Experimental analysis of producing electrical energy from the heater radiator using thermoelectric generator

Although thermoelectric technology has been known since the middle of 19th century, it has not reached its a functional area. The most intensive use area is not the electricity production area but the cooling area. It is used in the invention of small refrigerators used in automobiles, cooling of computer processors, heat generated in automobile exhausts, and converting it into electrical energy. Thermoelectric generator is the device that converts heat energy directly to electrical energy. It was found by German Thomas Seebeck that there was a constant electric current in two different metals and in a closed circuit where metals were held at different temperatures. This formation is called Seebeck effect or, more generally, thermoelectric effect. In the winter, the surface temperature of the radiators used in homes and the surface temperature of the wall were observed. The temperature difference between these two surfaces was found to be about half the temperature of the radiator. Using the observed temperature difference, thermoelectric generators are used to produce electrical energy in direct proportion to the temperature difference in order to make the inert temperature sensible at ambient temperature. By designing a system in which the thermoelectric generators which can generate electricity from the temperature difference, contact one side of the radiator (hot surface) and the other face to the wall (cold surface), the temperature difference is created and the electrical energy is obtained. Fans are mounted in the radiator ducts so that warm air can blow under the duct cavities to make the accumulated temperature quickly felt in the room. Thermal comfort is provided by feeding the fans we have installed in the channel cavities of the radiator with the electrical energy we produce by using thermoelectric generators. In this study, it is aimed to obtain electrical energy by using thermoelectric generator modules and thermal comfort with this energy. For the experimental analysis, the temperature sensors and the current / voltage sensor were connected and the temperature data and electrical parameters were read with the arduino card and stored in the SD card memory. Experimental analysis was performed by comparing recorded data. The temperature difference was obtained by using the surface temperature of the radiator and wall. From the temperature difference, electrical energy with a power of 3,24 W at room temperature with thermoelectric generators was obtained and stored in the battery. In order to use the produced energy beneficially, the fans in the radiator channels are fed and the room temperature is increased by 8 ° C.