Matching design and numerical optimization of automotive thermoelectric generator system applied to range-extended electric vehicle

The automotive thermoelectric generator (ATEG) system is a potential device to improve the fuel efficiency of range-extended engine. Few studies have focused on the matching design and optimization between ATEG system and the range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) by using the numerical optimization method. In this work, a longitudinal-lateral-vertical optimization approach is proposed to determine the optimal configuration of ATEG system with thermal protection and maximum net output power while matching the exhaust temperature and flow rate of REEV engine. Moreover, the fuel efficiency of range-extended engine with the optimal ATEG configuration is analyzed. The results indicate that the effects of N row and H on the temperature profile are not linear. Through the optimization, the optimal configuration of ATEG system is N row = 3, N col = 4 and H = 20 mm. The maximum net power is about 14.6 W and the net efficiency is about 1.0%. And the net efficiency will be very low if N col increases to too large. Compared with the preliminary configuration before the optimization, the output power and net power of the optimal configuration increased by about 66.3% and 114.7%, respectively. Accordingly, the fuel efficiency of range-extended engine achieves an increase of 2.0%. Moreover, the optimal configuration with more N col and higher H is needed to match the REEV engine with larger exhaust displacement. Therefore, this work provides a significant guidance for the matching design and numerical optimization of ATEG system applied in REEV.