Abstract
We present an enhanced micro-energy harvester design that couples a thermoelectric module to a heat storage unit formed by a Phase Change Material embedded within a metallic foam. The effect of the thermal resistance between the thermoelectric material and the ambient is investigated through an effective heat transfer coefficient. A case study is analyzed to transform daily thermal fluctuations into electricity during a full day on ground conditions in a Southern Hemisphere typical winter day, using hexadecane as PCM and aluminium as metallic foam. For base PCM as a heat storage unit, the micro-harvester generates 0.01 J after a full day of operation. However, the metallic foam multiplies the electric energy production: from 0.23 J for ∈ = 0.95 to 0.49 J for ∈ = 0.85. Importantly, the relative boost in electric energy production is robust across a wide range of thermal resistance loads.
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