Modeling of Thermal Integration of a Catalytic Microcombustor with a Thermoelectric for Power Generation Applications

Abstract

Power generation from coupled devices employing combustion in microreactors is generating interest for portable or decentralized energy demands. We develop a model framework to predict the performance of an integrated catalytic microreactor−thermoelectric generator (TEG) device, using CFD. A strategy for modeling a standalone TEG module is proposed and validated first, followed by thermally integrating it with a microreactor. The concepts of 1D global energy conservation with lumped treatment of the electrical properties are used to develop the TEG model. Multiple thermocouples, consisting of p-and n-type semiconductors connected in series, are modeled as a single block. The properties of the Seebeck coefficient, internal resistance, and thermal conductance are aggregated for the entire block and estimated as polynomial functions of temperature. These parameters can be estimated from manufacturer data. The source terms for Seebeck, Peltier, Thomson, and Joule's effects are incorporated into the energy conservation equation to model the TEG at steady state. The TEG model is validated with experiments in the literature. The catalytic combustion of hydrogen in a microreactor is validated independently and is subsequently used for modeling a catalytic microreactor integrated with a TEG module for power generation. The power extracted by various load resistances from the coupled device, at multiple values of inlet flow rates, is calculated and shows a good comparison with experimental data in the literature.

Water-Cooled Thermoelectric Generators for Improved Net Output Power: A Review

“…Water cooled channel was used in different applications, such as waste heat recovery of an air flow [22,23], of a water flow [24,25], of a hot surface, i.e., a CPU [26][27][28], of automobile exhaust gas [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] and of industrial production [41]. However, it also finds application in the utilization of primary energy such as combustion [42,43],…”

“…Energies 2021, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 of 31 waste heat recovery of an air flow [22,23], of a water flow [24,25], of a hot surface, i.e., a CPU [26][27][28], of automobile exhaust gas [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] and of industrial production [41]. However, it also finds application in the utilization of primary energy such as combustion [42,43], geothermal energy [44] and solar energy [45][46][47][48]. The publications that use conventional channels to cool TEGs, focusing on net output power, are presented below.…”

Review of Catalysts, Substrates, and Fabrication Methods in Catalytic Hydrogen Combustion with Further Challenges and Applications

“…The CHC process of the gas turbines can also avoid flashback issues. The portable power generation is aiming to replace batteries, and it is applied by a microcombustor and micro gas turbine to generate electricity for portable devices, such as laptops and mobile phones. , The microreactors and microcombustors are reported for the CHC process, which can be applied in portable power generation applications. ,− …”

Design of microcombustor–thermoelectric coupled device using a CFD-based multiphysics model for power generation

“…While there have been experimental demonstrations, model-based design and analysis is missing. This work focuses on using a multiphysics model developed in our previous work 26 for design and analysis to improve the combustion efficiency, power output, and overall performance of the coupled device. The power generated from a TEG module is proportional to the temperature difference between the hot (microcombustor) side and the cold (heat-sink) side.…”