Skip to main content

Applied Thermoelectric Solutions LLC

PowerBeam™ Selected as One of Nine Winners in Reclamation Rotating-Shaft Power Challenge

PowerBeam™ Selected as One of 9 Phase I Winners in Reclamation’s Rotating-Shaft Power Challenge

300+ entries | 9 Phase I winners | $250,000 planned two-phase challenge purse

Applied Thermoelectric Solutions developed the technology that became PowerBeam™ in response to the Bureau of Reclamation’s Powering Electronic Equipment on a Rotating Shaft prize competition.

The international competition sought new approaches for supplying reliable electrical power to sensors, data-acquisition systems, and other electronics mounted on rotating hydropower-generator shafts.

More than 300 entries were submitted. PowerBeam™ was selected as one of nine Phase I prize-winning concepts, with a $5,000 award and an opportunity to advance to prototype evaluation. Reclamation’s announcement described the selected projects as prize-competition winners and referred to the concepts advancing toward prototype evaluation as the winning Phase I ideas.

The planned two-phase competition included a $50,000 Phase I concept purse and a $200,000 Phase II prototype-evaluation purse, for a total announced challenge purse of $250,000.

What Happened After the Phase I Selection?

Applied Thermoelectric Solutions ultimately declined the Phase I monetary award because accepting it would have required granting intellectual-property rights associated with the submitted solution that were inconsistent with the company’s commercialization and licensing strategy.

The decision was not a technical rejection of PowerBeam™. The Phase I selection remained a favorable evaluation of the submitted concept, but because the award was declined, PowerBeam™ did not proceed through Reclamation’s prototype-evaluation program and was not physically tested or field-validated through the competition.

From Competition Concept to Patented Technology

Since the original competition, the PowerBeam™ intellectual-property portfolio has progressed to include:

U.S. Patent No. 11,107,964
System and Method for Wireless Power Transfer Using Thermoelectric Generators

U.S. Patent No. 12,029,122
Method for Wireless Power Transfer Using Thermoelectric Generators

Canadian Patent Application No. 3,085,956 — Allowed
System and Method for Wireless Power Transfer Using Thermoelectric Generators

PowerBeam™ is now being advanced as a patented rotating-shaft wireless-power architecture available for licensing, co-development, and prototype validation.

Current Development Status

The complete integrated PowerBeam™ system is currently at TRL 2. Its architecture has been patented and computationally modeled, but a complete physical system has not yet been experimentally demonstrated.

PowerBeam™ does not require every part of the system to be developed from scratch. It integrates established or previously demonstrated technologies including thermoelectric generators, radiant-energy sources, heat pipes, finned heat exchangers, thermal interfaces, optical materials, selective surface treatments, and power-conditioning electronics.

The principal remaining work is PowerBeam-specific system integration and experimental validation.

The next milestone is a TRL 3 integrated bench-scale experimental proof of concept.

Explore the Current PowerBeam™ Technology

The original competition established the rotating-shaft power problem and provided early external recognition of the PowerBeam™ concept. Development is now focused on evaluating the complete architecture for hydropower generators and other large rotating assets.

Explore PowerBeam™ wireless power for rotating-shaft sensors, including the patented architecture, development status, technical comparison, potential applications, and licensing opportunity.

Explore the PowerBeam Technology

Historical Note

Historical milestone: This article documents PowerBeam™ being selected as one of nine Phase I winners in a Bureau of Reclamation competition that attracted more than 300 entries and announced a planned two-phase challenge purse of $250,000. The article has been updated to reflect the current patent portfolio, technology-readiness status, and commercialization program.

Links that May Interest You

3 Responses

  1. Hi, I would like to know about design and simulation of thermoelectric generator software? I want to design and simulate for my project. How can I get the software that you mansion in your website?