Dimensional Effects of Polymer Piezoelectric Films for Wind Energy Harvesting

Author(s):  
Phillip C. Scott ◽  
Nathan Jackson ◽  
Svetlana Poroseva

Abstract Arrays of flexible polymer piezoelectric film cantilevers that mimic grass or leaves is a prospective idea for harvesting wind energy in urban areas, where the use of traditional technologies is problematic due to low wind velocities. Conversion of this idea into an economically attractive technology depends on various factors including the shape and dimensions of individual films to maximize generated power and to minimize associated costs of production, operation, and maintenance. The latter requirement can be satisfied with rectangular films undergoing flutter in ambient air. Flexible piezoelectric films that displace due to low forces and can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy are ideal for this application. The goal of the presented study is to determine the key dimensions of the piezoelectric film to enhance generated power within the wind range characteristic for urban areas from 1.3 to 7.6 m/s. For this purpose, experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel using piezoelectric polymer films of polyvinylidine fluoride with the length, width, and thickness varying in the ranges of 32 - 150 mm, 16 - 22 mm, and 40 - 64 µm, respectively. Voltage and power outputs for individual samples were measured at wind speeds ranging from 0.5 to 16.5 m/s. Results demonstrated that a single film could produce up to 0.74 nW and that the optimal film dimensions are 63 mm × 22 mm × 40 µm (from considered samples) for the wind energy harvesting in urban areas. Further improvement in power production can be expected when using films with reduced thickness, low elastic modulus, and increased length, and by assembling films in arrays.

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 2215-2228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayant Sirohi ◽  
Rohan Mahadik

There has been increasing interest in wireless sensor networks for a variety of outdoor applications including structural health monitoring and environmental monitoring. Replacement of batteries that power the nodes in these networks is maintenance intensive. A wind energy–harvesting device is proposed as an alternate power source for these wireless sensor nodes. The device is based on the galloping of a bar with triangular cross section attached to a cantilever beam. Piezoelectric sheets bonded to the beam convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. A prototype device of size approximately 160 × 250 mm was fabricated and tested over a range of operating conditions in a wind tunnel, and the power dissipated across a load resistance was measured. A maximum power output of 53 mW was measured at a wind velocity of 11.6 mph. An analytical model incorporating the coupled electromechanical behavior of the piezoelectric sheets and quasi-steady aerodynamics was developed. The model showed good correlation with measurements, and it was concluded that a refined aerodynamic model may need to include apparent mass effects for more accurate predictions. The galloping piezoelectric energy-harvesting device has been shown to be a viable option for powering wireless sensor nodes in outdoor applications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (18) ◽  
pp. 3572-3581
Author(s):  
Suihan Liu ◽  
Ali Imani Azad ◽  
Rigoberto Burgueño

Piezoelectric energy harvesting from ambient vibrations is well studied, but harvesting from quasi-static responses is not yet fully explored. The lack of attention is because quasi-static actions are much slower than the resonance frequency of piezoelectric oscillators to achieve optimal outputs; however, they can be a common mechanical energy resource: from large civil structure deformations to biomechanical motions. The recent advances in bio-micro-electro-mechanical systems and wireless sensor technologies are motivating the study of piezoelectric energy harvesting from quasi-static conditions for low-power budget devices. This article presents a new approach of using quasi-static deformations to generate electrical power through an axially compressed bilaterally constrained strip with an attached piezoelectric layer. A theoretical model was developed to predict the strain distribution of the strip’s buckled configuration for calculating the electrical energy generation. Results from an experimental investigation and finite element simulations are in good agreement with the theoretical study. Test results from a prototyped device showed that a peak output power of 1.33 μW/cm2 was generated, which can adequately provide power supply for low-power budget devices. And a parametric study was also conducted to provide design guidance on selecting the dimensions of a device based on the external embedding structure.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 155892501300800
Author(s):  
François M. Guillot ◽  
Haskell W. Beckham ◽  
Johannes Leisen

In the past few years, the growing need for alternative power sources has generated considerable interest in the field of energy harvesting. A particularly exciting possibility within that field is the development of fabrics capable of harnessing mechanical energy and delivering electrical power to sensors and wearable devices. This study presents an evaluation of the electromechanical performance of hollow lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers as the basis for the construction of such fabrics. The fibers feature individual polymer claddings surrounding electrodes directly deposited onto both inside and outside ceramic surfaces. This configuration optimizes the amount of electrical energy available by placing the electrodes in direct contact with the surface of the material and by maximizing the active piezoelectric volume. Hollow fibers were electroded, encapsulated in a polymer cladding, poled and characterized in terms of their electromechanical properties. They were then glued to a vibrating cantilever beam equipped with a strain gauge, and their energy harvesting performance was measured. It was found that the fibers generated twice as much energy density as commercial state-of-the-art flexible composite sensors. Finally, the influence of the polymer cladding on the strain transmission to the fiber was evaluated. These fibers have the potential to be woven into fabrics that could harvest mechanical energy from the environment and could eventually be integrated into clothing.


Author(s):  
Heather Lai ◽  
Chin An Tan ◽  
Yong Xu

Human walking requires sophisticated coordination of muscles, tendons, and ligaments working together to provide a constantly changing combination of force, stiffness and damping. In particular, the human knee joint acts as a variable damper, dissipating greater amounts of energy when the knee undergoes large rotational displacements during walking, running or hopping. Typically, this damping results from the dissipation, or loss, of metabolic energy. It has been proven to be possible however; to collect this otherwise wasted energy through the use of electromechanical transducers of several different types which convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. When properly controlled, this type of device not only provides desirable structural damping effects, but the energy generated can be stored for use in a wide range of applications. A novel approach to an energy harvesting knee joint damper is presented using a dielectric elastomer (DE) smart material based electromechanical transducer. Dielectric elastomers are extremely elastic materials with high electrical permittivity which operate based on electrostatic effects. By placing compliant electrodes on either side of a dielectric elastomer film, a specialized capacitor is created, which couples mechanical and electrical energy using induced electrostatic stresses. Dielectric elastomer energy harvesting devices not only have a high energy density, but the material properties are similar to that of human tissue, making it highly suitable for wearable applications. A theoretical framework for dielectric elastomer energy harvesting is presented along with a mapping of the active phases of the energy harvesting to the appropriate phases of the walking stride. Experimental results demonstrating the energy harvesting capability of a DE generator undergoing strains similar to those experienced during walking are provided for the purpose of verifying the theoretical results. The work presented here can be applied to devices for use in rehabilitation of patients with muscular dysfunction and transfemoral prosthesis as well as energy generation for able-bodied wearers.


Author(s):  
Shaofan Qi ◽  
Roger Shuttleworth ◽  
S. Olutunde Oyadiji

Energy harvesting is the process of converting low level ambient energy into usable electrical energy, so that remote electronic instruments can be powered without the need for batteries or other supplies. Piezoelectric material has the ability to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, and cantilever type harvesters using this material are being intensely investigated. The typical single cantilever energy harvester design has a limited bandwidth, and is restricted in ability for converting environmental vibration occurring over a wide range of frequencies. A multiple cantilever piezoelectric generator that works over a range of frequencies, yet has only one Piezo element, is being investigated. The design and testing of this novel harvester is described.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
Gian Roni Ignatius ◽  
Agus Sugiri ◽  
Ahmad Suudi

The need for electricity in Indonesia becoming increasingly part of people's needs. Fossil fuels suchas oil and coal used as the main material for producing electrical energy the more limitedavailability, especially in its use of fossil fuels that pollute the environment. Wind energy is arenewable energy source that could potentially be developed. Wind energy is clean and does notpollute the environment in utilization into mechanical or electrical energy. The conversion of windenergy into electrical energy by converting this energy into mechanical rotation. In the wind energyutilization process made a tool to convert wind energy into electrical energy, that is windturbines.Wind turbine or windmill is a tool for converting wind energy. Wind turbines transformkinetic energy into mechanical energy in the form of a round shaft. Shaft speed is then used to rotatethe dynamo or a generator which produces electricity. The research was carried out on a horizontalaxis wind turbine NACA 4412, diameter 1 m, the number of blades 3 pieces and variations in windspeed 2-8 m / s. Results showed the greatest lift (CL) at 14o angle of attack with a value of 1.583.The driving force of the smallest (CD) at an angle of attack -4o to 2o with a value of 0.008. Value CL/ CD was found in the angle of attack of 6o with a value of 93.057. The maximum power generatedby 484.63 Watt. Wind speed, the number of blades, angle of attack and the election of the airfoileffect on the generated power.Keywords : wind energy, wind turbines, airfoil NACA 4412.


Author(s):  
Sunija Sukumaran ◽  
Samir Chatbouri ◽  
Didier Rouxel ◽  
Etienne Tisserand ◽  
Frédéric Thiebaud ◽  
...  

Energy harvesting is one of the most promising research areas to produce sustainable power sources from the ambient environment. Which found applications to attain the extensive lifetime self-powered operations of various devices such as MEMS wireless sensors, medical implants and wearable electronic devices. Piezoelectric nanogenerators can efficiently convert the vastly available mechanical energy into electrical energy to meet the requirements of low-powered electronic devices. Among the piezoelectric materials, poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers are extensively studied for the development of energy harvesting devices. Due to the outstanding properties such as high flexibility, ease of processing, long-term stability, biocompatibility makes them a promising candidate for piezoelectric generators. Nevertheless, compared to piezoceramic materials, PVDF based generators produce lower piezoresponse. Over the last decades, tremendous research activities have been reported to endorse the performance of PVDF based energy harvesters. This review article mainly focused on the recent progress in the performance improvement with processing methods, piezoelectric materials, different filler loading. The new developments and design structures will lead to an increase in piezoelectricity, alignment of dipoles, dielectric properties and subsequently enhance the output performance of the device. Electronic circuits play a vital role in energy harvesting to efficiently collect the developed charge from the device. Here, we have proposed a detailed description of the electronic circuits. Also, in the application part deals with the recent progress in flexible, biomedical and hybrid generators based on PVDF polymers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Mohammad Yaghoub Abdollahzadeh Jamalabadi ◽  
Mostafa Safdari Shadloo ◽  
Arash Karimipour

In this paper, the maximum obtainable energy from a galloping cantilever beam is found. The system consists of a bluff body in front of wind which was mounted on a cantilever beam and supported by piezoelectric sheets. Wind energy caused the transverse vibration of the beam and the mechanical energy of vibration is transferred to electrical charge by use of piezoelectric transducer. The nonlinear motion of the Euler–Bernoulli beam and conservation of electrical energy is modeled by lumped ordinary differential equations. The wind forces on the bluff body are modeled by quasisteady aeroelasticity approximation where the fluid and solid corresponding dynamics are disconnected in time scales. The linearized motion of beam is limited by its yield stress which causes to find a limit on energy harvesting of the system. The theory founded is used to check the validity of previous results of researchers for the effect of wind speed, tip cross-section geometry, and electrical load resistance on onset speed to galloping, tip displacement, and harvested power. Finally, maximum obtainable average power in a standard RC circuit as a function of deflection limit and synchronized charge extraction is obtained.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 1207-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Fang ◽  
Youhua Xiao ◽  
Zhen Xu ◽  
Dan Chang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
...  

Handedness-controlled actuating systems are constructed from continuous twisted fibers with mirrored handedness, superb flexibility and mechanical robustness, affording impressive start-up torques driven by polar solvents, and controllably outputting rotor kinetic energy, harvesting electrical energy, and delivering mechanical energy with a high energy conversion coefficient.


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