Development of a high efficiency thermoelectric unicouple for power generation applications

Caillat, T.; Fleurial, Jean‐Pierre; Snyder, G.N.; Zoltan, A.; Zoltan, D.; Borshchevsky, A.

doi:10.1109/ict.1999.843433

Cited by 26 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Further, the TED's efficiency has been improved by increasing the hot and cold junction temperature dif ferential (Th-Tc) via novel designs [11][12][13][14], optimization of TE leg geometries [15][16][17], and the minimization of internal and external resistances [18][19][20]. Caillat et al [11] showed skutterudites in a segmented fashion can achieve a conversion efficiency of 15%. El-Genk et al [12] demonstrated a maximum conversion effi ciency of 7.4% for segmented SiGe TEDs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ZT has been enhanced via meth ods of nano-structuring and -fabrication and scattering short-and long-wavelength phonons across multiple length scales [3,4], To date, the most efficient materials reported for waste heat recovery at room-temperature applications are bismuth-telluride based alloys [5,6], and for high-temperature applications, lead-tellurides [7][8][9], and clathrates [10]. Further, the TED's efficiency has been improved by increasing the hot and cold junction temperature dif ferential (Th-Tc) via novel designs [11][12][13][14], optimization of TE leg geometries [15][16][17], and the minimization of internal and external resistances [18][19][20]. Caillat et al [11] showed skutterudites in a segmented fashion can achieve a conversion efficiency of 15%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Convective Heat Transfer and Contact Resistances Effects on Performance of Conventional and Composite Thermoelectric Devices

Reddy

Barry

et al. 2014

Journal of Heat Transfer

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The performance o f El shaped conventional and composite thermoelectric devices (TEDs) applied to waste heat recovery by taking the Fourier heat conduction, Joule heat ing, and the Peltier and Thomson effects in TE materials is investigated using analytical solutions. The TE legs built with semiconductor materials bonded onto a highly conduc tive interconnector material in a segmented fashion is treated as the composite TED, whereas the legs merely made from semiconductors is treated as the conventional TED. The top and bottom surfaces o f TEDs are subjected to convective heat transfer conditions while the remaining surfaces exposed to ambient are kept adiabatic. The effects o f con tact resistances, convective heat transfer coefficients, and TE leg heights L on TEDs' per formance are studied. An increase in electrical and/or thermal contact resistance and a decrease in heat transfer coefficients are resulted in a decrease in power output P0 and conversion efficiency t). Depending on the contact resistances and convective heat trans fe r loads, the optimum L where a maximum Pa occurs is obtained typically in the range o f 1 -4 mm. For TE leg size greater than optimum L and TED operating under higher con vective heat transfer conditions, the composite design exhibited better power output and lower conversion efficiency compared to conventional design. The effects o f interconnec tor lengths and cross-sectional area on the composite TED's characteristics are also investigated. An increase in a length and a decrease in a cross-sectional area o f the interconnector decreases the composite TED's performance. However, based on the increase o f the interconnector's electrical resistance in relation to the device's total internal resist ance, the composite TED exhibited both negligible and significant change behavior in P0.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convective Heat Transfer and Contact Resistances Effects on Performance of Conventional and Composite Thermoelectric Devices

Reddy

Barry

et al. 2014

Journal of Heat Transfer

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“…It has been shown to significantly reduce the loss of antimony at higher temperatures up to 973 K in tests conducted at JPL and at the University of New Mexico (Fleurial et al, 1996 and1997;Caillat et al, 1999 and2000;El-Genk et al, 2003 and. A number of tests involving segmented and non-segmented SKUs, with and without the metallic coating, have been conducted in the high temperature vacuum facility at the University of New Mexico's Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies (ISNPS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Performance Test Results of a Skutterudite-Based Unicouple with a Metallic Coating

Saber¹,

El‐Genk²,

Caillat³

2005

AIP Conference Proceedings

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“…Such segmented thermoelectric legs made from materials having complementary properties over the whole temperature range offer significantly better efficiency compared with uniform elements made from a single material. [1][2][3][4] Theoretical studies on segmented legs 5,6 state that it is possible to increase the absolute efficiency from about 5% in commercially available materials to 18%. Various compounds are considered as materials for construction of segmented legs, with Bi 2 Te 3 , 5,7,8 skutterudites (e.g., CoSb 3 -based materials), 8,9 lead tellurides, 10,11 silicon-germanium alloys, 12,13 zinc antimonides, 14,15 and Te/Sb/Ge/Ag (TAGS) materials such as (AgSbTe) 0.15 (GeTe) 0.85 , 16,17 being only some of the most commonly investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Sedimentation of Atoms on Structural and Thermoelectric Properties of Bi-Sb Alloys

Januszko

Stabrawa²,

Ogata

et al. 2016

Journal of Elec Materi

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Functionally graded thermoelectric materials (FGTMs) have been prepared by sedimentation of atoms under a strong gravitational field. Starting samples of Bi x Sb 1Àx alloys with different composition x were synthesized by melting of metals and subsequent annealing of quenched samples. The thermoelectric properties (Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity) of the starting materials were characterized over the temperature range from 300 K to 525 K. Strong gravity experiments were performed in a unique ultracentrifuge apparatus under acceleration of over 0.5 9 10 6 G at temperatures of 538 K and 623 K. Changes of the microstructure and chemical composition were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis. The distribution of the Seebeck coefficient of the Bi-Sb alloys was characterized by scanning thermoelectric microprobe. As a result of sedimentation, large changes in chemical composition (x = 0.45 to 1) were obtained. It was found that the changes in chemical composition were correlated with alterations of the Seebeck coefficient. The obtained experimental data allowed the development of a semiempirical model for the selection of optimal processing parameters for preparation of Bi-Sb alloys with required thermoelectric properties.

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Development of a high efficiency thermoelectric unicouple for power generation applications

Cited by 26 publications

References 7 publications

Convective Heat Transfer and Contact Resistances Effects on Performance of Conventional and Composite Thermoelectric Devices

Convective Heat Transfer and Contact Resistances Effects on Performance of Conventional and Composite Thermoelectric Devices

Performance Test Results of a Skutterudite-Based Unicouple with a Metallic Coating

Influence of Sedimentation of Atoms on Structural and Thermoelectric Properties of Bi-Sb Alloys

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