PAPER ON

POWER PRODUCTION IN AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS

TOWARDS

CRANKZ-2011

SRI SIVASUBRAMANIYA NADAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PRESENTED BY
A.ANANDH M.DINESH KUMAR III B-TECH MECHANICAL

ABSTRACT:
If you and I were to exchange dollar bills richer But if we were to exchange ideas Each would increase knowledge Neither would be

cold junction. Hence the electricity is produced and it can be stored and used for various utilities. The produced power is directly proportional to the temperature difference in the junctions of thermocouple.

CONTENTS:
Introduction o Thermocouples o See beck Effect o Thermoelectric Laws Cooling systems o Radiators o Cooling pump Thermocouple in current market Thermocouple in radiators o Selection of thermocouple o Service life Power production Advantage Disadvantage

This paper outlines the production of electrical energy (d.c) from automobile radiators heat using thermocouples. When any conductor is subjected to a thermal gradient, it will generate a voltage (thermoelectric effect or Seebeck effect). A thermocouple can produce current, directly without the need for extra circuitry and power sources. The fluid circulates through exposed pipes of radiators in automobiles tend to transfer heat mainly by convection and might logically be called convectors. The upper hose of radiator serves as the measuring junction (hot) and similarly the lower hose of radiator serves as the reference junction (cold)for the thermocouple .The measuring junction of thermocouple is coupled with the engine outlet hot water (upper hose) and reference junction is coupled with the inlet water to engine (lower hose). Due this temperature variation, electrons start flows from the hot junction to the

INTRODUCTION:
A thermocouple is a device consisting of two different conductors (usually metal alloys) that produce a voltage proportional to a temperature difference between either ends of the pair of conductors. Thermocouples are a widely used as temperature sensor for measuring temperature and can also be used to convert a heat gradient into electricity. They are inexpensive, interchangeable, are supplied with standard connectors, and can

measure a wide range of temperatures. In contrast to most other methods of temperature measurement, thermocouples are self powered and require no external form of excitation.

Any junction of dissimilar metals wills produce an electric potential related to temperature. Thermocouples for practical measurement of temperature are junctions of specific alloys which have a predictable and repeatable relationship between temperature and voltage. Different alloys are used for different temperature ranges. Properties such as resistance to corrosion may also be important when choosing a type of thermocouple. Where the measurement point is far from the measuring instrument, the intermediate connection can be made by extension wires which are less costly than the materials used to

make the sensor. Thermocouples are usually standardized against a reference temperature of 0 degrees Celsius; practical instruments use electronic methods of cold-junction compensation to adjust for varying temperature at the instrument terminals. Electronic instruments can also compensate for the varying characteristics of the thermocouple, and so improve the precision and accuracy of measurements. When any conductor is subjected to a thermal gradient, it will generate a voltage. This is now known as the thermoelectric effect or See beck effect. Any attempt to measure this voltage necessarily involves connecting another conductor to the "hot" end. This additional conductor will then also experience the temperature gradient, and develop a voltage of its own which will oppose the original. Fortunately, the magnitude of the effect depends on the metal in use. Using a dissimilar metal to complete the circuit creates a circuit in which the two legs generate different voltages, leaving a small difference in voltage available for measurement. That difference increases with temperature, and is between 1 and 70 microvolts per degree Celsius (V/C) for standard metal combinations.

SEEBECK EFFECT:

he See beck effect is the conversion of temperature differences directly into electricity and is named for German physicist Thomas Johann

See beck, who, in 1821 discovered that a compass needle would be deflected by a closed loop formed by two metals joined in two places, with a temperature difference between the junctions. This was because the metals responded differently to the temperature difference, creating a current loop and a magnetic field. See beck did not recognize there was an electric current involved, so he called the phenomenon the thermo magnetic effect. Danish physicist Hans Christian rsted rectified the mistake and coined the term "thermoelectricity". The voltage created by this effect is on the order of several microvolts per Kelvin difference. One such combination, copper-constantan, has a See beck coefficient of 41 microvolts per Kelvin at room temperature. The voltage V developed can be derived from:

The See beck effect is used in the thermocouple to measure a temperature difference; absolute temperature may be found by setting one end to a known temperature. A metal of unknown composition can be classified by its thermoelectric effect if a metallic probe of known composition, kept at a constant temperature, is held in contact with it. Industrial quality control instruments use this as thermoelectric alloy sorting to identify metal alloys. Thermocouples in series form a thermopile, sometimes constructed in order to increase the output voltage, since the voltage induced over each individual couple is small. Thermoelectric generators are used for creating power from heat differentials and exploit this effect.

Where SA and SB are the thermo powers (a.k.a See beck coefficient) of metals A and B as a function of temperature and T1 and T2 are the temperatures of the two junctions. The See beck coefficients are nonlinear as a function of temperature, and depend on the conductors' absolute temperature, material, and molecular structure. If the See beck coefficients are effectively constant for the measured temperature range, the above formula can be approximated as:

THERMOELECTRIC LAWS:
In addition to the see back effect, there are certain laws by which thermoelectric circuits behave.

These laws are known thermoelectric laws. These are:

as

thermocouples at the same temperatures as any of the others.

1. The application of heat to a single homogeneous metal is in itself not capable of producing an electric current. 2. A thermoelectric emf is produced when the junctions of two dissimilar homogeneous metals are kept at different temperatures. This emf is not affected by temperature gradients along the conductors.

COOLING SYSTEM IN AUTO MOBILES(RADIATORS):

Radiators are used for cooling internal combustion engines, mainly in automobiles. Internal combustion engines are often cooled by passing a liquid called engine coolant through the engine block, where it is heated, then through the radiator itself where it loses heat to the atmosphere, and then back to the engine in a closed loop. Engine coolant is usually water-based, but may also be oil. It is common to employ a water pump to force the engine coolant to circulate, and also for an axial fan to force air through the radiator. The radiator transfers the heat from the fluid inside to the air outside, thereby cooling the engine Automobile radiators are constructed of a pair of header tanks, linked by a core with many narrow passageways, thus a high surface area relative to its volume. This core is usually made of stacked layers of metal sheet, pressed to form channels and soldered or brazed together. For many years radiators were made from brass or copper cores soldered to brass headers. Modern radiators save money and weight by using plastic headers and may use aluminum cores. This construction is less easily repaired than traditional materials.

3. In s thermocouple, having the junctions at different temperatures, the emf developed will not affected when a third homogeneous metal is made a part of the circuit, provided that the temperatures of its two junctions are same. This is called Law of intermediate metals. 4. If a simple thermocouple circuit develops an emf, e1, which its junctions are at temperatures T1 and T2, and an emf, e2, when its junctions are at temperatures T1 and T2, this is called Law of intermediate temperature. 5. The algebraic sum of the emfs produced in a circuit containing two or more thermocouples all at the same temperature is zero. 6. The total emf of a circuit containing two thermocouples is unaffected by the addition of more

the engine coolant because natural circulation has very low flow rates.

THERMOCUPLE IN CURRENT MARKET:

Heating Appliances Some appliances use a thermocouple as a fail-safe control to sense when the pilot light is burning. Nuclear Core exit coolant temperatures in a nuclear reactor typically are measured by thermocouples positioned at the top of the reactor core. Refrigeration The thermocouple senses when the temperature in the refrigerator is as cold as you want it to be. When it reaches that temperature, the device shuts off the electricity to the compressor. Thermometer Sensors Suitable for measuring over a large temperature range, up to 1800 C. They are less suitable for applications where smaller temperature differences need to be measured with high accuracy, for example the range 0100 C with 0.1 C accuracy. Wireless sensors Remotes Sensor modules harvest tiny amounts of energy from their surroundings, enabling them to register detected values and transmit them wirelessly. Surrounding sources of useful energy are: linear motion/ pressure, light, temperature change, rotation and vibration Cold compensation: junction

Honeycomb radiator tubes

An earlier construction method was the honeycomb radiator. Round tubes were swaged into hexagons at their ends, then stacked together and soldered. As they only touched at their ends, this formed what became in effect a solid water tank with many air tubes through it. Some vintage cars use radiator cores made from coiled tube, a lessefficient but simpler construction.

COOLANT PUMP:
Radiators first used downward vertical flow, driven solely by a thermo siphon effect. Coolant is heated in the engine, becomes less dense, and so rises. As the radiator cools the fluid, the coolant becomes denser and falls. This effect is sufficient for low-power stationary engines, but inadequate for all but the earliest automobiles. All automobiles for many years have used centrifugal pumps to circulate

 Thermocouples measure the temperature difference between two points. To measure a single temperature one of the junctions(normally the cold junction)is maintained at a known reference temperature, and the other junction is at the temperature to be sensed. Some integrated circuits such as the LT1025 are designed to output a compensated voltage based on thermocouple type and cold junction temperature.

TYPES OF THERMOCOUPLE:
Certain combinations of alloys have become popular as industry standards. Selection of the combination is driven by cost, availability, convenience, melting point, chemical properties, stability, and output. Different types are best suited for different applications. They are usually selected based on the temperature range and sensitivity needed. Thermocouples with low sensitivities (B, R, and S types) have correspondingly lower resolutions. Other selection criteria include the inertness of the thermocouple material, and whether it is magnetic or not. Standard thermocouple types are listed below with the positive electrode first, followed by the negative electrode.

thermocouple with a sensitivity of approximately 41 V/C, chromyl positive relative to alumel. It is inexpensive, and a wide variety of probes are available in its 200 C to +1350 C / -328 F to +2462 F range. Type K was specified at a time when metallurgy was less advanced than it is today, and consequently characteristics may vary considerably between samples. One of the constituent metals, nickel, is magnetic; a characteristic of thermocouples made with magnetic material is that they may undergo a step change in output when the magnetic material reaches its Curie point (around 354 C for type K thermocouples).

E
Type E (chromylconstantan) has a high output (68 V/C) which makes it well suited to cryogenic use. Additionally, it is non-magnetic.

J
Type J (ironconstantan) has a more restricted range than type K (40 to +750 C), but higher sensitivity of about 55 V/C. The Curie point of the iron (770 C) causes an abrupt change in the characteristic, which determines the upper temperature limit.

K
Type K (chromel{90 percent nickel and 10 percent chromium} alumel)(Alumel consisting of 95% nickel, 2% manganese, 2% aluminum and 1% silicon) is the most common general purpose

N
Type N (NicrosilNisil) (NickelChromium-Silicon/Nickel-Silicon) thermocouples are suitable for use at high temperatures, exceeding 1200 C, due to their stability and

ability to resist high temperature oxidation. Sensitivity is about 39 V/C at 900 C, slightly lower than type K. Designed to be an improved type K due to increased stability at higher temperatures, it is becoming more popular, though the differences may or may not be substantial enough to warrant a change.

conductor. Type R thermocouples are used up to 1600 C.

Thermoc ouple Type Names of Materials
Platinum30% Rhodium (+)

Useful Applicati on Range

2500 -3100F 1370-1700C

B
Platinum 6% Rhodium (-) W5Re Tungsten 5% Rhenium (+)

Platinum types B, R, and S

C Types B, R, and S thermocouples use platinum or a platinumrhodium alloy for each conductor. These are among the most stable thermocouples, but have lower sensitivity than other types, approximately 10 V/C. Type B, R, and S thermocouples are usually used only for high temperature measurements due to their high cost and low sensitivity.

3000-4200F 1650-2315C 200-1650F 95-900C 200-1400F 95-760C 200-2300F 95-1260C 1200-2300F 650-1260C 1600-2640F 870-1450C 1800-2640F 980-1450C -330-660F -200-350C

W26Re Tungsten 26% Rhenium (-) Chromel (+)

E
Constantan (-) Iron (+)

J
Constantan (-) Chromel (+)

K
Alumel (-) Nicrosil (+)

B
Type B thermocouples use a platinumrhodium alloy for each conductor. One conductor contains 30% rhodium while the other conductor contains 6% rhodium. These thermocouples are suited for use at up to 1800 C. Type B thermocouples produce the same output at 0 C and 42 C, limiting their use below about 50 C. R

Nisil (-) Platinum 13% Rhodium (+) Platinum (-) Platinum 10% Rhodium (+) Platinum (-) Copper (+)

T
Constantan (-)

R
Type R thermocouples use a platinumrhodium alloy containing 13% rhodium for one conductor and pure platinum for the other

S
Type S thermocouples are constructed using one wire of 90% Platinum and 10% Rhodium (the positive or "+" wire) and a second

wire of 100% platinum (the negative or "-" wire). Like type R, type S thermocouples are used up to 1600 C. In particular, type S is used as the standard of calibration for the melting point of gold(1064.43 C).

is less commonly used than other types.

THERMOC OUPLE TYPE

T
Type T (copperconstantan) thermocouples are suited for measurements in the 200 to 350 C range. Often used as a differential measurement since only copper wire touches the probes. Since both conductors are non-magnetic, there is no Curie point and thus no abrupt change in characteristics. Type T thermocouples have a sensitivity of about 43 V/C.

SEEBEC K COEFFI CIENT (V/C) @ 20C

DVM SENSIT IVITY FOR 0.1C (V)

E J K R S T

62 51 40 7 7 40

6.2 5.1 4.0 0.7 0.7 4.0

C
Type C (tungsten5% rhenium tungsten 26% rhenium) thermocouples are suited for measurements in the 0 C to 2320 C range. This thermocouple is wellsuited for vacuum furnaces at extremely high temperatures. It must never be used in the presence of oxygen at temperatures above 260 C.

M
Type M thermocouples use a nickel alloy for each wire. The positive wire (20 Alloy) contains 18% molybdenum while the negative wire (19 Alloy) contains 0.8% cobalt. These thermocouples are used in vacuum furnaces for the same reasons as with type C. Upper temperature is limited to 1400 C. It

THERMOCOUPLES RADIATORS:

IN

A series of thermocouple(thermopile) is connected to the automobile radiators. The fluid circulates through exposed pipes of radiators in automobiles tend to transfer heat mainly by convection and might logically be called convectors. The upper hose of radiator serves as the measuring junction (hot) and similarly the lower hose of radiator serves as the reference junction (cold)for the thermocouple .The measuring junction of thermocouple is coupled with the engine outlet hot water (upper hose) and reference junction is coupled with the inlet water to engine (lower hose). Due this temperature variation, electrons start flows from the hot junction to the cold junction.

Because of the connection at the measuring junction, there is no electrical potential difference between the wires at that point. In fact, no emf difference between the wires can exist anywhere within the uniform, hot zone, because under the assumed temperature conditions there is no thermal gradient there that could produce one. For the same reason, no additional change in emf

difference between wires will occur within the uniformly cool, ambient temperature zone. All thermoelectric activity therefore takes place in the center zone of decreasing temperature. The two thermocouple wires, or thermoelements, are dissimilar by design. That is to say, each Conductor is made up of chemical elements that essentially differ from those of the other wire, and The presence of these dissimilarities will cause each element to respond to external stimuli (in this Case, a temperature change) in a different way. The electrical potential emf along any wire will change as the local temperature changes. Thus, a Diminishing temperature will result in a reduced emf for both thermo elements, but the amount of This reduction in one wire will not be the same as for the other because of their different compositions. The small net difference in emf change between two dissimilar wires constitutes a thermocouple output signal. For an appropriately chosen thermocouple pair this emf output can be a dependable and repeatable function of the temperature difference between the ends the Wires. Thus we see that when subjected to a temperature gradient, selected wires with different known Thermo electric properties will produce a useful electrical signal that varies with the temperature difference in a predictable way. It should be apparent that if the temperature does not change along a particular length of a thermo element pair, then the emf will not change along that length.

It also follows that a temperature difference of any magnitude cannot produce a thermal emf between two conductors traversing that difference if the conductors are thermoelectrically identical.

additional calibration of materials is usually required for such use. Neither wire is magnetic, but visual identification by metal color is easy

SELECTION THERMOCOUPLE:

OF

The thermocouple suitable for the production high power in the automobile is T type.

Why choose one T/C over another:

The usual goals in picking a thermocouple type are to provide an adequate measurement over the longest possible life, and at the lowest cost. It is prudent, for such comparisons, to consider the total cost over some suitable time period. It is easy to overlook such hidden costs as maintenance, testing, and replacement, or loss of production due to down time or as a result of inaccurate readings. Other factors in making the best choice might be the availability of instrumentation, and sometimes a need to standardize on the thermocouple type or types to be used at a given site.

WHY?
It stands well against corrosion and is reproducible to high degree of accuracy. It is resistant to both oxidizing and reducing temperature. This type is moisture resistant, very stable, and useful to 370C (700F) in air, a temperature limit imposed primarily by oxidation of the copper element. When used in vacuum or in reducing or inert atmospheres, operation at somewhat higher temperatures may be possible. It is also suitable for subzero use down to 200C (-370F), but stock materials are not normally pretested in this range, so special selection and

Service life:
Useful thermocouple life is a very difficult prediction to make, even when most of the details of an application are known. And unfortunately, such information is often very hard to determine. The very best test for any application is to actually install, use, and evaluate the in-use performance of a design that is thought likely to succeed. The recommendations, and nonrecommendations, listed under the thermocouple type descriptions are a

good starting place to pick a type to try.

control, good fuel economy and performance. A 50/50 mixture of water and ethylene glycol antifreeze in the cooling system will boil at 225 degrees if the cap is open. But as long as the system is sealed and holds pressure, a radiator cap rated at 15 psi will increase the boiling temperature of a 50/50 coolant blend up to 265 degrees. If the concentration of antifreeze to water is upped to 70/30 (the maximum recommended), the boiling temperature under 15 psi of pressure goes up to 276 degrees. The outward water from the radiators will having 70% of heat less than the hot water (82.8 degrees). Hence using the T type thermocouple voltage about 10 mV can be produced by using the thermopile higher voltage can be obtained. TEGs are made from thermoelectric modules which are solid-state integrated circuits that employ three established thermoelectric effects known as the Peltier, Seebeck and Thomson effects. It is the Seebeck effect that is responsible for electrical power generation. Their construction consists of pairs of ptype and n-type semiconductor materials forming a thermocouple. These thermocouples are then connected electrically forming an array of multiple thermocouples (thermopile). They are then sandwiched between two thin ceramic wafers.

POWER PRODUCTION:
A thermocouple can produce current, which means it can be used to drive some processes directly, without the need for extra circuitry and power sources. For example, the power from a thermocouple can activate a valve when a temperature difference arises. The electrical energy generated by a thermocouple is converted from the heat which must be supplied to the hot side to maintain the electric potential. A continuous flow of heat is necessary because the current flowing through the thermocouple tends to cause the hot side to cool down and the cold side to heat up (the Peltier effect). Thermocouples can be connected in series to form a thermopile, where all the hot junctions are exposed to a higher temperature and all the cold junctions to a lower temperature. The output is the sum of the voltages across the individual junctions, giving larger voltage and power output. In a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, the radioactive decay of transuranic elements as a heat source has been used to power spacecraft on missions too far from the Sun to use solar power. Most engines today are designed to operate within a "normal" temperature range of about 276 degrees. A relatively constant operating temperature is absolutely essential for proper emissions

You may be surprised just how much you can! Here is a small example of how much power you can generate. Below is a pot of hot water with 4thermoelectric modules attached around the sides. The output from this simple thermoelectric generator (TEG) is about 8 watt and the light is a 12 volt 15 amp auto lamp.

When heat and cold are applied , the device then generates electricity. These thermocouples are then connected electrically in series and/or parallel forming an array of multiple thermocouples (thermopile). When heat and cold are applied this device then generates electricity. Almost any heat source can be used to generate electricity, such as solar heat, ocean heat, geothermal heat, even body heat! In addition the efficiency of any device or machine that generates heat as a by-product can be drastically improved by recovering the energy lost as heat.

Thermoelectric generators have been in use for many years by NASA to power spacecraft and the oil and gas industry to power remote monitoring stations around the globe. Only in recent years has this technology become available to the general public and TEG Power is at the forefront of this thermoelectric energy revolution. We are the first manufacture to provide practical and affordable thermoelectric generators to the energy conscious consumer. Almost any heat source can be used to generate electricity, such as solar heat, ocean heat, geothermal heat, even body heat!

Advantages
Can you really generate that much electricity from waste heat? Very rugged, immune to shock and vibration.

 Simple to manufacture the thermocouples. Require no excitation power. No self heating. Can be made very small. It increase the cooling effect of radiators

CONCLUSION:
These thermocouples can be widely used to produce power through the unwanted heat in the automobile engine. This also leads to the increase the cooling efficiency of radiators. This avoids the corrosion of engine parts due to larger amount of heat.

REFERNCE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermo couple http://tegpower.com/

Ramsden, Ed (September 1, 2000). "Temperature measurement". Sensors. http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/ temperature/temperaturemeasurement-1030.