Abstract
A galloping-based energy harvester, which is surrounded by structure(s) such as an enclosure, has an aerodynamic force change due to a change in flow caused by movement of the bluff body against the structure(s). Therefore, any model derived without considering this effect cannot predict the harvester’s behavioral or energetic characteristics accurately. The main goal of this study was to develop a model that could be used to accurately simulate a galloping-based energy harvester surrounded by an enclosure. To consider the effect of the enclosure on the aerodynamic force applied to the bluff body, a bivariate quasi-static aerodynamic force model was newly proposed, which was accomplished by performing an experiment involving two variables, the attack angle, and the distance from the nearest wall of the bluff body. A set of governing nonlinear field equations reflecting this force model were derived, and their perturbed solutions were obtained and validated by comparison with experimental results. The effect of the enclosure on the performance of the present energy harvester system was investigated and discussed using both theoretical and experimental methods.
Highlights
Owing to the high demand for renewable energy, interest in energy harvesting technology has been growing considerably
We develop an appropriate model of a galloping-based piezoelectric wind energy harvester (GPWEH) that considers the effect of aE-mail: seokj@cau.ac.kr 2158-3226/2018/8(9)/095309/8
We modeled a galloping-based-piezoelectric wind energy harvester considering the enclosure effect for the first time
Summary
Owing to the high demand for renewable energy, interest in energy harvesting technology has been growing considerably. Various types of energy harvesters have been developed as a result of this trend.[1,2,3,4] Among them, flow induced vibration energy harvesters (FIVEHs), which harvest energy from the vibration of a structure interacting with a flow, have been actively studied. These types of energy harvesters utilize the vortex induced vibration (VIV) of a structure, a resonance phenomenon caused by vortex sheet, and the galloping and flutter phenomena caused by the instability of a structure.[5,6,7] Under the instability condition for the occurrence of the galloping phenomenon, a large-amplitude vibration is generated so that the amount of energy obtained from the structure is larger than that under the VIV. This has led to intensive studies on the energy efficiency of FIVEHs that use galloping from various aspects, including the shape of their bluff bodies.[8,9,10,11,12] A square cross-sectioned bluff body has been found to have the highest energy efficiency.[10]
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