Time dependent finite volume model of thermoelectric devices

Thermoelectric modules are an important alternative to heat engines in the harvesting of waste heat. Electrical-thermal analogues are often employed when studying heat conduction and this approach can be extended to develop a model for thermoelectric effects. The coupled thermoelectric partial differential equations are discretized using the finite volume method; the discretization respects the coupling between the heat sink and the thermoelectric material. The new model is especially useful when an accurate picture of transients in a thermoelectric device is required. Results from simulations using the model are presented and validated experimentally.