Heat Transfer and Geometrical Analysis of Thermoelectric Converters Driven by Concentrated Solar Radiation
نویسندگان
چکیده
A heat transfer model that couples radiation/conduction/convection heat transfer with electrical potential distribution is developed for a thermoelectric converter (TEC) subjected to concentrated solar radiation. The 4-leg TEC module consists of two pairs of ptype La1.98Sr0.02CuO4 and n-type CaMn0.98Nb0.02O3 legs that are sandwiched between two ceramic Al2O3 hot/cold plates and connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. The governing equations for heat transfer and electrical potential are formulated, discretized and solved numerically by applying the finite volume (FV) method. The model is validated in terms of experimentally measured temperatures and voltages/power using a set of TEC demonstrator modules, subjected to a peak radiative flux intensity of 300 suns. The heat transfer model is then applied to examine the effect of the geometrical parameters (e.g. length/width of legs) on the solar-to-electricity energy conversion efficiency.
منابع مشابه
The Effect of Aperture Size on the Cavity Performance of Solar Thermoelectric Generator
In this manuscript, a solar cavity packed with thermoelectric generator modules is investigated numerically. The hot plate of TEG modules make the inner surface of the cube, and the cold plate is outside of the cavity, under natural convection. The TEG modules are electrically in series. The solution algorithm using the equations of heat transfer and generated power of TEG modules is d...
متن کاملModeling, Optimization and exergoeconomic analysis a multiple energy production system based on solar Energy, Wind Energy and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) in the onshore region
In the present study, investigated an energy production system using three types of renewable energy: solar, wind and ocean thermal energy with climatic conditions and close to areas with high potential for the OTEC system, Has a good position in terms of wind speed and solar radiation, used them as energy sources. The proposed system is designed and evaluated based on the total daily electrici...
متن کاملNumerical Investigation of Roofing Materials Effect on Solar Heat Gain in Different External Conditions
In this study, the thermal performance of three kinds of roofs with different heat capacity and thermal conductivity under different external conditions has been investigated using a numerical method. For this purpose, the combined solar radiation, conduction and convection heat transfer were calculated implicitly in terms of a one-dimensional finite difference method. Different high and low so...
متن کاملThermoelectric Oxide Modules (TOMs) for the Direct Conversion of Simulated Solar Radiation into Electrical Energy
The direct conversion of concentrated high temperature solar heat into electrical energy was demonstrated with a series of four–leg thermoelectric oxide modules (TOM). These temperature stable modules were not yet optimized for high efficiency conversion, but served as proof-of-principle for high temperature conversion. They were constructed by connecting two p(La1.98Sr0.02CuO4) and two n-type ...
متن کاملEffect of conjugate heat transfer in designing thermoelectric beverage cooler
Peltier technology opens new opportunities for special applications. In the current project, this technology was applied to design and fabricate a portable thermoelectric beverage cooler and thermoelectric cup. The simulation and results of the experiment showed that the common beverage cooler is not a suitable design for ignoring the effect of natural convection in cooling. In our thermoel...
متن کامل