Week Five

This week, the group began experimenting with the thermoelectric cells that were purchased from tmart.com (whose link is listed in the week four progress page).  Since three cells were purchased, one was disassembled in order to evaluate its functionality.  Photos of the exterior and interior of the cell are shown again below.

The thermoelectric Peltier cell, TEC1-12709, in a static free bag

The thermoelectric with positive and negative leads shown.

The interior of the thermoelectric cell revealing the typical grid structure contained in most Peltier designs

During the fifth week of the project, we began initial testing of the thermoelectric cell that we purchased.  Just as with the metals, the thermoelectric cell was tested with a heat gun, and the voltage was measured with a multimeter.  The results of the tests were the trial values of 1.01 volts, 0.75 volts, and 0.6 volts.  

The preliminary testing setup for the thermoelectric cell using resistors to adjust voltage output

 

Based on the results, the initial testing procedure was determined to be insufficient.  The thermoelectric cell produces the greatest potential difference while there exists a large temperature gradient across the two sides of the cell. Applying the heat gun directly to the cell made the entire cell get hot, as well the surrounding area and table underneath.  Therefore, future tests must be conducted where one side of the cell can be heated while keeping the other side cool.