Solar-and/or Radiative Cooling-Driven Thermoelectric Generators:A Critical Review

Thermoelectric generators(TEGs)play a critical role in collecting renewable energy fromthe sun and deep space to generate clean electricity.With their environmentally friendly,reliable,and noise-free operation,TEGs offer diverse applications,including areas with limited power infrastructure,microelectronic devices,and wearable technology.The review thoroughly analyses TEG system configurations,performance,and applications driven by solar and/or radiative cooling,covering non-concentrating,concentrating,radiative cooling-driven,and dual-mode TEGs.Materials for solar absorbers and radiative coolers,simulation techniques,energy storage management,and thermal management strategies are explored.The integration of TEGs with combined heat and power systems is identified as a promising application.Additionally,TEGs hold potential as charging sources for electronic devices.This comprehensive review provides valuable insights into this energy collection approach,facilitating improved efficiency,reduced costs,and expanded applications.It also highlights current limitations and knowledge gaps,emphasizing the importance of further research and development in unlocking the full potential of TEGs for a sustainable and efficient energy future.

Recovery of Solid Oxide Fuel CellWaste Heat by Thermoelectric Generators and AlkaliMetal Thermoelectric Converters

A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell(SOFC)is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a substance into electrical energy through an oxidation-reduction mechanism.The electrochemical reaction of a solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)generates heat,and this heat can be recovered and put to use in a waste heat recovery system.In addition to preheating the fuel and oxidant,producing steam for industrial use,and heating and cooling enclosed rooms,this waste heat can be used for many more productive uses.The large waste heat produced by SOFCs is a worry that must be managed if they are to be adopted as a viable option in the power generation business.In light of these findings,a novel approach to SOFC waste heat recovery is proposed.The SOFC is combined with a“Thermoelectric Generator and an Alkali Metal Thermoelectric Converter(TG-AMTC)”to transform the excess heat generated by both the SOFC and the TG-AMTC.The proposed TG-AMTC is evaluated using a number of performance indicators including power density,operating temperature,heat recovery rate,exergetic efficiency,energy efficiency,and recovery time.The experimental results state that TG-AMTC has provided an exergetic efficiency,energetic efficiency,and recovery time of 97%,98%,and 23%,respectively.The study proves that the proposed TG-AMTC for SOFC is an efficient method of recovering waste heat.

The Method of Thermoelectric Energy Generations Based on the Axial and Radial Flux Electromagnetic Inductions*

The traditional thermoelectric energy conversion techniques are explained in detail in terms of the axial flux electromagnetic (AFE) and the radial flux electromagnetic (RFE) inductions, and applications to heat engines for the energy-harvesting technologies are discussed. The idea is induced by the analysis of thermomechanical dynamics (TMD) for a nonequilibrium irreversible thermodynamic system of heat engines (a drinking bird, a low temperature Stirling engine), resulting in thermoelectric energy generation different from conventional heat engines. The mechanism of thermoelectric energy conversion can be categorized as the axial flux generator (AFG) and the radial flux generator (RFG). The axial flux generator is helpful for low mechanoelectric energy conversion and activations of waste heat from macroscopic energy generators, such as wind, geothermal, thermal, nuclear power plants and heat-dissipation lines, and the device contributes to solving environmental problems to maintain clean and sustainable energy as one of the energy harvesting technologies.

Water-resistant organic thermoelectric generator with >10μW output

Flexible p–n thermoelectric generator(TEG)technology has rapidly advanced with power enhancement and size reduction.To achieve a stable power supply and highly efficient energy conversion,absolute chemical stability of n-type materials is essential to ensuring large temperature differences between device terminals and ambient stability.With the aim of improving the long-term stability of the n-type operation of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)in air and water,this study uses cationic surfactants,such as octylene-1,8-bis(dimethyldodecylammonium bromide)(12-8-12),a gemini surfactant,to stabilize the nanotubes in a coating,which retains the n-doped state for more than 28 days after exposure to air and water in experiments.TEGs with 10 p-n units of 12-8-12/CNT(n-type)and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate/CNT(p-type)layers are manufactured,and their water stability is evaluated.The initial maximum output of 16.1μW(75 K temperature difference)is retained after water immersion for 40 days without using a sealant to prevent TEG module degradation.The excellent stability of these CNT-based TEGs makes them suitable for underwater applications,such as battery-free health monitoring and information gathering systems,and facilitates the development of soft electronics.

Textile-Based Thermoelectric Generators and Their Applications

With the rapid development of Internet of Things and miniaturized electronics, the demand for wearable power sources with high reliability and long duty cycle promotes the exploration of wearable thermoelectric generators(TEGs). In particular, textile-based TEGs that can perpetually convert the ubiquitous temperature gradient between human body and ambience into electrical energy have attracted intensive attention to date.These lightweight and three-dimensional deformable TEGs comprised of fibers, filaments, yarns, or fabrics offer unique merits as wearable power source in comparison with conventional TEGs. In this review, we systematically summarize the state-of-the-art strategies for textile-based TEGs, including the structure design, fabrication, device performance, and application. Existing critical issues and future research emphasis are also discussed.

Waste Heat Recovery from a Drier Receiver of an A/C Unit Using Thermoelectric Generators

Thermoelectric generators(TEGs)are considered promising devices for waste heat recovery from various systems.The Seebeck effect can be utilized to generate power using the residual heat emitted by the filter dryer receiver(FDR)of an air conditioning(A/C)system,which would otherwise go to waste.The study aims to build a set of thermoelectric generators(TEG)to collect the waste heat of the FDR and generate low-power electricity.A novel electrical circuit with two transformers is designed and fabricated to produce a more stable voltage for operation and charging.The thermoelectric generator(TEGs)was installed on the FDR of the A/C unit.The test showed that climate conditions have a significant impact on the output power generated from the system.The results showed that the peak voltage recorded in the current study is 5.2 V per day(wet,cold,and wind weather)with an output power of 0.2 W.These values are acceptable for powering the load and charging a single battery with 3.5 V as the voltage increases battery 0.1 V/20 min charge.A case study of operating the emergency signs in a building was considered.The current heat recovery system is deemed to be easily installed and can be connected to a network of TEGs to produce more power.

The Application of Thermomechanical Dynamics (TMD) to Thermoelectric Energy Generation by Employing a Low Temperature Stirling Engine

A thermoelectric generation Stirling engine (TEG-Stirling engine) is discussed by employing a low temperature Stirling engine and the dissipative equation of motion derived from the method of thermomechanical dynamics (TMD). The results and mechanism of axial flux electromagnetic induction (AF-EMI) are applied to a low temperature Stirling engine, resulting in a TEG-Stirling engine. The method of TMD produced thermodynamically consistent and time-dependent physical quantities for the first time, such as internal energy ℰ(t), thermodynamic work Wth(t), the total entropy (heat dissipation) Qd(t)and measure or temperature of a nonequilibrium state T˜(t). The TMD analysis produced a lightweight mechanical system of TEG-Stirling engine which derives electric power from waste heat of temperature (40˚CT100˚C) by a thermoelectric conversion method. An optimal low rotational speed about 30θ′(t)/(2π)60(rpm) is found, applicable to devices for sustainable, clean energy technologies. The stability of a thermal state and angular rotations of TEG-Stirling engine are specifically shown by employing properties of nonequilibrium temperature T˜(t), which is also applied to study optimal fuel-injection and combustion timings of heat engines.

Thermoelectric generators and their applications:Progress,challenges,and future prospects

Our community currently deals with issues such as rising electricity costs,pollution,and global warming.Scientists work to improve energy harvesting-based power generators in order to reduce their impacts.The Seebeck effect has been used to illustrate the capacity of thermoelectric generators(TEGs)to directly convert thermal energy to electrical energy.They are also ecologically beneficial since they do not include chemical products,function quietly because they lack mechanical structures and/or moving components,and may be built using different fabrication technologies such as three-dimentional(3D)printing,silicon technology,and screen printing,etc.TEGs are also position-independent and have a long operational lifetime.TEGs can be integrated into bulk and flexible devices.This review gives further investigation of TEGs,beginning with a full discussion of their operating principle,kinds,materials utilized,figure of merit,and improvement approaches,which include various thermoelectric material arrangements and utilised technologies.This paper also discusses the use of TEGs in a variety of disciplines such as automobile and biomedical.

Optimal Control of a Thermoelectric Generator Attached with a Latent Heat Accumulator

Generally MPPT control (maximum power point tracking) is adopted to control of a thermoelectric generator. However, in the case of generation by use of a heat accumulator MPPT control cannot obtain maximum whole electrical output during the operation period. This is because the amount of heat stored in a heat accumulator is limited and easy to be exhausted rapidly by MPPT. Therefore MEPT (Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking) control should be developed to obtain maximum power from limited heat stored in the heat accumulator. When thermoelectric generator is used for waste heat recovery, conversion efficiency is quite difficult to be measured. This is due to time delay between the change of temperature profile in the thermoelectric generator and the change of heat medium temperature. Decrease of output current is desired to enlarge output because decrease of current decreases Peltier heat and improves efficiency of heat recovery. The experimental results indicate that current fluctuated by MPPT control causes loss of power output. We proposed the optimal control in which current is 10% smaller than one of MPPT control and evaluated it experimentally. We call this control scheme MEPT control. In this evaluation 500 W class thermoelectric generator, latent heat accumulator and the test facilities included 30 kW electric heater are utilized. Experimental result shows MEPT control exceeds MPPT in total electricity recovered from heat accumulator.

Powering a Low Power Wireless Sensor in a Harsh Industrial Environment: Energy Recovery with a Thermoelectric Generator and Storage on Supercapacitors

Wireless sensor networks are widely used for monitoring in remote areas. They mainly consist of wireless sensor nodes, which are usually powered by batteries with limited capacity, but are expected to last for long periods of time. To overcome these limitations and achieve perpetual autonomy, an energy harvesting technique using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) coupled with storage on supercapacitors is proposed. The originality of the work lies in the presentation of a maintenance-free, robust, and tested solution, well adapted to a harsh industrial context with a permanent temperature gradient. The harvesting part, which is attached to the hot spot in a few seconds using magnets, can withstand temperatures of 200°C. The storage unit, which contains the electronics and supercapacitors, operates at temperatures of up to 80°C. More specifically, this article describes the final design of a 3.3 V 60 mA battery-free power supply. An analysis of the thermal potential and the electrical power that can be recovered is presented, followed by the design of the main electronic stages: energy recovery using a BQ25504, storage on supercapacitors and finally shaping the output voltage with a boost (TPS610995) followed by an LDO (TPS71533).

Smart Thermoelectric Earth-Air Generator Safety System

In this study,the soil-air generator of the thermoelectric safety system working with soil heat was investigated.For this,a special electronic safety device was made and the output parameters of the device were investigated.In order to investigate the operation of the thermoelectric“earth-air”generator safety system in real nature conditions,temperatures at the soil depth and soil surface equal to the length of the generator in four different regions of Ankara in four seasons were measured and modeled.Afterwards,physical parameters such as power P(W),voltage U(V)and current I(A)produced by the generator according toΔT were examined by using all this scientific information with a special test setup.According to the results obtained,it has been determined that the Intelligent thermoelectric earth-air generator safety system(ATES)has the feature of notifying the security units in case of area violation by generating its own electricity with the help of the heat in the soil without the need for any electrical cable.In addition,the environmentally friendly ATES system is an innovative product and it has been seen that it will be used in various fields,especially in military applications.

A Thermoelectric Generator Manufacture Research Based on Oscillating-Flow Heat Pipe Technology

Oscillating heat pipe is a new type of heat transfer. It not only has simple structure, non-pollution and low maintenance cost, but also has high heat transfer efficiency. Semiconductor thermoelectric generation technology is also an environmental technology. This article combines these two kinds of technology. By means of this generate electricity way, we make a set of system and the related experiment. Then we do some research on the feasibility of this system.

Thermoelectric Stirling Engine (TEG-Stirling Engine) Based on the Analysis of Thermomechanical Dynamics (TMD)

The thermoelectric energy conversion technique by employing the Disk-Magnet Electromagnetic Induction (DM-EMI) is examined in detail, and possible applications to heat engines as one of the energy-harvesting technologies are discussed. The idea is induced by the analysis of thermomechanical dynamics (TMD) for a nonequilibrium irreversible thermodynamic system of heat engines, such as a drinking bird and a low temperature Stirling engine, resulting in thermoelectric energy generation different from conventional heat engines. The current thermoelectric energy conversion with DM-EMI can be applied to wide ranges of machines and temperature differences. The mechanism of DM-EMI energy converter is categorized as the axial flux generator (AFG), which is the reason why the technology is applicable to sensitive thermoelectric conversions. On the other hand, almost all the conventional turbines use the radius flux generator to extract huge electric power, which uses the radial flux generator (RFG). The axial flux generator is helpful for a low mechanoelectric energy conversion and activations of waste heat from macroscopic energy generators such as wind, geothermal, thermal, nuclear power plants and heat-dissipation lines. The technique of DM-EMI will contribute to solving environmental problems to maintain clean and sustainable energy as one of the energy harvesting technologies.

Experimental Research on Tank Exhaust's Thermal Restraint Based on Thermoelectric Generation Theory

Aimed at the high temperature of tank's exhaust, the principle of applying thermoelectric generation technology to tank thermal restraint was analyzed. Its application experiments were conducted to test the exhaust temperature under different rotating speeds, The experiment results show that the thermoelectric generator can output sufficient electric energy to drive fans; the external surface temperature of radiator is reduced by over 65.0% compared with exhaust surface due to the combination effect of thermoelectric conversion, fan cooling and heat radiation; the exhaust surface temperature rise caused by increase of the engine's rotating speed results in the increases of the temperature difference of the thermoelectric generator's cold and hot sides, the fan's driving voltage and heat convection, thus, the effect of fan's cooling is more obvious than that of the temperature rise caused by exhaust.

Further Stabilization and Power Density Improvement of Stack-Type Thermoelectric Power Generating Module with Biphasic Medium by Using Various Flexible Metals as Electrodes

In order to realize further stability of a stack-type thermoelectric power generating module (i.e. no electrical connections inside), flexible materials of metal springs and/or rods having restoring forces were installed between lower-temperature-sides of thermoelectric elements. These flexible materials were expected to play three important roles of interpolating different thermal expansions of the module components, enlarging heat removal area and penetration of any media through themselves. Then, a low-boiling-point medium (i.e. NOVEC manufactured by 3M Japan Ltd.) was also applied for a high-speed direct heat removal via its phase change from the lower-temperature-sides of the thermoelectric elements in the proposing stack-type thermoelectric power generating module. No electrical disconnections inside the module were confirmed for more than 9 years of use, indicating further module stability. The power generating density was improved to about 120 mW·m-2 with SUS304 springs having 0.7 mm diameter. Increasing power generating density can be expected in terms of suitable selection of flexible metal with high Vickers hardness, cavities control on the spring surface, more vigorous multiphase flow with adding powders to the medium and optimization of the module configurations according to numerical simulations.

Improving the performance of a thermoelectric power system using a flat-plate heat pipe

A gravitational flat-plate heat pipe is designed and fabricated in this paper to serve as a heat spreader to diffuse the local heat source to the hot side of the thermoelectric power module.Based on this, an experimental test for the thermoelectric power generation system is conducted to study the influences of the heat spreader on the temperature uniformity and power generation performance when exposing to a local heat source.In addition,the effects of the heating power, inclination angle, and local heat source size on the power generation performance of the thermoelectric power module using a flat-plate heat pipe as a heat spreader are examined and compared with that using a metal plate.The results indicate that the gravitational flat-plate heat pipe has considerable advantages over the metal plate in the temperature uniformity.The superiority of temperature uniformity in the improvement of power generation performance for the thermoelectric power system using a heat pipe is demonstrated.Particularly, the heat pipe shows good adaptability to placement mode and the local heat source size, which is beneficial to the application in the thermoelectric power generation.

The Disk-Magnet Electromagnetic Induction Applied to Thermoelectric Energy Conversions

The thermoelectric energy conversion technique by employing the Disk-Magnet Electromagnetic Induction (DM-EMI) and improved DM-EMIs is shown, and possible applications to heat engines as one of the energy harvesting technologies are also discussed. The idea is induced by integrating irreversible thermodynamical mechanism of a water drinking bird with that of a Stirling engine, resulting in thermoelectric energy generation different from conventional heat engines. The current thermoelectric energy conversion with DM-EMI can be applied to wide ranges of temperature differences. The mechanism of DM-EMI energy converter is examined in terms of axial flux magnetic lines and categorized as the axial flux generator. It is useful for practical applications to macroscopic heat engines such as wind, geothermal, thermal and nuclear power turbines and heat-dissipation lines, for supporting thermoelectric energy conversions. The technique of DM-EMI will contribute to environmental problems to maintain clean and susceptible energy as one of the energy harvesting technologies.

Energy Analyses of Thermoelectric Renewable Energy Sources

The recent energy crisis and environmental burden are becoming increasingly urgent and drawing enormous attention to solar-energy utilization. Direct solar thermal power generation technologies, such as, thermoelectric, thermionic, magneto hydrodynamic, and alkali-metal thermoelectric methods, are among the most attractive ways to provide electric energy from solar heat. Direct solar thermal power generation has been an attractive electricity generation technology using a concentrator to gather solar radiation on a heat collector and then directly converting heat to electricity through a thermal electric conversion element. Compared with the traditional indirect solar thermal power technology utilizing a steam-turbine generator, the direct conversion technology can realize the thermal to electricity conversion without the conventional intermediate mechanical conversion process. The power system is, thus, easy to extend, stable to operate, reliable, and silent, making the method especially suitable for some small-scale distributed energy supply areas. Also, at some occasions that have high requirements on system stability, long service life, and noiselessness demand, such as military and deep-space exploration areas, direct solar thermal power generation has very attractive merit in practice. At present, the realistic conversion efficiency of direct solar thermal power technology is still not very high, mainly due to material restriction and inconvenient design. However, from the energy conversion aspect, there is no conventional intermediate mechanical conversion process in direct thermal power conversion, which therefore guarantees the enormous potential of thermal power efficiency when compared with traditional indirect solar thermal power technology [1].

Optimal Control of Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermometric Generator System Using GEPSO

Recently the concern about energy consumption across the globe has become more severe due to global warming. One essential way to address this problem is to maximize the efficiency of existing renewable energy resources and effectively eliminate their power losses. The previous studies on energy harvesting of photovoltaic (PV) modules try to cope with this problem using gradient-based control techniques and pay little attention to the significant loss of solar energy in the form of waste heat. To reconcile these waste-heat problems, this paper investigates hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric generation (PV-TEG) systems. We implement the generalized particle swarm optimization (GEPSO) technique to maximize the power of PV systems under dynamic conditions by utilizing the waste heat to produce electricity through embedding the thermoelectric generator (TEG) with the PV module. The removal of waste heat increases the efficiency of PV systems and also adds significant electrical power. As a control method, the proposed GEPSO can maximize the output power. Simulations confirm that GEPSO outperforms some state-of-the-art methods, e.g., the perturb and observe (PO), cuckoo search (CS), incremental conductance (INC), and particle swarm optimization (PSO), in terms of accuracy and tracking speed.

Modeling, Simulation, and Implementation of a Solar Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting System

New alternatives and inventive renewable energy techniques which encompass both generation and power management solutions are fundamental for meeting remote residential energy supply and demand today, especially if the grid is quasi-inexistent. Solar thermoelectric generators mounted on a dual-axis sun tracker can be a cost-effective alternative to photovoltaics for remote residential household power generation. A complete solar thermoelectric energy harvesting system is presented in this paper for energy delivery to remote residential areas in developing regions. To this end, the entire system was built, modeled, and then validated with the LTspice simulator software via the thermal-to-electrical analogy schemes. Valuable data in conjunction with a novel LTspice circuit were obtained, showing the achievability of analyzing transient heat transfer with the SPICE simulator; however a few of the problems to be solved remain at the practical level. Despite the unusual operation of the thermoelectric modules with the solar radiation, the simulation and measurements were in good agreement, thus validating the new modeling strategy.