Design and material aspects for thermoelectric energy harvesting devices in aircrafts

A. Elefsiniotis; N. Kokorakis; Th. Becker; U. Schmid

doi:10.1117/12.2017311

17 May 2013 Design and material aspects for thermoelectric energy harvesting devices in aircrafts

A. Elefsiniotis, N. Kokorakis, Th. Becker, U. Schmid

Proceedings Volume 8763, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS VI; 87631N (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017311
Event: SPIE Microtechnologies, 2013, Grenoble, France

Abstract

Greener, more power efficient technologies as well as cost reduction are driving forces in energy efficient systems. Energy autonomous wireless health monitoring systems can potentially reduce aircraft maintenance costs by requiring no conventional power supply or supervision and by providing information of the health of an aircraft without human interaction. Thermoelectric energy harvesting seems the best choice for aircraft related applications, since sufficient energy can be generated to power up a wireless sensor node. The general concept is based on an artificially enhanced temperature difference across a thermoelectric generator (TEG), which is created by attaching one side to the fuselage and the other side to a thermal mass, which, in this case, is a phase change material. In detail, two different geometries and three different container materials are evaluated. As input and output parameters, the temperature profiles as well as the voltage of the TEGs are given. The output power and the total energy are determined by connecting a load resistor in parallel. Furthermore, the power to weight ratio for each combination is provided according to theoretical considerations and experimental tests done in a climate chamber mimicking a real flight profile.

Citation Download Citation

A. Elefsiniotis, N. Kokorakis, Th. Becker, and U. Schmid "Design and material aspects for thermoelectric energy harvesting devices in aircrafts", Proc. SPIE 8763, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS VI, 87631N (17 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017311

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