Fabrication of Flat Plate Solar Thermoelectric Generator Panels for Near-Earth Orbits

A practical thermomechanical configurational design was developed for flat plate thermoelectric generator unit couples (approximately 1 inch by 1 inch) and panels (approximately 3 inches by 3 inches). An account of the techniques used in fabricating these solar energy conversion devices is given. Resulting unit couples provide 3 watts/ft2 with a weight factor of 30 watts/lb for the couple and 15 watts/lb for the panel form. Steady-state and thermal cycle life tests indicate an output degradation of less than 10% in 2000 cycles. These results offer promise of lower cost space power systems with special adaptability to missions not suited to photovoltaic cells. The fabrication of 3-by 3-inch panels of nine unit cells giving 15 watts/lb is described.