Reversibilities and irreversibilities in thermoelectric energy conversion

Tom Markvart

Reversibilities and irreversibilities in thermoelectric energy conversion

Applied Physics 2026-07-07 v1

Authors: Tom Markvart

Abstract

Similarly to Thomson, we consider the thermoelectric generator at open circuit as a classical heat engine. It is shown that, as long as the Thomson coefficient is nonzero, the operation generates entropy and is therefore irreversible. By expanding Thomson's approach we show that the voltage produced can be described by the usual Guy--Stodola equation for classical heat engines.

Keywords

thermoelectric generator thermodynamics irreversibility entropy generation Thomson coefficient heat engine

Cite

@article{arxiv.2607.06265,
  title  = {Reversibilities and irreversibilities in thermoelectric energy conversion},
  author = {Tom Markvart},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.06265},
  year   = {2026}
}