Model for calculation of design and electrical parameters of thermoelectric generators

Energy harvesting - the conversion of ambient energy into electrical energy - is a frequently used term nowadays. Several conversion principles are available, e.g., photovoltaics, wind power and water power. Less known are thermoelectric generators (TEG) although they were already studied actively during and after the world wars in the 20th century (Caltech Material Science, n. d.). In this work, the authors present a mathematical model for the calculation of input or output parameters of printed thermoelectric generators. The model is strongly related to existing models (Freunek et al., 2009; Rowe, 1995; Glatz et al., 2006) for conventionally produced TEGs as well as for printed TEGs. Thermal effects as investigated by Freunek et al. (2009; 2010) could be included. In order to demonstrate the benefit of the model, two examples of calculations are presented. The parameters of the materials are derived from existing printing inks reported elsewhere (Chen et al., 2011; Wuesten and Potje-Kamloth, 2008; Zhang et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2011; Bubnova et al., 2011). The printing settings are chosen based on feasibility and convenience.