A number of prototype thermoelectric refrigerators are investigated and their cooling performances evaluated in terms of the coefficient-of-performance, heat-pumping capacity and cooling-down rate. The coefficient-of-performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator is found to be around 0.3-0.5 for...

The explosive expansion in microelectronics, with a relentless drive towards smaller and smaller circuits, is accompanied by a requirement for miniature power sources. Thermoelectric generating devices offer a potential for meeting this requirement. In this paper an introduction to the...

A thermoelectric generator is a unique heat engine in which charge carriers serve as the working fluid. It has no moving parts, is silent in operation and very reliable. However, its relatively low efficiency (typically around 5%) has restricted its use to specialised medical, military and space...