High Temperature Thermoelectric Auxiliary Power Unit for Automotive Applications

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon M. Headings ◽  
Shawn Midlam-Mohler ◽  
Gregory N. Washington ◽  
Joseph P. Heremans
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Thermoelectric Power ◽  
Power Unit ◽  
Diesel Fuel ◽  
Thermoelectric Materials ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Thermoelectric Device ◽  
Thermoelectric Generators ◽  
Automotive Applications ◽  
Auxiliary Power

While the thermoelectric effects have been known for over 100 years, their traditionally low conversion efficiency for power generation has limited their use to highly specialized applications. With the rapid advancement of thermoelectric materials in recent years, their inherent reliability and power density is being augmented by improvements in efficiency. Recent increases in the figure of merit of materials suitable for operation around 500 °C make them candidates for waste heat recovery, as well as primary power using combustion heaters. The characteristic scalability of thermoelectric generators makes them best suited for low power applications where alternative generators become impractical. However, with the development of thermoelectric device technology in parallel with materials advancements, it may become viable to design thermoelectric generators for auxiliary power in automotive applications. The research presented here represents the initial stages of the development of a thermoelectric power unit (TEPU). While thermoelectric generator technology can be applied to any fuel, this research targets the use of diesel fuel which is readily available for both military and consumer applications and is more easily and safely transported than many alternatives. The use of diesel fuel for a TEPU is enabled by the use of an atomizer technology developed at The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research. A baseline prototype incorporating this novel diesel fuel atomizer/combustor with conventional thermoelectric materials and heat exchange designs has been constructed and tested. Preliminary data highlights the viability of diesel fuel for thermoelectric power generation as well as the areas which demand further development. This prototype will serve as the baseline for evaluating future designs incorporating advanced materials and novel system designs.

High efficiency GeTe-based materials and modules for thermoelectric power generation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Xing ◽  
Qingfeng Song ◽  
Pengfei Qiu ◽  
Qihao Zhang ◽  
Ming Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Thermoelectric Power ◽  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat Recovery ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Thermoelectric Performance ◽  
Thermoelectric Generators ◽  
Thermoelectric Power Generation

GeTe-based materials have a great potential to be used in thermoelectric generators for waste heat recovery due to their excellent thermoelectric performance, but their module research is greatly lagging behind...

Power generation performance of π-structure thermoelectric device using NaCo2O4 and Mg2Si elements

2013 ◽  
Vol 1490 ◽  
pp. 185-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoyuki Nakamura ◽  
Kazuya Hatakeyama ◽  
Masahiro Minowa ◽  
Youhiko Mito ◽  
Koya Arai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Thermoelectric Power ◽  
Thermoelectric Properties ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Maximum Output Power ◽  
Magnesium Silicide ◽  
Thermoelectric Device ◽  
Maximum Output ◽  
Thermoelectric Power Generation ◽  
P Type

ABSTRACTThermoelectric power generation has been attracting attention as a technology for waste heat utilization in which thermal energy is directly converted into electric energy. It is well known that layered cobalt oxide compounds such as NaCo2O4 and Ca3Co4O9 have high thermoelectric properties in p-type oxide semiconductors. However, in most cases, the thermoelectric properties in n-type oxide materials are not as high. Therefore, n-type magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) has been studied as an alternative due to its non-toxicity, environmental friendliness, lightweight property, and comparative abundance compared with other TE systems. In this study, we fabricated π-structure thermoelectric power generation devices using p-type NaCo2O4 elements and n-type Mg2Si elements. The p- and n-type sintering bodies were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). To reduce the resistance at the interface between elements and electrodes, we processed the surface of the elements before fabricating the devices. The end face of a Mg2Si element was covered with Ni by SPS and that of a NaCo2O4 element was coated with Ag by silver paste and soldering.The thermoelectric device consisted of 18 pairs of p-type and n-type legs connected with Ag electrodes. The cross-sectional and thickness dimensions of the p-type elements were 3.0 mm × 5.0 mm × 7.6 mm (t) and those of the n-type elements were 3.0 mm × 3.0 mm × 7.6 mm (t). The open circuit voltage was 1.9 V and the maximum output power was 1.4 W at a heat source temperature of 873 K and a cooling water temperature of 283 K in air.

Optimization of a Sintering Waste Heat Power Unit

2014 ◽  
Vol 1008-1009 ◽  
pp. 897-900
Author(s):  
Xue Min Gong ◽  
Jiu Lin Yang ◽  
Chen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Power Unit ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Steam Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Parameters Optimization ◽  
Heat Power ◽  
Optimal Value ◽  
Generation Capacity ◽  
Main Steam

An optimization was performed for a sintering waste heat power unit with all data obtained in the site and under the unit normal operating conditions. The physical and mathematical model for the process of cooling and generation is established, which makes the net power generation as an objective function of the cooling machine imported ventilation, the thickness of sinter and the main steam pressure. Optimizing for single parameter, we found that each parameter had an optimal value for the system. In order to further optimize the system's operating parameters, genetic algorithm was used to make the combinatorial optimization of the three parameters. Optimization results show that power generation capacity per ton is increased by13.10%, and net power generation is increased by 16.17%. The optimization is instructive to the operation of sintering waste heat power unit.

Thermoelectric Application for Power Generation in Japan

2010 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takenobu Kajikawa
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Thermoelectric Power ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Thermoelectric Power Generation ◽  
The Future ◽  
Power Generation Technology ◽  
Waste Incinerators ◽  
Generation Technology

Thermoelectric power generation technology has been recognized to contribute to the realization of environment-friendly society all over the world in the future. Present status and future prospects on the thermoelectric power generation technology in Japan are overviewed. The thermoelectric applications for power generation have been mainly considered to be one of the waste heat recovery systems from industrial, private, and transportation sectors in the Japanese energy system. Such activities have been in progress in Japan. Then, several demonstration system tests and feasibility study have been achieved using practical heat sources such as industrial furnaces, motorcycles, solid waste incinerators, and solar thermal systems have been achieved mainly by private companies. Several topics of experimental results on advanced modules based on layered oxides, Heusler alloys, filled Skutterudites for power generation from the view points from environment-friendly and nanostrucuture approach are included. In the future prospects the recent R&D projects of advanced materials for thermoelectric power generation technology and the commercialization of thermoelectric power generation applications are discussed.

Thermoelectric Generators Embedded in Microelectronic Chip

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Sullivan ◽  
Saibal Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Satish Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Power Consumption ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Average Power ◽  
Total Power ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Thermoelectric Generators ◽  
Useful Power

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can significantly improve the net power consumption and battery life of the mobile devices or high performance devices by generating power from the waste heat of these devices. Recent advancements show that the ultrathin thermoelectric devices can be fabricated and integrated within a microelectronic package. This paper first investigates the power generation by a single ultrathin TEG embedded within a micro-electronic package considering several key factors such as load resistance, chip heat flux, and proximity of the TEG to chip. We observe that the power generation from TEGs increases with increasing background heat flux on chip or when TEGs are moved closer to the chip. After the investigation of a single TEG, an array of embedded TEGs is considered in order to analyze the influence of multiple TEGs on total power generation and conversion efficiency. Increasing the number of TEGs from one to nine increase the useful power generation from 72.9 mW to 378.4 mW but decreases the average conversion efficiency from 0.47% to 0.32%. This suggests that average power generated per TEG gradually decrease from 72.9 mW to 42.0 mW when number of TEGs is increased from one to nine. However, the total useful power generated using nine TEGs is significant and emphasize the benefits of using embedded TEGs to reduce net power consumption in electronics packages.

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