Experimental Study of a Heat-Pipe Exchanger for an Exhaust Heat Recovery System

Currently, the heat recovery systems based on thermoelectrics are an important part of the technologies under study to improve the efficiency of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Different types of heat exchangers are used as part of the components for the operation of the heat recovery technologies. Among the heat exchangers, the heat pipes are studied due to their promising results. This work presents the experimental analysis of a heat exchanger prototype based in heat pipes. The prototype was custom designed for a given thermoelectric module. The design was performed seeking to maximize its efficiency while protecting the module by avoiding possible excesses of temperature during the operation. The requirements for the heat pipe design were defined from the experimental characterization of the thermoelectric module. The prototype was manufactured through a sintering process. The system was tested in the laboratory first by components, and then as a system. The results allow observing the potential of the use of heat pipes as part of heat recovery technologies. The design tested allowed guaranteeing an operating temperature range with an upper limit that protects the thermoelectric module to increase its durability under variable operating conditions.