Research and Development of Portable Thermoelectric Generator Using Peltier Plates and Waste Heat

Abstract

Electricity is a scarce resource and the demand for electricity is always increasing. Conventional energy generation plants use non-renewable sources of energy like gas and coal. There is a growing demand for alternative sources of energy in the current world and extensive research is being done to find out ways to do so as well as increase the efficiency of the existing methods. Thermoelectric power generation has emerged as a promising green technology due to its many advantages. Thermoelectric generators use thermoelectric modules, a solid state device, which can convert thermal energy to electrical energy from a temperature gradient and works by using the Seebeck effect. These can be utilized to harness waste heat that is abundant in homes and industries. In rural or remote areas, where electricity from the national grid is not available, thermoelectric generators can be used to power electronic devices. This paper demonstrates the potential of thermoelectric power generation using Peltier places and how it can be used to harness waste heat using a portable thermoelectric generator. Thermoelectric power generation hasn’t quite hit the benchmark yet to be considered a long term solution to the power problems because of the efficiency of the system. Most thermoelectric power generators are about 3-4% efficient with the maximum limit standing at around 10% under ideal conditions. More research is required on how to increase the efficiency in order to make it a feasible long-term solution. Finding or creating substances with higher Seebeck coefficient would be one way to tackle the problem. However, there are existing modules made of bismuth-telluride that can generate a greater power output but the problem with those is that they are expensive. Unless cheaper alternatives to these modules become available there will be little development in this method of generating electricity. Other future work possibility includes incorporating more modules and reducing the effects of temperature mismatch in series or parallel combinations of the modules so that the outputs generated from individual modules do not cancel out each other. This problem could be tackled by the use of a summing amplifier, instead of using a series or parallel combination. NASA uses a similar technology where the heat is supplied by the decay of plutonium-238(pu-238) fuel. But further development in the modules with higher efficiency might result in the device being implanted all around the spaceships or space stations with enough power to supply electricity for the entire spaceship or space station.