Maximum power principle

Waste heat

Materials science

Physics

Work (physics)

Heat transfer

Mechanics

Thermoelectric generator

Automotive engineering

Mechanical engineering

Thermodynamics

Heat exchanger

Engineering

Power (physics)

Thermoelectric effect

Applied Energy

Thermoelectric generators have been regarded as a prospective technique used for recovering engine exhaust heat. Segmented structure is more appropriate for large temperature gradient between the heat and cold source. This work establishes a numerical model of segmented thermoelectric generator for engine waste heat recovery based on the component level and system level simultaneously. Two patterns of p-n ratios are conducted to compare the properties between segmented and traditional models as well as optimize the segmented ratios under various conditions to get better performance. In the pattern of same p-n segmented ratios, the effects of structural parameters and thermodynamic boundary conditions on the output performance are analyzed. The optimal proportion of medium temperature material (CoSb3) increases with longer thermoelectric elements and higher heat transfer coefficient, whereas the cross section area shows hardly any influence on it. And then the power improvement capacity in view of the property...

Performance assessment of engine exhaust-based segmented thermoelectric generators by length ratio optimization