High energy density DC-DC converter for a thermoelectric generator

Energy saving is becoming more and more important as it allows for less pollution and reduces the economic cost. To achieve energy saving we can either reduce the amount of energy used or increase the efficiency of our system. This study deals with the second option, in particular, we want to increase the efficiency of the car. We can improve it by reusing the energy from the heat of the exhaust pipe, which would otherwise be wasted. This is not a trivial task since converting thermal energy into a usable source of energy is difficult, in fact in today's cars the thermal energy from the exhaust pipe is unused. This can be achieved by using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) and a DC-DC converter. The TEG is based on the Seebeck effect and it transforms thermal energy into electrical energy. In order to use this electrical energy in any useful way, we have to regulate the output voltage of the TEG. Here is where the DC-DC converter comes into play. In our application the output voltage will be used to charge the battery of the car. This whole system will reduce the alternator's work, thus reducing fuel consumption and reducing the emissions. The aim of the thesis is to design and prototype a DC-DC converter with Vin=0-60V and Vout=13.5V. A single PCB board should be designed with all the needed parts: power, measures, microcontroller, supplies and communication interface. The final prototype was successfully tested. The tests confirmed that the board works as it was designed to work, maintaining an excellent efficiency (>95% in almost all working points). All the other parts (measures, supplies, etc.) work well too.