A novel Design Approach of a Micro Thermoelectric Generator for High Power Density for Ambient Heat Energy Scavenging Applications.

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) have become an excellent candidate for autonomously powering wearable and implantable microelectronics, and wireless sensor networks in the Internet of Things (IoT) systems. This paper presents a double layer double-circuit planar TEG with high power output. The impact of the different geometric terms on the device performance is investigated by the use of an electrical model. By studying the impact of the width of the TE films, the number of pairs is optimized to give the optimal power output. The impact of increasing the number of pairs on the output variables of the TEG is also studied. The maximum power of 0.522µW was obtained from 32 pairs at a metal width of 3.82mm with a temperature difference of 17K. Further improvement in the output power up to mW can be obtained by optimizing the temperature difference and operating in a temperature range of about 450K, such as in industrial heat recovery applications.