Abstract
A flutter-type, nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvester was tested in various combinations of aerodynamic and harmonic base excitation to study its power output and efficiency. The commercial polyvinylidene fluoride film transducer LDT1-028K was used in 33 excitation mode. The aerodynamic excitation was created by a centrifugal fan and the base excitation by a cone speaker. The excitations were produced by varying independently the mean airflow velocity and the frequency of base vibration. A capacitive load was used to store the harvested energy. A line laser was employed along with long exposure photography and high-speed video, for the visualization of the piezo film’s mode shapes and the measurement of maximum tip deflection. The harvested power was mapped along with the maximum tip deflection of the piezo-film, and a process of optimally combining the two excitation sources for maximum power harvesting is demonstrated. The energy conversion efficiency is defined by means of electrical power output divided by the elastic strain energy rate of change during oscillations. The efficiency was mapped and correlated with resonance conditions and results from other studies. It was observed that the conversion efficiency is related to the phase difference between excitation and response and tends to decrease as the excitation frequency rises.
Highlights
The excitations were produced by varying independently the mean airflow velocity and the frequency of base vibration
The current study proposes a definition of energy conversion efficiency, which covers only a part of the energy flow in the harvesting system, explained as follows: If one observes the energy flow in an energy-harvesting system, three parts are essential—the excitation source, the energy-harvesting device (e.g., piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs)), and the interface circuit to the electrical energy storage
An energy-harvesting system comprises the excitation source, the PEH, and the rectification knowledge, the highest power output reported with the specific piezoelectric transducer
Summary
The excitations were produced by varying independently the mean airflow velocity and the frequency of base vibration. Ambient energy is available in abundance in nature and the industry, where there is a need for widely distributed, self-powered sensor networks that ensure optimal operation of components since wiring and installation costs account for more than half of the total cost of distributed sensor measurement systems In this direction, energy harvesting further enables the installation of more sensors and the placement of sensors in places where wiring is not feasible. ABB has successfully introduced the TSP300-W, the first wireless temperature sensor [3] powered by a thermoelectric energy harvester along with a battery As another example, TDK introduced its “InWheelSense” piezoelectric energy harvesting and sensing module [4] that generates power from vehicle wheel vibrations while serving as a sensing platform to enable a variety of vehicle data-collection functions. Piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) is the most popular energy-harvesting concept exploiting ambient kinetic energy through the vibration of piezoelectric transducers
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