Optimization of the Electric Properties of Thermoelectric Generators
(2010) In MSc ThesesDepartment of Automatic Control
- Abstract
- The efficiency in an internal combustion engine ranges from 25% to 45%. About 50% - 85% of the overall energy losses in a combustion engine is heat which is either cooled away by the vehicle's radiator or blown out with the exhaust gases. The heat has to be cooled off by the vehicle's cooler and this energy is never put into use again and is therefore called 'waste heat'. Even if a small fraction of the waste heat could be turned into useful energy again it would be a step in the right direction of improving fuel economy. {1} This master thesis aims to investigate how to harvest energy from the waste heat using thermoelectric generators, abbreviated 'TEG', and how to return this energy to a Scania truck. The waste heat energy is collected... (More)
- The efficiency in an internal combustion engine ranges from 25% to 45%. About 50% - 85% of the overall energy losses in a combustion engine is heat which is either cooled away by the vehicle's radiator or blown out with the exhaust gases. The heat has to be cooled off by the vehicle's cooler and this energy is never put into use again and is therefore called 'waste heat'. Even if a small fraction of the waste heat could be turned into useful energy again it would be a step in the right direction of improving fuel economy. {1} This master thesis aims to investigate how to harvest energy from the waste heat using thermoelectric generators, abbreviated 'TEG', and how to return this energy to a Scania truck. The waste heat energy is collected through a TEG. A thermoelectric generator consists of metals or semiconductors and by using the Seebeck effect it turns heat into electric energy. The aim of this report is to investigate how to return the electric energy delivered by the thermoelectric generator into the electric system of a truck with minimal energy conversion losses. Besides from investigating and explaining the electrical system dynamics of a Scania truck a numerical model was constructed in matlab/simulink and a demo DC/DC converter was built. The simulink model both verifies the calculated electrical system model and it also serves as a way of evaluating different thermoelectrical setups. The two main reasons why a demo DC/DC converter was built are because theory can be evaluated in practice and it will also be used to demonstrate a waste heat recovery system on a Scania truck. There are two alternatives when connecting a TEG unit to a vehicle's electric system; either with a DC/DC converter or without a DC/DC converter. The configuration to prefer is with a DC/DC converter since it will produce more power with a fewer TEG modules in series. It also enables the possibility to output multiple output voltages like 12V and 24V. Last but not least it is the only option for larger TEG systems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8847509
- author
- Shawwaf, Adham
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2010
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- publication/series
- MSc Theses
- report number
- TFRT-5873
- ISSN
- 0280-5316
- language
- English
- id
- 8847509
- date added to LUP
- 2016-03-16 12:43:12
- date last changed
- 2016-03-16 12:43:12
@misc{8847509,
abstract = {{The efficiency in an internal combustion engine ranges from 25% to 45%. About 50% - 85% of the overall energy losses in a combustion engine is heat which is either cooled away by the vehicle's radiator or blown out with the exhaust gases. The heat has to be cooled off by the vehicle's cooler and this energy is never put into use again and is therefore called 'waste heat'. Even if a small fraction of the waste heat could be turned into useful energy again it would be a step in the right direction of improving fuel economy. {1} This master thesis aims to investigate how to harvest energy from the waste heat using thermoelectric generators, abbreviated 'TEG', and how to return this energy to a Scania truck. The waste heat energy is collected through a TEG. A thermoelectric generator consists of metals or semiconductors and by using the Seebeck effect it turns heat into electric energy. The aim of this report is to investigate how to return the electric energy delivered by the thermoelectric generator into the electric system of a truck with minimal energy conversion losses. Besides from investigating and explaining the electrical system dynamics of a Scania truck a numerical model was constructed in matlab/simulink and a demo DC/DC converter was built. The simulink model both verifies the calculated electrical system model and it also serves as a way of evaluating different thermoelectrical setups. The two main reasons why a demo DC/DC converter was built are because theory can be evaluated in practice and it will also be used to demonstrate a waste heat recovery system on a Scania truck. There are two alternatives when connecting a TEG unit to a vehicle's electric system; either with a DC/DC converter or without a DC/DC converter. The configuration to prefer is with a DC/DC converter since it will produce more power with a fewer TEG modules in series. It also enables the possibility to output multiple output voltages like 12V and 24V. Last but not least it is the only option for larger TEG systems.}},
author = {{Shawwaf, Adham}},
issn = {{0280-5316}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{MSc Theses}},
title = {{Optimization of the Electric Properties of Thermoelectric Generators}},
year = {{2010}},
}