Performance of a low temperature energy harvesting device for powering wireless sensor nodes in aircrafts applications

The thermoelectric energy harvesting device described in this paper consists of two cavities each containing a different phase change material, acting as thermal mass. Thermoelectric generator elements (TEGs) are attached to the inner part of the fuselage and to the thermal mass. Therefore, an artificial temperature difference between the bottom and the top surface of the TEGs is created during take-off and landing. Different temperature profiles mimicking short/mid-range European flights are investigated. The performance in terms of efficiency, power-to-weight ratio and energy harvested is studied in detail, both by simulations and experimental data.