Tellurex
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Tellurex Corporation and Dexter Research Announce
Practical Deploy-and-Forget Wireless Sensing Design
Portable, plug-in IR design monitors target every six seconds as Tellurex thermoelectric energy harvester provides power for long-distance wireless transmission.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: An innovative self-powered, wireless, temperature-sensing proof-of-concept was unveiled at Sensors Expo and Conference with an integrated demonstration of their respective technologies by Dexter Research and Tellurex Corporation.
One thousand sixty-eight visitors registered at the Dexter-Tellurex Booth 821 over the two-day show. Video: Chuck Cauchy explains this new technology.
The integrated display at the show operated as a truly autonomous sensing system. The demonstrator transmitted in six-second cycles and was powered exclusively by waste heat with only a 4–9°C ΔT. The integration is robust and highly portable and has been designed to operate 24/7. The Dexter-Tellurex demonstration operated continuously at Booth 821 on June 8 and 9 of this year's Sensor Expo and Conference.
The Dexter-Tellurex joint project design meets growing demand for a new state-of-the-art, deploy-and-forget building management system that can provide reliable communication between sensing nodes and monitor systems thousands of feet apart. The integration of Tellurex and Dexter technologies demonstrates a system designed to eliminate continuous battery-replacement technologies and the associated lifetime issues related to re-charge cycles and long-term environmental impact.
Design Benefits
- Deploy and forget non-contact temperature and presence sensing
- Simplified placement / installation / relocation
- Integrated system that is fully self-powered and self-sustaining
- No electrical wiring to run / reduced facility or site operating delays
- Rapid cycles of sensor monitoring
- No batteries requiring periodic replacement, re-charging and disposal
- Design works across multiple sensors
The Technology Story
Dexter Research, a leader in infrared detectors, has been developing advanced wireless sensing to provide their customers with cutting edge technology. Concurrently, Tellurex, the thermoelectric materials and device leader, was developing high performance solid-state micro-generators for wireless devices. By merging the technologies, it was possible to deliver a fully integrated self-powered wireless temperature sensing/data acquisition system.
Thermoelectric power generation technology converts heat to DC power. By applying a temperature difference (ΔT) across a thermoelectric generator (TEG), a proportional DC voltage is developed to power an electrical load.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest is using low-power wireless devices for sensing and collecting data. A complementary desire was to be able to power these solutions wirelessly—and without the need for constant battery replacement. Because of their ability to harvest normally wasted or ambient energy sources, Tellurex TEG's appeared to be a natural choice because they can provide sufficient amounts of energy for these devices. While it was easy for Tellurex technology to extract enough power for such applications, the voltage output was too low for this practical use. Recent advancements in power conversion electronics now allow for sufficient voltage to seamlessly integrate with wireless transceiver hardware.
These innovations have enabled Tellurex Corporation and Dexter Research to complete a demonstration project which provides wireless transmission of temperature-sensing data every six seconds, powered exclusively by waste heat with only a 4–9°C ΔT. Energy is channeled from waste energy at the surface of a conventional heating duct. The difference in temperature between that duct and a finned sink (which dissipates heat into the ambient air), allows the TE module to generate a regulated 3.3 VDC for the rest of the application hardware.
The system provides its own storage capacity to power bursts of energy for data transmission. This spent capacity can then be recovered when the support hardware enters into 'sleep' mode. All of the necessary energy for this operation is derived from waste heat with no wiring between the sensing and receiving stations and without any secondary power source. It is truly a deploy-and-forget system.
The Present and the Future
The demonstration system is a 'proof of concept.' Development is continuing with the intent to provide customers with full electronic support solutions available on a single printed circuit board and mechanical kits that provide pre-configured heat sinks, TEG's, and mounting plates suitable for many applications. Other DC-to-DC converters will be developed, as well, for environments that can provide much greater ΔT's. As always, custom solutions will be available for those needing a specialized approach. Interested persons should watch this Web site and the Dexter Research site for future details.
The Companies
Tellurex Corporation has created several industry-leading thermoelectric products over the past quarter-century. Tellurex offers the most powerful commercially available power generation thermoelectric technology in the world. The company's technology offers support for HVAC management, mobile presence sensing systems, automotive fuel efficiency initiatives, defense stealth targets, and field re-charging of battery-powered devices, such as cell phones, GPS units and computers. The firm's thermoelectric heat-pumping, air-to-air coolers are able to bring the thermal load of an enclosed box to below-ambient temperatures—and with suitable controllers, keep them stable to within ±0.1°C of set point. And, with no moving parts, Tellurex module durability, reliability and easily controlled noise have become valued attributes of its brand.
Since 1977, Dexter Research has been the preferred provider of infrared thermopile detectors for science and industry. Today, the company offers the world's largest selection of thermopile-based solutions including high quality, high-output Bismuth-Antimony thin film and silicon-based infrared-sensing thermopile detectors. Its products detect temperature change in precise 0.1°C increments. Dexter Research also offers standard detectors in high volumes and customizes detectors for specific needs. Integrated modules serve as complete sensing subsystems. Customers in scientific research, automotive, aerospace, home appliances, security systems, medical equipment, and more now rely on Dexter Research for the highest-performance detectors.
Dexter Research was awarded a Michigan Top 50 Companies To Watch in 2008 and featured on television's Economic Report in 2009. Tellurex Corporation was awarded a Corp magazine Science and Technology award in 2010 and was headlined as “Keeping Michigan On The Cutting Edge.” Both firms are ISO 9001:2008 certified.
FOR SALES INFORMATION: contact Peter Schmitz at +1 231.947.0110 x204 or by email.
FOR INTERVIEWS: contact Lawrence Dolph at +1 734.516.5841 or by email.
Many Find Tellurex Thermoelectric ProductsTo Be Number One
Traverse City, Michigan, January 4, 2010 — Congratulations. Whether you search online for “tellerux”, “telurex” or as “tellurex”, you�ve found the global leader in applied thermoelectric science, materials, manufacturing, engineering and products.
“We continue to make great strides in our thermoelectric alloys and bonding materials and processes,” says Chuck Cauchy, the Chief Technology Officer of Tellurex Corporation, “and this enhances our ability to offer the best Delta T in Peltier Effect applications and the highest efficiencies in Seebeck power generation from waste heat and intentional heat sources.”
“We are proud to offer the world's best thermoelectric module,” says Clyde McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer of Tellurex. “And we continue to offer the best engineering and design thermoelectric consulting services to our customers.”
But as a global center for thermoelectric applied science and manufacturing, Tellurex has learned that its customers find the Traverse City, Michigan company in many different ways.
“People tend to search for thermoelectric solutions with just one, two or three words,” says Lawrence Dolph, Vice President for Marketing at Tellurex Corporation. “They may find us on a long list of organic search listings by key-stroking thermoelectric power generation, thermoelectric power generator, thermoelectric module or peltier power generation,” Dolph says. “Or they may type thermoelectric cooling system, seebeck module, peltier cooler or thermoelectric cold plate.
“And today many automotive engineers just cut to the chase and search on thermoelectric cup holder,” Dolph adds, “a customer-satisfying device that Tellurex invented and was the first to sell to automotive OEMs and Tier One suppliers.
“The results are often page after page of academic research, competing company product claims, and essays on thermoelectric and materials performance curves.
“I could save them a lot of time,” continues the chief marketing officer of Tellurex. “Key-stroke the phrases ‘global leader thermoelectric’ or ‘world�s best thermoelectric’, and Tellurex appears at the top of the organic search report.”
In fact, today you will find top rankings for thermoelectric products from Tellurex with the following 26 search phrases:
- global leader thermoelectric
- world's best thermoelectric
- world's best thermoelectric power generator
- world's best thermoelectric module
- global leader thermoelectric module manufacturer
- global leader automotive thermoelectric
- world's best automotive thermoelectric
- global leader automotive thermoelectric modules
- world's best automotive thermoelectric modules
- global leader thermoelectric
- world leader thermoelectric
- world's best automotive thermoelectric
- global leader automotive thermoelectric
- global leader medical thermoelectric
- global leader bio-medical thermoelectric
- diesel trucks thermoelectric
- world's best diesel trucks thermoelectric
- global leader diesel trucks thermoelectric
- global leader peltier
- global leader thermoelectric commercial generator
- defense and security thermoelectric
- world's best defense and security thermoelectric
- global leader defense and security thermoelectric
- world's best telecom thermoelectric
- global leader telecom thermoelectric
- global leader thermoelectric consumer products
“The world is very competitive in thermoelectric advances today, in both Peltier and Seebeck product applications,” Dolph observes.
“Starting with search performance and continuing with thermoelectric engineering knowledge, design precision, manufacturing quality, price, reliability, durability, and customer service, in the thermoelectric world you can't let up on any of it,” Dolph says.
“It's a great testimony to the proven capabilities of the thermoelectric scientists and engineers at Tellurex and to the power of the Tellurex brand and that we are worthy of this kind of leadership position,” Dolph continues.
Tellurex Broadens Thermoelectric Product Line And Lowers Prices
Traverse City, Michigan, September 1, 2009 — Tellurex Corporation has dramatically expanded its line of thermoelectric modules. Customers can now choose from a total of 64 modules in a variety of sizes across a portfolio of single-stage, multi-stage and power generation configurations.
Dramatic price reductions accompany the expanded product line offering from Tellurex. Overall, the changes reflect an expansion of company operations, global sourcing, and aggressive growth goals. “We continue to make the world's best thermoelectric module,” says Clyde McKenzie, Tellurex's chief executive officer. “And we continue to offer the best engineering and design thermoelectric consulting services to our customers.
“Our expanded product line now makes it possible for even broader use of thermoelectric technology to meet the world's needs for clean power, more effective medicine, controlled experiments and improved security.”
Tellurex services medical, bio-medical, automotive, security and consumer customers around the world, plus the US Department of Defense.
Over the past quarter century, Tellurex has cultivated a culture of innovation and invention. It has assisted its customers to create products that defined whole new market verticals, such as the portable plug-in cooler and more recently a customer-pleasing heating and cooling cup holder for cars and trucks. Customer satisfaction with heated and cooled cup holders is driving an expanding market across several OEM manufacturers.
Now the company is supporting customer development of remote power generating stoves and mobile generators for consumers and the US military, making possible extended off-the-grid use of computers and telecom devices. Remote charging of any battery-operated device in the field is also supported.
Tellurex is also deeply involved in supporting CAFE fuel efficiency development with thermoelectric science while optimizing the reliability and range of hybrid and plug-in automotive vehicles. Auxiliary power unit (APU) development is another facet of the company's output.
“When we bought the company, we had fallen in love with the technology,” McKenzie said. “Take two different metal alloys, separated by a carefully selected design of pellets configured between ceramic sides, run electricity through the sandwich, and you get a hot side and a cold side. You can heat and cool anything to within a 0.1° C of precision and flip the heat and cooling sides with a power switch. Among other things, Tellurex leads the industry in the Delta T — in other words, the difference between the hottest hot and the coldest cold output from a Tellurex module is better than our competitors.
“But more importantly, if you heat one side of the module and dissipate heat on the other, it produces electricity, with no moving parts, no noise, no emissions. It's totally green power generation. Locate our product next to anything that gives off heat, such as an automotive or diesel truck exhaust, and you can produce electricity without a parasitic belt making fuel demands on the engine. You get electrical power from waste heat. It sounds like magic.
“But, of course, it isn't. It's good science, and we believe that Tellurex is the best in the world at leveraging thermoelectric science across a broad array of markets,” McKenzie explained.