Thermoelectric properties of sintered magnesium compounds

Abstract

The thermoelectric properties of the sintered magnesium compounds such as magnesium silicide and magnesium stannide have been researched in order to apply to a thermoelectric power generation system using combustion heat of municipal solid waste. Temperature dependencies of thermoelectric properties such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power factor are measured for the temperature range from 300 K to 770 K. The non-dimensional figure-of-merit for the sintered magnesium silicide is obtained about 0.4 at 600 K in the initial stage. The durability of magnesium compound elements is also discussed.