Operating conditions and thermodynamic bounds of dual radiative heat engines

Abstract: We propose a unified description of dual radiative heat engines (RHEs), consisting of two facing optoelectronic components (diodes) and capable of generating electrical power from heat. They can operate in three regimes depending on the applied biases, namely in thermoradiative-negative electroluminescent (TRNEL), thermoradiative-photovoltaic (TRPV) or thermophotonic regimes (TPX, consisting of a light-emitting diode and a PV cell). They have access to operating conditions that are unachievable by single RHEs such as thermophotovoltaic systems: at the radiative limit, TRNEL devices can reach the Carnot efficiency for any bandgap, while TPX devices achieve large power outputs by means of electroluminescent enhancement. Expressions of the maximum power output and related efficiency achieved by dual engines are derived analytically, and reveal that the power output of TPX engines is not bounded. A comparison to usual efficiency bounds also highlights the impact of thermalisation losses, and the subsequent interest of spectral filtering to extend the operating region. The influence of nonradiative recombinations is also investigated. This work provides common framework and guidelines for the study of RHEs, which represent a promising solution for reliable and scalable energy conversion.