Abstract
Thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesting in compact microelectronic systems necessitates detailed upfront analysis to ensure unacceptable performance degradation is avoided. TE integration into a notebook computer is empirically investigated in this work for energy harvesting. A detailed finite element model was constructed first for thermal simulations. The model outputs were then correlated with the thermal validation results of the selected system. In parallel, a commercial TE micro-module was empirically characterized to quantify maximum power generation opportunity from the combined system and component data set. Next, suitable “warm spots” were identified within the mobile computer model to extract TE power with minimum or no notable impact to system performance, as measured by simulated thermal changes in the system. The prediction was validated by integrating a TE micro-module to the mobile system under test. Measured TE power generation density in the vicinity of the heat pipe was 1.26 mW/cm3 using high CPU load. The generated power scales down with lower CPU activity, and will scale up in proportion to the utilized opportunistic space within the system. The technical feasibility of TE energy harvesting in mobile computers has hence been experimentally proven for the first time.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
