Patent ID: 9293680
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: F01N,F25B,F28D,F28F,H01L,H01M,Y02T

Claim Text:
1. A thermoelectric system comprising: at least a portion of a tube configured to allow a first fluid to flow through the at least a portion of the tube along an axial direction of the tube; a first thermoelectric assembly and a second thermoelectric assembly, wherein each of the first thermoelectric assembly and the second thermoelectric assembly is in thermal communication with the tube and with a second fluid and comprises: at least one compliant element between and mechanically coupled to the at least one heat exchanger of the first thermoelectric assembly and the at least one heat exchanger of the second thermoelectric assembly; and at least one second shunt extending around the outer perimeter of the tube generally perpendicularly to the axial direction and in thermal communication with the tube, wherein at least a portion of the at least one second shunt is electrically isolated from the tube and is in thermal communication with, in electrical communication with, and sandwiched between the at least one second thermoelectric element of the first thermoelectric assembly and the at least one first thermoelectric element of the second thermoelectric assembly, wherein the first thermoelectric assembly, the at least one second shunt, and the second thermoelectric assembly are in series electrical communication with one another such that the thermoelectric system has an electrical current flow path through the at least one first thermoelectric element of the first thermoelectric assembly, the at least one first shunt of the first thermoelectric assembly, the at least one second thermoelectric element of the first thermoelectric assembly, the at least one second shunt, the at least one first thermoelectric element of the second thermoelectric assembly, the at least one first shunt of the second thermoelectric assembly, and the at least one second thermoelectric element of the second thermoelectric assembly.