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A regenerative concept for thermoelectric power generation

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  • Huang, Shouyuan
  • Xu, Xianfan

Abstract

This paper presents a regenerative concept for thermoelectric (TE) based waste heat recovery systems called thermoelectric generators (TEGs). TEG is usually a modified heat exchanger with the addition of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) to recover waste heat for power generation. To utilize heat from high temperature heat sources, current researches have largely been focused on the development of high temperature TE materials. In this study, we describe a regeneration concept in which a precooler is used to lower the temperature of the hot gas and at the same time regenerate hot air from the cold air supply for Bi2Te3-based TEGs, avoiding the use of high-temperature thermoelectric materials. It is found that the regenerative TEGs can achieve a similar power output compared with TEGs using high temperature TE materials such as filled-skutterudites (combined filled skutterudites and Bi2Te3 TE materials) through obtaining a higher heat scavenging rate. Thus, the regenerative TEGs also have a similar absolute efficiency, defined according to the total available enthalpy from the hot gas. This could represent a paradigm shift in the TEG research and development, that much lower-cost, reliable, and readily available TE materials and modules can be used for high temperature applications, and will ultimately enable wide spread deployment of TEGs for real world waste heat recovery applications.

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  • Huang, Shouyuan & Xu, Xianfan, 2017. "A regenerative concept for thermoelectric power generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 119-125.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:185:y:2017:i:p1:p:119-125
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.10.078
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    2. Zhao, Yulong & Wang, Shixue & Ge, Minghui & Liang, Zhaojun & Liang, Yifan & Li, Yanzhe, 2019. "Performance investigation of an intermediate fluid thermoelectric generator for automobile exhaust waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 425-433.
    3. Nie, Wenjie & Lü, Ke & Chen, Aixi & He, Jizhou & Lan, Yueheng, 2018. "Performance optimization of single and two-stage micro/nano-scaled heat pumps with internal and external irreversibilities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 695-703.
    4. Chun-I Wu & Kung-Wen Du & Yu-Hsuan Tu, 2024. "Enhanced Energy Harvesting from Thermoelectric Modules: Strategic Manipulation of Element Quantity and Geometry for Optimized Power Output," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Muhammad Faheem & Muhammad Abu Bakr & Muntazir Ali & Muhammad Awais Majeed & Zunaib Maqsood Haider & Muhammad Omer Khan, 2024. "Evaluation of Efficiency Enhancement in Photovoltaic Panels via Integrated Thermoelectric Cooling and Power Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Yang, Wenlong & Zhu, WenChao & Li, Yang & Zhang, Leiqi & Zhao, Bo & Xie, Changjun & Yan, Yonggao & Huang, Liang, 2022. "Annular thermoelectric generator performance optimization analysis based on concentric annular heat exchanger," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PB).

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