Demonstration of the SeptiStrand benthic microbial fuel cell powering a magnetometer for ship detection

The Navy has a need for monitoring conditions and gathering information in marine environments. Sensors can monitor and report environmental parameters and potential activities such as animal movements, ships, or personnel. However, there has to be a means to power these sensors. One promising enabl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of power sources 2017, Vol.356, p.419-429
Main Authors: Arias-Thode, Y. Meriah, Hsu, Lewis, Anderson, Greg, Babauta, Jerome, Fransham, Roy, Obraztsova, Anna, Tukeman, Gabriel, Chadwick, D. Bart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Benthic microbial fuel cell
Magnetometer
Pearl Harbor
Sediment microbial fuel cell
Trident Warrior
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Summary:The Navy has a need for monitoring conditions and gathering information in marine environments. Sensors can monitor and report environmental parameters and potential activities such as animal movements, ships, or personnel. However, there has to be a means to power these sensors. One promising enabling technology that has been shown to provide long-term power production in underwater environments is the benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFC). BMFCs are devices that generate energy by coupling bioanodes and biocathodes through an external energy harvester. Recent studies have demonstrated success for usage of BMFCs in powering small instruments and other devices on the seafloor over limited periods of time. In this effort, a seven-stranded BMFC linear array of 30 m was designed to power a seafloor magnetometer to detect passing ship movements through Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BMFC system was connected to a flyback energy harvesting circuit that charged the battery powering the magnetometer. The deployment was demonstrated the BMFC supplied power to the battery for approximately 38 days. This is the first large-scale demonstration system for usage of the SeptiStrand BMFC technology to power a relevant sensor. [Display omitted] •The SeptiStrand BMFC linear array was designed to generate 0.5 W of constant power.•38 mW was generated from the BMFC and transferred to a 12 V battery.•A seafloor magnetometer capable of detecting passing ships was integrated.•The magnetometer that was constructed required 100 mW of power.•The SeptiStrand BMFC operated successfully for a period of 38 days.
ISSN:0378-7753
1873-2755
DOI:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.03.045