A computational approach thermoelectric power generators to estimate heat flux

Abstract

This paper focuses on establishing the limiting value of input heat flux for thermoelectric generators (TEG) under different environmental and operating conditions. The current study investigates the limiting input heat flux for TEG’s with allowable hot side temperature of 150.A fin block with 8 fin configuration and fin length of 60 mm is chosen as heat sink configuration for TEG. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is developed and analyzed in this work after validation with published experimental results. CFD model consists of 4 TEGs encapsulated within a target block and a finned block, placed within a low speed wind tunnel. Forced laminar air flow in the wind tunnel up to 14 m/s simulates the outdoor wind conditions. Concentrated solar flux is applied to the face of the target block. Effect of ambient air temperature, fin material is studied. Angle of Attack (AOA) and wind direction which arises due to the 2 axis tacking of sun by Fresnel lens concentrator has also been studied and it is observed that maximum heat flux reaches 24,850 W/m2 for the TEG at 14 m/s wind speed, 24,000 W/m2 for 30Angle of Attack (AOA) under 5 m/s wind velocity. It is also observed that maximum heat flux varies by 147.77% with a change in wind velocity from 0 to 5 m/s, while the change is 11.43% when the change from 5 to 14 m/s.