具有PCM的汽车尾气温差发电器的变工况模拟

以内燃机为动力的汽车尾气余热具有高度瞬变特性,而温差发电器(termoelectric generator,TEG)往往对温度的变化较为敏感,针对这一矛盾,在尾气管道和热电模块之间添加相变材料层以减缓尾气温度波动对热电模块性能的影响。通过模拟计算的方法,比较了变工况条件下,相变材料层的添加对热电模块热端平均温度、输出电压等因素的影响。结果表明,相变材料(phase change materia,PCM)的添加对热电模块热端温度波动起到了良好的缓冲作用,大大提高了TEG输出电压的稳定性。

Numerical Simulation Study On Automotive Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator With Phase Change Material

The exhaust heat of an automobile powered by internal combustion engine has a high degree of transient characteristics, while thermoelectric generator (TEG) is usually sensitive to changes in heat source. To solve this problem, a phase change material (PCM) was added between the exhaust gas pipe and the thermoelectric modules to reduce the negative influence of gas temperature fluctuations on the performance of thermoelectric modules. Numerical simulations were performed by Fluent under several given heat sources. Average temperature at the hot-end of the modules and several output parameters were monitored during the simulation. The results show that the PCM has a good effect on the stability of the hot-end temperature of the modules, which greatly improves the stability of the TEG output voltage.