Affiliation:
1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Theory and Application of Advanced Materials Mechanics, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Abstract
In this paper, five shapes of thermoelectric generator (TEG) models (cylindrical, barrel shaped, hourglass shaped, cup shaped, and inverse cup shaped) are built under the boundary conditions of heat flux at the hot end and convection at the cold end of the TEGs. Based on the numerical simulation results, the configuration of the variable cross-section can effectively boost the performance of TEGs. Remarkably, the hourglass-shaped TEG generated the maximum output power and efficiency, which were 69.62% and 70.96% higher than that of the conventional cylindrical TEG, respectively. The results indicate that the hourglass shape is beneficial to enlarge the temperature difference between the two ends of the TEG, which results in performance improvement. In addition, the effects of heat flux and convection on the performance of TEGs are explored and discussed. After choosing the appropriate boundary conditions, the relationships between the maximum output power and efficiency and the shape factor of the hourglass-shaped TEG are obtained according to the fitting results. Finally, some conclusions are drawn to provide guidance for TEG applications.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Energy (miscellaneous),Energy Engineering and Power Technology,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Control and Optimization,Engineering (miscellaneous),Building and Construction
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