scholarly journals Enhancing NASA's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Using Highly Efficient Thermoelectric Materials

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Houtmann
Keyword(s):  
Thermoelectric Materials ◽  
Thermoelectric Generator ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Fuel Production ◽  
Project Proposal ◽  
New Material ◽  
Plutonium Fuel ◽  
The Ideal

This project proposal aims to enhance NASA’s Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) by identifying and analyzing new material technologies that have been researched for their excellent thermoelectric properties at higher temperatures. By choosing the most efficient thermoelectric material available, the MMRTG’s energy conversion efficiency will be greatly improved as thermoelectric generator efficiencies are largely determined by the properties of the materials within the thermocouple devices used to convert the heat into energy. A project that focuses on enhancing the MMRTG is imperative for the future of space exploration as there is global shortage of plutonium fuel production, limiting future missions to available supplies. A more efficient generator will minimize the use of this fuel while maximizing power output, allowing for increased mission capabilities and better conservation of the scarce plutonium fuel. In this report, lanthanum telluride, Yb14MnSb14, and a multiple-filled skutterudite (SKD) compound are analyzed for their excellent thermoelectric performance. The multiple filled SKD compound is chosen as the ideal material to enhance the MMRTG based on the low cost and low risks associated with the material while producing a nearly identical efficiency relative to the other candidates. Keywords: eMMRTG, MMRTG, thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric generator, efficiency

Low-cost flexible thin film thermoelectric generator on zinc based thermoelectric materials

2015 ◽  
Vol 106 (7) ◽  
pp. 073901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Fan ◽  
Zhuang-hao Zheng ◽  
Yin-zhen Li ◽  
Qing-yun Lin ◽  
Jing-ting Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thermoelectric Materials ◽  
Thermoelectric Generator ◽  
Low Cost

scholarly journals Soft Spherical Tensegrity Robot Design Using Rod-Centered Actuation and Control

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee-Huang Chen ◽  
Kyunam Kim ◽  
Ellande Tang ◽  
Kevin Li ◽  
Richard House ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Robot Design ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Flexible Design ◽  
Spherical Robot ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Control

This paper presents the design, analysis and testing of a fully actuated modular spherical tensegrity robot for co-robotic and space exploration applications. Robots built from tensegrity structures (composed of pure tensile and compression elements) have many potential benefits including high robustness through redundancy, many degrees of freedom in movement and flexible design. However to fully take advantage of these properties a significant fraction of the tensile elements should be active, leading to a potential increase in complexity, messy cable and power routing systems and increased design difficulty. Here we describe an elegant solution to a fully actuated tensegrity robot: The TT-3 (version 3) tensegrity robot, developed at UC Berkeley, in collaboration with NASA Ames, is a lightweight, low cost, modular, and rapidly prototyped spherical tensegrity robot. This robot is based on a ball-shaped six-bar tensegrity structure and features a unique modular rod-centered distributed actuation and control architecture. This paper presents the novel mechanism design, architecture and simulations of TT-3, the first untethered, fully actuated cable-driven six-bar tensegrity spherical robot ever built and tested for mobility. Furthermore, this paper discusses the controls and preliminary testing performed to observe the system’s behavior and performance.

Gasification of Coal and Dairy Manure With Air-Steam as Oxidizing Agent

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Gordillo ◽  
Kalyan Annamalai
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Water Contamination ◽  
Mass Conservation ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Animal Waste ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Ground Water Contamination ◽  
The Ideal

The animal waste from feedlots (called feedlot biomass, FB) and dairy farms (called dairy biomass, DB) can contribute to surface or ground water contamination and air pollution problems with the release of greenhouse gases (CH4). In the present study, the feasibility of onsite gasification of DB with an air-steam mixture for production of H2 rich syngas (a mixture of H2 and CO) is considered. The composition of gases produced by DB is predicted using a) mass conservation and b) chemical equilibrium for adiabatic systems where heat produced by partial oxidation is used to strip H2 from steam. Coal is used as standard fuel for comparison of gasification performance of DB with coal. A model is developed to estimate the ideal production of CH4, H2, CO, CO2, N2 and H2S, and other compounds are assumed to be in trace amounts. The parameters investigated are equivalence ratio (1 to 10), air-steam ratio (0.1 to 1), and reaction temperature (600–1500 K). With the predicted composition of gases, the HHV of gas mixtures and the energy conversion efficiency are estimated. The predicted results show that higher ERs yield to elevated concentrations of CO and CH4, high HHV mixtures and energy conversion efficiency, and low percentages of H2 and CO2. On the other hand, lower air-steam ratios produce more H2, CO2, and CH4 but less CO under equilibrium or mass conservation methods. The results suggest that it is possible to obtain concentrations of H2 from 0 to 50%, CO from 0 to 45%, and CH4 from 0 to 45% approximately. The current results provide operational parameters for a gasifier fired with DB and a mixture of air and steam as oxidizers. Experiments are currently in progress to determine the actual composition of gases released from gasifier.

Realizing high-efficiency power generation in low-cost PbS-based thermoelectric materials

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binbin Jiang ◽  
Xixi Liu ◽  
Qi Wang ◽  
Juan Cui ◽  
Baohai Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Thermoelectric Materials ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Thermoelectric Module ◽  
High Conversion ◽  
High Conversion Efficiency

A high conversion efficiency of 11.2% was realized in a low-cost PbS-based segmented thermoelectric module.

scholarly journals Working with federal government agencies to unlock administrative data

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Auer
Keyword(s):  
Administrative Data ◽  
Source Coding ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Project Proposal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Econometric Methods ◽  
Technical Specifications ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Link Information

Federal administrative data is a low-cost and low-burden data source for evidence-based policy making. By linking information from different surveys, or over time, researchers can achieve the sample size and variation needed for advanced econometric methods. However, the personally identifying information (PII) needed to link information means that these data re not available to the public. One solution is to provide technical specifications to the requisite agency(s) to execute the research. This paper outlines the process and pitfalls of drafting specifications for an implementing party who knows more about the data than you do. Drawing on experience from working with the U.S. Census Bureau and knowledge gained from related literatures, such as open-source coding, this paper recommends the depth of description, order of data manipulation and analysis, and requested output to make these collaborative projects successful. A federal administrative data project proposal template is offered. The paper also advises on information that federal agencies can supply to facilitate the use of these important data sources.

A Novel, Low-Cost C-C Composite Heat Sink Material

1996 ◽  
Vol 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kowbel ◽  
V. Chellappa ◽  
J.C. Withers
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽  
New Class ◽  
Dielectric Coatings ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
New Material ◽  
New Type ◽  
Composite Heat

AbstractRapid advances in high power electronics packaging require the development of new heat sink materials. Advanced composites designed to provide thermal expansion control as well as improved thermal conductivity have the potential to provide benefits in the removal of excess heat from electronic devices. Carbon-carbon (C-C) composits are under consideration for several military and space electronic applications including SEM-E electronic boxes. The high cost of C-C composits has greatly hindered their wide spread commercialization. A new manufacturing process has been developed to produce high thermal conductivity (over 400 W/mK) C-C composites at greatly reduced cost (less than $50/lb). This new material has potential applications as both a heat sink and a substrate. Dielectric coatings such as A1N and diamond were applied to this new type of heat sink material. Processing, as well as mechanical and thermal properties of this new class of heat sink material will be presented.

Low cost miniature thermoelectric generator

1991 ◽  
Vol 27 (25) ◽  
pp. 2332 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Kiely ◽  
D.V. Morgan ◽  
D.M. Rowe ◽  
J.M. Humphrey
Keyword(s):  
Thermoelectric Generator ◽  
Low Cost

Processing Technologies for Green Composites Production

2016 ◽  
pp. 24-47
Author(s):  
Deepak Verma ◽  
Garvit Joshi ◽  
Rajneesh Dabral
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Green Composites ◽  
Green Composite ◽  
Processing Technologies ◽  
High Mechanical Strength ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Molding Method ◽  
Properties And Characterization ◽  
New Material

Green composites became a most important and adaptable theme of research. This area/theme not only harness the agricultural wastes such as bagasse fibres, banana fibres, etc. but also provides a new material manufactured from these wastes which are reduced weight, have low cost, and have high mechanical strength. Currently, there are various methods available for the processing or fabrication of green composites. Some of these methods are hand layup method, injection molding method, spray-up method, compression molding, Resin-Transfer Molding (RTM), etc. In this chapter, we are discussing about the fabrication method of green composite and their important parameters. Various properties and characterization of composite materials made by these methods have also been discussed and reported here.

Flexible film-based thermoelectric generators

MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (30) ◽  
pp. 1691-1697
Author(s):  
Shuping Lin ◽  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Lisha Zhang ◽  
Xiaoming Tao
Keyword(s):  
Seebeck Coefficient ◽  
Thermoelectric Generator ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Thermoelectric Generators ◽  
Polystyrene Sulfonate ◽  
Paper Substrate ◽  
Thermoelectric Element ◽  
Flexible Film ◽  
P Type ◽  
Flexible Thermoelectric

ABSTRACT:The present work highlights the progress in the field of flexible thermoelectric generator (f-TEGs) fabricated by 3-D printing strategy on the typing paper substrate. In this study, printable thermoelectric paste was developed. The dimension of each planer thermoelectric element is 30mm*4mm with a thickness of 50 μm for P-type Bismuth Tellurium (Bi2Te3)-based/ poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) leg. A single thermoleg with this dimension can generate a voltage of 5.38 mV at a temperature difference of 70 K. The calculated Seebeck Coefficient of a single thermoleg is 76.86 μV/K. This work demonstrates that low-cost printing technology is promising for the fabrication of f-TEGs.

scholarly journals Cryo-Microtome sections of coproculture larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis and Strongyloides ratti as antigen sources for the immunodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis

1997 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 313-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Maria COSTA-CRUZ ◽  
Carina Barbosa BULLAMAH ◽  
Maria do Rosário F. GONÇALVES-PIRES ◽  
Dulcinéa Maria B. CAMPOS ◽  
Miguel Alípio VIEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Immunofluorescence ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Strongyloides Stercoralis ◽  
Human Igg ◽  
Significant Linear Correlation ◽  
The Ideal

Cryo-microtome sections of larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis and S. ratti respectively obtained from human and rat feces cultures, were used as antigens. Fluoresceinate conjugates against human IgG were employed at the ideal titer of 10 for S. stercoralis and 100 for S. ratti. The sensitivity of the indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IIF) was 94.4% and 92.5% and the specificity 94.2% and 97.1% for the two specific larval antigens, respectively. Sera from 123 persons (54 from carriers of S. stercoralis infections and 69 from controls) were submitted to the reaction. The titers of different sera varied from 20 to 2560. There was a significant linear correlation (r = 0.85 p <FONT FACE="Symbol">£</font> 0.001) between the antibodies from the two species of larval antigens. We conclude that both antigens may be used in the IIF reaction for the diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis. Due to the feasibility of safe and low-cost mass production of S. ratti larvae in the laboratory with a considerable economy of conjugate, their utilization in the serum diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis is recommended

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