Generation of electricity from deep-sea hydrothermal vents with a thermoelectric converter
Generation of electricity from deep-sea hydrothermal vents with a thermoelectric converter
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.12.036
复制
发表时间：
2016-02
期刊：
影响因子：
11.2
通讯作者：
Yu Xie;Shi-jun Wu;Can-jun Yang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yu Xie;Shi-jun Wu;Can-jun Yang
海底热液喷口的高温使其成为热能开发的良好目标。利用这一前景，本研究开发了一种热电转换器，它通过热管从热液流体中收集热能，并利用热电发电机将热能转换为电能。还提出了一种电源管理系统，该系统使热电转换器能够连续地为数据记录器和发光二极管灯供电。热电转换器在沿着西南印度洋脊的龙旗油田的深海热液喷口处进行了现场测试。利用热液流体与海水之间的热梯度，热电转换器在现场测试中获得了2.6-3.9 W的持续功率。我们的研究结果表明，热液流体的热能可以成为需要瓦级功率的海底观测设备的替代可再生电源。
The high temperatures of sea-floor hydrothermal vents make them good targets for the exploitation of thermal energy. Taking advantage of this prospect, this study developed a thermoelectric converter that harvests thermal energy from hydrothermal fluids through a heat pipe and converts heat to electrical energy with thermoelectric generators. A power management system that enables the thermoelectric converter to continuously power a data logger and a light-emitting diode lamp was also proposed. The thermoelectric converter was field tested at a deep-sea hydrothermal vent with a depth of 2765 m at the Dragon Flag Field along the Southwest Indian Ridge. With the use of the thermal gradient between hydrothermal fluids and seawater, the thermoelectric converter obtained a sustained power of 2.6–3.9 W during the field test. Our results demonstrate that the thermal energy of hydrothermal fluids can be an alternative renewable power source for seabed observation equipment that requires watt-level power.