The Seebeck And Peltier Effect And Its Impact On The Quality Of Thermoelectric Energy

The discovery of thermoelectric phenomena two centuries ago, and the search for new alternatives for generating energy, has allowed a continuous advance in thermoelectric technology in recent years. The Seebeck effect consists of generating electrical current by subjecting the union of 2 different metals to a temperature difference; On the contrary, the Peltier effect tells us that, if an electric current is applied to the union of 2 different metals, a difference of temperatures in the joints will be appreciated. A simple principle, that the field of engineering could take advantage of to generate renewable energy, a subject of relative importance at present. With the aim of producing electricity through the aforementioned phenomena, a thermoelectric generator based on peltier cells was built, capable of providing 5 volts; enough to charge a cell phone. The generator consisted of two Peltier cells, each capable of generating 3 volts with a temperature differential of 70 º C between their faces; However, during the experiment, only 2.7 volts of energy were recorded, demonstrating that only 90% of the thermal energy provided is transformed into electricity. It was also determined that the voltage decreased by 10% every 3 minutes, so the temperature differential had to be kept increasing and thus breaking the "seebeck constant". The methodology that informed the development of the project was the analysis and synthesis of primary sources such as books and reports, and secondary sources such as documents or web pages. At the end of the investigation and construction of the model, it was concluded that Peltier cells work based on the temperature differential, which could be exploited with innovative methods of renewable energy production such as the water-steam cycle or the combustion of biomass.