Predicting the performance of a car exhaust heat recovery system that utilises thermoelectric generators and heat pipes

Exhaust heat recovery systems are used to make use of otherwise wasted heat from a car engine. The unique system design described herein utilises thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and heat pipes with its key advantage being it is a passive solid state design. The use of these components creates a few design constraints. For example, both the TEGs and heat pipes have operating temperature limitations. Before any design can be finalised and manufactured, temperature predictions are made to minimise the chance that these components will exceed their operational limits. Exhaust conditions measured from a representative spark ignition engine were used in a numerical simulation to predict the performance of the exhaust heat recovery system. When 10 modules are used, the system is predicted to transfer 2141W of heat and produce 59.72W of electrical power at 2.79% efficiency. If fewer modules are used, less power is produced but the cost per watt decreases.