A thermoelectric power generating heat exchanger: Part I - Experimental realization

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates a thermoelectric heat exchanger that effectively converts heat flow into electrical power, highlighting the influence of temperature span and flow rate on power output.

Contribution

It provides an experimental realization and characterization of a thermoelectric heat exchanger with commercial TEGs, analyzing performance dependencies on flow rate and temperature span.

Findings

Power output reaches 2 W per TEG at 175°C temperature difference.

Total power of 200 W achieved with 100 TEGs.

Power depends more on temperature span than flow rate.

Abstract

An experimental realization of a heat exchanger with commercial thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is presented. The power producing capabilities as a function of flow rate and temperature span are characterized for two different commercial heat transfer fluids and for three different thermal interface materials. The device is shown to produce 2 W per TEG or 0.22 W cm$^{-2}$ at a fluid temperature difference of 175 $^\circ$C and a flow rate per fluid channel of 5 L min$^{-1}$. One experimentally realized design produced 200 W in total from 100 TEGs. For the design considered here, the power production is shown to depend more critically on the fluid temperature span than on the fluid flow rate. Finally, the temperature span across the TEG is shown to be 55% to 75% of the temperature span between the hot and cold fluids.