KR20150136455A - Thermoelectric generation system and hybrid boiler using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a thermoelectric generating device which can independently generate power by using the heat of combustion of a boiler and a hybrid boiler having the same. According to the present invention, the thermoelectric generating device includes: a cooling unit including a water pipe through which a coolant flows; and a thermoelectric generating unit including a thermoelement generating power by a temperature difference between the cooling unit and the heat generated in the boiler. The thermoelectric generating unit is provided on an upper part and/or a lower part of a heat exchange system included in a combustion chamber of the boiler.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thermoelectric generator and a hybrid boiler having the same,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermoelectric generator for generating electricity by a temperature difference, and more particularly, to a thermoelectric generator installed in a boiler and a boiler provided with such a thermoelectric generator.

The difference in the concentration of electrons (or holes) having heat dependence due to the temperature difference at both ends of the solid material occurs at both ends, and this is caused by an electric phenomenon, that is, a thermoelectric phenomenon. Such a thermoelectric phenomenon can be classified into a thermoelectric power generating electric energy and a thermoelectric cooling / heating which causes a temperature difference at both ends by electric power supply.

Thermoelectric materials that exhibit thermoelectric properties have many advantages because they are environmentally friendly and sustainable because they do not emit pollutants during power generation and cooling. Particularly, there is a high interest in renewable energy related fields that can generate electricity directly from natural heat such as incineration furnace and various industrial facilities, and natural heat such as solar heat, geothermal heat and river water heat, and can do energy harvesting.

Techniques related to facilities using thermoelectric power generation have been proposed in Patent Registration No. 10-0629352 and Patent Registration No. 10-0138698. Patent Registration No. 10-0629352 proposes a thermoelectric module for generating electric power by using the temperature difference between the waste heat and the outside air during the cooling operation of the heat pump type air conditioner so that the utilization efficiency of the waste heat is increased, And it is proposed that the additional heat can be continuously generated regardless of the cooling operation and the heating operation by using the remaining heat provided to the waste heat supply heat exchange system during the heating operation of the heat pump type air conditioner to the thermoelectric module Respectively. In Patent Registration No. 10-0138698, the inner space of the thermoelectric module assembly in the shape of a cylinder or a quadrangular prism is defined as a combustion chamber, the outer surface of the thermoelectric module assembly forms a heat releasing surface, another cylindrical or quadrangular pyramid exists outside the heat releasing surface, The cooler is filled with water in the space between the air outlet surface and the outer cylinder or quadrangular column. The cooler is circulated by an external pump to absorb heat, and the absorbed heat is heated by the ondol or heat load device.

However, the related art technologies using the conventional thermoelectric power generation have a problem in that the structure is complicated by the provision of the low-temperature original absorption unit and the high-temperature original absorption unit, which constitute the thermoelectric module, Or the volume of the apparatus is increased. Furthermore, even if a thermoelectric element having a simple structure is used, a thermoelectric element is attached only to the inner wall of the combustion chamber, which limits the capacity of the thermoelectric generator due to the limited size of the combustion chamber.

On the other hand, in general, a boiler is heated by incineration of wood or waste in a combustion chamber, heating of heating water by heat generated by burning fuel such as gas or oil, and the like. Such a boiler is increasingly complicated in its structure in order to produce heat efficiently by reducing heat loss, resulting in higher unit price and frequent failure. Therefore, it is urgently required to develop a boiler which has a simple structure and can heat-exchange heat with the heating water more quickly and efficiently, thereby improving energy efficiency. Recently, a thermoelectric boiler equipped with a Stirling engine has been proposed. The use of a Stirling engine results in a theoretical efficiency of 50% and a maximum of 35%, which is highly efficient. However, since the Stirling engine itself is poor in durability, it is difficult to use for a long time and the size of the overall boiler increases due to a large engine .

Accordingly, the present inventors have been aware of the need for a so-called thermoelectric hybrid boiler, which not only has high energy efficiency, but also produces electric power from the heat generated in the boiler.

Patent Registration No. 10-0629352 Patent Registration No. 10-0138698

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoelectric generator that independently generates power by utilizing combustion heat of a boiler.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an environmentally friendly boiler by independently generating power by utilizing the heat of combustion of the boiler.

The thermoelectric generator according to the present invention includes a thermoelectric generator including a thermoelectric element for generating electric power according to a temperature difference between a heat generated in a boiler and a cooling unit, and a generated power per unit volume may be 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ . More preferably, the generated power per unit volume may be about 1.3 W / cm < ³ >.

One example of such a thermoelectric generator is such that the cooling portion is air-cooled so that the thermoelectric element is attached to a region where heat is dissipated in the boiler component, and the opposite air is used as a cooling portion. The thermoelectric elements are included as components in two or more different temperatures of the boiler, and the thermoelectric material selected according to the temperature-dependent figure of merit (ZT) is applied. For example, the thermoelectric element may include a thermoelectric element attached to an ultra-high temperature portion of 1000 ° C or higher, a thermoelectric element attached to a high temperature portion of 600 to 1000 ° C, a thermoelectric element attached to a used high temperature portion of 300 to 600 ° C, Or a thermoelectric device attached to the substrate.

Another example of the thermoelectric generator is that the cooling portion is a water-cooled type and the thermoelectric generator is provided in a heat exchange system included in the combustion chamber of the boiler.

More specifically, the cooling section includes a water tube through which cooling water flows, and the thermoelectric generator section is provided above and / or below the heat exchange system included in the combustion chamber of the boiler. The thermoelectric element may be attached anywhere around the water tube, but it is particularly preferred that it is attached to the outer wall. The temperature of the cooling water may be 30 to 100 ° C. The water tubes may have various sizes and cross-sectional shapes and may be arranged more than one.

The cooling unit may be attached at one or two or more stages. When the cooling unit is attached in two or more stages, it is preferable that the thermoelectric elements included in the respective stages have different performance indexes from thermoelectric elements included in the other stage.

Thus, the thermoelectric generator according to the present invention can include thermoelectric elements of various temperature ranges.

In the thermoelectric generator according to the present invention, the thermoelectric element may be tubular or planar. The thermoelectric element may be divided into a plurality of pieces. Accordingly, the tubular shape may be a single piece or a plurality of pieces attached thereto. The thermoelectric element is preferably a micro thermoelectric element having a thermoelectric leg having a height of 10 mm or less.

The thermoelectric generator according to the present invention may further include: a power conversion device connected to the thermoelectric device and collecting and regulating electric power produced by the thermoelectric device; And a power storage device connected to the power conversion device to charge the power collected and regulated by the power conversion device. At this time, the power produced by the boiler may be power generated independently from the thermoelectric element, or may be stored in the power storage device and then output.

A boiler according to the present invention is a hybrid boiler including a main body, a combustion device, a combustion chamber, a boiler portion including a heat exchange system included in the combustion chamber, and a thermoelectric generator as described above.

According to the present invention, a thermoelectric element is provided inside a boiler, and the heat is generated by the temperature difference between the heat of the high temperature portion inside the boiler and the outside portion of the opposite side of the boiler or the cooling portion including the water pipe through which the cooling water flows, whereby the combustion heat of the boiler is utilized positively, It is environmentally friendly because it generates electricity independently.

As the output of the electromotive force is increased according to the temperature difference, it is supplied to the boiler as its own power to increase the efficiency. In addition, it can be used in emergency in conjunction with a separate power storage system. That is, it can be used as an independent power supply or an emergency power supply, and the maintenance cost is low due to its simple structure, and it can be used as alternative energy.

The thermoelectric element used in the present invention has a very small size and can be attached to a plurality of pieces without depending on the shape of a part to be attached to the inside of the boiler. Accordingly, it is possible to smoothly adhere to various types of boiler components, thereby improving installation and manufacturing efficiency of the product, and minimizing the size of the entire boiler because the size of the power generator added for power generation is very small.

Particularly, it is possible to obtain a generated power per unit volume of 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ through lamination of various combinations of thermoelectric power generation parts.

1 is a schematic view of a thermoelectric generator and a hybrid boiler including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs showing thermoelectric performance of n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials developed up to now according to temperature.
3 is a schematic view showing a case where a thermoelectric element is attached to a large area such as the outside of the combustion chamber.
4 is a schematic view showing a case where a thermoelectric element is attached to a portion having a curved surface such as a communication pipe or a pipe.
5 is a perspective view of a thermoelectric module that can be applied to a thermoelectric device of a thermoelectric generator according to the present invention.
6 to 9 are schematic views for explaining a thermoelectric generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 to 14 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating an example of a thermoelectric generator of a thermoelectric generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is provided to let you know.

Generally, a boiler is a device for heating water or a heat medium by fire, flue gas, other high temperature gas or electricity to generate steam or hot water over atmospheric pressure and supply it to another place.

1 is a schematic view of a thermoelectric generator and a hybrid boiler including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated boiler is a domestic boiler, but the present invention is applicable not only to domestic boilers but also to boilers in various buildings such as corporations, government offices, schools, and the like.

1, the boiler 1 has a combustion device 20, a combustion chamber 30, a heat exchanger, for example, a water inlet I and a water outlet O in addition to the boiler body 10, (Not shown) such as a pipe 40, a communicating pipe 50, a superheater, a vacuum cleaner, an air preheater, an air vent, a vacuum cleaner, an automatic control device, and other safety valves do.

Particularly, the boiler 1 according to the present invention is attached to a component of a boiler 1 to generate electric power by utilizing heat from a boiler high temperature part, and supplies the generated electric power to the boiler 1 to generate a self- The thermoelectric generator 100 basically includes thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d attached to the components of the boiler 1, and the power converter 70 and the electric power And may further comprise a storage device 80.

The thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d are attached to the components of the boiler 1 to produce electric power from the boiler 1 by heat, for example, combustion heat or temperature difference between waste heat and ambient air. That is, the thermoelectric generator 100 of the present embodiment corresponds to a case in which power is produced by the temperature difference between the heat generated in the boiler 1 and the cooling section, particularly when the cooling of the cooling section is air cooling. The thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d are attached to a portion of the boiler 1 where the heat is dissipated, and the opposite air is used as a cooling portion.

These thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d are included as components in two or more different temperatures in the boiler 1, such as are attached to two or more different components of the boiler 1 at different temperatures, And a thermoelectric material selected in accordance with ZT at a component temperature is applied. With this configuration, the thermoelectric generator 100 can produce 0.1 to 2 W / cm ^{3 of} power. 0.1 W / cm ³ Is not sufficient. When a large number of thermoelectric elements are attached, 2 W / cm ³ But too many thermoelectric elements may affect the heat flow inside the boiler, which is undesirable.

Conventionally, the power generation amount is measured only by the power, and the generated power per unit volume is not considered. By introducing the concept of generated power per unit volume, it becomes possible to quantify the production power of a power generation entity having a substantial volume. Also, even in the case of a power generation system that produces the same power, it means that the generated power per unit volume is smaller than that when it is not. That is, the concept of generated power per unit volume is a new concept suitable for explaining the power generation of a thermoelectric power generation system that is more compact and integrated.

In the present invention, the maximum power generation amount can be obtained within a range where the generated power per unit volume is 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ without affecting the boiler, and in the boiler 1, And thermoelectric elements made of thermoelectric materials selected according to ZT are applied to two or more different places.

In the present embodiment, thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d are attached to four different positions (A to D) at different temperatures. As such, the thermoelectric generator 100 may include the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c, and 60d in various temperature ranges.

The power conversion device 70 can be attached to various places such as attached to the main body 10 of the boiler or separately attached to the exterior of the boiler 1 and the power conversion device 70 includes a plurality of thermoelectric elements 60a, 60c, and 60d by wires. The power conversion device 70 receives power generated from the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d, and collects and adjusts the magnitude and the like of the power. In the thermoelectric device, a minute current and voltage are generated It is a device that has a function of collecting it on a circuit and amplifying it if necessary.

The electric power storage device 80 is connected to the electric power conversion device 70 to charge and store the electric power generated by the electric power conversion device 70. The electric power storage device 80 is a device for charging the inside of the main body 10 of the boiler, It can be attached to various places such as the outside of the vehicle 1. Here, the electricity stored in the power storage device 80 may be connected to the boiler 1 to supply electric power to the boiler 1, or may be used in an emergency in cooperation with a separate electric power storage system. The power generated by the boiler 1 may be power generated independently from the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c, and 60d, or may be first stored in the power storage device 80 and then output.

That is, the thermoelectric power generator 100 can be used as an independent power supply or an emergency power supply, and its maintenance cost is low due to its simple structure, and can be used as alternative energy. As described above, according to the present invention, a thermoelectric generator including a thermoelectric element is provided in a boiler, and the boiler is heated by the temperature difference between the heat of the high temperature portion inside the boiler and the outside air of the opposite side, thereby utilizing the heat of the boiler, It is eco-friendly.

The shape of the boiler 1 shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and the present invention can be variously implemented. That is, the boiler and the thermoelectric generator according to the present invention may be of any type including a thermoelectric element and are not limited to those shown in FIG. Further, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that each element or arrangement of the boiler is not limited to that shown in FIG.

The fuel is burned in the combustion chamber 30 by the combustion device 20 such as a burner and the water or the like in the pipe 40 is heated while the combustion gas passes through the boiler body 10, And is discharged through the communication pipe 50. In order to improve the thermal efficiency, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the gas discharged by absorbing as much heat as possible in the main body, and in order to do so, various studies have been made to increase the contact surface with the combustion gas and water. The contact surface is referred to as a heat transfer surface. The surface facing the combustion chamber 30 is called a pre-radiation heat surface because it receives strong radiation heat from the flame. The combustion gas passage from the combustion chamber 30 The heat transfer surface is called the heat transfer surface before contact or convection heat transfer surface.

The boiler according to the present invention can be applied to the present invention by attaching the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c, and 60d to the high temperature parts of the boiler 1 as shown in the drawings. In addition, since the temperature of the high-temperature portion inside the boiler 1 varies depending on the region, it is desirable to apply an appropriate thermoelectric material suitable for the temperature. The present invention can be applied anywhere in a boiler having a higher temperature, in particular, by using a thermoelectric material for high temperature. Suitable materials for each part temperature are described in detail below.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs showing thermoelectric performance of n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials developed up to now according to temperature. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, it can be seen that the ZT of the thermoelectric material changes according to the temperature of the heat source, and in particular, it has a high value at a certain temperature, and the thermoelectric performance decreases when the temperature is out of the range. Therefore, it is desirable to apply a suitable thermoelectric material to the temperature of the high temperature portion in the boiler.

First, the interior of the combustion chamber 30 shown in FIG. 1 (A) is an ultra-high temperature portion of 1000 ° C or higher. Therefore, it is preferable to use the thermoelectric element 60a made of a thermoelectric material such as SiGe or Yb ₁₄ MnSb ₁₁ as shown in Figs. 2A and 2B.

1 (B) is a high-temperature part of 600 to 1000 ° C, for example, a high-temperature part of about 600 to 700 ° C. Therefore, a thermoelectric element 60b made of a thermoelectric material such as CoSb ₃ or CeFe ₄ Sb ₁₂ is used.

The combustion chamber radiant heating zone and the heat transfer zone (convection frontal heating zone) indicated by C in FIG. 1 are high-temperature parts of 300 to 600 ° C, for example, about 400 to 500 ° C. _{Thus, CoSb 3, CeFe 4 Sb 12} , In addition, it is configured to use the thermal element (60c) made of a thermal conductive material such as Cu ₂ Se.

The hot water pipe near the communication port and the outlet port shown in Fig. 1 is an intermediate low temperature part of 300 DEG C or less, for example, a low temperature part of about 100 to 150 DEG C. Therefore, a thermoelectric element 60d made of a thermoelectric material such as Bi ₂ Te ₃ can be used. Of course, in addition to the materials mentioned here, suitable materials can be found from the ZT characteristics of thermoelectric materials according to the temperature of the heat source.

In the present invention, the thermoelectric element can be attached to the inside of the combustion chamber, the overheat contact portion of the combustion chamber, the radiant heating portion of the combustion chamber, and the hot water pipe close to the heat transfer portion, the communication port and the outflow port. The middle temperature portion at 400 to 500 ° C and the low temperature portion at 100 to 150 ° C. Therefore, thermoelectric materials having optimum ZT at each temperature can be selected and placed in place to maximize the thermoelectric generating capacity.

The temperature of the exhaust gas immediately after being discharged from the burner after combustion is about 180 DEG C on average, but the temperature is further reduced while being discharged through the communication. In order to improve the efficiency of the boiler, the temperature of the exhaust gas should be as low as possible. As a result, a sufficient temperature difference can not be obtained, and thus the efficiency of the thermoelectric power generation using only the exhaust gas flowing through the conduit is not high. In addition, if thermoelectric elements are disposed only in the combustion chamber, power generation efficiency is limited. The present invention is more effective in utilizing the heat of the boiler by arranging the thermoelectric elements in two or more places of the boiler high temperature part, not in the same place as the communication or combustion chamber. Thermoelectric elements attached to various temperature regions are considered to exhibit more optimized performance especially in the corresponding temperature range, thereby maximizing thermoelectric efficiency.

Each of the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d is divided into a plurality of small pieces so as not to be affected by the shape of the outer surface of the internal components of the boiler, that is, Wires may be connected and connected to one power conversion device 70 at each thermoelectric conversion element. A thermoelectric module attached to a high temperature part can be variously adjusted in area, for example, a thermoelectric module having a width and a length of several tens of cm ² may be used, or a miniature size may be used, It is also possible to divide into a plurality of pieces having a size of several cm ^{2 in} width and length.

3 is a schematic view showing a case where a thermoelectric element is attached to a large area such as the outside of the combustion chamber. For example, when the thermoelectric element 60b is attached to the outside of the combustion chamber 30, the thermoelectric element 60b may be attached to one thermoelectric element covering the outer surface of the combustion chamber 30, Or may be attached to the device 60b. The size and the number of the thermoelectric elements 60b may be appropriately changed according to the area of the combustion chamber 30.

4 is a schematic view showing a case where a thermoelectric element is attached to a portion having a curved surface such as a communication pipe or a pipe. 4A is a perspective view of the communication 50 with the thermoelectric element 60d and FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the communication 50 with the thermoelectric element 60d.

4, when the thermoelectric element 60d is attached to a curved surface such as the communication 50, it is difficult to attach the thermoelectric element 60d as a single thermoelectric element covering the outer surface of the connection 50 . Therefore, it can be attached with several small thermoelectric elements 60d as shown in the figure. The size of one thermoelectric element 60d and the number of the thermoelectric elements 60d can be appropriately changed according to the area of the communication 50.

The thermoelectric element can be a p-type element that moves the hole to move the heat energy, and a pair of p to n thermoelectric elements composed of the n-type element that moves the electrons by the movement of the electrons. Or more, and may be a module type thermoelectric element composed of an upper substrate and an upper substrate of p-n thermoelectric elements and an electrode.

5 is a perspective view of a thermoelectric module that can be applied to a thermoelectric device of a thermoelectric generator according to the present invention.

5, one pair of p to n thermoelectric elements made up of the p-type leg 200 and the n-type leg 210 serves as a basic unit, and the upper and lower insulating substrates 220 and 230, A thermoelectric module including the electrodes 240 and 250 is formed. The electrode 240 connects the p-type leg 200 and the n-type leg 210 on top of each other and the electrode 250 connects the p-type leg 200 and the n-type leg 210 of another thermoelectric element adjacent to the p- Connect them at the bottom.

the insulating substrate 220 on top of the p to n thermoelectric elements can be brought into contact with the heat source, that is, the high temperature portion of the boiler. The p ~ n thermoelectric elements are connected in series, and lead wires 260 are provided at both ends of the p ~ n thermoelectric elements connected in series so as to supply the generated electricity to the outside.

The thermoelectric module may be a bulk type sintered thermoelectric material pellet formed by cutting an ingot thermoelectric material into a predetermined size to form a thermoelectric leg and bonding it to a ceramic substrate, a form in which a thermoelectric material pellet is bonded to a ceramic substrate, (MicroElectroMechanical System) process to fabricate thermoelectric legs in a very small size, and flexible substrates can be used as the substrate. Therefore, the thermoelectric elements 60a, 60b, 60c, and 60d can be formed into a small piece shape by constructing the thermoelectric leg sizes p and n of a very small size (thickness, width, and length). It is preferable that the thermoelectric legs have a small size, specifically, a height of 10 mm or less so as not to interfere with heat flow inside the boiler. More preferably, the height of the thermoelectric leg is 5 mm or less.

Since the thermoelectric element used in the present invention has a very small size, it is possible to divide the thermoelectric element into a plurality of pieces without depending on the shape of a part to be attached to the inside of the boiler, and the thermoelectric generator including the thermoelectric generator is a very small thermoelectric generator . Accordingly, it is possible to smoothly adhere to various types of boiler components, thereby improving installation and manufacturing efficiency of the product, and minimizing the size of the entire boiler because the size of the power generator added for power generation is very small.

Related technologies using conventional thermoelectric power generators have problems in that the structure is complicated by the provision of the low-temperature source absorber and the high-temperature source absorber constituting the thermoelectric generator module, And thus the volume of the chamber is increased. Furthermore, even if a thermoelectric element having a simple structure is used, a thermoelectric element is attached only to the inner wall of the combustion chamber, which limits the capacity of the thermoelectric generator due to the limited size of the combustion chamber.

Since the thermoelectric generator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention uses the temperature difference between the boiler high temperature portion and the outside air, it is not necessary to provide the low heat source portion and the high temperature source portion separately, . A high-temperature part corresponding to the inside of the combustion chamber, a high-temperature part corresponding to the superheated part contacting the combustion chamber, a radiant heating part corresponding to the combustion chamber and a middle temperature part corresponding to the heating part, and a low temperature part corresponding to the piping close to the communication or outlet, The thermoelectric power generation capacity can be increased. Furthermore, the thermoelectric device can maximize thermoelectric generation capacity by applying a thermoelectric material selected according to ZT at two or more boiler component temperatures at different temperatures.

6 to 9 are schematic views for explaining a thermoelectric generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the thermoelectric generator according to the present invention includes a thermoelectric generator including a thermoelectric element for generating electric power according to a temperature difference between a heat generated in a boiler and a cooling portion, and can produce 0.1 to 2 W / cm ^{3 of} electric power.

At this time, the cooling method of the cooling part may be air cooling or water cooling. In the thermoelectric generator shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the cooling part is water cooling. On the other hand, the thermoelectric generator in which the cooling portion is air-cooled as shown in Fig. 1 and the thermoelectric generator in which the cooling portion is cooled as described later in Fig. 6 to Fig. 9 are combined in the embodiment of the present invention.

The boiler includes a heat exchange system 340 inside the combustion chamber 330 of the boiler, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 illustrate the case where one heat exchange system 340 is included, and FIG. 9 exemplify the case of a double heat exchange system including two heat exchange systems 340. The thermoelectric generator according to the present invention is configured to include the thermoelectric generator 400 provided on the upper part and / or the lower part of the one or more heat exchange systems 340 included in the combustion chamber 330 of the boiler.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, the thermoelectric generator 400 may be provided at both the upper and lower portions of the heat exchange system 340 and may be provided only at the upper portion as shown in FIG. 7, But may be provided only under the heat exchange system 340.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the thermoelectric generator 400 may be attached in one stage or in two or more stages as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. The thermoelectric power generating part 400 may be attached at a plurality of stages as long as the heat exchange function of the boiler can not be achieved due to the lowering of the combustion gas pressure.

The thermoelectric generator 400 includes a thermoelectric element. It is preferable to use a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric leg having a height of 10 mm or less so that more thermoelectric elements per unit volume can be integrated. More preferably, the height of the thermoelectric leg is 5 mm or less. The thermoelectric generator according to the present invention when including the thermoelectric generator 400 is an ultra small thermoelectric generator. The thermoelectric elements are preferably configured such that the thermoelectric elements included in the respective stages are different from the thermoelectric elements included in the other end by ZT in consideration of the temperature ZT of the thermoelectric material constituting the thermoelectric element.

As one example, the thermoelectric elements of the high temperature region near the heat exchange system 340 and the thermoelectric elements of the low temperature region near the heat exchange system 340 can be arranged. As another example, assuming that the temperature of the combustion gas injected into the combustion chamber 330 is 1000 ° C., the temperature of the heat exchange system 340 is about 800 ° C., then goes through the heat exchange system 800 to about 500 ° C., It can be assumed that it gradually decreases to about 100 DEG C while going to the gas outlet. Therefore, it is preferable that the thermoelectric elements of the high-temperature region are arranged on the side of the combustion gas inlet, and the thermoelectric elements of the low-temperature region are arranged on the side of the outlet of the combustion gas.

6, the thermoelectric generator 500 of FIG. 6 includes a thermoelectric generator 400a on one side of the heat exchanger 340 and a thermoelectric generator 400a on the bottom of the heat exchanger 340 ') Are attached in a single stage. The thermoelectric power generation unit 400a and the thermoelectric power generation unit 400a 'may be the same or include thermoelectric elements having different temperature ranges.

As shown in the drawing, the power conversion device 470 is connected to the thermoelectric elements in the thermoelectric generator 400 to collect and adjust the power produced by the thermoelectric elements. The power converter 470 is connected to the power converter 470, And a power storage device 480 for charging the power collected and regulated in the thermoelectric generator device 470.

7, the thermoelectric generator of FIG. 7 includes the thermoelectric generators 400a, 400b, 400c and 400d on the heat exchanger 340 so that the thermoelectric generators 400 are attached at various stages . If the temperature band of the thermoelectric generator 400a decreases toward the thermoelectric generator 400b, the thermoelectric generator 400c and the thermoelectric generator 400d, the temperature range of the thermoelectric generator 400a, 400b, 400c and 400d It is preferable that the thermoelectric elements are also sequentially arranged from the high temperature zone zone to the low temperature zone zone.

8, the thermoelectric generator of FIG. 8 includes thermoelectric generators 400a and 400b on the heat exchanger 340 so that the thermoelectric generators 400 are attached in two stages and the heat exchanger 340 The thermoelectric generator 400 is attached in two stages by including the thermoelectric generators 400a and 400b. The thermoelectric elements included in the thermoelectric generator 400a can maximize the heat generation efficiency by adopting the thermoelectric elements of the high temperature zone rather than the thermoelectric elements included in the thermoelectric generator 400b.

9, a thermoelectric generator 400a is attached to upper and lower parts of a heat exchange system 340a, and a thermoelectric generator 400b is mounted on upper and lower parts of the heat exchange system 340b. Respectively.

9, assuming that the temperature of the combustion gas injected into the combustion chamber 330 is 1000 ° C., the temperature of the first heat exchange system 340 a becomes about 1000 ° C., and after passing through the first heat exchange system 340 a, about 700 ° C. , The temperature of the second heat exchange system 340b is about 500 ° C., the temperature of the second heat exchange system 340b is about 300 ° C. after passing through the second heat exchange system 340b, and it can be assumed that it gradually decreases to about 100 ° C. have. Accordingly, since the temperature band becomes lower toward the thermoelectric generator part 400b from the thermoelectric generator part 400a, the thermoelectric elements included in the thermoelectric generator parts 400a and 400b are sequentially formed from the high temperature zone zone to the low temperature zone zone desirable.

Through the stacking of the thermoelectric power generating parts 400 of various combinations in this way, the present invention produces 0.1 to 2 W / cm ^{3 of} electric power per unit volume. When a large number of thermoelectric elements are attached, 2 W / cm ³ But too much of the thermoelectric elements may undesirably lower the pressure of the combustion gas passing through the inside of the boiler combustion chamber 330 to affect the heat exchange function inherent to the boiler.

The thermoelectric generators of FIGS. 7 to 9 may further include a power conversion device and a power storage device as described with reference to FIG. In such a case, it should be understood that the thermoelectric generator 400 may be attached to the top or bottom of the heat exchange system 340 and the remaining components, the power converter and the power storage, may be located remotely from the heat exchange system 340 do. The thermoelectric generator of the present embodiment may be constituted by a hybrid boiler provided in the boiler portion and utilizing the heat of combustion of the boiler. In such a case, the construction of the boiler portion may be such that the boiler 1 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to, and the combustion chamber 330 of FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 is included instead of the combustion chamber 30 of the boiler 1.

The thermoelectric generator 400 further includes a cooling part including a water tube through which cooling water flows in addition to the thermoelectric element. The temperature of the cooling water is a temperature when it reaches a steady state, preferably 30 to 100 ° C. More preferably, the temperature of the cooling water is 60 占 폚.

6 to 9, the boiler heat exchange system 340 is used as a high-heat source absorbing unit, the cooling unit including a water tube is used as a low-temperature raw absorbing unit, and cooling water is passed through a water pipe to maximize a temperature difference The thermoelectric power generation capacity can be further increased. Further, when the thermoelectric elements are attached at various stages, the thermoelectric elements of the high temperature region near the heat exchange system and the thermoelectric elements of the low temperature region near the heat exchange system are disposed, thereby maximizing the thermoelectric power generation capacity.

In particular, the thermoelectric element may be attached to the outer wall of the water tube. The water tubes may have various sizes and cross-sectional shapes and may be arranged more than one. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14. FIG.

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a thermoelectric generator 400 of a thermoelectric generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the water tube, and the water tube 410a has a substantially square cross section. At this time, the planar thermoelectric element 420a may be disposed on the outer wall of the water pipe 410a. The planar thermoelectric element 420a is similar to the thermoelectric element 60b described with reference to Fig. FIG. 10 also includes a perspective view showing a structure of one water pipe 410a. As shown in the figure, the planar thermoelectric element 420a may be divided into a plurality of pieces and attached to the outer wall of the water pipe 410a.

The planar thermoelectric element 420a can generate electric power by the temperature difference between the heat exchange system 340 and the water tube 410a as a high temperature portion and a low temperature portion. The thermoelectric power generation unit 400 includes a body that can be attached to the heat exchange system 340 as shown in FIG. 6 and may include a water tube 410a and a thermoelectric element 420a. In the drawings, the thermoelectric generator 400 is shown in block form for convenience of illustration, but is not limited thereto. The thermoelectric power generating unit 400 shown in a block form may include a heat transfer mediating member so that the heat of the heat exchanging system 340 can be transmitted to the thermoelectric element 420a.

11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the thermoelectric generator 400 of the thermoelectric generator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the water tube, and the water tube 410b has a substantially rectangular cross section. At this time, a planar thermoelectric element 420b is disposed on the outer wall of the water pipe 410b. The planar thermoelectric element 420b is similar to the thermoelectric element 60b as described with reference to Fig.

12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the thermoelectric generator 400 of the thermoelectric generator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the water tube, and the water tube 410c has a substantially hexagonal section. At this time, a planar thermoelectric element 420c is disposed on the outer wall of the water pipe 410c. Since the hexagonal product pipe 410c can be arranged closely in a narrow space, it is advantageous to produce 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ , which is generated power per unit volume, by disposing more planar thermoelectric elements 420c.

13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the thermoelectric generator 400 of the thermoelectric generator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the water pipe, and the water pipe 410d has a substantially circular cross section. At this time, the tubular thermoelectric element 420d can be disposed on the outer wall of the water tube 410d. The tubular thermoelectric element 420d has a structure that surrounds the water tube 410d and may have a single tube shape as shown in the figure or may have a structure in which two half pipes are gathered and enclosed.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the thermoelectric generator 400 of the thermoelectric generator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the water pipe, and the water pipe 410d is substantially circular in cross section as in Fig. At this time, a small planar thermoelectric element 420e can be disposed on the outer wall of the water pipe 410d. The planar thermoelectric element 420e is arranged in a small size so as to cover the curved surface portion of the water pipe 410d like the thermoelectric element 60d as described with reference to FIG. 4, and is arranged like a mosaic tile.

Thus, through the thermoelectric generator 400 having various internal structures, the generated power per unit volume can be 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ in the present invention.

As described above, in the thermoelectric generator according to the present invention, when the cooling section is water-cooled, it has various internal structures and external lamination structures so as to cope with the difference in the temperature distribution in the combustion chamber depending on the arrangement and the number of the combustion chamber internal heat exchange systems. It is possible to increase the amount of electricity generated per unit volume.

Demand for industrial / transportation services has slowed due to high value added of the industry, while demand for households has increased due to the improvement in income levels, which has created imbalances in supply and demand and environmental problems. There is a problem that the power supply and demand crisis is caused by the increase of electric power demand, but it is difficult to expand the corresponding power generation facilities. In addition, the country is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the world's seventh wiguk the CO ₂ emissions than gas power generation, to achieve the reduction target of 30% rate of about 2 times the amount of oil development by 2020 (currently 8%). The present invention can be applied to such problems and requirements by providing a thermoelectric generator and a hybrid boiler including the thermoelectric generator which can be applied to domestic boilers and the like to use combustion heat.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation in the embodiment in which said invention is directed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

1: boiler 10: main body
20: combustion device 30, 330: combustion chamber
40: piping 50:
60a, 60b, 60c, 60d, 420a, 420b, 420c, 420d, 420e:
70: Power converter
80: power storage device 100, 500: thermoelectric generator
340: Heat exchange system
400: thermoelectric generator
410a, 410b, 410c, 410d:

Claims (24)

A cooling unit including a water tube through which cooling water flows; And
And a thermoelectric generator including a thermoelectric element for generating electric power by a temperature difference between heat generated by the cooling unit and the boiler,
Wherein the thermoelectric generator is provided in an upper portion and / or a lower portion of the heat exchange system included in the combustion chamber of the boiler. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the generated power per unit volume is 0.1 to 2 W / cm ³ . The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element is attached to the outer wall of the water tube. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the cooling water is 30 to 100 ° C. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the water tubes have various sizes and cross-sectional shapes and are arranged in at least one shape. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric generator is attached at one or more stages. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric generator is attached at two or more stages and the thermoelectric elements included in the respective stages are different from each other in the performance index by temperature. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element is divided into a plurality of pieces. [4] The thermoelectric generator of claim 3, wherein the thermoelectric element is a tubular body integrally formed with a plurality of pieces. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element comprises thermoelectric legs having a height of 10 mm or less. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a power conversion device connected to the thermoelectric device and collecting and adjusting power produced by the thermoelectric device; And
Further comprising a power storage device coupled to the power conversion device to charge the power collected and regulated by the power conversion device. 12. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 11, wherein the power generated by the boiler is generated independently from the thermoelectric element or stored in the power storage device. A main body, a combustion device, a combustion chamber, and a boiler portion including a heat exchange system included in the combustion chamber; And
A thermoelectric generator,
The thermoelectric generator includes a cooling unit including a water tube through which cooling water flows; And
And a thermoelectric generator including a thermoelectric element for generating electric power by a temperature difference between heat generated by the cooling unit and the boiler,
Wherein the thermoelectric generator is provided on an upper portion and / or a lower portion of the heat exchange system. The method of claim 13, wherein the thermal power generation boiler apparatus is characterized in that the generated electric power per unit volume is 0.1 ~ 2W / cm ^3. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric element is attached to the outer wall of the water pipe. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the temperature of the cooling water is 30 to 100 占 폚. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the water tubes have various sizes and cross-sectional shapes and are arranged at least one. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric generator is attached at one or more stages. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric generator is attached at two or more stages and the thermoelectric elements included in the respective stages are different from each other in the figure of merit by temperature. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric element is divided into a plurality of pieces. 16. The boiler according to claim 15, wherein the thermoelectric element is a tubular body integrally formed with a plurality of pieces. 14. The boiler according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric element comprises thermoelectric legs having a height of 10 mm or less. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric generator
A power conversion device connected to the thermoelectric device and collecting and regulating electric power produced by the thermoelectric device; And
Further comprising a power storage device coupled to the power conversion device to charge the power collected and regulated by the power conversion device. 24. The boiler according to claim 23, wherein the power generated by the boiler is generated independently from the thermoelectric element or stored in the power storage device.

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