Research on the performance of thermoelectric generation system for self-powered devices in smart heating system

Bing Wang, Yuncheng Lan, Junhui Lu and Suilin Wang

Energy, 2025, vol. 330, issue C

Abstract: Smart heating is important to build a resilient smart city. Power supply in the smart heating system is the key to guarantee operating safety. The lithium battery is a convenient way to power devices in the smart heating system, but it needs to be replaced periodically and cannot continuously supply power. In this paper, the thermoelectric generation (TEG) system is applied to smart heating system by using the temperature difference between the supply and return water of the heating network, which can achieve self-powered. This paper establishes a mathematical model of TEG system for self-powered devices and builds an experimental rig to verify the accuracy of the numerical model. The effects of load resistance/internal resistance, heat exchanger surface area/module area, and geometry of thermoelectric leg on the power generation performance of TEG system are investigated. The results show that when the load resistance/internal resistance (RL/Rin) exceeds 1, the output performance of TEG system is optimal. Meanwhile, optimal RL/Rin at maximum output power increases as the contact thermal resistance rises. Increasing the heat exchanger surface area/module area (Ahx/Amo) has no impact on improving the output power of TEG system. As the height of thermoelectric leg increases, there exists an optimal height to maximize the output power and output efficiency.

Keywords: Self-powered devices; Smart heating system; Thermoelectric generation system; Output performance; Simulation; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:330:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225024818

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136839

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