| 摘要 |
A thermionic paired-tube bank designed for use as a tubular heat exchanger for generating electricity, preferably from heat produced by a power generation system, is provided. The thermionic paired-tube bank comprises a plurality of paired-tube thermoelectric couples and a plurality of (second) electrical connections. Each paired-tube thermoelectric couple comprises a first tube comprising n-type semiconductor material and a coolant channel through the first tube, a second tube comprising p-type semiconductor material and a coolant channel through the second tube, and a first electrical connection which connects the first tube and the second tube in parallel relation. The second electrical connections connect one paired-tube thermo-electric couple to another such that the paired-tube thermoelectric couples are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. In another embodiment of the tubular heat exchanger, the thermoelectric couples are connected electrically in parallel and thermally in parallel. |
