The objective of this effort, under NASA’s Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program, is to develop a high efficiency thermoelectric (T/E) energy conversion device to power radioisotope power systems (RPS) for future NASA space science applications. The conversion efficiency goal is 10% or higher at a power output level of 20 W or higher. The T/E efficiency achievable with the present T/E materials is about 8.5%. To increase the conversion efficiency, the T/E material properties as well as the T/E couple thermal and electrical performance need to be improved. By altering and optimizing the compositional make up, homogeneity and the microstructural characteristics such as the grain size and the phases present the T/E material properties can be improved. The T/E couple performance can be improved by reducing the electrical and thermal contact resistances as well as the physical integrity of the segmented T/E elements. The latter characteristics are improved by reducing the thermo‐mechanical stresses, improving the quality of the bonds and interfaces, minimizing the number of required bonds, and reducing the degradation rate of the T/E materials and the bonds.
Improvements in Materials and Processes for Segmented BiTe/PbTe‐BiTe/TAGS/PbSnTe based Thermoelectric Generators
SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INT.FORUM-STAIF 2005: Conf.Thermophys in Micrograv;Conf Comm/Civil Next Gen.Space Transp; 22nd Symp Space Nucl.Powr Propuls.;Conf.Human/Robotic Techn.Nat'l Vision Space Expl.; 3rd Symp Space Colon.; 2nd Symp.New Frontiers ; 2005 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 746 , 1 ; 564-571
2005-02-06
8 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005
|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators Based on Segmented BiTe/PbTe‐BiTe/TAGS/PbSnTe
American Institute of Physics | 2006
|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators Based on Segmented BiTe/PbTe-BiTe/TAGS/PbSnTe
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2006
|Advanced Superlattice BiTe-PbTe/TAGS Milliwatt Radioisotope Power System
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005
|Advanced Superlattice BiTe‐PbTe/TAGS Milliwatt Radioisotope Power System
American Institute of Physics | 2005
|