An Experimental Study of a Novel Prototype for Thermoelectric Power Generation from Vehicle Exhaust

Authors

  • Weizhong Li Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Edu- cation, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, P.R. China
  • Changxin Liu Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, P.R. China, and (b) Energy and at Sustainability Research Division, Fac- ulty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Not- tingham NG7 2RD, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.2842

Keywords:

Exhaust heat recovery, mobile cogeneration, combined heat and power, thermal efficiency, thermal efficiency thermoelectric power generation, thermoelectric module, waste heat recovery

Abstract

In a vehicle’s internal combustion engine, about 30% of the pri-
mary energy is discharged as waste heat in the exhaust gases. Waste
heat recovery (WHR) is a noticeable promising application of thermo-
electric power generation (TEG). This is essentially a case of mobile
cogeneration where a vehicle utilizes a significant fraction of the fuel
energy in the form of combined heat and power. In this article, a novel
prototype for TEG from vehicle exhaust has been proposed. After sys-
tem modeling, an experiment structure has also been built and tested
for further study. Results of theoretic analysis and experiment reason-
ably show this prototype can be employed for exhaust heat recovery.
The prototype can generate a maximum power output of about 202W
when hot side temperature is 473K with 4.04% of system thermal effi-
ciency. System optimization and future improvement of the prototype
has also been discussed. Finally, based on a vehicle made by our re-
search funder, economic value for commercialization in diesel vehicles
has been analyzed.

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Author Biographies

Weizhong Li, Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Edu- cation, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, P.R. China

Weizhong Li (1955) is Professor of Dalian University of Technol-
ogy. His Ph.D. is from Nottingham Trent University (1998-2002). Prof.
Li’s research activities and expertise include: evaluation of the heat
exchanger and heat transfer enhancement mechanism, sustainable en-
ergy and waste heat recovery. He can be reached at Key Laboratory of
Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Edu-
cation, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of
Technology, Dalian 116023, P.R. China. E-mail: wzhongli@dlut.edu.cn,
Tel: +86 (0) 411 84708774

Changxin Liu, Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, P.R. China, and (b) Energy and at Sustainability Research Division, Fac- ulty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Not- tingham NG7 2RD, UK

Changxin Liu (1981) is a Ph.D. candidate of Dalian University of
Technology and was a Joint-Ph.D. student in University of Notting-
ham. Mr. Liu’s research activities and expertise include: Sustainable
energy, waste heat recovery and thermoelectric power generation. He
can be reached at (a) Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and
Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and
Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023,
P.R. China, and (b) Energy and at Sustainability Research Division, Fac-
ulty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Not-
tingham NG7 2RD, UK

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Published

2013-10-26

How to Cite

Li, W. ., & Liu, C. . (2013). An Experimental Study of a Novel Prototype for Thermoelectric Power Generation from Vehicle Exhaust. Distributed Generation &Amp; Alternative Energy Journal, 28(4), 32–48. https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.2842

Issue

2013: Vol 28 Iss 4

Section

Articles