Work

Collection of low-grade waste heat for enhanced energy harvesting

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Enhanced energy harvesting through the collection of low-grade waste heat is experimentally demonstrated. A structural optimization technique is exploited in the design of a thermal-composite substrate to guide and gather the heat emanating from multiple sources to a predetermined location. A thermoelectric generator is then applied at the selected focusing region to convert the resulting low-grade waste heat to electrical power. The thermal characteristics of the device are experimentally verified by direct temperature measurements of the system and numerically validated via heat conduction simulations. Electrical performance under natural and forced convection is measured, and in both cases, the device with optimized heat flow control plus energy harvesting demonstrates increased power generation when compared with a baseline waste heat recovery system. Electronics applications include energy scavenging for autonomously powered sensor networks or self-actuated devices.

Source: AIP Advances

DOI: 10.1063/1.4950861

Authors: Ercan M. Dede, Paul Schmalenberg, Chi-Ming Wang, Feng Zhou, Tsuyoshi Nomura

Institutions: Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories (Japan), Toyota Research Institute, Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (United States)

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,350