USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Yolanda Meriah Arias-Thode

David Bart Chadwick

Lewis Hsu

Matthew Lanford Bond

Gregory Wayne Anderson

Wayne P Liu

Adriane Q Wotawa-Bergen

Kenneth E Richter

Ken E Richter

Alexander Stevens-Bracy

Emil Paskalev Kartalov

David Bartholomew Chadwick

Alex G Phipps

Joshua Bianchi

Ryan John Halonen

Andrew Higier

Bart Chadwick

Bashar Dhurgham Ameen

Kevin Hardy

Mary E Moore

Brett R Goldsmith

Tricia Nguyen

A benthic lander can include a frame structure that comprises a plurality of frames, wherein each frame is formed with a central aperture, and a first plurality of coupling structures coupling adjacent frames of the plurality of frames. The benthic lander can also include at least one pressure vessel formed with an interior cavity comprising electronics disposed within the interior cavity. Each pressure vessel can be disposed within the central aperture of at least one frame of the plurality of frames such that the at least one frame holds the pressure vessel in place. A weight structure can be disposed underneath the frame structure, wherein the weight structure is removably coupled to the frame structure.

Split release benthic lander

An autonomous deployment system for deploying systems and a method of deploying a seafloor device. The autonomous deployment system includes a release unit, a support frame, a plurality of mats, a hose, a plurality of weighted bands, a gas supply, a waterproof housing, and a timer. The method of deploying a seafloor device includes spooling a plurality of mats in a rolled-up position, each of said plurality of mats comprising a hose, wherein each mat is adjacent to a support frame, submerging the seafloor device in a body of water, releasing the seafloor device from a vessel via a release unit, supplying gas to each hose of the plurality of mats, unfurling each of the plurality of mats from the support frame, sinking the seafloor device to lay on the seafloor. The invention may also include a microbial fuel cell and support weights.

Autonomous deployment system for seafloor devices

Benthic microbial biofuel cells (BMFCs) are a potential non-toxic and renewable source of underwater power. BMFCs function by coupling an anaerobic anode to an oxygenated cathode. However, current in-situ BMFCs on average produce less than 1W of power. Potential causes are internal ohmic resistance and low capture efficiency of the bacteria-generated charge due to macroscopic average distances between bacteria and electrodes. A microfluidic BMFC chip is enclosed to study those potential causes. The chip is built using elastomer microfluidics to provide biologically-inert microfluidic confinement of the bacteria, forcing them to be no further away than the height of the containment microchamber (&#x2025;90 &#x3bc;m) from the microelectrode matrix built on the glass substrate of the chip. The matrix captures the charge without location bias (due to its H-architecture) and conducts it to the outside circuit. The microfluidic chip system can be used as an evaluation station to optimize biological parameters, geometry, and electrode scaling towards increased power. That would lead to the development of an optimized power unit that can then be arrayed to build renewable power stations in maritime environments.

Microfluidic microbacterial fuel cell chips and related optimization methods

A benthic microbial fuel cell comprising: a nonconductive frame having an upper end and a lower end; a plurality of anodes, wherein each anode is a conductive plate having a top section and a bottom edge; a plurality of conductive, threaded rods disposed perpendicularly to the anode plates and configured to secure the top sections of the anodes to the lower end of the frame and to hold the plates in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other such that none of the plates are in direct contact with each other; and a plurality of cathodes, wherein each cathode is made of carbon cloth connected to the upper end of the frame.

Readily-deployable microbial fuel cell

A device for capturing energy, with an anode base, a rigid body, a pressure housing, a cathode array, and a wire. The anode base is connected to the rigid body, the pressure housing is connected to the rigid body, and the cathode array is connected to the rigid body. The first wire is electrically connected to the cathode array. The second wire is electrically connected to the anode base.

Self-contained and scalable microbial fuel cell array with grid-based anode and bottle brush cathode power sensors underwater

A method for improving power production comprising the steps of providing an existing linear array benthic microbial fuel cell system having an anode and a plurality of cathodes, wherein the anode is an insulated underwater cable buried beneath seafloor sediment, and wherein the plurality of cathodes are configured to be buoyant and to rise above the sea floor, wrapping the insulated underwater cable with carbon fiber bundles and a current collector, wherein the carbon fiber is coated with a binder, securing the carbon fiber bundles and current collector with a web of synthetic fiber, fraying the carbon fiber bundles, creating exposed carbon ends on the cable and removing the binder.

System and method for improving power production in linear array benthic microbial fuel cells

A self-burying microbial fuel cell can include a housing with conductive elements. An anode and cathode can be integrated into the housing at respective proximal and distal ends. A self-burying means for partially burying the microbial fuel cell in a submerged environment is included, so that the anode is buried but the cathode is exposed to the submerged environment can be included. The self-burying means can include omni-directional vibrating device located within the housing, a plurality of intake ports formed in the housing for a pump within the housing. The pump outputs into a longitudinal fluid conduit that extends through the housing and exits at the distal end of the housing. When the vibrating device activates at the same time as the pump, temporary slurry can be formed at the extreme distal end of the device, and the vibrating action causes the microbial fuel cell to become partially buried.

Self-burying sediment energy harvester

A self-propelled microbial fuel cell apparatus includes a microbial fuel cell with a cathode electrode and an anode electrode wherein the anode electrode is enclosed within an enclosure that has an opening in it. The microbial fuel cell is positioned within a self-propelled delivery vehicle so that the electrodes of the fuel cell are exposed to interface with a microbial environment.

Microbial fuel cell integrated in vehicle

A method for enhancing a microbial environment for a fuel cell can include the initial step of oxidizing the outer surface of the fuel cell anode to establishing reactive chemical functional groups. The anode surface can be oxidized by washing the anode with a solution of 4-carboxybenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate, followed by washing with acetone, methanol and water. Once the anode surface has been oxidized, the methods can include the step of binding a surface graft matrix to the reactive chemical functional groups (the activated carboxyl groups on the anode surface). EDAC and sulfo-NHS can be used as a surface graft matrix, to bind to the activated carboxyl groups. A biological substance, such as a biological agent or biomolecule, can be chemically attached to the outer terminal reactive groups of the surface graft matrix. The result is a microbial fuel cell with increased power generation and durability properties.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Yolanda Meriah Arias-Thode