Fabrication and Testing of Thermoelectric Modules for Waste Heat Recovery

Thermoelectric materials can be used to convert heat into electricity. The conventional method of fabrication for this type of application is to first compress the powder form of the material with heat followed by machining into rectangular prisms. Using two different compositions in the method described, one of negative-type and one of positive-type is to be produced which can form a circuit using metallic connectors. Thermoelectric modules have multiple couples attached electrically in series and thermally in parallel to form a difference in temperature which converts heat into electrical power. The efficiency of conventional thermoelectric modules is quite low, however there has been extensive research in the past 15 years to improve this, as evidence from the number of publications in the field increasing from approximately 500 to 2500 annually. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Mucciardi

Student:

Partner:

University of Oslo

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Advanced Manufacturing; Green/Alternative Energy; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

McGill University

Program: