Thermoelectricity, early developments

The AEG sponsored research ia the program known as Systems for Nuclear AuxiHary Power (SNAP) as early as the 1950s. Most of the systems developed iavolved the radioisotope plutonium-238 as a heat source for a thermoelectric generator. Such electrical suppHes permitted radio transmission to earth from spacecraft such as Pioneer and l qyager. 

Early bolometers used, as thermometers, thermopiles, based on the thermoelectric effect (see Section 9.4) or Golay cells in which the heat absorbed in a thin metal film is transferred to a small volume of gas the resulting pressure increase moves a mirror in an optical amplifier. A historical review of the development of radiation detectors until 1994 can be found in ref. [59,60], The modern history of infrared bolometers starts with the introduction of the carbon resistor, as both bolometer sensor and absorber, by Boyle and Rogers [12], The device had a number of advantages over the Golay cell such as low cost, simplicity and relatively low heat capacity at low temperatures. 

It has been shown that, in principle, it is possible to develop and optimize the technique of a computer-based on-line diagnostics of the states of a thermoelectric nuclear installation specifically, the noise based diagnostics methods have been elaborated to enable early detection of deviations in standard parameters while predicting the potential for their further... 

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. 

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