Manufacture of thermoelectric generator structures by fiber drawing
Methods of manufacturing a thermoelectric generator via fiber drawing and corresponding or associated thermoelectric generator devices are provided.
1. A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric generator, the method comprising:
drawing a core material inside a glass preform to simultaneously elongate and decrease a diameter of the preform and to form a glass clad structure, wherein the glass clad structure comprises a glass clad fugitive core;
cutting the glass clad structure to form glass clad structures of reduced length;
bundling the glass clad structures of reduced length;
drawing the bundled glass clad structures of reduced length to simultaneously elongate and decrease a diameter of the bundled glass clad structures to form drawn glass clad structures;
arranging alternating n- and p-type thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures, wherein the thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures comprise a thermoelectric material not permitting simultaneous drawing of the glass clad structure and the thermoelectric material;
electrically connecting the alternating n- and p-type thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures in series to form a thermoelectric generator; and
replacing the fugitive core with a thermoelectric material following at least one of the preceding steps.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the glass clad structure comprises a glass clad thermoelectric material core.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the thermoelectric material core comprises a thermoelectric material having a sufficiently low melting point to permit the thermoelectric material to be drawn as a core in a glass clad structure.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the thermoelectric material comprises bismuth telluride.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the thermoelectric material core comprises a thermoelectric material having a sufficiently high melting point to not permit simultaneous drawing of the glass clad structure and the thermoelectric material.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said arranging alternating n- and p-type thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures comprises laminating alternating layers of n- and p-type thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures respectively.
7. The method of claim 1 comprising separately drawing n- and p-type thermoelectric material containing drawn glass clad structures.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the thermoelectric material comprises bismuth telluride.
9. A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric generator, the method comprising:
drawing a fugitive core material inside a glass preform to simultaneously elongate and decrease a diameter of the preform and to form a glass clad structure having a fugitive core;
cutting the drawn glass clad structure to form glass clad structures of reduced length;
bundling the glass clad structures of reduced length;
drawing the bundled glass clad structures of reduced length to simultaneously elongate and decrease a diameter of the bundled glass clad structures;
replacing the fugitive cores of the glass clad structures with a thermoelectric material following at least one of the preceding steps;
arranging alternating n- and p-type glass clad structures containing the thermoelectric material replacing a respective fugitive core; and
electrically connecting the alternating n- and p-type glass clad structures containing the thermoelectric material in series to form a thermoelectric generator.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the thermoelectric material comprises bismuth telluride.