Oil and gas pipeline flow powers sensors in extreme conditions
The EU-funded HarshEnergy project addressed this challenge using nanomaterials. The team developed innovative energy harvesting systems for powering sensor networks for the oil and gas industry in environments featuring temperatures above 250 ºC and pressures of 10 000 psi. The oil and gas industry operate in conditions often so extreme that common methods of energy generation, like photovoltaic cells cannot be used, but there is still a need to monitor core activities through sensor networks. “The solution lies in the development and optimisation of nanomaterials that can carry out energy harvesting under harsh environments with high temperatures and high pressures,” says project coordinator Dr Joao Ventura. Energy harvesting is challenging due to its limited capacity for energy generation. The idea is to harvest energy from a process where some form of energy is being wasted, like the kinetic energy of fluids flowing through a pipeline. However, existing technologies can usually only generate a small amount of electric power. Therefore, the challenge is how best to capitalise on such a small quantity of energy. Technologies combined HarshEnergy used the hybridisation of three different energy harvesting technologies – piezoelectricity, triboelectricity and electromagnetic induction – to create prototypes composed of hybrid micro-/nano-generators. “These devices integrated complementary energy harvesting technologies under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, exploiting the flow of fluids passing through a pipeline or through existing vibrations to generate electricity,” explains Dr Ventura. Companies are already benefiting from automation and monitorisation of their core activities by using sensor networks to gather large amounts of data that can improve the decision-making process or even predict the next maintenance round for heavy machinery. According to Ventura: “companies who wish to stay even more competitive will have to improve their monitoring by employing more and more sensors, which will require more and more energy. These companies are the ones who will benefit from HarshEnergy.” Furthermore, each sensor typically uses a small battery as an energy source that needs to be replaced from time to time. “If the industry uses hundreds or thousands of sensors to monitor its activities, the implementation of an energy harvesting nanogenerator could end that necessity, making the operation cheaper, safer and cleaner, since batteries can explode, and they generate a lot of waste. Moreover, because the operation becomes cheaper, the industry can install more sensors to monitor its activities and to become even more competitive with better data-driven decisions,” observes Ventura. Better for the environment During their lifecycle, triboelectric nanogenerators demonstrate a better environmental performance, lower production costs and lower carbon dioxide emissions. However, the environmental performance of some prototypes could be slightly reduced due to higher acrylic content in its architecture and higher electrical energy consumption during fabrication. Nevertheless, acrylic can be environmentally viable given its recyclability and potential for reuse. In addition, the material does not generate toxic gases that are harmful to humans and the environment during combustion processes due to its stability during exposure to ultraviolet radiation. “Triboelectric nanogenerators have a better environmental performance than commercialised silicon-based and organic solar cells. However, some prototypes have a slightly higher energy payback period than photovoltaic technology based on perovskite-structured methyl ammonium lead iodide as the light harvesting active layer,” Ventura concludes.
Keywords
HarshEnergy, sensor, energy harvesting, temperature, pressure, nanomaterial, triboelectric, gas, oil, hybridisation, piezoelectricity, electromagnetic induction
