jap banner
  • Volume/Page
  • Keyword
  • DOI
  • Citation
  • Advanced
   
 
 
 

Flickr Twitter UniPHY Group iResearch App Facebook

Journal of Applied Physics / Volume 107 / Issue 9 / ARTICLES / Lasers, Optics, and Optoelectronics

J. Appl. Phys. 107, 093106 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3419716 (8 pages)

Thermophotonic heat pump—a theoretical model and numerical simulations

Jani Oksanen and Jukka Tulkki

Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science, Aalto University, School of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 12200, FI-00076, AALTO Finland

View MapView Map

(Received 11 September 2009; accepted 8 April 2010; published online 4 May 2010)

We have recently proposed a solid state heat pump based on photon mediated heat transfer between two large-area light emitting diodes coupled by the electromagnetic field and enclosed in a semiconductor structure with a nearly homogeneous refractive index. Ideally the thermophotonic heat pump (THP) allows heat transfer at Carnot efficiency but in reality there are several factors that limit the efficiency. The efficient operation of the THP is based on the following construction factors and operational characteristics: (1) broad area semiconductor diodes to enable operation at optimal carrier density and high efficiency, (2) recycling of the energy of the emitted photons, (3) elimination of photon extraction losses by integrating the emitting and the absorbing diodes within a single semiconductor structure, and (4) eliminating the reverse thermal conduction by a nanometer scale vacuum layer between the diodes. In this paper we develop a theoretical model for the THP and study the fundamental physical limitations and potential of the concept. The results show that even when the most important losses of the THPs are accounted for, the THP has potential to outperform the thermoelectric coolers especially for heat transfer across large temperature differences and possibly even to compete with conventional small scale compressor based heat pumps.

© 2010 American Institute of Physics

Article Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. THEORY
    1. The THP
    2. Steady state photon distribution
    3. Full spectrum
    4. Heat transfer and electrical power
  3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
  4. CONCLUSIONS

RELATED DATABASES

To view database links for this article, you need to log in.

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

carrier density, electromagnetic fields, heat conduction, heat pumps, light emitting diodes, numerical analysis, refractive index, semiconductor diodes, thermoelectricity

PACS

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3419716

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0021-8979 (print)  
1089-7550 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.
    P. Han, K. Jin, Y. Zhou, X. Wang, Z. Ma, S. F. Ren, A. G. Malśhukov, and K. A. Chao, J. Appl. Phys. 99, 074504 (2006)JAPIAU000099000007074504000001.

    R. S. DiMatteo, P. Greiff, S. L. Finberg, K. A. Young-Waithe, H. K. H. Choy, M. M. Masaki, and C. G. Fonstad, AIP Conf. Proc. 653, 232 (2003)APCPCS000653000001000232000001.

    I. Schnitzer, E. Yablonovitch, C. Caneau, and T. J. Gmitter, Appl. Phys. Lett. 62, 131 (1993)APPLAB000062000002000131000001.


For access to citing articles, you need to log in.


Figures (8) Tables (1)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)



Close

Google Calendar

ADVERTISEMENT

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. Thermophotonic heat pump—a theoretical model and numerical simulations
  2. Reversibility and coercivity of Fe-alloy/Fe:SiO2 multilayers
  3. Geometry induced entanglement transitions in nanostructures
  4. Magnetic nanostructures for the manipulation of individual nanoscale particles in liquid environments (invited)
  5. Microwave circuit model of the three-port transistor laser
Go to AIP Home
Copyright © American Institute of Physics
close