Experiments and simulations on low-temperature waste heat harvesting system by thermoelectric power generators

In this case study, a system to recover waste heat comprised 24 thermoelectric generators (TEG) to convert heat from the exhaust pipe of an automobile to electrical energy has been constructed. Simulations and experiments for the thermoelectric module in this system are undertaken to assess the feasibility of these applications. A slopping block is designed on the basis of simulation results to uniform the interior thermal field that improves the performance of TEG modules. Besides simulations, the system is designed and assembled. Measurements followed the connection of the system to the middle of an exhaust pipe. Open circuit voltage and maximum power output of the system are characterized as a function of temperature difference. Through these simulations and experiments, the power generated with a commercial TEG module is presented. Overview this case study and our previous work, the results establish the fundamental development of low-temperature waste heat thermoelectric generator system that enhances the TEG efficiency for vehicles.     

一种新型汽车尾气多通道热能发电系统

根据温差发电原理,设计了一种新型网格状通气管式的温差发电装置,实现对汽车尾气热能的再利用。通过优化温差发电装置的结构,改变了水箱结构,增加了废热通道数量,能够贴更多的温差发电片,从而提高转换效率。通过UG(计算机辅助设计软件)建立汽车尾气温差发电装置的理论模型,经过计算,当温差等于100℃时该装置的转换效率约等于5.67%。与其他温差发电装置进行比较,热油式温差发电器在260℃温差下最大热能转换效率可达4.389%,而汽车尾气温差发电器输出功率随着烟气温度的升高近似成线性递增,热能转换效率较低[1],通过比较得出,本装置不仅提高了转换效率,且达到相同转换效率时所对应的温差值也相应减少。     

Performance review of a novel combined thermoelectric power generation and water desalination system

A novel combined thermoelectric power generation and water desalination system is described with a system schematic. The proposed system utilises low grade thermal energy to heat thermoelectric generators for power generation and water desalination. A theoretical analysis presents the governing equations to estimate the systems performance characteristics combined with experimental validation. Experimental set-up consists of an electric heat source, thermoelectric modules, heat pipes, a heat sink and an evaporator vessel. Four heat pipes are embedded in a heat spreader block to passively cool the bottom side of the thermoelectric cells. The condenser of these four heat pipes is immersed in a pool of saline water stored in an evaporation vessel which is maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure. The liquid to vapour phase change cooling method achieve low saturation temperature and offers a high heat transfer coefficient for the cooling of the thermoelectric generators. At the same time this method utilises the low temperature heat extracted from the cold side of the thermoelectric generator for water desalination. It was observed that at low saturation temperatures greater heat flux could be supplied to the thermoelectric generators with less heat losses to the atmosphere.     

Introducing and evaluation of a new propulsion system composed of solid oxide fuel cell and downstream cycles; usage in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Recently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with propulsion systems based on fuel cells have led to increased flight endurance and fuel economy. However, due to the limited operation of propulsion systems designed with alone fuel cells, the integration of fuel cells with other power generators can be used. This article attempts to provide a conceptual model of a new solid oxide fuel cell based-propulsion system that is cascaded with thermionic and thermoelectric generators. The fuel cell produces power and heat by receiving hydrogen fuel and oxidant. The required heat of thermionic and thermoelectric generators is supplied by the dissipative heat of the fuel cell and the dissipated heat of thermionic, respectively. The objective of this article is to determine the necessary electricity of a small UAV under mission profile. The conceptual design and structure of the proposed propulsion system (for use in a small drone) is new. In addition, the results presented do not correspond to the same literature. Results showed that the proposed propulsion system is capable of producing 481.3 W of power with an overall efficiency of 46.7%. In addition, UAV needs 1110.3 W of electricity under the desired mission profile. Five various sizing of the propulsion system to provide the necessary electricity of an UAV are discussed.     

Development of a thermoelectric self-powered residential heating system

Self-powered heating equipment has the potential for high overall energy efficiency and can provide an effective means of providing on site power and energy security in residential homes. It is also attractive for remote communities where connection to the grid is not cost effective. Self-powered residential heating systems operate entirely on fuel combustion and do not need externally generated electricity. Excess power can be provided for other electrical loads. To realize this concept, one must develop a reliable and low maintenance means of generating electricity and integrate it into fuel-fired heating equipment. In the present work, a self-powered residential heating system was developed using thermoelectric power generation technology. A thermoelectric module with a power generation capacity of 550 W was integrated into a fuel-fired furnace. The thermoelectric module has a radial configuration that fits well with the heating equipment. The electricity generated is adequate to power all electrical components for a residential central heating system. The performance of the thermoelectric module was examined under various operating conditions. The effects of heat transfer conditions were studied in order to maximize electric power output. A mathematical model was established and used to look into the influence of heat transfer coefficients and other parameters on electric power output and efficiency.     

Recent developments in thermoelectric materials

The increased activity in attempts to develop improved thermoelectric semiconductors for use in the direct conversion of heat into electrical energy results mostly from research sponsorship by the US Military and NASA. Thermoelectric generators have no moving parts and are difficult to detect by visual, aural or thermal infrared means. Fossil multifuelled thermoelectric generators are the leading candidates for replacing standard US Military engine generator sets up to 1·5 kW under the SLEEP programme (Signature Suppressed Lightweight Electric Energy Plants). When coupled to an isotopic heat source, thermoelectric generators are able to operate reliably and unattended for long periods of time and have a proven performance record in supplying electrical power to the Lunar Experimental Package (Apollo Program) and in providing onboard electrical power to the Voyager spacecrafts.In both military and space applications any improvement in the thermoelectric generators' conversion efficiency would result in a saving in fuel—an important consideration. One way of improving the conversion efficiency is by increasing the so called ‘Figure of merit’ of the semiconductor material employed in the fabrication of the generators' thermocouples. In this paper an assessment is made of current thermoelectric materials; recent attempts to improve the figure of merit of existing materials are discussed and a number of new thermoelectric materials described.Significant headway has been made in reducing the lattice thermal conductivity of thermoelectric materials through the use of additives, small grain sizes or combinations of both. This development will result in substantial improvements in the thermoelectric figure of merit, provided the electrical properties can be maintained close to single crystal values. It is concluded that, because in the past the development of new thermoelectric materials has occupied long periods of time, even during periods of intense research activity, it is likely that established or ‘modified’ established materials will remain the mainstay of military and space applications at least for the forseeable future.     

MCFC-并联TTEG混合系统的性能优化

为有效回收熔融碳酸盐燃料电池产生的余热,提出一种由熔融碳酸盐燃料电池(MCFC)、两级并联温差发电器(TTEG)和回热器组合而成的混合系统模型.考虑MCFC电化学反应中的过电势损失和混合系统中的不可逆损失,通过数值分析得出混合系统的输出功率和效率的数学表达式,获得混合系统的一般性能特征,讨论MCFC电流密度与温差发电器...     

Effect of heat exchanger material and fouling on thermoelectric exhaust heat recovery

Thermoelectric devices are being investigated as a means of improving fuel economy for diesel and gasoline vehicles through the conversion of wasted fuel energy, in the form of heat, to useable electricity. By capturing a small portion of the energy that is available with thermoelectric devices can reduce engine loads thus decreasing pollutant emissions, fuel consumption, and CO₂ to further reduce green house gas emissions. This study is conducted in an effort to better understand and improve the performance of thermoelectric heat recovery systems for automotive use. For this purpose an experimental investigation of thermoelectrics in contact with clean and fouled heat exchangers of different materials is performed. The thermoelectric devices are tested on a bench-scale thermoelectric heat recovery apparatus that simulates automotive exhaust. It is observed that for higher exhaust gas flowrates, thermoelectric power output increases from 2 to 3.8 W while overall system efficiency decreases from 0.95% to 0.6%. Degradation of the effectiveness of the EGR-type heat exchangers over a period of driving is also simulated by exposing the heat exchangers to diesel engine exhaust under thermophoretic conditions to form a deposit layer. For the fouled EGR-type heat exchangers, power output and system efficiency is observed to be 5-10% lower for all conditions tested.     

Effect of non-uniform illumination on performance of solar thermoelectric generators

Solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) are heat engines which can generate electricity from concentrated sunlight. The non-uniform illumination caused by the optical concentrator may affect the performance of solar thermoelectric generators. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model of solar thermoelectric generators is established. The two-dimensional Gaussian distribution is employed to modify the illumination profiles incident on the thermoelectric generator. Six non-uniformities of solar illumination are investigated while keeping the total energy constant. The influences of non-uniform illumination on the temperature distribution, the voltage distribution, and the maximum output power are respectively discussed. Three thermoelectric generators with 32, 18 and 8 pairs of thermocouples are compared to investigate their capability under non-uniform solar radiation. The result shows that the non-uniformity of the solar illumination has a great effect on the temperature distribution and the voltage distribution. Central thermoelectric legs can achieve a larger temperature difference and generate a larger voltage than peripheral ones. The non-uniform solar illumination will weaken the capability of the TE generator, and the maximum output power decrease by 1.4% among the range of non-uniformity studied in this paper. Reducing the number of the thermoelectric legs for non-uniform solar illumination can greatly increase the performance of the thermoelectric generator.     

Effects of fuel cell vehicle waste heat temperatures and cruising speeds on the outputs of a thermoelectric generator energy recovery module

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) module is designed to harvest low grade waste heat from a 2 kW fuel cell vehicle and improve its energy utilization. The module integrates a TEG cell with a heat pipe and a finned heat sink. A numerical model is developed based on an experiment setup where the fuel cell temperature is 45–60 °C while the cruise speed is 25 kmh^?1. The numerical model is validated with less than 5% deviation. Extended cases are simulated for series and parallel power train configuration under changes to the waste heat temperature and vehicle speeds to evaluate the power and heat recovery ratio. A single TEG cell output between 2 and 3 W is achievable even at low grade heat. The parallel drive generates 50% more power than the series drive at 100 kmh^?1 speed. A 2% heat recovery is theoretically achievable for a 16 cell module assembly.     

Catalytic combustion of 1-butanol coupled with heat harvesting for compact power

A combustor paired with a heat-harvesting device, such as a thermoelectric or thermal photovoltaic device, can utilize high energy-dense liquid fuels while avoiding direct chemical-to-electrical conversion issues such as electrode and electrolyte poisoning. Therefore, the system is an attractive alternative to batteries and fuel cells for portable power applications. In the current study, a 1-butanol fed catalytic combustor using a Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst was tested with a heat extractor, in this case being a stainless steel rod with a copper heat sink that was designed to thermally mimic a small thermoelectric module. The effects of residence time, fuel flow rate, and rod size on reactor/extractor temperatures and the energy balance were observed. Fuel-lean equivalence ratios were also studied and shown to have little effect on performance. Residence time does not have a direct effect; however, it does provide a catalytic stability limit for the fuel flow rate. The difference in the hot and cold side temperatures of the rod is dependent on the fuel flow rate and length of the rod. The greatest difference observed in these temperatures was 513 °C using the long-sized (15 cm) rod. The percentage of fuel energy conducted through the rod is only dependent on the rod size, with a maximum around 40% using the short rod. These results provide important design guidelines for the catalytic combustion of energy-dense liquid fuels as an excellent alternative heat source for either direct use or electrical power conversion.     

Development of an energy-saving module via combination of solar cells and thermoelectric coolers for green building applications

A solar-driven thermoelectric cooling module with a waste heat regeneration unit designed for green building applications is investigated in this paper. The waste heat regeneration unit consisting of two parallel copper plates and a water channel with staggered fins is installed between the solar cells and the thermoelectric cooler. The useless solar energy from the solar cells and the heat dissipated from the thermoelectric cooler can both be removed by the cooling water such that the performance of the cooling module is elevated. Moreover, it makes engineering sense to take advantage of the hot water produced by the waste heat regeneration unit during the daytime. Experiments are conducted to investigate the cooling efficiency of the module. Results show that the performance of the combined module is increased by increasing the flow rate of the cooling water flowing into the heat regeneration water channel due to the reductions of the solar cell temperature and the hot side temperature of the thermoelectric coolers. The combined module is tested in the applications in a model house. It is found that the present approach is able to produce a 16.2 °C temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the air temperature in the model house.     

Investigation into topping cycle: Thermal efficiency with and without presence of thermoelectric generator

Thermoelectric power generation due to solar heating is a current interest in green energy research. One of the applications of the thermoelectric power generator is involved with the topping cycle, in which the thermoelectric generators were placed on the heat collector elements of a conventional solar concentration power plant. Although the topping cycle is practical and easy to operate, the efficiency of the thermal system with and without thermoelectric generator needs to be examined. In the present study, thermal efficiency of the topping cycle is analyzed and compared with its counterpart without the presence of the thermoelectric elements. Thermodynamic analysis for the efficiency of both the systems with and without thermoelectric generator is presented. The fluid flow and heat transfer in a tube with presence of thermoelectric elements resembling the solar heating system incorporated in the topping cycle are simulated numerically. It is found that, for a certain combination of operating and thermoelectric device parameters, thermal efficiency of the topping cycle becomes slightly higher than that of the same system without the presence of the thermoelectric generators.     

Design and fabrication of thermoelectric waste heat reutilization system—possible industrial application

The current article discussed the detail design and development of an experimental test rig to derive usable energy by utilizing the waste heat energy through a heat exchanger made of Bi₂Te₃ material. The accuracy including the efficiency of the fabricated device is demonstrated further by verifying the associated parameter through a simulation model (commercial finite element package, ANSYS 15.0). To imitate the waste hot air from the industry is achieved via a heat gun and fed to the test rig for the generation of thermoelectric power. The simulation model accuracy has been demonstrated by juxtaposing the associated experimental data and computational readings. Subsequently, the feasibility and optimum range of design parameters are established by comparing the experimental and the simulation data (triggered temperature difference, voltage output, and heat flux) generated at the interface of the thermoelectric power generators. In addition, the coefficient of determination (R²) value has been evaluated statistically and verified with the current experimental results for the demonstration of the relevancy. The statistical study shows the existence of the correlation between the current experimental and the simulation model. Also, the experimental result indicates the possible implementation of the newly developed system for the recovery from the waste heat either the automobile exhaust or any other kind of dissipated heat from the industries.     

基于太阳能光伏热利用的光伏/热电(PV/TV)建筑一体化试验研究

将太阳能电池板、集热器、热电发电片结合起来,设计并制成了一套光伏/热电(PV/TV)系统,在利用太阳能电池发电的同时,收集热量并利用其发电。在北京地区进行了该系统的室外模拟试验,测试并讨论了该系统在不同结构和不同环境下的性能,探讨该系统在光伏建筑中的应用。试验结果表明,与单纯的光伏发电系统或太阳能热水系统相比,PV/TV系统具有占地面积小、综合效率高等优点。     

Technologies to recover exhaust heat from internal combustion engines

The focus of this study is to review the latest developments and technologies on waste heat recovery of exhaust gas from internal combustion engines (ICE). These include thermoelectric generators (TEG), organic Rankine cycle (ORC), six-stroke cycle IC engine and new developments on turbocharger technology. Furthermore, the study looked into the potential energy savings and performances of those technologies. The current worldwide trend of increasing energy demand in transportation sector are one of the many segments that is responsible for the growing share of fossil fuel usage and indirectly contribute to the release of harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is hoped that with the latest findings on exhaust heat recovery to increase the efficiency of ICEs, world energy demand on the depleting fossil fuel reserves would be reduced and hence the impact of global warming due to the GHG emissions would fade away.     

Methodological reviews and analyses on the emerging research trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators

Thermoelectric generator is among the earliest initiated electricity‐harvesting methods. It is a very potential power harvester that can convert wasteful thermal energy into electricity. However, it often suffers from low energy conversion rate due to its inconsistent heat source, inefficient thermoelectric material (or thermoelement) performance, and incompetent structural issues. Progressively for the first time, detailed methodological surveys and analyses are made for bulk, thick, and thin films in this review. This is in order to accommodate better insights and comprehensions on the emerging trends and progresses of thermoelectric generators from 1989 to 2017. The research interests in thermoelectric generators have started back in 1989, and have continuously experienced emerging progresses in the number of studies over the last years. The methodological reviews and analyses of thermoelectric generator showed that almost 46.6% of bulk and 46.1% of thick and thin film research works, respectively, are actively progressed in 2014 to 2017. Nearly 86.2% of bulk and 44.1% of thick and thin film thermoelectric generators are realizing in between 0.001 and 4 μW cm^?2 K^?2, while 43.1% of thick and thin films are earning among 10^?6 to 0.001 μW cm^?2 K^?2. The highest achievement made until now is 2.5 W cm^?2 at a temperature difference of 140 K and thermoelectric efficiency factor of 127.55 μW cm^?2 K^?2. This achievement remarked positive elevation for the field and interest in thermoelectric power generation. Consecutively, the research trends of fundamental devices' structure, thermoelement, fabrication, substrate, and heat source characteristics are analyzed too, along with the desired improvement highlights for the applications of thermoelectric generators.     

Energy efficiency analysis and impact evaluation of the application of thermoelectric power cycle to today’s CHP systems

High efficiency thermoelectric generators (TEG) can recover waste heat from both industrial and private sectors. Thus, the development and deployment of TEG may represent one of the main drives for technological change and fuel substitution. This paper will present an analysis of system efficiency related to the integration of TEG into thermal energy systems, especially Combined Heat and Power production (CHP). Representative implementations of installing TEG in CHP plants to utilize waste heat, wherein electricity can be generated in situ as a by-product, will be described to show advantageous configurations for combustion systems. The feasible deployment of TEG in various CHP plants will be examined in terms of heat source temperature range, influences on CHP power specification and thermal environment, as well as potential benefits. The overall conversion efficiency improvements and economic benefits, together with the environmental impact of this deployment, will then be estimated. By using the Danish thermal energy system as a paradigm, this paper will consider the TEG application to district heating systems and power plants through the EnergyPLAN model, which has been created to design suitable energy strategies for the integration of electricity production into the overall energy system.     

An overview: Current progress on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The harmful consequences of pollutants emitted by conventional fuel cars have prompted vehicle manufacturers to shift towards alternative energy sources. Currently, fuel cells (FCs) are commonly regarded as highly efficient and non-polluting power sources capable of delivering far greater energy densities and energy efficiency than conventional technologies. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are viewed as promising in transportation sectors because of their ability to start at cold temperatures and minimal emissions. PEMFC is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and oxidants into electricity, water, and heat at various temperatures. The pros and cons of the technology are discussed in this article. Various fuel cell types and their applications in the portable, automobile, and stationary sectors are discussed. Additionally, recent issues associated with existing fuel cell technology in the automobile sector are reviewed.     

An energetic–exergetic analysis of a residential CHP system based on PEM fuel cell

The use of fuel cell systems for distributed residential power generation represents an interesting alternative to traditional thermoelectric plants due to their high efficiency and the potential recovering of the heat generated by the internal electrochemical reactions. In this paper the study of a micro cogenerative (CHP) energy system based on a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is reported.