Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges

The potential for thermoelectric power generation (via waste heat recovery onboard automobiles) to displace alternators and/or provide additional charging to a vehicle battery pack has increased with recent advances in thermoelectric material processing. In gasoline-fueled vehicles (GFVs), about 40%...

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Main Authors: Saqr, Khalid M., Mansour, M. Khamis, Musa, Md. Nor
Format: Article
Published: KSAE 2008
Subjects:
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author Saqr, Khalid M.
Mansour, M. Khamis
Musa, Md. Nor
author_facet Saqr, Khalid M.
Mansour, M. Khamis
Musa, Md. Nor
author_sort Saqr, Khalid M.
collection ePrints
description The potential for thermoelectric power generation (via waste heat recovery onboard automobiles) to displace alternators and/or provide additional charging to a vehicle battery pack has increased with recent advances in thermoelectric material processing. In gasoline-fueled vehicles (GFVs), about 40% of fuel energy is wasted in exhaust heat, while a smaller amount of energy (30%) is ejected through the engine coolant. Therefore, exhaust-based thermoelectric generators (ETEG) have been a focus for GFV applications since the late 1980s. The conversion efficiency of modern thermoelectric materials has increased more than three-fold in the last two decades; however, disputes as to the thermal design of ETEG systems has kept their overall efficiency at limited and insufficient values. There are many challenges in the thermal design of ETEG systems, such as increasing the efficiency of the heat exchangers (hot box and cold plate), maintaining a sufficient temperature difference across the thermoelectric modules during different operating conditions, and reducing thermal losses through the system as a whole. This paper focuses on a review of the main aspects of thermal design of ETEG systems through various investigations performed over the past twenty years. This paper is organized as follows: first, the construction of a typical ETEG is described. The heat balance and efficiency of ETEG are then discussed. Then, the third section of this paper emphasizes the main objectives and challenges for designing efficient ETEG systems. Finally, a review of ETEG research activities over the last twenty years is presented to focus on methods used by the research community to address such challenges.
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spelling utm.eprints-53762008-09-16T03:47:32Z http://eprints.utm.my/5376/ Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges Saqr, Khalid M. Mansour, M. Khamis Musa, Md. Nor TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics The potential for thermoelectric power generation (via waste heat recovery onboard automobiles) to displace alternators and/or provide additional charging to a vehicle battery pack has increased with recent advances in thermoelectric material processing. In gasoline-fueled vehicles (GFVs), about 40% of fuel energy is wasted in exhaust heat, while a smaller amount of energy (30%) is ejected through the engine coolant. Therefore, exhaust-based thermoelectric generators (ETEG) have been a focus for GFV applications since the late 1980s. The conversion efficiency of modern thermoelectric materials has increased more than three-fold in the last two decades; however, disputes as to the thermal design of ETEG systems has kept their overall efficiency at limited and insufficient values. There are many challenges in the thermal design of ETEG systems, such as increasing the efficiency of the heat exchangers (hot box and cold plate), maintaining a sufficient temperature difference across the thermoelectric modules during different operating conditions, and reducing thermal losses through the system as a whole. This paper focuses on a review of the main aspects of thermal design of ETEG systems through various investigations performed over the past twenty years. This paper is organized as follows: first, the construction of a typical ETEG is described. The heat balance and efficiency of ETEG are then discussed. Then, the third section of this paper emphasizes the main objectives and challenges for designing efficient ETEG systems. Finally, a review of ETEG research activities over the last twenty years is presented to focus on methods used by the research community to address such challenges. KSAE 2008-04 Article PeerReviewed Saqr, Khalid M. and Mansour, M. Khamis and Musa, Md. Nor (2008) Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges. International journal of automotive technology, 9 (2). pp. 155-160. ISSN 1229-9138 http://www.springer.com/engineering/mechanical+eng/journal/12239 10.1007/s12239−008−0020−y
spellingShingle TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
Saqr, Khalid M.
Mansour, M. Khamis
Musa, Md. Nor
Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title_full Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title_fullStr Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title_full_unstemmed Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title_short Thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators : objectives and challenges
title_sort thermal design of automobile exhaust based thermoelectric generators objectives and challenges
topic TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
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AT mansourmkhamis thermaldesignofautomobileexhaustbasedthermoelectricgeneratorsobjectivesandchallenges
AT musamdnor thermaldesignofautomobileexhaustbasedthermoelectricgeneratorsobjectivesandchallenges