ループサーモサイフォン式熱電発電装置における変動熱源対応機構

抄録

The thermoelectric generator using the loop thermosiphon (LT-TEG) can generate high electric power and it is important to further increase the electric power for commercial use. In general, the exhaust heat fluctuates, and the excess heat damages the thermoelectric modules, while the lower heat leads to the lower electric power. To increase the time-averaged electric power while protecting the thermoelectric modules, the variable heating function (VHF) has been developed in this study. The VHF automatically can control the refrigerant amount in the LT-TEG to suppress the heat transfer to the thermoelectric modules for the excess heat, while keeping the electric power. The VHF has increased the time-averaged electric power by 48% in the exhaust heat generated from the steelmaking plant.