Conformal High-power-density Half-Heusler Thermoelectric Modules: A Pathway towards Practical Power Generator

ORAL

Abstract

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) exploiting Seebeck effect, provide a promising solution for waste heat recovery. Among large number of thermoelectric (TE) materials, half-Heusler (hH) alloys are leading candidates for medium to high temperature power generation applications. However, the fundamental challenge in this field has been the insufficient power output from the modules and rigid form factor of TE modules. This has restricted the transition of TEGs in practical applications for over three decades. Here, we successfully demonstrate high power conformal hH TE modules for high temperature application and their direct integration on flue gas platforms, such as cylindrical tube, to form large area flexible TEGs. This new conformal architecture design provides a breakthrough towards to medium/high temperature TEGs over the conventional BiTe- and polymer-based flexible TEGs design. Variable fill factor and greater flexibility due to conformal design results in higher device performance as compared to conventional rigid TEG devices. Modules with 72-couple hH legs exhibit device high-power-density of 3.13 W-cm-2 and a total output power of 56.6 W under temperature difference of 570 K. These results provide a promising pathway towards widespread utilization of thermoelectric technology into the waste heat recovery application and will have significant impact on the development of practical thermal to electrical converters.

*The authors acknowledge the financial support from the DARPA MATRIX program (NETS), Office of Naval Research through grant number N00014-20-1-2602, Army Research Office through grant number W911NF1620010, National Science Foundation through I/UCRC Program. This work was also authored in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes.

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Publication: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 13 (45), 53935-53944 (One of Cover Article)

Presenters

  • WENJIE LI

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Penn State University
    • The Pennsylvania State University

Authors

  • WENJIE LI

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Penn State University
    • The Pennsylvania State University

  • Amin Nozariasbmarz

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

  • Ravi A Kishore

    • National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Bed Poudel

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Penn State University
    • The Pennsylvania State University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

  • Shashank Priya

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Penn State University
    • Penn State
    • The Pennsylvania University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.