ICT2014 Abstracts

In many thermoelectric generation applications the generated voltage is low and a DC-DC boost converter is required.   This presentation describes one such boost converter that uses switched capacitors to convert a relatively low level voltage in the tens or hundreds of millivolts to higher, more usable voltages in the range of 3 to 5 volts.    By eliminating the relatively bulky and expensive magnetics of alternative approaches, it is possible to reduce the converter size and tailor the converter to the application.  The primary deployment is for thermoelectric modules that generate an open circuit voltage of 50 mV to 500 mV and have an internal resistance of between 1 to 10 ohms.  By adaptively changing the topology and the rate at which that topology is switched, a match of source impedance to converter impedance can be made, effectively implementing maximum power point tracking (MPPT).   Spice modeling demonstrates the feasibility of the approach.   An integrated circuit has been designed and produced to implement the algorithm and we will describe test results using that integrated circuit.