Characteristics of a new power generation system with application of a Shape Memory Alloy Engine

It is necessary to develop new power generation systems using the unused low-temperature thermal energy around 100 °C from the viewpoint of global warming prevention. Even if a shape memory alloy is bent at normal temperature, when it is warmed, it has the character that it returns to the original straight form. Using this character of a shape memory alloy, unused thermal energy will be able to transform into rotation energy, and finally it can change into electric energy. We solved this energy conversion mechanism and the validity of this theory was indirectly verified by experiment. Furthermore, the power generation characteristic of the Shape Memory Alloy Engine was obtained by experiment. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(3): 8–15, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20620