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Lecture

Thermoelectric Power Generation

In course

MICRO-534: Advanced MEMS & microsystems

In depth analysis of the operation principles and technology of advanced micro- and nanosystems. Familiarisation to their implementation into products and their applications. ...

Description

This lecture covers the principles of thermal energy harvesting, thermoelectrics, thermoelectric power generation, material properties, and efficiency properties. It explains the importance of the Seebeck effect, series connections, and the figure of merit in maximizing power generation efficiency. The lecture also discusses examples of architectures for thermal energy harvesting and microfabricated examples of thermoelectric power generation. It concludes with a comparison of different conversion principles for vibrations and their applications in various systems.

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Instructors (2)

Niels Quack

Prof. Dr. Niels Quack received the M.Sc. degree from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2005, and the Dr.Sc. degree from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland, in 2010. From 2011 to 2015, he was Postdoctoral Researcher and Visiting Scholar with the Integrated Photonics Laboratory, Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. From 2014 to 2015, he was Senior MEMS Engineer with Sercalo Microtechnology, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He is currently an SNSF Assistant Professor with Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. He has authored and co-authored more than 50 papers in leading technical journals and conferences. His research interests include photonic micro and nanosystems, with an emphasis on diamond photonics and silicon photonic MEMS. He is Steering Committee Member of the IEEE International Conference on Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics (OMN) and served as General Chair of the IEEE OMN 2018 and the Latsis Symposium 2019 on Diamond Photonics. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Member of The Optical Society (OSA) and life member of SPIE.

Danick Briand

Official source

Related concepts (30)

Thermoelectric materials

Thermoelectric materials show the thermoelectric effect in a strong or convenient form. The thermoelectric effect refers to phenomena by which either a temperature difference creates an electric potential or an electric current creates a temperature difference. These phenomena are known more specifically as the Seebeck effect (creating a voltage from temperature difference), Peltier effect (driving heat flow with an electric current), and Thomson effect (reversible heating or cooling within a conductor when there is both an electric current and a temperature gradient).

Thermoelectric effect

The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa via a thermocouple. A thermoelectric device creates a voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to it, heat is transferred from one side to the other, creating a temperature difference. At the atomic scale, an applied temperature gradient causes charge carriers in the material to diffuse from the hot side to the cold side.

Thermoelectric generator

A thermoelectric generator (TEG), also called a Seebeck generator, is a solid state device that converts heat flux (temperature differences) directly into electrical energy through a phenomenon called the Seebeck effect (a form of thermoelectric effect). Thermoelectric generators function like heat engines, but are less bulky and have no moving parts. However, TEGs are typically more expensive and less efficient.

Thermoelectric cooling

Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux at the junction of two different types of materials. A Peltier cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump is a solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other, with consumption of electrical energy, depending on the direction of the current. Such an instrument is also called a Peltier device, Peltier heat pump, solid state refrigerator, or thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and occasionally a thermoelectric battery.

Material

Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geological origin or biological function. Materials science is the study of materials, their properties and their applications. Raw materials can be processed in different ways to influence their properties, by purification, shaping or the introduction of other materials.

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