The research team has developed a distributed active microbial fuel cell (DA-MFC) that harvests energy from the marine environment. By utilizing natural microorganisms and organic compounds in sediments, the team's DA-MFC provides a long-lasting and renewable power supply. The DA-MFC uses a compact configuration with multi-pair electrodes and is integrated with power management systems.
A renewable power source that is able to be effective in deep waters would benefit ocean exploration and real-time monitoring, meteorological research, security units and oil and gas industries. There are innumerable subsea sensors supporting government and industry that rely on either solar cells or battery, neither of which are effective in deep water. The technology in the DA-MFC has the potential to be effective in deep-water environments due to its power supply technology.
This I-Corps project aims at conducting the survey of benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFCs) as long-term power supply for underwater devices. With tens of thousands of underwater devices and sensors being deployed, cost-efficient stable power supply has become a critical issue. The research team at UConn has developed distributed active BMFCs(DA-MFCs) for stable bioelectricity harvest from sediment. The lab-scale tests have clearly shown the stable power supply for subsea sensors, and high robustness under bioturbation. The team planned to explore the market value and size of underwater energy harvest in this I-Corps project. Intellectual Merit During this project period (10/2013 - 10/2014), the team has benefited from a rigorous customer discovery process in the oil and gas market. Over 100 customers were interviewed ranging from oil and gas subsea engineers, oceanographers, homeland security planners, and underwater battery developers. The survey indicates that numerous opportunities exist to apply this technology in the long term, but in the short term, a clear urgent customer interest emerges: subsea oil pipeline corrosion monitoring. Pipeline corrosion is a major liability and economic concern to the producers, as the batteries that power the corrosion monitors only have 2-5 year lifetimes but the asset lifetime is for decades. Therefore, an underwater energy harvesting technique that can power these systems and run mostly maintenance-free would be extremely desirable. The commercialization of the self-sustained subsea pipeline monitoring system will have a substantial impact on ocean applications and national interests. With 50,000 km subsea pipelines globally, the annual corrosion related cost is over $200 million. The available served market is estimated to be 25% of the total market, that is, $50 milion. The near term target market for the UConn team is about 20% of the available market which represents the need in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, this is a $10 million initial market, a reasonable target with room to expand globally. Discussions with industry participants suggest that the market potential should be significantly broader, since the self-sustained monitoring systems are not only for subsea pipelines, but also for many other long-term ocean monitoring applications. Today there are literally thousands of sensors installed in the oceans, being used by many stakeholders in numerous applications including marine scientists; oil and gas exploration companies; port and harbor security officers; and military applications. A reliable, long life, renewable power supply at a reasonable cost would quickly expand the scale of the market by at least an order of magnitude, and likely much more. The UConn team believe that the technical advances of the prototype can be achieved and that the dramatic benefit to the ocean community will demand aggressive pursuit of the technical gains. We envision that the subsea pipeline corrosion monitor system is the first step in a major subsea asset monitoring initiative. Based on the I-Corps findings, the UConn team has developed a novel self-sustained subsea monitoring system consisting of the DA-MFC system, high-efficiency power managment system (PMS), corrosion sensors and communication devices. The DA-SMFCs integrate multiple-array anodes and cathodes into a single system to achieve a compact footprint and enhanced reliability. Preliminary PMS has been developed to integrate with BMFCs to supply power for sensors. The team is developing a scale-up DA-MFC to examine the stability of subsea energy harvesting systems. An integrated circuit PMS will be developed to enhance energy conversion efficiency and establish a compatible interface between DA-MFCs and sensors. Finally, the DA-MFC system integrated with PMS will be connected with corrosion sensors for the testbed demonstration and performance assessment. The stability and durability of the power supply for corrosion sensor reading and data transmission will be evaluated. This prototype and testbed platform will close the technological gap and help oil and gas developers identify and respond to areas where oil and gas leaks are most likely to occur. Broader Impacts By conducting the market survey, the I-Corps findings have identified the market target, and will provide novel technology pivotal for protecting subsea infrastructure and ocean environment. This I-Corps project will lead to other NSF projects (e.g. AIR, SBIR) that the team prepare to translate novel technology from academic discovery to the prototype of a commercial product: a long life, maintenance-free monitoring system that has the potential to revolutionize the design, engineering, and life-cycle integrity management of subsea infrastructure. The UConn will work with industrial partners to pursue commerical opportunities. The team will integrate the research with students' innovation and entrepreneurship. Multiple outreach initiatives including workshops and high school seminars will promote the scientific and engineering confidence of underrepresented groups. The research will strengthen the existing collaboration with the oil and gas industry. The scale-up prototype will be a good avenue to promote energy exploration entrepreneurial education in Connecticut and in the New England area.
