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Experimental Investigation of a Temperature-Controlled Car Seat Powered by an Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator

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Abstract

To improve the riding comfort and rational utilization of the electrical energy captured by an automotive thermoelectric generator (ATEG), a temperature-controlled car seat was constructed to adjust the temperature of the car seat surface. Powered by the ATEG and the battery, the seat-embedded air conditioner can improve the riding comfort using a thermoelectric device to adjust the surface temperature of the seat, with an air duct to regulate the cold side and hot side of the thermoelectric device. The performance of the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and theoretical analysis on the optimum state of the TEC device are put forward. To verify the rationality of the air duct design and to ensure sufficient air supply, the velocity field of the air duct system was obtained by means of the finite element method. To validate the reliability of the numerical simulation, the air velocity around the thermoelectric device was measured by a wind speed transmitter. The performance of the temperature-controlled car seat has been validated and is in good agreement with bench tests and real vehicle tests.

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Acknowledgement

The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51305312), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, Grant No. 2013CB632505) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. WUT142207005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    H. Du, Y. P. Wang, X. H. Yuan, Y. D. Deng & C. Q. Su

  2. Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Y. P. Wang

Authors
  1. H. Du
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  2. Y. P. Wang
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  3. X. H. Yuan
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  4. Y. D. Deng
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  5. C. Q. Su
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Correspondence to Y. P. Wang.

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Du, H., Wang, Y.P., Yuan, X.H. et al. Experimental Investigation of a Temperature-Controlled Car Seat Powered by an Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator. J. Electron. Mater. 45, 1529–1539 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4095-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4095-8

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