university of genoa, italy dipartimento di ingegneria meccanica - dime

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University of Genoa, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica - DIME

S.Barberis, L. Di Fresco, V.A. Santamaria, A. Traverso

Speaker: Alessandra Cuneo

ENERGY HARVESTER EXPLOITING SEEBECK EFFECT IN TRADITIONAL

DOMESTIC BOILER

Nice, 1 – 3 October 2014

How to Give Value to Waste Heat

Autonomy and Energy Everywhere

Energy Harvesting

Energy Efficiency

Autonomy for Remote Sensor Metering and

Control- 3000 Alpine

Hut in Italy

- 2 Mln of Trekkers in

Europe

Energy harvesting and TEG TechnologySure and Solid Technology

Modular and ScalableCheap, no maintenance, exploitable everywhere

Low Efficiency (0,6-3%), but able to exploit low ΔT

What is qb_HOT?

PV

Little Solar Concentrator

Conductive patch

Control Electronics

Heat Sink

4 TEG cells

8 cm 8 cm

8 cm

qb_HOT

Possible Integration

On the Market Components

USB Charger

What is belt_HOT?

belt_HOT

Traditional fossil and biomass boiler

Energy Autonomy for Remote Metering sensors in pipelines

etc.

Modular Version

What is qb_HOT producibility?

Conductive patch

Control Electronics

Heat Sink

4 TEG cells

8 cm 8 cm

8 cm

qb_HOT

Producibility is based on the thermal gradient exploitable in each situation and on the cold side temperature

ΔTteg = 0.8742 (Th – Tc)

qb_HOT mobile charger belt_HOT energy

harvester

How Much does qb_HOT cost?

8 cm

8 cm

8 cm

Thermal Patch 2€ +Heat Sink 2-3€ +4 TEG cells 20 € +Step Up DC/DC 6 € +_____________________

TOTAL = 30 €

On the Market Components

Peltier Cells cost 80% less than TEG, similar technology, larger market today

Price to the user: 50 – 60 €

belt_HOT

Depending on the number of TEG cells150 – 250 €

From 8-12,5 €/W to 4-6 €/W

belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario

Detached House(20 kWt Gas Boiler)

3000 kWh/year

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 €

- Auxiliaries Autonomy- Smart Docking Station- LED Lighting in the

Garden

belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario

Condo(500 kWt Gas Boiler)

6000 kWh/year

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 €

- Common Parts Lightning- Energy Bill Cuts 20%

belt_HOT Exploitation Scenario

Alpine Hut(20 kWt Biomass Boiler)

Higher Thermal Gradient(120 – 160°C)

- LED Lightning- Charging Plug In- Coupling with other

typically RES generators present in a Hut (PV, mini wind…) and batteries

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

qb_HOT belt_HOT

- 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.

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University of Genoa, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica - DIME

Thank you for your time

Stefano.barberis@edu.unige.itAlessandra.cuneo@edu.unige.it

www.tpg.unige.it