Numerical simulation of nanostructured thermoelectric generator considering surface to surrounding convection |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China;2. College of Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China;1. College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, No. 8 Fochengxi Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, PR China;2. State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China;3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9, Canada;4. Shenzhen Guoyi Park Construction CO., LTD, PR China;1. Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S. C. Unidad Monterrey, Alianza Norte # 202, Autopista Monterrey-Aeropuerto Km. 10, C.P. 66600 Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico;2. School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, United Kingdom;3. Genes-Group of Embedded Nanomaterials for Energy Scavenging, CIMAV-Unidad Monterrey, Alianza Norte # 202, Autopista Monterrey-Aeropuerto Km. 10, C.P. 66600 Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico |
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| Abstract: | Thermoelectric systems (TE) can directly convert heat to electricity and vice-versa by using semiconductor materials. Therefore, coupling between heat transfer and electric field potential is important to predict the performance of thermoelectric generator (TEG) systems. This paper develops a general two-dimensional numerical model of a TEG system using nanostructured thermoelectric semiconductor materials. A TEG with p-type nanostructured material of Bismuth Antimony Telluride (BiSbTe) and n-type Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3) with 0.1 vol.% Silicon Carbide (SiC) nanoparticles is considered for performance evaluations. Coupled TE equations with temperature dependant transport properties are used after incorporating Fourier heat conduction, Joule heating, Seebeck effect, Peltier effect, and Thomson effect. The effects of temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions and surface to surrounding convective on different output parameters (e.g., thermal and electric fields, power generation, thermal efficiency, and current) are studied. Selected results obtained from current numerical analysis are compared with the results obtained from analytical model available in the literature. There is a good agreement between the numerical and analytical results. The numerical results show that as temperature difference increases output power and amount of current generated increase. Moreover, it is quite apparent that convective boundary condition deteriorates the performance of TEG. |
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