Computer simulations of silicide-tetrahedrite thermoelectric generators

Coelho, Rodrigo; Casi Satrústegui, Álvaro; Araiz Vega, Miguel; Astrain Ulibarrena, David; Branco Lopes, Elsa; Brito, Francisco P.; Gonçalves, Antonio P.

Publication:
Computer simulations of silicide-tetrahedrite thermoelectric generators

dc.contributor.author	Coelho, Rodrigo
dc.contributor.author	Casi Satrústegui, Álvaro
dc.contributor.author	Araiz Vega, Miguel
dc.contributor.author	Astrain Ulibarrena, David
dc.contributor.author	Branco Lopes, Elsa
dc.contributor.author	Brito, Francisco P.
dc.contributor.author	Gonçalves, Antonio P.
dc.contributor.department	Ingeniería	es_ES
dc.contributor.department	Ingeniaritza	eu
dc.contributor.department	Institute of Smart Cities - ISC	en
dc.date.accessioned	2023-04-03T12:04:03Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-03T12:04:03Z
dc.date.issued	2022
dc.date.updated	2023-04-03T11:48:05Z
dc.description.abstract	With global warming and rising energy demands, it is important now than ever to transit to renewable energy systems. Thermoelectric (TE) devices can present a feasible alternative to generate clean energy from waste heat. However, to become attractive for large-scale applications, such devices must be cheap, efficient, and based on ecofriendly materials. In this study, the potential of novel silicide-tetrahedrite modules for energy generation was examined. Computer simulations based on the finite element method (FEM) and implicit finite difference method (IFDM) were performed. The developed computational models were validated against data measured on a customized system working with commercial TE devices. The models were capable of predicting the TEGs’ behavior with low deviations (≤10%). IFDM was used to study the power produced by the silicide-tetrahedrite TEGs for different ∆T between the sinks, whereas FEM was used to study the temperature distributions across the testing system in detail. To complement these results, the influence of the electrical and thermal contact resistances was evaluated. High thermal resistances were found to affect the devices ∆T up to ~15%, whereas high electrical contact resistances reduced the power output of the silicide-tetrahedrite TEGs by more than ~85%.	en
dc.description.sponsorship	This research was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through the contracts UID/Multi/04349/2020 and UI/BD/150713/2020. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and European Regional Development Fund, for funding under the PDI2021-126926OB-C22 research project.We would like to acknowledge the support from the Education Department of the Government of Navarra with the Predoctoral Grants for Ph.D. programs of Interest to Navarra and the Official School of Industrial Engineers of Navarre with the scholarship Fuentes Dutor. PTDC/EME-TED/7081/2020 (Project COOLSPOT); UIDB/00319/2020 (MEtRICs Center)	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/zip	en
dc.identifier.citation	Coelho, R., Casi, Á., Araiz, M., Astrain, D., Branco Lopes, E., Brito, F. P., & Gonçalves, A. P. (2022). Computer Simulations of Silicide-Tetrahedrite Thermoelectric Generators. Micromachines, 13(11), 1915. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111915	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.3390/mi13111915
dc.identifier.issn	2072-666X
dc.identifier.uri	https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/45031
dc.language.iso	eng	en
dc.publisher	MDPI	en
dc.relation.ispartof	Micromachines, 2022, 13(11), 1-19	en
dc.relation.projectID	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement///PDI2021-126926OB-C22	en
dc.relation.projectID	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/Gobierno de Navarra//PTDC%2FEME-TED%2F7081%2F2020	en
dc.relation.projectID	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/Gobierno de Navarra//UIDB%2F00319%2F2020	en
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111915
dc.rights	© 2022 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.	en
dc.rights.accessRights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Computer simulations	en
dc.subject	Finite element method	en
dc.subject	Implicit differential method	en
dc.subject	Magnesium silicides	en
dc.subject	Silicide-tetrahedrite modules	en
dc.subject	Tetrahedrites	en
dc.subject	Thermoelectric devices	en
dc.title	Computer simulations of silicide-tetrahedrite thermoelectric generators	en
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.version	Versión publicada / Argitaratu den bertsioa	es
dc.type.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	en
dspace.entity.type	Publication
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