Transient and non-uniform heat flux effect on solar thermoelectric generator with phase change material

•Effect of transient and non-uniform heat flux on STEG performance is studied.•Comparison of STEG with and without PCM is made through simulation.•A new design for STEG with PCM placed on top instead of heat sink is presented.•Three-dimensional study of a full-scale solar thermoelectric generator is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied thermal engineering 2020-06, Vol.173, p.115206, Article 115206
Main Authors: Shittu, Samson, Li, Guiqiang, Xuan, Qindong, Xiao, Xin, Zhao, Xudong, Ma, Xiaoli, Akhlaghi, Yousef Golizadeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer simulation
Concentrators
Electricity generation
Finite element method
Fins
Generators
Heat flux
Heat transfer
Non-uniform heat flux
PCM
Phase change materials
Phase transitions
Ray tracing
Software
Solar energy
Solar radiation
Solar thermoelectric generator
Thermoelectric generators
Thermoelectricity
Transient study
Weather
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Summary:•Effect of transient and non-uniform heat flux on STEG performance is studied.•Comparison of STEG with and without PCM is made through simulation.•A new design for STEG with PCM placed on top instead of heat sink is presented.•Three-dimensional study of a full-scale solar thermoelectric generator is presented. Transient and non-uniform heat flux from solar concentrators can affect the performance of solar thermoelectric generators, which generate electricity from concentrated solar radiation. Therefore, this paper presents a detailed three-dimensional study on the effect of transient and non-uniform heat flux on the performance of a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG). COMSOL 5.4 Multiphysics software is utilized for the numerical study while the non-uniform heat flux from a compound parabolic concentrator is obtained through ray tracing simulation using Lighttools software. Varying solar radiation under typical partly cloudy weather condition is utilized. Furthermore, phase change material (PCM) is used to reduce the effect of transient and non-uniform heat flux therefore; it is positioned at the top surface of the solar thermoelectric generator. A comparison between the performance of the STEG with and without PCM is presented, and a parametric study on the effect of PCM fins and PCM height on the STEG performance is carried out. Results show that the place of PCM on the top surface of the solar thermoelectric generator is an effective approach to provide a stable electrical performance form the STEG under varying weather conditions. Furthermore, results reveal the effectiveness of the phase change material in protecting the solar thermoelectric generator under highly concentrated solar radiation. This study will provide valuable design guidance for solar thermoelectric generators under varying weather conditions and with solar concentrators, which produce non-uniform heat flux.
ISSN:1359-4311
1873-5606
DOI:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.115206