An International Round-Robin Study on Thermoelectric Module Testing and Development of Standard Power Generation Modules
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- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
- National Physical Laboratory, London (United Kingdom)
- Fraunhofer Institute, Freiburg (Germany)
- Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen, MD (United States)
- Hanbat National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
- General Motors R&D, Warren, MI (United States)
- Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, QC (Canada)
An international round-robin study on thermoelectric power generation modules was conducted with nine participating laboratories. Two types of commercially available bismuth telluride modules, 30 mm × 30 mm and 40 mm × 40 mm, were used. A test protocol was followed with five temperature set points from 50°C to 150°C. Graphite sheets were used as thermal interface materials with test pressure at 100 psi (0.69 MPa). The results showed large lab-to-lab variations and the key source of uncertainty for module efficiency was identified as the heat flux measurement. In the meantime, significant uncertainty was also found in maximum electrical power (Pmax) measurements. As a result of the round-robin, a “standard module” with 4 × 4 legs on a 20 mm × 20 mm platform was suggested. A skutterudite module and a half-Heusler module were produced with identical geometry and 4 mm × 4 mm × 8 mm legs. All transport properties to calculate the figure-of-merit, zT, were measured from ambient temperature to 500°C. Module performance was measured by two laboratories. Two finite-element-analysis (FEA)-based models were developed independently to simulate and predict the module performance. In conclusion, the standard modules eliminated significant test uncertainties and are aimed at assisting device design and achieving more accurate performance predictions.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 3013494
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Electronic Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Electronic Materials Vol. 55; ISSN 0361-5235; ISSN 1543-186X
- Publisher:
- SpringerCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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