Analysis of Thermoelectric Generator by Finite Element Method

This paper focuses on designing thermoelectric generator (TEG) via numerical method. Thermoelectric module in this study was made from n-type CaMnO3 and p-type Ca3Co4O9. The couple field equations were formulated into a system of algebraic equations by means of finite element method (FEM). The simulation procedure was verified by comparing with experimental results, which showed a very good agreement between the two outcomes. The parametric design exhibited that output voltages vary linearly with height of TEG, until reaching some limiting value, the linear relationship was terminated. After that specific height, increasing the height of TEG no longer gains notable output voltage.