Integrated micro power for condition-monitoring in energy production facilities

Norway has a considerable potential for expansion in the area of off-shore wind power generation. The main challenge on both short and intermediately long time-scales has been identified as making the technology more robust and substantially reducing the cost. A major fraction of the life-cycle cost is operation and maintenance. It has the potential to be substantially reduced by use of condition monitoring that allows a transition from periodic maintenance to on-demand replacement or repair. This approach requires the deployment of a large number of wireless sensor nodes in the turbine blades and gear boxes of the power plants. The sensors need power, but batteries are problematic due to size and operating conditions. It is therefore necessary to investigate alternative power sources for these sensors. This project consists of basic research within the fields of micro energy harvesting and energy storage. It focuses on exploration and development of micro- and nano-technology solutions that enable highly miniaturized self-powered sensor nodes for use in condition monitoring in energy production facilities such as off-shore wind power plants. The accomplishement of this goal is sought by 1) investigating methods for design and fabrication of high-performing vacuum-sealed microelectromechanical energy harvesters that can serve as vehicles for chip level system integration and 2) establish new microtechnology-based supercapacitors that are suitable for integration within the generator chip. The work in the first phase of the project dealt with establishing fabrication processes for electrets, which are insulators with charge trapped inside, with exploration of nanostructured supercapacitor solutions for energy storage and with development of mathematical models for microgenerators. The results from this work provided a foundation the second phase of the project. In this phase, devices were designed, modelled and fabricated. For super capacitors, we have utilized a plasma process to create Si grass with nano rods as a scaffold. Processes were developed for catalytic graphene and CNT growth on Si-grass. A method was developed for loading pseudocapacitor materials on various micro and nano hybrid structures creating structures with large surface gain. Specific capacitances of 200 mF/cm2 of electronic-double layer devices and and 800mF/cm2 for pseudosupercapacitors were achieved. The project has twenty publications, several patent applications and efforts are made to commercialize the results.

Norway has a considerable potential for expansion in the area of off-shore wind power generation. The main challenge on both short and intermediately long time-scales has been identified as making the technology more robust and substantially reducing the cost. A major fraction of the life-cycle cost is operation and maintenance. It has the potential to be substantially reduced by use of condition monitoring that allows a transition from periodic maintenance to on-demand replacement or repair. This require s the deployment of a large number of wireless sensor nodes in the turbine blades and gear boxes of the power plants. The sensors need power, but batteries are problematic due to size and operating conditions. This project consists of basic research with in the fields of micro energy harvesting and energy storage. The project will promote scientific innovation and advancement through development of technology for self-powered microsystems bringing this field a significant step forward. It focuses on expl oration and development of micro- and nano-technology solutions that enable highly miniaturized self-powered sensor nodes for use in condition monitoring in energy production facilities such as off-shore wind power plants. The project is a collaboration between Vestfold University College and SINTEF.