Analysis of the construction of TEG thermoelectric generator using CFD tools

The article consists of an analysis of the construction of a thermoelectric generator with an automotive application (ATEG – Automotive Thermoelectric Generator). It works based on the thermoelectric effect in which thermal energy is converted into electricity. This is done in thermoelectric modules (TEM). The construction of the ATEG uses a rectangular heat exchanger, to which 24 modules were attached in six rows. Each of them was assigned one cooler. In the first stage of research the boundary conditions for computer simulations were defined: mass flow rate and exhaust gas temperature. The adopted values were based on measurements made in the real operating conditions (RDE tests) for a motor vehicle equipped with a compression-ignition engine. Next, the ATEG model geometry developed in the CAD modeling software was imported into Ansys CFX v16. For the needs of numerical analysis, all unnecessary elements that did not affect the results of operation were removed. Subsequent calculations were made regarding the distribution of velocity, pressure and parameters influencing the heat exchange value, such as the kinetic energy of turbulence and the kinetic energy of turbulence dissipation rate. The final stage of the research was to perform the simulation of heat exchange parameters – temperature distribution and heat flux density on the surface of the exchanger fins and on the external walls.