Battery-Free and Real-Time Wireless Sensor System on Marine Propulsion Shaft Using a Wireless Power Transfer Module

Area of Science:

• Marine Engineering
• Wireless Sensor Networks
• Power Electronics

Background:

• Real-time monitoring of rotating machinery is crucial for operational efficiency and safety in maritime applications.
• Traditional sensor systems often rely on batteries, posing challenges for maintenance and continuous operation on rotating components.
• Wireless power transfer offers a potential solution for powering sensors on rotating shafts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a battery-free wireless sensor system (WSS) for real-time monitoring of ship propulsion shafts.
• To implement and optimize an inductive wireless power transfer (I-WPT) module capable of powering the WSS.
• To validate the system's performance on a rotating shaft test bench.

Main Methods:

• Designed and implemented an optimized inductive wireless power transfer (I-WPT) module using multiple transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coils.
• Achieved a power capability of 1.75 W with 75% efficiency for the I-WPT module.
• Integrated four sensors into a WSS designed to operate on a rotary shaft, powered by the I-WPT module.

Main Results:

• The optimized I-WPT module successfully provided a seamless power supply to the integrated WSS.
• The WSS, comprising four sensors, was successfully designed and mounted on a 200 mm diameter rotary shaft.
• Real-time monitoring of the propulsion shaft's status was achieved without the need for onboard batteries.

Conclusions:

• The developed battery-free WSS, powered by an efficient I-WPT module, enables reliable real-time monitoring of rotating ship shafts.
• This technology eliminates the maintenance burden associated with batteries on rotating components.
• The system demonstrates a viable solution for enhancing the safety and efficiency of maritime operations through continuous condition monitoring.