A rotational piezoelectric energy harvester for efficient wind energy harvesting

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. A. Physical. Vol. 262; pp. 123 - 129
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jiantao, Fang, Zhou, Shu, Chang, Zhang, Jia, Zhang, Quan, Li, Chaodong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.08.2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Computer simulation; Electricity; Electricity generation; Energy efficiency; Energy harvesting; Excitation; Finite element analysis; Finite element method; Harvesters; Impact-induced vibration; Mathematical models; Piezoelectric; Piezoelectricity; Sensors; Transient response; Vibration; Wind energy harvesting; Wind power; Wind speed; Impact-induced vibration; Finite element analysis; Wind energy harvesting; Piezoelectric
• ISSN: 0924-4247; 1873-3069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2017.05.027

Harvesting wind energy to power the sensor nodes has evoked great interests. But the challenge in designing such wind energy harvesters is to improve the efficiency of energy harvesting for a wide range of wind speeds. In this research, a rotational piezoelectric energy harvester for efficiently harvesting wind energy is proposed. The piezoelectric (PVDF) beam generates electricity using the impact-induced vibration. But it is found that the energy output of the harvester doesn't always increase with increasing the wind speed. An analytical model is presented and simulated using finite element method. The transient responses of the piezoelectric beam subjected to an impulse pressure are obtained. The relationship between rms output voltage and excitation frequency is analyzed. To improve the harvester performance, the methods for the adjustment of the vibration frequency of the PVDF beam are proposed. The developed wind energy harvester can generate sufficient energy and does not require the excitation frequency to be close to the resonance frequency of the harvester. Since the dimension of the turntable and the position of the piezoelectric beam may be adjusted, large vibration amplitude of the beam can be obtained. So the harvester can effectively generate electricity. A rotational piezoelectric energy harvester for efficiently harvesting wind energy is developed. The piezoelectric (PVDF) beam generates electricity using the impact-induced vibration. An analytical model is presented and simulated using finite element method. The transient responses of the piezoelectric beam subjected to an impulse pressure are obtained. The relationship between rms output voltage and excitation frequency is analyzed. It is found the impact frequency is an important factor for the harvester performance. When the impact frequency is beyond the critical one, the output power of the harvester will decrease with increasing the wind speed. To improve the harvester performance, the methods for the adjustment of the vibration frequency of the PVDF beam are proposed. The harvester can effectively scavenge the wind energy. A maximum rms voltage of 160.2V and a maximum output power of 2566.4μW were obtained at the wind speed of 14m/s in configuration 2.