Thermoelectric generators

• US 3,116,167 A
• Filed: 03/21/1960
• Issued: 12/31/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mostafa E. Talaat
• Original Assignee: Mostafa E. Talaat
• Inventors: Talaat, Mostafa E.
• Application Number:
  US04/016,266
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• US Class Current: 136/210
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/13 characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction

Claims

1. A THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF THERMOELECTRIC PANELS, EACH SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANEL HAVING A PAIR OF SIDES BETWEEN WHICH ARE DISPOSED A PLURALITY OF THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENTS HAVING DISSIMILAR THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTIES, SAID THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENTS BEING CONNECTED AND DISPOSED WITHIN SAID PANEL SO THAT THERMOELECTRIC JUNCTIONS OF ONE TYPE ARE FORMED ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID PANEL AND THERMOELECTRIC JUNCTIONS OF ANOTHER TYPE ARE FORMED ADJACENT THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PANEL, SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANELS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND ARRANGED SO THAT AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF EACH OF SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANELS FACES A SIDE OF ANOTHER THERMOLECTRIC PANEL AND THAT FACING SIDES OF SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANELS ARE EACH ADJACENT THERMOELECTRIC JUNCTIONS OF THE SAME TYPE, A FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE CONDUIT DISPOSED ADJACENT AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AND IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH SIDES OF SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANELS WHICH ARE ADJACENT THERMOLECTRIC JUNCTIONS OF ONE OF SAID TYPES, A SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE CONDUIT DISPOSED ADJACENT AND IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH SIDES OF SAID THERMOLECTRIC PANELS WHICH ARE ADJACENT THERMOELECTRIC JUNCTIONS OF THE OTHER OF SAID TYPES, SAID HEAT EXCHANGE CONDUITS BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY HOT AND COLD FLUIDS, RESPECTIVELY, AND PASS THEM IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE RESPECTIVE TYPES OF THERMOELECTRIC JUNCTIONS ADJACENT WHICHSAID CONDUITS ARE DISPOSED, SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE CONDUIT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF HEAT EXCHANGE TUBES DISPOSED IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP ALONG THEIR ADJACENT PANEL SIDES, SAID GENEATOR FURTHER INCLUDING AT LEAST A PAIR FO HEADERS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE CONDUIT, THE TUBES OF SAID FIRST CONDUIT BEING ALTERNATELY CONNECTED TO ONE AND THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF ASSOCIATED HEADERS SO THAT THE FLUID FLOWING THROUGH SAID FIRST CONDUIT DIVIDES INTO TWO PORTIONS WHICH FLOW IN COUNTERFLOW RELATION TO EACH OTHER TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY UNIFORM TEMPERATURE ACROSS THE ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANEL BY HEAT EXCHANGE BETWEEN SAID TUBES AND THE ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID THERMOELECTRIC PANEL.