scholarly journals Strategies of Maximum Power Point Tracking for Sub-mW Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-360
Author(s):  
Armande Capitaine ◽  
Gael Pillonnet ◽  
Bruno Allard
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Maximum Power Point Tracking ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Power Budget ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Flyback Converter ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point

Benthic microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising alternatives to conventional batteries for powering underwater low-power sensors. Regarding performances (10's μW at 100's mV for cm 2-scale electrodes), an electrical interface is required to maximize the harvested energy and boost the voltage. Because the MFCs electrical behavior fluctuates, it is common to refer to maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Using a sub-mW flyback converter, this paper compares the benefit of different MPPT strategies: either by maximizing the energy at the converter input or at the converter output, or by fixing the MFC operating point at its nominal maximum power point. A practical flyback has been validated and experimentally tested for these MPPT options showing a gain in efficiency in certain configurations. The results allow determining a power budget for MPPT controllers that should not exceed this gain. Eventually, considering typical MFC fluctuations, avoiding any MPPT controller by fixing the converter operating parameters may offer better performances for sub-mW harvesters.

Harvesting Energy from Microbial Fuel Cells

2016 ◽  
pp. 121-171
Author(s):  
Pedro Serra ◽  
Antonio Vitoria Espirito-Santo
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
Maximum Power Point Tracking ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) are the main topic of this chapter. Different types of electrochemical devices are presented and their typical power output is compared with other energy sources, providing a framework for the uses and applications of MFC technology. Following an historical approach of how this technology came to be, a more detailed description of some aspects of a typical microbial fuel cell is then brought forward. The energy harvesting concept, its use on low power wireless systems and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are presented and described. Wastewater treatment plants are a kind of infrastructure where this technology could be applied with a major success to power wireless sensing networks. An experimental setup, develop to improve the use of MFC in waste water treatment plants is presented. This chapter also provides a review on research trends for microbial fuel cells and maximum power point tracking algorithms, therefore, pointing current researches on this technology.

Reducing start-up time and minimizing energy losses of Microbial Fuel Cells using Maximum Power Point Tracking strategy

2014 ◽  
Vol 269 ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Molognoni ◽  
Sebastià Puig ◽  
M. Dolors Balaguer ◽  
Alessandro Liberale ◽  
Andrea G. Capodaglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Maximum Power Point Tracking ◽  
Energy Losses ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Power Point ◽  
Tracking Strategy

Autonomous Flyback Converter for Energy Harvesting from Microbial Fuel Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Khaled ◽  
B. Allard ◽  
O. Ondel ◽  
C. Vollaire
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Flyback Converter ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Power Point

Cover letterAn autonomous flyback converter was designed for energy harvesting from Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs). The circuit was optimized to minimize the losses and maximize the efficiency. A Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm was implanted in the converter to extract the maximum power available from MFC. Discontinuous conduction mode operation of the flyback allows controlling the MPP operation by impedance matching. The flyback can start-up at low voltage, around 300 mV. The output open circuit voltage is about 20 V and the voltage at MPP is 6.4 V with a maximum efficiency of 71.2%.: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacteria as the catalysts to oxidize organic matter and generate electricity. This energy can be used to supply low power electronic systems. A power management unit between the MFCs and the load is required to adapt the voltage and control the operation. The low voltage and low power characteristics of MFCs prohibit the use of standard converter topologies since the threshold voltage of standard CMOS transistors in CMOS technology is higher than the output voltage of MFCs. A low-voltage start-up sub-circuit is required to charge a primary capacitor to supply the driver. A specific sub-circuit is also required to control the operation of MFCs for Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) issues. An optimized Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) autonomous flyback converter for energy harvesting is presented for ambient sources, like MFCs. The converter is designed, fabricated, and tested. An MPPT algorithm is integrated in the system to control the operation and to extract the maximum available power from the MFC. The converter is able of start and step-up MFC output voltage to a value higher than 3 V under load. The peak efficiency of the converter is 71.2%.

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