Thermoelectric generator testing and RTG degradation mechanisms evaluation. Progress report No. 36
The n-type selenide legs after 15,000 hours continue to show reasonable agreement with the 3M Co. published thermal conductivity data. In the ingradient testing after 16,500 hours the 3 surviving n-legs (out of 5) show serious degradation in power to load. Weight loss and thermoelectricity property measurements on the first samples of material produced by G.E. continue to correspond to the results previously obtained on R.C.A. material from the MHW program. The remaining MHW generator on test, Q1-A, has accumulated 23,679 hours and performance remains stable. The 18 couple modules S/N-1 and -3 previously tested at RCA show no significant change in operation during the current JPL testing. A comparison of LES 8/9 RTG's with an improved version of DEGRA is shown. No changes in the trends of degradation of LES 8 and 9 and the Voyager RTGs have been observed.
- Research Organization:
- California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI03-79ET33062
- OSTI ID:
- 6235697
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ET/33062-T4; ON: DE81024236; TRN: 81-017278
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Thermoelectric generator testing and RTG degradation mechanisms evaluation. Progress report No. 35
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