Effect of a Thermoelectric Generator on the Fuel Economy of a Vehicle Operating in a Real-world Environment

eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2016-06-20 12 Spl.Edn.2 375 386 10.13005/bbra/2213 12942 article Effect of a Thermoelectric Generator on the Fuel Economy of a Vehicle Operating in a Real-world Environment Nikolay Anatolyevich Khripach 1 Boris Arkadyevich Papkin 1 Viktor Sergeevich Korotkov 1 Alexander Sergeevich Nekrasov 1 Dmitriy Vladimirovich Zaletov 2 Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “Moscow state university of Mechanical Engineering (MAMI)” 107023 Moscow, Bolshaya Semenovskaya str., 38 Mobil GazService Ltd, 603000, Nizhny Novgorod region, Nizhny Novgorod, Holodny side str. 10a This paper presents a study of how a thermoelectric generator can affect the vehicle fuel efficiency in a real-world environment. Real-world drive cycles are significantly different from the standard cycles, which certainly has a negative impact on fuel economy. Given low share of hybrid vehicles, it is advisable to assess the impact of a thermoelectric generator, which partially recovers thermal energy of exhaust gases, on fuel efficiency of a vehicle with a conventional power plant. Tests were run at actual vehicle routes and involved registration of thermodynamic parameters of exhaust gas and coolant in addition to the basic parameters of the vehicle and its internal combustion engine. The results were used to calculate the electric output of the thermoelectric generator at each moment of time, which allows to evaluate its effect on the fuel economy of the vehicle as a whole. The results showed an improvement of the internal combustion engine fuel consumption of about 3% after installation of a thermoelectric generator, which is significantly less than known simulation results based on standard driving cycles. It can be explained by sudden powerful accelerations of the vehicle during the test drives as well as other factors. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol12_nospl_edn2/effect-of-a-thermoelectric-generator-on-the-fuel-economy-of-a-vehicle-operating-in-a-real-world-environment/ Thermoelectric generator; Recuperation of heat energy; Direct conversion of heat into electricity; fuel consumption reduction