IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v241y2019icp11-24.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A comprehensive analysis of the performance of thermoelectric generators with constant and variable properties

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Wei-Hsin
  • Lin, Yi-Xian
  • Wang, Xiao-Dong
  • Lin, Yu-Li

Abstract

Material properties of a thermoelectric generator play a pivotal role in directly converting heat into electricity. To provide a comprehensive study on power generation of thermoelectric generators, four different materials with constant and temperature-dependent properties are investigated numerically. The influences of the temperature difference across the elements, the temperature at the cold side surface, and the temperature oscillation at the hot side surface on the performance of the generators are simulated numerically and analyzed systematically. The predictions indicate that the output power, temperature-difference square rule, and impedance matching of the materials with the variable properties deviate from the theoretical results with constant properties, but their behavior always obeys the self-consistency. At a given temperature difference, a decrease in the cold surface temperature may intensify or abate the performance, depending on the material properties adopted. Oscillating the hot surface temperature may increase or decrease the output power and efficiency. In summary, the practical performance of a thermoelectric generator and its deviation from the theoretical performance depend strongly on the properties adopted. Therefore, the consideration of the variable properties of materials can provide a more realistic outcome compared to the predictions with constant properties.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Wei-Hsin & Lin, Yi-Xian & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Lin, Yu-Li, 2019. "A comprehensive analysis of the performance of thermoelectric generators with constant and variable properties," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 11-24.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:241:y:2019:i:c:p:11-24
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.02.083
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919303836
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.02.083?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Wu, Po-Hua & Lin, Yu-Li, 2018. "Performance optimization of thermoelectric generators designed by multi-objective genetic algorithm," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 211-223.
    2. Zhao, Yulong & Wang, Shixue & Ge, Minghui & Li, Yanzhe & Liang, Zhaojun & Yang, Yurong, 2018. "Performance analysis of a thermoelectric generator applied to wet flue gas waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 2080-2089.
    3. Meng, Jing-Hui & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Zhang, Xin-Xin, 2013. "Transient modeling and dynamic characteristics of thermoelectric cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 340-348.
    4. Jiang, L. & Lu, H.T. & Wang, L.W. & Gao, P. & Zhu, F.Q. & Wang, R.Z. & Roskilly, A.P., 2017. "Investigation on a small-scale pumpless Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system driven by the low temperature heat source," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 478-486.
    5. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Guo, Yu-Zhi & Chen, Chih-Chun, 2018. "Methanol partial oxidation accompanied by heat recirculation in a Swiss-roll reactor," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 79-88.
    6. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Huang, Shih-Rong & Lin, Yu-Li, 2015. "Performance analysis and optimum operation of a thermoelectric generator by Taguchi method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 44-54.
    7. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Wang, Chien-Chang & Hung, Chen-I. & Yang, Chang-Chung & Juang, Rei-Cheng, 2014. "Modeling and simulation for the design of thermal-concentrated solar thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 287-297.
    8. Su, Hetao & Zhou, Fubao & Qi, Haining & Li, Jinshi, 2017. "Design for thermoelectric power generation using subsurface coal fires," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 929-940.
    9. Zhu, Wei & Tu, Yubin & Deng, Yuan, 2018. "Multi-parameter optimization design of thermoelectric harvester based on phase change material for space generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 873-880.
    10. Wang, Xiao-Dong & Huang, Yu-Xian & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Ta-Wei Lin, David & Kang, Chung-Hao, 2012. "A three-dimensional numerical modeling of thermoelectric device with consideration of coupling of temperature field and electric potential field," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 488-497.
    11. Fan, Shifa & Gao, Yuanwen, 2018. "Numerical simulation on thermoelectric and mechanical performance of annular thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 38-48.
    12. Tappura, Kirsi, 2018. "A numerical study on the design trade-offs of a thin-film thermoelectric generator for large-area applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 78-87.
    13. Wang, Yancheng & Shi, Yaoguang & Mei, Deqing & Chen, Zichen, 2018. "Wearable thermoelectric generator to harvest body heat for powering a miniaturized accelerometer," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 690-698.
    14. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Huang, Shih-Rong & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Wu, Po-Hua & Lin, Yu-Li, 2017. "Performance of a thermoelectric generator intensified by temperature oscillation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 257-269.
    15. Muralidhar, Nischal & Himabindu, M. & Ravikrishna, R.V., 2018. "Modeling of a hybrid electric heavy duty vehicle to assess energy recovery using a thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 1046-1059.
    16. Champier, D. & Bédécarrats, J.P. & Kousksou, T. & Rivaletto, M. & Strub, F. & Pignolet, P., 2011. "Study of a TE (thermoelectric) generator incorporated in a multifunction wood stove," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 1518-1526.
    17. Gou, Xiaolong & Xiao, Heng & Yang, Suwen, 2010. "Modeling, experimental study and optimization on low-temperature waste heat thermoelectric generator system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(10), pages 3131-3136, October.
    18. Jiang, Wei & Yuan, Dongdong & Xu, Shudong & Hu, Huitao & Xiao, Jingjing & Sha, Aimin & Huang, Yue, 2017. "Energy harvesting from asphalt pavement using thermoelectric technology," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 941-950.
    19. Montecucco, A. & Siviter, J. & Knox, A.R., 2017. "Combined heat and power system for stoves with thermoelectric generators," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1336-1342.
    20. Fernández-Yañez, Pablo & Armas, Octavio & Capetillo, Azael & Martínez-Martínez, Simón, 2018. "Thermal analysis of a thermoelectric generator for light-duty diesel engines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 690-702.
    21. Siddique, Abu Raihan Mohammad & Mahmud, Shohel & Heyst, Bill Van, 2017. "A review of the state of the science on wearable thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) and their existing challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 730-744.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lineykin, Simon & Maslah, Kareem & Kuperman, Alon, 2020. "Manufacturer-data-only-based modeling and optimized design of thermoelectric harvesters operating at low temperature gradients," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    2. Zhu, Yuxiao & Newbrook, Daniel W. & Dai, Peng & de Groot, C.H. Kees & Huang, Ruomeng, 2022. "Artificial neural network enabled accurate geometrical design and optimisation of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    3. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Carrera Uribe, Manuel & Kwon, Eilhann E. & Lin, Kun-Yi Andrew & Park, Young-Kwon & Ding, Lu & Saw, Lip Huat, 2022. "A comprehensive review of thermoelectric generation optimization by statistical approach: Taguchi method, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and response surface methodology (RSM)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    4. Xu, Aoqi & Xie, Changjun & Xie, Liping & Zhu, Wenchao & Xiong, Binyu & Gooi, Hoay Beng, 2024. "Performance prediction and optimization of annular thermoelectric generators based on a comprehensive surrogate model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    5. Yi-Cheng Chung & Chun-I Wu, 2024. "Enhancing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Performance: Optimized Thermoelectric Generator-Integrated Heat Exchangers with Longitudinal Vortex Generators," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-19, January.
    6. Lan, Yuncheng & Lu, Junhui & Li, Junming & Wang, Suilin, 2022. "Effects of temperature-dependent thermal properties and the side leg heat dissipation on the performance of the thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    7. Luo, Ding & Wang, Ruochen & Yan, Yuying & Yu, Wei & Zhou, Weiqi, 2021. "Transient numerical modelling of a thermoelectric generator system used for automotive exhaust waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    8. He, Min & Wang, Enhua & Zhang, Yuanyin & Zhang, Wen & Zhang, Fujun & Zhao, Changlu, 2020. "Performance analysis of a multilayer thermoelectric generator for exhaust heat recovery of a heavy-duty diesel engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    9. He, Zhi-Zhu, 2020. "A coupled electrical-thermal impedance matching model for design optimization of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    10. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Chiou, Yi-Bin, 2020. "Geometry design for maximizing output power of segmented skutterudite thermoelectric generator by evolutionary computation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    11. Cheng-You Chen & Kung-Wen Du & Yi-Cheng Chung & Chun-I Wu, 2024. "Advancements in Thermoelectric Generator Design: Exploring Heat Exchanger Efficiency and Material Properties," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-25, January.
    12. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Chiou, Yi-Bin & Chein, Rei-Yu & Uan, Jun-Yen & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2022. "Power generation of thermoelectric generator with plate fins for recovering low-temperature waste heat," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Chiou, Yi-Bin, 2020. "Geometry design for maximizing output power of segmented skutterudite thermoelectric generator by evolutionary computation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    2. He, Zhi-Zhu, 2020. "A coupled electrical-thermal impedance matching model for design optimization of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    3. Chetty, Raju & Nagase, Kazuo & Aihara, Makoto & Jood, Priyanka & Takazawa, Hiroyuki & Ohta, Michihiro & Yamamoto, Atsushi, 2020. "Mechanically durable thermoelectric power generation module made of Ni-based alloy as a reference for reliable testing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    4. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Wu, Po-Hua & Lin, Yu-Li, 2018. "Performance optimization of thermoelectric generators designed by multi-objective genetic algorithm," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 211-223.
    5. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Carrera Uribe, Manuel & Kwon, Eilhann E. & Lin, Kun-Yi Andrew & Park, Young-Kwon & Ding, Lu & Saw, Lip Huat, 2022. "A comprehensive review of thermoelectric generation optimization by statistical approach: Taguchi method, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and response surface methodology (RSM)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    6. Shittu, Samson & Li, Guiqiang & Zhao, Xudong & Ma, Xiaoli, 2020. "Review of thermoelectric geometry and structure optimization for performance enhancement," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    7. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Chiou, Yi-Bin & Chein, Rei-Yu & Uan, Jun-Yen & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2022. "Power generation of thermoelectric generator with plate fins for recovering low-temperature waste heat," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    8. Hongkun Lv & Guoneng Li & Youqu Zheng & Jiangen Hu & Jian Li, 2018. "Compact Water-Cooled Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Based on a Portable Gas Stove," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Zhu, Yuxiao & Newbrook, Daniel W. & Dai, Peng & de Groot, C.H. Kees & Huang, Ruomeng, 2022. "Artificial neural network enabled accurate geometrical design and optimisation of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    10. Weng, Zebin & Liu, Furong & Zhu, Wenchao & Li, Yang & Xie, Changjun & Deng, Jian & Huang, Liang, 2022. "Performance improvement of variable-angle annular thermoelectric generators considering different boundary conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    11. Liu, Hai-Bo & Wang, Shuo-Lin & Yang, Yan-Ru & Chen, Wei-Hsin & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2020. "Theoretical analysis of performance of variable cross-section thermoelectric generators: Effects of shape factor and thermal boundary conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    12. Lee, Ungki & Park, Sudong & Lee, Ikjin, 2020. "Robust design optimization (RDO) of thermoelectric generator system using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    13. Hao, Junhong & Qiu, Huachen & Ren, Jianxun & Ge, Zhihua & Chen, Qun & Du, Xiaoze, 2020. "Multi-parameters analysis and optimization of a typical thermoelectric cooler based on the dimensional analysis and experimental validation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    14. Sahin, Ahmet Z. & Yilbas, Bekir S., 2013. "Thermodynamic irreversibility and performance characteristics of thermoelectric power generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 899-904.
    15. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Huang, Shih-Rong & Lin, Yu-Li, 2015. "Performance analysis and optimum operation of a thermoelectric generator by Taguchi method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 44-54.
    16. Lv, Hao & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Wang, Tian-Hu & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang, 2016. "Improvement of transient supercooling of thermoelectric coolers through variable semiconductor cross-section," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 501-508.
    17. Shen, Zu-Guo & Wu, Shuang-Ying & Xiao, Lan & Yin, Gang, 2016. "Theoretical modeling of thermoelectric generator with particular emphasis on the effect of side surface heat transfer," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 367-379.
    18. Björn Pfeiffelmann & Ali Cemal Benim & Franz Joos, 2021. "Water-Cooled Thermoelectric Generators for Improved Net Output Power: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-29, December.
    19. Liu, Zhichun & Zhu, Shiping & Ge, Ya & Shan, Feng & Zeng, Lingping & Liu, Wei, 2017. "Geometry optimization of two-stage thermoelectric generators using simplified conjugate-gradient method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 540-552.
    20. Wang, Tian-Hu & Wang, Qiu-Hong & Leng, Chuan & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2015. "Parameter analysis and optimal design for two-stage thermoelectric cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 1-12.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:241:y:2019:i:c:p:11-24. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.