A pulsed method for estimating the thermal inertia of cable-type thermoelectric converters

This paper considers the question of measuring the thermal inertia of cable-type thermoelectric converters (TEC). Therse converters are manufactured by using thermocouple cables with mineral insulation. In order to improve the accuracy of the measurement, it is possible to use apparatuses operating by the heating0grid method or the shutter method. The scheme of placement of the measurement points on the end surface of the TEC is shown. The procedure presented determines the thermal inertia of TEC's by a pulsed method. The criteria used for estimating the thermal inertia of the TEC's was the time required for reaching the maximum value of the thermal-emf pulse. It is expedient to use a focused laser beam for determining the location of the most sensitive point on the surface of the TEC jacket and a defocused beam in estimating the thermal inertia of the TEC.