International Business Machines Corporation

Egypt Nanotechnology Center

Werner Escher

Stephan Paredes

Bruno Michel

Rami Ghannam

Michael J Ellsworth, Jr

Evan G Colgan

Thomas J Brunschwiler

Jeffrey Allen Zitz

Patrick Ruch

Gerd Schlottig

Chin Lee Ong

Javier V Goicochea

Ingmar G Meijer

Ahmed S G Khalil

Martin Witzig

Stephen Paredes

A photovoltaic apparatus comprising: at least one photovoltaic surface electrically connected to a set of photovoltaic electrodes; and a chemical reactor electrically connected to the set of photovoltaic electrodes. The chemical reactor enables N pairwise fluid contacts among k chemical fluids, with k&#x2265;2 and N&#x2265;4 and comprises: a reaction layer extending in a plane subtended by two directions; N chemical cells, each including two circuit portions, designed for enabling circulation of two of the k chemical fluids, respectively, the two circuit portions intersecting each other, thereby enabling one pairwise fluid contact for the two of the k chemical fluids; and a fluid distribution circuit comprising: k sets of inlet orifices sequentially alternating along lines parallel to one of the two directions; and k sets of outlet orifices sequentially alternating along lines parallel to the inlet orifices, and wherein, each circuit portion connects an inlet orifice to an outlet orifice.

Scalable chemical reactor and method of operation thereof

A method is disclosed for operating a photovoltaic thermal hybrid system having a hybrid solar receiver with a photovoltaic module, operatively coupled to the system to deliver an electrical output power for a power user, a thermal collector distinct from the photovoltaic module, wherein the photovoltaic module and/or the thermal collector are movably mounted in the system, a collector thermal storage thermally connected to the thermal collector to store heat collected at the thermal collector, and a positioning mechanism adapted to move the photovoltaic module and/or the thermal collector. The method includes instructing the positioning mechanism to move the photovoltaic module and/or the thermal collector to change a ratio of an intensity of radiation received at the photovoltaic module to an intensity of radiation received at the thermal collector.

Photovoltaic thermal hybrid systems and method of operation thereof

A chemical reactor and method for operation. The reactor enables N pairwise fluid contacts among k chemical fluids, with k&#x2265;2 and N&#x2265;4 and comprises: a reaction layer extending in a plane subtended by two directions; N chemical cells, each including two circuit portions, designed for enabling circulation of two of the k chemical fluids, respectively, the two circuit portions intersecting each other, thereby enabling one pairwise fluid contact for the two of the k chemical fluids; and a fluid distribution circuit comprising: k sets of inlet orifices sequentially alternating along lines parallel to one of the two directions, for respectively dispensing k chemical fluids to the reaction layer; and k sets of outlet orifices sequentially alternating along lines parallel to the inlet orifices, for respectively collecting k chemical fluids from the reaction layer, and wherein, each circuit portion connects an inlet orifice to an outlet orifice.

A desalination system () for producing a distillate from a feed liquid includes: a steam raising device () having a liquid section () and a steam section () which are separated by a membrane system (); a membrane distillation device () having a first steam section () and a liquid section () which are separated by a wall () and having a second steam section () which is separated from the liquid section () by a membrane system (); and a heat exchange device () having a first liquid section () and a second liquid section (), which are separated by a wall ().

Desalination system and method for desalination

A photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar receiver includes a thermal collector, extending in a first plane and comprising an aperture; and a photovoltaic module, configured for electrical output power delivery, comprising a photo-active area that extends in a second plane at a distance from the first plane, the photo-active area being vis-&#xe0;-vis the aperture, a projection of the aperture perpendicularly to the second plane corresponding to the photo-active area.

Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar receivers

A chip module cooling device includes two fluid circuits corresponding to inlet and outlet fluid circuits, respectively, wherein each comprises orifices and channel portions forming a tree structure, wherein branches represent the orifices, and nodes represent the channel portions, a branch linking a node to one child node only, wherein several nodes having a same parent node are sibling nodes and extends through L levels of the tree structure, with L&#x2267;3, and in fluidic connection with the other of the two fluid circuits, via channel portions corresponding to leaf nodes. For each fluid circuit, channel portions corresponding to sibling nodes are parallel to each other, and are not parallel to a channel portion corresponding to a parent node of the sibling nodes; and wherein channel portions of one of the fluid circuits are parallel to and interdigitated with channel portions of the other one of the fluid circuits.

Photovoltaic module cooling devices

Cooled electronic assemblies and methods of fabrication are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a coolant-cooled electronic module with one or more electronic component(s), and one or more coolant-carrying channel(s) integrated within the module, and configured to facilitate flow of coolant through the module for cooling the electronic component(s). In addition, the assembly includes a coolant manifold structure detachably coupled to the electronic module. The manifold structure facilitates flow of coolant to the coolant-carrying channel(s) of the electronic module, and the coolant manifold structure and electronic module include adjoining surfaces. One surface of the adjoining surfaces includes a plurality of coolant capillaries or passages. The coolant capillaries are sized to inhibit, for instance, via surface tension, leaking of coolant therefrom at the one surface with decoupling of the coolant manifold structure and electronic module along the adjoining surfaces.

Disassemblable electronic assembly with leak-inhibiting coolant capillaries

Cooled electronic assemblies, and a method of decoupling a cooled electronic assembly, are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a coolant-cooled electronic module with one or more electronic components and one or more coolant-carrying channels integrated within the module and configured to facilitate flow of coolant through the module for cooling the electronic component(s). In addition, the assembly includes a coolant manifold structure detachably coupled to the electronic module. The manifold structure, which includes a coolant inlet and outlet in fluid communication with the coolant-carrying channel(s) of the electronic module, facilitates flow of coolant through the coolant-carrying channel, and thus cooling of the electronic component(s). Coolant-absorbent material is positioned at the interface between the electronic module and the manifold structure to facilitate absorbing any excess coolant during a stepwise detaching of the manifold structure from the electronic module.

Growing community of inventors

Dusseldorf, Germany

Werner Escher