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

这个小型企业创新研究计划(SBIR)第一阶段项目专注于开发一种高效的余热回收能源收集器。该设备使用固态材料，可以在可逆的相互作用中将热量直接转化为电能，比传统设备便宜10倍，功率更大。目标应用是小型但高度分散的能源(1兆瓦)，如移动发电机和汽车。现有的技术是热电模块，使用的是价格昂贵的稀土金属，这些金属缺乏规模化能力。考虑到热转换、提取和移除方面的挑战，它的成本仍然令人望而却步，回收期为5年。相比之下，提出的概念是基于一个封闭的热力循环，在这种循环中，废热能量被大规模收集，而不需要大量的热传递部件。此外，发电材料本身可以利用现有的能够规模化的批量生产手段。这产生了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超越现有的热转换方法。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向直接能源转换的范式转变。这一转变还表明，需要有效的热电转换，而该国最大、最容易获得的能源之一目前还没有解决办法。也就是说，2010年，美国以废热和污染的形式向大气排放了56%的总能量。然而，考虑到在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，拟议的技术将满足1)燃料电池和柴油发电机；2)汽油汽车和混合动力车；以及3)工业熔炉和气体管道提高能源使用效率的迫切需要。广泛的长期目标是实现与涡轮机发电的成本平价，寿命延长4倍，并在维护方面节省同等成本。这为社会提供了更便宜的能源，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.