Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “THERMOELECTRICITY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

The role of oxygen in porous molybdenum electrodes for the alkali metal thermoelectric converter

A model for chemical reactions in porous molybdenum electrodes is presented which is based on thermochemical and kinetic data, known sodium-molybdenum-oxygen chemistry, X-ray diffraction analysis of molybdenum and molybdenum oxide electrodes, and the electrochemical behavior of the cell. Enhanced sodium transport through the electrode in its optimum performance state is found to be due to the high sodium ion conductivity of molten Na2MoO4 in the pores, and the electrical conduction to the molybdenum matrix by Na2Mo3O6. The decline of electrode performance is shown to be due to a combination of loss mechanisms for the Na-Mo-O compounds including reduction at short circuit, disproportionation of Na2Mo3O6 at open circuit, and the evaporation of Na2MoO4 at elevated temperature. It is suggested that operation of the cell at moderate voltage of about 0.5 V corresponding to maximum power may be a more stable condition for the porous electrode than open-circuit stand or short-circuit, where degradation reactions are heightened.

Williams, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Program Collects And Analyzes Thermoelectric Data

Large gradient seebeck coefficient measurement computer program gathers many channels of data, performs analysis, and plots each set of data simutaneously. User can modify code to alter number of channels of data collected and sampling rate and equations that process data. Written in HP Basic. Program also adaptable to other types of data.

Chmielewski, Art B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Improved GaP doped SiGe thermoelectric material

Work at TECO has independently confirmed the early results obtained at JPL that high-temperature heat-treatment of SiGe/GaP alloys can significantly increase the figure of merit Z of these alloys. Several possible reasons for this improvement are given. Experiments are in progress to test these various hypothesis.

Vandersande, Jan W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Alkali metal thermoelectric converter (AMTEC) electrode lifetime studies

Experimental studies are being conducted at JPL to identify long life, high area power density electrodes for AMTEC. Power versus time measurements are being made in a demountable electrode test cell and, for longer term experiments, a self-contained recirculating cell. The experimental apparatus and procedures are described in detail. The results show that thin film molybdenum electrodes can be designed to produce power near 0.5 W/sq cm for over two hundred hours. Also, platinum/tungsten electrodes exhibit power densities that are stable near 0.5 W/sq cm. If the performance of these electrodes is verified for longer periods (thousands of hours), then practical AMTEC systems will be possible.

Bankston, C. Perry↗
NASA NTRS1986

Large area space qualified thermoelectrically (TE) cooled HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors for the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE)

Large-area, HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors have been developed for the NASA-HALOE instrument scheduled for operation on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. The photodiodes will be TE-cooled and were designed to operate in the 5.1-5.4 micron band at 185 K to measure nitric oxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The active area required 15 micron thick devices and a full backside common contact. Reflections from the backside contact doubled the effective thickness of the detectors. Optical interference from reflections was eliminated with a dual layer front surface A/R coating. Bakeout reliability was optimized by having Au metallization for both n and p interconnects. Detailed performance data and a model for the optical stack are presented.

Norton, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Properties of silicon-germanium thermoelectric alloys with additives

The paper reports the results of measurements (Seebeck and Hall coefficients, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity) on silicon-germanium (Si-20 at. pct Ge) alloy with boron phosphide, B(6.5)P) as an additive, prepared as described by McLane et al. (1986). The power factor (Seebeck coefficient squared divided by electrical resistivity) and the thermal conductivity of SeGe/B(6.5)P material were found to be lower than for the 'standard' SiGe (Si-22 at. pct Ge) material. However, no net improvement was achieved in the figure-of-merit of the sample tested. It is suggested that structural inhomogeneities, revealed by a SEM examination, might be responsible for this lack of improvement.

Mclane, George↗
NASA NTRS1987

Alkali metal thermoelectric conversion (AMTEC) technology status review

AMTEC operating principles, technical problems, and recent electrode research results are briefly reviewed. The mechanisms responsible for the degradation of thin-film molybdenum electrodes are discussed, and four alternate high-power electrode compositions and morphologies are identified. Separate self-contained recirculating AMTEC cells have demonstrated 19-percent efficiency, 10,000 hr at high temperature, and multicell operation including series connection. Results of systems studies in the 0.5-100 kWe range indicate that AMTEC performance and operating characteristics make it a strong candidate for future space applications.

Bankston, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spatial profile of thermoelectric effects during Peltier pulsing in Bi and Bi/MnBi eutectic

The spatial profile of the thermal transients that occur during and following the current pulsing associated with Peltier Interface Demarcation during directional solidification is studied. Results for pure Bi are presented in detail and compared with corresponding results for the Bi/MnBi eutectic. Significant thermal transients occur throughout the sample that can be accounted for by the Peltier effect, the Thomson effect, and Joule heating. These effects are separated and their behavior is studied as a function of time, current density, and position with respect to the solid/liquid interface.

Silberstein, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Effect of Ga and P dopants on the thermoelectric properties of n-type SiGe

The purpose of this study was to hot-press improved n-type Si80Ge20/GaP samples directly (without any heat treatment) and to confirm that a Ga/P ratio less than one increases the solubility of P and, hence, improves the power factor and Z. One of the three samples (Ga/P = 0.43) had an improvement in Z of about 20 percent between 400 and 1000 C over that for standard SiGe. This demonstrates that improved samples can be pressed directly and that a Ga/P ratio less than one is necessary. The other two samples (Ga/P = 0.33 and 0.50) had Z's equal to or less than that of standard SiGe but had a lower hot-pressing temperature than the improved sample.

Draper, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Thermal conductivity of thermoelectric Si(0.8)-Ge(0.2) alloys

The thermal conductivity of heavily doped, n-type Si-Ge alloys has been studied from 300 to 1200 K. The scattering rate of several phonon scattering mechanisms has been calculated, including intrinsic scattering, mass defect and distortion scattering, phonon-electron scattering, and scattering by inclusions. These rates were then used to calculate the lattice thermal conductivity. The electronic component of the thermal conductivity was calculated from the calculated Lorenz ratio and measured values of the electrical conductivity. The total thermal conductivity was then compared to measured values for a specimen studied by Vining et al. (1991).

White, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Characteristics of a promising new thermoelectric material - Ruthenium silicide

A preliminary study on arc-melted samples has indicated that ruthenium silicide has the potential to obtain figure-of-merit values four times higher than that of conventional silicon-germanium material. In order to realize the high figure-of-merit values, high-quality crystal from the melt is needed. A Bridgman-like method has been employed and has realized much better crystals than arc-melted ones.

Ohta, Toshitaka↗
NASA NTRS1993

System for improving measurement accuracy of transducer by measuring transducer temperature and resistance change using thermoelectric voltages

A constant current loop measuring system measures a property including the temperature of a sensor responsive to an external condition being measured. The measuring system includes thermocouple conductors connected to the sensor, sensing first and second induced voltages responsive to the external condition. In addition, the measuring system includes a current generator and reverser generating a constant current, and supplying the constant current to the thermocouple conductors in forward and reverse directions generating first and second measured voltages, and a determining unit receiving the first and second measured voltages from the current generator and reverser, and determining the temperature of the sensor responsive to the first and second measured voltages.

Anderson, Karl F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Distributed I/O Control System Implementation for the 1238 Optical Witness Sample Thermoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalance Thermal Vacuum Bakeout Chamber

The 1238 Thermal Vacuum Bakeout Chamber is used to test materials to determine if they meet space program contamination requirements. The system was previously manual in its operation, in that there was no supervisory control system and therefore, no means for automated operation. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) requested that its operation be automated. The subsequent process implemented involved a hybrid scenario that included existing hardware, a distributed input and output (I/O) system and a graphical user interface (GUI).

Randy K. Buchanan↗
NASA NTRS1999

Magnetostatic Cleanliness of the Radioistope Thermoelectric

This paper describes the field-mapping technique, the numerical modeling and the compensation approach used for the RTGs with the goal of minimizing its magnetic field interference with Cassini's DC magnetic field science instruments.

Magnetics RTG Cassini↗