Optimisation of functionally gradated material thermoelectric cooler for the solar space power system

New solar space power system (SSPS) is designed for harvesting solar energy in space and its conversion and transmission to the Earth using laser radiation. This laser system needs to be kept within constant temperature range and the cooling system should have no moving parts, which makes a Peltier device (thermoelectric cooling; TEC) to be a viable option. The challenge of the TEC system is low coefficient of performance and need of a huge radiator to dissipate excess low-grade heat into the space. The present study analyses and optimizes the TEC system for SSPS with use of functionally gradated material (FGM) semiconductors. The performance of FGM semiconductors is calculated against set of objectives and constrains, taking into account temperature-dependent properties. Application of FGM vs. homogeneous TEC materials allows increase of COP by several times, halving current to form-factor ratio. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.