Control Strategy for Adaptive Active Energy Harvesting in Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 1
Abstract
Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are an alternative renewable power supply for sensors and communication. However, their low power outputs limit their practical applications. Maximum power point tracking can overcome this limitation by boosting the output voltage and optimizing the energy generation of sediment microbial fuel cells. In the present work, an adaptive variable-step incremental-conductance algorithm is developed for the high-efficiency energy harvesting of sediment microbial fuel cells by the fast tracking of the maximum power, even in a complex internal environment with significant fluctuations in power output. Computer simulations suggested that this algorithm can decrease the convergence time from 1.78 to 0.9 s. The excellent performance of the algorithm is verified on a single-chamber 2-L SMFC with 26.86% overall system efficiency and ability to successfully power a wireless sensor every 23 min. This work has provided a new strategy to harvest and manage the power outputs of low-power energy-acquisition systems.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31570118); Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China (No. ZR2015CM029); Independent Innovation Technology Project of Ji’nan Institute (No. 201401210); and the Open Fund of Key Lab Pulp and Paper Science Technology (No. KF201418). National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for Local College Student (No. 201610431014).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 1 • February 2020
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 1, 2018
Accepted: Jun 28, 2019
Published online: Nov 28, 2019
Published in print: Feb 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Apr 28, 2020
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