Design, manufacture and performance test of the thermoelectric generator system for waste heat recovery of engine exhaust

Abstract

This study integrated the techniques of the high-performance heat transfer and thermoelectric conversion to build a thermoelectric generator system installed at the exhaust pipe of a real single-cylinder and four-stroke engine of 35.8 c.c. displacement. This system was made of the heat absorber, thermoelectric generator modules and the external heat sink. The pin-fin array was inserted into the circuitous duct to form the heat absorber, which could increase the heat-exchange surface area and the heat-exchange time to reach the object of absorbing heat and increasing thermoelectric conversion effectively.