THERMOELECTRIC POWER GENERATOR

any of a class of devices that either convert heat directly into electricity or transform electrical energy into pumped thermal power for heating or cooling. Such devices are based on thermoelectric effects involving interactions between the flow of heat and of electricity through solid bodies. Additional reading Stanley W. Angrist, Direct Energy Conversion, 4th ed. (1987), provides a historical introduction and overview. General references include A.F. Ioffe, Semiconductor Thermoelements, and, Thermoelectric Cooling (1957; originally published in Russian, 1956), two classic works emphasizing the important contributions made at the Institute for Semiconductors in Leningrad; H.J. Goldsmid, Applications of Thermoelectricity (1960), a brief readable monograph covering thermoelectric effects, materials, devices, and applications; and Robert R. Heikes and Roland W. Ure, Jr., Thermoelectricity: Science and Engineering (1961), a review of all aspects of thermoelectric devices. J.W.C. Harpster, P.R. Swinehart, and F. Braun, Solid State Thermal Control for Spacecraft, Solid-State Electronics, 18(6):551555 (June 1975), examines the heat-pumping capabilities of thermoelectric devices in Earth-orbiting spacecraft. Joseph W. Harpster