Thermal Conversion Device for Hydrothermal Vents

One of the primary limitations of underwater sensors, unmanned underwater vehicles, and autonomous systems, especially in remote or deep locations, is the availability of energy. System endurance, speed, cost, and power for onboard systems can all benefit from the availability of in-situ power generation stations. Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) proposes to design a modular, solid-state thermoelectric generator (TEG), based on the Seebeck/Peltier effect using customized available components, to extract electrical power from high temperature geothermal vents in deep sea areas. This 20 kilowatt system and its deployment method will address exposure to corrosive liquids, simultaneous extremes in hot and cold, very high ambient pressures, fouling by solids precipitated from cooling liquid, abrasion by suspended particles, and encrustation by sulfur oxidizing bacteria and organisms attracted to the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that make up the local vent ecosystem. Successful completion of the Phase I design will readily lead to the Phase II development of a brassboard prototype and the opportunity for commercialization of this product.