THERMOPHOTOVOLTAIC APPARATUS HAVING REFORMER FOR GENERATING HYDROGEN

• Main Authors: KWON, OH CHAE, LEE, SANG IK, UM, DONG HYUN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 16.05.2014
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRA-REDRADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, E.G. USINGPHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS

The present invention relates to a thermophotovoltaic apparatus which has a reformer for generating hydrogen. The thermophotovoltaic apparatus having a reformer for generating hydrogen includes: an emitter which is formed to penetrate an exhaust path and includes a large diameter part and a small diameter part which is extended from the large diameter part and has a smaller diameter than the large diameter part; a shield unit which surrounds the outer surface of the emitter and forms a separation space for making fuel flow in and burn by being separately arranged from the outer surface of the emitter; the reformer which forms a reforming space between the reformer and the outer surface of the shield unit so that hydrogenated nitrogen (NxHy) injected from the outside is pyrolyzed into nitrogen and hydrogen by receiving combustion heat from the separation space; a photoconversion unit which surrounds the outer surface of the reformer and converts light which is generated from the shield unit into electricity; and a flame maintaining unit which is mounted on the outer circumference surface of the small diameter part by forming a spiral swirl pattern in the outer circumference surface so that a stay length of flame is increased after the fuel burns. By the present invention, the thermophotovoltaic apparatus having a reformer for generating hydrogen not only generates electric power by using light energy which is generated during the combustion of environment-friendly fuel but also is able to generate hydrogen without a separate power supply by reforming hydrogenated gas by using combustion heat.