Phase transformation based pyroelectric waste heat energy harvesting with improved practicality

Abstract

In 2014, almost 60% of thermal energy produced in the United States was lost to the environment as waste heat. Ferroelectric based pyroelectric devices can be used to convert some of this waste heat into usable electrical energy using the Olsen cycle, an ideal thermodynamic cycle, but there are a number of barriers to its realization in a practical device. This study uses the Olsen cycle to benchmark a less efficient thermodynamic cycle that is more easily implemented in devices. The ferroelectric pyroelectric material used was (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.55Sn0.32Ti0.13)O3 ceramic, a ferroelectric material that undergoes a temperature driven phase transformation. A net energy density of 0.27 J cm−3 per cycle was obtained from the ferroelectric material using the modified cycle with a temperature change between 25°C and 180°C. This is 15.5% of the Olsen cycle result with the same temperature range and 1–8 MV m−1 applied electric field range. The power density was estimated to 13.5 mW cm−3 with given experimental conditions. A model is presented that quantitatively describes the effect of several parameters on output energy density and can be used to design ferroelectric based pyroelectric energy converters. The model indicates that optimization of material geometry and heating conditions can increase the output power by an order or magnitude.