A LOCAL SELECTION CRITERION FOR THE COMPOSITION OF GRADED THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS

We present a procedure that locally determines the composition (from a given set of available materials) of a segmented dr graded thermoelec tric generator leg in order to maximize its output power to a matched load. The method is based on a new interpretation of the electrical ou tput relation, which is organized to resemble a differential output po wer along the device coordinate. The procedure is applied to calculate the segment length and output power of a segmented bismuth-telluride/ iron-disilicide based thermoelectric generator leg. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.