Development and characterization of a thermoelectric generator power system for charging mobile phones

Abstract

The masses in urban and rural areas in Nigeria for the past decades have experienced epileptic and dwindling power supply. Moreover, due to this challenge of epileptic power supply, there has been some level of impediment to charge mobile phones, thus disrupting communication between the phone users. The focus of this work is to develop and characterize a thermoelectric power generator system with the associated electrical power system components to charge a mobile phone. This work method mainly deployed the use of Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) power system, two TEG systems in series connection with three heat sources; hot plate or Charcoal, manifold and exhaust. The TEG system was connected to a voltage regulator power system using an integrated circuit device and a bias resistor with the help of a variable resistor to regulate the voltage output. Two capacitors were utilized to smoothen the direct current (DC) ripples and the diode was deployed after the TEG units to rectify the TEG output voltage been fed into the power regulator circuit. A range of variables was targeted which pegged the threshold charging voltage at 6.19 Volts using the charcoal or hot plate as heat source. The charging voltage range was obtained using a digital multimeter which was pegged at 6.19Volts to 6.30 Volts. The open circuit voltage was pegged at 8.9 Volts. A maximum power of 14.241 Watts was produced. It was concluded that the mobile phone was able to charge up using a charcoal or hotplate waste heat. The charcoal or hot plate experiment was compared with manifold and exhaust heat source. The above charcoal or hot plate heat source was preferable over the manifold and exhaust. The automobile manifold and exhaust waste heat produced a maximum voltage of 3.10Volts and 2.058 Volts respectively.