Contribution a l'analyse du fonctionnement d'un refrigerateur thermoelectrique alimente par une pile thermoelectrique

The use of a thermoelectric generator for supplying power to a Peltier cooling device corresponds to an attractive idea, the interest of which appears to be justified theoretically and practically, particularly by the possibility of getting “calories out” from available heat—“calories in”—of whatever origin, and by a better adjustment of the technical characteristics of this type of generator to the considered use. The corresponding scheme is examined from the point of view of different working regimes, effciency or coefficient of performance, optimal operating conditions, both for the two “arms” of the scheme—consisting of two thermoelectric piles acting respectively as a power supply and as a heat pump—and for the system as a whole. The practicability of the optimal operating conditions is discussed and the magnitudes of global efficiency are obtained on the basis of current values for the figure of merit of presently available thermoelectric semiconductors.