Thermoelectric Heat Exchanger
Solid Cell is developing an integrated thermoelectric heat exchanger (iTEG-HX) for generation of carbon neutral electricity through recovery of cold energy during regasification of liquefied gases such as natural gas, ethane, nitrogen and oxygen. The value proposition behind the iTEG-HX concept is the ability to engineer modular thermoelectric elements directly into standard regasification heat exchangers for high efficiency, compactness and low-cost.
Thermoelectric elements (TE) and thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are solid state devices that convert temperature differences directly into electricity, bypassing losses associated with conventional thermodynamic cycles. TEGs have been used commercially in high temperature applications for many years, but the novel technologies such as organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The technology has numerous applications for generation of electricity from vaporization of liquefied gasses, such as regaisfication of LNG at receiving terminals or at peak-shaving LNG plants, regasification of liquid air (nitrogen) at Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) plants, and regasification of merchant gases (e.g. nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, ethane) at industrial and commercial point of use facilities.