Experimental validation and numerical assessment of a temperature-controlled thermoelectric generator concept aimed at maximizing performance under highly variable thermal load driving cycles

Rui Carvalho, Jorge Martins, Nuno Pacheco, Hélder Puga, Joaquim Costa, Rui Vieira, L.M. Goncalves and Francisco P. Brito

Energy, 2023, vol. 280, issue C

Abstract: Although the internal combustion engine (ICE) dominance in mobility is being challenged, ICE R&D enables a non-disruptive transition towards sustainable transportation through hybridization and carbon neutral fuels. The efficiency improvement of ICE-based mobility through Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) is thus a priority, especially in the area of hybrid, plugin hybrid and long-haul transportation, where the recovery potential is high, and ICEs will still be used for a long time. Thermoelectric (TE) Generators (TEGs) have been assessed as a possible low maintenance WHR solution for long. However, viable market solutions are still not a reality. While material costs are steadily being overcome with novel affordable TE materials, there is still the issue of low average conversion efficiency under realistic driving conditions. This is caused by the fact that the efficiency of TEGs is further deprecated by the big challenge of thermally optimizing the TEGs under highly variable conditions of exhaust flow rate and exhaust temperature during real-world driving. This thermal optimization mainly means that the hot side temperature should be as close as possible to the maximum allowable temperature of the modules, but not higher.

Keywords: Thermoelectric generator; Thermal management; Variable thermal load; Waste heat recovery; Thermal control; Variable conductance heat pipes; Exhaust heat exchanger; Vehicle efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:280:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223013737

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127979

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