In the context of global energy shortages and increasing environmental pollution,
improving energy efficiency in automobiles has become a key area of research.
Traditional internal combustion engines exhibit low energy conversion
efficiency, with a significant portion of fuel energy wasted as exhaust heat. To
address this issue, this paper proposes an integrated thermoelectric generation,
catalytic conversion, and noise suppression system (ITGCMS) aimed at recovering
waste heat from vehicle exhaust, while optimizing emissions and noise reduction
through the combination of a catalytic converter and a muffler. A
three-dimensional model was established using COMSOL software to thoroughly
analyze the system's thermoelectric generation, catalytic conversion, and
acoustic performance. The study found that Model B demonstrated the best
thermoelectric performance, with an average surface temperature of 300.2°C and a
more uniform temperature distribution across the thermoelectric modules.
Additionally, Model B exhibited the highest catalytic conversion efficiency,
with a flow velocity uniformity coefficient of 0.78 at the catalyst inlet,
significantly outperforming the other models. Moreover, all three models showed
effective noise reduction, particularly in the high-frequency range, and
achieved better transmission loss across the entire frequency spectrum compared
to traditional mufflers. Exhaust pressure loss increased with intake speed, but
the differences between the models were minimal. Overall, Model B demonstrated
the most comprehensive improvement in energy efficiency, emissions reduction,
and noise optimization. This study provides a valuable theoretical basis and
technical support for enhancing energy efficiency in the automotive industry,
offering new directions for the future application of thermoelectric generation
technology in vehicle exhaust systems.