Design Parameters for Thermoelectric Generators

This paper presents a method for evaluating the performance capabilities of a thermoelectric generator. The fundamental equations given by Ioffe and others have been modified to include the effective figure-of-merit of an array of thermocouples in place of the figure-of-merit of the thermoelectric materials. Practical factors such as electrode and contact resistance have been considered. Performance calculations for a typical generator show that these factors have a significant influence on the performance of a lightweight generator.