Abstract
A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a clean electricity generator from a heat source, usually waste heat. However, it is not as widely utilized as other electricity generators due to low conversion efficiency from heat to electricity. One approach is a system-level net power optimization for a TEG system composed of TEGs, heat sink, and fans. In this paper, we propose airflow reuse after cooling preceding TEGs to maximize system net power. For the accurate system net power, we model the TEG system, air, and heat source with proper dimension and material characteristics, and simulate with a computational fluid dynamics program. Next, the TEG power generation and the fan power consumption are calculated in consideration of the Seebeck coefficient and internal electrical resistance varying with hot and cold side temperatures. Finally, we find the optimal number of TEGs and fan speed generating the most efficient system net power in various TEG systems. The results show that the system with a side fan with a specific number of TEGs provides a system net power up to 58.6% higher than when with a top fan. The most efficient system net power with the side fan increases up to four TEGs generating 1.907 W at 13,000 RPM.
Highlights
A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a device composed of pairs of P-type andN-type thermoelectric elements [1] and there are three kinds of TEG technologies: lateral/lateral, vertical/lateral, vertical/vertical [2,3]
A cooling system and its power consumption determine the amount of system net power from a TEG system
In a forced convection cooling with air, the total fan power consumption of the system can be reduced by placing a fan at the side of the heat sink and reusing the airflow
Summary
A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a device composed of pairs of P-type (hole-conducting) and. N-type (electron-conducting) thermoelectric elements [1] and there are three kinds of TEG technologies: lateral/lateral, vertical/lateral, vertical/vertical [2,3]. TEG devices that heat flows from side to side in vertical Both sides typically consist of two thin ceramic plates in vertical/vertical and vertical/lateral TEGs. TEG is a promising energy harvester because it only requires a temperature difference across the thermoelectric elements to produce electricity. According to the Seebeck effect, the TEG produces more electricity with the more temperature difference on the two ceramic plates. It has a relatively low maintenance cost compared with such generators with rotating parts creating noise or vibration. The conversion efficiency of other renewable energy generators, such as a photovoltaic cell and a wind generator, is more than 15%
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