Recovering Waste Heat from Automobile Engine Using Thermoelectric Power Generators

Abstract

Thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are solid state energy converters and they are divided into two categories: thermoelectric generator (TEG) and thermoelectric cooler (TEC). Both can be integrated together to recover engine’s waste heat into electrical power then into cooling capacity. In this paper, the optimal configuration of TEG-TEC modules integration is investigated, in which the TEC modules are powered by the electricity generated from the TEG modules. This configuration is applied to recover engine’s waste heat into cooling capacity for the cabin air conditioning system. For this proposed system, it is suggested that the TEG modules will be mounted on the engine’s manifold surface while the TEC modules will mounted on the inside cabin’s ceiling surface. A mathematical model is derived for this configuration to investigate the optimal ratio of TEC modules to TEG modules. The proposed TEG-TEC integration offers the advantages of clean and direct conversion between heating and cooling without the need of energy converters or complex interfacing circuits. The TEG generated power and the TEC cooling capacity are simulated using MATLAB. It is expected that recovering waste heat energy from the automobile engine can power up the air conditioning needs without consuming any extra fuel. The proposed air conditioning system is validated using (Ansys Fluent 14®) as a CFD simulation of the cabin climate control, where the temperature distribution for the cabin is investigated. Furthermore, it is expected that this work will be beneficial to the analysis and design of the automobile future air conditioning systems. The main contribution of this work is that a mathematical integration model is developed to investigate the optimal ratio for TEG-TEC module integration. Further, the optimal ratio between the number of TEG and TEC is calculated.
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize - All rights reserved.