Research on medium-temperature thermal management method of combustion powered thermoelectric generation with naphthalene heat pipe

At present, combustion powered thermoelectric generation (CP-TEG) technology has demonstrated decent energy density, making it suitable for off-grid energy replenishment, emergency power supply, camping and similar applications. However, thermal management remains a critical challenge for CP-TEG systems, particularly in the medium-temperature range (200–650°C), where issues such as overheating and temperature non-uniformity limit performance and reliability. While heat pipe (HP) offer superior thermal conductivity, their application in this specific medium-temperature range has not been explored comprehensively. This study addresses this gap by proposing a naphthalene-based organic medium-temperature HP (Nap-HP) for thermal management in CP-TEG systems. The integration of Nap-HP enhances temperature uniformity and suppresses local overheating significantly, enabling stable operation under higher input power. Experimental results show a 16.7% increase in maximum tolerable input power and a 25.2% improvement in peak power generation (from 94.33 W to 118.12 W). Moreover, the equivalent thermal conductivity of the Nap-HP reaches ∼1619.56 W/m·K, approximately 7.9 times that of the aluminum alloy collector. This work not only provides an effective thermal management strategy to advance CP-TEG performance but also demonstrates the viability and potential of Nap-HPs in medium-temperature applications.