Les pompes à chaleur thermoélectriques (PACTE) présentent différents avantages par rapport aux pompes à chaleur thermodynamiques classiques. Plus particulièrement, les performances des PACTE sont intéressantes lorsque les écarts de température entre sources sont modestes, ce qui est par exemple le cas du chauffage aéraulique des bâtiments basse consommation (BBC) à partir d'une Ventilation Mécanique Double Flux (VMC DF). L'objectif de l'étude est donc de développer un démonstrateur de pompe à chaleur thermoélectrique réversible capable d'assurer la puissance de chauffage/refroidissement nécessaire à un logement de type BBC. Ce travail repose sur différents modèles analytiques et numériques validés expérimentalement. Cette étude vise à concevoir un système de pompe à chaleur thermoélectrique performant, l'objectif étant l'amélioration du coefficient de performance (COP) de la PACTE. Les transferts de chaleur à la surface des éléments thermoélectriques sont intensifiés par la technique du jet impactant, et le dimensionnement du système est optimisé en fonction des conditions d'utilisation. Avec le démonstrateur de résultats précédents de la PACTE, le COP saisonnier a été déterminé. Après couplage au bâtiment, cela a permis de montrer une nette amélioration des performances du système. / As house heating tends to be more efficient, Thermoelectric Heat Pump (THP) is an interesting alternative to classic thermodynamic system (with mechanical vapor compression system). In particular, THP becomes favorable as soon as the sources temperature difference is small, which is the case in energy efficient buildings with an exhaust/supply mechanical ventilation system (ESMVS). The objective of the study is to develop a reversible THP prototype capable of supplying the heating / cooling power needed in an energy efficient building. This work is based on different analytical and numerical models validated experimentally. This study aims to develop an efficient thermoelectric heat pump system and to improve its coefficient of performance (COP) by increasing heat transfer on the surface of the thermoelectric elements with impinging jet, and optimizing the THP by dimensioning the system based on operating conditions. With the results obtained with the THP prototype, the seasonal COP is determined. After coupling the THP system to the building, we show an improvement in system performance.

Este estudo teve como finalidade levantar dados para uma avaliação das alternativas tecnológicas (cultivos de microalgas e reflorestamento) para a biofixação de CO2 da atmosfera próxima à usina termelétrica; tendo sido utilizada como referência a Usina Barbosa Lima Sobrinho. Já existe um projeto de avaliação do efeito do reflorestamento na fixação do CO2 nesta usina e, neste trabalho, foi avaliada a alternativa do cultivo de microalgas. Uma pesquisa inicial foi feita na literatura para verificar qual a espécie de microalga seria a mais adequada para ser utilizada no estudo, tendo sido a espécie Chlorella sp. a selecionada. Posteriormente os sistemas de cultivo de microalgas mais comumente empregados no mercado foram levantados e foi selecionado o cultivo em tanques abertos como referência para a modelagem do processo. Utilizando os dados da termelétrica e da literatura foi possível estimar a quantidade de CO2 que será retirada da atmosfera caso um sistema de cultivo seja efetivamente instalado na usina termelétrica. Uma análise econômica foi realizada para determinar a viabilidade do projeto. Os resultados indicam que a utilização deste tipo de tecnologia é promissora / This study aimed to collect data for an evaluation of alternative technologies (microalgae cultivations and reforestation) for biofixation of CO2 from the atmosphere near a power plant, named Barbosa Lima Sobrinho, which uses natural gas and diesel as fuels. There is a project to assess the effect of reforestation for CO2 fixation in this facility and, in this study, we evaluated the alternative of cultivating microalgae. An initial review was done in the literature to determine what species of microalgae would be most suitable to use and Chlorella sp was selected. Thereafter cultivation of microalgae media, commonly employed in the market, were evaluated and the culture selected was in open tanks as a reference for the modeling process. Using data from the thermoelectric and the literature it was possible to estimate the amount of CO2 that will be capture from the atmosphere if a microalgae farming will be installed in thermal power plant area. An economic analysis was performed to determine the feasibility of the project. The results indicate that the use of this technology is promising

Orientador: Vivaldo Silveira Júnior / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T13:26:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_Karla_D.pdf: 5033012 bytes, checksum: 65b836ec14627b88ae3c341f00426fab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Módulos termoelétricos ou Peltier podem funcionar como bombas de calor promovendo o fluxo térmico entre suas faces opostas à custa da inserção de potência elétrica. O efeito Peltier profere a linearidade entre transferência de calor e corrente elétrica inserida, tornando o módulo um aparato de características potencialmente ideais aos estudos dos efeitos das trocas térmicas. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho traz o projeto, montagem e avaliação de um protótipo termoelétrico idealizado para congelamento unidirecional por contato direto de amostras consistentes em placa Peltier. A instrumentação do sistema possibilitou o monitoramento da potência elétrica inserida na placa e das temperaturas em diferentes pontos da superfície da placa bem como do espaço interno do sistema. Os testes de avaliação do protótipo comprovaram a adequada montagem com garantia das leituras dos sensores, bem como a boa repetibilidade dos resultados em nível de significância de 5%. Os resultados obtidos para congelamentos de gel de gelatina 2% confirmaram a viabilidade de uso do aparato para estudos dos efeitos de diferentes taxas de congelamento sobre a estruturação do gelo, com alto nível de monitoramento das condições de avanço da frente de congelamento. A precisão do protótipo em detectar pontos de alterações energéticas na amostra, nas proximidades de pontos de alterações estruturais, inferiu na utilização do aparato para estudos térmicos de materiais. Assim, o protótipo termoelétrico foi testado como ferramenta de estudos térmicos, evidenciando-se a possibilidade de seu uso para determinação da região de transição vítrea. A utilização desse aparato para análises térmicas viabiliza e torna mais eficiente o processo comparativamente aos métodos tradicionalmente empregados como o DSC / Abstract: Peltier modules or thermoelectric modules can operate as a heat pump promoting the heat flow in its opposite faces from inserting electric power. The Peltier effect gives the linearity between heat transfer and inserted electrical current, making the characteristics of an apparatus module potentially ideal for studies of the effects of heat exchange. In this context, this paper presents the design, assembly and evaluation of a thermoelectric prototype designed for unidirectional freezing of samples by direct contact semi-solid thermal plate. The instrumentation system allowed the monitoring of electrical power inserted into the card and temperatures in different parts of the plaque and the internal space of the system. The evaluation tests of the prototype proved to guarantee proper assembly of the sensor readings, as well as the good repeatability of results at a 5% significance level. The results for freezing of gelatin gel 2% confirmed the feasibility of using the apparatus for studies of the effects of different freezing rates on the structure of ice, with a high level of conditions monitoring the advancing of the cold freezing. The high accuracy of the prototype in detecting points of energy in the sample, inferred changes in the use of apparatus for thermal study of materials, so the thermoelectric prototype was tested as a tool for thermal studies, demonstrating the possibility of its use for determining the region vitreous transition. The use of this Peltier modules enable it to be more efficient compared to traditional processes such as DSC / Doutorado / Engenharia de Alimentos / Doutora em Engenharia de Alimentos

The main goal for this project was to design, manufacture and evaluate a thermoelectric cooler, TEC, prototype. One of the biggest challenges with TECs is that they need to be very reliable and have a long lifetime. The two biggest contributing factors to degradation and breakdown stem from thermal expansion mismatch, resulting in cracks, and from material diffusion between the thermoelectric material and connecting materials. The thermoelectric material in this case is Bismuth telluride, Bi2Te3, obtained from two suppliers. The thermoelectric cooler prototype was successfully manufactured. The prototype, which consisted of 38 thermoelectric elements, showed a maximum temperature difference of 65.1 degrees Celsius. A commercial TEC of the same size had a maximum temperature difference of 68 degrees Celsius. The figure of merit and grain size of p- and n-doped Bismuth Telluride from two different suppliers have been measured as means of testing the thermoelectric material prior to manufacturing, and to compare the suppliers. In this report, the figure of merit is a measure of how well a material converts electrical current to a heat gradient. The figure of merit for bismuth telluride, Bi2Te3, from both suppliers was found to be between 0.4 and 0.8 through the Harman method. Since studies show that smaller grains for Bi2Te3 result in a more durable material, the morphology was investigated. However, no grains could be observed with light optical microscopy with an applied etchant, or scanning electron microscopy. A cohesion tape test showed that Bismuth telluride from one of the suppliers is more fragile than the other.

This research entails the first comprehensive and systematic study on a heat-driven, self-cooling application based on the thermoelectric generation effect. The system was studied using the first and second laws of thermodynamics to provide a solid and basic understanding of the physical principles governing the system. Multiphysics equations that relate heat transfer, fluid dynamics and thermoelectric generation are derived. The equations are developed with increasing complexity, from the basic Carnot heat engine to externally and internally irreversible engines. A computational algorithm to systematically use the fundamental equations has been presented and computer code is implemented based on the algorithm. Experiments were conducted to analyze the geometric and system parameters affecting the application of thermoelectric based self-cooling in devices. Experimental results show that for the highest heat input studied, the temperature of the device has been reduced by 20-40% as compared to the natural convection case. In addition, it has been found that in the self-cooling cases studied, convection thermal resistance could account for up to 60% of the total thermal resistance. A general numerical methodology was developed to predict steady as well as transient thermal and electrical behavior of a thermoelectric generation-based self-cooling system. The methodology is implemented by using equation modeling capabilities to capture the thermo-electric coupled interaction in TEG elements, enabling the simulation of major heating effects as well as temperature and spatial dependent properties. An alternative methodology was also presented, which integrates specialized ANSI-C code to integrate thermoelectric effects, temperature-dependent properties and transient boundary conditions. It has been shown that the computational model is able to predict the experimental data with good accuracy (within 5% error). A parametric study has been done using the model to study the effect of heat sink geometry on device temperature and power produced by TEG arrays. In addition, a dynamic model suited for integration in control systems is developed. Therefore, the study has shown the potential for a heat driven self-cooling system and provides a comprehensive set of tools for analysis and design of thermoelectric generation.

Climate change is a subject of deep distress in today’s world. Over dependence on hydrocarbon has resulted in serious environmental problems. Rising sea level, global warming and ozone layer depletion are the mainstream of any discuss world over. The collective goal of cutting carbon emission by the year 2020has prompted the search for clean, alternative energy sources. This effort are already yielding good reward as other forms of energy such as solar, wind, nuclear and hydro have received huge investment and renew interest over the past decade. Thermoelectric materials over the past decades have been tipped to replace conventional means of power generations as these materials have the ability to convert heat to electrical energy and vice versa. They are simple, have no moving parts and use no greenhouse gases. But the major drawback of these materials is their low conversion efficiency. Hence there is a need to enhance the efficiency of thermoelectric material to fulfill their undeniable potentials. A parameter called the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT defines the efficiency of a thermoelectric material. ZT relates three non-mutually exclusive transport properties namely Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. Efficient thermoelectric material should possess high Seebeck coefficient, high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity. Hence, one of the interesting ideas in the area of thermoelectric research is the concept of designing a bulk material with high density of phonon scattering centers so has to reduce the lattice contribution to thermal conductivity but at the same time have minimum impact oncharge carriers. This is usually achieved by utilizing interphase and grain boundaries which are localized defects to scatter phonons. The volume fraction of the grain/interphase boundaries can be control through phase modification and microstructure design. This thesis is centered on Bi-Sb-Te systems which are the present room temperature state of the earth thermoelectric material. The investigation revolves around developing a new kind of microstructure in the well-studied Bi-Sb-Te system that shows tremendous potential as a means to reduce lattice contribution to thermal conductivity. The idea of having both p and n-type thermoelectric material preferably from the same material was also a motivation in our investigation. The thesis isdivided into six chapters. The first chapter introduces the concept of thermoelectricity i.e. the direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity. The physics involved and contribution of individual to the science of thermoelectricity were enumerated. Efficiency, optimization and material selection for better thermoelectric performance were briefly enumerated. Prospective materials that are currently been investigated for better thermoelectric properties were also mentioned. The structure of the Bi-Sb-Te system which is the focus of this thesis is present in this chapter including doping effect on the thermoelectric performance of the system as well as the various methods present been employed to improve the thermoelectric properties of the system. Finally the chapter enumerates the scope and object of the present thesis. The different experimental procedures adopted in the present thesis arediscussed in chapter 2. The details of different processing routes followed to synthesize flame-melted ingots, flame-melted + low temperature milled (cryo milling) + spark plasma sintering (SPS) alloy and flame-melted + melt spinning + spark plasma sintering (SPS) alloy, are discussed followed by the various structural and functional characterization techniques. The unique advantage of the spark plasma sintering techniques over the conventional sintering method was talked out in detail. The structural characterizations performed on the synthesized alloys include XRD, SEM and whilethe functional characterizations comprised of Hall measurement, Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity measurements. Thermoelectric properties of selected composition of Bi-Sb-Te synthesized via flame-melting are presented in chapter 3.Detail study of four analyzed compositions namelyBi24Sb20Te56, Bi20Sb12Te69, Bi16Sb5Te79 and Bi29Sb11Te60resulted in four unique microstructure and different volume fraction of primary and secondary phases. The resultant morphologies of the microstructure were observed to have influence the thermoelectric behavior corresponding to each composition. The sole influence of anti-structural defects on the conductivity type and the role of microstructure morphologies and length scale were understood in this chapter. Samples with segregated Te and a solid solution BiSbTe3(eutectic morphology) form an n-type thermoelectric material while samples with only solid solution BiSbTe3 forms a p-type thermoelectric material. Pair of n-type and p-type material was obtained without the introduction of external dopant.The pair shows good compatibility factorsuitable for thermoelectric device. In chapter 4, the thermoelectric properties of four selected composition of Bi-Sb-Te synthesized via low temperature milling plus spark plasma sintering is addressed. The analyzed compositions are as follows Bi24Sb20Te56, Bi18Sb11Te71, Bi17Sb6Te77, and Bi28Sb15Te57 respectively. The effect of low temperature milling combine with the prospect of minimum grain growth of spark plasma sintering on the thermoelectric properties of the selected compositions were determined. Samples with eutectic morphology which would otherwise scatter charge carriers were observed to have the highest carrier mobility as a result of high volume fraction of Te phase which serves as a donor injecting excess electrons into the system. The impact of small grain size was observed on the transport properties of the sample Bi28Sb15Te57 with the highest electrical resistivity, the best Seebeck coefficient and the lowest thermal conductivity. Pair of n-type and p-type material was obtained without the introduction of external doping elements. The pairshows good compatibility factor suitable for segmented thermoelectric device. Chapter 5 narrates the thermoelectric properties of four compositions namely Bi30Sb13Te58, Bi23Sb13Te65, Bi18Sb5Te77 and Bi23Sb20Te58subjected to melt spinning plus spark plasma sintering.High cooling rate obtained during melt spinning process was observed in this chapter to cause a shift of composition which resulted in a microstructure morphology with eutectic colonies that is predominantly Te rich. These Te rich colonies in the sample Bi30Sb13Te58 was observed to change the conductivity type of the sample from an otherwise p-type to n-type while also aiding bipolar conduction which was detrimental to the overall thermoelectric performance of the alloy. Segregated Te in the form of eutectic morphology helps to inject excess electron into the bulk of the sample Bi23Sb13Te65 and Bi18Sb5Te77hereby increases the observed electrical conductivity which by virtue of the microstructure morphology is expected to be low. As a result of the processing routes, all four compositions in this chapter shown-type conductivity. Chapter 6 presents the summary of the important conclusions drawn from this work.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for M.Tech.: Electrical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Industrial plants are excellent sources of waste heat and provide many opportunities for energy harvesting using thermo-electric principles. A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is utilized in this study for harvesting expended heat from various sources. The main challenge associated with this type of technology lies in the creation of a sufficient thermal gradient between the hot side and the cold side of the TEG device. This is necessary for the module to generate an appreciable quantity of electrical energy. The performance of the TEG generator is tested using different configurations, different heat sources and different cooling methods. Heat sources included electrically driven devices, gas, biomass and gel fuel. Expended heat from different sites within an industrial environment was also chosen for operating the TEG device. The power produced by the generator is sufficient to operate low power LED lights, a DC radio receiver and a cellular phone charger. / M

Nanomaterials have been served as essential building blocks in the era of nanotechnology. Nanomaterials often exhibit different properties compared to their bulk phase, due to heavily enlarged portion of surface characteristics to the bulk. Beyond the simple size- effect, nanomaterials can be classified into 0D, 1D, and 2D materials depends on the number of restricted dimensionalities. They exhibit different unique properties and transport mechanism due to the quantum confinement effect. MXenes are one of the latest additions of 2D material family that can be obtained by selective chemical etching and exfoliation of layered ternary precursors (Mn+1AXn phases). Due to the unique etch process, surface functional groups (such as oxygen, hydroxyl, fluorine, etc) are formed at the surface of MXenes. This benefits MXenes for stable aqueous dispersions due to their hydrophilic surface. The coexistence of hydrophilicity and high electrical conductivity promised MXenes in superior performance in electrochemical energy storage and electromagnetic interference shielding applications. These characteristics are equally important for electronic applications. From the synthesis of MXene suspension to thin film deposition by spray-coating and photolithography patterning of MXene films are discussed for electronic device applications of MXenes. Vacuum-assisted filtration method was used for Mo-based MXene freestanding papers for investigation of thermoelectric energy harvesting performances. Both n-type ZnO and p-type SnO thin film transistors with MXene electrical contacts (gate, source, and drain electrodes) have been demonstrated by lift-off patterning method. Their complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverter exhibits a high gain value of 80 V/V at a supply voltage of 5 V. The lift-off patterning is simple but effective method for top-contact electrode patterning. However, it has a disadvantage of remaining sidewall-like MXene residue, resulting in leakage issues in the bottom-contact transistor structure. Hence, dry-etch patterning method is developed which allows direct patterning of MXene nanosheet thin films through conventional photolithography process. The conductive MXene electrode array was integrated into a quantum dot electric double layer transistors by all solution processes, which possess impressive performance including electron mobility of 3.3 cm2/V·s, current modulation of 104, threshold voltage as low as 0.36 V at low driving gate voltage range of only 1.25 V.

Goal of this thesis is to specify needed upgrades of current aparatus used for measuring parameters of thermoelectic modules, witch was constructed at the Enegry institute of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology. In this theseis current state of aparatus where reviewed and specifications for updates where made. These specifications where used to create plans for new aparatus. Quality of designed aparatus where verified by simulations made in ANSYS. Plans for proposed aparatus where made.

As the world strives to adapt to the increasing demand for electrical power, sustainable energy sources are attracting significant interest. Around 60% of energy utilized in the world is wasted as heat. Different industrial processes, home heating, and exhausts in cars, all generate a huge amount of unused waste heat. With such a huge potential, there is also significant interest in discovering inexpensive technologies for power generation from waste heat. As a result, thermoelectric materials have become important for many renewable energy research programs. While significant advancements have been done in improving the thermoelectric properties of the conventional heavy-element based materials (such as Bi2Te3 and PbTe), high-temperature applications of thermoelectrics are still limited to one materials system, namely SiGe, since the traditional thermoelectric materials degrade and oxidize at high temperature. Therefore, oxide thermoelectrics emerge as a promising class of materials since they can operate athigher temperatures and in harsher environments compared to non-oxide thermoelectrics. Furthermore, oxides are abundant and friendly to the environment. Among oxides, crystalline SrTiO3 and ZnO are promising thermoelectric materials. The main objective of this work is therefore to pursue focused investigations of SrTiO3 and ZnO thin films and superlattices grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), with the goal of optimizing their thermoelectric properties by following different strategies. First, the effect of laser fluence on the thermoelectric properties of La doped epitaxial SrTiO3 films is discussed. Films grown at higher laser fluences exhibit better thermoelectric performance. Second, the role of crystal orientation in determining the thermoelectric properties of epitaxial Al doped ZnO (AZO) films is explained. Vertically aligned (c-axis) AZO films have superior thermoelectric properties compared to other films with different crystal orientations. Third, additional B-site doping of A-site doped SrTiO3 films leads to a prominent reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity without limiting the electrical transport, and hence an improvement in the figure of merit is noticed. Fourth and last, the enhancement of thermoelectric properties of thermally robust, high quality SrTiO3-based superlattices is discussed. Beside the randomly distributed oxygen vacancies and extrinsic dopants, the structure of SrTiO3-based superlattices increases the scattering of phonons at the interfaces between the alternative layers, and hence reducing the thermal conductivity, which leads to a notable enhancement in the figure of merit.