Abstract
A novel piezoelectric energy harvester equipped with two piezoelectric beams and two cylinders was proposed in this work. The energy harvester can convert the kinetic energy of water into electrical energy by means of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and wake-induced vibration (WIV). The effects of load resistance, water velocity and cylinder diameter on the performance of the harvester were investigated. It was found that the vibration of the upstream cylinder was VIV which enhanced the energy harvesting capacity of the upstream piezoelectric beam. As for the downstream cylinder, both VIV and the WIV could be obtained. The VIV was found with small L/D, e.g., 2.125, 2.28, 2.5, and 2.8. Additionally, the WIV was stimulated with the increase of L/D (such as 3.25, 4, and 5.5). Due to the WIV, the downstream beam presented better performance in energy harvesting with the increase of water velocity. Furthermore, it revealed that more electrical energy could be obtained by appropriately matching the resistance and the diameter of the cylinder. With optimal resistance (170 kΩ) and diameter of the cylinder (30 mm), the maximum output power of 21.86 μW (sum of both piezoelectric beams) was obtained at a water velocity of 0.31 m/s.
Highlights
Energy harvesting from ambient vibration is considered a promising renewable approach for generating electricity
Weinstein et al [19] studied a piezoelectric beam induced by the vortex shedding from an upstream cylinder, and 200 μW and 3 mW of power were respectively generated at air velocities of 3 m/s and 5 m/s
Inspired by the wake effects of two cylinders, in this paper, we proposed a novel energy harvester with two piezoelectric beams and two cylinders in water
Summary
Energy harvesting from ambient vibration is considered a promising renewable approach for generating electricity. Weinstein et al [19] studied a piezoelectric beam induced by the vortex shedding from an upstream cylinder, and 200 μW and 3 mW of power were respectively generated at air velocities of 3 m/s and 5 m/s. Xie et al [40] studied a pipeline-shaped vortex-induced piezoelectric energy harvester, and 1 mW was generated at an air velocity of 5 m/s when the cylinder was 40 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter. Taking two cylinders as an example, Abdelkefi et al [42] studied two vertical piezoelectric energy harvesters arranged in a tandem pattern in the airflow Both of the harvesters were individually equipped with a circular cylinder and a square section cylinder. The effects of resistance, cylinder diameter and water velocity on energy harvesting performance were studied
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