Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

7-1-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Constantine Tarawneh

Second Advisor

Heinrich Foltz

Third Advisor

Arturo Fuentes

Abstract

This work presents the optimization of a thermoelectric energy harvester designed to supply power to a wireless onboard bearing health monitoring device for critical freight rail components. The study demonstrates an enhancement in the circuitry through the integration of an energy management subsystem (E-Peas AEM20940), which features a boost converter with lower self-start voltage. The harvesting system was tested on dynamic bearing test rigs to closely replicate field service conditions. Test plans were conducted using common freight speeds and loads to simulate a representative urban route. The thermoelectric energy harvester was able to operate at temperature differentials as low as 6°C while supplying power to an onboard monitoring device in use. During testing, a phenomenon related to thermal imbalance between thermoelectric generators (TEGs) connected in series was observed. To investigate this effect, various electrical configurations were evaluated using two TEG units. The results indicated that, to prevent a negative impact on the net power output, the temperature differential of the lower-performing TEG must be at least 41.1% of that of the higher-performing unit.

Comments

Copyright © 2025 Danna Cecilia Capitanachi Avila. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3305240861

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