Optimization of MEMS based waste heat recovery Thermoelectric Generator by modification of design and material use

This project aims at reading the currently available literature on electricity generation from waste heat using thermoelectric generators, understanding the principles of working, re-creating the effect from a reference model and attempting to increase the output potential by proposing changes in the model. COMSOL Multiphysics Software is used for modelling and simulation of the device which has a ‘Thermopile’i.e. number of thermocouples electrically connected in series and thermally connected in parallel. The ‘Thermoelectric’ module of COMSOL is used to solve the simulation and compare the output potential of proposed model with reference model.In this paper, a new model is being proposed by modification in design and material use. Its output potential obtained by simulating in COMSOL Multiphysics, is compared with that of the reference model. It is found that there is significant rise in output potential of the proposed model as compared to that of the reference model.