Electric power output evaluation of honeycomb-based thermoelectric generators

The energy utilization rate in industrial production and daily life is less than 32% and the other energy is lost as waste heat. The porous structure can enhance the energy conversion efficiency of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) that has unique ability in converting heat energy into electricity. However, effects of the cell shape, cell size and cell arrangement on the electric power output (EPO) are unknown. This paper evaluates the EPO of the porous honeycomb-based TEG for waste heat harvesting. Effects of the shape, size and arrangement mode of the honeycomb cells on EPO are analyzed. The parametric study of cell configuration is performed for obtaining the maximum EPO. It is found that the open-circuit voltage is independent of the cell size. In comparison to the re-entrant auxetic honeycomb cell, the hexagon honeycomb cell is more promising for obtaining a higher EPO. The porous TEG with the horizontally arranged cell can generate a larger EPO than that with the vertically arranged cell.