Long term thermoelectric module testing system.
Thermoelectric generators can be used for converting waste heat into electric power. Significant interest in developing new materials in recent years has led to the discovery of several promising thermoelectrics, however, there can be considerable challenges in developing the materials into working devices. Testing and feedback is needed at each step to gain valuable information for identification of difficulties, quality of the materials and modules, repeatability in fabrication, and longevity of the devices. This paper describes a long-term module testing system for monitoring the output power of a module over extended testing times. To evaluate the system, we have tested commercially available thermoelectric modules over a one month time period.
D'Angelo
Jonathan
J
Michigan State University, 2120 Engineering Building, East Lansing, Michigan 48823, USA. dangelo4@msu.edu
Hogan
Timothy
T