Battery-free temperature logger for deep-sea hydrothermal fluids based on heat pipe heat exchangers and thermoelectric generators

Shijun Wu; Yunchao Zheng; Feng Zhang; Canjun Yang

doi:10.1063/5.0161279

Battery-free temperature logger for deep-sea hydrothermal fluids based on heat pipe heat exchangers and thermoelectric generators

Rev Sci Instrum. 2023 Sep 1;94(9):095003. doi: 10.1063/5.0161279.

Authors

Shijun Wu¹, Yunchao Zheng¹, Feng Zhang¹, Canjun Yang¹

Affiliation

¹ State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.

PMID: 37655991
DOI: 10.1063/5.0161279

Abstract

Long-term in situ measurements of the temperature of hydrothermal fluids have great significance in the research of seafloor hydrothermal activities. Herein, we developed a self-powered battery-free temperature logger for measuring and recording the temperature of hydrothermal fluids. A gravity heat pipe made of titanium alloy was employed as the heat-conducting element of the temperature logger to capture heat from a hydrothermal vent and transfer it to the thermoelectric unit. The thermoelectric generator used herein converted the temperature difference into electrical energy to power the circuit of the temperature logger. Numerical analyses and experiments were performed to investigate the performance of the heat pipe and temperature logger. Results show that the temperature logger can realize self-powered starting at a temperature of >76 °C during a tank test. This paper presents a discussion on a new instrument for temperature measurements of deep-sea hydrothermal fluids.