Thermodynamics and thermal stress analysis of thermoelectric power generator: Influence of pin geometry on device performance

Almerbati, A.; Yilbaş, Bekir Sami; Sahin, Ahmet Z.

doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2012.07.021

Cited by 160 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The study on TE Properties of Ge Nanowires (Ge NWs) which is based on electronic band structures also reveals that thermoelectric properties vary significantly depending on the band structure of the Ge NWs of different sizes, crosssectional shapes, and orientations [42]. Moreover, the thermodynamics and thermal stress analysis of TEG is also done to assess the influence of pin geometry on device performance [43]. With finite element method, it is established that thermal efficiency increases for certain geometric configuration of TEG device and the maximum thermal stress in the pin decreases slightly representing improved life expectancy of TEG.…”

Section: Important Parameters Of Te Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

Twaha

Zhu

Yan

et al. 2016

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

489

208

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Abstract:Thermoelectric (TE) technology is regarded as alternative and environmentally friendly technology for harvesting and recovering heat which is directly converted into electrical energy using thermoelectric generators (TEG). Conversely, Peltier coolers and heaters are utilized to convert electrical energy into heat energy for cooling and heating purposes The main challenge lying behind the TE technology is the low efficiency of these devices mainly due to low figure of merit (ZT) of the materials used in making them as well as improper setting of the TE systems. The objective of this work is to carry out a comprehensive review of TE technology encompassing the materials, applications, modelling techniques and performance improvement. The paper has covered a wide range of topics related to TE technology subject area including the output power conditioning techniques. The review reveals some important critical aspects regarding TE device application and performance improvement. It is observed that the intensified research into TE technology has led to an outstanding increase in ZT, rendering the use TE devices in diversified application a reality. Not only does the TE material research and TE device geometrical adjustment contributed to TE device performance improvement, but also the use of advanced TE mathematical models which have facilitated appropriate segmentation TE modules using different materials and design of integrated TE devices. TE devices are observed to have booming applications in cooling, heating, electric power generation as well as hybrid applications. With the generation of electric energy using TEG, not only does the waste heat provide heat source but also other energy sources like solar, geothermal, biomass, infra-red radiation have gained increased utilization in TE based systems.However, the main challenge remains in striking the balance between the conflicting parameters; ZT and power factor, when designing and optimizing advanced TE materials.Hence more research is necessary to overcome this and other challenge so that the performance TE device can be improved further.

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Section: Important Parameters Of Te Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

Twaha

Zhu

Yan

et al. 2016

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

489

208

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The aforementioned publications can be divided into contributions to increase or observe the mechanical stability [5,6], the electrical power output [14][15][16][17]19] or both [7,8,10,12,13]. It can be concluded that only a few researchers are addressing the introduced conflict in objectives which is inherent for TEM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…It was shown that the electric power decreases with increasing leg length, while the thermal stress is reduced and that the electric power and the thermal stress increases with increasing cross section size. Al-Merbati et al used finite element methods to investigate a trapezoidal leg design and its impact on the mechanical stress distribution in the legs and the output power for a mechanically unbounded thermocouple by varying the leg area on the hot and the cold side, respectively [8]. They revealed a slight decrease of the thermomechanical stress and a slight increase of the thermoelectric power for some pin configurations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…It can be concluded that only a few researchers are addressing the introduced conflict in objectives which is inherent for TEM. Moreover, most works consider only single thermocouples instead of large modules [7][8][9] and idealized mechanical boundary conditions like fixed or free standing modules [5,6,[8][9][10] or without surface pressure [5,6,10] which is crucial when applying TEM to reduce the thermal contact resistance to the waste heat exchanger. Therefore, the presented results give a understanding of the mechanical and electrical behavior of TEM in principle, but there is still a gap in knowledge about the optimal design of TEM under realistic boundary conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parameter optimization of thermoelectric modules using a genetic algorithm

Heghmanns

Beitelschmidt

2015

Applied Energy

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“…This phenomenon has attracted the attention of several researchers. Merbati et al [32] carried out a thermodynamic and thermal stress analysis of thermoelectric power generators with different pin geometry configurations. They managed to get a temperature and thermal stress field and tested the thermal efficiency, maximum power output, and thermal stress in the modules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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Thermodynamics and thermal stress analysis of thermoelectric power generator: Influence of pin geometry on device performance

Cited by 160 publications

References 15 publications

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement

Parameter optimization of thermoelectric modules using a genetic algorithm

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

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