Heat Transfer Analysis and Performance Investigation of Generator Thermoelectric Applied in LPG Stove Waste Heat Recovery

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) can convert heat from LPG gas stoves into electricity. The application of this conversion technology consists of three major components: a hot side heat exchanger, a TEG, and a cold side heat exchanger. This study investigates the effects of TEG cold surface cooling system variations on heat transfer and the thermoelectric generator module's electric performance when applied to convert liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove waste heat. Four thermoelectric generator modules are placed outside the plate and connected in series to take advantage of the waste heat. Three different cooling systems are used to cool the thermoelectric generator module's cold surface: a heatsink, a heatsink with a fan, and a water block cooling system. Measurement and data retrieval are performed using the temperature and electrical output from the TEG module. Temperature and electrical output from the thermoelectric generator module are measured and data retrieved, while the heat transfer that occurs in the cooling system is calculated using the formulation. The results indicate that the cooling system's heat absorption capacity increases by more than 300% when the heatsink with a fan is used. When compared to a heatsink with a fan cooling system (i.e., 47.09 J/s), using a water block as a cooling system can increase heat absorption by 27% or a value of 60.00 J/s. Based on the performance of the thermoelectric generator module in generating electricity, it is clear that when comparing an air-cooling system to a water block-based cooler, the water block-based cooler produces more power. Water cooling is the optimal method for obtaining a high-power output from the TEG module when this conversion technology is applied to convert LPG stove waste heat to electrical energy.