Investigation on Electrical Generation from Motor Waste Heat

Cheo, Ming Jie (2023) Investigation on Electrical Generation from Motor Waste Heat. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This research focuses on converting waste heat generated by milling machine motors into electricity using thermoelectric technology, investigating the heat generated by milling machines in a different scenario, investigating the performance of thermoelectrics, and utilizing the electricity generated by thermoelectrics to power electronic components. The impact of developing this system is to harvest waste heat from motors, increase motor efficiency, reduce electricity consumption in industry, and indirectly reduce carbon emissions. The study uses a thermoelectric generator (TEG SP1848-27145), an aluminum heat sink, a DC-to-DC boost converter module (CJMCU-3108), thermal paste, and a supercapacitor. The research involves testing the thermoelectric with and without a heat sink and three different types of thermoelectric connections (2-2-2-2-2, 5-5, and 4-3-3 combinations). The thermoelectric-based energy harvesting system is then tested in different milling conditions, including milling aluminum and mild steel blocks and milling aluminum with different thicknesses. The results show that the thermoelectric with a heat sink generates a larger voltage due to the heat sink dissipating heat on the cold side of the thermoelectric faster. The 4-3-3 thermoelectric connection combination performs the best in generating power. When milling the material with a larger thickness, the system generates more output due to the motor needing more power and torque to do the milling. When milling mild steel, the system generates more output power due to the material being harder than aluminum.