Prediction of Optimal Load and Performance of Thermal Batteries

Abstract:

Nowadays, the possibility of applying alternative energy sources is increasingly discussed. In terms of application, a Seebeck thermoelectric generator seems promising for the direct conversion of heat (preferably waste heat) into electricity. In order to increase the performance and thereby the effectiveness of different thermoelectric modules, especially advantageous thermoelectric properties of materials and also innovative design of thermoelectric devices are now solved. However, the achievement of maximum possible performance and operating efficiency is not determined solely by material efficiency and geometric dimensions of thermocouples connected in a thermal battery. It is also necessary to predict an optimum load of the specific source of energy in order to use material design improvements optimally and ensure longer life of thermal batteries. Their manufacturers, except the power input as a “heat consumption” and the maximum power output of a thermal battery (at a certain temperature difference between cold and heated walls), should also declare such load by an appliance, which is optimal for the given type of thermogenerator. The present paper, therefore, proposes a method for determining the optimum load of a thermal battery.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 821)
• Pages: 641-648
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.821.641
• Online since: January 2016
• Authors: Milena Kušnerová*, Jan Valíček, Marta Harničárová, Hakan Tozan
• Keywords: Internal Resistance, Optimal Load, Optimal Performance, Thermal Battery

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