THERMOELECTRIC BATTERY Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC H01L35/32 

FIELD: electricity.

SUBSTANCE: in a thermoelectric battery thermal element anisotropy of thermal conductivity is artificially created. The thermoelectric battery comprises thermal elements, branches of which are made of semiconductors of p- and n-type, divided by electric insulation, and switching plates, at the same time branches of thermal elements are made at the angle relative to heat-absorbing and heat-releasing surfaces of the thermal element, and current height of the branch L_c is selected in the range where h - dimensional height of the thermal element branch, mm, L_c - current height of the thermal element branch, mm, δ - element-to-element gap between branches of p and n types (electric insulation), mm, k_mat - average integral specific heat conductivity of thermal element material, λ - medium - specific heat conductivity of the medium filling the gap δ between branches, At the same time cross section of the thermal element branch parallel to current lines is a parallelogram with the angle of inclination α of the base to the heat-absorbing side of the thermal element, or a chevron, parallel or equidistant sides of which adjoin the heat-absorbing and heat-releasing sides of the thermal element, or a circular sector, toroidal surfaces of which form side surfaces of thermal element branches, and surfaces that adjoin the heat-absorbing and heat-releasing sides of the thermal element, are equidistant to these surfaces. The angle of inclination of the thermal element branch to the heat-absorbing side α shall be equal to or more than the value determined from the ratio

EFFECT: increased current height and thermal resistance of thermal element branches in the limited volume by height, due to which it becomes possible to increase temperature difference at soldered joints with preserved density of thermal flux, as a result of which efficiency of thermal energy conversion is increased in a thermoelectric device.

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