Miniature Turbo-Rankine Power System for Arctic Buoys

Our team is developing a self-sustaining power system for persistent buoys deployed in remote locations. This system will provide electric power continuously from naturally occurring temperature differences that exist between ambient air and water in environments such as the Arctic Ocean. Generating power directly from these temperature differences uses the atmosphere and ocean as effectively infinite thermal reservoirs to provide an inexhaustible source of pollution-free energy. Our approach leverages decades of advanced development at Creare devoted to small thermodynamic systems with miniature turbomachines. During the Phase I project, we developed a preliminary system design and conducted tests to assess ice accumulation on prototypical features. We now plan to fabricate a complete prototype system, integrate it with a buoy developed separately by our partner organization, and assess operation and performance in the Arctic Ocean during the Phase II project.