Nanogenerator Harvests Ocean-Wave Energy (electronicdesign.com) 12
"There seem to be no limits to the ingenious ways that designers are devising to harvest energy or take existing approaches and exploit and enhance them," writes the site Electronic Design:
A research team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a contact-separation mode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a simple structure for harvesting wave energy and powering marine sensors and transmitters.Although this isn't the first cylindrical TENG (C-TENG) — several models are already in use — the PNNL team maintains that this design overcomes weaknesses of those existing ones.
Long-time Slashdot reader RoccamOccam writes that "triboelectrification is the process by which two originally uncharged bodies become charged when brought into contact and then separated." The key is a new mechanism for wave-driven energy-harvesting "TENGs" that can convert the low-amplitude, low-frequency ocean waves into high-frequency mechanical motion for more effective power generation. This new TENG must be able to operate and be triggered by any wave conditions, even in the middle of the ocean where waves have uniform or random low amplitude and frequency.
The researchers tested their process in a 12-meter-long water tank (with "adjustable wave height and frequency," according to the article). The patent-pending device "sustainably powered up an array of 27 LEDs and was able to charge up a capacitor up to 1.8 V for driving an acoustic transmitter."
Long-time Slashdot reader RoccamOccam writes that "triboelectrification is the process by which two originally uncharged bodies become charged when brought into contact and then separated." The key is a new mechanism for wave-driven energy-harvesting "TENGs" that can convert the low-amplitude, low-frequency ocean waves into high-frequency mechanical motion for more effective power generation. This new TENG must be able to operate and be triggered by any wave conditions, even in the middle of the ocean where waves have uniform or random low amplitude and frequency.
The researchers tested their process in a 12-meter-long water tank (with "adjustable wave height and frequency," according to the article). The patent-pending device "sustainably powered up an array of 27 LEDs and was able to charge up a capacitor up to 1.8 V for driving an acoustic transmitter."
This concept sounds familiar (Score:2)
Like a Nano Doctor [youtube.com] ... :-)
Can light up LEDs? (Score:2)
Finally we can have some street lights and traffic lights in the seas. The ships were missing this for a long time now.
Ringing a bell (Score:5, Interesting)
Line a container with piezoelectric discs (any of the ones you find in those alerter components on PCBs) and then fill it with steel balls, and place this in your maritime sensor buoy. The rocking and jostling action of the waves will generate a considerable amount of energy(*) from this - upwards of 100 volts in some cases.
The researchers tested their process in a 12-meter-long water tank (with "adjustable wave height and frequency," according to the article). The patent-pending device "sustainably powered up an array of 27 LEDs and was able to charge up a capacitor up to 1.8 V for driving an acoustic transmitter."
(*) Note: 1.8V is not a measure of energy, it's a measure of the difference in energy between two points. To be useful to the reader, the journalist should have reported power (voltage times current), because anyone who's interested in this will be wondering if they can use it for their system and... does it supply enough power? But I suppose in the mind of a journalist, voltage is the same as power.
LEDs are typically driven at 10mA and we don't know the color of the LED but since the article mentioned 1.8V we might assume it's a red LED, so roughly half a watt of energy... probably at thunderstorm levels of jostling.
To enhance the output performance, a soft-contact mechanism between fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and rabbit fur is attached in the FMC-TENG.
Have to wonder how long such a system will last with a magnet rolling around inside a cylinder partially lined with rabbit fur. In a marine environment.
Meant to say (Score:2)
roughly half a watt of energy
Meant to say "power" here.
Damn! Journalists confusing terms is infectious!
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TFA says 6.67 W/m3 peak with a 0.33Hz wave.
Potentially useful for remote sensors, but you would probably go with solar panels due to them being mature, proven technology and having no moving parts.
Rabbit fur!? (Score:2)
Furthermore, Feng et al. designed a soft-contact C-TENG with rabbit fur to prevent charge dissipation and to increase the surface charge density on the dielectric layers (20.3 C/m2); this TENG reached a peak power density of 2.71 W/m3 and an average power density of 0.16 W/m3 at 0.1 Hz triggering wave frequency [21].
The article does not mention that, "some animals, specifically rabbits, were harmed in this patent pending research."
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Wait 'till you hear about the University cafeteria...
Solar cell plus capacitor sounds simpler... (Score:2)
This wave energy harvesting contraptions looks way more complicated and expensive... especially because it has moving mechanical parts...
Harvest energy = slower/lower something now? (Score:2)
Just saw an article talking about how the moon and sun have opposing forces. The sun would speed the Earth's spin, but the moon slows it.
I've wondered if minute energy harvesters, over time, might have an impact we don't realize until it's too late. That we're on the cusp of some balance we don't realize. And we'll throw things so far out of balance we can't forcibly recover. I know...totally new concept there.
Weather happens from air flow, and also water flow (which is heat flow). We're purposefully s
Sounds like cheap vaporware ad (Score:2)