New machine functions using waste heat recovery: A case study of atmospheric pressure plasma jet
Journal
Energy
Journal Volume
239
Date Issued
2022
Author(s)
Abstract
Intelligent machines, the cornerstone of Industry 4.0, possess various sensors for monitoring key processing and environmental parameters. These sensors demand additional power, while the machines often produce waste heat. Hence, we propose using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) to recover the waste heat and generate electricity to drive these sensors. A standard design for an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is demonstrated in this work. A so-driven multi-functional monitoring system monitors the processing temperature of the APPJ and air quality in the surroundings, transmits the data to cloud storage, and alarms if the temperature or air quality exceeds a preset value. We study three different arrangements of TEGs and find that double TEGs connected in series thermally and electrically generate the most power of 1.09 ± 0.0002 W at a current of 0.187 ± 0.002 A, which is sufficient to drive the monitoring system continuously. We also perform three-dimensional finite element transient thermal simulations to pre-assess the detailed temperature distribution for film-quality control and the potential for power generation. Our method can be readily applied to other machines with high waste heat for adding sensors/actuators without consuming extra power. ? 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Subjects
Atmosphere pressure plasma jet (APPJ)
Intelligent machines
Sensing and monitoring
Thermoelectric generator (TEG)
Waste heat recovery
Air quality
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric temperature
Digital storage
Monitoring
Plasma jets
Processing
Quality control
Thermoelectric equipment
Waste heat utilization
Atmosphere pressure
Atmosphere pressure plasma jet
Atmospheric pressure plasma jets
Intelligent machine
Monitoring system
Power
Thermoelectric generator
Thermoelectric generators
Waste-heat recovery
Waste heat
air quality
atmospheric pressure
electricity generation
finite element method
monitoring system
power generation
Varanidae
Type
journal article