Development Of Portable Mini Thermoelectric Generator For Outdoor Activities And Emergency Situations By Using Easily Available Heating And Cooling Sources

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a device that converts heat into electrical energy through phenomenon known as Seebeck effect. The main component of TEG is thermoelectric module. When the temperature gradient created between the hot and cold sides of the thermoelectric module, electricity is generated. In this study, a prototype of portable mini thermoelectric generator was fabricated by applying this principles. This device is targeted to be used during outdoor activities and emergency situation such as flood and earthquake - the situations in which electrical supply cannot be accessed easily. Two prototypes of TEG were designed by using CATIA software. The TEG basically made of metal body, thermoelectric module, L-bracket (as body stand) and electrical wiring. Various sources of heating and cooling that were applied to the hot and cold side of the thermoelectric module such as candle flame, ice and cold packs. These heating and cooling sources were selected because they are easily available in such emergency situation and also low cost. The effectiveness of the TEG was evaluated through the measurement of charging rate of a power bank. The result shows that the amount of electricity generated was greatly influenced by the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides of the thermoelectric module. The charging rate of the power bank was the highest when candle flame and ice were used as heating and cooling sources, respectively. When candle flame and ice were used, it took about 10 hours to charge the power bank to 84 %. The efficiency of the TEG ranged between 0.9 to 1.9 %. With further improvement, this thermoelectric generator has great potential to become an attractive and practical device that can generate electricity during outdoor activities and emergency situations.