 are provided between the layers of chemical-radioactive fluorescent material 20 and the solar cell wafers 10, and it will be appreciated that in the stack of Figure 2 the chemical-radioactive fluorescent material 20 may be applied as coatings to the interposed glass filter layers 15 as described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 3 or Figure 4.
  • the same or similar materials may be used for the solar cell wafers 10, the filter layers 15 and the chemical-radioactive fluorescent layers 20 as described with reference to Figure 1.
  • a stack of eleven silicon solar cell wafers were packaged into a cell housing made of 0.2 mm stainless steel, with a cover separated from the base with silicone rubber.
  • photons emanating from the fluorescent material 20 between solar cell wafers 10 may bounce back and forth between the wafers 10 on each side. This enhances the capture and conversion of photons into electrical energy.
  • electric terminals connected to the conducting grids of each solar cell wafer 10 of the stack can be arranged in series to produce more power than the single solar cell wafer 10 of Figure 1.
  • a photon power cell containing a stack of eleven solar cell wafers 10 having 22 sides treated as described above with filter layers 15 and chemical- radioactive fluorescent materials 20 could produce about 220 watts of electrical power.
  • 120 cells coupled in series could produce about 26 kilowatts.
  • this many cells coupled together is likely to require a cooling system, possibly in the form of an inner and outer jacket to contain a liquid or air coolant.
  • a photon power cell in accordance with the present invention has many different applications as exemplified by the following list of applications when continuous or sputter-sprayed coatings or light fluorescent coatings are used:
  • Light fluorescents can be provided in liquid or gaseous form and pumped into the power cell when electrical energy is needed and pumped out of the cell when energy is not required.
  • the light fluorescents could be contained separately in a modular system.
  • the photon power cell of Figure 5 comprises a stack 30 of solar cell wafers contained in a casing 32 having positive (+) and negative (-) terminals.
  • a channel 34 for a liquid light fluorescent is provided at the bottom of the stack 30 and a channel 36 for an inert gas, such as helium, is provided at the top of the stack 30.
  • the bottom and top channels 34, 36 are connected by valves 35, 37 to a reservoir 38 for the liquid light fluorescent 40 and for inert gas 42.
  • a two-way metering pump 44 is provided for pumping light fluorescent 40 to and from the bottom channel 34.
  • the solar wafer stack 30 may have further channels for light fluorescent between the solar cell wafers and into which the light fluorescent is pumped when the cell is required for use.
  • the light fluorescent photon power cell of Figure 5 may take a few minutes from the start of pumping to produce peak power. During this time, an industry standard battery or capacitor may be used in conjunction with the photon power cell as standby power. In order to satisfy larger power requirements, it will be appreciated that a plurality of photon power cells of the type shown in Figure 5 may be provided in series.
  • an inert gas such as Xenon or Krypton
  • an inert gas such as Xenon or Krypton
  • the addition of such inert gases broadens the spectrum of the light photons.
  • a phosphorous fluorescent by itself may provide a spectrum from 400-600 nanometres (nm)
  • the addition of an inert gas may broaden the spectrum to approximately 300-900 nanometres.
  • This "white light" spectrum provides more latitude in designing the photoelectric cells.
  • a very thin photovoltaic cell e.g.
  • Photon power cells in accordance with the invention can provide continuous electrical power for several years in small portable packages.
  • a photon power cartridge measuring 25 mm by 50 mm by 10 mm thick could power a mobile hand phone for about seven years
  • a 100 mm by 100 mm by 1.2 thick cartridge could power a notebook computer for about seven years
  • a larger photon power package measuring 1.2m long x 200 mm by 200 mm could supply an electric vehicle with about 32 kw for about 10 years continuously.
  • a photon cell construction for a hand phone may be as follows.
  • the fluorescent is deposited on a 25-micron silicon wafer and electrical grid lines are etched deep into the silicon wafer. The wafer is cut in " smaller pieces 3cm by 3cm. The fluorescent compound with the radioactive isotope incorporated into the mixture is deposited onto the 3cm by 3cm cell. A reinforcing back plane is attached for strength and to improve connectivity to the other photovoltaic cells.
  • the "Photon cell” comprising the reinforcing and connecting back plane, the photovoltaic cell, the radioactive isotope and fluorescent compound, is about 60-70 microns thick.
  • the 22 photon cells are layered one on top of another and connected in series to achieve a 3 volts power supply.
  • the 3-volt pack is about 1.8 millimeter thick (including the resin packing). 3 of these packs may be placed one on top of each other and connected in parallel to provide the desired wattage.
  • the entire photon pack is about 6 millimeter thick and measures 3.1 cm by 3.2 cm. It may be encased in an airtight stainless case made of 0.2 millimeter stainless steel, with only the electrical leads protruding.
  • the finished product comprises a photon pack, a power regulator chip (which may be a standard item), and a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery.
  • Promethium may be used in packs for Military transceivers and Military Battlefield computers whilst Tritium may be used for civilian applications.
  • the _ civilian - applications have less than half the power of the military applications.
  • the photovoltaic cells are much thicker, each layer is 90-100 micron thick and each layer is packed in a less dense configuration.
  • the radioactive isotope and fluorescent mixture is waxy and more fluid than the mixture in hand phones which is a very viscous paste and hardens in time to form a strong bonded layer. The more fluid mixture in this application provides much greater resistance to knocks, shocks, and rough use.
  • the casing is further reinforced.
  • the same power-regulating chip e.g. purchased from Infinion
  • a Lithium Ion or Metal Hydride rechargeable battery is used.
  • the military units have the option of using "Carbon-Carbon Ultra Capacitors” instead of rechargeable batteries.
  • the design for the electric car is a mobile self-contained unit that can be used as an auxiliary generator for any home, boat, etc.
  • the photovoltaic cells are very large, measuring about 200 millimeters (8 inches) in diameter.
  • the photovoltaic cells are also thicker i.e. approximately 100 microns.
  • the fluoroscent material is the same as in the military transceivers but the coating is very much thicker at about 200-300 microns.
  • the next significant difference is the flow grid. Since the cells are so large, a grid of channels is formed into layers of fluorescent material to allow the radioactive isotope gas to flow more freely.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une pile à photons qui possède au moins une pile photoélectrique (10), au moins une couche de verre filtrant (15) et un matériau fluorescent excité artificiellement (20), lequel matériau produit des photons qui sont convertis en énergie électrique par la pile photoélectrique (10). Cette pile photoélectrique (10) peut être une plaquette de silicium de pile solaire conventionnelle (14) avec des revêtements (12) de phosphore appliqués sur les surfaces de la plaquette (10). Le matériau fluorescent est de préférence un matériau fluorescent excité radioactif, et dans ce cas, une couche de verre filtrant (15) contient du plomb, de l'or et/ou du graphite pour protéger la jonction PN de la pile solaire (10) de particules radioactives indésirables provenant du matériau fluorescent excité radioactif (20), tout en étant transparente aux photons dans un spectre de fréquence voulu pour produire un effet photoélectrique. Plusieurs piles solaires (10) peuvent être placées dans un empilement entre des couches ou des revêtements du matériau fluorescent excité artificiellement (20) pour former des piles qui peuvent alimenter des dispositifs électriques tels que des téléphones mobiles ou des véhicules électriques pendant plusieurs années.
PCT/SG2001/000257 2000-12-28 2001-12-21 Pile a photons Ceased WO2002054445A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SG200002680 2000-12-28
SG200007680-2 2000-12-28

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002054445A2 true WO2002054445A2 (fr) 2002-07-11
WO2002054445A3 WO2002054445A3 (fr) 2004-02-19

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Family Applications (1)

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PCT/SG2001/000257 Ceased WO2002054445A2 (fr) 2000-12-28 2001-12-21 Pile a photons

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WO (1) WO2002054445A2 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN112837840A (zh) * 2019-11-25 2021-05-25 深圳鼎邦能源科技有限公司 一种氚同位素电池制成方法

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2706375C3 (de) * 1977-02-15 1982-08-26 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München Anzeigeanordnung mit einer Lichtventilvorrichtung, insbesondere einer Flüssigkristallzelle
JPS61259577A (ja) * 1985-05-14 1986-11-17 Toshiba Corp 放射線検出装置
WO1990007797A1 (fr) * 1988-12-29 1990-07-12 Cota Albert O Module de puissance auto-entretenue
JPH0513794A (ja) * 1991-07-04 1993-01-22 Ricoh Co Ltd 蛍光増感型光電変換素子
US5396141A (en) * 1993-07-30 1995-03-07 Texas Instruments Incorporated Radioisotope power cells
JPH0886981A (ja) * 1994-09-14 1996-04-02 Nikon Corp 紫外線光源心出し工具

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN112837840A (zh) * 2019-11-25 2021-05-25 深圳鼎邦能源科技有限公司 一种氚同位素电池制成方法
CN112837840B (zh) * 2019-11-25 2024-04-19 深圳鼎邦能源科技有限公司 一种氚同位素电池制成方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
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