The influence of electrical and thermal contact resistance on the efficiencyof a segmented thermoelectric generator is investigated. We consider 12different segmented $p$-legs and 12 different segmented $n$-legs, using 8different $p$-type and 8 different $n$-type thermoelectric materials. For allsystems a universal influence of both the electrical and thermal contactresistance is observed on the leg's efficiency, when the systems are analyzedin terms of the contribution of the contact resistance to the total resistanceof the leg. The results are compared with the analytical model of Min and Rowe(1992). In order for the efficiency not to decrease more than 20%, the contactelectrical resistance should be less than 30% of the total leg resistance forzero thermal contact resistance, while the thermal contact resistance should beless than 20% for zero electrical contact resistance. The universal behavioralso allowed the maximum tolerable contact resistance for a segmented system tobe found, i.e. the resistance at which a leg of only the high temperaturethermoelectric material has the same efficiency as the segmented leg with acontact resistance at the interface. If e.g. segmentation increases theefficiency by 30% then an electrical contact resistance of 30% or a thermalcontact resistance of 20% can be tolerated.
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机译：研究了电接触电阻和热接触电阻对分段式热电发电机效率的影响。我们考虑使用8种不同的p $型和8种不同的$ n $型热电材料，使用12种不同的分段$ p $支脚和12种不同的分段$ n $支脚。对于所有系统，当根据接触电阻对腿的总电阻的贡献进行分析时，可以观察到电接触电阻和热接触电阻对腿效率的普遍影响。将结果与Min and Rowe（1992）的分析模型进行比较。为了使效率不降低超过20％，对于零热接触电阻，接触电阻应小于总支路电阻的30％，而对于零接触电阻，热接触电阻应小于20％。通用行为还允许发现分段系统的最大可容许接触电阻，即，仅高温热电材料的支脚与在界面处具有接触电阻的分段支脚具有相同效率的电阻。如果例如分段可将效率提高30％，然后可以容忍30％的电接触电阻或20％的热接触电阻。
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