Experimental study on the influence of bionic channel structure and nanofluids on power generation characteristics of waste heat utilisation equipment

To recover waste heat resources and improve the utilisation rate of waste heat, a cogeneration system based on bionics was designed. To maximise the utilisation rate of waste heat, the effects of different bionic channel structures (angular frequency omega = 20, 25, and 30 rad/s; amplitude A = 1, 2, and 3 mm; and phase shift alpha = 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 1801 on the power generation characteristics were studied experimentally. The innovation of this study lies in designing bionic structures with different shapes and replacing traditional working fluids with nanofluids. The experimental results showed that, when the working medium was a CuO-H2O nanofluid, the temperature at the hot end of the thermoelectric plate increased by 7.19%. For different bionic structures, the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of waste heat utilisation equipment with omega = 30 rad/s, A = 3 mm, and alpha = 180 degrees was the highest, being 15.29%, 18.79%, and 6.97% higher than those with omega = 20 rad/s, A = 1 mm, and alpha = 0 degrees, respectively. The results of this study can provide guidance for the design and operation of the power generation characteristics of waste heat utilisation equipment.

Automated summary

A bionics-based cogeneration system was designed in this study to improve waste heat utilization, with experimental results showing that using CuO-H2O nanofluids can increase the temperature at the hot end of a thermoelectric plate. The highest thermoelectric conversion efficiency was achieved with bionic structures featuring an angular frequency of 30 rad/s, an amplitude of 3 mm, and a phase shift of 180 degrees, providing guidance for the design and operation of waste heat utilization equipment.