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Complete Thermoelectric Generator Performance Measurement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Jan D. Koenig ,
Ulrike Nussel ,
Markus Bartel  and
Uwe Vetter
Jan D. Koenig
Affiliation:
jan.koenig@ipm.fraunhofer.de, Fraunhofer IPM, Thermoelectric systems, Freiburg, Germany
Ulrike Nussel
Affiliation:
ulrike.nussel@ipm.fraunhofer.de, Fraunhofer IPM, Thermoelectric systems, Freiburg, Germany
Markus Bartel
Affiliation:
markus.bartel@ipm.fraunhofer.de, Fraunhofer IPM, Thermoelectric systems, Freiburg, Germany
Uwe Vetter
Affiliation:
uwe.vetter@ipm.fraunhofer.de, Fraunhofer IPM, Thermoelectric systems, Freiburg, Germany
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Abstract

The standardization of thermoelectric generator (TEG) performance measurement is of a major interest for a usage of them in industrial energy harvesting application. The effects influencing the TEG measurement are regarded and are addressed in this article. The dramatic influences of different measurement parameters are pointed out. The output power dependence on the contact pressure is investigated as a major attempt. The influence of contact pressure on the temperature of the TEG-substrate at the hot side is observed with a high resolution IR camera.

Different approaches are discussed in order to obtain the accurate efficiency of a TEG. The heat flux method is influenced by many effects that can falsify the results. The Harman method is used as another approach to determine the figure of merit to calculate the efficiency.

Keywords

thermoelectricthermoelectricityenergy generation
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1218: Symposium Z – Energy Harvesting–From Fundamentals to Devices , 2009 , 1218-Z04-10
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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References

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