Thermodynamic irreversibility and performance characteristics of thermoelectric power generator

Thermodynamic irreversibility and performance characteristics of a thermoelectric power generator are investigated. The influence of the external load parameter, the thermal conductivity ratio, the figure of Merit, and the conductance ratio on the efficiency, the output power, and the entropy genera...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy (Oxford) 2013-06, Vol.55, p.899-904
Main Authors: Sahin, Ahmet Z., Yilbas, Bekir S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Conductance
Devices
Energy
Entropy
Entropy generation
Exact sciences and technology
Generators
generators (equipment)
Thermal conductivity
Thermal efficiency
Thermodynamics
Thermoelectric generator
Thermoelectricity
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Thermodynamic irreversibility and performance characteristics of a thermoelectric power generator are investigated. The influence of the external load parameter, the thermal conductivity ratio, the figure of Merit, and the conductance ratio on the efficiency, the output power, and the entropy generation rate is predicted for various device operating parameters. It is found that the device efficiency increases to reach its maximum at the critical value of the output power and operating the device beyond the critical output power lowers the thermal efficiency and enhances the entropy generation rate significantly in the device. •The thermodynamic irreversibility in thermoelectric generator is studied.•Thermodynamic characteristics of thermoelectric device are investigated.•Influence of various parameters on performance is presented.•The device efficiency reaches its maximum at a critical output power.•The entropy generation increases beyond the critical output power.
ISSN:0360-5442
DOI:10.1016/j.energy.2013.03.064