TY - GEN
T1 - Development of segmented thermoelectric multicouple converter technology
AU - Fleurial, Jean Pierre
AU - Johnson, Kenneth
AU - Mondt, Jack
AU - Sakamoto, Jeff
AU - Snyder, Jeff
AU - Huang, Chen Kuo
AU - Blair, Richard
AU - Stapfer, Gerhard
AU - Caillat, Thierry
AU - Frye, Patrick
AU - Determan, William
AU - Heshmatpour, Ben
AU - Brooks, Michael
AU - Tuttle, Karen
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc., have teamed together under JPL leadership to develop the next generation of advanced thermoelectric space reactor power conversion systems. The program goals are to develop the technologies needed to achieve a space nuclear power system specific mass goal of less than 30 kg/kW at the 100 kW power level with a greater than 15 year lifetime. The technologies required for such a power system include liquid metal cooled reactors with outlet temperatures ranging from 1125 K up to 1325 K, segmented thermoelectric multicouple converter (STMC) arrays which can achieve greater than 8 percent system efficiency and carbon-carbon heat pipe radiator panels to reduce the radiator subsystem areal density to a goal of 5 kg/m2. The STMC Program's development efforts focused on a highly compact conductively coupled modular thermoelectric converter assembly (TCA) design. STMC design efforts were based on a multicouple design similar to the SP-100 Program's design but using segmented thermoelectric (TE) legs rather than the single alloy silicon-germanium legs. Efforts have addressed in parallel the selection and optimization of the most promising high temperature thermoelectric materials, the development of the various STMC components and sub-assemblies, design, analysis, fabrication and assembly of subscale STMC devices as well as scale-up plans to the 100 kW-class power level. The performance of the selected high temperature TE materials and initial thermal, electrical and mechanical test results on several STMC demonstration devices are reported.
AB - The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc., have teamed together under JPL leadership to develop the next generation of advanced thermoelectric space reactor power conversion systems. The program goals are to develop the technologies needed to achieve a space nuclear power system specific mass goal of less than 30 kg/kW at the 100 kW power level with a greater than 15 year lifetime. The technologies required for such a power system include liquid metal cooled reactors with outlet temperatures ranging from 1125 K up to 1325 K, segmented thermoelectric multicouple converter (STMC) arrays which can achieve greater than 8 percent system efficiency and carbon-carbon heat pipe radiator panels to reduce the radiator subsystem areal density to a goal of 5 kg/m2. The STMC Program's development efforts focused on a highly compact conductively coupled modular thermoelectric converter assembly (TCA) design. STMC design efforts were based on a multicouple design similar to the SP-100 Program's design but using segmented thermoelectric (TE) legs rather than the single alloy silicon-germanium legs. Efforts have addressed in parallel the selection and optimization of the most promising high temperature thermoelectric materials, the development of the various STMC components and sub-assemblies, design, analysis, fabrication and assembly of subscale STMC devices as well as scale-up plans to the 100 kW-class power level. The performance of the selected high temperature TE materials and initial thermal, electrical and mechanical test results on several STMC demonstration devices are reported.
KW - Electric propulsion
KW - Energy conversion
KW - Nuclear power
KW - Thermoelectric
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:34047146619
SN - 0780395468
SN - 9780780395466
T3 - IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings
BT - 2006 IEEE Aerospace Conference
T2 - 2006 IEEE Aerospace Conference
Y2 - 4 March 2006 through 11 March 2006
ER -