FLUID FLOW INDUCED OSCILLATING ENERGY HARVESTER WITH VARIABLE DAMPING BASED UPON OSCILLATION AMPLITUDE

• Main Authors: WEILAND, LISA, KENNEDY, SCOTT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 19.11.2015
• Subjects: BLASTING; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERATION; HEATING; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MACHINES OR ENGINES OTHER THANNON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, TO WIND MOTORS,TO NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS, AND TO GENERATING COMBUSTIONPRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY; INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUSSUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; WEAPONS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

An energy harvester including a stand supporting the energy harvester in a fluid flow, i.e. a stream or current; at least one bluff body extending from the stand and positioned substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow, wherein each bluff body moves relative to the stand at least in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow, wherein sufficient flow causes oscillating movement of the bluff body; and an electrical generator coupled to the stand and coupled to at least one bluff body converting the oscillating movement to electrical power, wherein the rate of electrical power generation per movement of the bluff body (or harvesting) is varied throughout a range of amplitudes of the oscillation of the bluff body and wherein the harvesting rate of at least one amplitude of the body oscillation is greater than the harvesting rate of at least one lower amplitude of the body oscillation. L'invention concerne un collecteur d'énergie comprenant un support supportant le collecteur d'énergie dans un écoulement de fluide, c'est-à-dire un flux ou un courant; au moins un corps non profilé partant du support et positionné de façon sensiblement perpendiculaire à l'écoulement de fluide, chaque corps non profilé se déplaçant relativement au support dans au moins une direction perpendiculaire à l'écoulement de fluide, un écoulement suffisant provoquant un mouvement oscillant du corps non profilé; et un générateur électrique accouplé au support et accouplé à au moins un corps non profilé convertissant le mouvement oscillant en énergie électrique, le taux de production d'énergie électrique par mouvement du corps oscillant (ou la collecte) étant varié dans toute une plage d'amplitudes de l'oscillation du corps oscillant et le taux de collecte d'au moins une amplitude de l'oscillation du corps étant supérieur au taux de collecte d'au moins une amplitude inférieure de l'oscillation du corps.