Abstract
Vibration energy harvesting (VeH) techniques by means of intentionally designed mechanisms have been used in the last decade for frequency bandwidth improvement under excitation for adequately high-vibration amplitudes. Oil, gas, and water are vital resources that are usually transported by extensive pipe networks. Therefore, wireless self-powered sensors are a sustainable choice to monitor in-pipe system applications. The mechanism, which is intended for water pipes with diameters of 2–5 inches, contains a piezoelectric beam assembled to the oscillating body. A novel U-shaped geometry of an underwater energy harvester has been designed and implemented. Then, the results have been compared with the traditional circular cylinder shape. At first, a numerical study has been carried at Reynolds numbers Re = 3000, 6000, 9000, and 12,000 in order to capture as much as kinetic energy from the water flow. Consequently, unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS)-based simulations are carried out to investigate the dynamic forces under different conditions. In addition, an Adaptive Differential Evolution (JADE) multivariable optimization algorithm has been implemented for the optimal design of the harvester and the maximization of the power extracted from it. The results show that the U-shaped geometry can extract more power from the kinetic energy of the fluid than the traditional circular cylinder harvester under the same conditions.
Highlights
Due to industrial development and the improved quality of human life, the economic and social demand for energy is growing
They compared experimentally four different test cases of piezoelectric energy harvesters, and based on the results they concluded which was the best orientation of the bluff body to design efficient devices
Qureshi et al [28] developed an analytical model of a novel and scalable piezoelectric energy harvester, where the kinetic energy from water flow-induced vibration was collected by means of piezoceramic cantilevers
Summary
Due to industrial development and the improved quality of human life, the economic and social demand for energy is growing. Dai et al [21] investigated energy harvesting obtained from wind flow-induced vibrations They compared experimentally four different test cases of piezoelectric energy harvesters, and based on the results they concluded which was the best orientation of the bluff body to design efficient devices. Wang and Ko [25] developed a new piezoelectric energy harvester that converted flow energy into electrical energy by means of the oscillation of a piezoelectric film They concluded that the obtained voltages based on the finite element model they proposed agree adequately with the experiment performed with various pressure differences in the pressure chamber. Qureshi et al [28] developed an analytical model of a novel and scalable piezoelectric energy harvester, where the kinetic energy from water flow-induced vibration was collected by means of piezoceramic cantilevers They validated the model by means of a finite element simulation. The two parameters optimized with the JADE algorithm are the structural spring of the harvester and the constant gain associated to its control algorithm
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