Charging capacitors using diodes at different temperatures. II Numerical studies

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates how temperature differences affect the ability of diode-capacitor circuits to harvest thermal energy, revealing conditions for charge accumulation and steady states.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical analysis of thermal energy harvesting in diode-capacitor circuits, extending previous analytical work with detailed simulations and steady-state charge findings.

Findings

Peak capacitor charge increases with temperature, capacitance, and diode quality.

Oppositely wired diodes at different temperatures lead to steady-state charge accumulation.

Resistor replacements prevent transient and steady-state charge buildup.

Abstract

This study is presented in a series of two papers. The first paper is an analytical study. This is the second paper, and here we numerically study the thermal energy harvesting capability of two electronic circuits. The first circuit consists of a diode and capacitor in series. We solve the time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation and show the capacitor initially charges and then discharges to zero. The peak charge on the capacitor increases with temperature, capacitance, and diode quality. The second circuit has two current loops with one small capacitor, two storage capacitors, and two diodes wired in opposition. When the diodes are held at different temperatures we observe a non-zero steady-state charge is accumulated on both storage capacitors. The magnitude of the stored charges are nearly equal but the signs are opposite. When resistors are used in place of diodes there is no transient and no steady-state charge buildup. Numerical studies for the time-independent Fokker-Planck equation are presented and confirm the steady state charges.