The invention relates to a portable heating system that in a first instance provides heat and in a second instance provides a source of electrical current from thermo electric modules where the produced electrical energy is intended to be forwarded to a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery serves as a current source for the portable heating system e.g. for driving the fuel pump and air fans. When the rechargeable battery is replenished with electrical energy a control is configured to switch the by the thermo electrical modules generated electrical energy to selected power consumers arranged with the portable heating system in order to facilitate the thermo electrical modules to keep the intended quality serving as a heat pump for transferring the produced heat from a burner to a transportation media for releasing the heat in the designated intended area.

Disclosed is a compound semiconductor material with excellent performance and its utilization. The compound semiconductor may be expressed by Chemical Formula 1 below:
M1.sub.aCo.sub.4Sb.sub.12-xM2.sub.x  Chemical Formula 1 where M1 and M2 are respectively at least one selected from In and a rare earth metal element, 0≤a≤1.8, and 0≤x≤0.6.

An integrated circuit system, structure and/or component is provided that includes an integrated electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly energy harvesting element or component. The energy harvesting component provides a mechanism for generating autonomous renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in the integrated circuit system, structure and/or component. The energy harvesting element includes a first conductor layer, a low work function layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conductor layer that are particularly configured to promote electron migration from the low work function layer, through the dielectric layer, to the facing surface of the second conductor layer in a manner that develops an electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. An energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase a power output of the electric harvesting component.

Thermal management systems comprising a thermoelectric component, a two-phase heat transfer unit, and a controller. The heat transfer unit has a phase-transition chamber and microfeatures in the phase-transition chamber that induce capillary forces to a working fluid that drives the working fluid through the phase-transition chamber. The controller is configured to operate the thermoelectric component and the heat transfer unit such that the heat transfer unit cools one side of the thermoelectric component to a first temperature and the thermoelectric component changes the temperature of a target material on its other side to a second temperature of +/−60° C. of the first temperature within 0.5-20 seconds.

An electrically-powered device, structure and/or component is provided that includes an attached autonomous electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly structure that is configured to transform thermal energy at any temperature above absolute zero to an electric potential without any external stimulus including physical movement or deformation energy. The autonomous electrical power source component provides a mechanism for generating renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, as primary or auxiliary power for the electrically-powered device, structure and/or component. The autonomous electrical power source component is formed of one or more elements, each of which includes a first conductor having a surface with a comparatively low work function, a second conductor having a surface with the comparatively high work function and a dielectric layer on a scale of 200 nm or less interposed between the conductors.

Devices, systems, and techniques are described that relate to the monitoring of various types of components in industrial systems. These include battery-less monitors that run on power harvested from their environments, systems for acquiring monitor data for the components in a facility, and/or techniques for processing monitor data to reliably determine the status of individual components and other system parameters.

Various articles and devices can be manufactured to take advantage of a what is believed to be a novel thermodynamic cycle in which spontaneity is due to an intrinsic entropy equilibration. The novel thermodynamic cycle exploits the quantum phase transition between quantum thermalization and quantum localization. Preferred devices include a phonovoltaic cell, a rectifier and a conductor for use in an integrated circuit.

Thermocouples for high temperature applications are provided. A thermocouple includes a vessel formed from a dielectric material, the vessel defining a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber and second chamber in fluid communication. The thermocouple further includes a first thermoelement disposed in the first chamber, the first thermoelement formed from a first thermoelectric material. The thermocouple further includes a second thermoelement disposed in the second chamber, the second thermoelement formed from a second thermoelectric material different from the first thermoelectric material, and wherein the second thermoelement is a liquid at operating conditions of the thermocouple.

An apparatus for cooling electronic components includes a chassis having a hot side compartment having one or more first electrical components and a cold side compartment having one or more second electrical components. A coolant channel is connected to the cold side compartment. At least one thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is positioned within the cold side compartment. The TEC has a cold plate and a hot plate, the hot plate being connected to the coolant channel and the cold plate being connected to the one or more second electrical components. A method for cooling electronic components using at least one TEC includes identifying an amount of heat to be removed from the one or more second electronic components and determining the TEC with the peak performance based on a best Delta T. The method includes monitoring the Delta T and adjusting the input voltage to maintain the optimum Delta T.

This invention describes a thermoelectric energy generation device based on the ExB drift in a semiconductor. The material is in depletion mode to avoid cancellation of the electric field by space charges. Under ideal, infinite mobility, zero-collision conditions, electrons and holes drift in the same direction, perpendicularly to the electric and magnetic fields, resulting in a zero-output current. However, when mobility is finite, their differing properties such as mobility, effective mass, and charge, manifest themselves as different drift velocity and drift direction resulting in a net output current and power. This invention leverages carriers' properties to accentuate these differences and maximize the output power. Quantities being optimized include, mobility, the product of mobility and the magnetic field, positioning electrodes along the drift axis of the overriding carriers, and adjusting the thickness of the semiconductor layer to accommodate the cycloid motion of one type of carrier but not the other.