Identifying Cost Effective Routes To Optimised Energy Recovery For The Fuel Economy Of Vehicles

内燃机在日常生活中广泛应用，仍然是最具成本效益的发电手段之一。然而，典型的发动机在其正常运行中损失了大量的能量，并且有明显的利用这些能量的潜力。最大的流量是在车辆的排气系统，这是我们提出的研究重点。该项目的主要目标是利用热电发电机和一种被称为skutudite的新型材料实现一种有效的能量回收方法。通过采用相同的内部结构，角方矿模拟了一种天然存在的矿物，具有低导热性和低电阻的重要特性。这些材料的主要优点是通过在其结构中使用低成本金属来降低成本。第二个也是重要的优势是未来新型制造技术的潜力，其中热电发电机的有源元件使用加法方法制造，以建立所需的复杂形状。该项目汇集了三所大学，可以涵盖从材料化学到系统集成方法的各种能力。赫瑞瓦特大学的研究小组将逐步使用成本更低的材料合成新材料，以证明使用低成本材料可以获得所需的热电性能。卡迪夫团队将整合模块，包括保护涂层，以确保发电机的耐用性。在拉夫堡，将探索将热电（TE）发电机与后处理等其他功能集成的范围。拉夫堡团队将与卡迪夫团队合作，根据不同类型发动机的要求，确定将TE模块集成到热交换设备中的新方法。该项目以发电机组的实际演示和一系列模拟结果结束，这些结果展示了如何实现成本路径和达到商业性能水平的路径。

The internal combustion engine which is in everyday use in a wide variety of applications remains one of the most cost effective means of generating power. A typical engine however loses substantial amounts of energy in its normal operation and there is clear potential to utilise this energy. The largest flow is in the exhaust system of the vehicle, and it is here that the proposed research is focussed. The main objective of the project is the realisation of an efficient method of energy recovery using a thermoelectric generator and utilising a new type of material known as a skutterudite. By adopting the same internal structure, skutterudites simulate a naturally occurring mineral which has the vital properties of low thermal conductivity with low electrical resistance. The principal advantage of these materials is their potential for cost reduction by utilising low cost metals in their structure. A second and important advantage is the future potential for novel manufacturing techniques in which the active elements of the thermoelectric generator are made using additive methods to build up the kind of complex shapes that are required. The project brings together three universities that can cover the range of capabilities from the chemistry of materials through to systems integration methods. The Heriot-Watt team will synthesise new materials using progressively lower cost materials to demonstrate that the required thermoelectric performance can be obtained using low cost materials. The Cardiff team will integrate modules, incorporating protective coatings to ensure the durability of the generator. At Loughborough, the scope to integrate thermo-electric (TE) generators with other functions such as after-treatment will be explored. The Loughborough team will work with the Cardiff team to identify novel methods of integrating the TE modules into a heat exchange device, regarding the requirements imposed by different types of engine. The project concludes with the practical demonstration of TE generators and a portfolio of simulation results that demonstrate how the cost path and the path to levels of commercial performance will be realised.