Claims
- 1. In a generator comprising a casing, a radioactive fuel capsule suspended within said casing, at least one thermoelectric module having both a cold junction and a hot junction, said hot junction absorbing heat from said capsule, the improvement comprising:
- a cup-shaped fin-transition member adapted normally to be in heat exchange realationship with matching surfaces of the cold junction of the thermoelectric module with which said fintransition member is associated;
- a plurality of fins connected to opposite faces of said fin transition member;
- hinging means associating said fin-transition member with said casing whereby said fin-transition member can be swung away from said cold junction whenever access to its thermonuclear module is desired; and
- means adapted, except during such access to its thermonuclear module, to secure said hinged fin-transition member in said heat exchange relationship with said cold junction.
- 2. The generator of claim 1 wherein a shield surrounds said capsule, and resilient means urge the hot junction of the thermoelectric module into heat transfer relationship with sad shield and wherein a ceramic sheet which is a thermal conductor and an electrical insulator is interposed between said shield and said hot junction, said ceramic sheet having a coating adapted to prevent diffusion bonding of the thermoelectric module to the shield and to permit removal of a used thermoelectric module from the generator.
- 3. The module of claim 1 wherein the ceramic sheet is coated with an electrical conductor which does not diffusion-bond to the ceramic sheet under pressure and which can also be ruptured to permit separation of the hot junction from the shield.
- 4. The generator of claim 1 wherein the fin-transition member is composed of highly thermally conducting material having a preotective skin of a corrosion-resistant material thereon.
- 5. The generator of claim 4 wherein the highly-thermally-conducting material is copper.
- 6. The thermoelectric generator of claim 1 wherein the fin-transition member is bowed into cup shape between its ends and the module extends into the bowed portion of said member with the cold junction in heat-interchange relationship with the seat of the bowed portion and fins extending from the member on each side of the module.
- 7. The thermoelectric generator of claim 1 wherein the fin-transition member is bowed into cup shape between its ends and the module extends into the bowed portion of said member with the cold junction in heat-interchange relationship with the seat of the bowed portion and fins extend along the whole length of the member from the side of the member away from the module and only from the portions of the member on both sides of the bowed portion from the side of the member towards the module.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 142,070 filed May 10, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,151.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
142070 |
May 1971 |
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