Experimental analysis of an automotive thermoelectric generator under different engine operating regimes

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) have become a promising technology for vehicle exhaust heat recovery. In this paper, a novel prototype with reduced thermal inertia, low size and capable to withstand the exhaust highest temperatures has been proposed. A small-scale prototype has been built and tested for further study. Results of experiment show the reasonability for exhaust heat recovery. The prototype can generate a maximum power output of about 111 W when operating at exhaust temperatures of 700 ºC. The vehicle speed is a significant factor affecting the TEG performance for waste heat recovery. It can be found that the higher the vehicle speed is, the better the performance of the ATEG is. Also the temperature of the cooling system strongly affects the ATEG performance. Higher water cooling temperatures reduce temperature difference between hot and cold side of TEGs and cause a reduction on ATEG efficiency.