ENERGY HARVESTER EXPLOITING
SEEBECK EFFECT IN TRADITIONAL
DOMESTIC BOILER
S.Barberis, L. Di Fresco, V.A. Santamaria, A. Traverso
Speaker: Alessandra Cuneo
University of Genoa, Italy
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica - DIME
Nice, 1 – 3 October 2014
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How to Give Value to Waste Heat
Energy Harvesting
Autonomy and
Energy Everywhere
-3000 Alpine Hut
in Italy
- 2 Mln of Trekkers
in Europe
Energy
Efficiency
Autonomy for Remote
Sensor Metering and
Control
Energy harvesting and TEG Technology
Sure and Solid Technology
Modular and Scalable
Cheap, no maintenance, exploitable everywhere
Low Efficiency (0,6-3%),
but able to exploit low ΔT
What is qb_HOT?
USB
Charger
Control Electronics
8 cm
Heat Sink
4 TEG cells
8 cm
8 cm
Conductive patch
qb_HOT
Little Solar
Concentrator
Possible
Integration
PV
On the Market
Components
What is belt_HOT?
Modular Version
Traditional fossil and
biomass boiler
belt_HOT
Energy Autonomy for Remote
Metering sensors in pipelines etc.
What is qb_HOT producibility?
Control Electronics
8 cm
Heat Sink
4 TEG cells
8 cm
8 cm
Conductive patch
qb_HOT
qb_HOT mobile
charger
belt_HOT energy
harvester
Producibility is based on the thermal gradient exploitable
in each situation and on the cold side temperature
ΔTteg = 0.8742 (Th – Tc)
How Much does qb_HOT cost?
On the Market
Components
8
cm
8
8 cm
cm
Price to the user:
50 – 60 €
Thermal Patch
2€ +
Heat Sink
2-3€ +
From
8-12,5
€/W
4 TEG cells
20 € +
4-6 €/W
Step Upto
DC/DC
6€ +
_____________________
TOTAL = 30 €
Peltier Cells cost 80% less than TEG,
similar technology, larger market today
Depending on the number of TEG cells
150 – 250 €
belt_HOT
belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario
3000 kWh/year
- Auxiliaries Autonomy
- Smart Docking Station
- LED Lighting in the Garden
Detached House
(20 kWt Gas Boiler)
belt_HOT configuration
6 belt made by 24 cells
Total Pmax installed
1 kW
Power Output with ΔT = 80°C
100-150 W
Total Year Energy Saving
200 kWh – 40 €
belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario
6000 kWh/year
- Common Parts Lightning
- Energy Bill Cuts 20%
Condo
(500 kWt Gas Boiler)
belt_HOT configuration
5-10 belt made by 120 TEG cells
Total Pmax installed
4,2 – 8,4 kW
Power Output with ΔT = 80°C
600 W -1,2 kW
Total Year Energy Saving
1000 - 2000 kWh – 200 - 400 €
belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario
- LED Lightning
- Charging Plug In
- Coupling with other typically
RES generators present in a
Hut (PV, mini wind…) and
batteries
Alpine Hut
(20 kWt Biomass Boiler)
Higher Thermal Gradient
(120 – 160°C)
belt_HOT
configuration
4 belt made by 36 TEG cells
Total Pmax installed
1 kW
Power Output with ΔT = 180°C
200-250 W
Conclusion
-The TEG is a heat recovery generator, even if it has a low efficiency (efficiency
between 0,6 % to 3%) it can be easily incorporated in the structure of the heat
source, producing whenever the boiler is on and guaranteeing a continuous and
autonomous production as the maintenance is very light
- Designing the TEG, a strong attention to the heat dissipation at the cold side
- TEGs work with significant thermal gradient (70-100°C), so this technology
can’t be coupled with more efficient heating system like condensing boiler
- Prices of the Harvesters are nowadays quite high, but they can reduce their
costs looking at current TEC technology costs and thanks to size effect.
qb_HOT
belt_HOT
Thank you for your time
Stefano.barberis@edu.unige.it
Alessandra.cuneo@edu.unige.it
www.tpg.unige.it
University of Genoa, Italy
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica - DIME
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