A hybrid energy harvesting system for powering underwater vehicles having at least one thermal engine, at least one of a solar or a wave energy harvester, and a battery which stores electric energy produced by the harvesters. The energy harvesters keep the battery charged and thereby expand an underwater vehicle's operational areas to high latitudes and shallow water. Multiple thermal engines employing different phase-change materials can be used to expand the vehicle's working temperature range and thus allow it to operate over a larger area. An electric motor powered by the battery and a pump driven by the motor can be used to pump hydraulic fluid between the accumulators and external bladders of the thermal engines to cause the vehicle to descend and ascend when the thermal gradient to which the vehicle is subjected is insufficient.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Hybrid energy harvesting system for thermal-powered underwater vehicle


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2019-11-12


    Type of media :

    Patent


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English


    Classification :

    IPC:    B63G OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS , Angriffs- oder Verteidigungsanordnungen auf Schiffen / F03B MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS , Kraft- und Arbeitsmaschinen oder Kraftmaschinen für Flüssigkeiten / F03G Feder-, Gewichts-, Trägheits- oder ähnliche Kraftmaschinen , SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA, OR LIKE MOTORS



    FOLDING WAVE-ENERGY-HARVESTING MECHANISM FOR UNDERWATER VEHICLE

    CHEN WEIXING / LU YUNFEI / LI SHAOXUN et al. | European Patent Office | 2023

    Free access

    KITE-POWERED UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE

    VESTEL MICHAEL / PLESKUNAS STAN / WATERSTON JOHN | European Patent Office | 2016

    Free access

    KITE-POWERED UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE

    VESTEL MICHAEL / PLESKUNAS STAN / WATERSTON JOHN | European Patent Office | 2018

    Free access

    Energy Harvesting in Heterogeneous Networks with Hybrid Powered Communication Systems

    Alsharoa, Ahmad / Celik, Abdulkadir / Kamal, Ahmed E. | IEEE | 2017


    HYDRAULIC-POWERED FRUIT TREE HARVESTING VEHICLE

    DEEN FERRELL | European Patent Office | 2019

    Free access