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Harvesting thermoelectric energy from railway track

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  • Gao, Mingyuan
  • Su, Chengguang
  • Cong, Jianli
  • Yang, Fan
  • Wang, Yifeng
  • Wang, Ping

Abstract

This study aims to develop a prototype for harvesting thermoelectric energy from railway track. By capturing the existing thermal energy in railway tracks, this technology helps power rail-side sensors in off-grid and remote areas without depleting natural resources. In low latitudes such as southern China, the temperature of railway tracks can reach 57 °C due to solar radiation. However, at a relatively shallow depth (200 mm), the substratum below the track foundation (e.g., soils) has a lower temperature (i.e., 15 °C–26 °C). This temperature difference can be used to generate electricity through a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The proposed approach captures thermal energy from the railway track and transfers the energy to the TEG prototype beneath the bottom of rails. Evaluation of the prototype is conducted by finite volume analysis, field test, and laboratory experiment. The results indicate that the TEG prototype can produce 5.8 mW–316.8 mW of power across a resistant load at thermal gradient from 8 °C to 29.2 °C. A DC-DC buck-booster circuit with lithium battery management is developed to charge the batteries by the harvested thermal energy. The system operates at a low startup voltage of 0.9 V and its conversion efficiency is larger than 60%.

Suggested Citation

  • Gao, Mingyuan & Su, Chengguang & Cong, Jianli & Yang, Fan & Wang, Yifeng & Wang, Ping, 2019. "Harvesting thermoelectric energy from railway track," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 315-329.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:180:y:2019:i:c:p:315-329
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.05.087
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    Cited by:

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    5. Dong, Liwei & Zuo, Jianyong & Wang, Tianpeng & Xue, Wenbin & Wang, Ping & Li, Jun & Yang, Fan, 2022. "Enhanced piezoelectric harvester for track vibration based on tunable broadband resonant methodology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
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    8. Zuo, Jianyong & Dong, Liwei & Yang, Fan & Guo, Ziheng & Wang, Tianpeng & Zuo, Lei, 2023. "Energy harvesting solutions for railway transportation: A comprehensive review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 56-87.
    9. Wang, Suo & Miao, Gang & Zhou, Shengxi & Yang, Zhichun & Yurchenko, Daniil, 2022. "A novel electromagnetic energy harvester based on the bending of the sole," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    10. Fan, Chengliang & Li, Hai & Zhang, Zutao & Pan, Yajia & Wu, Xiaoping & Ahmed, Ammar, 2023. "An H-shaped coupler energy harvester for application in heavy railways," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    11. Azam, Ali & Ahmed, Ammar & Kamran, Muhammad Sajid & Hai, Li & Zhang, Zutao & Ali, Asif, 2021. "Knowledge structuring for enhancing mechanical energy harvesting (MEH): An in-depth review from 2000 to 2020 using CiteSpace," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    12. Fang, Zheng & Tan, Xing & Liu, Genshuo & Zhou, Zijie & Pan, Yajia & Ahmed, Ammar & Zhang, Zutao, 2022. "A novel vibration energy harvesting system integrated with an inertial pendulum for zero-energy sensor applications in freight trains," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    13. Arias, Francisco J. & De Las Heras, Salvador, 2019. "The use of compliant surfaces for harvesting energy from water streams," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    14. Gao, Mingyuan & Wang, Yuan & Wang, Yifeng & Yao, Ye & Wang, Ping & Sun, Yuhua & Xiao, Jieling, 2020. "Modeling and experimental verification of a fractional damping quad-stable energy harvesting system for use in wireless sensor networks," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    15. Hasan Demir, 2022. "Application of Thermal Energy Harvesting from Photovoltaic Panels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-12, November.
    16. Kuang, Yang & Chew, Zheng Jun & Ruan, Tingwen & Lane, Tim & Allen, Ben & Nayar, Bimal & Zhu, Meiling, 2021. "Magnetic field energy harvesting from the traction return current in rail tracks," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    17. Yang, Fan & Gao, Mingyuan & Wang, Ping & Zuo, Jianyong & Dai, Jun & Cong, Jianli, 2021. "Efficient piezoelectric harvester for random broadband vibration of rail," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    18. Mohammad Siddique, Abu Raihan & Mahmud, Shohel & Van Heyst, Bill, 2020. "Performance comparison between rectangular and trapezoidal-shaped thermoelectric legs manufactured by a dispenser printing technique," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).

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