Innovative design of a thermoelectric generator of extended legs with tapering and segmented pin configuration: Thermal performance analysis

New design of a thermoelectric generator with extended pin configuration is introduced and its performance is assessed incorporating the pin tapering parameter and the operating conditions including external load and temperature ratios. The segmented configuration of device pins is also incorporated in the thermodynamic analysis. The device maximum efficiency and output power are formulated and analyzed for various values of the device design and operating parameters. It is found that the maximum efficiency of new innovative design of the thermoelectric generator remains higher than those previous designs incorporating single material pin configuration without tapering. Tapering of the pin geometry increases the maximum efficiency of the thermoelectric generator, particularly for low values of the external load parameter. The device output power of the extended leg thermoelectric generator with segmented configuration remains higher as compare to the thermoelectric generator with single pin material. A new innovative design of a pin configuration is presented in the study, which provides high performance of thermoelectric generator, this makes the thermoelectric generator one of the promising renewable energy devices for possible applications in future.