Conversion Efficiency of Thermoelectric Combustion Systems

A theoretical procedure is developed for evaluating the conversion efficiency of a thermoelectric system that uses combusted heat as its thermal input. The effect of heat recirculation on the conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric combustion system is investigated based on five typical configurations. The calculation indicates that an appropriate design of heat recirculation via thermoelectric converter may result in a significant increase in the conversion efficiency of the system.