A review on the cooling of energy conversion and storage systems using thermoelectric modules

Exploitation of sustainable energy sources requires the use of unique conversion and storage systems,such as solar panels,batteries,fuel cells,and electronic equipment.Thermal load management of these energy conversion and storage systems is one of their challenges and concerns.In this article,the thermal management of these systems using thermoelectric modules is reviewed.The results show that by choosing the right option to remove heat from the hot side of the thermoelectric modules,it will be a suitable local cooling,and the thermoelectric modules increase the power and lifespan of the system by reducing the spot temperature.Thermoelectric modules were effective in reducing panel temperature.They increase the time to reach a temperature above 50℃ in batteries by 3 to 4 times.Also,in their integration with fuel cells,they increase the power density of the fuel cell.

Highly flexible and excellent performance continuous carbon nanotube fibrous thermoelectric modules for diversified applications

A highly flexible and continuous fibrous thermoelectric(TE)module with high-performance has been fabricated based on an ultra-long single-walled carbon nanotube fiber,which effectively avoids the drawbacks of traditional inorganic TE based modules.The maximum output power density of a 1-cm long fibrous TE module with 8 p–n pairs can reach to 3436μW·cm^(-2),the power per unit weight to 2034μW·g^(-1),at a steady-state temperature difference of 50 K.The continuous fibrous TE module is used to detect temperature change of a single point,which exhibits a good responsiveness and excellent stability.Because of its adjustability in length,the flexible fibrous TE module can satisfy the transformation of the temperature difference between two distant heat sources into electrical energy.Based on the signal of the as-fabricated TE module,a multi-region recognizer has been designed and demonstrated.The highly flexible and continuous fibrous TE module with excellent performance shows a great potential in diversified applications of TE generation,temperature detection,and position identification.

Modeling of Sectional and Multi-stage Thermoelectric Modules as Waste Heat Recuperators

The results of computer simulation of segmented and cascaded thermoelectric generator modules are presented. That use of Bi2Te3-based materials as cold sections and PbTe-based materials as hot sections for two-section modules in the temperature range 303-773 K, allows to multiply their efficiency by 1.28 as compared to single-section ones. Cascade structures are characterized by better efficiency and lesser output power compared with the sectional, although construction investigated modules are designed to the equal areas.

Fabrication and Simulation of TE Modules for a Feasibility Study on Harvesting Solar Heat Energy from Roof Tiles

A novel roof tile thermoelectric generator(RT-TEG)was used to harvest electrical energy from a solar heat source.The RT-TEG was fabricated and simulated by flat and curved thermoelectric modules consisting of p-n junctions of p-Sb_(2)Te_(3) and n-Bi_(2)Te_(3),with an Al_(2)O_(3) substrate at the top and bottom for heat absorption and heat rejection.The RT-TEG was installed in a roof tile to act as a generator.The electrical voltage and power values of the curved thermoelectric modules were higher than those of the flat thermoelectric module by 0.44 V and 80 mW,at a temperature difference(ΔT)of 100 K.In field tests,the RT-TEG produced a maximum electrical voltage of 33.70 mV and an electrical power of 46.24μW atΔT~7 K under a load resistance of 1Ωunder good sunshine at 13.00 hours.The energy conversion efficiency of RT-TEG was found to be 2.24×10^(−4).

Simulation Research on Performance of a Novel Heating and Cooling System with Thermoelectric Module

This work proposes a novel heating and cooling system,with incorporated thermoelectric module,that can achieve energy balance using a self-water supply heat exchange subsystem.The thermoelectric effect is used to achieve controlled and adjustable heating of the circulating water.Simulations were conducted to study the thermal performance of the system while it simultaneously produces hot and cold water,with different working conditions for the hot-and cold-side water outlets.The results show that the water temperature at the hot side outlet increases from 32℃to 75℃when the power increases from 4.5 to 50 W.Additionally,the use of thermoelectric modules to heat water and recover waste heat is 22%more efficient than ordinary electric water heating systems.

Influence of Structure Parameters on Performance of the Thermoelectric Module

A numerical model of thermoelectric module （TEM） is created by academic analysis,and the impacts of the resistance ratio and thermoelement size on the output power and thermoelectric efficiency of the TEM are analyzed by the MATLAB numerical calculation.The numerical model is validated by the ANSYS thermal,electrical,and structural coupling simulation.The effects of the variable physical property parameters and contact effect on the output power and thermoelectric efficiency are evaluated,and the concept of aspect ratio optimal domain is proposed,which provides a new design approach for the TEM.

A novel thermal biosensor based on enzyme reaction for pesticides measurement

A novel thermal biosensor based on enzyme reaction for pesticides detection has been developed. This biosensor is a flow injection analysis system and consists of two channels with enzyme reaction column and identical reference column, which is set for eliminating the unspecific heat. The enzyme reaction takes place in the enzyme reaction column at a constant temperature(40℃) realized by a thermoelectric thermostat. Thermosensor based on the thermoelectric module containing 127 serial BiTe-thermocouples is used to monitor the temperature difference between two effluents from enzyme reaction column and reference column. The ability of this biosensor to detect pesticides is demonstrated by the decreased degree of the hydrolytic heat in two types of thermosensor mode. The hydrolytic reaction is inhibited by 36% at 1 mg/L DDVP and 50 % at 10 mg/L DDVP when cell-typed thermosensor is used. The percent inhibition is 30% at 1 mg/L DDVP and 42% at 10 mg/L DDVP in tube-typed thermosensor mode. The detection for real sample shows that this biosensor can be used for detection of organophosphate pesticides residue.

Performance evaluation of ultra-long lithium heat pipe using an improved lumped parameter model

Lithium heat pipes have broad applications in heat pipe cooling reactors and hypersonic vehicles owing to their ultra-high working temperature.In particular,when the length of the lithium heat pipe is ultra-long,the flow and heat transfer characteristics are more complex.In this study,an improved lumped parameter model that considers the Marangoni effect,bending effect,and different vapor flow patterns and Mach numbers was developed.Thereafter,the proposed model was verified using the University of New Mexico’s Heat Pipe and HTPIPE models.Finally,the verified model was applied to simulate the steady-state operation of an ultra-long lithium heat pipe in a Heat PipeSegmented Thermoelectric Module Converters space reactor.Based on the results:(1)Vapor thermal resistance was dominant at low heating power and decreased with increasing heating power.The vapor flow inside the heat pipe developed from the laminar to the turbulent phase,whereas the liquid phase in the heat pipe was always laminar.(2)The vapor pressure drop caused by bending was approximately 22–23%of the total,and the bending effect on the liquid pressure drop could be ignored.(3)The Marangoni effect reduced the capillary limit by hindering the liquid reflux,especially at low vapor temperatures.Without considering the Marangoni effect,the capillary limit of the lithium heat pipe was overestimated by 9%when the vapor temperature was 1400 K.(4)The total thermal resistance of the heat pipe significantly increased with increasing adiabatic length when the vapor temperature was low.Further,the wick dryness increased with increasing adiabatic length at any vapor temperature.Such findings improve on current knowledge for the optimal design and safety analysis of a heat pipe reactor,which adopts ultra-long lithium heat pipes.

Fuzzy Self-Tuning PID Control of Hydrogen-Driven Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Actuator

In this paper, a fuzzy self-tuning Proportional-Integral-Derivative （PID） control of hydrogen-driven Pneumatic Artificial Muscle （PAM） actuator is presented. With a conventional PID control, non-linear thermodynamics of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator still highly affects the mechanical actuations itself, causing deyiation of desired tasks. The fuzzy self-tuning PID con- troller is systematically developed so as to achieve dynamic performance targets of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator. The fuzzy rules based on desired characteristics of closed-loop control are designed to finely tune the PID gains of the controller under different operating conditions. The empirical models and properties of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator are used as a genuine representation of mechanical actuations. A mass-spring-damper system is applied to the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator as a typical mechanical load during actuations. The results of the implementation show that the viability of the proposed method in actuating the hydrogen-driven PAM under mechanical loads is close to desired oerformance.