PCM-Based Ocean Thermal Energy Harvesting System

In this SBIR program, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) proposes a PCM-based ocean thermal energy harvesting system to provide reliable, renewable, on-board electrical generation for autonomous underwater vehicles and platforms. This affordable and scalable system harvests energy from the natural temperature gradients that exist in the ocean. ACTs novel design efficiently extracts heat from the surrounding water at warmer depths, and rejects waste heat into the surrounding water at cooler depths. The thermal energy extracted from the ocean is stored in volumes of phase change material (PCM) and made available to an on-board power cycle for continuous electrical generation regardless of depth or ocean temperature. The advantage of the proposed technology is the flexibility in the design of the power cycle which enables scalability to systems of up to 2kW of on-board electrical generation. The proposed technology could substantially increase the operational lifetime of underwater gliders and floats used for scientific measurements and surveillance capability. Larger ocean energy harvesting systems could serve as charging stations for underwater vehicles, or provide grid power more affordably than current OTEC systems. The objective of the Phase I program is to develop and test a 0.25W proof-of-concept prototype.