Thermoelectric generator performance enhancement by the application of pulsed heat power

Shittu, Samson; Li, Guiqiang; Zhao, Xudong; Ma, Xiaoli

Abstract

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) is usually studied under steady state heating conditions however, the use of pulsed heat power could significantly enhance its performance. Therefore, this paper presents a numerical investigation of the thermal and electrical performance of a typical thermoelectric generator (TEG) under both steady state and transient pulsed heating conditions. A threedimensional finite element model is used to study the temperature, voltage, current distribution and power output of the TEG. A comparison is made between the performance of the TEG under steady state and transient pulsed heating conditions. Furthermore, a parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of thermoelectric leg length and cross-sectional area on the performance of the TEG under both heating conditions. Rectangular and triangular pulsed heat functions are used for the transient study. Results show that rectangular pulsed heating provides the best performance compared to the triangular pulsed heating and steady state heating. In addition, the power output of the TEG decreased as the leg height increased however, it increased as the leg area increased. Therefore, shorter thermoelectric legs with wider cross-sectional area are suggested to enhance the performance of the TEG. This study will provide a valuable reference for future design of thermoelectric generators to obtain optimum performance.

Citation

Shittu, S., Li, G., Zhao, X., & Ma, X. (2019, June). Thermoelectric generator performance enhancement by the application of pulsed heat power. Presented at International Conference on Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer: FFHMT'19, Ottawa, Canada

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: International Conference on Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer: FFHMT'19
• Start Date: Jun 18, 2019
• End Date: Jun 19, 2019
• Acceptance Date: Apr 25, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 19, 2020
• Series ISSN: 2369-3029
• ISBN: 9781927877593
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.11159/ffhmt19.146
• Keywords: Thermoelectric generator; Pulsed heat power; Finite element method; Performance enhancement
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3406942
• Publisher URL: https://avestia.com/FFHMT2019_Proceedings/files/paper/FFHMT_146.pdf