New opportunities for electricity generation in shallow hot dry rock fields: A study of thermoelectric generators with different heat exchangers

Aranguren, Patricia; Araiz, Miguel; Pérez, Gúmer; Catalán, Leyre

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2019.112061

Cited by 51 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A reduction of 10% in the thermal resistance of the heat exchangers leads to an 8% higher generation [46]. In accordance with Catalan et al [30], who demonstrated that heat exchangers based on phase change are the most recommended ones for geothermal thermoelectric generators, the present paper includes heat pipes at both sides of the thermoelectric modules. Figure 1 depicts an exploded view of the geothermal thermoelectric generator (GTEG) installed at Teide's fumaroles, whose mode of operation is patented under number WO 2019/202180 A1 [47].…”

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanosupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanosupporting

confidence: 66%

“…In the experiments, it has been studied the influence of different heat fluxes (75, 100 and 125 W per block) and environmental conditions (pure natural convection as well as 1.6 and 2.9 m/s wind velocities reproduced with a fan). In each case, the thermal resistance per thermoelectric module has been calculated with Equation ( 1 ), in which

is the temperature measured at the base of the evaporator,

is the ambient temperature and

is the useful heat flux per block provided by the power supply, which is in turn calculated as the subtraction of the power (

) minus the estimated thermal losses

, for which the estimation of the convective heat transfer coefficient is necessary similarly to [ 30 ]. Each experiment has been repeated three times and the uncertainties have been calculated according to [ 50 ], leading to an average uncertainty of 4.3%.…”

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they present an extra electrical consumption because of the pump, which reduces net generation. Catalan et al experimentally demonstrated that passive heat exchangers based on phase change are more adequate for geothermal thermoelectric generators [30]. These heat exchangers also present low values of thermal resistance, but they do not include mobile parts nor auxiliary consumption, thus maximizing power generation and reducing maintenance requirements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Prospects of Autonomous Volcanic Monitoring Stations: Experimental Investigation on Thermoelectric Generation from Fumaroles

Catalán

Araiz

Aranguren

et al. 2020

Sensors

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fumaroles represent evidence of volcanic activity, emitting steam and volcanic gases at temperatures between 70 and 100 ∘ C . Due to the well-known advantages of thermoelectricity, such as reliability, reduced maintenance and scalability, the present paper studies the possibilities of thermoelectric generators, devices based on solid-state physics, to directly convert fumaroles heat into electricity due to the Seebeck effect. For this purpose, a thermoelectric generator composed of two bismuth-telluride thermoelectric modules and heat pipes as heat exchangers was installed, for the first time, at Teide volcano (Canary Islands, Spain), where fumaroles arise in the surface at 82 ∘ C . The installed thermoelectric generator has demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed solution, leading to a compact generator with no moving parts that produces a net generation between 0.32 and 0.33 W per module given a temperature difference between the heat reservoirs encompassed in the 69–86 ∘ C range. These results become interesting due to the possibilities of supplying power to the volcanic monitoring stations that measure the precursors of volcanic eruptions, making them completely autonomous. Nonetheless, in order to achieve this objective, corrosion prevention measures must be taken because the hydrogen sulfide contained in the fumaroles reacts with steam, forming sulfuric acid.

show abstract

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanosupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanosupporting

confidence: 66%

is the temperature measured at the base of the evaporator,

is the ambient temperature and

is the useful heat flux per block provided by the power supply, which is in turn calculated as the subtraction of the power (

) minus the estimated thermal losses

Section: Thermoelectric Generator For Teide Volcanomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prospects of Autonomous Volcanic Monitoring Stations: Experimental Investigation on Thermoelectric Generation from Fumaroles

Catalán

Araiz

Aranguren

et al. 2020

Sensors

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Heat source for thermoelectric generator can be taken from various sources such as automobile exhaust [5], stove [6] and rocks [7]. However, the combination of heat source and cooling system need to be given an attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoelectric Generator using Ice-Water Mixture as Heat Sink and Ambient Air as Heat Source

Ahamat*,

Abidin,

Roslin

et al. 2019

IJRTE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Thermoelectric generator can utilize various combinations of heat sink and heat source. In this paper, the performance of thermoelectric generator that uses surrounding air as heat source and coldness from ice-water mixture is presented. The objective was to evaluate the open circuit voltage produced by thermoelectric generator, at a range of differences in temperature between the cold and hot surfaces of module. In this work, the thermoelectric module was placed between aluminum heat sink and cold beverage container that contained ice-water mixture. The heat sink operates using the difference in buoyancy of surrounding air (i.e. natural convection). The hot and cold surfaces temperature of thermoelectric modules was measured using Type-K thermocouples. A digital multimeter was connected to the thermoelectric module for measurement of open circuit voltage. The open circuit voltage produced by the thermoelectric generator was linearly proportional to the magnitude of difference in temperature of two surfaces of a thermoelectric module. The electrical power produced by the generator was up to 14 miliWatt. A simple test showed that with a suitable voltage amplification device, this thermoelectric generator can supply enough power for LED bulbs. The finding presented is suitable for the development of energy scavenging devices, which is relevant to stand-alone power generation system.

show abstract

Energy analysis of a geothermal power plant with thermoelectric energy harvester using waste heat

Hekim

Cetin

2021

Intl J of Energy Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary This study investigates the integration of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) into geothermal power plants to harvest energy from the waste heat and possibly, as a result, to increase the electrical energy generation of geothermal power plants. For this purpose, a model of a geothermal power plant‐TEG hybrid system has been designed and implemented as an experimental setup. In addition, the optimized layout configuration of TEGs is obtained by using Matlab & Simulink for 48 pieces of the TEGs. A parametric energy analysis is conducted by varying the temperature of the reinjected geothermal brine and the inlet temperature of the cooling water, since TEGs are planned, so they can be employed between the pipelines of the cooling water and the reinjected geothermal brine. The effects that this has on the performance of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and the TEGs are then determined. It was found that the power output of the TEGs increases with the rise in temperature of the reinjected geothermal brine, but the net power of the ORC decreases. For the maximum net power output of the ORC, which is 217.6 kW, TEGs are able to produce 43.42 W for the temperature difference of 41.98°C that corresponds to this status. Therefore, TEGs must be used with lower power outputs to achieve more energy production from this hybrid energy system. For the high inlet temperature values of cooling water, the net power of the ORC decreases, and the power output of the TEGs also goes down. TEGs are able to produce 84.29 W for the temperature difference of 60.6°C for the ORC's maximum net power output of 260 kW. Therefore, it is clear that using TEGs in the power plant for low inlet temperature values of cooling water can be considered. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that waste thermal energy in reinjected geothermal brine can be harvested through TEGs, and this energy could be used to feed the electrical equipment of the power plant with low energy consumptions such as lighting, sensors, instrumentation, and control systems. However, TEGs should be used carefully, since they may affect the overall performance of the geothermal power plant.

show abstract

New opportunities for electricity generation in shallow hot dry rock fields: A study of thermoelectric generators with different heat exchangers

Cited by 51 publications

References 20 publications

Prospects of Autonomous Volcanic Monitoring Stations: Experimental Investigation on Thermoelectric Generation from Fumaroles

Prospects of Autonomous Volcanic Monitoring Stations: Experimental Investigation on Thermoelectric Generation from Fumaroles

Thermoelectric Generator using Ice-Water Mixture as Heat Sink and Ambient Air as Heat Source

Energy analysis of a geothermal power plant with thermoelectric energy harvester using waste heat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About