TG Technical Data Sheet Guidelines

marlow industries,
inc.

Preliminary

Subsidiary of II-VI INCORPORATED

TG performance can be described by several important parameters. This document provides

definitions to these important parameters and describes how to use the plots and charts on the
technical data sheet.

Hot Side Temperature

+
Cold Side Temperature

RLoad

Important Definitions:
Hot Side Temperature, TH Temperature on the hot side of the device on the outside of the device
package such as the ceramic. This does not include the temperature drop across the heat
sink.
Cold Side Temperature, TC Temperature on the cold side of the device on the outside of the device
package such as the ceramic. This does not include the temperature drop across the heat
sink.
Heat Sink Thermal Resistance, HSR The thermal resistance associated with the heat sinks and
any interfaces external to the TG device. This can include thermal grease and thermal contact
resistance.
ACR Electrical resistance of the device at room temperature.
Electrical Resistance of TG Device, RTG - The electrical resistance of the TG device during operation.
Figure of Merit, ZTC Figure of merit often used to characterize a thermoelectric generator. The ZT
given in the data sheet is at room temperature and will change at elevated temperatures.
Optimum Efficiency, opt Efficiency of the TG device when paired with the optimum load resistor.
Optimum Power, Popt Power of the TG device when paired with the optimum load resistor.
Load Resistance, RLoad The electrical resistance of the apparatus (or test load resistor) wired in
parallel with the TG device.
Load Resistance Ratio, m Ratio of electrical resistance of load to TG device resistance during
operation.
Optimum Load Resistance, RLoad ,opt - Load resistance that gives the optimal TG efficiency.
Optimum Load Resistance Ratio, mopt - The ratio of load resistance to TG device resistance that yield
the optimum efficiency.
Open Circuit Voltage, VOC Voltage of the TG device with an infinite load resistance.
Short Circuit Current, ISC Current of the TG device with zero load resistance.

Thermal Resistance, RTH Thermal resistance of the TG device under operating conditions. This is
the difference between the hot side temperature and cold side temperature on the outside of
the TG device package divided by the heat entering the device.
Off-Peak Performance Performance of TG device when paired with a load resistance other than the
optimal load resistance. This is usually only done when an application requires a certain
voltage. Though you can tune the voltage output of a TG device, it will always cause TG
efficiency to be less than the optimum efficiency.
Voltage Ratio, V VOC The ratio of off-peak TG device voltage to open circuit voltage.
Efficiency Ratio,

opt

The ratio of off-peak TG device efficiency to optimal efficiency.

Heat, Q This refers to the heat flowing into the device through the hot side of the TG.

General performance table

Tc (C)
ACR ()
Device ZTc

272
2.43-2.96
0.67

On the front of the technical data sheet there is a general performance table that gives ACR and ZT of
the device at room temperature. ACR is a great way to measure the integrity of the TG device and
check for damage. The ZT, or figure of merit, is a common factor used to estimate TG performance.
Please note that the ZT of a device will change as a function of temperature.

Optimal performance plot

Hot Side Temperature (C)
70

90

110

130

150

170

190

210

230
6

Tc=50C
4

Power
Voltage

0
11

21

31

41

51
61
71
Heat (W)

81

91

Opt Voltage (V)

Opt Power (W)

1
0

101

The first plot on the technical data sheet is the optimal performance plot. If the TG operates with the
optimal load resistance, this plot will characterize its performance. Two performance plots are
provided on the data sheet for two different cold side temperatures. For example, if the TGs hot side
is 150C and cold side is 50C under optimal conditions, 56 W of heat will flow into the device. It will
produce 2 W of power at 3.1 V. Additionally, the thermal resistance of the device can be
approximated knowing that the temperature drop across the device was 100C and 56 W of heat
entered the device.
(1)
T 150 50 C
C

RTH

56W

Also, from this plot, optimal current can be calculated.

1.79

Popt

Iopt

2W
3.1 V

Vopt

(2)

0.65 A

Optimal efficiency can also be calculated.

Popt
opt

2W
56 W

(3)

3.6%

And finally, the optimal load resistance can be calculated using current and voltage.

RLoad ,opt

Vopt
Iopt

3.1 V
0.65 A

(4)

4.8

If you wish to characterize performance at a cold side temperature between 50C and 100C, you can
repeat this procedure for a cold side of 100C using the second performance plot on the data and
interpolate to estimate the performance.

Optimal performance table

Hot Side Temperature (C)
Cold Side Temperature (C)
Optimum Efficiency, (%)
Optimum Power (W)
Optimum Voltage (V)
Load Resistance for Opt ()
Open Circuit Voltage, VOC (V)
Short Circuit Current (A)
Thermal Resistance (C/W)

230
50
4.76
5.20
5.31
5.43
9.59
2.18
1.65

170
50
3.98
2.72
3.70
5.03
6.57
1.67
1.76

110
50
2.32
0.76
1.86
4.54
3.28
0.95
1.82

The optimal performance table is located on the back of the technical data sheet and outlines several
operating points given on the optimal performance plots. Additionally, it gives open circuit voltage and
short circuit current for operating points. To estimate the open circuit voltage for a TG operating in
between 170 and 110C, you can interpolate to find the open circuit voltage. Another estimate of
open circuit voltage is to just double the optimal voltage for that operating temperature.

Normalized off-peak performance plot

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

Efficiency
Voltage

3
4
5
6
7
Load Resistance Ratio

Voltage / VOC

/ Opt

Normalized Off-Peak Performance

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

10

The final plot on the back side of the technical data sheet is the normalized off-peak performance plot.
Due to system constraints, the TG may be required to operate in non-optimal conditions. For

example, this TG needs to operate at 150C hot side and 50C cold side with a voltage of 4V. As was
calculated above, the optimal voltage under these temperature conditions is 3.1 V corresponding to
an optimal efficiency of 3.6%. To find the open circuit voltage at this operating temperature, we
interpolate using the data in the optimal performance table. This yields an open circuit voltage of 5.47
V. Therefore, the voltage ratio can be calculated using the following equation.
(5)
V
4V

VOC

5.47 V

0.73

From the normalized off-peak performance plot we can see that for a voltage ratio of 0.73, the
efficiency ratio would be 0.88 and the load resistance ratio become 2.8. Since the optimal efficiency
was 3.6%, the off-peak efficiency is calculated using the following equation.
(6)
0.88
0.88 3.6% 3.1%
opt

To find the associated load resistance with the operating point, you must first find the electrical
resistance of the device at optimal conditions. From the normalized off-peak performance plot you
can see that the optimum efficiency occurs at a load resistance ratio of 1.2. Also, in our previous
calculations under optimal conditions we found that the optimal load resistance was 4.8 . From the
following equations, you can calculate the electrical resistance of the TG device as 4 .
(7)
RLoad ,opt
RLoad ,opt 4.8

mopt

RTG

1.2

RTG

mopt

1.2

Now to find the load resistance for the off-peak condition at a load ratio of 3, we can use the following
equations.
(8)
RLoad

RTG

RLoad

mRTG

2.8 4

11

So to operate this TG with a hot side of 150C and cold side of 50C with an output voltage of 4 V and
a load resistance of 11 would yield a device efficiency of 3.1% (slightly less than the optimal 3.6%
efficiency).
In conclusion, many operating conditions can be estimated using the information on the technical data
sheet. If your TG system operates outside the standards discussed in the technical data sheets,
please consult one of our application engineers.