Jurnal Polimesin
Vol 23, No 5 (2025): October

An in-situ experimental and numerical evaluation on thermoelectric generators performance utilizing diesel engine exhaust heat

Sugiyanto, Sugiyanto (Unknown)
Aisyah, Nyayu (Unknown)
Prayitno, Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto (Unknown)
Bahiuddin, Irfan (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Oct 2025

Abstract

Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) from heavy-duty diesel generators using Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) offers a potential way to improve total system efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. This study combines experiments and numerical simulation to evaluate the performance of Hi-Z HZ 14 TEGs modules applied to a 6-cylinder, 60 kVA diesel generator. Experimentally, TEG modules were mounted equidistantly along the exhaust manifold, 40 cm from the engine, and tested at idle (750 rpm) with and without active air-side cooling. Hot- and cold-side temperatures, open-circuit Voltage (Voc), load power, and conversion efficiency were recorded. A matching TEG configuration was simulated under the same boundary conditions. As a result, active cooling increased the temperature differential and consistently improved power output and efficiency relative to natural convection. An efficiency of 2.1% was observed, in reasonable agreement with the simulation and consistent with typical TEGs performance under comparable operating conditions. Although this value confirms the feasibility of TEG integration in heavy-duty diesel exhaust systems, further improvements are possible through material selection, heat-sink optimization, and advanced cooling strategies.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

polimesin

Publisher

Subject

Automotive Engineering Control & Systems Engineering Engineering Materials Science & Nanotechnology Mechanical Engineering

Description

Mechanical Engineering - Energy Conversion Engineering - Material Engineering - Manufacturing Technology - Mechatronics - Machine and Mechanism Design - ...