Thermoelectric generators (TEG) are re-emerging technology that can be used to recover heat waste from commercial and industrial processes to generate electricity, enhancing fuel utilization and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. TEG modules are solid-state heat engines that produce no noise or vibration during operation. Notably, TEG modules are also able to operate at low-temperature differences, which makes them ideal for a wide range of heat waste recovery applications. Annular thermoelectric generator (ATEG) modules are optimal in applications where either the heat source or sink are round in shape. Bi2Te3 solution-based compounds are of significant interest in the application of thermoelectric materials (TE) used in low-temperature cooling and power generation applications.
The main objective of the current work is to design a mechanically reliable ring-shaped ATEG module with a predictable performance using spark plasma sintered Bi2Te3 TE material for low temperature waste heat recovery applications. In terms of structure, this work is divided into two parts. The first part investigates how the use of a powder pre-treatment technique affects the mechanical and thermoelectric properties of P- and N-type Bi2Te3. In addition, part one also presents the measurements of these materials’ mechanical and thermoelectric properties, which serve as inputs for the finite element models used to design thermoelectric modules with parallel and perpendicular configurations vis-a-vis the sintering pressing direction. The second part evaluates the thermoelectric performance and thermal stresses of a ring-shaped ATEG couple that has been integrated between hot-side and cold-side heat exchangers. To this end, two configurations are compared with respect to their heat/electrical current flow paths: one that allows for radial flow (radial configuration), and one that allows for axial flow (axial configuration).
The P- and N-type Bi2Te3 powder was treated using a mechanically agitated fluidized powder reduction facility that was built in-house. The characteristic uniaxial tensile strength of the P-type Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 increased from 13.9 MPa to 26.3 MPa parallel to the sintering pressure, and from 16.3 MPa to 30.6 MPa perpendicular to the sintering pressure following oxide reduction using 5% H2 ˗ 95% Ar at 380 ℃ for 24 h. The figure of merit, ZT, increased from 0.35 to 0.80 and from 0.42 to 1.13 at room temperature (25 ℃) in the parallel and the perpendicular directions, respectively, after the surface oxide reduction treatment. On the other hand, the annealing effects of the oxide reduction pr-treatment of the N-type (Bi0.95 Sb0.05)2(Se0.05 Te0.95)3 using 5% H2 ˗ 95% Ar at 380 ℃ for 24 h were found to be responsible for the majority of the mechanical properties and ZT enhancement. Additionally, the characteristic uniaxial tensile strengths for this material increased from 30.4 to 34.1 MPa and from 30.8 to 38 MPa in the parallel and the perpendicular directions, respectively. The ZTmax (150 ℃) increased from 0.54 to 0.63 in both the parallel and perpendicular directions due to oxide reduction, while annealing led to an increase to 0.58 and 0.62 in the parallel and the perpendicular directions, respectively.
An analytical model was constructed to compare the thermoelectric performance of the two configurations under three different hot-side thermal resistances, and a 3D coupled finite element ANSYS model was constructed to study and compare the thermal stresses of the two configurations at different dimensions. The two models were then used to create 2D maps in order to investigate the effects of ATEG couple configuration and dimensions, as well as the hot-side thermal resistance, with the goal of identifying the optimum design. The optimization of module geometry requires a trade-off between performance and mechanical reliability. The results of these investigations showed that increases in the temperature difference across the ATEG couple (ΔT) led to increases in both power and thermal stresses in both configurations. When both configurations were generating the same power at ΔT = 105 ℃, the thermal stresses in the radial configuration were as much as 67 MPa higher than those in the axial configuration due to the formation of additional tensile hoop stresses. The lowest thermal stress obtained for the axial couple configuration was 67.8 MPa, which was achieved when the couple had an outer diameter of 16 mm, an axial thickness of 1 mm, a ΔT of 14.8 ℃, and power generation of 10.4 mW per couple. The maximum thermal stress values were located at the corners of the interface between the solder and the TE rings due to the mismatched coefficient of thermal expansion.
This thesis makes a novel contribution to the state-of-the-art literature in ring-shaped ATEG modules, as it details a well-characterised spark plasma sintered Bi2Te3 TE material and a methodology for designing a ring-shaped ATEG module with reliable, robust, and predictable thermoelectric and mechanical performance. The details of the contribution made by this work have been disseminated in the form of three journal publications, which have been integrated into this sandwich Ph.D. thesis. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/26020 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Abdelnabi, Ahmed |
| Contributors | Cotton, James, Mechanical Engineering |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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