Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Chinese Academy of Sciences

General Electric Company

Jihui Yang

Francis R Stabler

Mark William Verbrugge

Gregory P Meisner

Lidong Chen

Dexter Dean Snyder

Xun Shi

Steven Cai

Shengqiang Bai

Alan L Browne

Mei Cai

Nilesh D Mankame

John C Ulicny

Gregory A Major

Michael G Reynolds

Todd Alan Anderson

Yang-Tse Cheng

Yang T Cheng

Jan F Herbst

Michael J Lukitsch

Michael F Matouka

Yan Wu

David S Scott

Wenqing Zhang

Jiong Yang

Kelly B Ledbetter

Greogry P Meisner

Hendrik Pieter (Peter) Jacobus De Bock

Yong Yang

Sihui Wang

Junfeng Fan

Composite materials for a cathode of an electrochemical cell. The composite materials comprise Li[M1&#x2212;xLix]O2 or yLi2MnO3.(1&#x2212;y)LiMO2 (M=Ni, Co, Mn, 0&#x3c;x&#x3c;0.5, 0&#x3c;y&#x3c;1), and at least one of LiMn1.5Ti0.5O4 and LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4. A Li-ion electrochemical cell including a cathode comprising the composite materials is also provided. The Li-ion electrochemical cell controls irreversible capacity loss and maintain a good cycling stability.

Composite cathode materials with controlled irreversible capacity loss for lithium ion batteries

A method of controlling a temperature of a battery is disclosed. The method includes providing a thermoelectric device in thermally-conductive contact with the battery, measuring an actual temperature of the battery, comparing the actual temperature of the battery to a reference temperature for the battery, heating the battery by operation of the thermoelectric device when the actual temperature is less than the reference temperature and cooling the battery by operation of the thermoelectric device when the actual temperature exceeds the reference temperature.

Thermoelectric methods to control temperature of batteries

A battery pack with phase change materials (PCM). The PCM would improve the heating and cooling capabilities under various vehicle operating conditions. Methods of controlling the temperature in battery packs are also described.

Batteries with phase change materials

A battery pack thermal management system includes a plurality of battery cells connected to at least one DC power bus. At least one thermoelectric device is operatively disposed in thermal contact with the plurality of battery cells. At least one temperature measuring device is operatively connected to the thermal management system, and configured to measure a temperature of a predetermined portion of the plurality of battery cells. A cell balancing circuit is operatively connected to the plurality of battery cells, and configured to selectively divert a portion of electric current from at least one of the plurality of battery cells to the at least one thermoelectric device. An electronic controller is operatively connected to the cell balancing circuit, and configured to control a flow of electric current to the at least one thermoelectric device.

Battery pack thermal management system and method

Thermoelectric devices, intended for placement in the exhaust of a hydrocarbon fuelled combustion device and particularly suited for use in the exhaust gas stream of an internal combustion engine propelling a vehicle, are described. Exhaust gas passing through the device is in thermal communication with one side of a thermoelectric module while the other side of the thermoelectric module is in thermal communication with a lower temperature environment. The heat extracted from the exhaust gasses is converted to electrical energy by the thermoelectric module. The performance of the generator is enhanced by thermally coupling the hot and cold junctions of the thermoelectric modules to phase-change materials which transform at a temperature compatible with the preferred operating temperatures of the thermoelectric modules. In a second embodiment, a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each with a preferred operating temperature and each with a uniquely-matched phase-change material may be used to compensate for the progressive lowering of the exhaust gas temperature as it traverses the length of the exhaust pipe.

Thermoelectric generators incorporating phase-change materials for waste heat recovery from engine exhaust

A system for heating and cooling a vehicle includes a solar panel disposed on a surface of a vehicle and a thermoelectric unit i) disposed on or in an internal surface disposed in a cabin area of the vehicle, and ii) operatively connected to the solar panel. The thermoelectric unit is configured to heat and/or cool the internal surface in response to electric current applied thereto from the solar panel. The system further includes a control unit operatively associated with the thermoelectric unit. The control unit is configured to determine the amount and direction of the electric current to be applied to the thermoelectric unit based on i) a measured ambient temperature, ii) a measured temperature of the internal surface, and iii) a user-preferred reference temperature.

System and method for heating and cooling a vehicle

A method of improving the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of a high-efficiency thermoelectric material is disclosed. The method includes the addition of fullerene (C) clusters between the crystal grains of the material. It has been found that the lattice thermal conductivity (&#x3ba;) of a thermoelectric material decreases with increasing fullerene concentration, due to enhanced phonon-large defect scattering. The resulting power factor (S/&#x3c1;) decrease of the material is offset by the lattice thermal conductivity reduction, leading to enhanced ZT values at temperatures of between 350 degrees K and 700 degrees K.

Method of improving thermoelectric figure of merit of high efficiency thermoelectric materials

A method of controlling engine exhaust flow through at least one of an exhaust bypass and a thermoelectric device via a bypass valve is provided. The method includes: determining a mass flow of exhaust exiting an engine; determining a desired exhaust pressure based on the mass flow of exhaust; comparing the desired exhaust pressure to a determined exhaust pressure; and determining a bypass valve control value based on the comparing, wherein the bypass valve control value is used to control the bypass valve.

Exhaust gas bypass valve control for thermoelectric generator

An active material assembly is provided having a thermally-activated active material apparatus with an elongated, non-planar shape and a thermoelectric device in thermal contact therewith. The thermoelectric device is characterized by a thermal differential when current flows through the device to activate the thermally-activated active material apparatus, thereby altering at least one dimension thereof. Multiple discrete thermoelectric devices may be in thermal contact with the active material apparatus and electrically in parallel with one another. The active material apparatus, which may be multiple active material components, each with one of the thermoelectric devices thereon, may be encased within a flexible electronic-insulating material to form an articulated active material assembly that can achieve different geometric shapes by separately activating one or more of the different thermoelectric devices. A method of fabricating an articulated active material assembly is also provided.

Active material apparatus with activating thermoelectric device thereon and method of fabrication

A thermoelectric material includes a multiple transition metal-doped type I clathrate crystal structure having the formula ATMTM. . . TMMX. In the formula, A is selected from the group consisting of barium, strontium, and europium; X is selected from the group consisting of silicon, germanium, and tin; M is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium, and indium; TM, TM, and TMare independently selected from the group consisting of 3d, 4d, and 5d transition metals; and y, y, yand Z are actual compositions of TM, TM, TM, and M, respectively. The actual compositions are based upon nominal compositions derived from the following equation: z=8&#xb7;q&#x2212;|&#x394;q|y&#x2212;|&#x394;q|y&#x2212; . . . &#x2212;|&#x394;q|y, wherein qis a charge state of A, and wherein &#x394;q, &#x394;q, &#x394;qare, respectively, the nominal charge state of the first, second, and n-th TM.

Thermoelectric material including a multiple transition metal-doped type I clathrate crystal structure

A thermoelectric device includes a nanocomposite material with nanowires of at least one thermoelectric material having a predetermined figure of merit, the nanowires being formed in a porous substrate having a low thermal conductivity and having an average pore diameter ranging from about 4 nm to about 300 nm.

High performance thermoelectric nanocomposite device

A thermoelectric augmented fuel cell system is disclosed. The system includes a fuel cell stack for generating electrical power and a thermoelectric unit provided in thermal contact with the fuel cell stack for receiving thermal energy from the fuel cell stack and generating additional electrical power.

Thermoelectric augmented fuel cell system

A low-cost filled skutterudite for advanced thermoelectric applications is disclosed. The filled skutterudite uses the relatively low-cost mischmetal, either alone or in addition to rare earth elements, as a starting material for guest or filler atoms.

Filled skutterudites for advanced thermoelectric applications

An auxiliary electrical power supply includes a fuel combustor passively sourced with fuel for combusting fuel and a thermoelectric generator close-coupled to the combustor for converting the heat from the combustor to electric power.

Auxiliary electrical power generation

A fixture device generally includes a base member, a reconfigurable pad comprising a shape memory material configured to selectively conform to a surface contour of a workpiece, and a thermoelectric unit in operative communication with the shape memory material of the reconfigurable pad. A process for operating a fixture device includes passing a current in a first direction through a thermoelectric unit in operative communication with a reconfigurable pad in an amount effective to heat a shape memory material therein to or above a shape setting temperature, contacting a surface of a workpiece with the reconfigurable pad, cooling the shape memory material below the shape setting temperature, and fixturing the workpiece with the fixture device.

Growing community of inventors

Lakeshore, CA, United States of America

Jihui Yang