Experimental and numerical studies on working parameter selections of a piezoelectric-painted-based ocean energy harvester attached to fish aggregating devices

Abstract

Fish aggregating devices (FADs) have not only greatly improved the fishing capacity in recent years, but also play an important role in marine monitoring and data collection. In this study, a flexible piezoelectric device (FPED) for ocean energy harvesting was designed to achieve continuous and stable energy supply for FAD equipments and islands. Firstly, we developed FPEDs coated with piezoelectric paint. Painted FPEDs were then attached to the frame of an FAD to examine their characteristics including submerged depth and the support-type. Moreover, under broadband wave conditions, we investigated the dominant parameters influencing electrical performance. Furthermore, we built a theoretical model according to the experiment setup and developed a computational model based on the immersed boundary method to evaluate the FPED-wave interactions. Both the theoretical and computational results were validated by experimental ones, demonstrating that the two models can be considered as alternative tools in FPED working parameter selections. Finally, we conducted a field test under real sea conditions with a remote data monitoring system for the painted FPEDs, which showed good performance under extreme bending, weathering, and fatigue.