THEORY OF MATERIALS FOR THERMOELECTRIC AND THERMOMAGNETIC DEVICES.
Abstract
Recently there has been an increasing interest in the effect of a magnetic field on the performance of thermoelectric devices. There are two separate types of devices which must be considered: (1) the magnetic field will change the performance of an ordinary thermoelectric device based upon the Seebeck and Peltier effects; and (2) the Nernst and Ettingshausen effects, which are zero in zero magnetic field, can be used to pump heat or generate power when a magentic field is present. In the first section of this report, the theory of materials for thermoelectric devices in zero magnetic field is reviewed and the theory for the magnetic field case is developed. In crystalline materials in which the transport properties are different in different directions, the thermoelectric figure of merit will be a function of the orientation of the crystal. Under certain general conditions it can be shown that the direction of maximum figure of merit will lie along one of the major axes of the crystal. In the second section of this report it is shown that the direction of maximum figure of merit depends upon the shape of the specimen. A study of the way in which the Te ion goes into solution is reported. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 19, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0421573
Entities
People
- Roland W. Ure Jr.
Organizations
- Westinghouse Electric Corporation