• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3080-3087
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• 2023

Thermoelectric (TE) materials working in radioisotope thermoelectric generators are irradiated by neutrons throughout its service; thus, investigating the neutron irradiation stability of TE devices is necessary. Herein, the influence of neutron irradiation with fluences of 4.56 × 10¹⁰ and 1 × 10¹³ n/cm² by pulsed neutron reactor on the electrical and thermal transport properties of n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 and p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ thermoelectric alloys prepared by cold-pressing and molding is investigated. After neutron irradiation, the properties of thermoelectric materials fluctuate, which is related to the material type and irradiation fluence. Different from p-type thermoelectric materials, neutron irradiation has a positive effect on n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 materials. This result might be due to the increase of carrier mobility and the optimization of electrical conductivity. Afterward, the effects of p-type and n-type TE devices with different treatments on the output performance of TE devices are further discussed. The positive and negative effects caused by irradiation can cancel each other to a certain extent. For TE devices paired with p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ and n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 thermoelectric legs, the generated power and conversion efficiency are stable after neutron irradiation.

• Ceramist
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 2019

Thermoelectric energy conversion has attracted much attention because it can convert heat into electric power directly through solid state device and vice versa. Current research is aimed at increasing the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT ) by improving the power factor and reducing the thermal conductivity. Although there have been significant progresses in increasing ZT of material systems composed of Bi, Te, Ge, Pb, and etc. over the last few decades, their relatively high cost, toxicity, and the scarcity have hindered further development of thermoelectrics to expand practical applications. In this paper, we review the current status of research in the fields of nanostructured thermoelectric materials with eco-friendly and low cost elements, such as skutterudites and oxides, for mid-high temperature applications, highlighting the strategies to improve thermoelectric performance.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.22-28
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• 2014

The thermoelectric generator using solar heat was applied to the device (heat-electricity conversion device) to produce small-scale electricity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics and performance of the device, which equipped with heat pipe as heat source. The experimental results showed that efficiency of circular single evacuated solar collector was higher 2.7 times than that of rectangular solar collector. Furthermore maximum power of 5 watt was obtained when 2 devices with series array were used and it could be more improved by increasing the number of device or measurement time.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.45-50
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• 1998

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.358-363
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• 2013

Lithium-ammonia (Li-$NH_3$) solutions are possible to be successfully made under the vacuum condition but there still remains a problem of undergoing stable and reliable decomposition in vacuum for high-efficiency thermoelectric power generation. This paper describes a new method for improving the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of Li-$NH_3$ solutions in vacuum. The proposed method uses a 'U'-shaped Pyrex vacuum tube for the preparation and decomposition of pure fluid Li-$NH_3$ solutions. The tube is shaped so that a gas passageway ('U') connecting both legs of the 'U' helps to balance pressure inside both ends of the tube (due to $NH_3$ gasification) during decomposition on the hot side. Thermoelectric experimental results show that solution reaction in the 'U'-shaped tube proceeds more stably and efficiently than in the 'U'-shaped tube, and consequently, thermoelectric conversion efficiency is improved. It is also proved that the proposed method can provide a reversible reaction, which can rotate between synthesis and decomposition in the tube, for deriving the long-time, high-efficiency thermoelectric power.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.246-252
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• 1996

$Bi_{2}Te_{3}-Sb_{2}Te_{3}$, $Bi_{2}Te_{3}-Bi_{2}Se_{3}$ solid solutions are of great interest as materials for thermoelectric energy conversion. One of the key technologies to ensure the efficiency of thermoelectric device is to obtain chemically homogeneous solid solutions. In this work, the new process with rapid solidification followed by hot pressing was investigated to produce homogeneous thermoelectric materials. Characteristics of the materials were examined with XRD, SEM, EPMA-line scan and bending test. Property variations of the materials were investigated as a function of variables, such as excess Te quantity and hot pressing temperature. Quenched ribbons are very brittle and consisted of homogeneous $Bi_{2}Te_{3}$, $Sb_{2}Te_{3}$ solid solutions. When the process parameters were optimized, the maximum figure of merit was 3.073$\times$$10^{-3}K^{-4}$. The bending strength of the material, hot pressed at 45$0^{\circ}C$, was 5.87 kgf/${mm}^2$.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.263-270
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• 2011

The aim of this paper is, through the experiment of Lithium-Ammonia solutions $(Li(NH_3)_n)$, to analyze and verify a thermoelectric-conversion property at near Ammonia-boiling point ($-40^{\circ}C$). The experiment results show that the solutions with 0.58 MPM~1.87 MPM generate thermoelectric power at temperature difference $({\Delta}T=0{\sim}15^{\circ}C)$ where Current is constantly proportional to Voltage. This paper provides a new insight into the development of a thermoelectric material.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.259-267
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• 2010

An experiment has been performed in order to investigate the characteristics of multiple thermoelectric modules (TEMs) with electrical circuits. The open circuit voltage of TEM connected parallel circuit is equal to the sum of individual TEMs. In contrast, the open circuit voltage is equal to the average of that individual TEM for a series circuit. The power output and conversion efficiency of TEM for both parallel and series circuits increase as the operating temperature conditions for individual TEMs becomes identical. Comparing parallel with series circuits, the power generation performance is more excellent for series circuit than parallel circuit. This result is attributed to the power loss from the TEM with better power generation performance.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.589-602
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• 2024

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) generally do not have high heat conversion efficiencies. The performance of a thermoelectric generator module depends on the shape of the legs as well as the properties of the material and the number of legs. In this study, the leg shapes of thermoelectric elements are modeled into various geometric structures such as cylinder and cube shaped to efficiently harvest waste heat, and the electrical characteristics are compared numerically. The temperature gradient and power generation according to the bridge shape are found to be highest at the existing Cube shape. As a result of comparing the power generation using the cooling effect, the Cone shape was the highest in natural convection and the Hourglass shape was highest in forced convection. Research results confirm that geometry can affect the efficiency of thermoelectric generators.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.08a
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• pp.56.4-56
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• 1998