Calculation of the Average Figure of Merit ZTavg of Thermoelement Material Taking into Account its Temperature Profile
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63527/1607-8829-2026-1-17-32Keywords:
thermoelectric materials, thermal conductivity, thermoelectric figure of merit, efficiencyAbstract
The paper analyzes the differences in the average values of the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZTavg when averaging over the operating temperature range with and without taking into account the real temperature distribution along the legs. The temperature distribution along the thermoelements is calculated based on some low-temperature (based on Bi2Te3) and medium-temperature (based on PbTe) materials. The maximum efficiency η is estimated based on the dependence η = f(ZTavg) for the considered materials and their series-connected combinations, as the basis for segment thermoelements.
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