Cost-effective waste heat recovery using thermoelectric systems
Abstract
Optimizing thermoelectric (TE) materials and modules are important factors, which can lead to widespread adoption of waste heat recovery systems. The analytic co-optimization of the TE leg, heat sink, and the load resistance shows that all parameters entering the figure-of-merit (Z) do not have the same impact on cost/performance trade-off. Thermal conductivity of the TE material plays a more important role than the power factor. This study also explores the impact of heat losses and the required contact resistances. Finally, we present the theoretical cost performance ($/W) of TE waste heat recovery systems for vehicle waste heat recovery application, assuming hot side gas temperature of 600 degrees C and a cooling water temperature of 60 degrees C.
DOI
10.1557/jmr.2012.79
Citation
Journal of Materials Research, Volume 27, Issue 9 May 2012, pp. 1211-1217. Kazuaki Yazawa and Ali Shakouri
Date of this Version
5-2012
Recommended Citation
Yazawa, Kazuaki and Shakouri, Ali, "Cost-effective waste heat recovery using thermoelectric systems" (2012). Birck and NCN Publications. Paper 1199.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.79