2000 Volume 47 Issue 4 Pages 347-352
In order to meet various power requirements in the next century, thermoelectric (TE) power generation system has been focussed on a candidate of direct energy conversion systems with a nuclear heat source. An important thing in the TE power generation system is to use efficiently the heat source by means of high density induction of thermal energy for the TE module. The present work investigated a compliant pad which can served as both electrode and conductible coupling between TE module and heating or cooling duct. This pad demands (1) a high flux, direct conduction path to heat source and heat sink, (2) the structural flexibility to protect the TE module from high stress due to thermal expansion, (3) electrical insulation of the electrode from heating or cooling duct, (4) an extended durability by a simple FGM structure. In this paper, optimization for FGM was performed by using thermal stress analysis and thermal conduction analysis, densification of nickel and alumina powder, and process of manufacturing nickel/alumina/nickel symmetric FGM were investigated.
