Developing thermoelectric materials with superior performance means tailoring interrelated thermoelectric physical parameters – electrical conductivities, Seebeck coefficients, and thermal conductivities – for a crystalline system. High electrical conductivity, low thermal conductivity, and a high Seebeck coefficient are desirable for thermoelectric materials. Therefore, knowledge of the relation between electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity is essential to improve thermoelectric properties. In general, research in recent years has focused on developing thermoelectric structures and materials of high efficiency. The importance of this parameter is universally recognized; it is an established, ubiquitous, routinely used tool for material, device, equipment and process characterization both in the thermoelectric industry and in research. In this paper, basic knowledge of thermoelectric materials and an overview of parameters that affect the figure of merit ZT are provided. The prospects for the optimization of thermoelectric materials and their applications are also discussed.

A review on thermoelectric renewable energy: Principle parameters that affect their performance

Recent development and application of thermoelectric generator and cooler

Thermoelectric (TE) materials have the capability of converting heat into electricity, which can improve fuel efficiency, as well as providing robust alternative energy supply in multiple applications by collecting wasted heat, and therefore, assisting in finding new energy solutions. In order to construct high performance TE devices, superior TE materials have to be targeted via various strategies. The development of high performance TE devices can broaden the market of TE application and eventually boost the enthusiasm of TE material research. This review focuses on major novel strategies to achieve high-performance TE materials and their applications. Manipulating the carrier concentration and band structures of materials are effective in optimizing the electrical transport properties, while nanostructure engineering and defect engineering can greatly reduce the thermal conductivity approaching the amorphous limit. Currently, TE devices are utilized to generate power in remote missions, solar-thermal systems, implantable or/wearable devices, the automotive industry, and many other fields; they are also serving as temperature sensors and controllers or even gas sensors. The future tendency is to synergistically optimize and integrate all the effective factors to further improve the TE performance, so that highly efficient TE materials and devices can be more beneficial to daily lives.

https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:722903/UQ722903_OA.pdf

High Performance Thermoelectric Materials: Progress and Their Applications

Thermoelectric generators are solid state energy harvesters which can convert thermal energy into electrical energy in a reliable and renewable manner. Over the last decade, the human body has been considered as a good source of heat to harvest electrical energy through wearable thermoelectric generators. It may become an alternative power generation technique compared to other conventional ones used for many wearable devices. The wearable thermoelectric generator has potential to generate sufficient energy for any wireless sensor nodes (typically power requirements

A review of the state of the science on wearable thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) and their existing challenges

A review of car waste heat recovery systems utilising thermoelectric generators and heat pipes

Experiments and simulations on low-temperature waste heat harvesting system by thermoelectric power generators

An effective Seebeck coefficient obtained by experimental results of a thermoelectric generator module

Optimization of a waste heat recovery system with thermoelectric generators by three-dimensional thermal resistance analysis

We have developed a model for finding the most efficient way of increasing the power obtained from a thermoelectric generator (TEG) module with a variety of operating conditions and limitations. The model is based on both thermoelectric principles and thermal resistance circuits, because a TEG converts heat into electricity consistent with these two theories. It is essential to take into account thermal contact resistance when estimating power generation. Thermal contact resistance causes overestimation of the measured temperature difference between the hot and cold sides of a TEG in calculation of the theoretical power generated, i.e. the theoretical power is larger than the experimental power. The ratio of the experimental open-loop voltage to the measured temperature difference, the effective Seebeck coefficient, can be used to estimate the thermal contact resistance in the model. The ratio of the effective Seebeck coefficient to the theoretical Seebeck coefficient, the Seebeck coefficient ratio, represents the contact conditions. From this ratio, a relationship between performance and different variables can be developed. The measured power generated by a TEG module (TMH400302055; Wise Life Technology, Taiwan) is consistent with the result obtained by use of the model; the relative deviation is 10%. Use of this model to evaluate the most efficient means of increasing the generated power reveals that the TEG module generates 0.14 W when the temperature difference is 25°C and the Seebeck coefficient ratio is 0.4. Several methods can be used triple the amount of power generated. For example, increasing the temperature difference to 43°C generates 0.41 W power; improving the Seebeck coefficient ratio to 0.65 increases the power to 0.39 W; simultaneously increasing the temperature difference to 34°C and improving the Seebeck coefficient ratio to 0.5 increases the power to 0.41 W. Choice of the appropriate method depends on the limitations of system, the cost, and the environment.

Model for Increasing the Power Obtained from a Thermoelectric Generator Module

In this study, it is shown that two-dimensional (2D) thermal resistance analysis is a rapid and simple method to predict the power generated from a waste heat recovery system with thermoelectric generators (TEGs). Performance prediction is an important part of system design, generally being simulated by numerical methods with high accuracy but long computational duration. Use of the presented analysis saves much time relative to such numerical methods. The simple 2D model of the waste heat recovery system comprises three parts: a recovery chamber, the TEGs, and a cooling system. A fin-structured duct serves as a heat recovery chamber, to which were attached the hot sides of two TEGs; the cold sides were attached to a cooling system. The TEG module and duct had the same width. In the 2D analysis, unknown temperatures are located at the centroid of each cell into which the system is divided. The relations among the unknown temperatures of the cells are based on the principle of energy conservation and the definition of thermal resistance. The temperatures of the waste hot gas at the inlet and of the ambient fluid are known. With these boundary conditions, the unknown temperatures in the system become solvable, and the power generated by the TEGs can be predicted. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional (3D) model of the system was simulated in FloTHERM 9.2. The 3D numerical solution matched the solution of the 2D analysis within 10%.

https://www.tpbin.com/Uploads/Subjects/bd07ac56-a1df-4a71-a22c-a079e973fcc6.pdf

Gia-Yeh Huang

Papers

Experiments and simulations on low-temperature waste heat harvesting system by thermoelectric power generators

An effective Seebeck coefficient obtained by experimental results of a thermoelectric generator module

Optimization of a waste heat recovery system with thermoelectric generators by three-dimensional thermal resistance analysis

Model for Increasing the Power Obtained from a Thermoelectric Generator Module

Two-Dimensional Thermal Resistance Analysis of a Waste Heat Recovery System with Thermoelectric Generators