Experimental investigation and comparative analysis of selected thermoelectric generators operating with automotive waste heat recovery module

Abstract

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a device that converts waste heat into electricity which can have a rapid rise in the coming years. Different types of thermoelectric generators like wearable, flexible, Liquid metal, foam-based, and solar-based are being explored for different applications such as Low power (Micro-milliwatts), Intermediate power (watts hundreds of watts), Parasitic application, High power (hundred to megawatts). In this work, the experimental investigation has been carried out with a TEG module (TEC1-12715) integrated with a waste heat recovery module with help of an Aluminum heat sink on one side and a Copper Heat Sink on another end. This complete waste heat recovery module is attached to the Engine Honda GX120 exhaust and is used for conversion and storage the purpose. The highest voltage achieved by using a set of two TEG’s (TEC1- 12715) is 1.4 V at 3000 rpm. Also, the comparative analysis on the performance evaluation of thermoelectric generators i.e., TEC1-12715 and TEG-27145 integrated with exhaust waste heat recovery module, depicts that the TEG module (TEG-27145) shows better performance than the TEG module (TEC1-12715) where the voltage of 9.2 V and current of 0.98 A has been generated with Thermoelectric generator (TEG-27145) at an engine rpm of 3000 under no-load conditions. Furthermore, the waste heat recovery module coupled with the thermoelectric generator (TEG-27145) can be readily used to charge the 9 V rating batteries of the two-wheelers. Also, as per the comparative analysis of TEGs as the maximum power generated by TEG-27145 is 1.062 kW at an engine rpm of 3000.