TITLE:
Effective Thermoelectric Power Generation in an Insulated Compartment
AUTHORS:
Harkirat S. Mann, Yosyp Schwab, Brian N. Lang, Jarrett L. Lancaster, Ronald J. Parise, Giovanna Scarel
KEYWORDS:
Thermoelectric, Heat Conduction, Energy Harvesting
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Condensed Matter Physics,
Vol.4 No.3,
August
29,
2014
ABSTRACT: The Seebeck coefficient S is a temperature- and material-dependent
property, which linearly and causally relates the temperature difference △T between the “hot” and “cold” junctions of a
thermoelectric power generator (TEC-PG) to the voltage difference △V. This phenomenon is the Seebeck effect (SE), and
can be used to convert waste heat into usable energy. This work investigates
the trends of the effective voltage output △V(t) and effective Seebeck coefficient S'(t) versus several hours of activity of a solid
state TEC-PG device. The effective Seebeck coefficient S'(t) here is related to a device, not just to a
material’s performance. The observations are pursued in an insulated
compartment in various geometrical and environmental configurations. The
results indicate that the SE does not substantially depend on the geometrical
and environmental configurations. However, the effective Seebeck coefficient S'(t) and the produced effective △V(t) are affected by the environmental
configuration, once the temperature is fixed. Heat transfer calculations do not
completely explain this finding. Alternative explanations are hypothesized.