The Experimental Design of Thermoelectric Generator for Industrial Waste Heat Recovery

A new method for the design of Thermo-Electric Generators (TEG) used for recovery of industrial waste heat is discussed in this article. Whilst TEGs now operate autonomously using waste heat and generate power, they can be used to generate hot water, additionally. A hybrid TEG was designed and measurements were made in the laboratory environment. Established with 12 pieces of TEG1-12610-4.3 thermoelectric modules in the design, 26.6 W of power was obtained within a temperature difference of 119.4 °C. The system was provided with the ability to cool itself with the energy it produced without applying any external force. In this case, the water temperature in the reservoir rose from 14 °C to 69 °C whilst 14 W of power was being obtained at the temperature difference of 109 °C. Thus, hybrid-TEGs were noted being the significant alternative for the recovery of waste heat and their necessity were seen in terms of the energy efficiency, as well.