Patent ID: 7921640

Claim:
An exhaust heat recovery heat exchanger assembly for use along a main exhaust flow path of an exhaust system for a vehicle having an engine, the exhaust heat recovery heat exchanger comprising: a sealed vacuum chamber, including an inner wall and an outer wall, a hydride pellet mounted in the chamber, and a heating element operatively engaging the hydride pellet and including electrical leads extending from the vacuum chamber and configured to attach to a source of electrical current; an exhaust chamber defined by the inner wall, the exhaust chamber being a portion of the main exhaust flow path; a housing surrounding the outer wall and defining a heat receiving medium chamber between the housing and the outer wall, an inlet configured to receive and direct a heat receiving medium into the heat receiving medium chamber, and an outlet configured to receive and direct the heat receiving medium from the heat receiving medium chamber; and a thermoelectric device located between the outer wall and the heat receiving medium chamber and oriented to generate electricity when heat is transferred from the vacuum chamber to the heat receiving medium chamber.