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Go to Editorial ManagerThe thermoelectric behavior of different materials under various conditions has been investigated numerically by using the heat transfer module of the COMSOL Multiphysics software platform. A simulation study of the thermoelectric materials (TEM) performance was created by altering the current applied from 0.1 to 1.0 A and setting the hot side temperature (T H ) as 273 K. The impact of different performance metrics, such as cold side temperature and output voltage, has been proven and investigated. It has been shown that the material of the thermoelectric legs', length of leg, and thickness of electrodes significantly impact the thermal and electrical performance of the thermoelectric (TE) module. Appropriate ranges have been studied in the simulation, such as the amperage values applied to the unit as mentioned above, the length of the leg within a range of 1 to 8 mm, and the thickness of the electrode with different values of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, which will achieve excellent performance for the Thermoelectric unit. Modeling and simulation results demonstrated and revealed the optimal and potential use of bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) as well as lead telluride (PbTe) as suitable for Peltier cooling applications. As for the use of cobalt triantimonide (CoSb 3 ), it is in contrast to the two previous metals, as it is effective and appropriate if applied to power generation. The results are validated with another study from the literature, and there is an excellent agreement with an error rate that does not exceed 0.164%.
This study numerically investigates natural convection of Cu-water nanofluid in a square cavity subjected to a cooling air stream along the left wall, with the right and bottom walls maintained at cold (TC) and hot (TH) temperatures, respectively, while the top wall is adiabatic. The nanofluid flow is assumed laminar and governed by the Boussinesq approximation. The governing equations are solved using the finite volume method in ANSYS FLUENT. Simulations are performed for nanofluid volume fractions (φ = 0–0.16), Rayleigh numbers (Ra = 10³–10⁵), and free stream Reynolds numbers (Re∞ = 10³–10⁴). The effects of these parameters on stream function (ψ), temperature contours (θ), and average Nusselt number (Nuavg) are analyzed. Results indicate that heat transfer rates increase with higher φ, Ra, and Re∞. Increasing φ and Ra enhances circulation within the cavity, whereas higher Re∞ induces secondary vortices and reduces circulation in the primary vortex. Comparisons of local Nusselt numbers and temperature distributions with previous studies show good agreement, with maximum errors of 14.28% and 3.2%, respectively.