Concise thermal to electrical parameters extraction of thermoelectric generator for spice modeling

This paper presents a comprehensive method of extracting thermal to electrical parameters that appear in a thermoelectric module (TEM). A step-by-step procedure was developed and followed to succinctly extract the parameters needed to model the TEM. These parameters include the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal resistance, and thermal conductivity from a datasheet. Data extracted from the manufacturer datasheet, material properties, and geometries were successfully utilized to compute the thermal capacities and resistances necessary to perform the thermal to electrical conversion steps required for simulation accuracy. In addition, temperature variations of the intrinsic internal parameters were accounted for in this process. The aforementioned extracted parameters are compatible with the LTspice circuit simulator and other related software. The steps that it takes to simulate any thermo-electrical system with the LTspice simulator are not only found to be of two kinds, but are also thoroughly explained in this paper.