Engineering Commons^™

Performance Analysis Of An Exhaust Heat Recovery System Utilizing Heat Pipes, Metal Foam, And Thermoelectric Generators, Michael Resciniti

Honors Program Projects

Developing efficient thermoelectric generator systems to recover wasted thermal energy from automotive exhaust gasses has potential to improve engine efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Due to their high thermal transfer efficiency, heat pipes have been used to assist thermoelectric generator systems in these applications. To aid in additional heat transfer, metal fins are often used with heat pipes to take advantage of extended-surface heat transfer. This paper proposes a thermoelectric generator system that employs metal foam as an extended-surface heat transfer aid used in conjunction with heat pipes. Three test conditions were simulated to evaluate the system performance in terms …