Modeling and power conditioning for thermoelectric generation

In this paper, the principle and basic structure of the thermoelectric module is introduced. The steady- state and dynamic behaviors of a single TE module are characterized. An electric model of TE modules is developed and can be embedded in the simulation software for circuit analysis and design. The issues associated with the application of the TEG models is analyzed and pointed out. Power electronic technologies provide solutions for thermoelectric generation with features such as load interfacing, maximum power point tracking, power conditioning and failed module bypassing. A maximum power point tracking algorithm is developed and implemented with a DC-DC converter and low cost microcontroller. Experimental results demonstrated that the power electronic circuit can extract the maximum electrical power from the thermoelectric modules and feed electric loads regardless of the thermoelectric module´s heat flux and load impedance or conditions.