Estimation of the power of a thermoelectric harvester for low and ultra-low temperature gradients using a dimensional analysis method

Abstract

When modeling a thermoelectric harvester operating at low (below 100 degrees Celsius) and ultra-low (below 10 degrees Celsius) temperature gradients, the output power of the harvester is small, which means that even minor errors in the model parameters can lead to an error exceeding the result itself. The proposed dimensional analysis allows us to narrow down the number of model parameters, leaving only those parameters that can be measured with sufficient accuracy. In addition, a guide for the optimal selection of a thermoelectric module for a given thermal path is proposed. Experimental data confirm the theoretical analysis.