Performance analysis and optimum operation of a thermoelectric generator by Taguchi method

The thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a promising device to convert waste heat into electricity. This work numerically simulates the performance of a TEG system in which a TEG module and heat sinks are considered. The heat transfer rate of the heat sinks is approximated by an analytical method. To maximize the efficiency of the system, the Taguchi method is employed. Six factors, including the length and width of heat sink, the height and thickness of fins, hot side temperature, and external load resistance, along with five levels are taken into account. The orthogonal array employed in the Taguchi method is able to significantly reduce the time for seeking the optimum operation. The analysis suggests that the hot side temperature is the most important factor in determining the output power and efficiency of the TEG system, whereas the heat sink width almost plays no role on them. The influences of the four geometric parameters on the heat transfer rate of heat sinks are also evaluated by the Taguchi method. The results indicate that the heat sink length has the largest effect on the heat transfer rate. Two-stage optimization for the performance of the TEG system is developed. The first-stage optimum operation is obtained from the Taguchi approach, and the second-stage optimization is performed from the power-current curve. After undergoing the second-stage optimization, the output power of the system in the first stage can be further improved by around 6%.

[1]  J. Meyer,et al.  Constructal cooling channels for micro-channel heat sinks , 2007 .

[2]  Chien Chang Wang,et al.  Evaluation of power generation from thermoelectric cooler at normal and low-temperature cooling conditions , 2015 .

[3]  Timur Canel,et al.  Parameter optimization of nanosecond laser for microdrilling on PVC by Taguchi method , 2012 .

[4]  Hak-Kim Chan,et al.  Assessing the combinatorial influence of climate, formulation and device on powder aerosolization using the Taguchi experimental design , 2012 .

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

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

[7]  Chang Chung Yang,et al.  Modeling and simulation for the design of thermal-concentrated solar thermoelectric generator , 2014 .

[8]  Gequn Shu,et al.  Start-up modes of thermoelectric generator based on vehicle exhaust waste heat recovery , 2015 .

[9]  Charline Denneval,et al.  Prediction of photophysical properties of pyrimidine chromophores using Taguchi method , 2014 .

[10]  Chin‐Hsiang Cheng,et al.  A three-dimensional numerical modeling of thermoelectric device with consideration of coupling of temperature field and electric potential field , 2012 .

[11]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[12]  Zhipeng Duan,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer in Impingement Air Cooled Plate Fin Heat Sinks , 2005 .

[13]  Wei-Chin Chang,et al.  A mathematic model of thermoelectric module with applications on waste heat recovery from automobile engine , 2010 .

[14]  David Copeland,et al.  Fundamental performance limits of heatsinks , 2003 .

[15]  D. Astrain,et al.  Optimization of the Heat Exchangers of a Thermoelectric Generation System , 2010 .

[16]  R. Venkata Rao,et al.  Multi-objective optimization of two stage thermoelectric cooler using a modified teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm , 2013, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell..

[17]  Rabah Boukhanouf,et al.  Experimental study of a domestic thermoelectric cogeneration system , 2014 .

[18]  Chin-Hsiang Cheng,et al.  Geometry optimization of thermoelectric coolers using simplified conjugate-gradient method , 2013 .

[19]  Enrico Sciubba,et al.  The optimal cooling of a stack of heat generating boards with fixed pressure drop, flowrate or pumping power , 1993 .

[20]  Xiaodong Jia,et al.  Optimal design of a novel thermoelectric generator with linear-shaped structure under different operating temperature conditions , 2015 .

[21]  Wei-Hsin Chen,et al.  Design of heat sink for improving the performance of thermoelectric generator using two-stage optimization , 2012 .

[22]  Gequn Shu,et al.  Investigation and design optimization of exhaust-based thermoelectric generator system for internal combustion engine , 2014 .

[23]  C. Hung,et al.  Optimization of Co-Gasification Process in an Entrained-Flow Gasifier Using the Taguchi Method , 2013 .

[24]  Xiao-dong Wang,et al.  Dynamic response characteristics of thermoelectric generator predicted by a three-dimensional heat-electricity coupled model , 2014 .

[25]  Chen Yeh Liao,et al.  A numerical study on the performance of miniature thermoelectric cooler affected by Thomson effect , 2012 .

[26]  Lingen Chen,et al.  Modeling and performance analysis of a two-stage thermoelectric energy harvesting system from blast furnace slag water waste heat , 2014 .

[27]  D. Copeland.  Optimization of parallel plate heatsinks for forced convection , 2000, Sixteenth Annual IEEE Semiconductor Thermal Measurement and Management Symposium (Cat. No.00CH37068).

[28]  Cheng-Ting Hsu,et al.  Experiments and simulations on low-temperature waste heat harvesting system by thermoelectric power generators , 2011 .

[29]  L. Rosendahl,et al.  A three-dimensional numerical model of thermoelectric generators in fluid power systems , 2011 .

[30]  Robert J. Stevens,et al.  Theoretical limits of thermoelectric power generation from exhaust gases , 2014 .

[31]  Maghsud Solimanpur,et al.  Using the Taguchi method to optimize the differential evolution algorithm parameters for minimizing the workload smoothness index in simple assembly line balancing , 2013, Math. Comput. Model..

[32]  S. Kær,et al.  Numerical model of a thermoelectric generator with compact plate-fin heat exchanger for high temperature PEM fuel cell exhaust heat recovery , 2012 .

[33]  Wei-hsin Chen,et al.  Taguchi approach for co-gasification optimization of torrefied biomass and coal. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[34]  Wei-Hsin Chen,et al.  Experimental study on thermoelectric modules for power generation at various operating conditions , 2012 .

[35]  Tarik Kousksou,et al.  Numerical optimization of the occupancy rate of thermoelectric generators to produce the highest electrical power , 2014 .

[36]  Jeff Sharp,et al.  Overview of Solid-State Thermoelectric Refrigerators and Possible Applications to On-Chip Thermal Management , 2006, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[37]  Marappagounder Ramasamy,et al.  Taguchi's parametric design approach for the selection of optimization variables in a refrigerated gas plant , 2011 .

[38]  Gequn Shu,et al.  Comparison and parameter optimization of a two-stage thermoelectric generator using high temperature exhaust of internal combustion engine , 2014 .

[39]  Xinxin Zhang,et al.  Multi-objective and multi-parameter optimization of a thermoelectric generator module , 2014 .

[40]  Peter P. Silvester,et al.  Finite Elements for Electrical Engineers , 1983 .