www.prometheus-energy.eu

Production Method Of Electrical Energy by

Enhanced Thermal Electron

Emission by the Use of Superior

Semiconductors

Project DetailsProME3ThE2US2 is a collaborative project co-funded by the European Community Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the Future Emerging Technologies theme ENERGY. 2012.10.2.1. The project has received funding from the European Union, under the Grant Agreement no: 308975.

Full Title:Production Method Of Electrical Energy by Enhanced Thermal Electron Emission by the Use of Superior Semiconductors

Duration:May 2013 to April 2016.

Coordination:Dr. Daniele Maria TrucchiProject Coordinatordaniele.trucchi@imip.cnr.it

CNR-ISMVia Salaria km 29.300 Monterotondo Scalo (RM) 00015 Italy

ProME3ThE2US2

is a collaborative project co-funded by the European Community Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and it has received funding from the European Union, under the Grant Agreement no: 308975.

May 2013/April 2016

www.cnr.it

http://english.tau.ac.il/

www.technion.ac.il

www.fraunhofer.de

www.ionvacprocess.com

www.exergy.uk.com

www.solaris-photonics.com

www.abengoa.com PETE 2014June 23-24, 2014

http://avikribus.wix.com/pete2014

The ProME3ThE2US2 project aims to create, validate and implement high efficiency innovative solid-state mechanisms to directly convert concentrated solar radiation into electric energy. The primary demand for these systems may come from energy if the technology will realize the high efficiency and the potential for cost effectiveness.

The energy conversion process used exploits high density radiation with enhanced electron emission using the energy from incoming light by utilizing physical properties of semi conductors to work at high tem-peratures. The high operating temperatures are also connected to the possibility of exploiting the residual thermal energy into electric energy by thermo-mechanical conversion. It is estimated that the proposed te-chnology could achieve a conversion efficiency of 45% if used under high intense solar irradiations.

The project will develop a “proof-of-concept” converter working under vacuum conditions composed of a semiconductor cathode able to ex-ploit almost all the solar radiation spectrum and efficiently emit elec-trons towards a properly developed anode, separated from the cathode by an inter-electrode spacing.

The concept

ProME3ThE2US2

Objective 1

Objective 2

Objective 3

Objective 4

Objective 5

To develop thin-film semiconductors and materials able to operate stably at high temperature under vacuum conditions without degradation and also avoiding thermal energy losses.

To develop an advanced solar radiation absorber able to exploit IR part of solar spectrum and provide temperatures in the range 200-1000º C as a function of radiation concentration ratio.

To design and fabricate an innovative active cathode, that efficiently emits electrons both via thermionic and photo-enhanced mechanisms for the direct solar to electrical energy conversion.

To carry out a monolithic integration of different components with mechanical, optical, electrical and thermal matching.

To design and perform simulations of an indirect thermodynamic-to-electric recovery system.

Objectives

The success of the project will offer a sig-nificant alternative for high-temperature ope-rations to the most ad-vanced photovoltaic cells, by overcoming issues correlated to intrinsic temperature limitations caused by a semiconductor

Use of band gap and over band gap photon energy for photon enhanced thermionic emission

Use of sub-band gap IR radiation to augment the thermionic emission from the cathode

Development of advanced engineered semiconductors

Experimentation of advanced semiconductor cathodes for electron emission enhancement

Recovery of exhaust heat from the anode by thermo-mechanical conversion

junction structure and by allowing maximum use of the thermal energy, actually was-ted in standard photo-voltaic conversion.

Vacuum Encapsulation

CONCENTRATED SOLAR

RADIATION

Interelectrode Space

hv

hv

hv

HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM

IR ABSORBER COMPONENT CATHODE ANODE

ZLOAD