Equivalent circuits of thermoelectric coolers.

Abstract

Equivalent circuits are useful for simplified representation and deeper understanding of electrical devices. In this work a thermoelectric system is represented by equivalent circuits. The first part of work is introductory. It contains the definitions and derivations of the various thermoelectric effects. A detailed description of the construction and the test results of an ideal thermoelectric cooler that had been built are given in the second part. The derivation of the equivalent circuit of a thermoelectric system is given in the last part. It is based on a modified version of Onsager's Reciprocal Relations. The conditions under which the modified relations and the equivalent circuit hold are stated and explained. From the basic equivalent circuit more circuits are derived, these are two terminal-pair active networks of either the pi or T form. A comparison of the results given in the last two parts and other comments conclude the work.