Research of the recuperation and thermoelectric conversion of the waste heat of the combustion engine


For a modern gasoline engine it is only about one third of the energy (for diesel engines this is about 40%) contained in fuel which is converted into mechanical work required to move the vehicle. Unused energy escapes into the environment in the form of hot exhaust gases, hot air, or thermal energy emitted from the surface of hot engine parts and accessories. The proposed project seeks to design a complex system for unused heat utilization, leading to increased engine efficiency and thus also reduction in the concentration of undesirable greenhouse gases. It is a combination of direct heat recovery (e.g. we use the heat from the exhaust gases to faster warm the engine and the interior after starting the engine) and the indirect “thermoelectric conversion of heat energy” recovery method, where the engine is already sufficiently warmed-up and thus we can use the heat from the exhaust gases to generate electricity to run electrical devices in the car.