KR20190097381A - Thermoelectric Generation Module Adaptive to Temperature Condition - Google Patents

Abstract

A thermoelectric generation module adaptive to a temperature condition according to the present invention includes an at least one high temperature tube through which a high temperature fluid flows, a cooling plate disposed on one side of the high temperature tube, a plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed between the high temperature tube and the cooling plate to allow upper and lower surfaces thereof to be thermally connected to the high temperature tube and the cooling plate, respectively, a switching part for electrically connecting or disconnecting each of the thermoelectric elements, a temperature sensor part for measuring a temperature at a position where each of the thermoelectric elements is disposed with respect to at least one of the high temperature tube and the cooling plate; a line pattern determination part which determines a line pattern which is an electrical connection method between the thermoelectric elements by using the output of the temperature sensor part to maximize the amount of power generation; and a control part for controlling the operation of the switching part to electrically connect the thermoelectric elements to each other according to the determined line pattern. It is possible to change automatically the electrical connection between the thermoelectric elements.

Description

Thermoelectric Generation Module Adaptive to Temperature Condition

The present invention relates to a temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module using a thermoelectric element, and more specifically, by using a controllable switching element, a plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed in the thermoelectric power module are configured to electrically connect or disconnect each other. According to the temperature condition of the high-temperature side heat exchanger and the low-temperature side heat exchanger, the thermoelectric power generation module for the temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module in which the electrical connection between the plurality of thermoelectric elements can be automatically changed so as to maximize the generation amount of the thermoelectric power module. will be.

Recently, in order to solve the problem of global warming caused by the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels and the depletion of fossil fuels, the development of renewable energy resources using solar, wind, and geothermal energy as fossil fuels is required.

However, since such renewable energy is still limited in use due to the limitation of technological progress and low economical efficiency, recently, the waste energy such as waste heat or momentum that is discarded after using an existing energy source is recovered and reused. Attention is focused on energy harvesting techniques.

Among these energy harvesting technologies, thermoelectric generation, a technology that generates electric energy using waste heat, can be widely applied to industries such as automotive, aerospace, aviation, semiconductor, bio, and steel where waste heat is generated. Due to this, the research is being actively conducted.

The thermoelectric power generation technology converts thermal energy into electrical energy using a Seebeck effect in which electromotive force is generated due to a temperature difference between two sides of the thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element is supplied with waste heat to one side of the thermoelectric element and heat exchanged with the coolant on the other side. It is common to cause the temperature difference to occur on both sides of the, the specific configuration of the thermoelectric power module to which such a thermoelectric power generation technology is applied is disclosed in detail [Document 1] to [Document 2].

In the case of the thermoelectric power module according to the following [Document 1] etc., since a single thermoelectric power generation amount is very small, a plurality of thermoelectric elements are spaced apart on one side of the high temperature heat exchanger, and the thermoelectric elements are fixed in advance when the thermoelectric power module is manufactured. According to the configuration is configured to be fixedly connected in any one of the series, parallel or serial.

However, in the case of the same thermoelectric element, the output varies according to the temperature conditions of the high temperature part and the low temperature part. Therefore, in order to obtain the maximum generation amount, the electrical connection between the thermoelectric elements must be changed according to the temperature condition of the high temperature part and the low temperature part of the environment where the thermoelectric power module is installed. However, when the electrical connection of the thermoelectric elements is already fixed at the time of manufacture, such as the following [Document 1], the maximum amount of power generation cannot be obtained for any temperature condition of the environment in which the thermoelectric power module is installed, or individually according to the corresponding temperature condition. There was a problem that a separate thermoelectric power module had to be manufactured separately.

In addition, in the case of the thermoelectric power module according to the following [Document 1] etc., the cooling water flow channel installed inside the low temperature side heat exchanger exhibits the characteristic that the coolant flows in a direction in which gravity acts, so Accordingly, in some areas of the low-temperature side heat exchanger, the low-temperature side cooling of the thermoelectric element by the cooling water is not performed properly, which causes a problem that the total amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module is reduced.

[Patent 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 2017-0063817 (Published June 8, 2017)

[Document 2] Korean Registered Patent No. 1449285 (2014.10.13 notification)

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to be configured to electrically connect or disconnect the plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed in the thermoelectric power module by using a controllable switching element. According to the temperature conditions of the high-temperature side heat exchanger and the low-temperature side heat exchanger to provide a thermoelectric power generation module adaptive temperature conditions that the electrical connection between the plurality of thermoelectric elements can be automatically changed to maximize the amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module It is to.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to minimize the phenomenon that the coolant flows in the direction in which gravity acts inside the coolant channel formed inside the low-temperature side heat exchanger to minimize the power generation of the thermoelectric power module adaptive thermoelectric temperature To provide a power generation module.

In order to achieve the above object, the thermoelectric power module for adaptive temperature conditions according to the present invention includes at least one high temperature tube through which a high temperature fluid flows, a cooling plate disposed on one side of the high temperature tube, and an upper and lower surfaces thereof. At least one of a plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed between the hot tube and the cooling plate to be thermally connected to the hot tube and the cooling plate, a switching unit for electrically connecting or disconnecting each of the thermoelectric elements, the hot tube or the cooling plate A temperature sensor unit for measuring a temperature at a position where each thermoelectric element is disposed with respect to any one, and a wiring pattern for determining a wiring pattern, which is an electrical connection method between the thermoelectric elements, using the output of the temperature sensor unit to maximize power generation. A pattern determination unit and the switching such that the thermoelectric elements are electrically connected to each other according to the determined wiring pattern. And the operation is characterized in that a control unit for controlling.

In addition, the wiring pattern determination unit classifies the thermoelectric elements into a plurality of groups by using the temperature of the hot tube or the temperature difference between the hot tube and the cooling plate at the position where each thermoelectric element is disposed, and the thermoelectric elements belonging to the same group The wiring pattern may be determined to be connected in series with each other and each group is connected in parallel with each other.

The apparatus may further include a first heat storage plate disposed on an upper surface of the hot heat pipe, and a second heat storage plate disposed on a lower surface of the hot heat pipe, wherein the cooling plate is disposed on an upper surface of the first heat storage plate. A first cooling plate and a second cooling plate disposed on a lower surface of the second heat storage plate, wherein the thermoelectric element includes: a first thermoelectric element disposed between the first heat storage plate and the first cooling plate; And a second thermoelectric element disposed between the two heat storage plates and the second cooling plate, wherein at least one cooling water channel through which cooling water flows is formed in each of the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate, and the cooling water channel. It characterized in that the cooling water flow guide device for flowing the cooling water in the direction of the surface in which the cooling plate and the thermoelectric element in contact with the cooling water channel is installed.

The coolant flow guide is also characterized in that it is a spiral flow guide inserted into at least part of the coolant channel.

In addition, the coolant flow guide device is characterized in that the intermittent valve is installed on the outlet side of the coolant channel to control the discharge of the coolant in a predetermined manner.

In addition, the high temperature tube is a long channel shape, the first heat storage plate is disposed in a plurality of spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the high temperature tube so that each of the lower surface is in contact with the upper surface of the hot tube. A plurality of heat storage plates are disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the high temperature pipe such that the upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the hot pipe, the first thermoelectric element is the upper and lower surfaces of each of the first heat storage plate A plurality of pieces are interposed so as to contact the surface and the lower surface of the first cooling plate, and the plurality of second thermoelectric elements are interposed so that the upper and lower surfaces thereof contact the lower surface of each of the second heat storage plates and the upper surface of the second cooling plate. It is characterized by.

The plurality of high temperature tubes may be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the high temperature tube, and the plurality of first heat storage plates and the plurality of first thermoelectric elements may be arranged in a matrix form on an upper surface of the high temperature tube. The second heat storage plate and the plurality of second thermoelectric elements are arranged in a matrix form on the lower surface of the hot tube.

The temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module according to the present invention is configured to electrically connect or disconnect a plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed in the thermoelectric power module by using a controllable switching element, so that the temperature of the high-temperature side heat exchanger and the low-temperature side heat exchanger Since the electrical connection between the plurality of thermoelectric elements can be automatically changed to maximize the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power module according to the conditions, the same thermoelectric power module without the need to manufacture a separate thermoelectric power module for each installed environment By having the advantage that can obtain the maximum power generation for any temperature conditions of the environment.

In addition, the temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module according to the present invention by installing a coolant flow guide device in the cooling water channel formed in the cooling plate for cooling the low temperature side of the thermoelectric element and the cooling water in the cooling water channel and the cooling plate By allowing the thermoelectric element to flow in a contacting direction, there is an advantage of preventing a decrease in power generation of the thermoelectric power module.

1 and 2 are an exploded perspective view and a combined perspective view for explaining the overall configuration of the thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively;
3 is a cross-sectional view of the AA portion shown in FIG.
4 is a sectional view of the BB portion shown in FIG. 3;
5 is a view for explaining the configuration of the switching unit for electrically connecting the thermoelectric elements of the thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a block diagram illustrating an operation configuration of a thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a method of connecting thermoelectric elements in series and parallel according to a temperature distribution of a high temperature tube using the switching unit shown in FIG. 5;
8 is a view for explaining another embodiment of a switching unit for electrically connecting a thermoelectric element of a thermoelectric power module according to the present invention; and
9 and 10 are views for explaining another embodiment of the coolant flow guide device installed in the coolant channel of the thermoelectric power module according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 and 2 are exploded perspective and combined perspective views for explaining the overall configuration of a thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the AA portion shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a view It is sectional drawing about the BB part shown in FIG.

5 is a view for explaining the configuration of the switching unit for electrically connecting the thermoelectric elements of the thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is an operation of the thermoelectric power module according to an embodiment of the present invention 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration, and FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing a method of connecting thermoelectric elements in series and parallel according to a temperature distribution of a high temperature tube using the switching unit illustrated in FIG. 5.

8 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the switching unit for electrically connecting the thermoelectric elements of the thermoelectric power module according to the present invention, Figures 9 and 10 are installed in the cooling water channel of the thermoelectric power module according to the present invention. It is a view for explaining another embodiment of the cooling water flow guide device.

According to the present invention, the thermoelectric power module for adaptive temperature conditions includes a thermoelectric power module 1 including a plurality of thermoelectric devices 60 and 70, and a switch for electrically connecting or disconnecting each of the thermoelectric devices 60 and 70. The thermoelectric element (60, 70) by using the output of the temperature sensor unit 110, the temperature sensor unit 110 for measuring the temperature at the position where the unit 140, the thermoelectric elements (60, 70) are disposed And a wiring pattern determination unit 120 for determining a wiring pattern, which is an electrical connection method therebetween, and a controller 100 for controlling the operation of the switching unit 140 according to the wiring pattern.

The thermoelectric power module 1 includes a plurality of hot plates, a cooling plate disposed on one side of the hot tube, and a plurality of upper and lower surfaces disposed between the hot tube and the cooling plate so as to be thermally connected to the hot tube and the cooling plate, respectively. The thermoelectric device 1 may be configured to include a thermoelectric device. As an example, the thermoelectric power module 1 has a double stacked structure in which cooling plates are disposed on upper and lower surfaces of a high temperature tube, as shown in FIG. 1.

Specifically, the thermoelectric power module 1 according to the present embodiment includes a high temperature tube 10, a first heat storage plate 20 disposed on an upper surface of the high temperature tube 10, and the high temperature tube 10. A second heat storage plate 30 disposed on a lower surface, a first cooling plate 40 disposed on an upper surface of the first heat storage plate 20, and a second heat storage plate 30 disposed on a lower surface of the second heat storage plate 30. A second cooling plate 50, a first thermoelectric element 60 interposed between the first heat storage plate 20 and the first cooling plate 40, and the second heat storage plate 30 and the second cooling plate ( And a second thermoelectric element 70 interposed therebetween.

At this time, the high temperature tube 10 is configured in a long channel shape in which a high-temperature fluid flows, in the case of this embodiment is easy to contact with the first and second heat storage plate (20, 30) as described later As an example, a rectangular channel shape having a rectangular cross section was configured to be formed.

In addition, the high temperature fluid flowing inside the hot pipe 10 may be a high temperature exhaust gas discharged from an ironworks, an incinerator, an automobile exhaust port, and the thermoelectric power module 1 according to the present invention uses waste heat of the exhaust gas. It can be applied as a device for generating electricity.

Therefore, the hot tube 10 is preferably made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity for heat transfer with the high temperature fluid, the outer surface is heat exchanged with the heat storage plate (20, 30) as described later to minimize heat loss It is more preferable to insulate except the surface (that is, the surface in contact with the heat storage plate).

In addition, a fin may be installed inside the hot tube 10 so that heat transfer with the high temperature fluid may be more efficiently. The fins may have various shapes, arrangements, and arrangement intervals as necessary. It can be selected in various ways.

In addition, one or a plurality of the high temperature tubes 10 may be formed. In this embodiment, five high temperature tubes 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e having the same shape are used in the width direction of the high temperature tube 10a. It was configured to be spaced apart from each other in parallel.

In this case, the separation distance between the five high temperature tubes 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e may be disposed in a matrix form on the upper and lower portions of the high temperature tube 10, respectively, as described below. It is preferably determined in consideration of the thermal stability of the), wherein the five hot tubes (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e) are each formed of a panel-shaped first support plate 11 and the first coupled to the inlet side and the outlet side By the two support plates 12 and the support plate fastening means 13 which couple them, one high temperature side heat exchanger module can be constituted.

In addition, the first heat storage plate 20 is disposed in direct contact with the upper surface of the hot tube 10 of the first thermoelectric element 60 to describe the thermal energy of the fluid flowing through the inside of the hot tube 10 It is delivered to the high temperature side.

As an example, the first heat storage plate 20 may be configured to include a phase change material (PCM) in a housing made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity and having a large specific heat, or a metal having excellent thermal conductivity. By the same configuration, the first heat storage plate 20 performs a function as a heat sink for thermally storing heat energy transferred through the outer surface of the hot tube 10 therein.

In the thermoelectric power module according to the prior art, the high temperature side of the thermoelectric element is configured to be in direct contact with the high temperature heat source. In this case, when the temperature of the high temperature heat source increases momentarily, the thermoelectric element in direct contact with the high temperature heat source is thermally shocked. May cause damage.

The present invention is to use the first heat storage plate 20 to solve the problems of the prior art, as described above, the first heat storage plate 20 is heat energy transmitted from the high-temperature tube 10 therein It functions as a heat sink (or a thermal buffer) that stores heat, and even if the temperature of a high temperature heat source, which is relatively difficult to control temperature, changes from time to time and / or instantaneously, it is thermally buffered to heat the heat of the high temperature heat source on the high temperature side of the thermoelectric element. By stably transmitting to the damage to the thermoelectric element due to the temperature change of the high temperature heat source as described above can be prevented.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the first heat storage plate 20 may have a lower surface with respect to each of the five high temperature tubes 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e so that the lower surface contacts the upper surface of the high temperature tube 10. Since the plurality of spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the configuration is arranged so that the first heat storage plate 20 is disposed in a matrix form on the upper surface of the hot tube 10 together with the first thermoelectric element 60 to be described later. .

In this case, the plurality of first heat storage plates 20 are connected to each other by the first connection plate 21 to form one module. In this embodiment, as an example, an upper portion of each of the high temperature tubes 10 is provided. The first heat storage plate 20 disposed on the surface is connected in series along the longitudinal direction of the hot pipe 10, and the first heat storage plate 20 connected in series is connected to the upper surface of another neighboring hot pipe 10. It was configured to be connected in parallel with the first heat storage plate 20 arranged.

In addition, the second heat storage plate 30 is disposed to be in direct contact with the lower surface of the hot tube 10 of the second thermoelectric element 70 which will be described later the thermal energy of the fluid flowing through the inside of the hot tube 10 It is delivered to the high temperature side.

The second heat storage plate 30 has the same configuration as that of the first heat storage plate 20 described above, except that the upper surface of each of the upper heat pipes 10 is configured to contact the lower surface of the second connection plate ( 31), since there is a difference in that the upper surfaces are configured to be connected to each other, redundant description will be omitted below.

On the other hand, the first cooling plate 40 is disposed on the upper portion (or upper surface) of the first heat storage plate 20 to cool the low temperature side of the first thermoelectric element 60 to be described later the first thermoelectric element 60 The power generation is made by generating a temperature difference between the high temperature side and the low temperature side.

To this end, the first cooling plate 40 is the first thermoelectric element 60 is disposed in the form of a matrix on the upper surface of the five high temperature tubes (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e) as will be described later in this embodiment It is configured in the shape of a square panel so that the lower surface is in contact with the low temperature side (that is, in the present embodiment, the upper surface of the first thermoelectric element).

In addition, at least one coolant channel 42, 43 through which coolant flows is formed in the first cooling plate 40. In this embodiment, the coolant channel 42, 43 is a first cooling plate. The first cooling water channel 42 formed at the edge portion of the 40 and the second cooling water channel 43 formed at the center of the first cooling plate 40 were configured.

At this time, the number, shape, diameter, etc. of the coolant channels 42 and 43 formed in the first cooling plate 40 take into consideration the generation capacity, size, installation environment, and operating conditions of the thermoelectric power module 1. Of course, it can be configured differently from the present embodiment.

In the first cooling plate 40 configured as described above, cooling water supply pipes 44 are connected to the inlets of the first and second cooling water channels 42 and 43, respectively. The cooling water discharge pipe 45 is connected to the outlet side, respectively, so that the cooling water flows through the cooling water channels 42 and 43, and the flow of the cooling water may be performed by the cooling water pump 130.

In addition, the cooling water may be a fluid that can act as water or other refrigerant, the term 'cooling water' in the detailed description and claims of the present invention range to perform the function of cooling the first cooling plate 40 It is a concept that includes not only the liquid phase but also the cooling fluid in the gas phase.

In addition, the cooling heat of the cooling water flowing through the first and second cooling water channels 42 and 43 is transferred to the low temperature side of the first thermoelectric element 60 described later through the first cooling plate 40. The first cooling plate 40 is preferably made of a material such as a metal having excellent thermal conductivity, and the other outer surface that is not in contact with the first thermoelectric element 60 in order to prevent a decrease in cooling efficiency (that is, cooling heat loss). It is more preferable to heat-insulate.

In addition, the second cooling plate 50 is disposed on the lower portion (or lower surface) of the second heat storage plate 30 so that the low temperature side of the second thermoelectric element 70 to be described later (that is, in the present embodiment, the second thermoelectric element). Cooling the lower surface of the device) generates a temperature difference between the high temperature side and the low temperature side of the second thermoelectric element 70 to generate power.

In this case, since the specific configuration of the second cooling plate 50 is the same as the first cooling plate 40 described above, duplicate description thereof will be omitted below.

On the other hand, the first thermoelectric element 60 is interposed between the first heat storage plate 20 and the first cooling plate 40, specifically, the high temperature side (that is, the lower surface of the first thermoelectric element in this embodiment) ) Is in contact with the upper surface of the first heat storage plate 20 and the low temperature side (ie, the upper surface of the first thermoelectric element in this embodiment) is in contact with the lower surface of the first cooling plate 40. .

Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, since the first thermoelectric elements 60 are configured to be disposed on the upper surface of the first heat storage plate 20, the upper portion of the high temperature tube 10 is similar to the first heat storage plate 20 described above. A plurality is arranged in a matrix form on the surface (exactly the upper surface of the first heat storage plate).

In general, a thermoelectric device is composed of a structure in which a plurality of P and N-type semiconductors are electrically connected in series and thermally connected in parallel. The output power P of the thermoelectric device is calculated by Equation 1 below. Can be.

[Equation 1]

Where α and ρ are the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity of the pellet, which is the semiconductor constituting the thermoelectric element, l and A _c are the length and cross-sectional area of the pellet, respectively, and T _h and T _c are the hot portion of the thermoelectric element and The cold zone temperature, m , represents the ratio of the internal and external resistance of the pellets.

Therefore, as can be seen in Equation 1, the output power of a single thermoelectric element is proportional to the square of the temperature difference between both ends of the high temperature part and the low temperature part of the thermoelectric element.

Since the electricity generated in the single thermoelectric device configured as described above is small in power generation, in the case of a general thermoelectric power module, a plurality of single thermoelectric elements as described above are disposed along the direction in which high-temperature exhaust gas flows, and they are electrically connected to each other. Will be used.

In this case, since the temperature of the high temperature flue gas varies along the flow direction, the temperature difference between the hot side and the cold side of the thermoelectric element is different from each other according to the position at which the single thermoelectric element is disposed, and thus the amount of power generated by each thermoelectric element. This difference is different. When ignoring this and connecting a plurality of thermoelectric elements in series, the voltage is increased due to the characteristics of the series connection, but the current is fixed to the current value of the thermoelectric element that generates the least power. Is generated.

On the other hand, when all of the plurality of single thermoelectric elements are connected in parallel, a thermoelectric element having the same voltage but having a high output performs a power supply function of a low thermoelectric element, and thus a decrease in the overall power generation amount occurs due to the generation of a circulating current. .

In order to prevent a decrease in power generation of the thermoelectric power module, a plurality of thermoelectric devices are connected in series and parallel to each other according to the temperature difference of each thermoelectric device in order to maximize the amount of power generation. The electrical connection method is the temperature (or temperature difference) of the high temperature heat source and the low temperature heat source in the environment where the thermoelectric power module is installed in the design (or manufacturing) of the thermoelectric power module, the temperature change according to the location of each heat source, and the arrangement of each thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric elements are electrically connected to each other by determining the position and the like.

However, if the electrical connection of each thermoelectric element is fixed in this way, the completed thermoelectric power generation module can obtain the maximum power generation only in the installation environment considered in the design. Or, there was a problem in that a separate thermoelectric power generation module has to be newly manufactured in order to obtain the maximum generation amount.

In addition, even in the case of a thermoelectric power module manufactured in consideration of the installation environment, during the design of a thermoelectric power module in which the temperature condition of the high temperature heat source or the low temperature heat source determines the electrical connection method of the thermoelectric element during the actual exhaust gas discharge (ie, during power generation). If different from that, there was also a problem that the amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module significantly reduced.

Accordingly, in order to solve the problems of the related art, the temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module according to the present invention is configured to electrically connect or disconnect a plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed in the thermoelectric power module using controllable switching elements. By doing so, the electrical connection between the plurality of thermoelectric elements may be automatically changed so that the generation amount of the thermoelectric power module is maximized according to the temperature conditions of the high temperature heat source and the low temperature heat source even in any installation environment.

To this end, the plurality of first thermoelectric elements 60 arranged in a matrix form as described above are configured such that the plurality of first thermoelectric elements 60 are electrically connected to each other by the first wiring module 61.

In this case, the first wiring module 61 may be formed in various ways within the range of electrically connecting each thermoelectric element. However, in the present embodiment, the first wiring module 61 is used as an example. It consisted of a normal PCB.

In addition, a detailed electrical connection of the first thermoelectric elements 60 is shown in FIG. 5, wherein each of the first thermoelectric elements 60 is connected to each other by the first wiring 61a, and the high temperature tube 10a as a whole. The first thermoelectric elements 60 disposed in the structure are configured to be connected to a third wiring 61c which is a main wiring connected to a storage battery (not shown) through the second wiring 61b.

In addition, in the middle of the first wiring 61a and the second wiring 61b, the first thermoelectric elements 60 may be electrically connected to each other so that each of the first thermoelectric elements 60 may be connected in series or in parallel as necessary. Switching unit 140 for disconnecting is provided.

In this case, the switching unit 140 is operated by the control unit 100 to be described later, it may be preferably implemented using a switching element such as a conventional transistor such as a MOSFET.

In addition, the second thermoelectric element 70 is interposed between the second heat storage plate 30 and the second cooling plate 50, specifically, the high temperature side (that is, the upper surface of the second thermoelectric element in this embodiment). ) Is in contact with the lower surface of the second heat storage plate 30 and the low temperature side (ie, the lower surface of the second thermoelectric element in this embodiment) is in contact with the upper surface of the second cooling plate 50. .

Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the second thermoelectric element 70 is configured to be disposed on the lower surface of the second heat storage plate 30, the lower portion of the high temperature tube 10, like the second heat storage plate 30 described above. A plurality is arranged in a matrix form on the surface (exactly the lower surface of the second heat storage plate).

In addition, the plurality of second thermoelectric elements 70 arranged in a matrix form may be disposed between the plurality of thermoelectric elements so that the amount of generation of the thermoelectric power module is maximized according to the temperature conditions of the high temperature heat source and the low temperature heat source even in any installation environment. The electrical connection of the is configured to be changed automatically, for this purpose, the plurality of second thermoelectric elements 70 are configured to be electrically connected to each other by the second wiring module (71).

In this case, since the configuration of the second wiring module 71 and the electrical connection method of the second thermoelectric elements 70 are made in the same manner as in the case of the first thermoelectric element 60 described above, the following description is duplicated. Is omitted.

The thermoelectric transfer module 1 according to the present invention configured as described above is provided by the first and second coupling means 80a and 80b connecting the first cooling plate 40 and the second cooling plate 50, respectively. The components are coupled to each other to form one thermoelectric power module 1, wherein the first and second coupling means 80a and 80b may be formed by using a conventional coupling means such as a bolt-nut and / or an adhesive member. It may be preferably implemented.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the first and second coupling means 80a and 80b are constituted by a plurality of bolt-nut pairs. For this purpose, the first cooling plate 40 and the second cooling plate 50 are provided. A plurality of first coupling holes 41 and second coupling holes 51 are formed, respectively.

In this case, the first coupling hole 41 and the second coupling hole 51 may prevent the damage of the thermoelectric element or the heat loss of the high temperature tube 10 to prevent the high temperature tube 10 and the first and second heat storage plates. More preferably, the positions 20 and 30 and the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 are disposed so that interference does not occur.

On the other hand, in the general pipe flow, the fluid in the pipe flows in a direction biased by gravity, so that when the diameter of the pipe is larger than the flow rate, the wave (wavy flow), stratified flow (strarified flow) ), Or slug flow in the form of gas-liquid mixed flow.

In the case of a general thermoelectric power module, it is required to reduce the flow resistance of the coolant in order to reduce the operating load relative to the generation amount (ie, to improve the power generation efficiency). For this purpose, when the diameter of the coolant channel is designed to be larger than the flow rate of the coolant, According to the installation position or direction of the thermoelectric power module, the gas-liquid mixing flow as described above is generated in some regions of the cooling water channel due to the action of gravity.

As an example of the thermoelectric power module 1 according to the present embodiment, when the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 are installed in the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, gravity of the cooling water acts inside the cooling water channel. Since the flow is shifted toward the lower side of the channel, which is the direction of the cooling, the cooling water does not flow directly on the upper portion of the channel.

In this case, since the lower surface of the first cooling plate 40 is in contact with the low temperature side of the first thermoelectric element 60 (that is, the upper surface of the first thermoelectric element), no problem occurs, but the second cooling plate The plate 50 has a low temperature side of the second thermoelectric element 70 because the upper surface on which the coolant does not flow directly contacts the low temperature side of the second thermoelectric element 70 (ie, the lower surface of the second thermoelectric element). Inadequate cooling causes a decrease in power generation due to a decrease in temperature difference from the high temperature side.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to prevent such a problem, the cooling plates 40 and 50 and the thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 in the cooling water channels formed in the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50. It is characterized in that the cooling water flow guide device for flowing the cooling water in the direction of the contact surface).

To this end, in the present embodiment, as an example, the cooling water flow guide device is installed at the outlet side of the cooling water channel and configured as an intermittent valve for controlling the discharge of the cooling water according to a predetermined method.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the first intermittent valves are respectively formed in the middle of the coolant discharge pipe 45 connected to the outlet side of the first and second coolant channels 42 and 43 formed in the first cooling plate 40. 90a and the second control valve 90b are provided, which is also the case of the second cooling plate 50.

The first and second intermittent valves 90a and 90b operate to intermittently discharge the cooling water periodically or aperiodically according to a method previously stored in a memory (not shown), and the like. Can be.

In the present invention, as an example, the first and second check valves 90a and 90b may be operated to block the discharge of the coolant instantaneously for a very short time, in which case the coolant channel flows back toward the inlet side of the coolant channel. Since the thermoelectric power module 1 according to the present invention may be installed in a direction as shown in FIG. It is possible to reliably cool the low-temperature side of the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 regardless of the installation position or direction, such as when installing them upright or when installing them upside down. It is possible to prevent the power generation amount of the module 1 from being lowered.

In addition, as another embodiment of the coolant flow guide device as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the spiral flow guide 91 is inserted into at least a portion of the coolant channels 42 and 43 of the first cooling plate 40. In the case of the second cooling plate 40, the spiral flow guide is similarly inserted.

The cooling water flowing in the cooling water channels formed in the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 by the spiral flow guide 91 as described above is able to directly flow through the entire interior of the cooling water channel while spirally flowing. Therefore, the thermoelectric power module 1 according to the present invention can stably cool the low-temperature sides of the first and second thermoelectric devices 60 and 70, thereby preventing a decrease in the amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module 1. .

Accordingly, in the thermoelectric power module according to the present invention, a cooling water flow guide device is installed in a cooling water channel formed in a cooling plate for cooling a low temperature side of a thermoelectric element so that the cooling water contacts the cooling plate in the cooling water channel. By allowing it to flow in the plane direction, it is possible to obtain an effect of preventing a decrease in power generation amount of the thermoelectric power module.

Looking at the operation of the temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module according to the present invention configured as described above, when the temperature at the position where the first and second thermoelectric elements (60, 70) are disposed through the temperature sensor unit 110 is measured The control unit 100 transmits this to the wiring pattern determination unit 120.

In addition, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 determines the wiring pattern which is an electrical connection method between the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 by using the output of the temperature sensor unit 110 transmitted. The controller 100 controls the operation of the switching unit 140 to electrically connect the first and second thermoelectric elements to each other according to the determined wiring pattern.

In addition, the controller 100 controls the operations of the coolant pump 130 and the first and second check valves 90a and 90b according to a control algorithm stored in advance in a memory (not shown).

In this case, the temperature sensor unit 110 has a temperature at a position where the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 are disposed with respect to the high temperature tube 10 and the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50. Since the temperature change of the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 is relatively insignificant depending on the position, the temperature sensor unit 110 is only required for the high temperature tube 10 when necessary. It may be configured to measure the temperature at the position where the two thermoelectric elements 60, 70 are arranged.

However, in this case, if it is necessary to obtain the temperature difference between the high temperature side and the low temperature side of each thermoelectric element as described below, the temperature of the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 may be given at a constant value depending on the position as the average temperature. Can be.

In addition, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 uses the output of the temperature sensor unit 110 to provide electrical power between the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 so that the amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module 1 is maximized. The wiring pattern, which is a connection method, is determined. Specifically, the wiring pattern of the high temperature tube 10 and the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 at the positions where the respective first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 are disposed is determined. The first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 are classified into a plurality of groups by using a temperature difference, and the wiring patterns are determined such that thermoelectric elements belonging to the same group are connected in series with each other and each group is connected in parallel with each other. do.

In this case, since the temperature change of the first and second cooling plates 40 and 50 is relatively insignificant depending on the position, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 uses the temperature of the hot tube 10 to thermoelectric the temperature, if necessary. The elements 60 and 70 may be classified into a plurality of groups.

A detailed example of the electrical connection between the wiring pattern determiner 120 and the first thermoelectric element 60 by the controller 100 is illustrated in FIG. 7. First, the wiring pattern determiner 120 includes a high temperature tube 10. Among the first thermoelectric elements 60 disposed along the longitudinal direction of the thermoelectric element, thermoelectric elements having similar temperature differences between the high temperature side and the low temperature side are divided and grouped together (in this embodiment, divided into I, II, III groups) and then the same group. The thermoelectric elements belonging to are connected in series with each other by the first wiring 61a, and each group is connected in parallel to each other in the third wiring 61c, which is a main wiring connected to a storage battery (not shown) by the second wiring 61b. The wiring pattern is determined in the manner of being connected.

When the wiring pattern is determined as described above, the controller 100 controls the operation of the switching unit 140 so that the first thermoelectric elements 60 are electrically connected as shown in FIG. 7.

In addition, as described above, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 may be configured to determine the wiring pattern such that each group has a similar voltage to each other in order to prevent the power generation amount due to the circulating current.

In this case, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 may group thermoelectric elements having a difference in temperature difference between a high temperature side and a low temperature side within a preset temperature range into the same group, and the voltage difference of each group is within a preset voltage difference range. The wiring pattern may be determined to be.

In this case, the electrical characteristics of the pellet (ie, Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistance information, electromotive force characteristic due to temperature difference, etc.) input through the input unit 105 or constituting the thermoelectric element of the thermoelectric element previously stored in a memory (not shown), etc., For each thermoelectric element under temperature conditions measured using the physical specifications of the pellets (ie, length, cross-sectional area, thermal properties, etc.), the actual temperature difference between the low-side and high-temperature sides, and the power calculation equation as shown in [Equation 1] Since voltage and / or current value information can be obtained arithmetically or proportionally, the wiring pattern determination unit 120 determines the wiring pattern so that the voltages of each group are similar by adjusting the number of thermoelectric elements belonging to each group. It becomes possible.

Meanwhile, in the present exemplary embodiment, the first and second thermoelectric elements 60 and 70 are configured to be electrically connected to each other by the switching unit 140. However, if necessary, a plurality of first and second thermoelectric elements ( Only some of the 60 and 70 may be configured to be electrically connected by the switching unit 140.

As an example, since the first thermoelectric elements 60 disposed at the same position in each of the high temperature tubes 10 have a high probability of having substantially similar temperatures, they are likely to be classified into the same group.

Therefore, in FIG. 7, thus, the thermoelectric elements disposed at the same position in each of the high temperature tubes 10 may be selected in series or parallel connection only for the thermoelectric elements disposed at neighboring positions after being connected in series in advance. It is configured to be made an electrical connection by the switching unit 140 to be.

According to the above configuration, the thermoelectric power module according to the present invention has an electrical temperature between the plurality of thermoelectric elements so that the amount of power generation of the thermoelectric power module can be maximized according to the temperature conditions of the high temperature side heat exchanger and the low temperature side heat exchanger. Since the connection can be changed automatically, there is an advantage that the maximum amount of power generation for any temperature condition of the environment can be obtained by the same thermoelectric power module without having to manufacture a separate thermoelectric power module for each installed environment.

10: high temperature tube 20: first heat storage plate
30: second heat storage plate 40: first cooling plate
50: second cooling plate 60: first thermoelectric element
70: 2nd thermoelectric element 90a, 90b: 1st, 2nd control valve
90: spiral flow guide 100: control unit
110: temperature sensor unit 120: wiring pattern determination unit
130: cooling water pump 140: switching unit

Claims (7)

At least one hot tube through which a high temperature fluid flows;
A cooling plate disposed on one side of the hot tube;
A plurality of thermoelectric elements disposed between the hot tube and the cooling plate so that upper and lower surfaces thereof are thermally connected to the hot tube and the cooling plate, respectively;
Switching unit for electrically connecting or disconnecting each of the thermoelectric elements;
A temperature sensor unit for measuring a temperature at a position where each thermoelectric element is disposed with respect to at least one of the hot tubes and the cooling plates;
A wiring pattern determination unit which determines a wiring pattern which is an electrical connection method between the thermoelectric elements using the output of the temperature sensor unit to maximize the amount of power generation; And
And a controller for controlling the operation of the switching unit such that the thermoelectric elements are electrically connected to each other according to the determined wiring pattern. The method of claim 1,
The wiring pattern determination unit classifies the thermoelectric elements into a plurality of groups by using the temperature of the hot tube at the position where each thermoelectric element is disposed or the temperature difference between the hot tube and the cooling plate, and the thermoelectric elements belonging to the same group are in series with each other. And the groups determine the wiring pattern so that each group is connected in parallel with each other. The method of claim 2,
A first heat storage plate disposed on an upper surface of the hot tube; and
Further comprising a second heat storage plate disposed on the lower surface of the high temperature tube,
The cooling plate is composed of a first cooling plate disposed on an upper surface of the first heat storage plate and a second cooling plate disposed on a lower surface of the second heat storage plate,
The thermoelectric element includes a first thermoelectric element disposed between the first heat storage plate and the first cooling plate, and a second thermoelectric element disposed between the second heat storage plate and the second cooling plate.
At least one cooling water channel through which cooling water flows is formed in the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate, respectively.
The coolant channel is adapted to the temperature condition adaptive thermoelectric power module, characterized in that the coolant flow guide device for flowing the coolant flows in the direction of the surface in contact with the cooling plate and the thermoelectric element inside the coolant channel. The method of claim 3,
And said coolant flow guide is a spiral flow guide inserted into at least a portion of said coolant channel. The method of claim 3,
The cooling water flow guide device is a thermoelectric power generation module, characterized in that the intermittent valve is installed on the outlet side of the cooling water channel to control the discharge of the cooling water according to a predetermined method. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The hot tube has a long channel shape,
The first heat storage plate is disposed in a plurality of spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the high temperature pipe such that each of the bottom surface is in contact with the top surface of the hot tube, the second heat storage plate has a respective top surface of the hot tube A plurality of spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the hot tube to contact the lower surface,
A plurality of first thermoelectric elements are interposed such that upper and lower surfaces thereof contact upper and lower surfaces of each of the first heat storage plates and lower surfaces of the first cooling plates. A thermoelectric power module for adaptive temperature conditions characterized in that a plurality of interposed so as to contact the lower surface and the upper surface of the second cooling plate. The method of claim 6,
The plurality of hot tubes are arranged spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the hot tube,
The plurality of first heat storage plates and the plurality of first thermoelectric elements are disposed in a matrix form on an upper surface of the high temperature tube, and the plurality of second heat storage plates and a plurality of second thermoelectric elements are disposed on a lower surface of the high temperature tube. Adaptive thermoelectric module for temperature conditions, characterized in that arranged in a matrix form.

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