Rows of the thermoelectric modules of Example 3.13 are attached to the flat absorber plate of Problem

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Rows of the thermoelectric modules of Example 3.13 are attached to the flat absorber plate of Problem 3.108. The rows of modules are separated by Lsep  = 0.5 m and the backs of the modules are cooled by water at a temperature of Tw  = 40°C, with h = 45 W/m· K.

Determine the electric power produced by one row of thermoelectric modules connected in series electrically with a load resistance of 60Ω. Calculate the heat transfer rate to the flowing water. Assume rows of 20 immediately adjacent modules, with the lengths of both the module rows and water tubing to be Lrow = 20W where W = 54 mm is the module dimension taken from Example 3.13. Neglect thermal contact resistances and the temperature drop across the tube wall, and assume that the high thermal conductivity tube wall creates a uniform temperature around the tube perimeter. Because of the thermal resistance provided by the thermoelectric modules, it is no longer appropriate to assume that the temperature of the absorber plate directly above a tube is equal to that of the water.


Example 3.13

An array of M = 48 thermoelectric modules is installed on the exhaust of a sports car. Each module has an effective Seebeck coefficient of Sp-n,eff = 0.1435 V/K, and an internal electrical resistance of Re,eff = 4Ω. In addition, each module is of width and length W = 54 mm and contains N = 100 pairs of semiconducting pellets. Each pellet has an overall length of 2L = 5mm and cross-sectional area Ac,s = 1.2 10-5 mand is characterized by a thermal conductivity of k= 1.2 W/m· K. The hot side of each module is exposed to exhaust gases at T∞,1 = 550°C with h= 40 W/m· K, while the opposite side of each module is cooled by pressurized water at T∞,2  = 105°C with h2 = 500 W/m· K. If the modules are wired in series, and the load resistance is Re,load = 400Ω, what is the electric power harvested from the hot exhaust gases?

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Fundamentals Of Heat And Mass Transfer

ISBN: 9780470501979

7th Edition

Authors: Theodore L. Bergman, Adrienne S. Lavine, Frank P. Incropera, David P. DeWitt

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