1st

Abstract Factors Affecting Waste Heat Recovery Feasibility

Energy and ecology are the most critical issues the world has Evaluating the feasibility of waste heat recovery requires
been facing for the decades. With the progress of the modern characterizing the waste heat source and the stream to which
world, the shortage of the energy content become acute when a the heat will be transferred. Important waste stream parameters
significant portion goes to waste. The necessity for the fuel that must be determined include—
efficient vehicles is getting intensified not only to save the fuel
but also to preserve the ecology. The effective energy
conversion from a conventional IC engine is nearly 30-35% Heat quantity
and the rest of the energy is expelled through the waste heat Heat temperature/quality.
dissipation and engine cooling. To minimize the energy loss, Composition.
thereby, to maximize the efficiency of the internal combustion Minimum allowed temperature.
engine and waste heat recovery systems (WHS) are being Operating schedules, availability, and other logistics.
researched a lot, especially for the application in automobiles.
Various techniques have been developed for the waste heat These parameters allow for analysis of the quality and quantity
recovery, namely thermoelectric generator, Rankine cycle of the stream and also provide insight into possible
electricity generation, drying processes which finally help not materials/design limitations.
only to save fuels but also for reducing the overall exhaust gas
emission as well as the global greenhouse gas (GHG)
reduction. This paper organizes and summarizes the main
themes along with the recent progress and developments about
different types of direct and indirect waste heat recovery
systems, their quality of energy recovery and field of
applications for internal combustion engines.

Introduction
Waste heat losses arise both from equipment inefficiencies and
from thermodynamic limitations on equipment and processes.
For instance, the need for many systems to reject heat as a
byproduct of their operation is fundamental to the laws of
thermodynamics. Figure 1 shows the energy balance of an IC
engine. However, instead of being "wasted" by release into the
ambient environment, sometimes waste heat (or cold) can be
utilized by another process (such as using hot engine coolant to
heat a vehicle), or a portion of heat that would otherwise be
wasted can be reused in the same process if make-up heat is
added to the system. Currently, up to 65% of the heat energy
produced in internal combustion engines (ICEs), whether
gasoline or diesel is wasted [1]. The exhaust heat is the largest
source of waste energy in ICEs [2].

Figure 2. Energy utilization vs. complexity of different heat recovery

systems [3].
Waste Heat Recovery Technologies for IC engines
There are numerical ways of waste heat recovery technologies
for ICEs. The most important ones: direct and indirect are
Figure 1. Block diagram for IC engine energy balance [2]. discussed here.

Direct Electrical Conversion Devices

However, there is a dire lack of information on the source of
the largest waste heat losses in different sectors and processes Thermoelectric Generation
and the nature of different waste heat sources (e.g., the waste A TEG usually consists of pairs of doped n- and p-type
heat quality and chemical composition) — knowledge of these semiconductors connected thermally in parallel and electrically
factors is critical in determining the feasibility and extent of in series. When one of the junctions is at a different
opportunity for waste heat recovery. This study summarizes the temperature than the other, a direct electric current flows in the
main themes along with the recent progress and developments circuit. The magnitude of the current depends on the specific
about different types of direct and indirect waste heat recovery thermoelectric properties of the two materials and on the
systems, their quality of energy recovery and field of temperature difference between the two junctions. The
applications for internal combustion engines. This study can be operating temperature range of a TEG depends on the materials
used further by researchers working in the field of research and employed. For example, a bismuth-tellurium system is suitable
development sectors of waste heat recovery of internal for relatively low temperature operation (room temperature to
combustion engines. 200°C), whereas silicon-germanium alloys work best for high
temperature applications (>800°C). For moderate temperature
(T = 500 to 800°C), heat sources such as a vehicle’s exhaust
1st International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Applied Science
Military Institute of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh 22-
23 February 2017
and industrial waste heat, half-Heusler types are the material of additional power by means of a steam expander. A special case
choice. of low temperature energy generation systems uses certain
organic fluids instead of water in so-called Organic Rankine
In 2015, a demonstration of the TEG’s ability to convert a Cycle (ORC). This technique has the advantage compared with
vehicle’s waste heat into electricity was performed for the turbo-compounding that does not have so an important impact
Army’s TARDEC (Tank Automotive Research, Development on the engine pumping losses and with respect to
and Engineering Center) program. For that program, GMZ thermoelectric materials that provides higher efficiency in the
Energy successful demonstrated a 1,000 W TEG designed for use of the residual thermal energy sources. Waste heat recovery
diesel engine exhaust heat recapture. The company integrated from rankine cycle operated at low temperature difference
five 200W TEGs into a single 1,000 W diesel engine solution using unconventional fluids (refrigerants, CO2, binary
that directly converts exhaust waste heat into electrical energy, mixtures) is shown in Figure 4. At very low heat source
which increases fuel efficiency and lowers overall costs. Figure temperature the trans-critical CO2 cycle produces highest net
3(a) and 3(b) show the construction and interconnections of the power output [9]. Rankine bottoming cycle techniques
1000W TEG [4]. maximize energy efficiency; reduce fuel consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions.

Figure 3. 1000W TEG module showing a) the complete module, and b)

Interconnection of individual TEG8-1.0 units [4].

Thermionic Generation
Thermoelectric generators have the capability to directly Figure 4. Rankine cycle.
convert waste heat from the hot engine exhaust into electricity
that can power vehicle auxiliary loads and accessories. Recovering engine waste heat can be achieved via numerous
Thermoelectric generators consist of an array of semiconductor methods. The heat can either be reused within the same process
elements that produce a voltage when placed across a or transferred to another thermal, electrical, or mechanical
temperature gradient without releasing the carbon dioxide and process [8]. Analysis shows that evaporator pressure gives
other emissions that typically result from fossil fuel better efficiencies. Pinch point temperatures, heat exchangers
consumption. cost, critical temperature of working fluid would be a
restriction for maximum working pressure of cycle. Organic
Recently, Zhang, an assistant professor with Boise State's rankine cycles as in Combined Heat and Power units are
department of mechanical and biomedical engineering, worked options to improve total efficiency and reduce the cost [10].
on a project "Nanostructured High-Temperature Bulk Waste heat recovery using Organic rankine cycle is an efficient
Thermoelectric Energy Conversion for Efficient Automotive method compared with the other techniques; so automobile
Waste Heat Recovery". The process developed by Zhang and manufacturers use this method to enhance the efficiency of
his research partner uses post catalytic converter heat their products [11]. The heat recovery is can be done and
exchangers to remove heat from the exhaust gases and deliver increases with increasing exhaust mass flow rate [12].
it to the thermoelectric devices, which convert the heat to
Stirling Cycle
electricity [5].
A Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic
Exhaust gas heat recovery system (EGHR) compression and expansion of air or other gas, the working
The system was first used used on 2016 Chevrolet Malibu fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a net
Hybrid. Unlike other technologies, it doesn’t generate electrical conversion of heat energy to mechanical work [13]. Free Piston
energy from waste heat to recharge the battery. Instead, the Stirling Engine is shown in Figure 5. Developments of gamma
electrified Malibu uses waste heat to warm the cabin interior as type Stirling engine which operate at high temperature
well as the engine, raising the latter to peak operating difference to find out the optimum temperature difference at
temperature quickly, and keeping it there. While that may all which model would give maximum thermal efficiency [14].
sound underwhelming, the boost to fuel economy – especially Waste heat recovery from internal combustion engine analyzed
in the colder months – is measurable. It also allows for a with two different fluids by using organic rankine cycle. The
further reduction of NO2, almost as big an opponent to clean air best performance was obtained when R-123 was applied as the
as carbon. The EGHR system in the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is working fluid. [15-16]. The free piston Stirling engine couples
kind of like that old Native American principal of using every with a pneumatic cylinder And results by simulation shows the
part of the buffalo; what once was waste is wasted no longer. Output power from numerical simulation was higher than that
of experiment according to theoretical assumptions [17].
Generating Power via Mechanical Work Gamma type Stirling engine was design and developed for
Rankine Cycle application of waste heat recovery system. The performance of
The system is based on the steam generation in a secondary low temperature difference Stirling engine was investigated. A
circuit using the exhaust gas thermal energy to produce twin power piston gamma configuration low temperature
1st International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Applied Science
Military Institute of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh 22-
23 February 2017
differential Stirling engine is tested with non-pressurized air by the combustion chamber difficult. This means that the engine
using solar simulator and conclude that Stirling engine working needs to work more to expel these burned gasses. In contrast to
with relative low temperature air of potentially attractive future Rankine cycles and thermoelectric generators, the
engine [18]. Figure 5 shows the construction principle of a free turbocompound interacts with the exhaust flow and causes
piston Stirling cycle. back-pressure on the engine. This results in negative pumping
work (pumping loss) on engines [31].

Figure 7. Mechanical (conventional) turbocompounding [33].

Figure 5. Free Piston Stirling Cycle. This leads consequently to lower brake specific fuel
consumption (BSFC) reduction compared to other WHR
Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Cycle systems. In addition to the pumping loss, higher exhaust back-
Many researches have been conducted regarding vapour pressure on the engine results in increased residual gases,
absorption refrigeration cycle on IC engine [19-30]. In vapour delayed combustion, increased heat transfer in the cylinder, and
absorption refrigeration cycle, heat is provided at generator disruption of global engine thermodynamic balance [32].
which generates the refrigerant vapours. These vapours are then
condensed in condenser by losing heat. The high pressure Other Technologies
liquid refrigerant is then throttled through expansion valve to Other technologies are being researched at present for the
lower pressure at evaporator. The refrigerant at such lower utilization of waste heat of IC engines. Other technologies
pressure and temperature evaporates and produces cooling include utilization of heat exchangers, recuperator, regenerator,
effect. The refrigerant vapours then pass to absorber. The weak passive air preheaters, and finned tube heat exchanger for ICEs
solution in absorber absorbs the refrigerant vapours and the exhaust waste heat recovery. Waste heat energy can be utilized
solution is pumped to higher pressure to generator by a pump. not only for increasing the efficiency of the engine, but also for
The weak solution from generator is fed back to absorber other applications, for example, the waste heat of stationary
where it absorbs the refrigerant vapours coming from ICEs can be utilized for food drying technology.
evaporator.
Conclusion
Now-a-days, different automobiles, including passenger cars
(BMW, Honda, Exoes, Barber Nichols, FVV) and trucks, are
being industrially manufactured with waste heat recovery
technology [34-37]. But the research should be carried on for
the betterment of waste heat recovery system and thereby
optimizing fuel utilization and maximizing environment
sustainability.

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1st International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Applied Science
Military Institute of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh 22-
23 February 2017
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