Analysis of thermoelectrics used in the aerospace industry for power generation by the seebeck effect

Abstract

Currently the generation of energy in space is of vital importance for research on other planets and moons, as all missions sent are powered by electricity so that they keep all their instruments operating properly and present no short-term problems. For the generation of energy outside the planet earth are presented the power converters which are able to convert thermal energy into electrical energy, currently there are two types of power converters which are dynamic and static, for this work are addressed the static, also called thermoelectric that work from a physical phenomenon called seebeck effect which USES two metals of different composition united, They take advantage of a temperature gradient where one end is kept at a hot temperature and the other at a cold temperature, causing a voltage differential. For a material to be considered thermoelectric and work properly has to have some properties such as the seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity, in this work we study some thermoelectrics used in the aerospace sector which are Bi_2 Te_3, PbTe, SiGe, Skutterudite and BiSbTe Where its thermoelectric properties will be analyzed according to its operating temperature range, the merit figure zt will be calculated, the electrical power generated, the input heat and the output heat, finally a comparative table of the electrical power generated by the static converters and another of its applications in the space sector will be performed. This work provides information on the most used thermoelectrics in the space sector, as well as the physical phenomena involved in static converters.