An Experimental Study of the TEG Performance using Cooling Systems of Waterblock and Heatsink-Fan

Abstract

Two third of the total energy in the internal combustion engine (ICE) system is lost and turns as waste heat through the exhaust system and coolant circulations. Therefore, it is necessary to have a technology that is able to convert waste heat from ICE into electrical energy using  thermal electric generator (TEG). To have the best thermoelectric generator (TEG) performance in terms of higher electricity generation, the temperature on the hot surface should be higher, and the temperature on the cold surface should be as low as feasible. The goal of the study was to study how differences in TEG cooling systems affected the overall performance. Water block and heatsink-fan are two different types of cooling systems that have been used in this experiment. The water flow rate in water block cooling systems varies between 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 l/h. The TEG module was heated with gas-fired lighters. Arduino-based data loggers were used to record hot and cold temperatures on the TEG surface. A USB multimeter is used to measure TEG performance as electrical voltage. The results showed that 300 l/h was the best water flow rate for TEG cooling. When using a water block cooling system instead of a heat sink, the electrical voltage generated by the TEG module is 12 percent higher. This study found that a cooling system with water blocks is superior to heatsink-fan.