Enhanced performance thermoelectric module having asymmetrical legs

Fabian-Mijangos, Angel; Min, Gao; Alvarez-Quintana, J.

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2017.06.087

Cited by 124 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…There are very few studies reported to date on the geometrical characteristics and device structures of a thermoelectric generator. [207][208][209][210][211] Vertical configuration is the most commonly employed structure for bulk generators (nearly 56.9%), as shown in Figure 6A. Conversely, for the thick and thin film generators, the planar structure is mostly preferred (about 32.4%), and this is proven in Figure 6B.…”

Section: Analyses In Device Structure Implementationsmentioning

confidence: 84%

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Methodological reviews and analyses on the emerging research trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators

2018

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Summary Thermoelectric generator is among the earliest initiated electricity‐harvesting methods. It is a very potential power harvester that can convert wasteful thermal energy into electricity. However, it often suffers from low energy conversion rate due to its inconsistent heat source, inefficient thermoelectric material (or thermoelement) performance, and incompetent structural issues. Progressively for the first time, detailed methodological surveys and analyses are made for bulk, thick, and thin films in this review. This is in order to accommodate better insights and comprehensions on the emerging trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators from 1989 to 2017. The research interests in thermoelectric generators have started back in 1989, and have continuously experienced emerging progresses in the number of studies over the last years. The methodological reviews and analyses of thermoelectric generator showed that almost 46.6% of bulk and 46.1% of thick and thin film research works, respectively, are actively progressed in 2014 to 2017. Nearly 86.2% of bulk and 44.1% of thick and thin film thermoelectric generators are realizing in between 0.001 and 4 μW cm−2 K−2, while 43.1% of thick and thin films are earning among 10−6 to 0.001 μW cm−2 K−2. The highest achievement made until now is 2.5 W cm−2 at a temperature difference of 140 K and thermoelectric efficiency factor of 127.55 μW cm−2 K−2. This achievement remarked positive elevation for the field and interest in thermoelectric power generation. Consecutively, the research trends of fundamental devices' structure, thermoelement, fabrication, substrate, and heat source characteristics are analyzed too, along with the desired improvement highlights for the applications of thermoelectric generators.

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Section: Analyses In Device Structure Implementationsmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…There are very few studies reported to date on the geometrical characteristics and device structures of a thermoelectric generator . Vertical configuration is the most commonly employed structure for bulk generators (nearly 56.9%), as shown in Figure A.…”

Section: Progresses and Perceptions Of Research Trends In Thermoelectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodological reviews and analyses on the emerging research trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators

2018

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“…The effect of the number of TE legs and their dimensions was studied by Hodes [50]. The shapes of TE legs such as pyramidal, cuboid or quadratic were studied by Mijangos [51]. TEGs with pyramidal TE legs are found to generate 70% more power than cuboid ones.…”

Section: Flat Bulk Tegmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications

Kumar

Babu

Subramanian

et al. 2019

Designs

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Growing energy demands are driving people to generate power in every possible way. New energy sources are needed to plug the energy gap. There is a growing interest in distributed energy generation due to its remarkable advantages such as flexibility, reliability, adaptability and minimal transmission losses. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are one such distributed power source that relies on thermal energy for electricity generation. The current review focusses on the design and optimization of TEGs to maximize the power output from the available thermal sources. The basic principle of thermoelectricity generation and suitable architecture for specific applications are explained with an overview of materials and manufacturing processes. Various cooling techniques to dissipate heat from the cold side and their influence on overall efficiency are reviewed in this work. Applications of TEGs for powering biomedical sensors have been discussed in detail. Recent advancements in TEGs for various implantable devices and their power requirements are evaluated. The exploitation of TEGs to generate power for wearable sensors has been presented, along with published experimental data. It is envisioned that this study will provide profound knowledge on TEG design for specific applications, which will be helpful for future endeavours.

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“…Device architecture is usually based on the conventional square design used for bulk TEGs [18][19][20][21]. However, by using thin-film fabrication methods a wide range of different designs are possible; for instance cylindrical thermoelements [10,22], planar generators [23][24][25][26] and Y-type structures [27,28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical model and optimization of a thin-film thermoelectric generator

et al. 2019

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The thriving of the Internet of Things is set to increase the demand for low-power wireless sensing devices. Thin-film thermoelectric generators are ideal as a sustainable power source for Internet of Things devices as they allow for low maintenance and energy autonomy. This work presents a model to estimate the performance of a thin-film thermoelectric generator. Verified by finite-element method simulation, the results from the model show that increasing the interconnect electrical conductivity and reducing the device pitch increases the power density. The power density can also be increased by increasing the fill factor and reducing the thermal conductivity of the insulating materials. A new corrugated thin-film thermoelectric generator design is proposed in this work that allows for higher fill factors than conventional square designs where a limit on the minimum feature size is imposed, as is the case with photolithography.

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Enhanced performance thermoelectric module having asymmetrical legs

Cited by 124 publications

References 41 publications

Methodological reviews and analyses on the emerging research trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators

Methodological reviews and analyses on the emerging research trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators

The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications

Mathematical model and optimization of a thin-film thermoelectric generator

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