Investigation of the efficiency of a thermoelectric generator

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s, a renewed interest for the thermoelectric appeared, due in particular to the emergence of environmental concerns regarding the gases used in refrigeration and emissions of greenhouse gases as well as the willingness to develop alternative sources of energy. The generation of current by thermoelectric effect appears as an interesting source to relieve the problems existing energy, capitalizing on the transformation of the enormous quantities of heat lost identified for example, by cars, to useful energy. The objective of the present analysis is the study and modeling of a thermoelectric generator. In the work of realization of a thermoelectric generator, a fan has been used to cool the latter during the generation of the electric current with a speed of cooling ranging from 0 to 12 m/s. The characteristic of the energy collected at the terminals of the electrical resistance as a function of temperature is a rising curve up to a maximum value of flow (Q_max = 80.4 W) and then decreasing, so we can say that the thermoelectric a non-linear effect of temperature. The maximum value of the performance is 22.55%. Therefore 22.55% of the thermal energy is transferred into electrical energy through the thermoelectric module of a length X of the order of 0.16 m.