IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i2p285-d1314057.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Heat Transfer Mechanisms and Contributions of Wearable Thermoelectrics to Personal Thermal Management

Author

Listed:
  • Diana Enescu

    (Electronics, Telecommunications and Energy Department, University Valahia of Targoviste, 130004 Targoviste, Romania
    Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM), 10135 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

Thermoelectricity can assist in creating comfortable thermal environments through wearable solutions and local applications that keep the temperature comfortable around individuals. In the analysis of an indoor environment, thermal comfort depends on the global characteristics of the indoor volume and on the local thermal environment where the individuals develop their activity. This paper addresses the heat transfer mechanisms that refer to individuals, which operate in their working ambient when wearable thermoelectric solutions are used for enhancing heating or cooling within the local environment. After recalling the characteristics of the thermoelectric generators and illustrating the heat transfer mechanisms between the human body and the environment, the interactions between wearable thermoelectric generators and the human skin are discussed, considering the analytical representations of the thermal phenomena. The wearable solutions with thermoelectric generators for personal thermal management are then categorized by considering active and passive thermal management methods, natural and assisted heat exchange, autonomous and nonautonomous devices, and direct or indirect contact with the human body.

Suggested Citation

  • Diana Enescu, 2024. "Heat Transfer Mechanisms and Contributions of Wearable Thermoelectrics to Personal Thermal Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-29, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:2:p:285-:d:1314057
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/2/285/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/2/285/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nozariasbmarz, Amin & Collins, Henry & Dsouza, Kelvin & Polash, Mobarak Hossain & Hosseini, Mahshid & Hyland, Melissa & Liu, Jie & Malhotra, Abhishek & Ortiz, Francisco Matos & Mohaddes, Farzad & Rame, 2020. "Review of wearable thermoelectric energy harvesting: From body temperature to electronic systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    2. Zhao, Dongliang & Lu, Xing & Fan, Tianzhu & Wu, Yuen Shing & Lou, Lun & Wang, Qiuwang & Fan, Jintu & Yang, Ronggui, 2018. "Personal thermal management using portable thermoelectrics for potential building energy saving," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 282-291.
    3. Byeongmoon Lee & Hyeon Cho & Kyung Tae Park & Jin-Sang Kim & Min Park & Heesuk Kim & Yongtaek Hong & Seungjun Chung, 2020. "High-performance compliant thermoelectric generators with magnetically self-assembled soft heat conductors for self-powered wearable electronics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Pang, Dandan & Zhang, Aibing & Guo, Yage & Wu, Junfeng, 2023. "Energy harvesting analysis of wearable thermoelectric generators integrated with human skin," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    5. 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.
    6. Kong, Deyue & Zhu, Wei & Guo, Zhanpeng & Deng, Yuan, 2019. "High-performance flexible Bi2Te3 films based wearable thermoelectric generator for energy harvesting," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 292-299.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Lv, Jin-Ran & Ma, Jin-Lei & Dai, Lu & Yin, Tao & He, Zhi-Zhu, 2022. "A high-performance wearable thermoelectric generator with comprehensive optimization of thermal resistance and voltage boosting conversion," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    2. Lei Miao & Sijing Zhu & Chengyan Liu & Jie Gao & Zhongwei Zhang & Ying Peng & Jun-Liang Chen & Yangfan Gao & Jisheng Liang & Takao Mori, 2024. "Comfortable wearable thermoelectric generator with high output power," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Chen, Jiangfan & Fang, Zheng & Azam, Ali & Wu, Xiaoping & Zhang, Zutao & Lu, Linhai & Li, Dongyang, 2023. "An energy self-circulation system based on the wearable thermoelectric harvester for ART driver monitoring," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PA).
    4. Mohamed Amine Zoui & Saïd Bentouba & John G. Stocholm & Mahmoud Bourouis, 2020. "A Review on Thermoelectric Generators: Progress and Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-32, July.
    5. Park, Gimin & Kim, Jiyong & Woo, Seungjai & Yu, Jinwoo & Khan, Salman & Kim, Sang Kyu & Lee, Hotaik & Lee, Soyoung & Kwon, Boksoon & Kim, Woochul, 2022. "Modeling heat transfer in humans for body heat harvesting and personal thermal management," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    6. Sargolzaeiaval, Yasaman & Ramesh, Viswanath Padmanabhan & Ozturk, Mehmet C., 2022. "A comprehensive analytical model for thermoelectric body heat harvesting incorporating the impact of human metabolism and physical activity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    7. Yuan, Hengfeng & Qing, Shaowei & Ren, Shangkun & Rezania, Alireza & Rosendahl, Lasse & Wen, Xiankui & Zhong, Jingliang & Gou, Xiaolong & Tang, Shengli & E, Peng, 2023. "Modelling and optimization analysis of a novel hollow flexible-filler-based bulk thermoelectric generator for human body sensor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    8. Fan, Shifa & Gao, Yuanwen & Rezania, Alireza, 2021. "Thermoelectric performance and stress analysis on wearable thermoelectric generator under bending load," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 581-595.
    9. Kwan, Trevor Hocksun & Zhao, Bin & Liu, Jie & Pei, Gang, 2020. "Performance analysis of the sky radiative and thermoelectric hybrid cooling system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    10. Sadeq Hooshmand Zaferani & Mehdi Jafarian & Daryoosh Vashaee & Reza Ghomashchi, 2021. "Thermal Management Systems and Waste Heat Recycling by Thermoelectric Generators—An Overview," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-21, September.
    11. Sijing Zhu & Zheng Fan & Baoquan Feng & Runze Shi & Zexin Jiang & Ying Peng & Jie Gao & Lei Miao & Kunihito Koumoto, 2022. "Review on Wearable Thermoelectric Generators: From Devices to Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-27, May.
    12. Muhammad Nazri Rejab & Omar Mohd Faizan Marwah & Muhammad Akmal Johar & Mohamed Najib Ribuan, 2022. "Dual-Level Voltage Bipolar Thermal Energy Harvesting System from Solar Radiation in Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-25, September.
    13. Fan, Zeng & Zhang, Yaoyun & Pan, Lujun & Ouyang, Jianyong & Zhang, Qian, 2021. "Recent developments in flexible thermoelectrics: From materials to devices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    14. Wei, Haoxiang & Zhang, Jian & Han, Yang & Xu, Dongyan, 2022. "Soft-covered wearable thermoelectric device for body heat harvesting and on-skin cooling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    15. Zhang, Aibing & Pang, Dandan & Wang, Baolin & Wang, Ji, 2023. "Dynamic responses of wearable thermoelectric generators used for skin waste heat harvesting," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PB).
    16. Wang, Xue & Wang, Hongchao & Su, Wenbing & Chen, Tingting & Tan, Chang & Madre, María A. & Sotelo, Andres & Wang, Chunlei, 2022. "U-type unileg thermoelectric module: A novel structure for high-temperature application with long lifespan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PB).
    17. Liu, Kai & Tang, Xiaobin & Liu, Yunpeng & Xu, Zhiheng & Yuan, Zicheng & Zhang, Zhengrong, 2020. "Enhancing the performance of fully-scaled structure-adjustable 3D thermoelectric devices based on cold–press sintering and molding," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    18. Smith, Eric & Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan, 2019. "Human Body Micro-power plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 16-24.
    19. Mai, Van-Phung & Yang, Ruey-Jen, 2020. "Boosting power generation from salinity gradient on high-density nanoporous membrane using thermal effect," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    20. Wenping Xue & Xiao Cao & Guangfa Zhang & Gang Tan & Zilong Liu & Kangji Li, 2022. "Structural Optimization of Heat Sink for Thermoelectric Conversion Unit in Personal Comfort System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-16, April.

    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:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:2:p:285-:d:1314057. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.