The present invention relates to thermoelectric power generating devices using thermoelectric elements and thereby generating electricity realizing direct conversion of heat to electric power due to difference in temperature. The present invention is targeted on improving thermoelectric efficiency of a thermoelectric device. According to the first variant of the present invention, technical result is achieved by that a) in thermoelectric element consisting of p-type leg and n-type leg jointed in serial electrical circuit, p-type leg is made of polycrystalline textured semiconductor Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3 alloy with high thermoelectric efficiency in the operating temperature range T>100 C. and b) in p-type leg, heat flux is directed from the hot end to the cold end parallel the crystallographic axis C. According to the second variant of the present invention, technical result is achieved by that a) in thermoelectric element consisting of p-type leg and n-type leg jointed in serial electrical circuit, p-type leg is made of polycrystalline textured semiconductor Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3 alloy and built up of two parts which are in perfect electrical and thermal contact and b) in part of p-type leg at low-temperature end of thermoelectric element, heat flux is directed from the hot end to the cold end transverse the crystallographic axis C, while in part of p-type leg at high-temperature end of thermocouple, heat flux is directed from the hot end to the cold end parallel the crystallographic axis C.

Techniques of thermoelectric power generation are described. In an example, a power generation system (100) may include a thermoelectric unit (102), a DC booster (104) and a supercapacitor unit (106). The thermoelectric unit (102) may generate electivity using heat, such as heat obtained from human body. The DC booster (104) may step up the voltage generated by the thermoelectric unit (102). The supercapacitor unit (106) may store electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric unit (102) and start discharging after a threshold level. The power generation system may be implemented to power a wearable device (304), such as fitness tracker and smartwatch.

A sensing device that senses a substance to be sensed as a gas by causing a piezoelectric resonator to adsorb the substance to be sensed, includes: a substrate, a thermoelectric element unit, a support plate, and a base portion. A sensing module unit in which a substrate, a thermoelectric element unit, and a support plate are integrated is removably disposed to a base portion that performs at least one of heat supply and heat dissipation to the thermoelectric element unit.

An apparatus can comprise a circuit and an electrical element coupled to the circuit. The circuit can include a pulse generator to generate an electrical pulse having a first power and a load. The electrical element can be configured to receive heat that is converted into electrical energy by the circuit to apply a second power, greater than the first power, to the load.

A gas turbine engine includes a lubrication system, fuel system and thermoelectric heat exchanger adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.

The integrated circuit (IC) described herein lowers the start-up voltage to, for example, 50 mV, compatible for starting a DC-DC converter from a thermoelectric generator (TEG), even with a small temperature gradient. The IC further improves end-to-end efficiency of the energy harvester by improving power efficiency of the DC-DC converter while ensuring maximum power transfer from the TEG at low voltages. The IC uses a low voltage integrated charge pump that can boost sub-100 mV input voltage. A startup clock is generated by a ring-oscillator that begins operation with low supply (e.g., 50 mV or less), and which allows for one inductor to be used for DC-DC converter and for startup of the converter. The IC can be configured between the TEG and any downstream sensor or communication circuits to provide an acceptable (e.g., greater than 1 V) voltage for powering the downstream circuits from a low-voltage (e.g., less than 200 mV) TEG energy source.

An ultra-low voltage inverter includes a first inverter, a second inverter, and third inverter. The first inverter receives an input from a delay cell and generates an output for a subsequent delay cell. The second inverter is coupled to the first inverter. The third inverter is coupled to the first inverter, wherein outputs of the second and third inverters are coupled to source terminals of a p-type transistor and an n-type transistor of the first inverter, respectively. The ultra-low voltage inverter forms a delay cell, which is a building block of an ultra-low voltage ring-oscillator. A NAND gate is formed using three inverters such that outputs of two inverters are coupled to the p-type transistors of the NAND gate, while an output of the third inverter of the three inverters is coupled to an n-type transistor of the NAND gate.

An electrically-powered device, structure and/or component is provided that includes an attached 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 in a manner 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. The energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase an electrical power output.

Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus that uses a brine from a well that is used to both generate electricity and recover valuable minerals present in the brine. The method and apparatus uses a hydrophobic membrane to separate water vapor from the brine to concentrate the brine that is then used to recover the minerals.

A thermal energy removal system is provided to cool a rail of a railway track in a self-powered mode and/or an externally-powered mode. The system comprises a cooling module configured to mount on a side of the rail to remove heat stored inside the rail. The cooling module includes a solid state electrical insulation sandwiched between a plate and a heat sink. The cooling module further includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The first and second terminals to provide an electric energy source based on the heat extracted and harnessed for powering at least one of an electronic circuit, a light source, and a communication device associated with railways infrastructure.