An Energy conversion model for cantilevered piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters using only measurable parameters

• Published in: International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 2(1) Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 51 - 57
• Main Authors: Kim, Jae Eun, Kim, Hongjin, Yoon, Hansol, Kim, Yoon Young, Youn, Byeng D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Korean Society for Precision Engineering 01.01.2015; Springer Nature B.V; 한국정밀공학회
• Subjects: Boilers; Electric power generation; Electric power plants; Energy consumption; Energy conversion; Energy Efficiency; Energy harvesting; Engineering; Finite element method; Harvesters; Industrial and Production Engineering; Mathematical models; Piezoelectricity; Sustainable Development; Vibration measurement; 기계공학; Energy conversion model; Vibration; Energy harvesting; Piezoelectric
• ISSN: 2288-6206; 2198-0810
• DOI: 10.1007/s40684-015-0007-x

Accurate predictions of the amount of harvestable energy available from ambient vibrations are important for design of energy harvesters and for their integration in specific applications. This need has motivated the development of many mathematical models for piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs). Existing models, however, require material and geometric PEH data that are often incorrect and/or unavailable. As a more accurate and practical means to meet this need, we propose an energy conversion model of a cantilevered PEH that requires only geometric data and modal parameters that can be directly measured using a standard vibration test. The newly proposed model facilitates calculation of the maximum output power and thus enables visualization of the harvestable energy from the target vibrating structure. Prediction accuracy of the proposed model was confirmed in our study through finite element analysis and experimental results. Practical use of the proposed energy conversion model was demonstrated by applying it to a cooling fan unit of a boiler facility in a power plant.