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

虽然智能传感器有利于监测许多燃气轮机部件的当前状态（温度、应力、氧化水平）、城市设施（污染物水平检测、垃圾箱垃圾水平检测）、公园状态（森林火灾检测、积雪水平监测）、农业环境（土壤含水量、作物温度）和服装特征，但智能传感器正面临着适当供电的挑战。由于这些传感器中的大多数需要非常低的功率，并且不能在连续模式下运行，也不能在偏远地区运行，因此传统的集中式电网/电池供电方法不太可能成为这些传感器的合适绿色电源。人们正在设想一种更局部化的、模仿生物系统的方法：“线粒体发生器”方法。与人类细胞由自身的微型发电厂——线粒体独立提供能量类似，人们设想每个传感器都有与生物细胞类似的、量身定制的专用发电机。这些“线粒体发电机”应该体积小、重量轻，能够提供传感器所需的周期性小脉冲电力，能够自我再生，延长使用寿命，以最大限度地减少浪费，实现零碳排放。提出的研究计划探索了创造小型湿-电能量转换（MEET）装置的可能性。这些超薄的MEET装置利用并将环境中的水分转化为电能，并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：开发和理解CSAM MEET设备的基础知识（MEET工作原理和制造工艺开发），这些设备也具有线粒体能量产生方法的自我再生能力，以动力传感器，并最大限度地提高MEET功率输出密度，以达到适合商业化的水平，并将其用于智能城市-环境-农业-可穿戴和最终的燃气轮机应用。将采用三个流程的短期（5年）目标方法来达到总体计划目标的长期目标的里程碑。这项研究的结果旨在对使用CSAM生产的MEET设备的线粒体发电机方法的潜力进行清晰的评估，并将其提供给加拿大公司，为各种传感器供电，例如用于智能城市-农业-环境的传感器，以及最终用于燃气轮机监测的传感器。拟议的解决方案可能代表能源领域的突破性解决方案，能源领域与制造业一起构成了加拿大经济的主要份额。

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.