PRINTEG - Advanced manufacturing for low-cost Thermo-electric device fabrication

对于汽车内燃机，只有35%的能量被用于动力，65%的能量被有效地“损失”到环境中- 25%的损失能量被转移到废气中。对于非典型的100马力（75千瓦）发动机，废热能量高达50千瓦。因此，汽车OEM正在寻求通过废热回收来提高燃料效率-其中一种非常有吸引力的方法是使用热电发电机（TEG）。到目前为止，这些方法由于劳动密集型的材料整合、机加工和手工组装而过于昂贵。随着这些TEG市场的增长，越来越明显的是，开发出不受影响的、具有成本效益的制造技术，然后将大规模生产出口到低成本经济体。PRINTEG项目将通过开发先进的自动化技术直接解决这一问题：TE粉末处理和整合;表面贴装拾取和放置以及互连沉积和激光烧结。这将使英国具有成本效益的制造业能够以490英镑/千瓦的销售价格生产TEG。通过实现这一目标，我们的研究能力合作伙伴联盟不仅将保障英国的TEG制造，而且还将商业化我们现有的热电研究活动的结果，这些研究活动已经生产出具有全球竞争力的材料和工艺。

For an automotive combustion engine only 35% of the energy produced is harnessed for motive power, with 65% of theenergy being effectively 'lost' to the environment - 25% of that lost energy is transferred into the exhaust gases. For atypical 100hp (75kW) engine, the waste heat energy is up to 50kW. As a result, automotive OEMS are looking to increasefuel efficiency through waste exhaust heat power recovery - one very attractive approach for this is the use of Thermo-Electric Generators (TEGs). To date these approaches have been too expensive due to labour intensive materialconsolidation,machining and hand assembly. As the market for these TEGs grows, it is becoming clear that unlessautomated, cost-effective manufacturing technologies are developed then mass production will be exported to low-costeconomies. The PRINTEG project will directly address this by developing advance automated technologies for: TE powderhandling and consolidation; Surface mounted pick and place and interconnect deposition and laser sintering. This willenable cost-effective manufacture in the UK to produce TEGs at a sales price of £490/kW. By achieving this, ourconsortium of research capable partners will not only safeguard TEG manufacture in the UK but will also commercialise theresults of our existing Thermo-electric research activities that are already producing globally competitive materials and processes.