A Novel Thermoelectric Generator for the Detection of Electrical Equipment

Semiconductor thermoelectric generators have a series of advantages, such as compact volume, high-level reliability, and effective power generation in the presence of temperature difference. In many occasions, as a result of high voltage, electrical equipments can't be measured by the way of direct contact. In order to avoid equipment faults caused by low-voltage contact, a thermoelectric generator which uses waste heat of electrical equipments in service was designed. Electrical equipments often operate below 400K, and in this condition Bi2Te3 shows an outstanding performance of power generation. In order to solve the problems of little temperature difference and output power on steady-state, two methods were introduced. On the one hand, the temperature difference can be increased by filling with thermal insulation padding between the p-n junctions and using a heat sink in the cold side, and on the other hand, the output voltage and power will be augmented by increasing the number of p-n junctions. These methods have been proved effectively by simulation and experiment with promising outcomes.