Abstract
This work has investigated a Bi2Te3 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 CoSb3 based module is also presented. The results from this study have confirmed that modern Bi2Te3 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 CoSb3-based modules at around 350 °C.
