FlexiTEC - flexible thermoelectric cooling using next generation miniaturisation

热电装置是用电来泵送热量的装置。它们可以在同一设备中提供加热和冷却。它们缺乏活动部件，使它们成为坚固，小型，安静，环保的系统的良好选择，并且维护最少。现有的热电系统是刚性的，更复杂的形状或更柔软的表面，如身体，很难与之相互作用。我们的提案，名为FlexiTEC，是开发一个完全灵活的热电系统。这将增加热电系统使用的便利性，并鼓励采用个人热电温度控制系统，例如主动加热和冷却座椅产品。这种局部环境控制可以显著节省能源，因为只控制你立即感受到的环境，而不是你周围的整个空间。此外，热电系统比局部电加热器具有更高的加热效率。这些效率优势在电动汽车开发中尤为重要，因为在寒冷条件下，车内温度控制对行驶里程的影响高达40%。为了实现这一目标，将对热电材料、器件结构和柔性散热器的耦合影响进行全面的系统级建模和优化，以实现电气、热学和机械性能之间所需的平衡。这将指导材料、设备和系统创新，以加速向高性能、健壮、灵活的系统发展。开发工作将包括新的处理路线，以实现下一代小型化，再加上设计一个比传统设备更耐故障的模块。此外，柔性散热器将被优化和构建使用新的低成本的处理。这项工作将在莱斯特附近的欧洲热力学有限公司进行，这是英国领先的工业热电研究中心，并将与莱斯特大学和伦敦玛丽女王大学合作，分别利用他们在热电材料力学和先进热电加工路线方面的专业知识。

Thermoelectric devices are devices that use electricity to pump heat. They can provide both heating and cooling in the same device. Their lack of moving parts makes them good choices for robust, small, quiet, environmentally friendly systems with minimal maintenance. Existing thermoelectric systems are rigid, and more complex shapes or softer surfaces such as the body are difficult to interact with. Our proposal, entitled FlexiTEC, is to develop a fully flexible thermoelectric system. This will increase the ease of use of thermoelectric systems, and encourage take up in personal thermoelectric temperature control systems, for example in active heating and cooling seating products. Such local environment control can significantly save energy, as only the environment that you immediately feel is controlled, rather than the entire space around you. In addition thermoelectric systems have a higher efficiency in heating then local electrical heaters. These efficiency advantages are especially important in electric vehicle development, where cabin temperature control can have up to a 40% impact on range for example in freezing conditions.In order to achieve this aim, full system level modelling and optimisation of the coupled impact of thermoelectric materials, device architecture and flexible heat sinks will be performed in order to achieve the required balance between electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. This will direct the material, device and system innovation in order to accelerate progress towards a high performance, robust, flexible system. Development work will include novel processing routes to enable next generation miniaturisation, coupled with a module designed to be more resistant to failure than conventional devices. In addition, flexible heat sinks will be optimised and constructed using novel low cost processing.This work will be undertaken at European Thermodynamics Ltd near Leicester, a leading UK centre for industrial thermoelectrics research, and will partner with University of Leicester and Queen Mary University of London to harness their expertise in the mechanics of thermoelectric materials and advanced thermoelectric processing routes respectively.