Increasing the efficiency of heat utilization of exhaust air from combustion chambers by conversion into electrical energy

Authors

  • M. Zablodskyi National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine image/svg+xml
  • O. Kovalchuk National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31548/

Abstract

The article is devoted to solving the urgent problem of increasing the energy efficiency of thermal processes by implementing the latest technology using thermoelectric modules as an alternative source of electricity that uses waste heat. The purpose of the study is to develop and experimentally verify the operability of an autonomous system for recovering heat losses from the combustion chamber of hydrocarbon-water mixtures based on thermoelectric generators. The experimental setup included a commercial module TEC1-12715, which at a temperature gradient of ≈40°C (141°C / 101°C) generated a voltage of 1.56V and a current of ≈0.32A, which corresponds to a power of ≈0.49W. A DC-DC converter (2V → 24V) was used to increase the voltage. The practical suitability of the system was tested on the example of powering a low-power electrical load. The temperature field was assessed during the experimental study using thermal imaging measurements and a non-contact thermometer. A three-dimensional model of ten pairs of P/N-Type elements was developed, which takes into account thermal conductivity and thermoelectric effects. To assess the efficiency of the module, numerical simulation was performed in COMSOL Multiphysics, where a three-dimensional model of an element with 10 thermocouples was created. Under similar temperature conditions, it provided an output voltage of 0.144V. Extrapolation to a full module with 127 pairs gave a theoretical value of ≈1.83V, which is ≈14.7% higher than the experimental results. The discrepancy is explained by thermal losses and idealized modeling conditions. The results obtained confirm the potential of TEG for utilizing low-potential heat and powering auxiliary devices in autonomous power systems. Prospects for further development of the system include the use of materials with a higher Seebeck coefficient; improvement of the cooling system, in particular with the use of CFD analysis; implementation of buffer energy storage for pulsed power supply of loads.

Key words: thermoelectric generators, heat recovery, heat loss utilization, water-hydrocarbon mixtures, boost converter, combustion chamber, COMSOL Multiphysics software environment, temperature gradient

References

1. Wu, C., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., & Zeng, Y. (2022). A 7.5-mV Input and 88%-Efficiency Single-Inductor Boost Converter with Self-Startup and MPPT for Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting. Micromachines, 14(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010060

2. Heber, L., Schwab, J., & Knobelspies, T. (2021). 3 kW Thermoelectric Generator for Natural Gas-Powered Heavy-Duty Vehicles—Holistic Development, Optimization and Validation. Energies, 15(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010015

3. Raut, P., & Vohra, M. (2021). Experimental investigation and comparative analysis of selected thermoelectric generators operating with automotive waste heat recovery module. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.07.227

4. Araiz, M., Casi, Á., Catalán, L., Aranguren, P., & Astrain, D. (2021). Thermoelectric Generator with Passive Biphasic Thermosyphon Heat Exchanger for Waste Heat Recovery: Design and Experimentation. Energies, 14(18), 5815. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14185815

5. Konstantinou, G., Kyratsi, T., & Louca, L. S. (2022). Design of a Thermoelectric Device for Power Generation through Waste Heat Recovery from Marine Internal Combustion Engines. Energies, 15(11), 4075. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15114075

6. Brito, F. P., Peixoto, J. S., Martins, J., Gonçalves, A. P., Louca, L., Vlachos, N., & Kyratsi, T. (2021). Analysis and Design of a Silicide-Tetrahedrite Thermoelectric Generator Concept Suitable for Large-Scale Industrial Waste Heat Recovery. Energies, 14(18), 5655. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14185655

7. Attar, A., Rady, M., Abuhabaya, A., Albatati, F., Hegab, A., & Almatrafi, E. (2021). Performance Assessment of Using Thermoelectric Generators for Waste Heat Recovery from Vapor Compression Refrigeration Systems. Energies, 14(23), 8192. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14238192

8. Wang, J., Lu, L., & Jiao, K. (2024). Solar- and/or Radiative Cooling-Driven Thermoelectric Generators: A Critical Review. Energy Engineering, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2024.051051

9. Yazawa, K., & Shakouri, A. (2021). Heat Flux Based Optimization of Combined Heat and Power Thermoelectric Heat Exchanger. Energies, 14(22), 7791. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14227791

10. Zablodskiy, N., Kovalchuk, O., Kovalchuk, S., & Nasieka, I. (2024). Numerical Modeling and Investigation of Streamer Breakdown in a Coaxial Plasma Torch Based on Townsend Processes. In 2024 International Conference on Engineering and Emerging Technologies (ICEET) (pp. 1–5). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/iceet65156.2024.10913556

11. Zablodsky M.M., Andrievsky A.P. (2022). Method of multi-streamer pulse-discharge support of combustion of stoichiometrically depleted combustible air-water-hydrocarbon-gas mixture. Patent of Ukraine for invention No. 125775. MPK H05H 1/24 (2006.01),C10K3/06 (2006.01) 05.11.2020, publ. 01.06.2022, bull. No. 22. https://sis.nipo.gov.ua/uk/search/simple/?form-TOTAL_FORMS=1&form-INITIAL_FORMS=1&form-MAX_NUM_FORMS=&form-0-param_type=3&form-0-value=125775 (access date: 04/28/2025).

12. Farokhipour, A., Hamidpour, E., & Amani, E. (2018). A numerical study of NOx reduction by water spray injection in gas turbine combustion chambers. Fuel, 212, 173–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2017.10.033

13. COMSOL Multiphysics ® Reference Manual [Електронний ресурс] URL: https://doc.comsol.com/6.2/doc/com.comsol.help.comsol/COMSOL_ReferenceManual.pdf

Published

2025-09-08

Issue

No. 3 (2025)

Section

Статті

License

Relationship between right holders and users shall be governed by the terms of the license Creative Commons  Attribution – non-commercial – Distribution On Same Conditions 4.0 international (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0):https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.uk

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).