Zero-cooling energy thermoelectric system by phase change material heat sink integrated with porous copper foam

Active cooling of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) by fans or water pumps imposes cooling energy reducing net power generation in TEG systems. This study aims to make zero-cooling energy TEG systems by integration of low temperature phase change material (PCM) and porous copper foam on cold side of the TEG. In this design, air fan is eliminated. To study the proposed system under transient heat input, the TEG system was exposed to continues and dynamic heat flows. Results of this study show that, the proposed fanless heat sink is an effective and alternative cooling solution for TEG systems. Utilization of the copper foam in the PCM not only reduced cold side temperature of the TEG by 11.3 %, but it also prevents hot side of the TEG from overheating. With this cooling technique, output power of the TEG increased 53.5 % compared to conventional TEG systems operating with fan. The results of this study provide a guideline for design of self-sufficient and autonomous TEG systems with zero-cooling energy used for energy harvesting for sensors and actuators under dynamic heat sources.