Thermionic Power Cell To Harness Heat Energies for Geothermal Applications

A unit thermionic power cell (TPC) concept has been developed that converts natural heat found in high-temperature environments (460 to 700 ºC) into electrical power for in situ instruments and electronics. Thermionic emission of electrons occurs when an emitter filament is heated to “white hot” temperatures (>1,000 ºC) allowing electrons to overcome the potential barrier and emit into the vacuum. These electrons are then collected by an anode, and transported to the external circuit for energy storage.