Abstract:

Modular units of thermoelectric material have many advantages in waste heat recovery. A ther- mal-electric-structural FEM model is established to analyze the configuration characteristics of thermoelec- tric modules around the exhaust pipe on the base of experiment validation. Firstly, the heat flux plots show that there is a big hot streak on the wall of the exhaust gas pipe in contact with the thermoelectric module,the optimal arrangement gap of 6. 6mm between the thermoelectric modules can be determined from the contour of the big hot streak. Secondly, the internal resistance of thermoelectric module can be precisely obtained according to the principle of the maximum output power, and the internal resistance value can provide a basis for the optimization of the module matrix. Finally, the FEM model can be used to check the heat stress of the weak structure of the thermoelectric module, and the check result can pro- vide the basis for reliable arrangement of thermoelectric modules.

Key words: electrical engineering, technology of Energy Saving, vehicle waste heat recovery, thermoe- lectric modular configuration, FEM