Thermo-environmental economic study on energy conversion system using thermoelectric generators (TEG SP1848) in cold storage condenser

Abstract

Thermoelectric generator is an alternative energy that utilizes temperature differences into electrical energy. The use of a thermoelectric generator (TEG SP1848) by utilizing a heat source from the exhaust heat of a cold storage condenser requires thermodynamic, environmental thermal, and techno-economic analysis. The method used in this study is a qualitative approach with descriptive and evaluative methods. Thermodynamic analysis of the amount of heat wasted at each position of the engine pipe obtained T1 pipe 38613.47 Watts, T2 pipe 3960.35 Watts, and T3 pipe 39651.80 Watts. The SP1848-based TEG energy conversion device absorbs 11.14 watts of heat energy placed in the T3 pipe and has an efficiency of 0.23%. Analysis of the environmental conditions of the cold storage engine room based on the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), Predicted Percentage Discomfort (PPD) and Temperature Humidity Index (THI) values shows that the engine room environment is not comfortable for human activities and can disrupt the balance of human metabolism. Techno-economic feasibility evaluation based on Net Present Value (NPV) and Payback Period (PBP) produces a negative value, while Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) is 0.0012, indicating that the conversion tool is not feasible to run.