House electrical generation using thermoelectric cinder block: Case study on Lebanese hollow block

Abstract

The work presented in this article describes thermoelectric effect in cinder blocks in order to generate electricity in houses through heat waste harvesting. The study consists of developing a numerical model formed by a heat transfer equation coupled to thermoelectric equations to study the performance of thermoelectric generators(TEG) incorporated inside Lebanese hollow blocks through two simulations using finite difference and finite element schemes. Results showed a voltage of 5.85 mV produced from a single 8.6 × 0.4 × 0.4 cm3 thermoelectric leg made of Bismuth Antimony Telluride for a temperature difference ΔT = 30 K. Then, a design of three TEGs with 123 thermoelectric legs incorporated inside a hollow block was tested and validated numerically using both methods, the main results obtained for ΔT = 30 K, showed a voltage ΔV = 0.72 V, a current I = 0.06 A and a figure of merit ZT = 0.55. The design was then optimized for economic purposes; an optimum model was chosen with a final cost of 8880 $. Different suggestions were also presented to enhance the thermoelectric performance of the model.