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An experimental investigation into a novel small-scale device for energy harvesting using vortex-induced vibration

Moradi Gharghani, F ; Sharif University of Technology | 2021

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1093/ijlct/ctaa060
  3. Publisher: Oxford University Press , 2021
  4. Abstract:
  5. Renewable energies could be a good solution to the problems associated with fossil fuels. The storage of wind energy by means of small-scale devices rather than large-scale turbines is a topic that has gained lots of interest. In this study, a compact device is proposed to harvest wind energy and transform it into electrical energy, by means of oscillations of a magnet into a coil, using the concept of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) behind a barrier. For a more comprehensive investigation, this system is studied from two viewpoints of fluid mechanics (without magnet) and power generation (with the magnet). For this purpose, an oscillating plate hinging on one side and three barriers with different geometrical shapes including cylindrical, triangular and rectangular barriers are used. In addition to the effect of barrier geometry, the impacts of various barriers dimensions, the distance between the plate and the barriers as well as inclination angle of the plate with respect to the horizon on the amplitude of oscillations and generated power are investigated. Results showed that in each case, there is a unique Reynolds number in which the frequency of vortex shedding equals to the frequency of plate oscillation and the output power from the energy harvester device is maximum. Besides, by increasing the barrier dimensions, the amplitude of oscillations increases up to three times, which leads to a higher generated power. Finally, by considering the studied parameters, the best conditions for generating energy using the VIV method are presented for design purposes. Among all the considered cases, the cylindrical barrier with the highest diameter and nearest distance to the plate led to the highest efficiency (0.21%) in comparison with other barriers. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press
  6. Keywords:
  7. Energy harvesting ; Fluid mechanics ; Fossil fuels ; Magnets ; Reynolds number ; Vibrations (mechanical) ; Vortex flow ; Vortex shedding ; Wind power ; Amplitude of oscillation ; Experimental investigations ; Geometrical shapes ; Inclination angles ; Oscillating plates ; Renewable energies ; Small scale devices ; Vortex-induced vibration ; Energy storage
  8. Source: International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies ; Volume 16, Issue 2 , 2021 , Pages 317-325 ; 17481317 (ISSN)
  9. URL: https://academic.oup.com/ijlct/article/16/2/317/5900591?login=true