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Interlaboratory Testing for High‐Temperature Power Generation Characteristics of a Ni‐Based Alloy Thermoelectric Module
Author(s) -
Ziolkowski Pawel,
Chetty Raju,
Blaschkewitz Przemyslaw,
Ohta Michihiro,
Yamamoto Atsushi,
Müller Eckhard
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.202000557
Subject(s) - thermoelectric generator , metrology , thermoelectric effect , characterization (materials science) , seebeck coefficient , standardization , thermoelectric materials , materials science , electric power , process engineering , electricity generation , repeatability , mechanical engineering , environmental science , engineering physics , nuclear engineering , computer science , power (physics) , nanotechnology , engineering , physics , chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , operating system , optics
Standardization of metrology for thermoelectric generator modules (TEMs) is a necessary step toward industrialization of thermoelectric applications. Unspecified uncertainty budgets of the widely used custom‐built characterization facilities seem insufficient to validate technological developments, industrial benchmarks, or allow sound conclusions in scientific studies. Particularly, works on high‐temperature TEM have to be supported by suitable characterization techniques. This shall accelerate progress toward product releases for thermoelectric energy conversion. Herein, a Ni‐based alloy TEM is reported, which is developed at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) as a prospective standard reference TEM. Comparative measurements at AIST and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) demonstrate the high repeatability and precision of custom‐built TEM characterization facilities at AIST and DLR. Tests at elevated temperatures up to 773 K hot side temperature and 450 K temperature difference reveal excellent accordance of electric measurands with a standard deviation <0.3% for the open‐circuit voltage and <0.85% for electric resistance and maximum power output. Deviations of the heat flow measurement of up to 7.22% arise from individual uncertainties of the used characterization methods and point to the importance of standardization for TEM metrology.