Thermoelectric Generators as an Alternative Energy Source in Shipboard Microgrids

Abstract

In recent years, the usage potential of alternative energy sources has been gaining importance to increase the efficiency of ships within the scope of the obligations brought by international maritime regulations. The possibility of using alternative energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, fuel cells, and waste heat recovery technologies on ships has been evaluated in the literature. Today, ships also have waste heat recovery systems as standard equipment for this purpose, and this method is suitable for thermoelectric generators that generate electricity from temperature differences on shipboards. This article aims to review the thermal technologies for the power generation of shipboards. By conducting a case study, an energy efficiency increase was obtained when functional areas were selected on a practical ship, and the effect of this efficiency increase on emissions was examined. As a result of the research, it was discovered that thermoelectric generators increased onboard energy efficiency and have significant potential for sustainability in the maritime sector.

Numerical Investigation of Performance Enhancement for Thermoelectric Generator System Optimization of HX Fin Shape

“…However, due to delays in the delivery time, slow steaming may lead to increased logistic costs or increased CO 2 emission levels in comparison to land transportation [8]. Other measures for CO 2 reductions in shipping include the use of alternative fuels such as LNG, renewable energy sources (such as kites and solar cells), and waste heat recovery for power generation [1,9,11,12]. Eide et al [2] analyzed the cost-effectiveness of several technical and operational measures for reducing CO 2 emissions from shipping for selected ships and found that these measures were viable and should be pursued.…”

Waste Heat Recovery from Air Using Porous Media and Conversion to Electricity

“…Several technologies and techniques exist to increase heat flow to TEGs, including micro-and mini-channel heat sinks, two-phase flow systems, static mixers and porous media, the latter of which have been shown to be effective in waste heat recovery [15][16][17]. In the case of waste heat thermoelectric generators, there have been many conceptual designs of a power conversion system which are potentially capable of obtaining application in this area [18][19][20][21][22][23]. Other studies involving heat transfer from a fluid carrier to thermoelectric modules for thermal-to-electrical energy conversion have focused on porous media combustion and thermoelectric generation [24][25][26][27].…”

Thermoelectric Generator for Waste Energy Recovery in Transport

“…In this Special Issue, some selected papers are highlighted which address various transport sectors and applications such as Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV) [1,2], maritime transport [3,4], and even fuel cells [5]. A brief summary of each paper is given below.…”

“…Exhaust gases from maritime transport also share potential energy extraction similar to that of HDVs. Uyanık et al [3] extract this potential with TEGs by identifying potential usage areas. This would ultimately increase the overall efficiency of the ship.…”

“…The electrical energy and fuel consumption in one year were also used in the analysis. Uyanık et al [3] concluded that due to the installation of TEGs, fuel consumption reduced by approximately 2%.…”