Integration Of Thermoelectric Generators Research Articles

Cooling the future: Peltier thermoelectric solutions for photovoltaic panels

The integration of thermoelectric-generator (TEG) systems into photovoltaic (PV) generators is examined in this paper. Temperature increases have a detrimental effect on PV panel efficiency, which reduces power output. When testing solar modules at a temperature of 25°C (STC), heat can reduce output efficiency by 10–25%. In order to solve this problem, Peltier modules are used to reduce PV-cell temperature. This improves the longevity, power capacity, and efficiency of the system. An IoT platform transmits the gathered data to deliver real-time feedback. According to the investigation, installing a reliable cooling system dramatically lowers the temperature of the PV panels, with noticeable temperature declines seen in situations with cooling systems as opposed to those without. Conditions with cooling systems, such as B2, B3, and B4, showed substantial percentage temperature decreases, ranging from roughly 38.3% to 39.2%, 20.8% to 24.6%, and 36.4% to 36.8%, respectively. These results underline how crucial it is to establish effective cooling systems for the best PV panel performance. B2 also has the best cooling performance, with the resulting 4.5% power savings. Superior cooling effectiveness, increased thermal management, are all demonstrated by the configuration of connecting 4-TEG Peltier modules in a 2 × 2 series-parallel-configuration with a heat-sink.

Simulation of the integration of PVT and TEG with a cooling duct filled with nanofluid

Recognizing the pivotal role of the cooling method in enhancing Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) efficiency, this study delves into the combined application of two innovative techniques: a finned tube and a confined jet. Additionally, the integration of a TEG (Thermoelectric Generator) is introduced to amplify output power. The improvement in cooling efficiency is achieved through infusing a composite of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) and Fe3O4 into the coolant. The investigation encompasses three distinct cooling system configurations: 1) the base case employing a conventional pipe, 2) a system with a finned-tube cooling unit, and 3) a setup combining a confined jet with a finned tube. The introduction of hybrid nanoparticles results in an overall performance boost of around 2.64 % compared to the base case. Furthermore, the efficacy of the nanofluid concentration (φ) in the base case surpasses that of the Finned Jet case by a factor of 3.86. Notably, an increase in irradiance magnitude and jet inlet velocity contributes to a commendable enhancement in thermal performance, registering approximately 8.66 % and 3.48 %, respectively. The incorporation of fins and confined jets yields substantial improvements, resulting in an 86.13 % enhancement in TEG performance and a commendable 26.42 % rise in thermal performance.

A thermodynamic approach to analyze energy, exergy, emission, and sustainability (3E-S) performance by utilizing low temperature waste heat in SOFC–CHP-TEG system

Waste heat is one of the major problems associated with the energy system. This paper discusses an energy, exergy, and emissions approach for the hybrid system by utilizing waste heat to the maximum extent. A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is incorporated to utilize the low-temperature waste heat from a hybrid model of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a combined heat and power (CHP) system. SOFC is an electrochemical cell that generates power at high temperatures through an electrochemical reaction. The high-temperature, unutilized fuel leaves the SOFC, which is burned in the afterburner. The afterburner temperature controls the operating temperature of SOFC. Here, three recuperators are used to utilize this high-temperature waste heat to improve the performance of SOFC and simultaneously generate heat power from the water or gas recuperator. TEG is an auxiliary power production technology that converts waste heat into energy. A novel integration of TEG with SOFC–CHP hybrid system to utilize the low temperature waste heat, is employed. The main goal of this study is to analyze a novel SOFC–CHP-TEG hybrid system in terms of its thermodynamics and emissions. A Two stage TEG is integrated with the SOFC–CHP hybrid system. The simulation model of high temperature fuel cell (SOFC) is developed on MATLAB and validated with published results. This study analyses the impact of pressure ratio and afterburner temperature on the performance of SOFC–CHP-TEG. To do this, perform energy and exergy assessments using the principles of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. A novel exergy-based sustainability index with emissions analysis for the proposed SOFC–CHP is presented. The achieved overall energy efficiency is 62.54% at a pressure ratio of 12 and an afterburner temperature of 1000 K. With an increase in pressure ratio and temperature, the level of CO emissions reduces significantly.

Integration of thermoelectric generators in a biomass boiler: Experimental tests and study of ash deposition effect

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are based on Seebeck effect and produce electricity from a heat flow. They require low maintenance and provide quiet operation. However, they have low efficiency and need suitable temperature values. Accordingly, the integration of TEGs in boilers is a promising approach, since these equipment present high temperature differences between hot gases and water and allows the use of waste heat for water heating. There are experiences of the integration of TEGs in biomass boilers, but almost none with unconventional biomass with a high tendency to ash deposition. The integration of TEG modules in a commercial pellet-fired 25 kWth boiler is described and experimental results, working with pine pellets and with an agropellet (70% of vineyard pruning and 30% of barley straw), are presented. Power produced with only 6 modules can reach 60 W. After quantifying the effect of the temperature on both gas and water sides, the study focuses on analyzing the ash deposition on the exchange surfaces and their effect on TEG modules operation (e.g. power reduction of 0.24 W per hour with pine and 0.78 with agropellet). This effect can be minimized by working with high excess of air or by integrating a cleaning system.

Study on supercritical carbon dioxide recompression Brayton cycle system integrated with thermoelectric generator

Sharing advantages of high compactness, SCO2 Brayton cycle and thermoelectric generator are both considered promising energy conversion solutions and have attracted great attention due to the increasing energy shortage and global climate change. The integration of thermoelectric generators in the SCO2 Brayton cycle will remain the inherent advantages and further optimize the system performance, especially on special occasions with high requirements of compactness such as heat recovery systems in the marine environment. The presented study proposed a novel type of SCO2 recompression Brayton cycle coupled with a thermoelectric recuperator for the marine environment and combined thermoelectric generators inside the SCO2 Brayton cycle. The influence of the thermoelectric recuperator on the performance of the overall system and other components is discussed, and the optimized design parameters of the thermoelectric recuperator are explored. The results show that the thermoelectric recuperator in the SCO2 cycle system improves the cycle efficiency from 32.9 % to 34.7 % and increases the cycle output power from 261 kW to 276 kW. Moreover, the transient response characteristics of the thermoelectric recuperator under disturbing signals and the working performance of the system under variable working conditions are examined, and the economic analysis is developed as well.

Energy harvesting and thermoelectric conversion characteristics based on thermal metamaterials

Considering the limitations of thermoelectric generators, the integration of thermoelectric generator with two-dimensional fan-shaped thermal metamaterial energy harvesting device is proposed to improve the thermal-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of thermoelectric generator (TEG) by regulating the thermal field. Based on the COMSOL Multiphysics software simulation, the influences of different materials on the performances of energy harvesting devices in thermal field regulation are investigated. The performances of the selected materials are simulated , indicating that the energy harvesting device can effectively regulate heat flow, the temperature gradient in the center of it is increased by eight times compared with the natural material under the same simulation conditions. The generated electrical energy of thermoelectric generators of different sizes is studied, then three-dimensional modeling and processing of the energy harvesting device are completed by carefully considering the processing accuracy and testing difficulty. The experimental test system is set up to observe the temperature distribution of the energy harvesting device equipped with an infrared thermal imager, The test results demonstrate that the energy harvesting device can effectively regulate the thermal field. In comparison with the natural material, the working efficiency of the thermoelectric generators can be increased by 3.2 times under the same experimental condition, which has specific practical significance for promoting the rapid development of thermoelectric power generation technology.

Critical parameters in integration of thermoelectric generators and phase change materials by numerical and Taguchi methods

Using phase change materials (PCMs) is an efficient technique to thermal management of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) system. In this paper a TEG, integrated with PCMs, is investigated and optimized to achieve maximum thermal to electrical conversion efficiency by the TEG. Finite element simulation of the system performance is implemented in Multiphysics simulation environment. The electrical output of the system is compared with the results of experimental procedure, while the experimental and numerical results are in a good agreement. For the optimization process, Taguchi method is used to investigate five critical parameters effective on the system performance to achieve the maximum efficiency. The results show, length to height ratio of the thermoelectric legs has the greatest effect, and length to width ratio of the PCM box has the least effect on the conversion efficiency of the system. While 540 kJ thermal energy is applies to the system during 1800 s, an average conversion efficiency of 4.28% is obtained during 6000 s of the heating and cooling stages.

Integration of Thermoelectric Generators and Wood Stove to Produce Heat, Hot Water, and Electrical Power

Traditional fire stoves are characterized by low efficiency. In this experimental study, the combustion chamber of the stove is augmented by two devices. An electric fan can increase the air-to-fuel ratio in order to increase the system’s efficiency and decrease air pollution by providing complete combustion of wood. In addition, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) produce power that can be used to satisfy all basic needs. In this study, a water-based cooling system is designed to increase the efficiency of the TEGs and also produce hot water for residential use. Through a range of tests, an average of 7.9 W was achieved by a commercial TEG with substrate area of 56 mm × 56 mm, which can produce 14.7 W output power at the maximum matched load. The total power generated by the stove is 166 W. Also, in this study a reasonable ratio of fuel to time is described for residential use. The presented prototype is designed to fulfill the basic needs of domestic electricity, hot water, and essential heat for warming the room and cooking.

Integration of thermoelectrics and photovoltaics as auxiliary power sources in mobile computing applications

The inclusion of renewable technologies as auxiliary power sources in mobile computing platforms can lead to improved performance such as the extension of battery life. This paper presents sustainable power management characteristics and performance enhancement opportunities in mobile computing systems resulting from the integration of thermoelectric generators and photovoltaic units. Thermoelectric generators are employed for scavenging waste heat from processors or other significant components in the computer's chipset while the integration of photovoltaic units is demonstrated for generating power from environmental illumination. A scalable and flexible power architecture is also verified to effectively integrate these renewable energy sources. This paper confirms that battery life extension can be achieved through the appropriate integration of renewable sources such as thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices.