Thermoelectric power generation, application

Uses. Semiconductors thermoelectric cooling power generation application for commercial use, Bi2Te3 is doped with selenium sulfide to alter its conductivity. 

M.R. Wertheimer, B.D. Ratner, 1999, ISBH 1-55899-450-5 Volume 545— Thermoelectric Materials 1998—The Hext Generation Materials for Small-Scale Refrigeration and Power Generation Applications, T.M. Tritt, M.Q. Kanatzldls,... 

The radioactive isotope 89Sr (also known by the pharmaceutical brand name Metastron ) is used as a cancer therapeutic to alleviate bone pain. 85Sr has been used in medical applications, such as radiologic imagining of bones, in minor commercial applications, such as thermoelectric power generation, as a beta-particle standard source, and in instruments that measure thickness and density of materials (Murray 1994). 

An important group of functional materials is formed by the III-V compounds, e.g. InSb, InAs, GaAs, which have found applications in electronics and in thermoelectric power generation (C. S. Roberts, 1967 Cadoff, 1967). The constitutive ele-... 

III-l] BEAM B.H., Exploratory study of thermoelectric power generation for space flight application. — NASA TWD-336 (1960). 

The element does not have any important commercial apphcations. Its isotopes Cm-242 and Cm-244 have potential applications to generate thermoelectric power for operation of instruments in space ships. 

A major application of tellurium is in semiconductor research. Tellurides of lead and bismuth are used in thermoelectric devices for power generation and refrigeration. 

This property makes plutonium a good choice for certain thermoelectric generator applications. A thermoelectric generator is a device that converts heat into electricity. Plutonium generators are not practical on a large scale basis. But they are very desirable for special conditions. For example, they have been used to provide electrical power on space probes and space vehicles. 

A battery of complementary techniques is often necessary (and always desirable) to provide reliable, applications-oriented characterization of the bulk properties of (catalytic) carbon materials. Arguably the most useful ones are transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy coupled with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), and Raman spectroscopy. For example, among the recently reported virtues of Raman spectroscopy is the identification of graphite whiskers [152,153] in three carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (M. Fries and A. Steele, Science Online, Feb. 28, 2008), which contain some of the oldest matter in the solar system and has thus generated tremendous interest among astrophysicists. 

Figure 14 Thermoelectric generator applications, power ranges and sources of heat.

Wind-powered generators may be used as a source of power in areas where prevailing winds are of sufficient intensity and duration. Such units were used fairly extensively in the early days of pipeline CP. However, they are expensive and require extensive maintenance. Their use for this application has declined with the development of more cost-effective, reliable power sources, such as solar cells, CCVTs, and thermoelectric generators. Because the power output from a wind-powered generator will be neither steady nor continuous, some means must be used to assure a steady supply of current to the CP groundbed. This can be done by using storage batteries. 

Plutonium is the most important transuranium element. Its two isotopes Pu-238 and Pu-239 have the widest applications among all plutonium isotopes. Plutonium-239 is the fuel for nuclear weapons. The detonation power of 1 kg of plutonium-239 is about 20,000 tons of chemical explosive. The critical mass for its fission is only a few pounds for a solid block depending on the shape of the mass and its proximity to neutron absorbing or reflecting substances. This critical mass is much lower for plutonium in aqueous solution. Also, it is used in nuclear power reactors to generate electricity. The energy output of 1 kg of plutonium is about 22 million kilowatt hours. Plutonium-238 has been used to generate power to run seismic and other lunar surface equipment. It also is used in radionuclide batteries for pacemakers and in various thermoelectric devices. 

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are sometimes used as power sources for space systems. In April 1964, a United States RTG navigational satellite, SNAP 9A, reentered the atmosphere and burned up at high altitude over the Mozambique Channel, releasing 629 trillion becquerels (TBq), equivalent to 17,000 Ci, of Pu and 0.48 TBq of Pu (Whicker and Schultz 1982a Richmond 1989). In January 1978, a Soviet RTG satellite, Kosmos 954, reentered the atmosphere over Canada and spread radiouranium across parts of that country (Richmond 1989). The amount of radioactive materials in space applications is expected to increase (Richmond 1989). 

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