Real-Time Power: A Thermoelectric System for Powering Seafloor Instrumentation

新的海洋传感器平台的发展，如海底电缆观测站和自主车辆网络，以及海洋传感器的小型化，从质谱仪到4K视频系统，在深海进行科学研究的前景从未如此光明。由于难以为海洋中的系统长时间供电或供电要求高，深海科学家利用最近传感器和传感器系统进展的能力受到限制。为了解决这个问题，PI计划设计、建造和测试一个小型热电装置，该装置将利用热液喷口的地热发电、为电池充电，并无限期地为小型海底仪器供电。这种系统的可用性可以使海底的发展？发电站？自动驾驶汽车在那里为电池充电。热液热电模块的开发可以实现一种全新的海底观测网络的开发，该网络可以通过在深海的任何地方提供“存在平台”来彻底改变海洋科学，在那里可以发现或创建强热梯度。

The development of new oceanographic sensor platforms such as seafloor cabled observatories and autonomous vehicle networks, and with the miniaturization of oceanographic sensors ranging from mass spectrometers to 4K video systems, the prospects for doing science in the deep ocean have never been brighter. The difficulty of powering systems in the ocean for long time periods or with high power requirements has limited the ability of deep-ocean scientists to capitalize on recent sensor and sensor system advances. To resolve this problem the PI proses to design, build, and test a small thermoelectric power device that will use geothermal heat from hydrothermal vents to generate electricity, charge batteries, and power small seafloor instruments indefinitely. The availability of such a system could enable the development of seafloor ?power stations? where autonomous vehicles charge their batteries.The development of a hydrothermal thermoelectric power module could enable the development of an entirely new kind of seafloor observing network that could revolutionize the ocean sciences by providing a "platform of presence" anywhere in the deep ocean where strong thermal gradients can be found or created.