Analysis of the Thermoelectric Effects by Methods of Irreversible Thermodynamics

By means of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, three thermoelectric quantities, namely, the Thomson coefficient, the Peltier coefficient, and the electromotive force of a thermocouple, are each expressed in terms of a pure temperature function h which is the difference between the isothermal energy flux in a conductor per unit electrical current and the electrochemical potential of the unit electrical charge. The Kelvin relations for the thermocouple follow directly.