Piezoelectric Based Energy Harvesting Research Articles

Optimum Piezo-Electric Based Energy Harvesting for Low-Power Wireless Networks with Power Complexity Considerations

Low-power wireless sensing-based networks suffer from many constraints and challenges. In this research work, efficient power source has been designed to provide the need of energy for the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). The energy sources are the main challenge and constraint these wireless networks applications. This paper discusses recent researcher’s works which considered the energy constraints of the WSN and WMSN with their proposed security techniques. The main idea of this presented work is the energy harvesting through extracting the electrical energy from the audio/acoustic signal/energy, this utilized audio/acoustic source in this scenario is the disk jockey. To maximize the produced power from the proposed acoustic energy harvesting Piezo-based several parameters is studied. The parameters are considered in this research work are the method of Piezo-transducers connections, the distance of sound source, the sound intensity variation and the sound concentrating tube length. These tubes are mounted on slim diaphragm two maximize the energy harvesting. The piezoelectric transducer array scenario is designed using four piezoelectric transducers utilizing different connect ion methods, series, parallel and in hybrid. Several practically experiments are performed on the presented different scenarios to evaluate the proposed energy harvesting efficiency. These experiments reveal that the superiority of the proposed acoustic energy harvesting technique with low power complexity wireless networks and suitable with the different presented scenarios.

Piezoelectric Trasducer Based Micro Energy Generator Design for Application in Ceramics

The rapid development of technology causes humans to provide a large amount of energy, especially electrical energy. One of the new renewable energy sources that is still under development is a piezoelectric-based energy harvester. Piezoelectric itself is a material that has an electric polarizing effect that occurs in certain materials when the material is given a mechanical stress. The potential difference measured across the piezoelectric material is proportional to the applied pressure. This study aims to examine the prototype of a piezoelectric-based micro energy generator using different loadings on ceramics. This research was carried out by making a prototype on a 30x30 cm2 ceramic, and using a piezoelectric in the form of a PZT type. The method used in this research is measuring the voltage of each configuration variation in the piezoelectric circuit. Retrieval of stress data was done by dropping a load of 3 kg, 6 kg and 9 kg for each variation to be tested. The distance between the piezoelectric position and the center of mass affected the resulting voltage, each additional load would cause an increase in voltage, and a series circuit produces a greater voltage than a parallel circuit

Hybrid acoustic, vibration, and wind energy harvester using piezoelectric transduction for self-powered wireless sensor node applications

Energy harvesters are considered to be a promising solution for long lasting operation of wireless sensor nodes, moreover, make these power-sustainable in hazardous, implantable, remote, harsh, embedded, and abandoned environments where frequent battery replacement is a challenge. Existing energy harvesters utilize only one or two ambient energy sources, however, in this paper, we developed a novel piezoelectric-based energy harvester that converts three ambient energies (acoustic, vibration, and wind) simultaneously into electrical energy. The developed harvester comprises a Helmholtz resonator, a unimorph piezoelectric composite plate, and a cambered aerofoil connected with a piezoelectric plate using a base support. Acoustic, vibration, and wind induced deformation in the harvester’s piezoelectric plate and intrun electrical energy is produced based on piezoelectric phenomena. The harvester showed two peaks (at 802 and 1417 Hz frequencies) when subjected to a forward frequency sweep (FFS) which corresponds to its resonant frequencies. Under resonance, in the acoustic and vibrations environment, the harvester produced a maximum power of 210.6 µW, and 1.38 mW on excitation at 130 dB sound pressure level (SPL) and 0.8 g base acceleration, respectively. Furthermore, the harvester produced maximum power of about 285 µW when exposed to 8 m/s wind speed. The developed harvester can be a potential power source for self-powered wireless sensors used for the structural health monitoring of bridges, tall buildings, and railway tracks.

A self-powered mechanical energy harvester based on CH3NH3PbI3 doped P(VDF-HFP)/PANI composite films.

Piezoelectric polymers, particularly poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers attract attention from researchers due to their stretchability, flexibility, lightweight, and most importantly their biocompatible nature. In this research work, we report on the preparation of polymer composite films as flexible piezoelectric generators (PGs) and their electroactive phase (β- and γ-phase) formation. The piezoelectric properties of copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) have been enhanced by incorporating polyaniline (PANI) and methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) into it for a higher yield of the electroactive phases where a traditional electrical poling treatment was avoided. The remarkable enhancement in the piezoelectric phase (i.e., β-phase) of the P(VDF-HFP) copolymer has been reported in this work, and it is found that the overall improvement of the piezoelectric β-phase and the conversion of the degree of crystallinity is governed by the incorporation of the PANI and CH3NH3PbI3 fillers as revealed by the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis further confirmed the interfacial dipole-dipole interaction of PANI with the P(VDF-HFP) copolymer matrix. Piezoelectric generators (PGs) fabricated from the composite films show an open circuit piezoelectric voltage output of 5 volts and an output power of 8.2 nW. The capacitor charging capability by simple repetitive finger touch and release motions (a pressure amplitude of ∼14 kPa) of the flexible PGs promises their applicability as a piezoelectric-based energy harvester where different mechanical vibrations can be utilized.

Piezoelectric-based energy harvesting from bridge vibrations subjected to moving successive vehicles by functionally graded cantilever beams – Theoretical and experimental investigations

This study aims to harvest electrical energy from the vibrations of bridges. For this purpose, a functionally graded (FG) cantilever beam installed at the mid-point of a bridge was utilised. First, the motion equations for the bridge and FG harvester were acquired based on Hamilton's principle. The bridge was considered as a simply-supported Timoshenko beam, whilst the Euler-Bernoulli beam assumption was used for the FG energy harvester. The material properties were assumed to be functionally graded in the thickness direction according to the power law distribution for both the substrate and the piezoelectric layer of the harvester. The obtained equations were solved using the Runge-Kutta method. In addition, a finite element (FE) simulation was carried out in COMSOL on the bridge-FG harvester system, and a test rig was constructed to perform some empirical tests. Finally, the voltage and power obtained from the theoretical model were compared with the FE results and measured data. An excellent agreement was observed among the results. This subject indicates that the proposed model was accurate enough to predict the behaviour of the bridge and FG harvester. The maximum power harvested by the FG harvester was measured to be about210 µWat the optimum value for the resistance.

Simulation and performance analysis of self-powered piezoelectric energy harvesting system for low power applications

<span lang="EN-US">Energy harvesting is a process of extracting energy from surrounding environments. The extracted energy is stored in the supply power for various applications like wearable, wireless sensor, and internet of thing (IoT) applications. The electricity generation using conventional approaches is very costly and causes more pollution in the environmental surroundings. In this manuscript, an energy-efficient, self-powered battery-less piezoelectric-based energy harvester (PE-EH) system is modeled using maximum power point tracking (MPPT) module. The MPPT is used to track the optimal voltage generated by the piezoelectric (PE) sensor and stored across the capacitor. The proposed PE system is self-operated without additional microarchitecture to harvest the Power. The experimental simulation results for the overall PE-EH systems are analyzed for different frequency ranges with variable input source vibrations. The optimal voltage storage across the storing capacitor varies from 1.12 to 1.6 V. The PE-EH system can harvest power up to 86 µW without using any voltage source and is suitable for low-power applications. The proposed PE-EH module is compared with the existing similar EH system with better improvement in harvested power.</span>

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting: A Systematic Review of Reviews

In the last decade, an enormous amount of attention has been paid to piezoelectric harvesters due to their flexibility in design and the increasing need for small-scale energy generation. As a result, various energy review papers have been presented by many researchers to cover different aspects of piezoelectric-based energy harvesting, including piezo-materials, modeling approaches, and design points for various applications. Most of these papers have tried to shed light on recent progress in related interdisciplinary fields, and to pave the road for future prospects in the development of these technologies. However, there are some missing parts, overlaps, and even some contradictions in these review papers. In the present review of these review articles, recommendations for future research directions suggested by the review papers have been systematically summed up under one umbrella. In the final section, topics for missing review papers, concluding remarks on outlooks and possible research topics, as well as potentially misleading strategies, have been presented. The review papers have been evaluated based on their merits and subcategories and the authors’ choice papers have been presented for each section based on clear classification criteria.

Performance of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System for an Energy-Autonomous Instrumented Total Hip Replacement: Experimental and Numerical Evaluation.

Instrumented implants can improve the clinical outcome of total hip replacements (THRs). To overcome the drawbacks of external energy supply and batteries, energy harvesting is a promising approach to power energy-autonomous implants. Therefore, we recently presented a new piezoelectric-based energy harvesting concept for THRs. In this study, the performance of the proposed energy harvesting system was numerically and experimentally investigated. First, we numerically reproduced our previous results for the physiologically based loading situation in a simplified setup. Thereafter, this configuration was experimentally realised by the implantation of a functional model of the energy harvesting concept into an artificial bone segment. Additionally, the piezoelectric element alone was investigated to analyse the predictive power of the numerical model. We measured the generated voltage for a load profile for walking and calculated the power output. The maximum power for the directly loaded piezoelectric element and the functional model were 28.6 and 10.2 µW, respectively. Numerically, 72.7 µW was calculated. The curve progressions were qualitatively in good accordance with the numerical data. The deviations were explained by sensitivity analysis and model simplifications, e.g., material data or lower acting force levels by malalignment and differences between virtual and experimental implantation. The findings verify the feasibility of the proposed energy harvesting concept and form the basis for design optimisations with increased power output.

Multi-physics modelling of piezoelectric pavement system for energy harvesting under traffic loading

ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the field performance of the piezoelectric-based energy harvesting pavement system (PZ-EHPS) under moving traffic loads by multi-physics modelling. Finite element models (FEMs) with multiple physical interfaces were built with the close circuit system. The laboratory scale of FEM was analysed to validate the voltage output as compared to the measurements in laboratory tests. To enhance the computational efficiency of large-scale simulation, a homogenisation approach was developed to convert the piezoelectric composite layer to the homogeneous layer with equivalent mechanical and electric properties. The variations of power output patterns from the PZ-EHPS, with different geometric designs under different traffic loading levels and temperature conditions, were studied. The results show that the width of the PZ-EHPS shall match the wheel path to generate electricity and avoid energy consumption in the area uncovered by traffic loading, during the electricity transmission. The power output of the PZ-EHPS shows an exponential relationship with the increase of load magnitude from vehicles. Future studies are needed to achieve the full utilisation of each function layer for building smart pavement with multiple functions.

Analytical and experimental study of a clamped-clamped, bistable buckled beam low-frequency PVDF vibration energy harvester

Vibration-based energy harvesting devices have drawn interest as a potential low-maintenance power source for a variety of applications, such as for systems involving distributed networks of remote sensors. In this work, an energy harvesting system is considered that is based on bistable, buckled beams and the flexible piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The stability and dynamic response of the structure under vibration loading is modeled, and the resulting output voltage is analytically predicted. Modeling outputs are compared with experimental results for driving frequencies below 30 Hz, the range for many common vibration energy harvesting environments. The modeling approach used in this work is based on coupled electrical-mechanical equations of motion for a geometrically nonlinear Euler-Bernoulli piezoelectric beam that were developed via Hamilton's principle. A component sectioning procedure was used in conjunction with implementation of matching conditions at the boundaries to solve for the nonlinear static and linearized dynamic structural equations. These gave both the buckling and dynamic shape functions, which were used as a basis for finding the device nonlinear dynamic response. Several parameters including vibrational motion, output voltage, and frequency response were analyzed both theoretically and experimentally under different driving conditions. Good agreement was found between the developed model and the experiments, particularly with respect to predicted regimes of behavior and power output. The results suggest that the proposed modeling approach could be successfully implemented in the design and analysis of other multi-component piezoelectric-based energy harvesting systems.

Köprü Yapısından Piezoelektrik Tabanlı Enerji Hasadının Sayısal Modellemesi

Bridges can be subjected to a variety of external loads that can lead to instability and cause vibrations. Fortunately, such vibrations can be a source of unlimited sustainable energy that may powers the devices used to monitor the bridges. A possible way to convert such vibrations is by utilizing the direct piezoelectric effect, a process known as piezoelectric based energy harvesting. The present study investigates piezoelectric energy harvesting from a bridge. A model of the bridge with mounted piezoelectric harvesters was developed under ANSYS APDL. Various scenarios with different moving loads were investigated in time and frequency domains. Moreover, the effect of the positions of the harvesters was also explored. Results confirmed that harvesting vibration energy from bridge systems is a promising source of energy. Also, it can be profitable if the harvesters are located near the maximum mode shape amplitude and they are designed in a way to make their natural frequency match the natural frequency of the moving loads.

Modeling and experiment of vibro-impact vibration energy harvester based on a partial interlayer-separated piezoelectric beam

Piezoelectric-based energy harvesting techniques offer a promising way to transform vibration energy into electric energy. However, many vibration energy harvesters (VEH) can only work under narrow bandwidths and limited high frequencies to restrict their working performance. In this paper, a vibro-impact piezoelectric VEH is proposed, where a partial interlayer-separated piezoelectric beam is designed to improve the voltage output and frequency bandwidth of the VEH. First, the mechanism of the proposed VEH is introduced and the electromechanical model is derived based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and vibro-impact dynamic model. Voltage-frequency responses are then obtained by using an approximate analytical method. In addition, the effect of partial interlayer-separated piezoelectric beams on the energy harvesting performance is investigated numerically. A parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of system parameters on the voltage output in terms of bandwidth and magnitude. Finally, the theoretical solutions are validated by experimental results, the voltage output of the proposed VEH is higher than the non-impact type. The maximum output power of the proposed VEH is about 12 times more than that of the conventional one under a 0.2 g acceleration. Due to the good agreement of the variation trend between the theoretical values and experiment results, the proposed partial interlayer-separated beam VEH can be used for a further optimization of the vibration energy harvester.

Flexible composites with Ce-doped BaTiO3/P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers for piezoelectric device

Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting devices based on inorganic piezoelectric materials have attracted wide attention for their outstanding physical properties and potential applications. Different strategies, such as adding ductile elements, increasing sintering time, sintering in various atmospheres, mixing with organic compounds which usually is not only for piezoelectric materials, are also used to fabricate highly flexible devices. However, these methods always accompanied by a sharp reduction in piezoelectric performance, and then the sensitivity of the device will be reduced. Here, The flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting device by mixing Ce-doped barium titanate (BaTiO3, BTO) nanofibers with poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluorethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers is studied. Due to the introduction of P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers, the device show high flexibility. The device with high output signal is obtained, since both fillers are piezoelectric materials. The results show that the output power density of the device fabricated by Ce-BTO/P(VDF-TrFE) composite nanofibers is about six times larger than the device obtained by P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers. This proposed method is expected to provide reference for the development of future nanoscale piezoelectric-based energy harvesting devices and sensors.

An experimental study on piezoelectric energy harvesting from palm tree induced by wind

The aim of this study is to generate energy from the movement of a palm tree branch that has the potential to power wireless sensor nodes by means of wind energy. An experimental investigation of a piezoelectric based energy harvester on a Bismarck (Bismarckia nobilis) palm tree was performed. The branch was placed in the test section of a wind tunnel that provided the airflow speed in a controlled environment. The energy was harvested from a palm tree that was clamped at the end of the stem and induced to vibrate at ambient wind speeds. The results showed that there is a linear relationship between the wind speed and voltage generated; as the wind speed increased, the power output increased. The voltage produced under different wind speeds (2–7 m s−1) with various load resistors were tested to determine the maximum power output. A maximum power output of 0.157 mW was produced when using an optimal load of 1 ΩM, which corresponded to a power density of about 393 mW m−2 at airflow speed of 7 m s−1. It was also observed that the voltage produced at various flow speeds was enough to generate high levels of power for powering small sensors.

Multifunctional Pacemaker Lead for Cardiac Energy Harvesting and Pressure Sensing.

Biomedical self-sustainable energy generation represents a new frontier of power solution for implantable biomedical devices (IMDs), such as cardiac pacemakers. However, almost all reported cardiac energy harvesting designs have not yet reached the stage of clinical translation. A major bottleneck has been the need of additional surgeries for the placements of these devices. Here, integrated piezoelectric-based energy harvesting and sensing designs are reported, which can be seamlessly incorporated into existing IMDs for ease of clinical translation. In vitro experiments validate the energy harvesting process by simulating the bending and twisting motion during heart cycle. Clinical translation is demonstrated in four porcine hearts in vivo under various conditions. Energy harvesting strategy utilizes pacemaker leads as a means of reducing the reliance on batteries and demonstrates the charging ability for extending the lifetime of a pacemaker battery by 20%, which provides a promising self-sustainable energy solution for IMDs. The additional self-powered blood pressure sensing is discussed, and the reported results demonstrate the potential in alerting arrhythmias by monitoring the right ventricular pressure variations. This combined cardiac energy harvesting and blood pressure sensing strategy provides a multifunctional, transformative while practical power and diagnosis solution for cardiac pacemakers and next generation of IMDs.

Power optimization of a piezoelectric-based energy harvesting cantilever beam using surrogate model

Energy harvesting is a conventional method to collect the dissipated energy of a system. In this paper, we investigate the optimal location of a piezoelectric element to harvest maximum power concerning different excitation frequencies of a vibrating cantilever beam. The cantilever beam oscillates by a concentrated sinusoidal tip force, and a piezoelectric patch is integrated on the beam to generate electrical energy. To this end, the system is modeled with analytical governing equations, then a Deep Neural Network (DNN)-based surrogate model is developed to appropriately model the system within the range of its first three natural frequencies. The surrogate model has significantly abated the computation cost. Thus, the optimization time is reduced drastically. Our investigations led to an optimal piezoelectric location for different excitation frequencies, which can result in maximum electrical output power. This location is highly dependent on the excitation frequency. When excitation frequency equals to natural frequencies, the maximum harvested power increases considerably.

A piezoelectric based energy harvester for simultaneous energy generation and vibration isolation

A piezoelectric based energy harvester for simultaneous energy generation and vibration isolation

An iterative finite element method for piezoelectric energy harvesting composite with implementation to lifting structures under Gust Load Conditions

In this paper, a novel iterative finite element method (FEM) for energy harvesting purpose is presented. In this iterative FEM, the electromechanical coupling in the governing piezoelectric energy harvesting equation is separated into two parts. One part is an actuator-like problem and can be evaluated with ease via commercial software. The solution of the other part, for voltage generation, is obtained straightforward utilising the structural response of the earlier part. These two parts are solved iteratively until the convergence in voltage and structural responses is reached. The new iterative FEM is implemented to solve the dynamic problems of piezoelectric-based energy harvester in the frequency and time domains. The application of the present iterative FEM to evaluate the piezoelectric energy harvesting of lifting structures under an aeroelastic condition, i.e., gust load, is shown in some details. The validation against other methods from the literature shows the robustness and capabilities of the iterative FEM.

Improving efficiency of piezoelectric based energy harvesting from human motions using double pendulum system

Harvesting electrical energy from various human motions using piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) is gaining research attention in recent years. The energy harvested could potentially power hand held electronic devices and medical devices without the need of external power source for recharging batteries. In this study, an attempt is made to improve the efficiency of PEH to harvest energy from human motions by adopting a double pendulum system coupled with magnetic force interactions. For the purpose of comparison, three configurations of PEH which includes the conventional PEH with cantilever beam (PEHCB), the PEH with single pendulum system (PEHSP) and the PEH with double pendulum system (PEHDP) are experimentally studied. Excitations by both mechanical shaker and major human body parts during walking and jogging motions are investigated. The performance of each configuration, in terms of voltage and power produced as well as the idle time between each cycle, are analysed, compared and discussed. ANSYS© software is used to analyse the proposed model and MATLAB© software is used to calculate the output power. The results demonstrate that, with the use of the proposed double pendulum system, multiple impacts in each motion cycle is generated, thus producing higher voltage and power as compared to the conventional PEHCB. The idle time between each motion cycle is also effectively reduced. The efficiency of the PEH is thus significantly increased.

Numerical analysis of a new piezoelectric-based energy harvesting pavement system: Lessons from laboratory-based and field-based simulations

This study focuses on numerical investigation and optimization of one piezoelectric-based energy harvesting pavement system (PZ-EHPS), which consists of a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between two conductive asphalt layers. Novel piezoelectric element designs inside the piezoelectric layer, such as piezo ball and piezo roof, were proposed to explore the energy harvesting potential of the system. Considering the large scale of the system, finite element models were built not only to analyze the performance of PZ-EHPS specimens fabricated in the laboratory, but also to simulate the PZ-EHPS operation under real traffic conditions. Results from the laboratory-based finite element models, which were verified by experimental study, determined that a thin piezoelectric layer with piezo ball elements and a low stiffness insulative filler had the significant advantage of producing up to 85 V electricity. Compared to piezo ball elements, piezo cylinder elements may fit a thick and stiff piezoelectric layer better and lead to a high voltage output up to 50 V. As a result of the field-based finite element models, the PZ-EHPS with a rigid piezoelectric layer produces more electricity than that with a flexible piezoelectric layer. For a single-vehicle scenario, if each PZ-EHPS segment length equals the vehicle wheelbase length, consecutive PZ-EHPS segments may constantly supply high electricity as the vehicle moves at a high speed over the segments. For a multiple-vehicle scenario, however, the voltage output generated by a second vehicle will be reduced if the first vehicle is still on the same PZ-EHPS segment. This study provides optimal design features of the PZ-EHPS to lead this energy harvesting system significantly closer to the field application.