An Optimization Analysis of Thermoelectric Generator Structure for Different Flow Directions of Working Fluids

AbstractThis paper presents a new advanced mathematical model for thermoelectric conversion using multi-element thermoelectric components connected in series, considering internal and external irreversibility along with temperature gradients along the flow direction. Combined with computer programming, the theoretical optimizations on the size of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) area are studied with two different flow directions for both hot and cold fluids, namely the coflow and counterflow directions, and the effects of the changing hot fluid parameters are analyzed. The results show that an optimal TEG area exists corresponding to the maximum output power for both the coflow and counterflow directions. The counterflow direction can produce more power output with a larger optimal model area than the coflow direction, yielding greater thermoelectric advantages