Adding Phase Change Material Research Articles

Simulation and experimental analysis of PCM-enhanced solar stills using CMS

In view of their low water production capacity, solar stills require thoughtful consideration of several design and performance factors in order to achieve optimal output. The objective of this research effort is to evaluate a solar still desalination system parametrically and examine how adding phase change material (PCM) affects a single-slope solar desalination unit's efficiency. The study utilizes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical modeling using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6 software (CMS) to assess the performance of two configurations: a conventional solar still (CSS) and a solar still integrated with energy storage material (PSS). Experimental results have shown that the heat transfer rate of the solar still employing energy storage material is 20 % higher compared to the simple solar still. The daily productivity of systems utilizing PCM demonstrated significant improvements, being 2958 mL/m2-day compared to that of a simple solar still at 2185 mL/m2-day. Additionally, CMS was employed in this study to validate the simulation results with the experimental data. The economic analysis showed that adding PCM to the solar desalination system leads to a cost per liter (CPL) of 3.1 INR and a payback period of 205 days.

Application of Soy Wax Phase Change Material as Thermal Energy Storage in Wall Building

High solar radiation in the tropics area buildings and inappropriate selection of building materials cause an increase in room temperature which interferes with thermal comfort. This study aims to reduce the absorption of heat received in the building with the modification of building walls by adding Phase Change Material (PCM) as Thermal Energy Storage (TES). Soy wax is an organic PCM that is abundant in Indonesia, cheap, and has a melting point of 43.92°C and a freezing point of 38.49°C, which are the range of solar heat radiation in buildings. The application of soy wax on the walls of the building is carried out using a prototype room 80x105x60 cm made of Plywood with a 1 cm thickness of soy wax in the middle of the wall. The test was carried out by comparing the prototype without and with a layer of soy wax pack on the wall. Based on the tests carried out for 24 hours, it was found that the addition of soy wax on the prototype wall can decrease the room temperature to 37°C from 41°C during the day. The use of soy wax can absorb the heat received by the building by 10% at peak load and has a small heat transfer rate of 15.56 W so the heat transferred into the room is small. Soy wax walls function as insulators on the walls and can withstand heat absorbed from outside the building so that it is not completely transferred into the room.

Layer combination design and effect evaluation of phase change cooling asphalt pavement

Asphalt mixture is a temperature sensitive material. With the change of external environment temperature, asphalt pavement is prone to temperature-related diseases. Adding phase change material (PCM) to asphalt pavement to adjust pavement temperature is one of the effective methods at present. At present, there are many types of research on PCMs, but the research on PCMs added to the pavement structure is very scarce. In this paper, through the temperature test of rutting plate specimens with different layer combinations, the cooling effect of pavement structure combinations with PCMs added to different layers (upper layer, middle layer, and bottom layer) in pavement structure under different illumination times are discussed. Through the self-designed environmental simulation box, the real-time monitoring of the temperature of different layers in the pavement structure is realized. The cooling effect between different layers in different phase change pavement structure combinations is analyzed, and compared with each layer of ordinary pavement structure, and the best addition method is obtained for phase change materials, which provides a certain reference for the construction and specific application of PCM asphalt pavement, and made important contributions to the development of asphalt cooling pavement. The results show that the PCM can effectively reduce the temperature of each layer of the pavement structure. Under different illumination durations, the cooling effect of the samples with PCM in the upper layer was the worst. The samples with phase change material in the middle layer had the best cooling effect in the upper and middle layers of the pavement. The addition of phase change material to both the upper and middle layers had the most obvious cooling effect on the lower layer of the pavement. Therefore, combined with the comprehensive consideration of economy and cooling effect, the comprehensive cooling effect of adding PCMs to the middle surface layer is the best. It is recommended to add phase change materials to the middle surface layer during asphalt cooling pavement construction.

Laboratory Tests and Numerical Simulation of the Thermal–Mechanical Response of a Fiber-Reinforced Phase Change Concrete Pile

The critical problem restricting the development and application of phase change energy piles is that adding phase change materials to concrete generally reduces its thermal conductivity. Therefore, exploring a scheme to improve the heat transfer performance of phase change energy piles is necessary. In this study, steel fibers were added to energy piles to enhance the heat exchange capacity between the pile and the surrounding soil. The model tests were conducted on two types of energy piles: a fiber-reinforced pile and a fiber-reinforced phase change pile. Based on laboratory tests, a three-dimensional thermo–hydro–mechanical coupled finite-element model was established to characterize the phase transformation process of FRPC piles accurately. Then, the thermal parameters of the phase change concrete pile were optimized and analyzed to explore the feasibility of improving the application of the phase change pile. The results reveal that the cooling condition where the initial ground temperature was higher than the phase change temperature was more suitable for the FRPC pile. When the flow rate was increased by 50%, the peak heat power of the FRPC pile increased by 25.7%. There is an optimal economic flow rate to balance the system’s energy consumption and heat power in different conditions. Increasing thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity are effective solutions to improve the heat transfer capacity of concrete piles. The energy pile that was enhanced with the high-thermal-conductivity PCM is a good choice to improve long-term operation performance.

Evaluation of thermal performance and energy efficiency of a Trombe wall improved with dual phase change materials

Trombe Wall (TW) as effective passive solar design technology can improve the building's energy efficiency and thermal comfort. TW may not be very effective alone. Adding Phase Change Materials (PCMs) to TW improves the efficiency to compensate for this shortcoming. In this paper, for better efficiency, a new double-layer Phase Change Material Trombe Wall (PCMTW) containing two layers of different PCMs with different phase-changing points on the exterior walls of the building was proposed. This paper aimed to compare the thermal performance of different models of double-layer PCMTW in different air gap thicknesses and different PCM combinations with a base state. The results show that classical TW with an air gap thickness of 20 cm reduces energy consumption by 34% in winter. The best air gap thickness for the PCMTW was 20 cm too, and the energy consumption was reduced by 39% in this air gap thickness. Also, there was little difference in the energy consumption of the three models in the summer, and the overheating phenomenon was solved by considering external shading. for solving this effect in summer, the best length of external shading was 50 cm.

Experimental Study on the Efficiency of Dynamic Marine Thermal Energy Generator Based on Phase Change Compensation

Miniaturized detection devices in the ocean generally experience problems such as short endurance and unreliable power supplies. This article aimed to develop a dynamic ocean temperature difference energy collection device to capture ocean temperature difference energy and provide objective electricity for stable detection devices. The main focus was to conduct experimental research on the effectiveness of a dynamic ocean temperature difference energy power generation device. During the research process, the fact that ammonia gas in a working fluid is easy to liquefy and vaporize was utilized. By utilizing the increase in seawater temperature during the floating process of the device, it vaporized and drove the turbine to rotate for power generation. In the structural design, multiple sets of small air chambers were creatively proposed, which could effectively control the air pressure and improve the stability of the airflow. By charging the airflow to impact the turbine, multiple sets of power generation fans were used to form a stable current. Further, the buoyancy of the device could be changed by adding phase change materials between the air chamber and the device shell, and the temperature difference between the two ends of the phase change materials could be used to change the electron density of the material to form a weak current. In this experimental study, concepts such as the structural design of multiple small gas chambers, miniaturization of energy collection devices, compensation power generation of phase change materials, and application scenarios of devices combined with Argo buoys were all proposed for the first time. The results of this experimental study indicate that the overall power generation of the device is about 2A, and its maximum output power amplitude is about 22 W. The cyclic thermal efficiency of the power generation device can be increased from +0.19% to +0.88%. The development of this thermoelectric power generation device can provide a considerable stable power supply for ocean observation devices, especially the buoy device represented by Argo, which can extend the endurance of deep-sea exploration devices.

Taking benefits of using PCMs in buildings to meet energy efficiency criteria in net zero by 2050

Considering the share of 40% and 35% of buildings in energy consumption as well as CO2 emissions, adding phase change materials (PCMs) is an effective technique to tackle high energy demand and considerable CO2 emissions. When PCMs are injected into the building envelopes, they improved the sensible/latent storage features of the envelopes. In this study, using numerical methods, defining first (no PCM), second (PCM without phase transition), and third building (with phase transition), the importance of sensible storage feature was compared to latent one. It was found that the sensible/latent importance is dependent on the thermal resistance of the envelopes and setpoint. At setpoint 22 °C, it was found that the PCM-enhanced building consumed less power by 32.4 kWhm2. Under this condition, the share of sensible storage as well as latent storage was 54% and 46%, respectively. The reason for the lower share of latent storage was that PCM never participated in phase change about 40% of the year. To boost PCM effectiveness, it was found that the PCM installation near the uppermost layer enhanced energy-saving by 3.72 kWhm2. The presence of phase change in PCM is not always considered a positive point. In one situation, it was observed that if PCM did not undergo phase transition, it reduces energy consumption by 9.4 kWhm2, while for PCM with phase transition this value was 7.1 kWhm2. PCM was also beneficial on CO2 reduction either with phase change or without phase change. In the former, CO2 emissions declined by 34.9 kgm2, and under the latter circumstances it was 23.9 kgm2.

Phase change material infused recycled brick aggregate in 3D printed concrete

In this paper the effects of the addition of a paraffin phase change material on the strength and printability of 3D printed concrete are studied. Phase change materials are latent heat storing materials, which garner and release large amounts of energy as they change phase. The addition of phase change materials to concrete produces a composite material with maximised latent and sensible heat storage capacity. Used in buildings, this composite material has the ability to minimise unwanted heat transfer across the building envelope.An existing mix design (RBA-3DPC), in which 64% of the natural aggregate in a 3D printable concrete (3DPC) had been replaced with recycled brick aggregate, is adjusted by adding phase change material to the pores of the recycled brick aggregate by vacuum impregnation, creating PCM-3DPC. Rheological characterisation tests are performed on reference mix designs (3DPC and RBA-3DPC) and the PCM-3DPC mix design, and used in a buildability model to validate the number of printable layers. Mechanical characterisation tests including cube strength tests, direct tensile tests and uniaxial compressive tests are performed on cast and printed specimens of the mix designs. There is no existing research on the effects of the combined addition of recycled brick aggregate and phase change material in 3D printed concrete.It is concluded that the PCM-3DPC has the highest number of printable layers predicted by the model and realised by a cylindrical column print and overall, PCM-3DPC has greater strength compared to RBA-3DPC, and lower strength compared to 3DPC. The PCM-3DPC exceeds the RBA-3DPC interlayer tensile strength by 6%, intralayer compressive strength by 43% and interlayer compressive strength by 9%, and subceeds the 3DPC interlayer tensile strength by 15% and interlayer compressive strength by 13%.

Numerical analysis of a solar still with phase change material under the basin

The present paper is aimed to analyze the effect of energy storage by adding phase change material (PCM) on the bottom of a solar still, via a transient numerical study. A detailed validation was made by comparing the numerical results with experimental and numerical data reported in the literature, obtaining a <1 % relative difference. The simulations were made with the ambient conditions of the two solstices (Jun 21st and Dec 21st) in a city with a desert climate. Four different materials were used to analyze the effect of adding PCM with different phase change temperatures and latent heat. Also, three PCM thicknesses were analyzed for the case with RT70 HC (1, 0.5, and 0.25 cm). A reference case (without PCM) is proposed for the comparison. The hourly and cumulative productivity is presented for each case, and the temperature and water vapor mass fraction contours and velocity vectors for the case with the best performance. Besides, overall efficiency and the Stefan number were calculated as performance indicators. The material RT70 HC is the one with bigger improvement, despite it was not completely melted. Because of this, the mass of PCM was considered a parameter. In the best case, the cumulative productivity increases from 4.53 to 5.42 kg/m2, which increases the overall efficiency from 55.78 to 66.70 %. The RT70 HC could store up to 70.42 units of latent heat per unit of sensible heat.

Evaluation of thermal behavior and life cycle cost analysis of greenhouses with bio-phase change materials in multiple locations

Global warming and energy crisis have forced the communities to pursue sustainable development. Agriculture and food production are one of the fields that needs high amount of energy and produce large amount of emissions each year. In order to create sustainable development in these fields, this paper attempts to add organic fatty acid ester phase change materials to the greenhouses, which are one of the major sources of food production, for the first time. Designbuilder software and Energyplus calculating engine are employed to optimize greenhouses by adding various types of phase change materials to them. As the plan of this research is applicable to any locations, eight different locations which have dry climates are selected for the study. This paper also creates a plan that can be used by developers and researchers to select the appropriate phase change materials for greenhouses according to the climate, location and season. All energy, environmental and economic aspects of the projects are analyzed closely. The results of energy analysis indicated that phase change materials can save up to 14,577 kWh electricity in greenhouses per year. The amount of saved energy is different for each type of phase change materials. Results also showed that bioPCM-Q27 can reduce considerable amount of electricity consumption compared with the other ones. In addition to electricity, adding phase change materials to greenhouses will result a significant drop in their gas consumption during cold seasons. Up to 1348 kWh natural gas energy can be reduced each year by adding phase change materials to the greenhouses. The paper also analyzed the environmental effects of the projects. The largest amount of carbon reduction is equal to 6.2 tons per year and can be even increased to 8.6 tons per year. Financial analysis of the research also made it clear that adding phase change materials to greenhouses can save up 59 % of future costs of the project.

Which one is more effective to add to building envelope: Phase change material, thermal insulation, or their combination to meet zero-carbon-ready buildings?

Renovation of old buildings is a key pillar of decarbonization approved in the Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario. Based on NZE requirements, the share of zero-carbon-ready buildings should reach more than 85%. Adding phase change material (PCM) or thermal insulation is an effective technique to tackle high energy demand in buildings. Relying on CFD-based techniques, PCM phase transition was formulated to compare the thermal behavior of the building including insulation, PCM, or PCM + insulation. Taking into account warm weather along with significant solar radiation intensity, PCM 22 (melting temperature of 20–22 °C), PCM 23 (21–23 °C), and PCM 24 (22–24 °C) were utilized. The results showed that in summer the thermal behavior of the walls containing PCM were better. While in winter, insulation was superior to PCM. Considering the annual energy consumption, it is better to use insulation than PCM. However, it was found that if a combination of PCM plus insulation is used, total energy demand may be lower than in case of single PCM or insulation. For the Middle East region, where electricity consumption is very high in the hot months, using the combination of insulation + PCM 24 has amazing results. The results showed that if PCM 24 + insulation is utilized, the cooling load will be reduced to zero. Focusing on reducing the annual energy consumption, taking advantage of PCM + insulation is beneficial when the share of PCM volume in combination with insulation is less than 44%. Under the best conditions, annual energy demand declined by 12.6% if PCM 22 + insulation is used.

Transient analysis of buildings with Trombe wall in a southern envelope and strengthening efficacy by adding phase change material

In a long-term analysis (1965–2020), primary energy usage (EU) grew by 48.7% and in China by 1226%. In this study, considering the cold climate in the China region, Eu in the residential sector was investigated. The building uses the Trombe wall on the south side to consume less heat energy to regulate the temperature. In the residential building, a schedule was applied to take into account heat gains of occupancy, lighting and equipment, and then the summer and winter temperatures were defined following people's presence. To improve the effectiveness of the Trombe wall, PCM was mounted in it. To study the natural convection, the momentum and energy equations for the indoor space were extended along with the area enclosed in the Trombe wall. The energy equation for all the walls was then discretized using finite difference methods to determine the thermal flux at boundaries. Energy analysis was performed for residential buildings, and the results showed that the Trombe wall had an acceptable performance in reducing EU by 26.5% in winter while increasing EU by 5.5% during the year. With the addition of PCM to the Trombe wall, the EU in all months decreased, and in one year, EU decreased by 18%.

Examining the effects of interior setpoint temperature on phase change materials usefulness through a performing annual analysis in the air handling units: A building energy management study

Places such as Saudi Arabia has a desert climate and therefore in most households, air conditioning is used. This country ranked 4th in the world from the perspective of using air conditioning. In 2018, the total electricity demand in residential buildings was 130 TWh and the share of cooling was 66%. In this study, by adding phase change materials to the wall to reduce the cooling load, electricity demand variations were examined. The results showed that the effects of phase change material on the cooling loads depends on the difference in melting temperature and interior setpoint temperature (Tmelting-Tsetpoint). Therefore, several phase change materials (A27, A28, A29 and A32) were selected with different melting temperatures (27–32 °C). An air handling unit was used to adjust the interior temperature at the setpoint within 21–31 °C. The best performance was corresponded to Tmelting-Tsetpoint = 2 °C. In other words, if the melting temperature of phase change material is higher than the setpoint by 2 °C, the phase change material performance will be maximized. Under this condition, the cooling load experienced the greatest reduction. At Tmelting-Tsetpoint = 2 °C, adding phase change material A27 reduced cooling load by 19,515 kWh. This figure for A28, A29 and A32 was 27,538, 25,034 and 33,905 kWh, respectively.

Usefulness of PCM in building applications focusing on envelope heat exchange – Energy saving considering two scenarios

In this study, to reduce energy consumption in conventional buildings in Iran, the technique of adding phase change material (PCM) to walls and ceilings was used. Two zones from the hot region and two zones from the cool region were selected. Five PCMs (PCM-20 to PCM-24) were selected so that their melting temperatures ranged from 20 to 24 °C. The results showed that the effect of PCM on heat exchange in winter and summer can be quite the opposite. The appropriate PCM was selected in two scenarios. Due to the concern of high electricity demand in Jun, Jul, Aug, and Sep, in scenario A, the energy consumption reduction in this period was focused. In scenario B, according to the annual analysis, the appropriate PCM was selected. For hot zones, PCM-24 managed to pass the requirements of both scenarios. For the first region, using PCM-24 resulted in energy-saving by 13.5 and 30 kWh.m-2 in scenarios A and B, respectively. For the second region, these figures were 9.8 and 19.8 kWh.m-2 . For cool regions, PCM-20 and PCM-21 performed well in winter, but neither could meet the requirements of scenarios A and B. For these areas, PCM-23 and PCM-24 performed well in both scenarios (although not well in the winter). In the third and fourth regions (cool climtes), under the best conditions, the addition of PCM resulted in energy-saving by 21 and 21.7 kWh.m-2 , respectively.

Phase change material dependency on solar power plant building through examination of energy-saving

In this study, the effect of phase change material on walls and roof considering solar intensity was discussed. Due to the geographical location of the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the effect of installing phase change material within thicknesses of 1–10 cm in the period from April 1 to September 30 was investigated. Numerical results showed that if phase change material is added to the roof (at 1 cm), the heat transfer not only did not decline but also increased. However, for the walls in the main directions, phase change material (at 1 cm) was useful. Based on the results, the western wall was the most sensitive wall to phase change material presence so that the addition of phase change material at 1–5 cm resulted in energy-saving by 2.4–7.2 kWh/m2. Although phase change material at a thickness of 1 was not useful for the roof, at thicknesses of 2–5 cm, the presence of phase change material reduced the energy exchange by 1.21–33.8 kWh/m2. Finally, it was found the best results are obtained by adding phase change material for the western wall and roof. Examining the energy-saving for building by adding phase change material, it was found that adding phase change material with thickness up to 5 cm is recommended. Further increase in thickness reduces the positive effects of phase change material.

Role of solar radiation on the phase change material usefulness in the building applications

In this study, the thermal behavior of the wall by adding phase change material in the presence of solar radiation was investigated. Phase change material with a melting point of 21–23 °C was added to the wall and then its effect on heat transfer was inspected. By numerically solving the energy equation, the temperature distribution within the wall was obtained and then, using Newton's law of cooling, heat transfer from the inner surface was obtained. The results showed that if a thickness of 1 cm is added to the western, eastern, southern and northern walls, it will affect heat transfer and reduce it by 18.5, 18.1, 17.4 and 17%, respectively. Hence, the effect of Phase change material on heat transfer of the main walls is not much different. Then, the effect of thickness was explored and it was found that for a building that is equipped with at thickness 1 cm, heat transfer reduced by 3.69 kWhm2.July. This figure at 2, 3, 4 and 5 cm was 4.07, 4.39, 4.69 and 4.96kWhm2.July.

Improving latent heat storage capacity of polyethylene glycol/cement composite prepared via solution blending method

Adding phase change materials in building walls or roofs can help control the inner temperature of buildings. A kind of composite phase change material, sulphoaluminate cement-based polyethylene glycol (SPEG), can be prepared by blending polyethylene glycol (PEG)-water solution with sulphoaluminate cement. This study aims at improving the heat storage capacity of SPEG using five water-cement ratios (i.e., 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6). The microstructure, chemical composition, phase change characteristic, thermal and mechanical properties of the SPEGs were investigated, respectively. The results showed that with the increase of water-cement ratio, more hydration products were generated, and the precipitated PEG adhered to the surfaces of the hydration products. Although PEG did not change the hydration product types, it slowed the hydration process. When the water-cement ratio was 0.5, the heat enthalpy of SPEGs could reach up to 40.31 J/g. All the prepared SPEGs could keep their thermal stability under the temperature of 300 °C. After 200 thermal cycles the phase change enthalpy and temperature of SPEGs changed in a very small range. The thermal conductivity, compressive and flexural strength all increased with the increase of water-cement ratio, although the addition of PEG negatively affected the above indicators. The findings in this study are expected to help prepare cement-based phase change materials with high heat storage capacity.

Synthesis of thermally protective PET–PEG multiblock copolymers as food packaging materials

One of the storage conditions affecting quality of food stuffs due to short shelf life is temperature. Thermal insulation can be achieved by adding phase change materials (PCMs) to packaging materials. PCMs store and release latent heat of phase change during melting and crystallization operations, respectively. Thus, they can provide thermal protection for packaged foods. The aim of this study is to prepare new food packaging materials poly (ethylene terephthalate)–poly (ethylene glycol) (PET–PEG) multiblock copolymers as solid–solid phase change materials (SSPCM) as potential food packaging materials with thermal energy storage (TES) property. Polyesterification was carried out with PEG at different average molecular weights (1000, 4000 and 10,000 g/mol), ethylene glycol (EG) and terephthaloyl chloride (TPC). Synthesized PET–PEG multiblock copolymers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The crystal structures of PET–PEG multiblock copolymers were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and their surface properties were determined by performing contact angle tests. TES capacity of the PET–PEG multiblock copolymers was found in range of 26.1–150.5 J/g. Consequently, this study demonstrates the potential of PET–PEG multiblock copolymers suitable for effective thermal preservation in packaging material applications to maintain the quality of packaged food stuffs.

Numerical evaluations on the effects of thermal properties on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of a phase change concrete energy pile

Energy pile is a kind of economic and efficient geothermal utilization technology that the ground heat exchanger (GHE) used in ground source heat pump (GSHP) is embedded into building pile foundation to realize heat exchange with surrounding soil. Adding phase change material (PCM) into the energy pile can not only reduce the temperature variation and thermal deformation range of energy pile, but also improve its energy storage and heat transfer performance. In this work, phase change concrete energy pile (PCCEP) is proposed by using PCM as a part of backfill material of energy pile. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to find the influences of thermal properties of PCCEP on its thermo-mechanical behaviour. According to the model, the influences of thermal conductivity, phase change latent heat (PCLE) and phase change temperature (PCT) on the thermal performance and mechanical characteristics of PCCEP are numerically investigated. It can be seen that for improving heat transfer performance of PCCEP, the thermal conductivity should be increased, but from the perspective of reducing change of pile displacement, axial force and side friction resistance, the thermal conductivity should be reduced. Under heat release mode, lower PCT and larger PCLE contribute to the improvement of thermal performance of PCCEP, and accordingly the rise range of pile temperature, pile displacement change and pile thermal stress can all be reduced. The experimental validation on the model shows that the simulation values of pile wall middle temperature(PWMT) and pile top displacement are agreed well with the corresponding experimental results, the real-time relative error of PWMT and pile top displacement are respectively within 5.1 and 12%.

The potential of vehicle cooling systems

Vehicle engine cooling systems have several functions. Excess heat removal from the engine helps to rapidly cool it, quickly reach operating temperature, maintain a constant engine operating temperature, and provide heat to the vehicle’s passenger compartment. Developments in the automotive industry, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, now also involve the temperature management of battery packs. Currently, the coolant used in cooling systems is water or an equivalent substance. Water as a coolant has low thermal conductivity. Therefore, researchers are trying to use nano-liquid as a coolant in the cooling system. Better results are expected by use of this alternative. Nano-liquids contain metal particles that enhance thermal transfer properties, so current and future cooling systems could operate more efficiently. Adding phase change materials to the cooling and air handling systems will result in better efficiency in future vehicles. In the case of hybrid and electric vehicles, the addition of thermoelectric generators to cooling and exhaust systems increase efficiency. Present developments help increase a vehicles’ usability and the possibility of achieving greater efficiency.