Performance Assessment of Closed-Brayton-Cycle and Thermoelectric Generator Combined Power Generation System Coupled with Hydrocarbon-Fueled Scramjet

Abstract

Closed-Brayton-cycle (CBC) is a potential scheme to provide high-power electricity for hypersonic vehicles, but finite cold source onboard limits its power level. A thermoelectric generator (TEG) combined with CBC is a feasible power enhancement approach by extending the available temperature range of cold source. In this study, a performance assessment of the CBC-TEG combined power generation system coupled with hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet is performed to exhibit its possible operation characteristics and performance limitations on hypersonic vehicles. Results indicate that, at a fixed flight Mach number, a larger fuel equivalence ratio (φ) leads to a higher total electric power and CBC power but a lower TEG power. There are three limitations on the fuel equivalence ratio, TEG temperature difference, and combustion heat dissipation adjustment for the operation of CBC-TEG. The total power of CBC-TEG can be adjusted by φ, but the adjustable range becomes smaller at higher Ma. The electric quantity at unit fuel mass increases with φ, mainly due to the higher thermoelectric conversion efficiency. Moreover, the maximum value of the electric quantity at unit fuel mass for CBC-TEG reaches 277.0 kJ/kg, which is about 33.4% higher than that of standalone CBC.