Micropelt: Thermoelectric Power-Bolt Generates up to 15 Millwatts of Power from Excess Heat

March 13, 2008 – Vol. 12 No. 51

Micropelt: Thermoelectric Power-Bolt Generates up to 15 Millwatts of Power from Excess Heat.

The company is looking to license this technology to industry partners wanting to integrate it into devices or build generic ‘green’ power supplies.

The company’s TE-Power-Bolt is a voltage adjustable thermal battery that uses excess heat to generate electrical energy for devices that consume only a few milliwatts (mW) of power. The micro-thermogenerator is built into an M24 steel screw can harvest energy from surfaces and structures from 10-20 degrees Celsius over ambient temperature or directly from hot liquids.

The TE-Power-Bolt is an easy-to-deploy self-sustaining energy supply that sticks out about 2.2” (55mm) from its host’s warm or hot surface. By exposing the cylindrical 1.5” (38.1mm) diameter aluminum heat sink to fresh air, the TE-Power-Bolt acts as a ‘never-charge battery’ which provides a few milliwatts, depending upon actual thermal conditions. Continuous air flow multiplies the output instantly. Heat can also be obtained from liquids by screwing the bolt into the threaded hole of a hot liquid container or a pipe. The design is presently in the prototype phase.

Output power can range from 0.2 to over 15mW and is voltage-stabilized by an integrated DC-DC converter which can be set to fixed voltages between 1.2 and 5 Volts.

Micropelt GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany,develops and markets miniaturized thermoelectric components, such as Peltier coolers and thermogenerators, based on a patented scalable MEMS micro-structuring wafer platform technology. (3/11/08)

Links:

Micropelt
http://www.micropelt.com

Disclaimer, Forward-Looking or Safe Harbor Statement on original press release: No