Current and future trend opportunities of thermoelectric generator applications in waste heat recovery

OpenAlex İngilizce

Today, with the increase of industrialization, the waste heat emitted by the industrial machines used has started to increase. Therefore, the energy efficiency of these devices also decreases. In addition, this waste heat remains a bad factor that plays a role in the world's climate change. Governments are implementing incentive policies to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, both scientists and engineers strive for a cleaner environment and energy. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are one of the devices that contribute to energy efficiency and sustainable energy production by ensuring the recovery of a certain part of the waste heat emitted by these machines to the environment. The TEGs have found traditional uses from the waste heat of microprocessors to the waste heat of stoves. However, their proliferation is limited by their efficiency less than 10% and their high purchasing costs. Academicians and engineers continue to work without slowing down to overcome these. The semiconductors with low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity are the main subjects studied in this field. With overcoming these difficulties, it is aimed to use thermoelectric generators in the future to convert the waste heat of almost all devices into electrical energy. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the current innovations of TEGs and to determine the future trend. Among the main findings of this study, it is predicted that TEGs will be widely used in areas where there is a need for silent and maintenance-free energy in the future.