Performance enhancement of thermoelectric modules through coupled radiation shield and convection optimization

Thermoelectric modules (TEMs) exhibit significant potential for recovering industrial waste heat. In certain industrial environments (such as flue gas pipelines and furnace surfaces), it is difficult to install active cooling equipment, resulting in reduced output power of TEMs. Meanwhile, cooling equipment requires additional energy input, further reducing the net power of TEMs. In contrast, passive cooling requires no external energy input and offers broad environmental adaptability. However, most passive cooling equipment ignores the adverse effects caused by radiant heat from heat sources and convective heat transfer in the environment, thereby limiting cooling performance. This study proposes a passive cooling scheme that couples a radiator with an aerodynamically shaped air deflector. The air deflector both shields the TEM from incident radiation and improves airflow to intensify convection on the cold side. The impact of air deflector geometry on TEM performance was evaluated through numerical simulations, and surface optimization methods were explored to enhance performance further. The results show that the optimal air deflector has structural parameters of l = 100 mm, d = 0 mm, h1 = 40 mm, and h2 = 0 mm, which can achieve a TEM output power of 0.252 W with a conversion efficiency of 7.619%.