A practical test of a Bi-Te thermoelectric waste heat generator system in an incinerator using oil for heat transfer

Aiming at the utilization of low temperature thermal energy, a thermoelectric generator was applied to a municipal solid waste incinerator. The generator consisted of 60 BiTe thermoelectric modules. In the system, oil was used on the hot side as the heat transfer medium and water was used on the cold side. The electric output obtained from the system was 535 W under the conditions of 34 degC at cold side (water) and 261 degC at hot side (oil). A running test was carried out with 22 times on/off heat cycles. The accumulated operating time was 115 hours. No significant degradation of the thermoelectric module was observed throughout the test period. The energy conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric generator was measured at 2.8%.