Development of Cost-Competitive Advanced Thermoelectric Generators for Direct Conversion of Vehicle Waste Heat into Useful Electrical Power

Technical Report · Wed Dec 20 04:00:00 EST 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1414341· OSTI ID:1414341

Salvador, James ^[1]

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1. General Motors LLC, Warren, MI (United States); General Motors LLC

General Motors LLC (GM) proposed a project to develop a cost-effective thermoelectric generator (TEG) that is fully integrated into a GM production light-duty vehicle. The project goal was to reduce automotive energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by generating usable electricity from exhaust gas waste heat. The project objectives were to overcome the major obstacles to TEG commercialization and demonstrate 5% fuel economy improvement over the US06 drive cycle. We investigated electrical and thermal management strategies that included: (1) reducing electrical accessory load on the alternator using thermoelectric (TE) generated power; (2) shifting engine-driven accessories to electrical drive to raise the electrical accessory load consumption; (3) attempting to use the excess electrical power for something other than the vehicle electrical load e.g., propulsion (optimal for hybrids); and (4) implementing fast engine/transmission warm-up during cold-start. We developed a TEG system and all vehicle controls and electrical systems for full vehicle integration. The TEG system was modeled and analyzed for performance and cost. Heat exchangers and thermal interfaces between heat exchangers and TE modules were optimized for TE performance. Other objectives of the project were to (1) further optimize compositions and processing parameters for TE materials, (2) develop suitable diffusion barriers, interfaces electrical interconnections, and thermal contacts within TE modules, (3) implement adequate protection of TE materials and modules from degradation during operation, and (4) develop manufacturing and assembly processes for large scale production of TE materials and components that include scale-up plans for the production of 100,000 TEG units per year.

• Research Organization: General Motors LLC, Warren, MI (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
• Contributing Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Dana Corp, Delphi Corp.,Eberspaecher NA, Inc., Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marlow Industries, Michigan State University, Molycorp, Inc., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Purdue University, University of Michigan, University of Washington
• DOE Contract Number: EE0005432
• OSTI ID: 1414341
• Report Number(s): DOE-GM--05432-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
thermoelectric
waste heat