Effect of nano-coolants in enhancing the performance of thermoelectric generators

Thermoelectric effect converts temperature gradient into electrical energy that is due to combination of three effects: Peltier, Seebeck and Thomson effect. To improve the performance of the thermoelectric module, it´s being integrated with coolant to decrease the temperature of the bottom surface. The performance of the thermoelectric module has been optimized by using single walled carbon nanotube for n-leg. Nano-coolant has been used instead of water which has improved the cooling effect which increases the temperature gradient and thus improving the voltage produced. The effect of Al₂O₃ and CNT based nano-fluids were analyzed and compared with water based coolant.