Thermoelectric Power Generation in Dynamic Temperature Environments

Abstract

Thermoelectric power generation from environments experiencing temporal temperature fluctuations is demonstrated; this source of power is useful for low-power devices in remote locations. In this thesis, devices that employ a thermoelectric module sandwiched between two heat exchangers with significantly different thermal masses are designed and characterized, and the effects of heat exchanger size and material selection, period of oscillation of the environmental temperature fluctuations, and radiative heat transfer on the thermoelectric power output are examined. Maximum experimental power generation on the order of milliwatts is reported using standard bismuth telluride thermoelectric modules in devices with a size of about 10 cm3^.