Test Method for Heat to Electricity Conversion Efficiency of Thermoelectric Unicouple

The heat to electricity conversion efficiency is the basic parameter of thermoelectric element, thermoelectric unicouple and thermoelectric devices. The authors present a new test method for heat to electricity conversion efficiency of thermoelectric unicouple. The input heat of thermoelectric unicouple has been divided into two parts including the output electric power and output heat out of the unicouple cold side. The later has been determined by a thermoelectric heat meter. The thermoelectric heat meter has a high sensitivity, so that high test accuracy could be gained on the determination of heat out of the unicouple cold side. The paper presents test results for heat to electricity conversion efficiency of some thermoelectric unicouple, and discusses about the factors which affect the test results, especially about the calibration of the heat meter.