Three-Dimensional Printed Insulation For Dynamic Thermoelectric Harvesters With Encapsulated Phase Change Materials

Energy harvesting devices have demonstrated their ability to provide power autonomy to wireless sensor networks. However, the adoption of such powering solutions by the industry is challenging due to their reliance on very specific environmental conditions such as vibration at a specific frequency, direct sunlight, or a local temperature difference. Dynamic thermoelectric harvesting has been shown to expand the applicability of thermoelectric generators by creating a local spatial temperature gradient from a temporal temperature fluctuation. Here, a simple method for prototyping or short-run production of such devices is introduced. It is based on the design and 3-D printing of an insulating container, insertion of a phase change material in encapsulated form, and use of commercial thermoelectric generators. The simplicity of this dry assembly method is demonstrated. Two prototype devices with double-wall insulation structures are fabricated, using a stainless-steel and a plastic phase change material encapsulation and a commercial TEG. Performance tests under a temperature cycle between ±25 °C show energy output of 43.6 and 32.1 J from total device masses of 69 and 50 g, respectively. Tests under multiple temperature cycles demonstrate the reliability and performance repeatability of such devices. The proposed method addresses the complication of requiring a wet stage during the final assembly of dynamic thermoelectric harvesters. It allows design and customization to particular size, energy, and insulation geometry requirements. This is important because it makes dynamic harvesting prototyping widely available and easy to reproduce, test, and integrate into systems with various energy requirements and size restrictions.