Numerical Simulation and Parametric Study of Heat-Driven Self-Cooling of Electronic Devices

A heat-driven self-cooling system could potentially utilize the heat dissipated from a device to power a thermo-electric generator (TEG) which could then provide power to run a cooling system. In this paper, numerical simulation and parametric analysis of the geometrical parameters (such as fin density and height) and system parameters are conducted to better understand the performance of the self-cooling system within wide ranges. The study showed further decrease in device temperature could be achieved by using shunt operation instead of direct contact between the device and the TEG module. The use of TEG cascades could also help improve the decrease in power generation as a result of shunt arrangement.