Mitochondrial Generator Approach using Moisture-Electricity Energy Transformation Devices for Powering Sensors

虽然有利于监测许多燃气涡轮机部件、城市设施（污染物水平检测、垃圾箱中垃圾水平检测）、公园状态（森林火灾检测、雪水平监测）、农业环境（土壤含水量、作物温度）和服装特征的当前状态（温度、应力、氧化水平），但智能传感器正面临被适当供电的挑战。由于这些传感器中的大多数将需要非常低的功率并且将不以连续模式以及在远程位置中操作，因此传统的集中式电网/电池供电的方法不太可能是用于这些传感器的适当的绿色电源。一个更本地化的方法，模仿生物系统正在设想：“线粒体发电机”的方法。类似于人类细胞，其由其自身的微观发电厂线粒体独立供电，可以设想每个传感器将具有类似于生物细胞的其自身定制和专用的发电机。这些“线粒体发电机”应该是小的，轻的，能够提供传感器所需的小周期性功率爆发，自我再生以延长寿命，以最大限度地减少浪费并成为零碳排放者。拟议的研究计划探讨了创建小型湿气-电能转换（MEET）设备的可能性。这些薄的MEET设备使用环境水分并将其转换为电力，并且建议使用冷喷涂增材制造CSAM工艺来生产它们。该研究计划的长期目标是：开发和了解CSAM MEET设备的基本原理（MEET工作原理和制造工艺开发），该设备还具有线粒体能量生成方法的自我再生能力，以功率传感器和最大化MEET功率输出密度，以达到适合商业化的水平，并用于智能城市环境农业可穿戴设备，最终用于燃气涡轮机应用。将采用三流短期（5年）目标方法来实现总体项目目标长期目标的里程碑。研究结果旨在使用CSAM生产的MEET设备对线粒体发电机方法的潜力进行明确评估，并提供给加拿大公司为各种传感器供电，例如用于智能城市农业环境的传感器，并最终用于燃气轮机监测。拟议的解决方案可能是能源领域的突破性解决方案，该领域与制造业一起构成加拿大经济的主要部分。

While beneficial to monitor the current state (temperature, stress, oxidation level) of many gas turbine parts, of city installations (pollutant level detection, detection of garbage levels in bins), of park states (forest fire detection, snow level monitoring), of agricultural environment (water content in soil, crop temperature) and of clothing features, smart sensors are facing the challenge of being powered appropriately. As most of these sensors will require very low power and will not operate in continuous mode as well as be in remote locations, the traditional centralized power grid/battery-powered approaches are unlikely to be appropriate green power sources for these sensors. A more localized approach, mimicking biological systems is being envisioned: the "mitochondrial generator" approach. Similar to human cells, which are independently powered by their own microscopic power plant, the mitochondria, it is envisioned that each sensor would have similarly to the biological cell its own tailored and dedicated power generator. These "mitochondrial generators" should be small, light, able to deliver the small periodical power bursts required by the sensors, self-regenerating for extended lifetime to minimize waste and be zero carbon emitters. The proposed research program explores the possibility to create small moisture-electric energy transformation (MEET) devices. These thin MEET devices use and convert ambient moisture to electricity, and it is proposed to produce them using the Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing CSAM process. The long term objectives of this research program are: to develop and understand the fundamentals of CSAM MEET devices (MEET working principles and manufacturing process development) that also self-regeneration ability for the mitochondrial energy generation approach to power sensors and maximize the MEET power output density to achieve levels suitable for commercialisation and their use for smart city-environment-farming-wearable and ultimately gas turbine applications. A three-stream short term (5 years) objectives approach will be used for reaching milestones towards the long term objectives of the overall program goal. The outcome of the research aims to establish a clear evaluation of the potential of the mitochondrial generator approach using MEET devices produced by CSAM and be made available to Canadian companies for powering various sensors such as the ones used for smart city-farming-environment and ultimately for gas turbines monitoring. The proposed solution could represent ground-breaking solution in the energy field, which constitutes a major share of the Canadian economy in conjunction with the manufacturing sector.