Prakash Khatri

Radiant Secondary School

Mahendranagar
E-mail:prakashkhatri315@gmail.com

Thermoelectricity
Class :XII
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 Thermoelectricity
• The study of conversion of heat energy into electrical energy
is called theromelectricity.
• The phenomenon in which electrical energy is produced by
means of thermal energy is called thermoelectric effect.
• This effect involves following three related effects:
1. Seebeck effect
2. Peltier effect
3. Thomson’s effect
Thermocouple:A couple of wires of dissimilar metals forming a
loop and producing thermoelectricity is called
thermocouple. Eg:Cu-Fe thermocoule

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 Seebeck’s effect
• If two junctions of thermocouple are kept at different
temperatures, a small emf is produced in the circuit in a
definite direction. This effect is called thermoelectric effect
or Seebeck effect.
• The emf so developed in the circuit is called thermo emf or
seeback emf or thermoelectric emf and the current called
thermoelectric current.
• The magnitude of thermoemf depends on the a)nature of
pair of metals forming thermocouple b) temperature
difference between the junctions of thermocoule.
• Eg:In an iron-copper thermocouple, current flows from iron
to copper at the cold junction and copper to iron at hot
junction.The direction of current flow changes if heating and
cooling of the junction are reversed.

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 Thermoelectric series
• Themoelectric current is a current without a cell ,so it is difficult
to know the direction of current flow.
• An arrangement of metals in series in which any two metals can
be used to form a thermocouple is called thermoelectric series.
• When a thermocouple is formed from a pair of metals in the
series, the direction of the current flow through the cold junction
is from the metal occuring earlier in the series to the metal
occuring later in the series.
• The thermoelectric series:
Antimony,Iron,Zinc,Silver,Gold,Chromium,Tin,Lead,Copper,Cobalt
,Nickel,Bismuth
It is found that greater is the difference in the order of the metals
in series ,higher is the value of themoemf.
• (ABC: Antimony to Bismuth at cold junction)
• Eg:Sb-Bi thermocouple is preferred as the emf produced is
maximum for a given temperature difference between the
junctions.
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 Cause of Seebeck effect
• When two different metals are brought into contact, the free
electrons tend to diffuse from the metal having low workfunction
to the metal high workfunction. So one metal is positively
charged and another is negatively charged forming a potential
difference across the junction. The emf thus produced at junction
is called contact potential.
• When both junctions are at the same temperature, the contact
potential at the junctions will be equal and opposite and net emf
is zero.So no current flows through the thermocouple.
• But if two junctions are at different temeratures ,at the junction
at a higher temperature, the rate of diffusion of free electrons
will increase and emf at hot junction will be more than at cold
junction. Therefore, there will be an net emf in the circuit called
the thermo emf.
• Note:Seeback emf is very small emf so it has not become popular
for commercial use.

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 variation of thermo e.m.f. with temperature
• To study the variation of thermo emf with temperature, an iron-copper
thermocouple is taken as shown in the figure. One junction is immersed in
an oil bath and the other junction is kept at melting ice whose
temperature is kept constant. The temperature of oil bath is increased
gradually by heating it keeping cold junction temperature constant at 0 C
and corresponding thermoemf are measured.
• If a graph is plotted between thermo e.m.f. E and temperature of hot
junction θ, a parabolic curve will be obtained as shown in figure below.
• The variation of themoemf with temperature of hot junction is : E=aθ+bθ2
………..1)
• where a and b are the constants for a thermocouple. The values of these
constant depend on the materials of conductor and the temperature
difference of two junctions.
• The galvanometer shows no deflection as no e.m.f. is produced when the
temperatures of both junctions are at the same temperature i.e 0o C.

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Prakash Khatri ,Radiant S.S.Mahendranagar 8
 Contd.
• When the temperature of the hot junction is increased, and the cold
junction is kept at 0o C, the deflection of the galvanometer is increases i.e
emf also increases till it becomes maximum at θn called neutral
temperature. The temperature of the hot junction at which the thermo
emf becomes maximum is known as neutral temperature (θn).It depends
upon the nature of thermocouple but it is independent of the
temperature of cold junction.
• When the temperature of the hot junction is increased beyond neutral
temperature, thermo emf starts to decrease and ultimately becomes zero
at temperature θicalled temperature of inversion. The temperature of the
hot junction at which thermo emf is zero and changes its polarity is called
the temperature of inversion, θi.
• If the temperature is increased beyond θi, the direction of thermo emf is
reversed. The inversion temperature depends upon the temperature of
cold junction and nature of metals used in the thermocouple.
• For copper-iron thermocouple, the neutral temperature is about 250o and
temperature of inversion is about 500oC.

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 Contd.
If θC is the temperature of the cold junction, then we have
θi –θn = θn - θc
θn = (θi + θc )/2 …………………………2)
So, the neutral temperature lies between the inversion temperature
and temperature of cold junction.

Themoelectric power: The rate of change of thermo emf with the

change in the temperature of hot junction at a given temperature
is called thermoelectric power. It is denoted by S and is given as
:S=dE/dθ =a+2b θ ………………1)
Thermoemf generated is maximum at the neutral temperature so,
dE/dθ =0 at θ= θn …………………….2)
Therefore, a+2b θn =0
θn = -a/2b ………………3)

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 Peltier Effect
• When an electric current is passed through a thermocouple with
at junctions at same temperatures , heat is either absorbed or
released at the junctions. This effect is called Peltier effect.
• It is reversible effect. When the direction of current is reversed in
thermocouple, the heat evolved or absorbed are interchanged at
the junction. i.e. the junction which was heated before gets
cooled and vice versa.
• This effect is an inverse process of Seebeck effect.
• Eg: Suppose A and B be the two junction which are at the same
temperature. Initially these two junctions are obtained by joining
two wires of Cu and Fe. A current is passed by joining a cell
between A and B . In this case the junction at which current
enters fro Cu to Fe is cooled and that at which the current enters
from Fe to Cu is heated.

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 Cause of Peltier Effect
• If two dissimilar metals are joined, contact potential is
established at the junctions i.e. the potential of one
metal becomes higher that of the other. For example:
in Cu-Fe thermocouple, the potential of Fe is greater
than the potential of Cu. At one junction, current
flows from lower potential to a higher potential and
the energy are required for this purpose, which is
absorbed from the junction and hence it is cooled. At
another junction, current flows from higher potential
to lower potential. The energy is given out at this
junction and makes the junction hot.

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 Thomson’s Effect
• The phenomenon of evolution or absorption of heat along with
the length of a conductor on passing current through it when its
two ends are kept at a different temperature is known as
Thomson’s effect.
• If an electric current is passed through a copper wire from its
hotter end to the colder end, the heat is evolved and the wire
becomes hot. If the current is reversed, heat is absorbed along
the conductor. This is called ‘Positive Thomson
effect.’eg:Cu,Ag,Zn,Sb etc.
• Similarly, if an electric current is passed through an iron wire
from its hotter end to the colder end, the heat is absorbed and
the wire gets cooled. If the current is reversed, the heat is
evolved along the conductor. This is called ‘Negative Thomson
effect’.eg:Fe,Pt,Bi,Co etc.
• Thomson’s effect of lead is nil. So it is used as the standard metal
in thermoelectricity.i.e. thermoelecric behaviour of metals is
studied by taking lead as second material.
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 Cause of Thomson’s Effect
• When two ends of a conductor are kept at different
temperatures, the electron densities are different in
different parts of metal rod.The free electrons in the hotter
region have higher energy than those in the colder region.
So there is diffusion of electrons from one region to another
region make the different potentials at two ends.
• If steady current is passed from higher potential to lower
potential end ,energy is evolved which heats the conductor.
• Similarly,when current passes from lower potential end to
higher potential ,the energy is absorbed that causes the
conductor to cool.
• Note:The free electron theory (FET) does not explain the
negative Thomson effect.This theory does not explain
almost zero Thomson effect in case of lead.

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 Thermopile
• Thermopile is a device used to detect the presence of
heat radiation. It is based on the principle of
thermoelectric effect. It is made by connecting a large
nos of Sb-Bi thermocouples connected in series and
thermoemf generated is multiplied.
• The one set of junctions are painted black to absorb
the heat radiations and so becomes hot more easily.
The other set of junctions are well polished and
covered with insulating lid ,so it remains cool.The free
ends of thermocouple are jointed to galvanometer G
.As the thermal radiation fall on first junctions ,they
get heated and thermoemf produced in each
thermocouple which add together.The intensity of
galvanometer is directly proportional to intensity
(temperature ) of Prakash
hetKhatri
radiations.
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 Difference between Thomson effect
and Joules heating effect
Thomson’s effect Joule’s effect
(i) It is reversible. It is not reversible.
(ii) Heat is evolved or
absorbed. Heat is always evolved.
(iii) A temperature difference
is required along the No temperature difference is
length of the conductor. required.
(iv) It depends upon the
direction of current.
It is independent of direction
of the current.
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 Thermoelectric effects and conservation of
energy
• In seeback effect ,heat energy absorbed from external source is
converted into electrical energy (emf production).
• In Peltier and Thomson effect ,electrical energy is converted into
heat energy.
• Thus the thermoelectric effect obeys the law of conservation of
energy.
The uses of thermoelectric effect:
• (i) It is used to make solid – state refrigerator device.
• (ii) It is used to sense temperature difference.
• (iii) It is used to convert thermal energy directly into electricity.

• Homework: Point out the differences between Seeback

effect,Peltier effect and Thomson
Prakash effect.
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