Abstract:

The heat transfer characteristics of the thermoelectric generator using air natural convection,air forced convection and water cooling on the cold side were analyzed based on the thermal network analysis,and the corresponding experimental investigation was carried out. The results show that,as compared with the air natural convection,the air-forced convection and the water cooling modes enhance the heat transfer between the heat sink fins
and the ambient and reduce the temperature and thermal resistance on the cold side,and that the main thermal resistance changes from the convectional one between the heat sink fins and the ambient to the contact one between the generator as well as the heat source and the sink on the cold side. When the heat flux of the heat source keeps constant,strengthening the heat transfer on the cold side of the generator may decrease the temperatures of the heat source and the hot side,while the temperature difference between the hot and the cold sides of the generator has no significant improvement. When the heat flux of the heat source is low,strengthening the heat transfer on the cold side of the generator can not dramatically increase the output power of the generator. When the heat flux of heat source is high,strengthening the heat transfer on the cold side may greatly increase the output power of the generator. Moreover,at a heat flux of 50 W,the output power in air-forced convection cooling and water cooling respectively increase by 27. 9% and 39. 5%,as compared with that in air natural convection cooling.

Key words: thermoelectric power generation, heat transfer characteristic, thermal network, output power, heat dissipation mode