Experimental study on thermoelectric characteristics of intermediate fluid thermoelectric generator

Thermoelectric technology plays a crucial role in harnessing waste heat from automobile exhaust, and developing low-resistance and high-efficiency thermoelectric generator is currently a focal point of research. The intermediate fluid thermoelectric generator (IFTEG) introduces a structural modification to conventional designs by utilizing boiling-condensation heat transfer of the intermediate fluid to enhance power generation performance. In this study, we constructed an experimental system to investigate the thermoelectric characteristics of IFTEG. The results demonstrate that the IFTEG outperforms traditional thermoelectric generators, exhibiting a remarkable increase in total output power ranging from 171% to 283%, a reduction in pressure drop ranging from 23% to 42%, and a significant improvement in voltage distribution uniformity across the modules. Increasing the exhaust temperature and flow rate significantly enhances the net output power while minimally affecting the voltage distribution uniformity. The net output power of 10.17 W and the net thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 1.39% are achieved at 200 °C and 30 m3/h. Overall, this novel generator offers advantages such as low pressure loss, high efficiency, and high reliability. The findings of this study provide valuable guidance for the development of exhaust thermoelectric generators.