A numerical simulation of thermoelectric effects in single-junction thermal converters

Thermoelectric effects in a single-junction thermal converter (SJTC) are responsible for an AC-DC transfer difference of the order of a few parts in 10/sup 6/. Different thermoelectric effects are found in SJTCs. These are characterized by different time-constants that reflect the characteristic scales of the thermoelectric effects and, hence, may give us a clue for identifying the location and the cause of the thermoelectric effects. A numerical simulation for a fast-reversed DC (FRDC) measurement was performed for the SJTC to determine the relationship between the characteristic scale of the thermoelectric effect and the characteristic time-constants associated with it. The relationship was in good agreement with a simple formula proposed for a one-dimensional thermal system.