Final Design:

The following pictures show the final design that was built for the demonstration that will take place at the Open House on April 6th 2006.

The demonstration will allow the observer to see the output of the different materials selected and a simulation of the booster circuit that will be implemented on the system.

Conclusion

The final design was chosen taking into consideration all the experiments performed and having in mind the background research on all decisions. The final design is composed of a pontoon boat that serves as a platform for the autophagous battery pack, the autophagous battery pack, and the circuitry of the system. The galvanic cells that integrate the autophagous battery pack are made of a pair of 7”X7” metal plates that hang form the deck with a thickness of 0.05” (gage 18). The metals used are Aluminum 3003 and Magnesium Alloy AZ31B as the anodes and Stainless Steel 304 and Titanium 6al-4v as the cathodes of the galvanic cells respectively.

The galvanic corrosion between the Magnesium Alloy AZ31B and the Titanium 6al-4v provided the greatest potential difference as well as a constant output. This couple is not efficient for a long duration due to the quick corrosion rate of the Magnesium Alloy AZ31B.

The setup of the final design minimizes the distance between the plates without short circuiting the connections and provides enough space for more than one galvanic cell. The surface area of the cathode is the same size as the anode, this way the corrosion rate is at an acceptable level and the potential difference is maximized.

The potential difference of one galvanic couple was too small to power a desirable load. Even with a conditioned circuit, the available power would be minute. Having several integrated circuits that putted the galvanic couples in series would increase the power, and should be further investigated.

Galvanic couples provide a depletable energy source, however the efficiency of the galvanic couples as a power supply in minor due to the small potential difference. Galvanic couples should not be used as the primary power supply because the amount of couples need would outweigh the benefits of the amount of power supplied. Galvanic couples would be efficient as an emergency back up supply for a device that required a small amount of power such beacon signal or GPS transmitter.

This project demonstrates the potential difference between the four galvanic couples tested: Aluminum 3003 and Stainless Steel 304, Aluminum 3003 and Titanium 6al-4v, Magnesium and Stainless Steel 304, and Magnesium and Titanium 6al-4v. The four galvanic couples were inserted in the pontoon prototype and show the observer the potential difference when changing the galvanic couple. A simulation of the circuit design also shows the increase in power supply when the circuit is conditioned.