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Thermal Stress Analysis of a Segmented Thermoelectric Generator under a Pulsed Heat Source

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Abstract

The power generation and thermal stress of a segmented thermoelectric generator (TEG) under a pulsed heat source are analyzed in this paper. The distribution of thermal stress in four-part thermoelectric materials and its development over time are discussed. The influence of duty cycle on the maximum thermal stress is analyzed. The effects of welding layer thickness on thermal stress and output energy are also discussed. The results show that reducing the duty cycle can increase the amount of power generated, accompanied by an increase in thermal stress. Increasing the thickness of the welding layer can effectively reduce the thermal stress in the bismuth telluride layer. Detailed analysis of thermal stress in thermoelectric materials under pulsed heat sources with different duty cycles can provide guidance for the structural design and reliability analysis in the practical application of a TEG.

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Abbreviations

S :

Seebeck coefficient (V/K)

c p :

Specific heat capacity (J/kg K)

T :

Temperature (K)

t :

Time (s)

Q :

Heat generation rate per unit volume (W/m3)

q :

Heat flux vector (W/m2)

J :

Electric current density vector (A/m3)

k :

Thermal conductivity (W/m K)

p :

Peltier coefficient (V)

V :

Electric scalar potential (V)

q ave :

Time-averaged heat flux (W/m2)

a :

Maximum heat flux (W/m2)

b :

Minimum heat flux (W/m2)

R out :

Load resistance (Ω)

Q h :

Input heat (W)

P out :

Output power (W)

\( \rho \) :

Density (kg/m3)

\( \rho_{\rm{c}} \) :

Electric charge density (C/m3)

\( \sigma \) :

Electrical conductivity matrix (S/m)

\( \xi \) :

Duty cycle

\( \eta \) :

Efficiency

TEG:

Thermoelectric generator

STEG:

Segmented thermoelectric generator

Bi2Te3 :

Bismuth telluride

CoSb3, SKD:

Skutterudite

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Yu, Li Kong, Qingshan Zhu, Hongji Zhu & Haoqing Wang

  2. Harbin HIT Middle School, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China

    Jialin Guan

  3. Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China

    Qing Yan

Authors
  1. Jia Yu
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  2. Li Kong
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  3. Qingshan Zhu
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  4. Hongji Zhu
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  5. Haoqing Wang
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  7. Qing Yan
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Correspondence to Li Kong.

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Yu, J., Kong, L., Zhu, Q. et al. Thermal Stress Analysis of a Segmented Thermoelectric Generator under a Pulsed Heat Source. J. Electron. Mater. 49, 4392–4402 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-020-08163-1

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