Improving the Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generators by Using Solar Heat Concentrators
نویسنده
چکیده
In this paper, we propose a method of improving the efficiency of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) by using a lens to concentrate heat on the heat source of a TEG. Initial experiments performed using discrete components show about 60mV increase in the amount of voltage generated when using a magnifying lens. Simulation results on the proposed TEG configuration exhibit up to 16% efficiency when the input heat flux is increased to 500 times that of the sun’s heat flux. The effects of varying the thermoelement length, width, and membrane diameter on the TEG’s performance are also characterized. Lastly, plans to fabricate the device on a SOI wafer in the future are presented.
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