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Effects of confinement ratio and flow speed on the effectiveness of piezoelectric-flag energy harvesters in the wake of a bluff body

Author

Listed:
  • Naveed, A.
  • Uddin, E.
  • Abdelkefi, A.
  • Latif, U.
  • Younis, M.Y.
  • Ali, Z.

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of side walls on the performance of flag-based piezoelectric energy harvester placed inside the wake region. Two types of cylindrical bluff bodies, namely, circular and inverted C-shaped are used to generate wakes. To investigate the influence of confined area on the harvester's dynamics and effectiveness, the harvester's performance is evaluated in an un-bounded condition and as well as confined conditions. Confinement is achieved by placing two adjustable plates parallel to the flow as well as cylinder axis and by moving the plates, confinement can be varied. In each confined configuration, the harvester's performance is evaluated for various streamwise gaps between the bluff body and the harvester and varying flow velocities. The results are compared with the benchmark case i.e. un-bounded configuration to analyze the variation in the harvested power. The wake dynamics of the bluff bodies are characterized by performing Particle Image Velocimetry. It is demonstrated that the output power upsurges first and beyond a certain channel width, starts to decline. This is mainly due to the drop in flapping amplitude at higher confinement. Critical configurations yielding optimal harvested power are systematically identified through detailed experimental analysis. The results indicate that the levels of the harvested power are strongly dependent on the confined area, and they are generally higher for the inverted C-shaped bluff body. Compared to their corresponding un-bounded configurations, the flag-based energy harvester shows a 44.8 % and 39.2 % increase in output power, at optimal configurations with circular and inverted C-shaped bluff bodies, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Naveed, A. & Uddin, E. & Abdelkefi, A. & Latif, U. & Younis, M.Y. & Ali, Z., 2026. "Effects of confinement ratio and flow speed on the effectiveness of piezoelectric-flag energy harvesters in the wake of a bluff body," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PF).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pf:s0960148125020038
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124339
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    References listed on IDEAS

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