Work

Compact Water-Cooled Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Based on a Portable Gas Stove

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: A compact water-cooled thermoelectric generator (TEG) based on a portable gas stove was designed and analyzed to supply electricity in off-grid scenarios. The TEG incorporates a newly designed heat collector, eight thermoelectric (TE) modules, and a radiator to ensure its portability (5.9 kg) and sufficiency of electric power (12.9 W). Detailed measurements and discussions on power load feature and TE efficiency are presented. Experiments showed that the power generation capability of the proposed TEG is compromised by its compactness over previous water-cooled TEGs. A theoretical model incorporated with heat leaks from various origins has been developed to illustrate that the designed TEG exerts the potential of every TE module, and to reveal the proportion of various heat fluxes. The predicted electric power, various heat fluxes, and TE efficiency agree well with experimental data. The limitations of TE efficiency and the nonlinearity caused by Joule heat are discussed quantitatively.

Source: Energies

DOI: 10.3390/en11092231

Authors: Hongkun Lv, Guoneng Li, Youqu Zheng, Jiangen Hu, Jian Li

Institutions: State Grid Corporation of China (China), State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Company (China), Zhejiang University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137