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Simulation and Optimization for System Integration of a Solar Thermoelectric Device

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Abstract

We established a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element model of a solar thermoelectric device (STED) based on high-performance thermoelectric materials and carried out performance analysis under different operating conditions. The effects of input energy, natural convection, radiation, contact resistance, and electric load on STED performance are taken into account. It is shown that heat losses and contact resistance have a significant impact on conversion efficiency. If contact resistance and all heat losses are neglected, the total STED efficiency can reach 9.95%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Hubei, 430070, China

    Tianqi Yang & Jinsheng Xiao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Hubei, 430070, China

    Jinsheng Xiao, Peng Li, Pengcheng Zhai & Qingjie Zhang

Authors
  1. Tianqi Yang
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  2. Jinsheng Xiao
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  3. Peng Li
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  4. Pengcheng Zhai
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  5. Qingjie Zhang
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Correspondence to Jinsheng Xiao.

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Yang, T., Xiao, J., Li, P. et al. Simulation and Optimization for System Integration of a Solar Thermoelectric Device. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 967–973 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-010-1471-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-010-1471-2

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