Thermal Optimization of the Heat Exchanger in the Vehicular Waste-Heat Thermoelectric Generations

The potential for vehicular exhaust-based thermoelectric generations (ETEGs) has been increasing with recent advances in the efficiency of thermoelectric materials. This study analyzes the thermal performance of the exhaust gas tanks in ETEGs. The thermal characteristics of the exhaust gas tanks with different internal structures and thicknesses are discussed in terms of the interface temperature and the thermal uniformity. The methods of computational fluid dynamics simulations and infrared experiments on a high- performance production engine with a dynamometer are carried out. Results indicate that the exhaust gas tank, the internal structure of which is the “fishbone” shape and the interior thickness of which is 12 mm, obtains a relatively optimal thermal performance, which can really help improve the overall efficiency of the ETEGs.