About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2024 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
|
Alloys and Compounds for Thermoelectric and Solar Cell Applications XII
|
Presentation Title |
Contribution of Thermoelectric Property Variations Over Time and Temperature for Several RTG Technologies |
Author(s) |
Thierry Caillat |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Thierry Caillat |
Abstract Scope |
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) have been successfully used to power various NASA spacecrafts and rovers. The flight-proven Multi-Mission RTG (MMRTG) uses PbTe/TAGS thermoelectric (TE) materials and is currently used on the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. The General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS-RTG) uses SiGe TE materials and has been used on several NASA mission, including the Voyager spacecrafts. The degradation of the RTG power over time is controlled by several degradation mechanisms, including the changes in TE properties over time and temperature. The contribution of these changes for several RTG TE material systems is reviewed and analyzed. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |