Abstract
Exhaust heat recovery of automobile using thermoelectric generators (TEGs) has strong potential for improving fuel economy. In this study, simulation was performed to estimate the fuel economy improvement using an exhaust heat recovery system with thermoelectric generators in a series hybrid. The study investigates on fuel economy benefit from electrical power generation along with quick warm-up of engine due to heat transfer from exhaust gas to coolant accompanied with power generation and estimates benefit of TEGs against future fuel economy regulations. It is concluded that electrical output generated by TEG using exhaust heat and quick warm-up of engine coolant could yield an improvement of about 3% in fuel economy in US 5 cycles fuel economy, and additional benefit toward future Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and Greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations could be expected.
