Design and Implementation of a Maximum Power Point Tracking System for Thermoelectric Generators
Marina Petridi
Abstract
This thesis, presents and analyses the technology of thermoelectric modules, for power generation purposes. The aim is to design a circuit able to achieve the optimal operating point, in order to charge a lithium battery with maximum available power. For the optimization of system performance, load adjustments by controlling the duty cycle of the boost converter have been employed, in order to ensure maximum power transfer. Initially, a thermoelectric model in SPICE software was implemented, in order to understand our model and to verify the use of Thévenin equivalent circuit, used latter in our circuits. Afterwards, we have chosen the appropriate maximum power point tracking method and designed the circuit of the boost converter on SPICE tool. Finally, the circuit for the board construction was designed, using integrated circuits.