NSF Org:	CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation
Recipient:	WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	September 10, 1999
Latest Amendment Date:	May 21, 2002
Award Number:	9980837
Award Instrument:	Continuing Grant
Program Manager:	george hazelrigg CMMI  Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation ENG  Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:	October 1, 1999
End Date:	September 30, 2002 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$520,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$531,500.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 1999 = $153,572.00 FY 2000 = $206,255.00 FY 2001 = $171,673.00
History of Investigator:	Robert Richards (Principal Investigator) richards@mme.wsu.edu Terri Fiez (Co-Principal Investigator) Cecilia Richards (Co-Principal Investigator) Ben Li (Co-Principal Investigator) Kartikeya Mayaram (Co-Principal Investigator) David Bahr (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Washington State University 240 FRENCH ADMINISTRATION BLDG PULLMAN WA  US  99164-0001 (509)335-9661
Sponsor Congressional District:	05
Primary Place of Performance:	Washington State University 240 FRENCH ADMINISTRATION BLDG PULLMAN WA  US  99164-0001
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	05
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	XRJSGX384TD6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Manufacturing Machines & Equip
Primary Program Source:	app-0100  01000102DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT app-0199
Program Reference Code(s):	1602, 9146, 9178, 9231, MANU
Program Element Code(s):	146800
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.041

ABSTRACT

The goal of this Engineering Microsystems: "XYZ" on a Chip project is to investigate the fabrication of a micro heat engine, which will use commonly available liquid hydrocarbon fuels, to efficiently generate electric power to be used by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and microelectronic devices. This micro heat engine is expected to deliver electric power in the range of milliwatts to watts while supplying voltages from 1 to 30 volts. The research involves the creation of a totally new class of heat engine, which takes advantage of thermophysical phenomena unique to small scales.

The result will be a heat engine that is efficient and that can be mass-produced with techniques developed for microelectronics and MEMS. The proposed engine is an external combustion engine, in which thermal power is converted to mechanical power through the use of a novel thermodynamic cycle which approaches the ideal vapor Carnot cycle. Mechanical power is converted into electrical power through the use of a piezoelectric generator. The generator, which takes the form of a flexible membrane, can be readily manufactured using MEMS fabrication techniques but still delivers high conversion efficiency. This approach eliminates the requirement to manufacture complex micromachines such as rotary compressors and turbines, resulting in a very simple but highly efficient device. In addition, since the micro heat engine is an external combustion device, it will have broad fuel flexibility, making it useful in a wide range of applications including military, space, biomedical, and consumer products.

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