Development of Self-Generating Wireless Temperature Sensor Network Utilizing Pb-Free Energy-Harvesting Technology to Prevent Fire Caused by Using Lithium-Ion Batteries in Power Plants

Abstract

A recent battery fire accident in a power plant has drawn attention to fire safety management. The lithium-ion battery, the most widely used among secondary batteries, has a high energy density with a high risk of ignition, owing to shock, overheating, discharging, and overcurrent. Installing batteries in a hazardous area inside a power plant increases the risk of a fire. Therefore, there is a need to construct a facility capable of monitoring the state of the managed area without using a battery. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a self-powered wireless temperature sensor network using Pb-free piezoelectric energy-harvesting technology. The developed harvester consisted of a Pb-free piezoelectric element produced using Ba0.9Ca0.1Ti0.93Zr0.07O3 + 0 .3 m ol % CuO ( BCTZ0.3C) ceramic. When the Pb-free piezoelectric energy harvester was operated for 15 s, power to stably operate the wireless sensor network could be obtained, sufficient to transmit the temperature measured once every 1.2 s to the wireless transmitter.