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GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY USING PELTIER MODULE COMBINATIONS

Conference Paper · November 2023

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 Proceedings of the
7th International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Renewable Energy 2023
(ICMERE2023) 16-18 November 2023, Chattogram, Bangladesh

ICMERE 2023-PI-144
GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY USING PELTIER MODULE COMBINATIONS
M. F. Rihan and M. A. Islam*

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong-4349, Bangladesh
u1503045@student.cuet.ac.bd and aislam@cuet.ac.bd*

Abstract- An experiment is conducted to research a portable electricity generation using various combinations of Peltier
modules (PM) from the heat that is produced in devices during usage. As Peltier module produces electricity from small
temperature difference, it is possible to create electricity with a various combination of Peltier modules by using the
wasted heat of devices. In this experiment, the temperature at hot side and cold side are controlled by candle fumes and
ice cube. The comparison was made among a single, 2 and 4 Peltier modules connected in series. It is found that almost
in the same temperature difference, the values of two and four Peltier device are respectively two and four times greater
than the single PM. In addition, the maximum voltage 1.34 V, 3.0 V and 4.9 V are found respectively for the modules at
a maximum temperature difference of 65℃.

Keywords: Peltier module, Seebeck effects, Peltier effects, Thomson effects, Thermoelectric Generators

1. INTRODUCTION Research has been going on to produce electricity from

Researchers from all over the world are concentrating the temperature difference between the hotter and colder
their efforts on power storages due to the deployment of sides of object using thermoelectric device [6]. Siti
millions of sensors like piezoelectric, transducers and Halma Johari et al. generated voltage by heating a TEG
batteries limitations [1, 2]. One such major point of focus Peltier Module with a Bunsen burner [7]. The voltage
today is to get more electricity with the conventional generated by the reaction of thermal energy is sufficient
energy resource harvesting methods- like wasted or to produce small electricity of 1V to 3.75 V. Harun et al.
excessive heat to produce power from it. In power plants, have also used Peltier to manufacture hot and cold air
most of energy are lost through cooling tower as a waste which produced a temperature of 14°C and a high
heat due to the usage of various turbine system to produce temperature of up to 56°C [8]. Rosli et al. tried to develop
power. This system is totally dependent on the fuel which Peltier module by using different pin fin schemes and
is burnt to generate the heat energy which is converted to calculated different thermal performance distribution, [9,
mechanical energy and finally to electrical energy 10]. Takazawa et al. reported on the design and
through generator. This process is a wasteful because the development of a high-temperature TEG test system
energy generated from the fuel because almost one third which is about 550 k. The efficiency of the module was
of fuel energy is utilized. If it is possible to capture the defined from the generated electric power and the heat
lost heat and turn it into efficient energy, power flow through the module [11]. Gou et al. found that using
generation would have become much more effective and TE modules in series -expanded heat sink surface area to
beneficial to the community – less burning of fuel and a proper range and enhanced cold-side heat transfer
emission of CO2. capacity in a proper range - enhanced performance of
power generation [12].
Thermoelectric Generators (TEG) or Seebeck generator,
which is a solid-state device that can easily convert heat Kossyvakis et al. investigated the temperature
energy directly into electricity through Seebeck effect distribution on the hot side and performance reduction by
without the use of moveable parts or turbines, are used to thermal losses based on a finite element model which
overcome the stated problem [3]. The use of direct heat consists of 71 thermocouples [13]. Chen et al. mentioned
to electricity conversion is critical in determining a that the number of thermocouples has a significant
realistic and reasonable efficiency. Many researchers impact on the TEG devices’ cooling power and they also
have attempted to improve this type of material sciences, pointed out that the number of thermoelectric elements
build generation systems, and advance nanotechnology affects the power output and efficiency [14]. On
in order to bring thermoelectric materials to market. harvesting electrical energy with the use of
Additionally, structural considerations have a major thermoelectric device, the researchers measured the most
impact on electrical performance for the conditions of the voltage and current generated during jogging. The
heat transfer. The tasks for scientists are to continue researchers calculated the approximated time for
developing an electricity converter from a direct energy charging the fully discharged battery and found out that
source with high power, reasonable performance, with a it had taken 38,461.54 hours for the full charge of a 1000
large temperature range. [4, 5] mAh battery rating [15]. In various power plants this
thermoelectric device could be used to produce

© ICMERE 2023
electricity by using waste heat from the plant and in the The PM data were collected using the following
sector of automobiles to improve fuel efficiency as procedure:
automotive thermoelectric generators (ATGs). Another a) The hot side of a Peltier module was placed on the
application is in spacecrafts and in this sector heat sink and is heated by candle fumes
radioisotope thermoelectric generators are used which b) On the cold side of the module an ice cubes were
have similar function as Peltier device to provide the placed to make temperature difference.
necessary heat. c) Temperatures were measured with a temperature
measuring device.
2. METHODOLOGY Two and four Peltier modules connected in series were
Electricity generation is obtained by using Peltier module tested using the above procedure. After that the generated
with different combination of this module such as with voltage data were collected for all PM combinations – 2
series combination of two and four Peltier module and PM and 4 PM were compared with single PM. For an
compare the values with the values of a single module. application, an LED light is connected between the
TEC1-12706 model, a Peltier module, is used in this output lines to measure the corresponding current flow
experiment having 127 P-N couples and made of ceramic and voltage - an LED light indicated the observation of
substances. The TEC1-12706 module is shown in Fig. output as on and off.
1(a) and the specifications of the model in Fig. 1(b).
2.2 Voltage Measurement
Thermoelectric devices produce voltage from the
obtained temperature difference. Let, the difference
between the two temperature is ΔT=TH-TC, where TH and
TC are the temperatures at warmer and cooler surfaces of
the modules respectively. The voltage generated was
calculated using the equation (1)

V = (αp-αn) ΔT (1)

(a) (b) where αp and αn are Seebeck coefficient of P type and N

Fig.1: Peltier module (a) and its specifications (b) type semiconductors respectively which are used in
Peltier module [18, 19].
2. 1 Experimental Setup
To conduct the experiment three experimental setup - 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
single Peltier module, two Peltier modules and four The experimental data were collected and plotted in the
Peltier modules were prepared. The voltage generated Fig. 4 for a PM which shows that the voltage is generated
from the Peltier modules with different combination were after a certain time due to temperature difference is
measured by multimeters. The schematic diagram of a increasing almost linearly. From the figure, it can be seen
single Peltier module, double and four Peltier module’s that for a maximum temperature (64.8℃) for this
connections are shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. experiment a single Peltier module can generate
maximum approximately 1.34 V.

(a) (b)
Fig. 2: Schematic of (a) Single, (b) 2 modules

Fig. 4: Voltage vs temperature of a single PM

Fig. 5 shows PM voltage production when 2 PMs are

connected in series and the voltage has increased
gradually with respect to same temperature difference of
Fig. 3: Schematic of 4 modules in series
a single Peltier module. The maximum value of voltage

© ICMERE 2023
produced in two Peltier modules is 3.0 V which is almost The comparison among the different combination of
double than the single PM. Peltier modules is shown in Fig. 7 and it is clear from this
experiment that the values of two and four Peltier device
is respectively two and four times greater than the single
PM. From this graph, it can be said that it is efficient if
we can use a lot of Peltier module rather than a single
module

3.1 Results of an application

To check the effects of these modules, four PMs are
placed in underneath a laptop geniting small heats and a
light emitting diode (LED) is connected with the PM. It
shows that the voltage is generated after a certain time
due to temperature difference is increasing almost
linearly. The experimental data are collected and plotted
in the Fig. 8 for four Peltier modules using the waste heat
of laptop. It is found that the maximum voltage of 2.2 V
is reached when there is a temperature difference of
30.2 ℃.
Fig. 5: Voltage vs Temperature of 2 PM

The voltage for four Peltier modules in series connection

is shown in the Fig. 6 and found that the maximum
voltage of 4.9 V which is twice than the two Peltier
modules and almost four-time greater than the single
module one.

Fig. 8: Voltage vs Temperature from the wasted heat

The data to show an application of PM using 4 PM are

collected and plotted in the Fig. 9 according to the
observation of being on and off for an LED light. It shows
that current flow for various voltages and the LED
remained off until the voltage reached 1.5 V. After the
Fig. 6: Voltage vs Temperature of 4 PM observation of thirty minutes, these are the maximum
values which are found from the waste heat of a laptop

Fig. 7: Voltage vs Temperature differences among PM

Fig. 9: The output signals of an LED light
© ICMERE 2023
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