Thermal analysis on a segmented thermoelectric generator

Ming, Tingsen; Wu, Yongjia; Peng, Cheng-Chien; Tao, Y.-X.

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.11.080

Cited by 84 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Bélanger and Gosselin [22] presented a model and optimized the internal structure of a thermoelectric generator sandwiched in a cross flow heat exchanger. Ming et al [23] carried out a numerical simulation to verify the validity of the optimum segmented thermoelectric generator (STEG) model in the design boundary condition. The results indicated that unsteady heat flux not only affects the output of the model, but also deteriorates the work environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generator by Optimizing Mechanical and Electrical Structures

Chen

Liu

et al. 2017

Energies

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Much attention has been paid to the application of low temperature thermal resources, especially for power generation in recent years. Most of the current commercialized thermal (including geothermal) power-generation technologies convert thermal energy to electric energy indirectly, that is, making mechanical work before producing electricity. Technology using a thermoelectric generator (TEG), however, can directly transform thermal energy into electricity through the Seebeck effect. TEG technology has many advantages such as compactness, quietness, and reliability because there are no moving parts. One of the biggest disadvantages of TEGs is the low efficiency from thermal to electric energy. For this reason, we redesigned and modified our previous 1 KW (at a temperature difference of around 120 • C) TEG system. The output power of the system was improved significantly, about 34.6% greater; the instantaneous efficiency of the TEG system could reach about 6.5%. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure the output power at different conditions: different connection modes between TEG modules, different mechanical structures, and different temperature differences between hot and cold sides. The TEG apparatus has been tested and the data have been presented. This kind of TEG power system can be applied in many thermal and geothermal sites with low temperature resources, including oil fields where fossil and geothermal energies are coproduced.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generator by Optimizing Mechanical and Electrical Structures

Chen

Liu

et al. 2017

Energies

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“…The material properties used in the previous study [35] are incorporated in the present simulations, which are listed in Tables 1 and 2. Actually, a single thermoelectric module's life cycle is random, but the distribution of the life cycles of a large number of thermoelectric modules could be expected.…”

Section: Physical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The material properties used in the previous study [35] are incorporated in the present simulations, which are listed in Tables 1 and 2. …”

Section: Physical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A similar thermal stress analysis method, utilized in [34,35], is employed to evaluate thermal intensity in the model. In this paper, the analysis of the thermoelectric generator is divided into two sub-steps, including thermodynamic analysis and thermal stress formulations.…”

Section: Thermal Stress Analysis (1) Governing Equationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For solar thermoelectric modules, a much higher focus of solar energy will be applied to the hot end of the TEG to achieve higher system efficiency. However, higher focus of solar energy may lead to heating non-uniformity on the hot end and thus cause larger thermal stress among different materials [35], which will significantly influence the life cycle of the TEG. A better understanding of the operating features of thermoelectric modules with different heating uniformity becomes essential, but seldom can similar work be found in the previous studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Influence of Non-Uniform High Heat Flux on Thermal Stress of Thermoelectric Power Generator

et al. 2015

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Abstract:A thermoelectric generator (TEG) device which uses solar energy as heat source would achieve higher efficiency if there is a higher temperature difference between the hot-cold ends. However, higher temperature or higher heat flux being imposed upon the hot end will cause strong thermal stress, which will have a negative influence on the life cycle of the thermoelectric module. Meanwhile, in order to get high heat flux, a Fresnel lens is required to concentrate solar energy, which will cause non-uniformity of heat flux on the hot end of the TEG and further influence the thermal stress of the device. This phenomenon is very common in solar TEG devices but seldom research work has been reported. In this paper, numerical analysis on the heat transfer and thermal stress performance of a TEG module has been performed considering the variation on the power of the heat flux being imposed upon the hot-end; the influence of non-uniform high heat flux on thermal stress has also been analyzed. It is found that non-uniformity of high heat flux being imposed upon the hot end has a significant effect on the thermal stress of TEG and life expectation of the device. Taking the uniformity of 100% as standard, when the heating uniformity is 70%, 50%, 30%, and 10%, respectively, the maximum thermal stress of TEG module increased by 3%, 6%, 12%, and 22% respectively. If we increase the heat flux on the hot end, the influence of non-uniformity on the thermal stress will be more remarkable.

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Electrical Characteristics of a Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermoelectric Generator System

Pang

Zhang

et al. 2018

Energy Tech

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The electrical performance evolution of a system combining photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric generator (TE) is evaluated using thermal resistance calculations. The hybrid system combines a commercial monocrystalline silicon PV and a commercial bismuth telluride TE that is integrated with heat sinks. Here, photovoltaic modules could be cooled using thermoelectric components, leading to an increase in its output power. Additionally, extra thermal electricity is generated from the temperature difference between the backside of photovoltaic modules and heat sinks. Compared with the PV, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the PV/TE integrated system is increased by 3.9 % and the total system efficiency is up to 5.9 %.

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Thermal analysis on a segmented thermoelectric generator

Cited by 84 publications

References 37 publications

Enhanced Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generator by Optimizing Mechanical and Electrical Structures

Enhanced Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generator by Optimizing Mechanical and Electrical Structures

The Influence of Non-Uniform High Heat Flux on Thermal Stress of Thermoelectric Power Generator

Electrical Characteristics of a Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermoelectric Generator System

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