Oil-cooled thermoelectric energy harvesting for aero-engine sensing system

Abstract

To enhance the performance and reliability of aircraft propulsion systems, an integratedbearing condition monitoring system is proposed. This intelligent bearing must have advanced healthmanagement capabilities to provide early warning of problems. In most commercial high-temperatureapplications, the sensing system is located externally due to lack of appropriate electronic devicesthat can function at high temperature. This paper presents the design and implementation of aself-powered sensing system for use in a high-temperature aircraft environment. The performance ofthe thermoelectric generator and energy availability to process acceleration data is shown from ourlaboratory tests based on realistic operating conditions.

Keywords

• energy harvesting, self-powered accelerometer, condition monitoring, aerospace