Net thermoelectric generator power output using inner channel geometries with alternating flow impeding panels

Abstract Due to an abundance of low cost waste-heat in the industrial and residential sector, many studies in recent years have focused on applications of low grade heat for local energy needs. These include heat reutilization, thermal conversion to mechanical energy and thermal conversion to electricity. The thermoelectric effect presents a promising potential for effective conversion of low grade waste-heat yet is currently limited in application due to a conversion efficiency that is not cost effective. The present work focuses on mechanical methods to improve the thermal tension driving the electromotive force responsible for thermoelectric power production. More specifically, flow impeding geometries are inserted into the flow channels of a liquid-to-liquid thermoelectric generator thereby enhancing the heat transfer near its embedded thermoelectric modules. Consequentially, the thermal dipole across the modules is increased improving the overall power output. Care is taken to measure the adverse pressure drop caused by the use of the flow impeding geometries in order to evaluate the net power output. This net thermoelectric power output is measured, reported and discussed for a fixed inlet temperature difference, a fixed electrical load, varying flow rates and varying insert geometries.

[1]  H. Low,et al.  Numerical simulation of conjugate heat transfer in electronic cooling and analysis based on field synergy principle , 2008 .

[2]  Hao Peng,et al.  Numerical study and experimental verification of transverse direction type serrated fins and field synergy principle analysis , 2013 .

[3]  F. L. Pagola,et al.  Analytical procedure to obtain internal parameters from performance curves of commercial thermoelectric modules , 2009 .

[4]  K. Bartholomé,et al.  Module Geometry and Contact Resistance of Thermoelectric Generators Analyzed by Multiphysics Simulation , 2010 .

[5]  D. Rowe.  Thermoelectrics Handbook , 2005 .

[6]  Pierre F. P. Poudeu,et al.  High figure of merit in nanostructured n-type KPbmSbTe m+2 thermoelectric materials , 2010 .

[7]  Xiaolong Gou,et al.  Modeling, experimental study and optimization on low-temperature waste heat thermoelectric generator system , 2010 .

[8]  Chih Wu.  Analysis of waste-heat thermoelectric power generators , 1996 .

[9]  Terry J. Hendricks,et al.  Modeling Energy Recovery Using Thermoelectric Conversion Integrated with an Organic Rankine Bottoming Cycle , 2009 .

[10]  James W. Stevens,et al.  Optimal design of small ΔT thermoelectric generation systems , 2001 .

[11]  Scott Whalen,et al.  Thermoelectric energy harvesting from diurnal heat flow in the upper soil layer , 2012 .

[12]  Frédéric Lesage,et al.  A study on heat transfer enhancement using flow channel inserts for thermoelectric power generation , 2013 .

[13]  Frédéric Lesage,et al.  Optimal electrical load for peak power of a thermoelectric module with a solar electric application , 2013 .

[14]  Altug Sisman,et al.  Characterization of a thermoelectric generator at low temperatures , 2012 .

[15]  C. E. Kinsella,et al.  Small scale electricity generation from a portable biomass cookstove: Prototype design and preliminary results , 2013 .

[16]  Jiangbo Wu,et al.  Investigation on laminar convection heat transfer in fin-and-tube heat exchanger in aligned arrangement with longitudinal vortex generator from the viewpoint of field synergy principle , 2007 .

[17]  Li Zhang,et al.  Comparison of fluid flow and heat transfer behavior in outer and inner half coil jackets and field synergy analysis , 2011 .

[18]  Jing Liu,et al.  Liquid metal based thermoelectric generation system for waste heat recovery , 2011 .

[19]  K. T. Chau,et al.  Thermoelectric automotive waste heat energy recovery using maximum power point tracking , 2009 .

[20]  Elias Kyriakides,et al.  Designing high efficiency segmented thermoelectric generators , 2013 .

[21]  Terry J. Hendricks,et al.  New Perspectives in Thermoelectric Energy Recovery System Design Optimization , 2013, Journal of Electronic Materials.

[22]  Lasse Rosendahl,et al.  Waste Heat Recovery from a Marine Waste Incinerator Using a Thermoelectric Generator , 2012, Journal of Electronic Materials.

[23]  G. Jackson,et al.  Optimization of cross flow heat exchangers for thermoelectric waste heat recovery , 2004 .

[24]  Simon Bélanger,et al.  Thermoelectric generator sandwiched in a crossflow heat exchanger with optimal connectivity between modules , 2011 .

[25]  D. Astrain,et al.  Study of thermoelectric systems applied to electric power generation , 2009 .

[26]  Jiin-Yuh Jang,et al.  Optimization of thermoelectric generator module spacing and spreader thickness used in a waste heat recovery system , 2013 .

[27]  A. Montecucco,et al.  Solution to the 1-D unsteady heat conduction equation with internal Joule heat generation for thermoelectric devices , 2012 .

[28]  C. André,et al.  Extruded Bismuth-Telluride-Based n-Type Alloys for Waste Heat Thermoelectric Recovery Applications , 2009 .

[29]  Jianlin Yu,et al.  Experimental study on low-temperature waste heat thermoelectric generator , 2009 .

[30]  Frédéric Lesage,et al.  Experimental analysis of peak power output of a thermoelectric liquid-to-liquid generator under an increasing electrical load resistance , 2013 .