SBIR Phase I: Ultra Low-Cost Manufacturing Thermoelectric Module

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是低成本热电模块的可用性，这些模块可以以允许它们用于各种废热应用的价格出售。 世界上生产的所有能源的三分之二作为废热损失，低成本热电模块将使其在经济上可行地回收一部分这种能源作为电力。 在美国回收废热将减少污染，温室气体和我们对外国石油的依赖。 在发展中国家回收废热将使许多家庭有史以来第一次获得负担得起的电力。 几瓦的电力将提供照明和手机充电的能力。 可以使用低成本热电来发电或自供电的一些产品的示例是炉子、热水器、烧木材的炉子和壁炉、空间加热器、发动机加热器和其他工业加热器。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目提出通过减少模块中使用的昂贵碲化铋的量来降低热电模块的成本。 通过使用较小的元素减少了碲化铋的用量，但是使用较小的元素使得热膨胀差、高热通量和高电流通量的影响更加显著。 该提案描述了如何更好地理解这些影响，并提出了几种可以最大限度地减少这些影响的方法。 提出的方法包括用柔性部件取代一些刚性部件，并建立适应热膨胀差异的功能。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be in the availability of low cost thermoelectric modules that can be sold at a price that will allow them to be used in a wide variety of waste heat applications. Two thirds of all of the energy produced in the world is lost as waste heat and a low cost thermoelectric module will make it economically viable to recover a portion of this energy as electricity. Recovering waste heat in America will reduce pollution, greenhouse gasses and our dependence on foreign oil. Recovering waste heat in developing nations will make affordable electricity available to many families for the first time ever. A few watts of electricity will provide lighting and the ability to charge cell phones. Examples of some products that can use low cost thermo electrics to generator electricity or to be self- powered are furnaces, water heaters, wood burning stoves and fireplaces, space eaters, engine heaters and other industrial heaters. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to reduce the cost of the thermoelectric module by reducing the amount of the expensive bismuth telluride used in the module. The amount of bismuth telluride used is reduced by using smaller elements but using smaller elements makes the effects of thermal expansion differences, high heat flux and high current fluxes more pronounced. This proposal describes how these effects can be better understood and proposes several methods that can minimize them. Proposed methods include replacing some rigid components with flexible ones and to build in features that will accommodate thermal expansion differences.