Development of an alkali metal converter for the highly efficient direct conversion of heat into electricity (AMTEC-D)

Project name

Development of an alkali metal converter for the highly efficient direct conversion of heat into electricity (AMTEC-D)

Project duration

01.04.2017 - 30.04.2020

Brief description

Innovative systems for the efficient use of high-temperature waste heat are needed to meet the challenges of the goals set by the energy transition to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies. The alkali metal-driven converter to be developed in this project for the direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy (Alkali-Metal-Thermo-Electrical-Converter = AMTEC) appears to be extremely suitable for this purpose. AMTEC systems were developed for the power supply of space probes and have already been successfully used there. As such direct conversion processes do not require any moving machine parts, they are practically maintenance-free, can be used very flexibly and can adapt perfectly to fluctuating load conditions. As they only require a sufficient temperature difference as a drive, they can be used in combination with all relevant heat sources. The heat source for the system to be developed can be waste heat from technological processes, heat from solar receivers, waste heat from vehicle engines or heat generated during hydrogen production. So far, unresolved material and manufacturing problems have made large-scale, terrestrial use of such converters difficult. The progress achieved by the applicants in the fields of materials research and innovative manufacturing processes opens up new possibilities for the future use of AMTEC in the field of renewable energy conversion technologies, the hydrogen economy and industrial waste heat utilization. The aim of the project is to develop a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and economically competitive AMTEC using novel ceramic materials and innovative laser processes, to build a prototype and to test it under practical conditions in various fields of application. The aim is to achieve a conversion efficiency of more than 20%.

Cooperation partner

• Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy Technology, TU Dresden
• Chair of Industrial Environmental Economics, TU Dresden
• Chair of Thermal Energy Machines and Systems, TU Dresden
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, (KIT) (Germany)
• TU Bergakademie Freiberg, - (Germany)
• Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, (HZDR) (Germany)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, (IKTS) (Germany)

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