Two-Dimensional Thermal Resistance Analysis of a Waste Heat Recovery System with Thermoelectric Generators

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials 2013-07, Vol.42 (7), p.1982-1987
• Main Authors: Huang, Gia-Yeh, Yao, Da-Jeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators; Electric power; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport in condensed matter; Electronic transport phenomena in thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronics; Electronics and Microelectronics; Exact sciences and technology; Generators; Heat recovery systems; Heat resistance; Instrumentation; Materials Science; Optical and Electronic Materials; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Solid State Physics; Thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects; Thermoelectric effects; Thermoelectric, pyroelectric devices, etc
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-013-2488-0

In this study, it is shown that two-dimensional (2D) thermal resistance analysis is a rapid and simple method to predict the power generated from a waste heat recovery system with thermoelectric generators (TEGs). Performance prediction is an important part of system design, generally being simulated by numerical methods with high accuracy but long computational duration. Use of the presented analysis saves much time relative to such numerical methods. The simple 2D model of the waste heat recovery system comprises three parts: a recovery chamber, the TEGs, and a cooling system. A fin-structured duct serves as a heat recovery chamber, to which were attached the hot sides of two TEGs; the cold sides were attached to a cooling system. The TEG module and duct had the same width. In the 2D analysis, unknown temperatures are located at the centroid of each cell into which the system is divided. The relations among the unknown temperatures of the cells are based on the principle of energy conservation and the definition of thermal resistance. The temperatures of the waste hot gas at the inlet and of the ambient fluid are known. With these boundary conditions, the unknown temperatures in the system become solvable, and the power generated by the TEGs can be predicted. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional (3D) model of the system was simulated in FloTHERM 9.2. The 3D numerical solution matched the solution of the 2D analysis within 10%.