MODELING AND SIMULATION TO SUPPORT PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF A WASTE THERMAL ENERGY HARVESTER

The Navy and Marine Corps are studying ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels as a means to increase energy security and operational resilience. Many military systems reject waste heat into the environment; recovering this thermal energy for reuse could help to reduce overall reliance on fossil fuels. One technology that may effectively recycle waste heat as energy is the thermoelectric generator (TEG). This thesis uses a modeling and simulation (M&S)-based systems engineering approach to influence design of a TEG prototype system to gain insight into the feasibility of applying this technology to military systems. This research uses COMSOL and OrCAD’s PSpice to model a TEG array prototype system on the muffler of a portable generator, as a proxy for a naval system that releases waste heat. The results of the model informed the design and construction of a prototype system. The paper describes the testing of the prototype and compares the results of the prototype to the model. This thesis demonstrates the benefit of using modeling and simulation prior to design and construction. Finally, this research indicates that TEGs may have the potential to reduce the Navy and Marine Corps’ fossil fuel and energy dependence.ONRhttp://archive.org/details/modelingandsimul1094562838Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited