Article
Energy & Fuels
Yulong Zhao, Mingjie Lu, Like Yue, Liyao Xie, Minghui Ge
Summary: This study proposes the addition of porous plates in vehicle exhaust to improve the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of waste heat. A coupled heat-electric-flow model is constructed and simulation results show that the addition of porous plates has a significant impact on the overall temperature of the exhaust channel. An optimal insertion position exists for maximum power generation.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Minghui Ge, Zhenhua Li, Yuntong Zhao, Zhiwei Xuan, Yanzhe Li, Yulong Zhao
Summary: This study investigates the effects of heat source temperature, flow, and module number on the thermoelectric performance of a thermoelectric generation system. The results show that the output power increases with the number of modules under high-flow conditions. The voltage uniformity coefficient can accurately indicate the voltage distribution uniformity. This study provides guidance for the design of high-efficiency thermoelectric generators.
Article
Thermodynamics
Minghui Ge, Yuntong Zhao, Yanzhe Li, Wei He, Liyao Xie, Yulong Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the influence of the structural parameters of a thermoelectric generator on the system efficiency of a photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid system. An optimal structural parameter for the TEG was identified, along with an analysis of its relationship with CPV temperature coefficient, concentration ratio, and cooling heat transfer coefficient.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yulong Zhao, Qi Zhang, Jie Yan, Wei He, Liyao Xie, Minghui Ge
Summary: This study discusses the influence of environmental factors on the thermoelectric performance of VTEG. Increasing the heat transfer coefficient outside the tube improves the power output and economics of VTEG. The highest system efficiency occurs when LNG is at liquid-phase and two-phase regions. As the ambient temperature increases, the maximum power output also increases linearly. Environmental factors must be considered in VTEG optimization design.
Article
Thermodynamics
Song Lan, Richard Stobart, Rui Chen
Summary: This paper compares the performance of a thermoelectric generator prototype applied in conventional vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles through simulation and experimental methods. The effects of power management strategies, driving cycles, and auxiliary power on the fuel economy improvement are analyzed. The results show that in urban driving cycles, the thermoelectric generator applied in extended-range electric vehicles using the power follower control strategy has better fuel economy compared to integration into conventional vehicles. However, in highway driving cycles, the fuel saving effect of the thermoelectric generator integrated in conventional vehicles is better. It is also shown that the power follower control strategy is more suitable for the integration of thermoelectric generators in extended-range electric vehicles.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yanzhe Li, Shixue Wang, Yulong Zhao, Like Yue
Summary: In this study, a thermoelectric power generation system was established to recover and utilize high temperature waste heat by inserting porous foam copper to enhance the performance and heat transfer efficiency of the thermoelectric generator. The results showed that thermoelectric modules with specific properties can greatly improve the output power and heat exchange capabilities of the system, making it a promising technology for waste heat recovery and utilization.
Article
Thermodynamics
S. Harish, D. Sivaprahasam, B. Jayachandran, R. Gopalan, G. Sundararajan
Summary: The study demonstrates that most TE modules in the AETEG system showed marginal variations in V-oc and P-max after 150 cycles of testing. However, after prolonged testing for up to 300 cycles, some modules experienced decreased P-max due to increased internal resistance, primarily caused by an increase in cold-side contact resistance.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wei-Hsin Chen, Tzu-Hsuan Huang, Gerardo Lumagbas Augusto, Ravita Lamba, Chika Maduabuchi, Lip Huat Saw
Summary: Unileg thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are a promising clean and green energy device that have a simple structure, high mechanical strength, and lower thermal stress and cost than conventional TEGs. This study analyzes the performance and thermal stress of unileg thermoelectric modules (TEM) with different leg heights and numbers of legs by harvesting waste heat from vehicles. The study also combines TEM and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the influence of fluid flow.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wei-Hsin Chen, Yen-Kuan Lin, Ding Luo, Liwen Jin, Anh Tuan Hoang, Lip Huat Saw, Sandro Nizetic
Summary: This study analyzes the improvement of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) by performing 3D numerical simulations using different doping levels of SnTe. The results show that the undoped SnTe-AgSbSe2 composite has the highest output power, while the composite doped with 3% SnTe achieves the highest conversion efficiency. In addition, the equal segmented thermoelectric generator (STEG) design shows higher output power and conversion efficiency compared to conventional TEGs. Therefore, it is concluded that the combination of doped SnTe thermoelectric material and equal-STEG design can efficiently enhance the performance of thermoelectric modules (TEMs).
Article
Thermodynamics
Koray Gurkan, Halime Karaman, Sedat Ballikaya
Summary: Recently, the development of flexible thermoelectric power generators has been a focus of attention due to their ability to convert waste heat from curved sources into electrical power. This study presents the synthesis, optimization, fabrication, and application of a high-performance f-TEG. The optimized parameters were used to develop a flexible module consisting of 70 thermocouples, which demonstrated successful power generation for wireless ECG applications, although the efficiency of the boost converter was found to be low at 20%.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pawel Ziolkowski, Przemyslaw Blaschkewitz, Byungki Ryu, SuDong Park, Eckhard Mueller
Summary: The status of metrology for thermoelectric generator modules (TEM) was investigated through an international round robin test. The results showed significant standard deviations and high deviations compared to reference data from manufacturers, indicating the need for improvements in the standardization of TEM metrology.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Samir Ezzitouni, Pablo Fernandez-Yanez, Luis Sanchez Rodriguez, Octavio Armas, Javier de las Morenas, Eduard Massaguer, Albert Massaguer
Summary: Thermoelectric generators harvesting energy from exhaust gases face temperature mismatch between modules, affecting overall power output significantly. A model predicting the electric behavior of thermoelectric generators in automotive applications allows testing of connection configurations, showing negative impact of module interconnection. Protection of thermoelectric generator electric circuit is necessary to avoid malfunction effects.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyu Chen, Mancang Li, Rui Guo, Yu Wang, Daijie Zhou, Zhang Chen, Ran Ang
Summary: The current design optimization efforts for thermoelectric modules focus on constant temperature difference, while the effects of constant heat flux on module output parameters are still unclear. A three-dimensional numerical model is established using COMSOL Multiphysics software to study PbTe as a case study. Heat transfer analysis verifies that the reduction in hot side temperature is dominated by the Peltier effect, leading to deviation in the optimal load resistance and internal resistance ratio from the traditional maximum power point. Increasing the thermoelectric leg height improves the average figure of merit zTavg and output performance. Manipulating the leg cross-sectional area ratio achieves a high efficiency of -14.5% for ideal contacted PbTe-based modules at a temperature difference of 500 K. The importance of parasitic energy loss on performance evolution is recognized. These findings provide universal guidance for improving the efficiency of thermoelectric modules operating under constant heat flux.
MATERIALS TODAY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Yilin Wang, Kunlin Cheng, Chaolei Dang, Cong Wang, Jiang Qin, Hongyan Huang
Summary: A novel energy harvesting device is proposed for health monitoring systems of hypersonic vehicles, which includes thermoelectric generators, heat storage units, and electrical storage units. The thermal equivalent circuit model is developed and verified experimentally. The effects of device parameters are investigated and optimized. The optimized device can provide over 2.5 W of power output repetitively without maintenance, offering a unique powering solution for health monitoring systems.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Manuela Castaneda, Andres A. Amell, Mauricio A. Correa, Claudio E. Aguilar, Henry A. Colorado
Summary: This article presents the characteristics and application of low-cost thermoelectric modules for heat recovery in industrial processes. The experiments show that even refrigeration modules can be used for energy recovery, especially in developing countries.
