SBIR Phase I: Developing Ultrahigh-Efficiency Thermal-to-Electric Energy Conversion Technique for Harvesting Geothermal Energy

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种使用纳米多孔材料从低品位热量中获取能量的新技术。 由于其超大的表面积（100-2000 m2/g），纳米多孔材料在浸入电解质溶液中时可以吸收大量离子。 这种电容效应是热相关的。 如果将两个纳米多孔电极放置在不同的温度下，它们会限制不同数量的离子，从而产生净电压差。 热驱动离子运动引起瞬态电流，其可以通过温度波动、位置偏移或内部接地而被重新激活。 两个电极（高温极和低温极）是隔离的;也就是说，它们之间的直接热损失最小化。实验数据显示了令人鼓舞的结果：输出电压/功率和能量转换效率比常规热电材料高几个数量级。 该项目的目标是开发一种商业化的高性能热能收集系统，该系统具有成本效益和高效率。研究将表征在40至200摄氏度的低温差下的性能，包括充电/放电可靠性，并将衡量材料和系统成本。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是一种新的可扩展的方法，将废热转换为电能。 该系统将针对低温差（小于200摄氏度）下的操作进行优化。C），这将允许例如在普通涡轮机发电机的热状态下操作。 高效能量采集器的开发将推动从这种和其他低温废热源中采集废能。 该项目还将探索转化汽车、太阳能和其他涉及温度波动的废热。 这反过来将通过减少温室气体排放和化石燃料的使用产生重大的社会影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a novel technique using nanoporous materials to harvest energy from low-grade heat. Because of their ultra-large surface areas (100-2000 m2/g), nanoporous materials can absorb a large number of ions when immersed in electrolyte solutions. This capacitive effect is thermally dependent. If two nanoporous electrodes are placed at different temperatures, they confine different amounts of ions, generating a net voltage difference. The thermally driven ion motion causes a transient current, which can be reactivated through temperature fluctuation, position shifting, or internal grounding. The two electrodes (high and low temperature poles) are isolated; that is, the direct heat loss between them is minimized. Experimental data has shown encouraging results: the output voltage/power and the energy conversion efficiency are higher than that of conventional thermoelectric materials by orders of magnitude. The goal of this project is to develop a commercial-ready high-performance thermal energy harvesting system that is cost effective and highly efficient. Studies will characterize performance at low temperature differences of 40 to 200 degrees centigrade, including charging/discharging reliability, and material and system costs will be gauged.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be a new scalable method to convert waste heat to electrical energy. The system will be optimized for operation at low temperature differences (less than 200 deg. C), which will allow operation, for example, in the thermal regime of common turbine generators. The development of a high-efficiency energy harvester will enable the push to harvest waste energy from this and other low-temperature waste heat sources. This project will also explore converting automotive, solar thermal, and other waste heat that involves temperature fluctuations. This will in turn have a significant social impact by reducing greenhouse gas emission and the use of fossil fuels.