New technical solutions for designing thermoelectric systems

Introduction. The article presents an analysis of using of semiconductors for the design of renewable energy devices with special attention to thermoelectric energy. The aim of the study is to expand the range of using of thermoelectric systems. The article demonstrates the effectiveness of using the systems based on thermoelectric elements to convert the scattered thermal energy into another type of energy. Materials and Methods. Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) material was used as a thermoelectric. The readings of the voltage and amperage of thermoelectric modules were measured with the V7-28 universal digital instrument. Temperature of the coolant and heating elements was measured by thermocouples and recorded with the TRM 151 and instruments with OWEN software. Constant current load during the experiments was 1A. Load correction was carried out with the MLT-1 permanent resistors. Results. The article presents the results of studing the thermoelectric modules, which maintained a constant temperature on one side of the module with difference in temperature from +50 °C to +190 °C on the other side. The authors described in detail the mutual influence of heat transfer sides in the process of long-term operation with various designs of thermoelectric modules. Discussion and Conclusions. Thick film technology is one of the directions to reduce the cost of production of thermoelectric modules and increase the efficiency of their operation. The development of new designs of thermoelectric modules and new technologies for their production is desirable. The use of thick film technology for manufacturing thermoelectric modules makes it possible to completely remove the mutual influence of the hot and cold sides, and also to increase the heat dissipation area over a wide range.