A study on the influence mechanism of heat sink on marine thermoelectric generator based on energy and exergy analysis

Abstract Heat Sink (HSK) parameters are crucial for enhancing the performance of marine thermoelectric generator (MTEG). To address this challenge, this study proposes an MTEG system. The proposed system is investigated through a multiphysics coupled model based on numerical simulation. The effects of coolant type, flow rate, number of HSKs, and flow path orientation on MTEG performance were examined. The results indicate that water is the optimal coolant choice, increasing the MTEG's net power by 154.97% compared to engine coolant. When the mass flow rate reaches 60 g/s, the exergy efficiency peaks at 9.008%. Increasing the number of HSKs enhances both the net power and exergy efficiency, with a 17.4% improvement in net efficiency when the number of HSKs increases from 1 to 8. Additionally, the flow path orientation of the HSK has a negligible impact on the system performance. The findings provide crucial theoretical support and technical references for the design and optimization of MTEG, facilitating the development of more efficient systems and advancing the practical application of MTEG technology.