Numerical modeling and Simulation of Thermophotovoltaic Cell using COMSOL

Abstract

In recent years, Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) have become a hot and essential research area due to the increase in requirement of electrical energy at global level as well as the scarcity on other fossil fuels. TPV is a technology which uses the application of photovoltaic diodes for generating electricity from thermal radiation. This process is generally achieved by using thermal emitters that are heated to a temperature greater than 800º C. In this work, we have designed a circular TPV cell using Silicon Carbide as an emitter and Gallium Antimonide as solar PV cells. The emitter is operated at a heat varying from 1000 K to 2000 K using parametric solver at a regular interval of 100 K. We have analyzed how the heat transfers with surface to surface radiation at a stationary condition. The temperature distribution and electrical power output of TPV cell is also observed. It is observed that the proposed TPV cell produces a maximum of 27000 W/m2 electrical power output at an emitter temperature of 1700 K and solar temperature of 1300 K.