thermoelectric generator using cheap TEC modules

4 cheap Chinese TEC modules assembled in series using wood fire and water cooling generates up to about 8 watts.

[@keithnewman9043]

thank you for this video! i have looked everywhere and no one will list how fast they actually charge a phone

[@Saph67]

That's one of the most interesting and informative videos I've watched on this topic. Would be fine to know how much heat the water picks up from the module say in a system that constantly provides the same 67°F cooling water? Thanks for the video!

[@RLZerr]

this assembly picks up a fair amount of heat, air cooling the water through a small radiator was difficult even with air in the 50s. A constant cold water source say a pond or nearby creek would be the most effective.

[@DarrenTarmey]

Iv seen TEC Modals which are stacked I assume to catch more of the heat, but they are rely on expensive are there for time when you have linited space to attched modual to heat source?

[@abdulaljohar748]

Well done and verified design . Will it work using other heat sources such as alcohol burner or gas stove and are you planning to construct one with higher power.

[@RLZerr]

+Abdul Aljohar any heat source works. Solar, fire, hot water, even the heat from your body will generate some power. The maximum power output is obtained by the highest differential between the hot and cold sides of the modules. Limited by the maximum rating which is 150C or 300F. Above that temperature you risk destroying the modules by melting the solder joints inside. I would like to build a practical sized unit that would generate about 40 watts or more at 15 volts that could be easily used in a campfire.

[@louispeters2105]

@@RLZerr have you made it? Im using a small woodstove (cubic mini cub) in my rv for hot water (thermosiphon) As welk as drying the moisture Oregon supplys. Charging 2 deepcycle12v batteries with more than 2 amp would be amazing. Ive found videos showing "dcdc" charging setups. (Dumb) DC-DC iv thought of wiring 2 entire sides of the woodstove with TEC to a 100w harbor freight charge controller

[@oakvandalay3782]

Galaxy s1 Best cell phone ever made imo voice to text was flawless must have been the expensively licensed algo, every galaxy since has been progressively worse. after the s8 I switched to pixels a pixel 3 is now like a 100$ and its pretty flawless too! Thanks for the video how much are those deelybopers?

[@adamg9958]

Tell me please how did you connect each cell? I'm going to build something similar on TEC 1- 12710 cell's. Could You please help?

[@ZenInnovations]

Very nice project

[@jwuethrich8385]

ive got a few of those modules, about to try and replicate this so a friends wood stove can have a magic fan. Question- repeat of others unanswered question... what temp is the water coming out of the exchanger ? Im considering running the output from the water block 10ft down the camper wall and into the seperate bedroom where it would then go through a radiator with a fan. aka it might pump a bit of heat to other end of trailer and give him the ability to close the bedroom door at night.

[@RLZerr]

Sounds like a great experiment. Might be one I'd try myself. But the trick to getting maximum power out of your thermoelectric generator is having the greatest temperature difference that is practical between your hot and cold sides. For the water to be an effective coolant for a thermoelectric generator of these inexpensive modules it wont be able to also be efficient as an air heater where you dump your waste heat. It will work somewhat, but I believe you will be finding yourself wanting to put your radiator outdoors in the cold winter to dump the heat more effectively thus increasing your temp. differential and produce more power. Or even finding an ice water source for coolant. One could invest in the more expensive high temp TEG modules that can operate up around 700F and the cooling water can then be 150F or even hotter as long as it doesn't boil and blow out hoses, and then this can be used with a radiator as an effective heater in the far room.

[@HamguyBacon]

I'm confused, Are you using TEC or TEG? and do they do they both produce power?

[@RLZerr]

As in the title of the video "TEC" yes they mostly all use the same semiconductor material that operate on the Seebeck effect. TEG modules typically use higher temperature solder internally and are assembled a little differently to generate power more efficiently.

[@woodzyfox4735]

it would be better if you have this as a after thought vs. primary thought as a passive generator

[@electronics3992]

how many watts can produce 10 peltier modules (60w 12v ) ? I have 50w solar panel on my old house but I need more so im making steam turbine generator , wood gasifier etc.

[@RLZerr]

I wouldn't expect more than 2 maybe 3 watts each.

[@wahyukurnia214]

hy in my project about Thermoelectric Generator. Im using heat of sun. but idont find volt up to 3 volt. can you explain me???

[@RLZerr]

+Wahyu Kurnia - Your results depend on heat differential and the type of module. With these inexpensive Chinese modules used in this video you can get around 3 volts and 1 amp per unit when you have a 70+ degree Celsius difference in the hot and cold side. Using this thermoelectric generator with 4 modules in series I have since pushed them even harder in another test reaching just over 150C at the hot side with 15C cooling water cold side and produced just over 18 volts (4.5 per module) at about 2 amps with no failure and used a 2 amp rated regulator rather than the 1A car charger to convert to 5V and charged my cell phone very quickly. Using sunlight as a heat source I suspect you may only reach 60C hot side at best unless you concentrate the sunlight with a fresnel lens or mirrors. A photovoltaic solar cell is more effective with sunlight but you could generate additional power by installing thermoelectric devices on the back of the panels to make use of the heat there.

[@RLZerr]

probably cannot get that much power out of these modules in a package that small. Would be extreme temp. differential to get it. You might try one of the 10 watt TEG modules

[@jangofet555]

@@RLZerr so you got 9 watts from one cell at just over 150c hot side and 15c cool side. thats impressive. and you said they were 3 dollars each. where did you buy them? i saw some on ebay that give output of upto 100 degree difference and its only 3.2 watts open circuit? what is the output of your teg underload?

[@RLZerr]

@@jangofet555 Sorry my video may be hard to follow. I only get 8-9 watts total. 4 modules in this unit. About 2 watts per module. Bought on eBay less than $3 each when bought in larger numbers.

[@djpitr]

Good job , what is life expectancy of the TEC modules ?

[@RLZerr]

Good question, is not in the spec sheet

[@skillradius9867]

Does this work

[@gabrieldarienv]

Hey man, can you help me with my design?

[@tuz100]

so what's the purpose of the heatsink on the hot side of the TEC unit? to ensure that overheating does not happen or to keep the TEC at a regular heat to regulate the output voltage better?

[@RLZerr]

+tuz100 yes, to control the heat applied to the module I used the heatsink with long fins and thick contact surface to help control and evenly distribute the heat. It's what I had conveniently lying around. Constantly monitoring the temperature across the heatsink with the infared thermometer compared to the size of the fire gave a general visual limit to how much fire to use for maximum output without destroying the modules. Not exceeding the maximum temperature to the hotside is the most critical problem when using a fire for a heat source with these modules.

[@tuz100]

+RLZerr thanks, i am looking at building something like this to use on campfire which will be fairly unmanaged and is running every night. i'm guessing the cheap chinese tecs you used had a maximum of 150c? the other examples i have seen do not use the heatink on this side but i think i might do this to ensure that overheating does not occur. thanks for the reply and the vid - one of the most useful i've seen for my specific needs.

[@RLZerr]

+tuz100 I too am primarily experimenting with devices in a camp environment for power. I'll ad that with this long, thin fin heatsink that I used and on the edge of the 1/4" aluminum plate over the fire, the top of the heatsink contacting the modules would easily creep up over 300F. I had a spray bottle of water handy to mist the heatsink and bring the temp down. Had to do that a couple times. Making plans to build something using other modules designed for power generation with a 600F hot side rating. They are very expensive but produce much more power for the size. I think with a little experimentation using a campfire one could come up with an aluminum heat conductor that would stay below 600F even in an extra hot fire and not require constant attention. Even though more effective, I'm moving away from water cooling as it's not real practical for a portable unit.

[@RLZerr]

+tuz100 when I had this unit set up using steam as a heat source there's no worry of overheating. will never get over 100C but you only get about half the capable power output. One could build a small higher pressure steam boiler in a closed loop with a safety valve designed to go off at about 60-70 psi. Maybe brass and brazed copper pipe, not soldered. Should be ok at 60 psi steam and 307F but I've not experimented with that. I was looking at other fluids to safely transfer the right amount of heat that would boil at about 300-350F at normal pressure but there aren't any that are non-toxic / non-flammable. Probably be easier to buy the $40-$50 modules capable of 600F but even that temperature could easily be exceeded in a campfire.

[@TheGodfather101]

wait hold on. 16 volts and 1.6 amps?????? you made over 24 watts with those cheap chinese tecs? how????

[@RLZerr]

Highest voltage reading is without a load so no it's not 24 watts.

[@slimwantedman6694]

Found ja Mr. Randy

[@RLZerr]

Hey Slim! Thanks for watching, not quite what the others do poking around in holes in the ground but mostly science. Maybe I need a new name!

[@slimwantedman6694]

@@RLZerr Nothing wrong with Randy if ya asking.

[@andrewhyder7951]

You want to use the TEG modules. Not the TEC modules in the video. While the TEC will work, its not as efficient or made for power production, as the TEG is.

[@-_o_o_-]

All the difference is solder type(much high temp in TEG). So, no effectivity, difference at same grade module.IMHO

[@RLZerr]

The purpose of this project was to built a thermoelectric generator from inexpensive TEC modules. Not expensive TEGs.