Performance Analysis of Thermoelectric Generator at Different Hot Surface Temperatures

Abstract

The most important point in electricity generation with thermoelectric generators (TEG) is to create a temperature difference between its surfaces. The cooling process is usually carried out by liquid coolers or heat sinks. This study aims to examine experimentally and numerically the cooling and electrical conversion performance of TEG with a heat sink having flat fins at different hot surface temperatures, which are 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150°C, respectively. In this context, the experimental and numerical results were compared in terms of surface temperature, voltage, current, and power outputs. It was determined that the electrical performance increased as the hot surface temperature increased. The highest power output was obtained at a hot surface temperature of 150°C, with the value of 1.41 W experimentally and 1.42 W numerically. As a result, the numerical and experimental results were in good agreement both thermally and electrically. After the validation process, the efficiency, power input, and temperature-difference results were given only numerically. In these numerical calculations, it was observed that the efficiency increased with the hot surface temperature, but the increase decreased gradually after the hot surface temperature of 125°C. The results provided beneficial guidelines for the design, modeling, and application of TEGs.