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Title: Thermoelectric energy harvesting for wireless onboard rail condition monitoring
A thermoelectric energy harvesting device is evaluated to power a bearing health monitoring system. Unlike wayside equipment, the new system is an onboard wireless solution utilizing accelerometer and temperature sensors to assess the bearing condition continuously. The harvesting system consists of two thermoelectric generator modules with aluminium heat sinks, a switching boost converter, a battery management circuit, and a lithium rechargeable battery. The performance of the harvester is validated on an AAR class bearing mounted on a laboratory tester, with load and speed simulating common freight routes of up to 896 miles. The energy harvested varies with operating conditions, and data is presented showing the effect of load and speed. Over a realistic route, the net energy harvested is more than double that needed to indefinitely power a Bluetooth Low Energy sensor. The critical design parameters are the ratio of open-circuit voltage to the temperature difference for the thermoelectric module, and the cold start voltage of the boost converter.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2112650
NSF-PAR ID:
10417517
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
International Journal of Rail Transportation
ISSN:
2324-8378
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1 to 18
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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