International Conference on Mechanical, Industrial and Materials Engineering 2017 (ICMIME2017) 28-30 December, 2017, RUET, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. 1 Paper ID: MS-239 Design and Simulation of a Graphene Based Thermoelectric Device Md. Samirul Islam 1 , Md. Nahid Hossan 1 , Md. Najmul Huda Bijoy 2 , Tauhidur Rahman 1 , Md. Mujahid Ul Islam 1 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi-6204, Bangladesh 2 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi-6204, Bangladesh E-mail: samirulislamratul@gmail.com Abstract The thermoelectric effect refers to phenomena by which either a temperature difference creates an electric potential or an electric potential creates a temperature difference and any device which utilizes this effect is known as thermoelectric device. So thermoelectric devices are used as generators and coolers to convert thermal energy into electrical energy or vice versa. A highly efficient thermoelectric material is desired in either case. Graphene, a 2D allotrope of carbon, has a very high electrical conductivity but its application in thermoelectric devices is limited by the high thermal conductivity and low Seebeck coefficient. However, various modification methods has been suggested to enhance the Seebeck coefficient and to reduce the thermal conductivity which will make it an amazing thermoelectric material. In this paper, we propose to design a thermoelectric device utilizing graphene and create a simulation to explore the prospects of graphene in thermoelectric devices. Keywords: Graphene, simulation, Ansys, thermoelectric. 1. Introduction Thermoelectric generator (TEG) and thermoelectric cooler (TEC) are thermoelectric devices which depend on the principle of thermoelectric effect. TEG is a device which can produce electrical energy by converting temperature differences. This effect is called Seebeck effect which is a form of thermoelectric effect. In case of TEC, when voltage is applied in one direction, one side of the device creates heat while the other side absorbs heat, becoming cold. This is known as the Peltier effect. A large amount of waste heat is generated in various operations which can be properly used by applying thermoelectric effect that can recharge our batteries. TEC is very suitable device in the applications that require heat removal. The efficient performance of TEG and TEC depend on the thermoelectric property of material used in respective devices which can be measured by a dimensionless term ZT, also known as thermoelectric figure of merit.  =  2   (1) where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ the electric conductivity, k the thermal conductivity of material [1]. It clearly shows the importance of material for greater thermoelectric effect. Greater Seebeck coefficient of a material gives greater figure of merit which shows the ability of a material to produce thermoelectric power efficiently. Seebeck coefficient is defined as the amount of generated potential when a temperature gradient is applied to the sides of a material and it is described as S= V/ΔT. The temperature gradient (ΔT) can be attained between the ambient temperature (air) and any heat-waste source such as a hot exhaust engine [3]. Bismuth Telluride (Bi2TE3) is widely used thermoelectric material for application at room temperature which has Seebeck coefficient approximately - 150 μv/ 0 c (maximum value -287 μv/ 0 c observed at 54 0 c) at room temperature [2]. Recent years have witnessed considerable interest devoted to the electronic properties of graphene. Graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb crystal, exhibits unique properties like high thermal conductivity, high electron mobility and optical transparency, and has the potential for use in nano-electronic and optoelectronic devices [1]. The figure of merit needs to be as large as possible to get the best performance of thermoelectric generator. So, graphene has a great possibility in the field of thermoelectric generator. This paper shows the comparative study of graphene as thermoelectric material, the research opportunities and the possibilities of graphene in the field of thermoelectric devices. 2. Graphene as a thermoelectric material