FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE THERMOTUNNEL ENERGY CONVERTER

THE THERMOTUNNEL ENERGY CONVERTER CAN IN PRINCIPLE PROVIDE AMEANS OF CONVERTING HEAT TO ELECTRICITY WITHOUT MOVING PARTSWHICH IS MARKEDLY SUPERIOR TO PRESENT THERMIONIC AND THERMOELECTRIC CONVERTERS WITH RESPECT TO EFFICIENCY AND POWER DENSITY. FUNDAMENTAL LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING STATIC ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS ARE CIRCUMVENTED IN THE THERMOTUNNEL ENERGY CONVERTER BY USING QUANTUM MECHANICAL TUNNELLING AS THE ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT MECHANISM. THERMAL TRANSPORT IS MINIMIZED BY GREATLY REDUCING LATTICE CONDUCTION WITH INTERCALATED ATOMS AND BY CUTTING THERMAL RADIATION WITH MULTIPLE CONDUCTIVE INTERFACES. PHASE I IS TO IDENTIFY GRAPHITE MATERIALS TO BE USED, EXAMINE THE EXISTING ANALYTICAL MODEL, AND DEFINE THE EXPERIMENTAL NEEDSTO REDUCE THE CONCEPT TO PRACTICE IN PHASE II. PHASE II WOULD BE TO RABRICATE DEVICES, MEASURE THEIR TEST CHARACTERISTICS, AND REFINE THE ANALYTICAL MODEL TO DETERMINE THE PRACTICAL POTENTIAL OF THE TECHNOLOGY.