Characterization of thermoelectric generator modules: Numerical and analytical study on heat flow determination under transient temperature conditions

Thermoelectric generator modules (TEMs) are in common use as power sources for spacecraft. Here, we present the first investigations on a modified characterization approach for TEM with a focus on the heat flow determination under transient temperature boundary conditions with a reference block as a heat flow meter. Furthermore, we present a solution of a partial differential equation (PDE) for determining temperature fields under transient boundary conditions in single thermoelectric blocks. The PDE solution serves likewise as a reference for a numerical model using OpenModelica with a network model of the TEM measurement facility under ideal measurement conditions without parasitic heat losses. Heat flow results obtained from the numerical model are compared with the simulated transient measurement procedure, which has been derived from an analytic description of the heat conduction in the measurement configuration.