Despite their relatively low efficiency, thermoelectric coolers have been used for many years for a variety of applications, typically in which their high reliability outweigh their relatively low performance. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) generate electrical power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes (typically plutonium-238) into electricity using a thermoelectric converter. RTGs have been successfully used to power a number of space missions including the Apollo lunar surface science packages, the Viking Mars landers, Pioneer 10 and 11, and the Voyager, Ulysses, Galileo, Cassini and New Horizons to Pluto outer planet spacecrafts. Following the spectacular lading of the Mars Science Laboratory rover in the summer of 2012, the rover, powered by the Multi-Mission RTG, began its science mission. These generators have demonstrated their reliability over extended periods of time (tens of years) and are compact, rugged, radiation resistant, and produce no noise, vibration or torque during operation. These properties have made RTGs suitable for autonomous missions in the extreme environment of outer space and on the surface of Mars.
Additionally, approximately a third of the energy consumed by the U.S. manufacturing industry is released in the form of waste heat, offering opportunities to convert the industrial waste energy into electrical energy using various technologies, including thermoelectrics.
A review of the various prospective applications including automobile and industrial waste heat recovery is provided and the technical and economical challenges are highlighted. One of the key-enabling technologies for these applications is high-temperature, high-efficiency thermoelectric materials and converters. A review of state-of practice and state-of-the art high-temperature thermoelectric materials and converters is presented including recent development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Key challenges are summarized and future prospects for large-scale application of thermoelectrics are
discussed.
