Experimental study on the energy harvesting of a cooktop via thermoelectric module assisted with phase change material

This article presents an effective method for harvesting waste heat from a household cooktop. The energy-harvesting module contains a thermoelectric (TE) module, heat pipe module, and phase change material (PCM). The effects of TE modules, cooling mediums (air, water, and paraffin), and heat sink configuration and arrangement on the overall performance of the energy harvesting module are examined experimentally. It is found that the cooling process on the cold side of TE plays an essential role on the output voltage and system performance. By adding an air-cooled heat sink, both output voltage and temperature difference can be moderately improved. Yet using a water-cooled heat sink can improve the output voltage by about four times higher. Furthermore, the output voltage can be further promoted by using more efficient thermoelectric module. It appears that fewer fins incorporated with the PCM container filled with paraffin shows the optimal energy harvesting performance. Additionally, the recharging time for the full, medium, and low flame operation is tested with 3, 4, and 15minutes, respectively, and the maximum recharging power of 7.25W can be achieved with the highest energy storage of 523 mAh after operating 30minutes.