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Novel Thermoelectric Generator for Stationary NOVEL THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR FOR STATIONARY POWER WASTE HEAT RECOVERY by Kylan Wynn Engelke A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana January 2010 (c) COPYRIGHT by Kylan Wynn Engelke 2010 All Rights Reserved ii APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Kylan Wynn Engelke This thesis has been read by each member of the thesis committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citation, bibliographic style, and consistency, and is ready for submission to the Division of Graduate Education. Dr. Stephen Sofie Approved for the Department of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Christopher Jenkins Approved for the Division of Graduate Education Dr. Carl A. Fox iii STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Montana State University, I agree that the Library shall make it available to borrowers under rules of the Library. If I have indicated my intention to copyright this thesis by including a copyright notice page, copying is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this thesis in whole or in parts may be granted only by the copyright holder. Kylan Wynn Engelke January 2010 iv ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Stephen Sofie for his incredible energy, enthusiasm and support for this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Vic Cundy, Dr. Ruhul Amin and Dr. Steven Shaw for their generous time and support on my graduate committee. This work was performed under Department of Defense contract W9132T- 05-C-0027: Large Scale Thermo-Electric Power Generation Demonstration for DoD Applications for Leonardo Technologies, Inc. I thank LTI for their incredible support and very much appreciate the opportunity given to me by this project. My greatest thanks to Joel Lindstrom of LTI with whom I worked extensively on this project and Craig Cassarino of LTI, who made the project possible. I would also like to thank Nik Sorenson for his incredible CAD work; and thanks to the folks of JE Soares of Belgrade for facilitating our fabrication needs. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my parents, Keenan and Lana Engelke, whose encouragement and support helped make this project a reality. v TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 Project Motivation ............................................................................................................................ 1 Thermoelectric Heat Exchanger ................................................................................................. 2 Thermoelectric Generator Application .................................................................................... 2 Basic Design-Thermohex® ........................................................................................................... 2 Electrical Connections .................................................................................................................... 3 Small-Scale Prototype ..................................................................................................................... 3 Field Demonstration Prototype .................................................................................................. 4 2. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 5 The Thermoelectric Effect ............................................................................................................. 5 Sign Convention.................................................................................................................... 6 A Brief History of Thermoelectrics ............................................................................................ 7 Seebeck Effect ....................................................................................................................... 7 Peltier Effect .......................................................................................................................... 9 Thomson Effect .................................................................................................................. 10 TE Material Parameters ................................................................................................. 11 TE Generation Efficiency................................................................................................ 12 Mechanisms of Thermoelectrics .............................................................................................. 14 Atomic Bonding ................................................................................................................. 14 Phonons ................................................................................................................................ 17 TE Materials ........................................................................................................................ 19 Metals ........................................................................................................................... 19 Semimetals ................................................................................................................. 21 Semiconductors: .................................................................................................... 25 Current Use of Thermoelectric Generators ......................................................................... 27 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators ............................................................... 27 Combustion Powered TE Generators in Remote Areas............................ 29 TE Generators as Standalone Power Systems ....................................................... 30 Inconsistencies in Documented Research of the Thermoelectric Effect ...................................................................................................... 32 Poor Documentation of TE Test Data........................................................................ 32 P vs. N-Type Material Sign Conventions: The Case for Consistency ................................................................... 34 Electroplating .................................................................................................................................. 36 Electrodeposition Background .................................................................................... 36 Thermoelectric Heat Exchanger Concepts ........................................................................... 38 TE Heat Exchanger ........................................................................................................... 38 Existing TE Module Design ........................................................................................... 39 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS-CONTINUED Previous Work ................................................................................................................................ 42 3. LABORATORY TESTING PROCEDURES ................................................................................. 43 TE Material Testing ....................................................................................................................... 43 Seebeck Coefficient Testing .......................................................................................... 43 Elemental Analysis of TE Materials ........................................................................... 47 High Temperature Testing ......................................................................................................... 49 Binder Curing ..................................................................................................................... 49 Thermogravimetric Analysis ........................................................................................ 50 Differential Thermal Analysis ...................................................................................... 50 Dilatometry ......................................................................................................................... 52 Liquid Operating Fluids ............................................................................................................... 53 Testing Equipment ........................................................................................................... 53 Testing Procedure ............................................................................................................ 54 4. APPLICATION TESTING PROCEDURES ................................................................................. 55 Pressure Testing ............................................................................................................................ 55 Uniaxial Press ..................................................................................................................... 55 Press Design: ........................................................................................................... 55 Testing Procedure ................................................................................................. 576 Insulation Testing ..................................................................................................
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