Electroaeroelastic analysis of airfoil-based wind energy harvesting using piezoelectric transduction and electromagnetic induction

Abstract

The concept of transforming aeroelastic vibrations into electricity for low-power generation has received growing attention in the last few years. The goal is to convert airflow energy into electricity for powering small electronic components employed in wireless applications. The potential applications for aeroelastic energy harvesting range from aircraft structures to several engineering problems involving wireless electronic components located in high wind areas. The use of a typical airfoil section is a convenient approach to create instabilities and persistent oscillations in aeroelastic energy harvesting. This article analyzes two airfoil-based aeroelastic energy harvesters using (a) piezoelectric transduction and (b) electromagnetic induction. An airfoil with two degrees of freedom is investigated by adding piezoelectric and electromagnetic couplings to the plunge degree of freedom in two separate cases. The governing dimensionless electroaeroelastic equations are given in each case with a resistive load in the electrical domain for predicting the power output at the flutter boundary. The effects of several dimensionless system parameters on the dimensionless electrical power output as well as the dimensionless linear flutter speed are investigated for piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting from airflow-induced vibrations. The simulations presented in this study can be employed for designing and optimizing airfoil-based wind energy harvesters.