Composite energy acquisition of thermal and kinetic energy from cetaceans based on micro thermoelectric generator and triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract

Mobile marine environment sensor plays an essential role in the area of assessment of marine environments. However, the power supply duration of the mobile devices is facing significant challenges that need to be addressed. In this study, a self-powered systemformarine environmental sensors basedoncetaceans (SMES) is developed using a micro thermoelectric generator (MTEG) and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The SMES is designed for the mobile marine environment monitoring device with cetaceans as the carrier. The system can convert the thermal and kinetic energy of cetaceans into electrical energy and store it in a battery. A theoretical model is established using the correlation involving the frequency and amplitude of cetaceans and the output voltage of MTEG. The influence of the dynamic and kinematic characteristics of cetaceans on the performance of MTEG and TENG is studied. The UOC,max of Fishtailing-TENG is 5.85 V and the UOC,max of MTEG is 1.821 V. Therefore, the system enables the marine environment monitoring device to obtain accurate and valuable scientific data on the marine environment in a wider range of marine areas.