Mechanical power production by a dynamic micro heat engine with integrated thermal switch is demonstrated. A microengine operated from a constant heat source of 60 °C is shown to produce 350 µW of mechanical power. Employing an active thermal switch to control heat rejection from the microengine enables power to be increased to 2500 µW. Power consumption by the thermal switch is shown to be minimized by operating the cantilever switch at its resonant frequency. Thermal switch power requirements can be reduced to less than 20 µW for operational speeds up to 100 Hz.
Progress toward the realization of an external combustion dynamic micro heat engine is documented. First, the development of a thermal switch suitable to control heat transfer to and from the micro heat engine is described. Second, the integration of a thermal switch with an engine is detailed. The thermal switch is shown to be an effective means to control heat transfer into the engine from a continuous heat source and out of the engine to a continuous heat sink. The use of the thermal switch is shown to enable engine cycle speeds up to 100 Hz, engine efficiencies up to 0.095% and power output up to 1.0 mW. The internal irreversibility of the engine is measured to be 23%.
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