Thermal Engine Using Nitinol Wire

The senior design project at the American University in Dubai, School of Engineering, is a capstone project that is delivered in a project-based learning approach. It is the culmination of learning skills and experience gained through the undergraduate program. To perform the capstone project, students must define the project goal and project statement with a time plan. They have to present their project proposal before the department academic committee to obtain approval. In this paper, the work of a team of three undergraduate students is presented. The team demonstrated their ability to integrate knowledge, skills and professional attributes developed during the program and performed at the expected standard. The work is focused on clean, alternative energy resources. This has been the focus of research and development in the industry for the past decades. This study introduces a novel method for harnessing electrical energy from thermal energy through the implementation of a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy (SMA) called Nitinol. A pulley system prototype, over which Nitinol wire loops are mounted, is designed and manufactured. The prototype is tested at different isotherms and generated a voltage of 405mV at a rotational speed as high as 400 RPM. A mathematical model, developed to describe the system behavior using Simulink, provides a good estimation of the behavior of a Nitinol engine. This work shows that Nitinol engine is an innovative idea that can support energy savings and eco-friendly industries.