Design, Development and Test of Ocean Energy Harvesting Systems Navy SBIR FY2014.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2014.2 Topic No.: N142-116 Topic Title: Design, Development and Test of Ocean Energy Harvesting Systems Proposal No.: N142-116-0086 Firm: Seatrec, Inc. 2824 East Foothill BLVD Pasadena, California 91107-3400 Contact: Yi Chao Phone: (626) 602-6186 Web Site: www.seatrec.com Abstract: This proposed effort seeks to design, develop and test an affordable, scalable ocean thermal energy harvesting system that uses high performance phase change materials to convert ocean thermal energy, a reliable and renewable power source, to electricity. Specifically, a 0.25W energy harvesting system will be designed, developed and tested in the laboratory environment. When attached to a recharging battery, this 0.25W energy harvesting system will be able to power smaller sized unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) such as underwater floats and gliders. The developed 0.25W prototype will have an immediate impact on the international Argo float market. With the thermal recharging battery, the fast sampling float can now collect data more frequently than 10 days while still maintaining a multi-year mission life. The Bio-Argo float can measure nitrate, oxygen and pH in the ocean. Results from the 0.25W energy harvesting system will be used to scale up and design a 2kW power station that can be used to power larger sized UUVs through a docking device. The developed ocean energy harvesting system will not only increase the endurance for UUVs, but also eliminate the need for ships and sailors in order to recover and recharge UUV batteries. Benefits: The developed 0.25W prototype will have immediate benefit to the international Argo community with a global array of more than 3,000 free-drifting profiling floats that measures the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the ocean. Currently, the Argo floats are all powered by primary batteries and therefore can make a limited number of dives (about 135 with manganese/alkali batteries and about 200 with lithium batteries) between surface and 2000 meters. The thermal recharging battery developed by this Phase I effort would be in a good position to retrofit the existing Argo floats. Furthermore, the thermal recharging battery will enable fast sampling floats making order of magnitude more dives than the primary battery powered floats to support surfacing daily or every few hours while still maintaining a multi-year mission life. It also enhances the sensor suites that can be attached to Argo floats. In addition to the float market, there will be a sizable market to provide thermal recharging battery for underwater gliders as well. For larger sized UUVs particularly those propeller-driven vehicles (e.g., Autonomous Underwater Vehicles or AUVs), the proposed 2kW thermal recharging power station has the potential to power AUVs through a docking device. Thus, the proposed thermal energy harvesting systems will not only increase the endurance for underwater floats, gliders and AUVs, but also eliminate the need for ships and sailors in order to recover and recharge onboard batteries. Return