Development Of Portable Mini Thermoelectric Generator For Outdoor Activities And Emergency Situations By Using PCM-Cooled Thermoelectric Module

Zahri, Muhammad Zaki (2016) Development Of Portable Mini Thermoelectric Generator For Outdoor Activities And Emergency Situations By Using PCM-Cooled Thermoelectric Module. Project Report. UTeM, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

Text (24 Pages) Development Of Portable Mini Thermoelectric Generator For Outdoor Activities And Emergency Situations By Using PCM-Cooled Thermoelectric Module.pdf - Submitted Version Download (389kB)

Abstract

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a device that convert heat energy to electrical energy based on the principles of Seebeck effect. The main component of thermoelectric generator is thermoelectric module. When there is difference in temperature between the hot side and cold side of thermoelectric module, electricity is generated. The amount of electricity generated is greatly influenced by the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides of the thermoelectric module. The higher the temperature difference, the higher the amount of electricity produced. However, when the hot side of the module is heated, the cold side tends to become hot too due to heat transfer from the heat source. Therefore, the cold side of the thermoelectric module needs to be cooled effectively. The objective of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of using paraffinic Phase Change Material (PCM) as a cooling medium at the cold side of thermoelectric module. Prototype of TEG were designed by using CATIA software. TEG basically made of thermoelectric module, aluminium plate, aluminium heat sink and electrical wiring. The heating source was candle flame. In addition to aluminium heat sink, paraffinic PCM was incorporated into the heat sink as a cooling medium for the cold side of the thermoelectric module. The results shows that PCM effectively reduced the temperature of the cold side by 2~3 0C and resulted in higher voltage generation by the TEG as compared that of without PCM. The highest voltage and current generated were 1.70 V and 259 mA, respectively. The conversion of heat to electrical energy by TEG was verified since it can charge electrical devices such as smartphones and power bank. This TEG is able to charge a power bank at a rate of 1% for every three minutes and it is expected to take about five hours to fully charge the power bank. With further improvement, this mini thermoelectric generator (TEG) has great potential to become an attractive and practical device that can generate electricity during outdoor activities and emergency situations - the situations in which electrical supply cannot be accessed easily.

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