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Performance Analysis of the Automotive TEG with Respect to the Geometry of the Modules

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Abstract

Recently there has been increasing interest in applying thermoelectric technology to recover waste heat in automotive exhaust gas. Due to the limited space in the vehicle, it’s meaningful to improve the TEG (thermoelectric generator) performance by optimizing the module geometry. This paper analyzes the performance of bismuth telluride modules for two criteria (power density and power output per area), and researches the relationship between the performance and the geometry of the modules. A geometry factor is defined for the thermoelectric element to describe the module geometry, and a mathematical model is set up to study the effects of the module geometry on its performance. It has been found out that the optimal geometry factors for maximum output power, power density and power output per unit area are different, and the value of the optimal geometry factors will be affected by the volume of the thermoelectric material and the thermal input. The results can be referred to as the basis for optimizing the performance of the thermoelectric modules.

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Abbreviations

a :

Power density (W/kg)

b :

Electrical power output per unit area (W/m2)

K :

Thermal conductance (W/K)

L :

Length (m)

m :

Mass (kg)

P max :

Maximum output power (W)

P out :

Output power (W)

Q :

Heat power (W)

q :

Heat flux (W/m2)

R :

Electrical resistance (Ω)

R in :

Generator internal resistance (Ω)

R L :

Load resistance (Ω)

R t :

Thermal resistance (K/W)

S :

Cross-section area (m2)

T :

Temperature (K)

ΔT :

Temperature difference (K)

U :

Voltage (V)

α :

Seebeck coefficient (V/K)

δ :

Geometry factor

ρ :

Electrical resistivity (Ω·m)

c :

Cold side of the element

C :

Cold side of the module

ceramic:

Ceramic substrate

Cu :

Copper strip

element:

Thermoelectric element

H :

Hot side of the module

h :

Hot side of the element

module:

Thermoelectric module

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Acknowledgement

This work was funded by Grant No. 2013CB632505 from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Automobile Engineering Institute, Wuhan University of Technology, 205 Luoshi Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430070, China

    C. G. Yu, S. J. Zheng, Y. D. Deng, C. Q. Su & Y. P. Wang

Authors
  1. C. G. Yu
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  2. S. J. Zheng
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  3. Y. D. Deng
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  4. C. Q. Su
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  5. Y. P. Wang
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Correspondence to Y. D. Deng.

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Yu, C.G., Zheng, S.J., Deng, Y.D. et al. Performance Analysis of the Automotive TEG with Respect to the Geometry of the Modules. J. Electron. Mater. 46, 2886–2893 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-5018-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-5018-z

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