Numerical investigation on a thermoelectric generator in an exhaust automotive line with convergent metal foam

In the present paper, a 2-D steady state convective heat transfer problem in a convergent channel partially filled with aluminum foam with an external thermoelectric generator (TEG) component is numerically solved. The channel is characterized by a length equal to 272 mm and by a height of 60 mm. The TEG has the dimensions equal to 65 mm and 8.5 mm. The investigation is executed considering the Darcy-Forchheimer-Brinkman assumption and the local thermal equilibrium (LTE) hypothesis for modelling the metal foam. The exhaust gas is considered to have the same properties of the air in corresponding to the assigned temperature of the upper surface of the thermoelectric generator. The thermophysical properties are temperature independent and the thermoelectric generator is studied as a solid with an internal energy generation. The governing equations for gas, porous media and thermoelectric generator are solved by finite volume method using the Ansys-Fluent code. Different configurations of convergent metal foam are analyzed. The aluminum foams are characterized by 5 PPI and porosity equal to 0.905, 0.946 and 0.971. Results are presented in terms of temperature distributions, thermoelectric efficiency, power density, and the Energy Performance Ratio (EPR) for different gas flow rates and aluminum foam configurations. Furthermore, a comparison with the use of the same foam samples characterized by a constant section is showed for the same system. From the comparison, it is possible to deduce how the configuration with convergent channel has a more uniform temperature profile than the geometry with constant section.