Influence of boundary condition assumption on thermoelectric generator geometry design

To achieve high efficiency and power output, thermoelectric module geometry needs to be carefully designed. Thermoelectric module height is a major design parameter that can significantly influence output power. This paper present a mathematical model of thermoelectric generator derived from fundamental transportation equation. Module height optimization is conducted to achieve maximum power. The effect of different boundary condition on the optimal geometry is also investigated. It is found that optimal module height under constant temperature boundary condition is around 2mm, while module height under constant heat flux boundary condition is the larger the better.