Abstract
This paper describes the electrical performance of a thermoelectric generating experimental equipment using a 200°C class fluid heat source. The experimental equipment is intended to use the waste heat of the phosphoric acid fuel cells for the hot side heat source.
A thermoelectric generating equipment using a 200°C class fluid heat source was experimentally manufactured, and the influence of the pressure applied to the modules on electric performance was examined.
The result is that the output power density tended to increase and the thermal contact resistance tended to decrease with the increase of the pressure applied to thermoelectric modules up to 0.5MPa. But the rate of increase in the power density tended to be saturated with the increase of pressure over 0.5MPa. At a pressure on modules of 1MPa, about 1.6kW/m2 was obtained and the thermal contact resistance of one contact part was 2.5 × 10-4 (m2K/W).
