OPTIMIZATION OF CYLINDRICAL TUBE - PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL STORAGE FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE IN ASPHALT PAVEMENT THERMOELECTRIC HARVESTING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/aej.v16.24542Keywords:
thermoelectric system, energy harvesting, phase change material storageAbstract
Recent attention has focused on harnessing thermal energy from asphalt pavement due to its significant waste heat output. While studies have analyzed structural shape effects on heat conduction, the critical quantitative influence of the Phase Change Material’s volume fraction on the overall thermal performance of the system structure remains unelaborated, hindering optimal thermal design. This study explores a thermoelectric energy harvesting system (TEH) designed to capture heat from asphalt surfaces. The project aimed to enhance TEH efficiency by incorporating phase change material (PCM) for subterranean cooling retention through simulation and experimentation. The design comprised an asphalt base holder, a top plate for heating, and a bottom plate for cooling. The top plate absorbs sunlight heat, while the bottom plate is submerged in the pavement and connected to a cooling element containing PCM. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation and experimental validation were used for heat transfer analysis. Two PCM types, organic type (PCM A) and paraffin wax (PCM B), were employed, with PCM B demonstrating superior performance, yielding a higher temperature difference. The utilization of PCM B significantly advanced system performance, generating an average output voltage of 1.7 V and a temperature difference (ΔT) of 27.9 °C, an improvement of 12.71°C over previous studies which enabled the charging of a 5 F supercapacitor to 3.8 V in 2.50 hours., showcasing a notable advancement.
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