Increasing power densities in a thermoelectric generator by stacking and incorporating dual heat pipes

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) hold potential for waste heat recovery applications, but their ability to generate electricity within the confined space of exhaust systems remains a challenge. This work introduces a stacked TEG with dual heat pipes to facilitate heat transfer between thermoelectric modules and hot/cold sources and to help optimize space utilization. We also designed an apparatus to assess the output performance of TEGs. Our experimental findings reveal that, at a temperature of 650 K and a flow rate of 50 m s−1, the stacked TEG can produce 848.37 W of electricity with a power density of 48.22 W L−1.