Performance Analysis of a Thermoelectric Generator with a Segmented Leg

Abstract

With the development of thermoelectric (TE) materials with high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) values, improved thermoelectric devices have been fabricated recently. Although the performance of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) with segmented legs has been evaluated experimentally, detailed numerical prediction of TEG performance is rarely considered. In this study, a new numerical solution method is devised to analyze a TE couple. We employ the finite volume method, which allows the conservation of thermal energy and electric charge. A computer program based on the numerical method is developed to evaluate the performance of a TEG with a segmented p-leg. Temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties are employed, without simplifying or neglecting Joule heating, Thomson heating, or Peltier heating. The numerical method is discussed in detail, including the derivation of algebraic equations from the integral forms of the governing equations for thermal energy and electric potential. The numerical results obtained with the computer program based on the method are compared with a mathematical solution for validation. Compared with the performance without segmentation, the results show an improvement for the TEG with a segmented leg.