Development of a Standalone, Liquid Fuelled Miniature Power Generation System

2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. K. Aditya Bharadwaz ◽  
Naman Jain ◽  
Vaibhav Kumar Arghode

Abstract This paper aims at developing a novel mesoscale combustion-based thermoelectric power generator as an alternate to the electrochemical batteries. Most of the micro and mesoscale combustors investigated till date are based on external fuel and air supply systems, which may not be beneficial for a practical system. The proposed design is a standalone system which makes use of the heat conducted through the combustor walls, as an energy source to evaporate the liquid fuel stored in a surrounding tank and supply the vaporized fuel to the combustor. The high momentum fuel (vapor) jet is designed to entrain the ambient air in appropriate proportion so as to form a combustible mixture. The fuel/air mixture is fed to a mesoscale combustor and the flame is stabilized by facilitating hot gas recirculation regions. The hot combustion products then flow over a ceramic plate on the other side of which the hot side of a thermoelectric module (TEM) is attached, while ensuring a near uniform temperature, to generate electricity. The cold side of the TEM is maintained at relatively lower temperature and the heat is designed to be rejected using fins to the ambient. The prototype is designed to produce an electrical power output of 12 W with an overall efficiency of about 2.4% (heat load of 500 W) and endurance of 1.5 h in a single fuel refill. The paper presents detailed description of the constituent components and the CFD analysis which evaluates the performance of the system.

Author(s):  
Naman Jain ◽  
Vaibhav Arghode

This paper aims at developing a mesoscale combustion based thermoelectric power generator as an alternate to the electrochemical batteries. Most of the micro and mesoscale combustors investigated till date are based on external fuel and air supply systems, which may not be beneficial for a practical system. The proposed design is a standalone system which makes use of the heat conducted through the combustor walls, as an energy source to evaporate the liquid fuel stored in a surrounding tank and supply the vaporized fuel to the combustor. The high momentum fuel (vapor) jet is designed to entrain the ambient air in appropriate proportion so as to form a combustible mixture. The partially mixed fuel/air mixture is fed to a mesoscale combustor and the flame is stabilized by facilitating hot gas recirculation regions. The heat conduction through the combustor walls is controlled by providing an air gap between two concentric, low thermal conductivity, ceramic tubes so as to transmit desirable amount of heat to the fuel tank. Note that the heat lost from the combustor, is recovered via increased enthalpy of the supplied fuel. The hot products then flow over the hot side of a thermoelectric module to generate electricity. The cold side of the module is maintained at relatively lower temperature and the rejected heat is used to boil the stored water. The prototype is designed to produce an electrical power output of 15 W with an overall efficiency of about 3% and endurance of 1 hour in a single fuel (and cold side water) refill. The paper presents detailed thermo-fluid and heat transfer analysis of the constituent components and evaluates the performance of the system.


2021 ◽  
pp. 12-17
Author(s):  
M. A. Vaganov

It is proposed to use the methods of applied optical spectroscopy to solve the problem of control and diagnostics of gaseous hydrocarbon fuel combustion in this work. The results of an experimental study of spectroscopic informative parameters characterizing the propane combustion process are presented for three modes: combustion of pure propane without air supply, stoichiometric combustion and combustion with a change in the amount of supplied air relative to stoichiometric combustion. As a result of the experiment, it was found that the most intense bands in the emission spectrum of the flame arising from the combustion of propane correspond to the spectral bands of radicals of combustion products: OH, CH, and C2. While the intensities of various systems of bands in the flame spectrum depend significantly on the composition of the combustible mixture.


Author(s):  
Hussein M. Maghrabie ◽  
A. S. A. Mohamed ◽  
M. Salem Ahmed

Abstract Utilizing photovoltaic (PV) panels for generating electrical power is accompanied with a low electrical efficiency that is further reduced as its surface temperature surpasses an acceptable limit. In order to overcome this critical issue, it is necessary to maintain the PV panels relatively at low surface temperatures as possible as using appropriate cooling systems. The current implementation assesses experimentally the performance of a combined PV thermal (PV/T) system using a forced-air cooling system during April, May, June, and July of summer weather of Egypt. The results reveal that the highest values of the solar intensity and the ambient air temperature are obtained in July. Employing the forced-air cooling system reduces the average temperature on the front and back sides of the PV panel during July by 12% and 12.8%, respectively. In addition, the forced-air cooling system enhances noticeably the electrical power output of the PV panel by 3.3%, 4.3%, 4.5%, and 6.1% during April, May, June, and July, respectively. Moreover, the maximum value of the average thermal efficiency achieved during July is 37%; whereas, the corresponding value of the average overall efficiency fulfilled during April is 48.7%.


Author(s):  
Sa'adilah - Rosyadi ◽  
Bayu Rahmat Setiadi ◽  
Joko Slamet Saputro

The prototype of the electric smart stove is an electric stove with briquette fuel from teak leaf waste. The thermoelectric module used is 12 units of a Peltier TEC-12706. Thermoelectric generators take advantage of the Seebeck effect with temperature differences from both sides of the Peltier will produce electrical energy. The developing prototype method of an electric smart stove is carried out in 4 stages. First stage, analyzing geometry requirements and smart stove shape. Second stage is the process making of an electric smart stove. Third stage, installation of a power plant. The fourth stage, measurement of electrical power output. Based on the experiment, it is found that the thermoelectric generator produces 1.31 volts of electrical energy with a delta T of 40 degrees Celsius. As the result, an electric smart stove has not been able to charge the battery because the electric energy produced tends to be small.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-183
Author(s):  
Alisha Eversole ◽  
Melanie Crabtree ◽  
Tory R. Spindle ◽  
Mohamad Baassiri ◽  
Thomas Eissenberg ◽  
...  

Objectives: Electronic cigarette (ECIG)-generated aerosol contains particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). Particles of this size may be injurious to the health of those who inhale them. Few studies have assessed the relationship between ECIG aerosol PM2.5 and ECIG liquid ingredients or ECIG device power. Methods: Two studies were conducted in which participants generated aerosols with ECIGs. In one, ECIG liquids contained various vegetable glycerin/propylene glycol ratios; in the other, ECIG devices varied by electrical power output. Results: Results indicate that, in general, PM2.5 increases as the ratio of vegetable glycerin to propylene glycol increases, or as device power increases. Conclusions: Regulating ECIG PM2.5 emissions to protect non-users requires an understanding of all the factors that influence these emissions.


Author(s):  
Robert J. Boyle ◽  
Louis M. Russell

Local Stanton numbers were experimentally determined for the endwall surface of a turbine vane passage. A six vane linear cascade having vanes with an axial chord of 13.81 cm was used. Results were obtained for Reynolds numbers based on inlet velocity and axial chord between 73,000 and 495,000. The test section was connected to a low pressure exhaust system. Ambient air was drawn into the test section, inlet velocity was controlled up to a maximum of 59.4 m/sec. The effect of the inlet boundary layer thickness on the endwall heat transfer was determined for a range of test section flow rates. The liquid crystal measurement technique was used to measure heat transfer. Endwall heat transfer was determined by applying electrical power to a foil heater attached to the cascade endwall. The temperature at which the liquid crystal exhibited a specific color was known from a calibration test. Lines showing this specific color were isotherms, and because of uniform heat generation they were also lines of nearly constant heat transfer. Endwall static pressures were measured, along with surveys of total pressure and flow angles at the inlet and exit of the cascade.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohith Mittapally ◽  
Byungjun Lee ◽  
Linxiao Zhu ◽  
Amin Reihani ◽  
Ju Won Lim ◽  
...  

AbstractThermophotovoltaic approaches that take advantage of near-field evanescent modes are being actively explored due to their potential for high-power density and high-efficiency energy conversion. However, progress towards functional near-field thermophotovoltaic devices has been limited by challenges in creating thermally robust planar emitters and photovoltaic cells designed for near-field thermal radiation. Here, we demonstrate record power densities of ~5 kW/m2 at an efficiency of 6.8%, where the efficiency of the system is defined as the ratio of the electrical power output of the PV cell to the radiative heat transfer from the emitter to the PV cell. This was accomplished by developing novel emitter devices that can sustain temperatures as high as 1270 K and positioning them into the near-field (<100 nm) of custom-fabricated InGaAs-based thin film photovoltaic cells. In addition to demonstrating efficient heat-to-electricity conversion at high power density, we report the performance of thermophotovoltaic devices across a range of emitter temperatures (~800 K–1270 K) and gap sizes (70 nm–7 µm). The methods and insights achieved in this work represent a critical step towards understanding the fundamental principles of harvesting thermal energy in the near-field.


Author(s):  
Y. Yang ◽  
J. Y. Chang ◽  
L. P. Wang

The photon transport and energy conversion of a near-field thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system with a selective emitter composed of alternate tungsten and alumina layers and a photovoltaic cell sandwiched by electrical contacts are theoretically investigated in this paper. Fluctuational electrodynamics along with the dyadic Green’s function for a multilayered structure is applied to calculate the spectral heat flux, and photocurrent generation and electrical power output are solved from the photon-coupled charge transport equations. The tungsten and alumina layer thicknesses are optimized to match the spectral heat flux with the bandgap of TPV cell. The spectral heat flux is much enhanced when plain tungsten emitter is replaced with the multilayer emitter due to the mechanism of surface plasmon polariton coupling in the tungsten thin film. In addition, the invalidity of effective medium theory to predict photon transport in the near field with multilayer emitters is discussed. Effects of a gold back reflector and indium tin oxide front coating with nanometer thickness, which could practically act as the electrodes to collect the photon-generated charges on the TPV cell, are explored. Conversion efficiency of 23.7% and electrical power output of 0.31 MW/m2 are achieved at 100 nm vacuum gap when the emitter and receiver are respectively at temperatures of 2000 K and 300 K.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1895
Author(s):  
Mohammad Uddin ◽  
Shane Alford ◽  
Syed Mahfuzul Aziz

This paper focuses on the energy generating capacity of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric material through a number of prototype sensors with different geometric and loading characteristics. The effect of sensor configuration, surface area, dielectric thickness, aspect ratio, loading frequency and strain on electrical power output was investigated systematically. Results showed that parallel bimorph sensor was found to be the best energy harvester, with measured capacitance being reasonably acceptable. Power output increased with the increase of sensor’s surface area, loading frequency, and mechanical strain, but decreased with the increase of the sensor thickness. For all scenarios, sensors under flicking loading exhibited higher power output than that under bending. A widely used energy harvesting circuit had been utilized successfully to convert the AC signal to DC, but at the sacrifice of some losses in power output. This study provided a useful insight and experimental validation into the optimization process for an energy harvester based on human movement for future development.


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