Graphted The GRAPHTED project will develop improved thermoelectric (TE) materials intended for waste heat recovery devices for automotive exhaust gas and other high-temperature energy harvesting applications, significantly improving the efficiency and achieving cost-effective means to recover energy that would otherwise be lost. The current climate for improved energy efficiency is driving the automotive market to seek ways of capturing waste energy from car exhausts. This will improve fuel consumption and reduce pollution while also reducing the levels of carbon dioxide emitted. Research at the University of Manchester has led to a number of innovative patent-protected graphene-containing materials with significantly improved thermoelectric properties over a wide range of temperatures. The project will utilise this research to apply the thermoelectric material research to a manufactured product. Graphene explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=109&v=TBchoDY1vBc
Enhanced The ENHANCED project (ENergy Harvester for AutoNomous Commercial Electronic Devices) will develop an inter-operable platform wireless system for autonomous sensors and electronics, powered by thermoelectric energy harvesting technology. ENHANCED will combine thermal energy harvesting (thermoelectrics) with energy storage to achieve minimal power usage. The system will be specifically for marine and automotive applications with the thermoelectric generator (TEG) hot-side in contact with the vehicle or vessel exhaust. It will be based on a standard platform for a range of sensors based on a core processor with the consortium building the architecture (antenna and interconnects etc…) around this. The system is modular and interchangeable. The innovative aspects of the project are; demonstrating a thermal energy harvesting device that can power autonomous electronics for a wide wireless network system and the ink jet printing process as a method for producing thermoelectric generators.
Adaptive Plant The Adaptive Plant project will develop a battery-free wireless sensor platform for monitoring plant and process parameters in harsh/hazardous environments. The sensor node is powered by harvested thermoelectric power using the latest commercially available technologies and the core sensor module will be connected to low-power sensor components to take measurements.
