Micropelt Energy Harvesting
Thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesting is based on the heat flux through a thermoelectric element or a thermogenerator comprising a multitude of such elements. The heat flux is driven by a temperature difference across the element. The generated voltage is proportional to the number of elements and the temperature difference. Micropelt thermogenerators contain hundreds of such elements, also referred to as leg pairs – 10 to 100 times more than conventional TE devices. Hence our thermogenerators produce voltages in the range of 0.5 – 5 Volt depending on actual temperature differences on some 12 square millimeters of footprint – sufficient energy to drive a wide range of low-power wireless applications including remote sensors, data loggers and small actuators. Micropelt » chip-thermogenerators support easy physical integration in all kinds of mechanical custom designs for self-sufficient heat-exposed applications.
Detailed informations are presented in the NanoPower Forum 2009 presentation “More and Enduring Power for Wireless Systems” by Fritz Volkert. Download this presentation as a » pdf (2248 KB) or have a look at the » preview.
» TE-Power PLUS (Eval.-kit sales price 290 Euro net)
Modular evaluation unit for gross harvesting and thermal battery exploration.
- Fixed heat sink, optimal for forced convection
- Plug-on ΔT measuring interface
- Plug-on DC-DC step-up converter
» TE-Power NODE (Eval.-kit sales price 480 Euro net)
Modular evaluation unit for fully autonomous wireless sensing of net ΔT and output voltage; aux. I2C interface.
- Heat sink interface for thermal path optimization
- Plug-on DC-DC converter and sensor/wireless unit
- USB to PC wireless receiver, 1/sec transmit
» TE-Power PROBE (New design release in June 2009: Eval.-kit sales price 730 Euro net)
Screw or plug-in thermoharvester for dry or direct liquid attach. Optimized for natural convection
- High-performance heatsink
- Voltage and energy storage preselect
- Threaded dry attach or T-joint to liquid
» TE-Power RING (Eval.-kit sales price 990 Euro net)
On-shaft thermo-powered wireless condition monitoring simulation system. Optimized for forced convection.
- Taking heat from shaft and bearing
- Wireless from rotating to fixed part of machine
- Simulating thermal and speed conditions
