A New Seafloor Hydrothermal Power Generation Device Based on Waterproof Thermoelectric Modules

Abstract

Submarine hydrothermal fluids contain substantial energy, and temperature differences with the surrounding cold seawater can provide energy for seabed observations and submarine operations. This study proposes a novel hydrothermal power generation device comprising a thermoelectric converter and an energy management system. Herein, a waterproof module with high-temperature and high-pressure resistance was designed. Heating and pressurization tests were performed to verify the structure's feasibility. The overall structure of the system based on the module was then designed, and laboratory performance tests were conducted. A computational fluid dynamics simulation was used to further analyze the heat transfer model. The simulation results are consistent with experimental data, validating the simulation model's accuracy. The new device reduces its own weight and solves low heat transfer efficiency problems. This study increases the temperature difference between the two ends of the thermoelectric generator in the thermoelectric converter by 76.2%.INDEX TERMS CFD simulation, energy conversion, heat transfer model, hydrothermal fluid, submarine energy.

Multiphysics Co-Simulation and Experimental Study of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Energy Generation System

“…Xie et al [17,18] designed two kinds of devices based on different forms of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, namely heat-pipe-type and tubetype temperature difference energy capture devices. The prototype of the heat-pipe-type thermogenic power generation system was successfully tested at a hydrothermal vent with a depth of 2765 m and a temperature of 379 degrees Celsius in the Longyang hydrothermal area in the southwestern Indian Ocean, with an output power of about 2.6 W. The prototype of the tube-type thermogenic power generation system was successfully tested in a shallowsea hydrothermal area on Guishan Island, Taiwan, with an output power of about 0.25 W. In our previous research [19], a new submarine hydrothermal power generation device based on a waterproof thermoelectric module was proposed, which successfully generated 5.6 W. All of the above have proved the feasibility of using deep-sea hydrothermal thermal energy for power generation based on TEGs.…”

“…Furthermore, the fact that the output characteristics and internal parameters of TEG vary with the temperature, pressure, and other variables of the working environment, as well as the way to capture energy more efficiently in the hydrothermal channel, has not been discussed. In this paper, based on our previous work [19], a simulation method of a hydrothermal thermoelectric power device under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions at hydrothermal vents is further proposed. This multiphysics co-simulation method can predict the output performance of the hydrothermal power generation system under different hydrothermal vent conditions, which effectively solves the problem that it is difficult to perform frequent tests at various deep-sea thermal vents in reality.…”

“…The basic heat transfer model of the thermoelectric power generation device was established by using the CFD method [19]. However, in these CFD simulations, the heat transfer structure optimization of the thermoelectric power generation device was not discussed.…”

“…The simulation of the above heat transfer process is achieved via the software Fluent (ANSYS, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Specific boundary conditions, turbulence models, solution settings, and convergence conditions have been described in previous studies [19] and will not be discussed here. convergence conditions have been described in previous studies [19] and will not be discussed here.…”

A Flexible Thermoelectric Generator Worn on the Leg to Harvest Body Heat Energy and to Recognize Motor Activities: A Preliminary Study

“…About the industry, the current main application for thermal energy harvesting regards the automotive sector. TEGs are placed inside the vehicle to harvest the heat wasted by exhaust gas to improve engine performance and decrease the fuel energy costs [15]; waterproof TEGs can also be implemented in ships or submarines to generate electrical power from the energy densities of hydrothermal fluids in the deep-sea [16]. In addition, TEGs are being used to supply energy to wireless sensor nodes for the application field of the Internet of Things.…”