Integrated thermoelectric and organic Rankine cycles for micro-CHP systems

Interest in micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) for residential homes is growing. Stirling engines, internal combustion engines and organic Rankine cycles (ORC) could be applied for micro-CHP. However, the electrical efficiency of these micro-CHP systems is relatively low. The present paper discusses an integrated system of thermoelectric power cycle and ORC which forms an advanced dual-cycle power system. The integration scheme and the dual-cycle system thermodynamics were studied and a mathematic model was established. Dual-cycle system performance was simulated under various conditions. Overall power output and energy conversion efficiency were calculated using the established model. Experiments were conducted in an experimental setup to investigate the performance of power generation under conditions representative of the dual-cycle system. The thermoelectric modules or converters were found to be well suited for integration with the micro-CHP system.