Investigation of electrical power and energy efficiency in a hydrogen/ air-fueled micro-thermophotovoltaic and thermoelectric system

In this study, a micro-thermophotovoltaic and thermoelectric (MTPVT) system is proposed, which combines the photovoltaic effect and the Seebeck effect, building upon the existing micro-thermophotovoltaic (MTPV) framework to enhance energy conversion efficiency. For this, three-dimensional numerical investigation was conducted to optimize the system's overall energy efficiency and electrical power output. The present work focused on three critical design parameters: 1) inlet velocity; 2) inlet equivalence ratio; and 3) the number of cooling fins. Our results indicate that increasing the inlet velocity significantly enhances the system's power output. However, the marginal gains in energy efficiency diminish at higher inlet velocities. The optimal inlet equivalence ratio was found to be 1.1, which maximized power output, while a value of 0.95 was more favorable for energy efficiency. Additionally, a higher number of cooling fins are shown to improve heat dissipation within the thermoelectric modules. However, its effect on power output is relatively limited. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing the design and operational parameters of MTPVT systems to achieve better efficiency and higher power generation, particularly under varying inlet velocities and equivalence ratios.