Psuedo 3D printing of thermoelectric elements in an integrated steel plant

DECC最近的一份报告估计，大约六分之一的工业能源是以废热的形式排放的。报告确定了48太瓦时/年的工业废热源，其中7太瓦时/年的回收在经济上是可行的。钢铁工业是英国最大的废热排放者之一，一个典型的钢铁厂仅在冷却水中排放约20 PJ/年。如果25%的热量可以回收，即使效率为5%，每年也可以节省1000万英镑（基于每千瓦时0.15英镑的电价）。由此可见，回收工业废热既有商业方面的动力，也有环境方面的动力。这意味着，大面积、柔性和印刷的热电发电机可以有助于减少对国家电网的需求，减少发电时化石燃料的消耗，从而减少二氧化碳的排放。在斯旺西，我们最近打破了印刷热电材料中ZT值的记录。我们的制造技术已经打印出了ZT = 1.66的热电元件，这是一个惊人的结果，因为之前印刷热电材料的记录只是ZT = 1.02。这些结果使这些材料的应用更接近于实现。研究工程师将根据这一最新突破的架构研究和开发新的印刷热电发电机。然后，热电元件原型可以使用模型钻机进行试验，并在一个正在运行的钢铁厂现场进行试验，以确定新的热电装置的能力。项目Aims1。1 .对某典型钢铁厂印刷热电及余热来源的文献综述。利用非传统的生产技术，开发一种无毒的n型SnSe基材料，与已经开发的p型材料配对。基于研制的n型副材料的n型、p型支腿副的设计与制造及集成到工作样机装置中。将原型模块集成到定制的测试平台中，旨在模仿钢铁厂的工艺条件和环境。将开发的模块集成到塔尔伯特港钢铁厂的现有工厂结构中。这是塔塔钢铁在欧洲面临的一个关键挑战领域，已经是重要工作的主题。研究工程师将成为解决这个问题的团队的一员。

Background/ OverviewA recent report for DECC estimates around one sixth of overall industrial energy used is emitted as waste heat. The report identifies 48 TWh/yr of industrial waste heat sources with 7 TWhr/yr being economically viable for recovery.The steel industry is one of the UK's largest emitters of waste heat where a typical steel works emits ~20 PJ/yr in its cooling water alone. If say, 25 % of that heat was recoverable, even at 5 % efficiency, savings could be £10Million/year (based on an electricity price of £0.15/kWh). It can be seen therefore, that there is commercial as well as environmental impetus for recovering industrial waste heat, meaning that large area, flexible and printed thermoelectric generators could contribute to reducing demand on the National Grid, to reducing consumption of fossil fuels for power generation and subsequently reduce CO2 emissions. At Swansea we have recently broken the record for ZT value in a printed thermoelectric material. Our fabrication technique has led to printed thermoelectric elements with ZT = 1.66 which is an astonishing result given that the previous record for a printed thermoelectric material is just ZT = 1.02. These results bring the application of these materials a step closer to realisation. The Research Engineer will research and develop new printed thermoelectric generators based on the architecture of this recent breakthrough. The prototype thermoelectric elements can then be trialled using model rigs, and on-site at an operating steel plant to ascertain the capability of the new thermoelectric devices.Project Aims1. Review of literature on printed thermoelectric and identification of sources of waste heat in a typical steel plant.2. Development of a non-toxic n-type SnSe based material to pair with the already developed p-type material using non-traditional production techniques.3. Design and fabrication of n- & p-type leg pairs and integration into working prototype devices based on the developed n-type pair material.4. Integration of prototype modules into custom test rigs, designed to imitate process conditions and environments in the steel plant.5. Integration of developed modules into existing plant structure at Port Talbot Steel Works.This is a key challenge area for Tata Steel in Europe and is already the subject of significant work. The Research Engineer will be part of the team in reaching a solution to this problem.