Thermoelectric module for high temperature application

This work has investigated a Bi
₂
Te
₃
based thermoelectric module for higher temperatures. An analytical model coupling the electrical, thermal and thermoelectrical domains is presented. A corresponding finite element model was developed incorporating the Seebeck, Peltier, Thompson, and Joule effects. Both models were compared with experimental results performed on a commercially available device. A comparison with a CoSb
₃
based module is also presented. The results from this study have confirmed that modern Bi
₂
Te
₃
based thermoelectric modules have the potential to be used at temperatures up to 300 °C for electrical power generation, but they will be outperformed by CoSb
₃
-based modules at around 350 °C.