Research on a floating thermoelectric power generator for use in wetland monitoring

Abstract

A floating power generation device is designed and fabricated to overcome the power supply limitations of wireless sensor networks for environmental monitoring. Once there is a temperature difference between the upper surface exposed to sunlight and the lower surface in the water, the device is capable of generating power while floating in the wetland environment. Fresnel lenses were applied to concentrate solar irradiation on a selective absorbing coat. Meanwhile two vertical axis rotors were used to cool the cold side of the thermoelectric power generator by catching the breeze. The effects of solar irradiation, temperature distribution, load resistance, wind speed, the maximum power and the electrical efficiency of the thermoelectric power generator were analyzed. When subjected to solar irradiation of 896.38 W/m 2 , the device generated a potential difference of 381.03 mV and a power output of 8.86 mW via thermoelectric generation. In addition, compared with the system without wind, the output power was increased by approximately 10.96% in our system. The low power wireless networks, used in wetland environments, could be operated by the thermoelectric power generated by the floating device. Besides, this system offers powering solution for self-power miniature devices that are applied in aqueous environment.

Recent Progress in Self-Powered Sensors for Structural and Human Monitoring Systems Using Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters

“…When the input voltage reached 180 mV, 1,620 μW of power was produced by the TEG and 336.9 μW of power could be harvested into a rechargeable battery [17]. Although there are research examples like this, the rigid-TEG's outer surface makes it easier to utilize on flat surfaces, so it is mainly used for structural and environmental monitoring [6][7][8]18].…”

“…Using a wind speed of less than 3.3 m/s above the water surface, the device's cooling system could be driven, which increased the output power by 10.96 %. This new power supply system is waterproof and can float stably on the water, allowing for monitoring of various wetland environments [18]. Mukaida et al reported the design and fabrication of gram-scale polymer-based thermoelectric modules fabricated by laminating ultrathin semi-dry PEDOT:PSS films with Ni foil.…”

The effect of metal surface nanomorphology on the output performance of a TENG

“…(2) reduction of the impact of the external environment on TENGs [38,39], (3) enhancement of the surface charge density, including active charge pumping and intercalation of a charge trap layer [40,41], and (4) increase of the number of TENG units [42,43].…”

Hybridized Triboelectric‐Electromagnetic Nanogenerator for Wind Energy Harvesting to Realize Real‐Time Power Supply of Sensor Nodes

“…It could be observed that the voltage across the sensing node was in dynamic balance during the continuous power supply process, showing that the designed TEHG can complete the purpose of powering the IoT node. The TEHG designed in this paper can meet the needs of long monitoring time and environmental adaptability in some special environments, such as grasslands, plateaus, [ 35 ] wetlands, [ 36 ] offshore, tunnels, and roofs in cities. [ 37 ] Therefore, TEHG can provide continuous energy supply for environmental monitoring sensor nodes in unattended or inaccessible locations.…”