Coupled thermo-fluid-mechanical FEM simulations for thermoelastic harvesting of low-grade waste heat


Coupled thermo-fluid-mechanical FEM simulations for thermoelastic harvesting of low-grade waste heat

Neumann, B.; Eckert, K.; Fähler, S.

In a world that heats up, it is essential to use primary energy as efficient as possible. This includes the need to recover waste heat. However, in particular for low grade waste heat hardly any suitable technology is available. Here we simulate the conversion of waste heat into mechanical energy with a NiTi shape memory wire through the coupling of heat exchange, fluid mechanics and structural mechanics. We investigate the influence of preload on the wire and temperature of the fluid to optimize the thermodynamic efficiency, which could act as a base for more complex energy harvesting solutions using shape memory alloys (SMA).

Keywords: Energy; FEM; Thermoelastic Energy Harvesting; simulation

  • Contribution to proceedings
    European Simulation and Modelling Conference 2022, 26.-28.10.2022, Porto, Portugal, 978-9-492859-24-2

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-35074
Publ.-Id: 35074