Article Highlights Boise State Research to Recover Heat From Car Engine

Newswise — A paper co-authored by Yanliang Zhang and his students Nick Kempf and Luke Schoensee, has been published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management. Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.

Titled “High-Temperature and high-power-density nanostructured thermoelectric generator for automotive waste heat recovery,” it focuses on the development of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) as a way to convert the waste heat from car engines into electricity.

“Given increasing energy use as well as decreasing fossil fuel sources worldwide, it is no surprise that interest in promoting energy efficiency through waste heat recovery is also increasing,” the paper states. However, a variety of challenges have resulted in few demonstrations of thermoelectric generators for automotive waste heat recovery.

Zhang and his colleagues developed a high-performance TEG prototype with more than 1 kW power output, utilizing high-efficiency nanostructured bulk thermoelectric materials. The thermoelectric module used in the TEG shows a record-high power density due to enhanced thermoelectric materials performances and unique device architecture.

This high-performance TEG opens up opportunities for lots of energy harvesting and power generation applications.

Zhang’s goal is to develop a commercially viable thermoelectric waste heat recovery system capable of enhancing the engine fuel efficiency by a few percent. According to the Department of Energy, only about 25 percent of a gasoline vehicle’s fuel energy is used to drive the wheels, and more than 70 percent is lost as waste heat in the exhaust gases and to the engine coolant. Thermoelectric generators have the capability to directly convert waste heat from the hot engine exhaust into electricity that can power vehicle auxiliary loads and accessories.