Analysis and Modeling of Thermoelectric Modules Based on Skutterudites Family

Abstract

Thermoelectric modules are energy conversion devices which can either convert heat to electricity or operate in reverse as a heat pump. The physics of thermoelectricity can be modeled at several levels: quantum mechanical, statistical mechanical and at a macroscopic level using the transport equations directly. Among the new materials for the ambient temperature, one finds without being exhaustive the families of materials named 'Skutterudites', 'Clathrates' or 'LAST'. According to composition, skutterudites can be of type 'p' or type 'n' but it is these which present the highest merit factors. Thus, ZT = 1.7 at T = 850 K was obtained in the Ba0,08La0,05Yb0,04Co4Sb12 structure case of the n type, while ZT = 1,16 at T 800 K in the Ba0,15Yb0,2In0,2Co4Sb12 structure case of the p type. The target of this analysis is to examine the characteristics of a new Ba0,08La0,05Yb0,04Co4Sb12 thermoelectric material, by MATLAB simulation.