A 1Â kWe thermoelectric stack for geothermal power generation - Modeling and geometrical optimization

► A 1 kWe thermoelectric stack is considered for geothermal heat conversion. ► It comprises an array of Bi-Te modules between counter-flow water heat exchangers. ► A coupled conduction-convection heat transfer model was formulated. ► Optimization is accomplished for either maximum efficiency (η) or minimum volume (V). ► For hot water inlet/outlet temperatures (413 K/393 K), η = 4.2% and V = 0.0021 m3.