IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v248y2019icp614-625.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Performance assessment of engine exhaust-based segmented thermoelectric generators by length ratio optimization

Author

Listed:
  • Ma, Xiaonan
  • Shu, Gequn
  • Tian, Hua
  • Xu, Wen
  • Chen, Tianyu

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators have been regarded as a prospective technique used for recovering engine exhaust heat. Segmented structure is more appropriate for large temperature gradient between the heat and cold source. This work establishes a numerical model of segmented thermoelectric generator for engine waste heat recovery based on the component level and system level simultaneously. Two patterns of p-n ratios are conducted to compare the properties between segmented and traditional models as well as optimize the segmented ratios under various conditions to get better performance. In the pattern of same p-n segmented ratios, the effects of structural parameters and thermodynamic boundary conditions on the output performance are analyzed. The optimal proportion of medium temperature material (CoSb3) increases with longer thermoelectric elements and higher heat transfer coefficient, whereas the cross section area shows hardly any influence on it. And then the power improvement capacity in view of the property difference between p-type and n-type material is investigated in the second pattern. The maximum output power is improved by approximately 13.8% compared with that of original segmented model. Finally, the application of optimal segmented ratio design in a thermoelectric generator system demonstrates better performance and further increases the output power by 6.8%.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Xiaonan & Shu, Gequn & Tian, Hua & Xu, Wen & Chen, Tianyu, 2019. "Performance assessment of engine exhaust-based segmented thermoelectric generators by length ratio optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C), pages 614-625.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:248:y:2019:i:c:p:614-625
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.103
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919307743
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.103?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. Massaguer, A. & Massaguer, E. & Comamala, M. & Pujol, T. & González, J.R. & Cardenas, M.D. & Carbonell, D. & Bueno, A.J., 2018. "A method to assess the fuel economy of automotive thermoelectric generators," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 42-58.
    2. Hoang, Anh Tuan, 2018. "Waste heat recovery from diesel engines based on Organic Rankine Cycle," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 138-166.
    3. Hsu, Cheng-Ting & Huang, Gia-Yeh & Chu, Hsu-Shen & Yu, Ben & Yao, Da-Jeng, 2011. "An effective Seebeck coefficient obtained by experimental results of a thermoelectric generator module," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(12), pages 5173-5179.
    4. Ali, Haider & Yilbas, Bekir Sami & Al-Sharafi, Abdullah, 2017. "Innovative design of a thermoelectric generator with extended and segmented pin configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 367-379.
    5. He, Wei & Zhang, Gan & Zhang, Xingxing & Ji, Jie & Li, Guiqiang & Zhao, Xudong, 2015. "Recent development and application of thermoelectric generator and cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1-25.
    6. Erturun, Ugur & Erermis, Kaan & Mossi, Karla, 2015. "Influence of leg sizing and spacing on power generation and thermal stresses of thermoelectric devices," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 19-27.
    7. Lundgaard, Christian & Sigmund, Ole, 2019. "Design of segmented off-diagonal thermoelectric generators using topology optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 950-960.
    8. Patyk, Andreas, 2013. "Thermoelectric generators for efficiency improvement of power generation by motor generators – Environmental and economic perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1448-1457.
    9. Kim, Shiho, 2013. "Analysis and modeling of effective temperature differences and electrical parameters of thermoelectric generators," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1458-1463.
    10. 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.
    11. Hsu, Cheng-Ting & Huang, Gia-Yeh & Chu, Hsu-Shen & Yu, Ben & Yao, Da-Jeng, 2011. "Experiments and simulations on low-temperature waste heat harvesting system by thermoelectric power generators," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1291-1297, April.
    12. 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.
    13. Wang, Yiping & Li, Shuai & Xie, Xu & Deng, Yadong & Liu, Xun & Su, Chuqi, 2018. "Performance evaluation of an automotive thermoelectric generator with inserted fins or dimpled-surface hot heat exchanger," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 391-401.
    14. Fernández-Yáñez, P. & Armas, O. & Kiwan, R. & Stefanopoulou, A.G. & Boehman, A.L., 2018. "A thermoelectric generator in exhaust systems of spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines. A comparison with an electric turbo-generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 80-87.
    15. Shen, Rong & Gou, Xiaolong & Xu, Haoyu & Qiu, Kuanrong, 2017. "Dynamic performance analysis of a cascaded thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 808-815.
    16. Lee, Heonjoong & Sharp, Jeff & Stokes, David & Pearson, Matthew & Priya, Shashank, 2018. "Modeling and analysis of the effect of thermal losses on thermoelectric generator performance using effective properties," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 987-996.
    17. Peng, Zhijun & Wang, Tianyou & He, Yongling & Yang, Xiaoyi & Lu, Lipeng, 2013. "Analysis of environmental and economic benefits of integrated Exhaust Energy Recovery (EER) for vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 238-243.
    18. Wang, Yuchao & Dai, Chuanshan & Wang, Shixue, 2013. "Theoretical analysis of a thermoelectric generator using exhaust gas of vehicles as heat source," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1171-1180.
    19. Hsiao, Y.Y. & Chang, W.C. & Chen, S.L., 2010. "A mathematic model of thermoelectric module with applications on waste heat recovery from automobile engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 1447-1454.
    20. Shu, Gequn & Ma, Xiaonan & Tian, Hua & Yang, Haoqi & Chen, Tianyu & Li, Xiaoya, 2018. "Configuration optimization of the segmented modules in an exhaust-based thermoelectric generator for engine waste heat recovery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 612-624.
    21. Ge, Ya & Liu, Zhichun & Sun, Henan & Liu, Wei, 2018. "Optimal design of a segmented thermoelectric generator based on three-dimensional numerical simulation and multi-objective genetic algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1060-1069.
    22. Heo, Jin Young & Kim, Min Seok & Baik, Seungjoon & Bae, Seong Jun & Lee, Jeong Ik, 2017. "Thermodynamic study of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle using an isothermal compressor," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1118-1130.
    23. Ouyang, Zhongliang & Li, Dawen, 2018. "Design of segmented high-performance thermoelectric generators with cost in consideration," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 112-121.
    24. Sun, Xiuxiu & Liang, Xingyu & Shu, Gequn & Tian, Hua & Wei, Haiqiao & Wang, Xiangxiang, 2014. "Comparison of the two-stage and traditional single-stage thermoelectric generator in recovering the waste heat of the high temperature exhaust gas of internal combustion engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 489-498.
    25. Liang, Xingyu & Sun, Xiuxiu & Tian, Hua & Shu, Gequn & Wang, Yuesen & Wang, Xu, 2014. "Comparison and parameter optimization of a two-stage thermoelectric generator using high temperature exhaust of internal combustion engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 190-199.
    26. Sun, Dongfang & Shen, Limei & Sun, Miao & Yao, Yu & Chen, Huanxin & Jin, Shiping, 2018. "An effective method of evaluating the device-level thermophysical properties and performance of micro-thermoelectric coolers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 93-104.
    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. 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).
    2. Wang, Xuan & Wang, Rui & Jin, Ming & Shu, Gequn & Tian, Hua & Pan, Jiaying, 2020. "Control of superheat of organic Rankine cycle under transient heat source based on deep reinforcement learning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    3. Maduabuchi, Chika, 2022. "Thermo-mechanical optimization of thermoelectric generators using deep learning artificial intelligence algorithms fed with verified finite element simulation data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    4. Ezzitouni, S. & Fernández-Yáñez, P. & Sánchez, L. & Armas, O., 2020. "Global energy balance in a diesel engine with a thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    5. Yang, Yurong & Wang, Shixue & Zhu, Yu, 2020. "Evaluation method for assessing heat transfer enhancement effect on performance improvement of thermoelectric generator systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    6. Wang, Z.H. & Ma, Y.J. & Tang, G.H. & Zhang, Hu & Ji, F. & Sheng, Q., 2023. "Integration of thermal insulation and thermoelectric conversion embedded with phase change materials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    7. Maduabuchi, Chika & Eneh, Chibuoke & Alrobaian, Abdulrahman Abdullah & Alkhedher, Mohammad, 2023. "Deep neural networks for quick and precise geometry optimization of segmented thermoelectric generators," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PC).
    8. Ye-Qi Zhang & Jiao Sun & Guang-Xu Wang & Tian-Hu Wang, 2022. "Advantage of a Thermoelectric Generator with Hybridization of Segmented Materials and Irregularly Variable Cross-Section Design," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, April.
    9. He, Wei & Guo, Rui & Liu, Shengchun & Zhu, Kai & Wang, Shixue, 2020. "Temperature gradient characteristics and effect on optimal thermoelectric performance in exhaust power-generation systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    10. 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).
    11. He, Zhi-Zhu, 2020. "A coupled electrical-thermal impedance matching model for design optimization of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    12. Ge, Ya & Lin, Yousheng & He, Qing & Wang, Wenhao & Chen, Jiechao & Huang, Si-Min, 2021. "Geometric optimization of segmented thermoelectric generators for waste heat recovery systems using genetic algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    13. Yang, Huizhu & Li, Mingxuan & Wang, Zehui & Ren, Fengsheng & Yang, Yue & Ma, Bijian & Zhu, Yonggang, 2023. "Performance optimization for a novel two-stage thermoelectric generator with different PCMs embedding modes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    14. Garud, Kunal Sandip & Seo, Jae-Hyeong & Bang, You-Ma & Pyo, Young-Dug & Cho, Chong-Pyo & Lee, Moo-Yeon & Lee, Dong-Yeon, 2022. "Energy, exergy, environmental sustainability and economic analyses for automotive thermoelectric generator system with various configurations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PA).
    15. Shittu, Samson & Li, Guiqiang & Xuan, Qindong & Zhao, Xudong & Ma, Xiaoli & Cui, Yu, 2020. "Electrical and mechanical analysis of a segmented solar thermoelectric generator under non-uniform heat flux," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    16. 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).
    17. 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).
    18. 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).
    19. Yin, Tao & Li, Zhen-Ming & Peng, Peng & Liu, Wei & Shao, Yu-Ying & He, Zhi-Zhu, 2021. "Performance analysis and design optimization of a compact thermoelectric generator with T-Shaped configuration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).

    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. 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).
    2. 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).
    3. Shu, Gequn & Ma, Xiaonan & Tian, Hua & Yang, Haoqi & Chen, Tianyu & Li, Xiaoya, 2018. "Configuration optimization of the segmented modules in an exhaust-based thermoelectric generator for engine waste heat recovery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 612-624.
    4. Ge, Ya & Lin, Yousheng & He, Qing & Wang, Wenhao & Chen, Jiechao & Huang, Si-Min, 2021. "Geometric optimization of segmented thermoelectric generators for waste heat recovery systems using genetic algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    5. Tian, Hua & Sun, Xiuxiu & Jia, Qi & Liang, Xingyu & Shu, Gequn & Wang, Xu, 2015. "Comparison and parameter optimization of a segmented thermoelectric generator by using the high temperature exhaust of a diesel engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 121-130.
    6. Liang, Xingyu & Sun, Xiuxiu & Tian, Hua & Shu, Gequn & Wang, Yuesen & Wang, Xu, 2014. "Comparison and parameter optimization of a two-stage thermoelectric generator using high temperature exhaust of internal combustion engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 190-199.
    7. He, Zhi-Zhu, 2020. "A coupled electrical-thermal impedance matching model for design optimization of thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    8. Zhang, Ran & Zhang, Hui & Wang, Xu, 2021. "Lateral comparison of the coupling parameters on the novel hexagonal shaped cross flow thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PB).
    9. Patil, Dipak S. & Arakerimath, Rachayya R. & Walke, Pramod V., 2018. "Thermoelectric materials and heat exchangers for power generation – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 1-22.
    10. Aljaghtham, Mutabe & Celik, Emrah, 2020. "Design optimization of oil pan thermoelectric generator to recover waste heat from internal combustion engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    11. Jia, Xiao-Dong & Wang, Yuan-Jing & Gao, Yuan-Wen, 2017. "Numerical simulation of thermoelectric performance of linear-shaped thermoelectric generators under transient heat supply," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 276-285.
    12. Massaguer, A. & Massaguer, E. & Comamala, M. & Pujol, T. & Montoro, L. & Cardenas, M.D. & Carbonell, D. & Bueno, A.J., 2017. "Transient behavior under a normalized driving cycle of an automotive thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1282-1296.
    13. Yu, Shuhai & Du, Qing & Diao, Hai & Shu, Gequn & Jiao, Kui, 2015. "Start-up modes of thermoelectric generator based on vehicle exhaust waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 276-290.
    14. Shittu, Samson & Li, Guiqiang & Xuan, Qindong & Zhao, Xudong & Ma, Xiaoli & Cui, Yu, 2020. "Electrical and mechanical analysis of a segmented solar thermoelectric generator under non-uniform heat flux," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    15. 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).
    16. Wang, Ruochen & Yu, Wei & Meng, Xiangpeng, 2018. "Performance investigation and energy optimization of a thermoelectric generator for a mild hybrid vehicle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1016-1028.
    17. Wang, Yiping & Li, Shuai & Xie, Xu & Deng, Yadong & Liu, Xun & Su, Chuqi, 2018. "Performance evaluation of an automotive thermoelectric generator with inserted fins or dimpled-surface hot heat exchanger," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 391-401.
    18. 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).
    19. Ge, Ya & He, Kui & Xiao, Liehui & Yuan, Wuzhi & Huang, Si-Min, 2022. "Geometric optimization for the thermoelectric generator with variable cross-section legs by coupling finite element method and optimization algorithm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 294-303.
    20. Luo, Ding & Wang, Ruochen & Yan, Yuying & Sun, Zeyu & Zhou, Weiqi & Ding, Renkai, 2021. "Comparison of different fluid-thermal-electric multiphysics modeling approaches for thermoelectric generator systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1266-1277.

    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:248:y:2019:i:c:p:614-625. 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.