Experimental Analysis of Nanofluids in PEMFC Cooling Plate Integrated with Thermoelectric Generator

Abstract

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is considered a feasible option to recover waste heat from a Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) into electrical energy. However, its application is limited due to its low efficiency. Meanwhile, nanofluids have emerged as an alternative coolant in heat transfer due to their superior thermal conductivity characteristics. Thus, this study aims to improve the efficiency of the TEG using nanofluids. The experimental study was conducted on a test bench that coupled a PEMFC cooling plate and TEG which was subjected to a 0.5% volume concentration of 𝐴𝑙2𝑂3∶𝑆𝑖𝑂2 hybrid nanofluids at a flow rate of Re 300 to 1000. The mixture ratio of 𝐴𝑙2𝑂3∶𝑆𝑖𝑂2 hybrid nanofluids studied was 10:90 ratio, single nanofluids of 𝐴𝑙2𝑂3 and 𝑆𝑖𝑂2 and also the base fluid of water. Upon completion, the improvement in power output due to an improved temperature difference of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) is observed. The highest TEG performance was shown by hybrid nanofluids of 10:90 (𝐴𝑙2𝑂3∶𝑆𝑖𝑂2) with a 17% improvement as compared to the base fluid of water. This is due to the bigger temperature difference which is caused by better thermal conductivity of hybrid nanofluids as compared to the base fluid.