Browse Topic: Waste heat recovery
The thermoelectric generator system is regarded as an advanced technology for recovering waste heat from automotive exhaust. To address the issue of uneven temperature distribution within the heat exchanger that limits the output performance of the system, this study designs a novel thermoelectric generation system integrated with turbulence enhancers. This configuration aims to enhance convective heat transfer at the rear end of the heat exchanger and improve overall temperature uniformity. A multiphysics coupled model is established to evaluate the impact of the turbulence enhancers on the system's temperature distribution and electrical output, comparing its performance with that of traditional systems. The findings indicate that the integration of turbulence enhancers significantly increases the heat transfer rate and temperature uniformity at the rear end of the heat exchanger. However, it also leads to an increase in exhaust back pressure, which negatively affects system
This paper has been withdrawn by the publisher because of non-attendance and not presenting at WCX 2024.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat into electricity. If perfected, the technology could help recoup some of the recoverable heat energy that is wasted in the U.S. at a rate of about $100 billion each year.
For electric vehicles (EVs), driving range is one of the major concerns for wider customer acceptance and the cabin climate system represents the most significant auxiliary load for battery consumption. Unlike internally combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, EVs cannot utilize the waste heat from an engine to heat the cabin through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Instead, EVs use battery energy for cabin heating, this reduces the driving range. To mitigate this situation, one of the most promising solutions is to optimize the recirculation of cabin air, to minimize the energy consumed by heating the cold ambient air through the HVAC system, whilst maintaining the same level of cabin comfort. However, the development of this controller is challenging, due to the coupled, nonlinear and multi-input multi-output nature of the HVAC and thermal systems. Furthermore, the controller must satisfy different control requirements by leveraging multiple control actuators
Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) convert ambient heat into electrical power. They enable maintenance-free, environmentally friendly, and autonomous power supply of the continuously growing number of sensors and devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) and recovery of waste heat. Scientists have now developed three-dimensional component architectures based on novel, printable thermoelectric materials.
Many technical processes only use part of the energy consumed. The remaining fraction leaves the system in the form of waste heat. Frequently, this heat is released into the environment unused; however, it can also be used for heat supply or power generation. The higher the temperature of the waste heat, the easier and cheaper it is to reuse.
In recent years, fossil fuel dependence has generated a worldwide concern about the environmental consequences arising from its burning. The high oil demand has also generated the risk of shortage for this mineral and, consequently, of the products derived from it. Ethanol onboard reforming is regarded as a prominent technology that is able to recover waste heat from the exhaust system of internal combustion engines, as well as reduce emissions. The process is based on exploring the potential of endothermic reactions to convert hydrated ethanol into high energy density products, such as hydrogen and methane. This paper had the objective of implementing a thermodynamics and chemical kinetics model to evaluate the effects of ethanol-water content, reactor inlet temperature and ethanol to exhaust gas ratio in the reformate composition and reformer process efficiency using a platinum-based catalyst. The main reforming mechanisms for these conditions are ethanol thermal decomposition and
This paper describes and compares different powertrain configurations for the retrofit of a heavy-duty Class 8 truck, powered by a 12.6 liters diesel engine. The engine is firstly equipped with an electrification-oriented organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system and then coupled to a traction electric machine into a hybrid powertrain. An electrification-oriented ORC system can produce enough energy to cover the ancillary loads, which in long-haul applications for freight transportation are quite demanding. Nevertheless, only powertrain hybridization can achieve significant improvements in the overall system efficiency. Both systems may thus be implemented in the same vehicle, but an efficiency improvement is guaranteed only if the system is carefully managed so as to reach a trade-off between the requirements and potential benefits of the ORC system and those of the hybrid powertrain. In a previous work, the presence of the ORC system in a series hybrid retrofit has shown to allow for just a
Even a basic analysis of the use of fuel energy in a combustion engine would indicate that one-third of fuel energy is converted into exhaust waste, which is released into the environment. The scale of energy loss encourages scientists to try to consider the waste heat of exhaust gases as a potential source of useful energy. It is a standard today that waste heat is commonly used to power a turbocharger applied to internal combustion engines. Waste heat can also be used to drive an adsorption cooling system for air-conditioning inside the car. The drawback of that solution is complexity of the system and size of adsorption bed which make it not suitable for automotive industry use. The concept of increasing the capability of vehicles’ turbo engines can boost performance of turbo-charged engines through extra cooling of air being impelled into the combustion chamber of the engine. Cooling of the charge inside the intake manifold saves fuel and reduces nitric oxide emissions in exhaust
Various potential alternative fuels for internal combustion engines are studied nowadays to reduce dependency on fossil fuel. Hydrogen-rich reformate produced onboard as a result of fuel reforming in an internal combustion engine with a high-pressure thermochemical recuperation is a promising alternative gaseous fuel. This paper reports on the effects of the reformate fuel injection method on energy efficiency and combustion characteristics of a single-cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine with a high compression ratio (16:1) at steady-state conditions. A comparison between port (PFI) and direct (DI) reformate injection is performed. Engine performance and combustion parameters are evaluated and analyzed. For both injection strategies, a similar relatively high indicated efficiency (50%) is observed. This is a joint result of waste heat recovery and hydrogen combustion benefits. With the PFI method, the lower engine volumetric efficiency, due to hydrogen induction into the intake
Among the different opportunities to save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions from internal combustion engines, great attention has been done on the waste heat recovery: the energy wasted is, in fact, almost two thirds of the energy input and even a partial recovery into mechanical energy is promising. Usually, thermal energy recovery has been referred to a direct heat recovery (furtherly expanding the gases expelled by the engine thanks to their high pressure and temperature) or an indirect one (using the thermal energy of the exhaust gases - or of any other thermal streams - as upper source of a conversion power unit, which favors a thermodynamic cycle of a suitable working organic fluid). Limiting the attention to the exhaust gases, a novel opportunity can be represented by directly exploiting the residual pressure and temperature of the flue gases through an Inverted Brayton cycle (IBC), in which the gases are expanded at a pressure below the environmental one, cooled down and then
New internal combustion engines (ICE) are characterized by increasing maximum efficiency, thanks to the adoption of strategies like Atkinson cycle, downsizing, cylinder deactivation, waste heat recovery and so on. However, the best performance is confined to a limited portion of the engine map. Moreover, electric driving in urban areas is an increasingly pressing request, but battery electric vehicles use cannot be easily spread, due to limited vehicle autonomy and recharging issues. Therefore, hybrid propulsion systems are under development, in order to reduce vehicle fuel consumption, by decoupling the ICE running from road load, as well as to permit energy recovery and electric driving. This paper analyses a new-patented solution for power split hybrid propulsion system with gearbox. The system comprises an auxiliary power unit, adapted to store and/or release energy, and a planetary gear set, which is interposed between the ICE and the gearbox. A further device, coupled with the
The electrification of the internal combustion engine is an important subject of future automotive technology. By using a motorized internal combustion engine, it is possible to recover waste energy by regeneration technology and to reduce various losses that deteriorate the efficiency of the internal combustion Engine. This paper summarizes the results of the development of an engine-integrated motor that can be applied to a 48V mild hybrid system for motorization of an internal combustion engine. Like the 48V MHSG-mounted mild hybrid system designed to replace the generator in the auxiliary belt system, the motorized internal combustion engine is designed with the scalability as the top priority to minimize the additional space for the vehicle and to mount the same engine in various models. The addition of an integrated motor to the crankshaft instead of the MHSG of a belt-driven mild hybrid system that replaces the generator will allow the removal of components with redundant
In this study, a 1.1 MW diesel-gen-set is used to design a Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) system to generate additional power using Rankine cycle (RC). A computer code is written in commercial Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software to solve equations of overall energy and mass balance, heat transfer, evaporation, condensation, frictional and heat losses for heat exchangers, turbine, pumps, cooling tower and connecting pipes connecting different components. After initial design of the WHR system, manufacturers are contacted to find out the availability of parts, and then, accordingly the design is changed. There are several heat exchangers required to heat the water from liquid to superheated steam and then, it is passed to the turbine. Then, after the expansion in the turbine, it is passed to the condenser to condense the steam to water. Optimization is done on the heat exchangers, focusing on the tube length and diameter. The tube length is changed in accordance to the availability on
Waste heat recovery based on an Organic Rankine Cycle is a technology proposed for the reduction of the fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles. This technology is currently not simulated by VECTO, the tool used in Europe to certify the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new heavy-duty vehicles. In this work, a class 5 lorry equipped with a prototype Organic Rankine Cycle system is tested on the chassis dyno during steady state and transient driving cycles, with the waste heat recovery enabled and disabled. The waste heat recovery system enabled a brake specific fuel consumption reduction of 3.1% over the World Harmonized Vehicle Cycle, 2.5% during the official EU Regional Delivery Cycle, and up to 6.5% at certain engine operating points during the fuel consumption mapping cycle. A model of the vehicle was created in VECTO based on the experimental data. The fuel consumption map of the engine with and without the Organic Rankine Cycle was derived from the steady-state experiments
Waste heat recovery in medium-power systems below 400 kW waste heat power asks for a novel expansion engine concept for water-based Rankine steam cycles. The aim is to combine the advantages of reciprocating piston engines and of turbines at reasonable costs. The so-called rotational wing-piston expander uses two pivoting shafts, each holding two wing-like pistons within one housing, that perform a cyclic movement relative to each other. Thus, four working chambers with varying volumes are shaped, each experiencing repetitive compression and expansion. This solution offers the possibility of sealing the lubricated gearbox against the steam-flooded section containing the working chambers with rotational seals. For the development of the expansion engine, starting with an initial approach for a functional prototype, experimental investigations are carried out. Motored tests are performed in order to scrutinize kinematics and mechanics. Tests with pressurized air for enhanced load on the
Car engines, laptop computers, cellphones, and refrigerators all heat up with overuse. That heat can be captured and turned into energy using a method that produces electricity from heat. The technology uses a silicon chip, also known as a “device,” that converts more thermal radiation into electricity. This could lead to devices such as laptop computers and cellphones with much longer battery life and solar panels that are much more efficient at converting radiant heat to energy.
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