Analysis and discussion on the impact of non-uniform input heat flux on thermoelectric generator array

• Models of thermoelectric generator arrays in series and parallel under different heat flux were made.
• Models of the thermoelectric generator arrays were experimentally verified.
• The number of the thermoelectric generators in array for maximum output power was optimized.

The study on thermoelectric generator combined with the solar concentrator has increased rapidly in recent years. However, the solar concentrator inevitably causes the uneven distribution of the heat flux, which would significantly impact the performance of the thermoelectric generator array. This work presented the models of thermoelectric generators in series connection and parallel connection. Furthermore, series of experiments were made to verify the rationality of the model. In addition, the discussion based on the model was conducted to optimize the output power. The results indicated that for the thermoelectric generator array with the large heat flux gradient, which may be more effective and efficient to obtain higher output power through giving up lower heat flux part, which also can reduce the number of the thermoelectric generator modules. This work can be as a hint for the optimization of the solar thermoelectric generator.