Performance of the 1 kW thermoelectric generator for diesel engines

Abstract

Hi‐Z Technology, Inc. (Hi‐Z) has been developing a 1 kW thermoelectric generator for class eight Diesel truck engines under U.S. Department of Energy and California Energy Commission funding since 1992. The purpose of this generator is to replace the currently used shaft‐driven alternator by converting part of the waste heat in the engine’s exhaust directly to electricity. The preliminary design of this generator was reported at the 1992 meeting of the XI‐ICT in Arlington, Texas. This paper will report on the final mechanical, thermal and thermoelectric design of this generator. The generator uses seventy‐two of Hi‐Z’s 13 Watt bismuth‐telluride thermoelectric modules for energy conversion. The number of modules and their arrangement has remained constant through the program. The 1 kW generator was tested on several engines during the development process. Many of the design features were changed during this development as more information was obtained. We have only recently reached our design goal of 1 kW output. The output parameters of the generator are reported.