Constant heat characterisation and geometrical optimisation of thermoelectric generators

Montecucco, A., Siviter, J. and Knox, A. R. (2015) Constant heat characterisation and geometrical optimisation of thermoelectric generators. Applied Energy, 149, pp. 248-258. (doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.03.120)

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Abstract

It is well known that for a thermoelectric generator (TEG) in thermal steady-state with constant temperature difference across it the maximum power point is found at half of the open-circuit voltage (or half of the short-circuit current). However, the effective thermal resistance of the TEG changes depending on the current drawn by the load in accordance with the parasitic Peltier effect.<p></p> This article analyses the different case in which the input thermal power is constant and the temperature difference across the TEG varies depending on its effective thermal resistance. This situation occurs in most waste heat recovery applications because the available thermal power is at any time limited.<p></p> The first part of this article presents the electrical characterisation of TEGs for constant-heat and it investigates the relationship between maximum power point and open-circuit voltage. The second part studies the maximum power that can be produced by TEGs with pellets (or legs) of different size and number, i.e. with different packing factors, and of different height. This work provides advice on the optimisation of the pellets geometrical parameters in order to increase the power generated, and consequently the thermodynamic efficiency, and to minimise the quantity of thermoelectric material used, for systems with limited input thermal power.<p></p>

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Knox, Professor Andrew and Siviter, Dr Jonathan and Montecucco, Dr Andrea
Authors: Montecucco, A., Siviter, J., and Knox, A. R.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
Journal Name:Applied Energy
Publisher:Elsevier Ltd.
ISSN:0306-2619
ISSN (Online):1872-9118
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Authors
First Published:First published in Applied Energy 149:248-258
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
614241Scalable Solar Thermoelectrics and Photovaltaics (SUNTRAP)Andrew KnoxEngineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/K022156/1ENG - ENGINEERING ELECTRONICS & NANO ENG