ICT2014 Abstracts

Thermoelectric generator converts heat energy into electricity. Currently, these devices are attached to heat exchangers by means of mechanical devices like clamps or fixtures with nut and bolts. These mechanical devices are not suitable to be used in harsh environments due to problems with rusting and maintenance purposes. To eliminate the need of these mechanical devices, various kinds of adhesives to attach the thermoelectric generators to the heat exchangers are investigated experimentally in this work. These adhesives are selected based on the thermal properties and also its stability to work in harsh environment to avoid the integrity damage of the attachment over a long period of time. Stainless steel plates are attached to thermoelectric generator with adhesives.  The introduction of adhesive as a mean of attachment for the thermoelectric generators contributes to the increase of thermal resistance for the heat transfer across the TEG. This work examines the effect of adhesives on the thermal performance and the power output of a single thermoelectric generator for various heats input.