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B2: Module design
In recent years, environmental problem such as global warming and the depletion of energy resources has become serious matters. As one of the methods of reducing such that problems, thermoelectric power generation technology has been receiving attention. Thermoelectric conversion technology can convert the thermal energy directly into the electrical energy. Therefore, the exhaust heat can be converted into the electrical energy. Moreover, it is a clean power generation method of not discharging the CO2 gas when electricity is generated.
The purpose of this study is the fabricating thermoelectric (TE) module that can be used in the middle range temperature of 573-873 K.
The materials of elements were selected n-type Mg2Si and p-type MnSi1.73 of the silicide compound. These compounds have the feature of non-toxicity, environmental friendliness, lightweight property, and comparative abundance compared with other TE modules.
The Ag paste was used for the joint of elements. In order to prevent diffusion of Ag, the junction interface of the elements was metalized with Ni. The metallization was performed using a spark plasma sintering technique.
TE module was composed of 12 pairs of elements, and Ag was used for the electrode.
The dimensions of both p- and n-type elements were 5.0 mm × 5.0 mm × 6.3 mmt.
The module size was 36.5 mm × 36.0 mm × 7.0 mmt by using alumina for the substrate.
The fabricated module was inserted between the hot platen and the cold plate in the air, and measured output power. The observed values of the open circuit voltage and the maximum output power were 1.6V and 5.6 W when hot platen and cold plate were 860K and 312K. This output power corresponds to the output density of 4.4kW/m2.