Economic and thermal analysis of a tubular thermoelectric power generator equipped with a novel fin-pin-porous based heat exchanger; comparative case study with conventional smooth channel

Abstract

Wasted hot exhaust gas in thermodynamic engineering systems is always a potential source of power generation via different techniques. Passing the hot gas through the inner area of a tubular thermoelectric module can directly convert the hot gas into electricity. In this research, it is shown how the performance of tubular thermoelectric heat recovery is significantly boosted using a novel fin-pin-porous based heat exchanger. Generally, the results show that the proposed integrated structure can enhance the output power of the recovery system up to 45%–110% compared to the conventional smooth channel-based tubular thermoelectric generator. A comparative case study is carried out between the new proposed system and conventional smooth structure from different viewpoints including power generation, conversion efficiency, pumping power and economic cost.

Keywords

• Tubular thermoelectric generator
• Fin-pin-porous
• Heat exchanger
• Power generation