scholarly journals Toward Small-Scale Wind Energy Harvesting: Design, Enhancement, Performance Comparison, and Applicability

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liya Zhao ◽  
Yaowen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Performance Comparison ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Interface Circuit ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Alternative Power ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor Environments

The concept of harvesting ambient energy as an alternative power supply for electronic systems like remote sensors to avoid replacement of depleted batteries has been enthusiastically investigated over the past few years. Wind energy is a potential power source which is ubiquitous in both indoor and outdoor environments. The increasing research interests have resulted in numerous techniques on small-scale wind energy harvesting, and a rigorous and quantitative comparison is necessary to provide the academic community a guideline. This paper reviews the recent advances on various wind power harvesting techniques ranging between cm-scaled wind turbines and windmills, harvesters based on aeroelasticities, and those based on turbulence and other types of working principles, mainly from a quantitative perspective. The merits, weaknesses, and applicability of different prototypes are discussed in detail. Also, efficiency enhancing methods are summarized from two aspects, that is, structural modification aspect and interface circuit improvement aspect. Studies on integrating wind energy harvesters with wireless sensors for potential practical uses are also reviewed. The purpose of this paper is to provide useful guidance to researchers from various disciplines interested in small-scale wind energy harvesting and help them build a quantitative understanding of this technique.

scholarly journals The State-of-the-Art Brief Review on Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Flow-Induced Vibration

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Hongjun Zhu ◽  
Tao Tang ◽  
Huohai Yang ◽  
Junlei Wang ◽  
Jinze Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Structural Vibration ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Flow Induced Vibration ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Self Powered

Flow-induced vibration (FIV) is concerned in a broad range of engineering applications due to its resultant fatigue damage to structures. Nevertheless, such fluid-structure coupling process continuously extracts the kinetic energy from ambient fluid flow, presenting the conversion potential from the mechanical energy to electricity. As the air and water flows are widely encountered in nature, piezoelectric energy harvesters show the advantages in small-scale utilization and self-powered instruments. This paper briefly reviewed the way of energy collection by piezoelectric energy harvesters and the various measures proposed in the literature, which enhance the structural vibration response and hence improve the energy harvesting efficiency. Methods such as irregularity and alteration of cross-section of bluff body, utilization of wake flow and interference, modification and rearrangement of cantilever beams, and introduction of magnetic force are discussed. Finally, some open questions and suggestions are proposed for the future investigation of such renewable energy harvesting mode.

scholarly journals Vibration energy harvesting: A review

2019 ◽  
Vol 09 (04) ◽  
pp. 1930001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwesa Mohanty ◽  
Suraj Parida ◽  
Rabindra Kumar Behera ◽  
Tarapada Roy
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Vibration Energy Harvesting ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Portable Power ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Energy Harvesting System ◽  
Energy Harvesting Devices

This study is based on energy harvesting from vibration and deals with the comparison of different techniques. In the present scenario, energy harvesting has drawn the attention of researchers due to a rapid increase in the use of wireless and small-scale devices. So, there is a huge thirst among scientists to develop permanent portable power sources. In the surroundings, a lot of unutilized energy is wasted which can be collected and used for power generation. Research works have been extensively carried out to develop energy harvesting devices catering to the increasing needs of being efficient and economical. Effective energy harvesting mainly depends on the design of the transducer. Different types of design techniques, material properties, and availability of energy harvesters are reviewed in this paper. The paper aims to explore the advantages and limitations of different energy harvesting principles, advances, and findings of the recent past. This study also discusses some of the key ideas for the enhancement of power output. This paper provides a broad view of the energy harvesting system to the learners, which will facilitate them to design more efficient energy harvesting devices by using different principles.

Small Wind Energy Harvesting From Galloping Using Piezoelectric Materials

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liya Zhao ◽  
Lihua Tang ◽  
Yaowen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Systematic Study ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Peak Output Power ◽  
Piezoelectric Harvester

A galloping piezoelectric harvester for small wind energy harvesting usually consists of a cantilever beam clamped at one end and a tip body attached to its free end. The tip body has significant influence on the aeroelastic characteristic of the harvester thus the efficiency of energy harvesting. However, no systematic study on the tip body is available in the literature. This article focuses on the effect of tip body on the performance of the harvester. A prototype device is fabricated with different tip bodies having various cross sections, lengths, and masses. Wind tunnel tests are conducted to determine the influence of these parameters on the power generated. A peak output power of 8.4 mW is achieved at a wind velocity of 8 m/s for the harvester with a tip of square section. An analytical model integrating electromechanical and aerodynamic formulations is established, and the results agree well with the experiments. It is recommended that the tip of square section should be used for galloping energy harvesters.

Small-Scale Wind Energy Harvesting From Flow-Induced Vibrations

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishak Sivadas ◽  
Adam M. Wickenheiser
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Vortex Shedding ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Structural Deformations ◽  
Flow Induced Vibrations

Significant wind energy exists in the boundary layers around naturally occurring and manmade structures. This energy source has remained largely untapped, even though it presents a significant source of energy for powering wireless devices in built-up areas. This paper discusses a study on harnessing energy from piezoelectric transducers by using bluff body and vortex-induced vibration phenomena induced by low-speed flows. The proposed devices are miniature, scalable, aeroelastic wind harvesters designed for extracting turbulent, low-speed wind energy from the boundary layers around structures. The design configuration consists of a bluff body with a flexible piezoelectric cantilever attached to the trailing edge. In this design, transverse vibrations are induced in the piezoelectric members by alternating vortex shedding. The multi-physics software package COMSOL is used for coupled simulation of the fluid and structural domains, and Matlab is used to couple the structural deformations to the attached power harvesting circuitry. The design and environmental parameters are varied to optimize the configuration and to identify the significant parameters in the design. The lock-in phenomenon, in which the vortex shedding frequency is entrained to the fundamental structural frequency, is exploited to achieve resonance over a range of flow velocities, thus increasing the velocity “bandwidth” of the devices. Simulations are run for different characteristic dimensions or shapes for the bluff body to study the strength and nature of vortex shedding in the presence of vibrating beam sections. The results of parameter variation for the design configuration is presented and discussed with regard to broadband wind energy harvesting.

Synergy of Wind Energy Harvesting and Synchronized Switch Harvesting Interface Circuit

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 1093-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liya Zhao ◽  
Lihua Tang ◽  
Junrui Liang ◽  
Yaowen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Interface Circuit

scholarly journals Towards Bio-Hybrid Energy Harvesting in the Real-World: Pushing the Boundaries of Technologies and Strategies Using Bio-Electrochemical and Bio-Mechanical Processes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2220
Author(s):  
Abanti Shama Afroz ◽  
Donato Romano ◽  
Francesco Inglese ◽  
Cesare Stefanini
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Living Organisms

Sustainable, green energy harvesting has gained a considerable amount of attention over the last few decades and within its vast field of resources, bio-energy harvesters have become promising. These bio-energy harvesters appear in a wide variety and function either by directly generating energy with mechanisms similar to living organisms or indirectly by extracting energy from living organisms. Presently this new generation of energy harvesters is fueling various low-power electronic devices while being extensively researched for large-scale applications. In this review we concentrate on recent progresses of the three promising bio-energy harvesters: microbial fuel cells, enzyme-based fuel cells and biomechanical energy harvesters. All three of these technologies are already extensively being used in small-scale applications. While microbial fuel cells hold immense potential in industrial-scale energy production, both enzyme-based fuel cells and biomechanical energy harvesters show promises of becoming independent and natural power sources for wearable and implantable devices for many living organisms including humans. Herein, we summarize the basic principles of these bio-energy harvesting technologies, outline their recent advancements and estimate the near future research trends.

scholarly journals More Than Just Concrete: Acoustically Efficient Porous Concrete with Different Aggregate Shape and Gradation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4835
Author(s):  
Louena Shtrepi ◽  
Arianna Astolfi ◽  
Elena Badino ◽  
Giovanni Volpatti ◽  
Davide Zampini
Keyword(s):  
Normal Weight ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Porous Concrete ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Concrete Type ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor Environments ◽  
Aggregate Shape

The interest in the use of resistant acoustic materials has put further attention on the use of porous concrete in the building industry. This work investigates the acoustic properties of four different mix designs of porous concrete obtained with two types of aggregates, that is, normal weight and lightweight aggregates. The assessment of the sound-absorbing performances has been conducted in the small-scale reverberation room (SSRR) at Politecnico di Torino (Italy), in agreement with the procedure indicated in the ISO 354 Standard. For each concrete type, three panel thicknesses, i.e., 20 mm, 40 mm, and 60 mm, were tested. Moreover, different mounting conditions were investigated, considering the combination of single panels in multiple layers, adding an air gap between the panel and the backing, and inserting a layer of rock wool in the air gap itself. The results show weighted absorption coefficients (αw) in the range of 0.30 to 0.75 depending on the thickness and mounting conditions. These encouraging values make these materials useful for efficient practical applications in indoor and outdoor environments.

scholarly journals Analysis of Energy Harvesting Enhancement in Piezoelectric Unimorph Cantilevers

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8463
Author(s):  
Mohammad Rahimzadeh ◽  
Hamid Samadi ◽  
Nikta Shams Mohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Functional Efficiency ◽  
Major Operation ◽  
Harvesting Process

Environmental energy harvesting is a major operation in research and industries. Currently, researchers have started analyzing small-scale energy scavengers for the supply of energy in low-power electrical appliances. One area of interest is the use of piezoelectric materials, especially in the presence of mechanical vibrations. This study analyzed a unimorph cantilever beam in different modes by evaluating the effects of various parameters, such as geometry, piezoelectric material, lengths of layers, and the proof mass to the energy harvesting process. The finite element method was employed for analysis. The proposed model was designed and simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics, and the output parameters, i.e., natural frequencies and the output voltage, were then evaluated. The results suggested a considerable effect of geometrical and physical parameters on the energy harvesters and could lead to designing devices with a higher functional efficiency.

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