Impact of Overhead Line Operating Conditions on Energy Harvesting Capacity of Thermoelectric Generators Mounted on Line Fittings

Line fittings widely distributed on overhead power lines produce considerable waste heat. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) offer a promising self‐powered solution for monitoring devices by harvesting such energy. However, there are complex and diverse operating conditions for the overhead line, including line current, ambient temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and solar irradiance. The influence of these operating conditions on the energy harvested by the TEG from the fittings has not been explored, which greatly restricts the development of the waste heat recovery system of fittings. By using an experimental platform for simulating line operation, it experimentally investigates the impact of the line operating conditions on the energy harvesting of TEGs mounted on the fitting. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of different influencing factors is performed according to the experimental data. The results show that due to the unequal influence of line operating conditions on the thermal performance of line fittings and TEG heatsinks, there are diversified relationships between TEG outputs and influencing factors, including monotonic relationships, single‐peak relationships, and multi‐peak relationships. The sensitivity analysis reveals the dominant factors affecting energy harvesting, which provides important guidance for optimal design, performance test, and actual deployment of the waste heat recovery system in the future.