Thermal design and temperature gradient analysis for a thermoelectric energy harvest device in off-shore and marine application

Abstract

In this study, thermoelectric based energy harvesting system which utilizes the temperature gradient between the hot lubricant oil inside the azimuth thrusters and cold sea water outside the azimuth thrusters is proposed. Coupled modeling of the fluid dynamics for the oil flow inside the thruster and heat transfer between the hot oil, thermoelectric generator (TEG) module, other solid components in the system and sea water is built. The temperature distribution in the system is simulated and temperature gradient between the hot surface and cold surface of the TEG is extracted and analyzed. The system is further optimized to achieve the higher temperature gradient between hot and cold surface of the TEG by utilizing bigger size of the enclosure for the TEG, adding a heat sink at the hot surface of the TEG, choosing the lubricant oil with higher thermal conductivity and driving higher velocity of the oil movement. Lastly, the effect of the bio fouler layer on the temperature gradient of the TEG module is evaluated.