SBIR Phase I: Pyroelectric Thermal Energy Harvester for Power Generation and Waste Heat Recovery

这项小型企业创新研究计划（SBIR）第一阶段项目的重点是开发一种用于废热回收的高效能源收集器。该设备使用固态材料，可以通过可逆的相互作用将热量直接转化为电能，比传统设备便宜10倍，功能更强大。目标应用是小型但高度分布的能源（1兆瓦），如移动发电机和汽车。现有的热电模块技术使用昂贵的稀土金属，缺乏规模化的能力。考虑到热转换、提取和去除方面的挑战，它的成本仍然过高，投资回收期为5年。相比之下，所提出的概念是基于一个封闭的热力学循环，在这个循环中，废热能被大规模地收集，而不需要大量的传热组件。此外，发电材料本身可以利用现有的批量制造手段进行规模化生产。这将产生2年的投资回报率。主要的研究目标是证明具有成本效益的能量转换可以优于现有的热转换方法。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供一种独特的解决方案，以提高小型分布式能源系统的效率。最近，光伏技术的进步导致了直接能量转换的范式转变。这一转变也表明需要有效的热电转换，因为目前还没有解决该国最大和最容易获得的能源之一的解决方案。也就是说，美国在2010年以废热和污染的形式向大气中释放了总能量的56%。然而，考虑到可制造性和成本方面的工程挑战，目前还没有可行的解决方案。通过克服上述问题，提出的技术将解决提高燃料电池和柴油发电机的能源使用效率的关键需求；2)汽油汽车和混合动力汽车；3)工业炉和天然气管道。广泛的长期目标是实现与发电涡轮机的成本平价，使用寿命延长4倍，并在维护方面节省同等费用。这为社会带来了更便宜的能源，减少了对化石燃料的依赖，并改善了环境质量。

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase I project focuses on the development of an efficient energy harvester for waste heat recovery. The device uses solid-state materials that can convert heat directly into electricity in a reversible interaction that is 10-times cheaper and more powerful than traditional devices. The target application is for small, but highly distributed, energy sources (1 MW) such as mobile generators and automobiles. The incumbent technology, the thermoelectric module, uses expensive rare earth metals that lack the ability to scale. It remains cost prohibitive, with a payback period 5 years, given the challenges in heat conversion, extraction and removal. In contrast, the proposed concept is based on a closed thermodynamic cycle where waste thermal energy is harvested at scale without needing massive heat transfer components. Moreover, the power generating material itself can leverage existing means of volume manufacturing capable of scale. This yields an ROI of 2 years. The primary research objective is to demonstrate cost-effective energy conversion that can outperform existing thermal conversion methods. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to provide a unique solution to boost the efficiency of small, distributed energy systems. Recently, advances in photovoltaics have led a paradigm shift towards direct energy conversion. This shift also points to the need for effective thermal-electric conversion where no solution currently exists for one of the largest and most accessible energy source in the country. That is, the US in 2010 released 56 percent of the total energy produced into the atmosphere in the form of waste heat and pollution. Yet, no viable solution exists given the engineering challenges in manufacturability and cost. By overcoming the above, the proposed technology will address the critical need for increasing the energy-use efficiency of 1) fuel cell and diesel generators; 2) gasoline automobile and hybrids; and 3) industrial furnaces and gas pipelines. The broad, long-term objective is to achieve cost-parity with turbines for power generation, 4-times longer life, and the equivalent savings on maintenance. This provides benefit to society in the form of cheaper energy, less reliance on fossil fuel, and improved environmental quality.