Comparison of different modeling approaches for thermoelectric elements

Fraisse, Gilles; Ramousse, Julien; Sgorlon, Damien; Goupil, Christophe

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2012.08.022

Cited by 200 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Thermoelectric conversion is usually performed by means of heat engines, e.g., Stirling motors [36,37] or organic Rankine cycle [38] turbines, or by means of solid-state modules based on the Seebeck effect [39][40][41]. However, the thermoelectric energy production from low-and medium-temperature sources is an active research field, in which innovative solutions are studied (see, for example [42]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proof-of-Concept of a Zinc-Silver Battery for the Extraction of Energy from a Concentration Difference

et al. 2014

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The conversion of heat into current can be obtained by a process with two stages. In the first one, the heat is used for distilling a solution and obtaining two flows with different concentrations. In the second stage, the two flows are sent to an electrochemical cell that produces current by consuming the concentration difference. In this paper, we propose such an electrochemical cell, working with water solutions of zinc chloride. The cell contains two electrodes, made respectively of zinc and silver covered by silver chloride. The operation of the cell is analogous to that of the capacitive mixing and of the "mixing entropy battery": the electrodes are charged while dipped in the concentrated solution and discharged when dipped in the diluted solution. The cyclic operation allows us to extract a surplus of energy, at the expense of the free energy of the concentration difference. We evaluate the feasibility of such a cell for practical applications and find that a power up to 2 W per m 2 of the surface of the electrodes can be achieved.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proof-of-Concept of a Zinc-Silver Battery for the Extraction of Energy from a Concentration Difference

et al. 2014

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“…some of the TE effects are kept constant while others are neglected. For example in one instance the Seebeck effect is kept constant, rendering the Thomson effect zero or negligible [85]. The simplified models include the standard simplified and improved simplified models.…”

Section: The Simplified Thermoelectric Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

Twaha

Zhu

Yan

et al. 2016

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

504

208

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Abstract:Thermoelectric (TE) technology is regarded as alternative and environmentally friendly technology for harvesting and recovering heat which is directly converted into electrical energy using thermoelectric generators (TEG). Conversely, Peltier coolers and heaters are utilized to convert electrical energy into heat energy for cooling and heating purposes The main challenge lying behind the TE technology is the low efficiency of these devices mainly due to low figure of merit (ZT) of the materials used in making them as well as improper setting of the TE systems. The objective of this work is to carry out a comprehensive review of TE technology encompassing the materials, applications, modelling techniques and performance improvement. The paper has covered a wide range of topics related to TE technology subject area including the output power conditioning techniques. The review reveals some important critical aspects regarding TE device application and performance improvement. It is observed that the intensified research into TE technology has led to an outstanding increase in ZT, rendering the use TE devices in diversified application a reality. Not only does the TE material research and TE device geometrical adjustment contributed to TE device performance improvement, but also the use of advanced TE mathematical models which have facilitated appropriate segmentation TE modules using different materials and design of integrated TE devices. TE devices are observed to have booming applications in cooling, heating, electric power generation as well as hybrid applications. With the generation of electric energy using TEG, not only does the waste heat provide heat source but also other energy sources like solar, geothermal, biomass, infra-red radiation have gained increased utilization in TE based systems.However, the main challenge remains in striking the balance between the conflicting parameters; ZT and power factor, when designing and optimizing advanced TE materials.Hence more research is necessary to overcome this and other challenge so that the performance TE device can be improved further.

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“…For this purpose several studies have been conducted to evaluate the accuracy of different modeling approaches proposed in the literature. 1,2 The models proposed in the literature range from simplified macroscopic models based on the global balance of heat transfer and thermoelectric effects, to threedimensional simulations based on the finite element method (FEM) that take into account all relevant thermoelectric phenomena, i.e. Seebeck, Peltier, Thomson, and Joule effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Thermoelectric Generator Performance by Use of Simulations and Experiments

Högblom

Andersson

2014

Journal of Elec Materi

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A method that enables accurate determination of contact resistances in thermoelectric generators and which gives detailed insight into how these reduce module performance is presented in this paper. To understand the importance taking thermal and electrical contact resistances into account in analysis of thermoelectric generators, full-scale modules were studied. Contact resistances were determined by means of non-linear regression analysis on the basis of results from 3D finite element simulations and experiments in a setup in which heat flow, voltage, and current were measured. Statistical evaluation showed that the model and the identified contact resistances enabled excellent prediction of performance over the entire range of operating conditions. It was shown that if contact resistances were not included in the analysis the simulations significantly over-predicted both heat flow and electric power output, and it was concluded that contact resistance should always be included in module simulations. The method presented in this paper gives detailed insight into how thermoelectric modules perform in general, and also enables prediction of potential improvement in module performance by reduction of contact resistances.

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Comparison of different modeling approaches for thermoelectric elements

Cited by 200 publications

References 31 publications

Proof-of-Concept of a Zinc-Silver Battery for the Extraction of Energy from a Concentration Difference

Proof-of-Concept of a Zinc-Silver Battery for the Extraction of Energy from a Concentration Difference

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

Analysis of Thermoelectric Generator Performance by Use of Simulations and Experiments

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