0000000000149585
AUTHOR
Nikola Kanas
Long term stability testing of oxide unicouple thermoelectric modules
Thermoelectric devices based on oxides are good candidates for energy harvesting technologies for use in aggressive conditions where the materials should withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments over prolonged time. This leads to a natural concern for the stability of the electrical contacts, especially on the hot side of the module. In this work, we have assembled several prototype unicouple thermoelectric modules made by pyrolyzed and spark plasma sintered n-type CaMnO3 and p-type Ca3Co4O9 and then tested under different conditions mimicking end-user applications. For baseline experiments we have chosen to use nickel as the contact material in order to show the effect of its…
Performance of a thermoelectric module based on n-type (La0.12Sr0.88)0.95TiO3-δ and p-type Ca3Co4-xO9+δ
Here, we present the performance of a thermoelectric (TE) module consisting of n-type (La0.12Sr0.88)0.95TiO3 and p-type Ca3Co4-xO9+δ materials. The main challenge in this investigation was operation of TE module in different atmosphere conditions, since n-type has its optimum TE-performance at reducing, while p-type at oxidizing conditions. The TE module was exposed to two different atmospheres and demonstrated higher stability in N2 atmosphere than in air. The maximum electrical power output decreased after 40 h when the hot side was exposed to N2 at 600 °C, while only 1 h at 400 °C in ambient air was enough to oxidize (La0.12Sr0.88)0.95TiO3 followed by a reduced electrical power output. T…