Abstract
Thermoelectric power generators are one of the promising clean energy resources with the cost effective operation despite the low device efficiency. Investigation into device efficiency improvement is necessary for the practical applications. Consequently, in the present study, a theoretical analysis of thermoelectric power generator is carried out and influence of thermoelectric leg geometry on the device efficiency and the power generation is formulated. The geometric configuration of the legs in the device is associated with the shape parameter and incorporated in the analysis. The influence of the shape parameter on the device efficiency and power generation is examined for various temperature and external load resistance ratios. It is found that increasing or decreasing of the shape parameter (μ) has a favorable effect on the device efficiency; however, the shape parameter (μ) has an adverse effect on the thermoelectric power generation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 26-32 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Energy Conversion and Management |
| Volume | 65 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for this work under Research Grant RG1002 .
Keywords
- Constructal design
- Efficiency
- Leg geometry
- Power
- Thermoelectric
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
- Fuel Technology
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
