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Design and modelling of SOI-based solar thermoelectric generators

Design and modelling of SOI-based solar thermoelectric generators
Design and modelling of SOI-based solar thermoelectric generators
In this work, solar micro-thermoelectric generators are designed with a lens concentrating solar radiation onto the membrane of a thermoelectric generator (TEG). By focusing solar radiation, the input heat flux increases; leading to an increase in the temperature gradient across the device. Consequently, a significant improvement in the device efficiency can be achieved. The TEG design involves the use of the SOI wafer's device layer as the first thermoelement and aluminum as the second thermoelement. Isolation trenches are also added to the design for electrical insulation. Heat transfer simulations in COMSOL are performed to verify the viability of the proposed system and an analytical model based on energy balance and heat transfer equations is developed to investigate the performance of solar TEGs with varying geometries, lens parameters, and external conditions. It is found that efficiency is improved by increasing both the concentration factor and the absorptance of the TEG membrane
76-79
de Leon, Maria Theresa
779b393c-38ac-47dd-b960-818eda45de2c
Chong, Harold
795aa67f-29e5-480f-b1bc-9bd5c0d558e1
Kraft, Michael
54927621-738f-4d40-af56-a027f686b59f
de Leon, Maria Theresa
779b393c-38ac-47dd-b960-818eda45de2c
Chong, Harold
795aa67f-29e5-480f-b1bc-9bd5c0d558e1
Kraft, Michael
54927621-738f-4d40-af56-a027f686b59f

de Leon, Maria Theresa, Chong, Harold and Kraft, Michael (2012) Design and modelling of SOI-based solar thermoelectric generators. Eurosensors 2012, Krakow, Poland. 09 - 12 Sep 2012. pp. 76-79 . (doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2012.09.088).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

In this work, solar micro-thermoelectric generators are designed with a lens concentrating solar radiation onto the membrane of a thermoelectric generator (TEG). By focusing solar radiation, the input heat flux increases; leading to an increase in the temperature gradient across the device. Consequently, a significant improvement in the device efficiency can be achieved. The TEG design involves the use of the SOI wafer's device layer as the first thermoelement and aluminum as the second thermoelement. Isolation trenches are also added to the design for electrical insulation. Heat transfer simulations in COMSOL are performed to verify the viability of the proposed system and an analytical model based on energy balance and heat transfer equations is developed to investigate the performance of solar TEGs with varying geometries, lens parameters, and external conditions. It is found that efficiency is improved by increasing both the concentration factor and the absorptance of the TEG membrane

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More information

Published date: September 2012
Additional Information: 26th European Conference on Solid-State Transducers, EUROSENSOR 2012
Venue - Dates: Eurosensors 2012, Krakow, Poland, 2012-09-09 - 2012-09-12
Organisations: Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 364573
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/364573
PURE UUID: 3c756e48-d952-42e5-bce2-ec65db3638d9
ORCID for Harold Chong: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7110-5761

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 May 2014 08:49
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:30

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Contributors

Author: Maria Theresa de Leon
Author: Harold Chong ORCID iD
Author: Michael Kraft

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