Authors

Design of a heat exchanger for an evaporative system based on thermoelectric generators

DOI: 10.17586/1606-4313-2026-25-1-14-24
UDC 621.5

Design of a heat exchanger for an evaporative system based on thermoelectric generators

Bogatkin Kirill A., Blagin E. V., Galkina Natalia V., Dovgyallo A.I., Lopatin Alexey L.

For citation: Bogatkin K.A., Blagin E.V., Galkina N.V., Dovgyallo A.I., Lopatin A.L. Design of a heat exchanger for an evaporative system based on thermoelectric generators. Journal of International Academy of Refrigeration. 2026. No 1. p. 14-24. DOI: 10.17586/1606-4313-2026-25-1-14-24 (in Russian)

Abstract
The article concerns the actual problem of utilizing the energy potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG) during its regasification using thermoelectric generators (TEG) operating in the cryogenic temperature range. The aim of the work was a computational and experimental study of the TEG characteristics to determine their efficiency. A comparative analysis of the thermoelectric properties of promising semiconductor materials (Bi1,6Sb0,4Te3, Pb0,74Sn0,24Cd0,02, CsBi4Te6, and Mg2SiO0,3Sn0,7) was carried out using the developed calculation algorithm. The best results in terms of thermoelectric merit and efficiency (8-9%) were shown by the material based on bismuth telluride. For experimental verification, a laboratory TEG prototype was created based on a commercial module, in which boiling nitrogen served as a cold heat source, and the heat of the ambient air served as a hot one. During testing, a maximum temperature difference of 97.5°C was achieved across the module, enabling an electrical power output of 11.8 W. The experimentally obtained system efficiency was 5.6%. The main limiting factor was identified as heat exchange efficiency on the hot side. The results confirm the potential of TEGs for recovering cold energy from cryogenic products and highlight the need to optimize heat supply systems to improve generation efficiency.

Keywords: cryogenic temperatures, cryogenic working fluid, low-potential heat, thermoelectric generator, liquefied natural gas, electricity generation.

All references

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