Research On The Performance Of A Two-Stage Segmented Thermoelectric Generator Made Of A Temperature-Dependent Material

On the basis of the basic thermoelectric equation and the temperature dependence of thermoelectric materials, the power series iteration method is used to solve the nonlinear temperature field control differential equation. Then, the relation between overall efficiency and segmented efficiency is obtained, and the overall efficiency under different segmented thermoelectric leg ratios is calculated. Comparison of the calculation results shows that the optimal segmentation ratio can be obtained when the overall conversion efficiency is optimal. When the boundary temperatures take different values, the optimal segment ratio and thermoelectric efficiency change. Lastly, the thermoelectric performance of a two-stage segmented thermoelectric generator (TEG) and a traditional (single-stage) TEG is compared under the same working conditions.