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Design and CFD Simulations of a Vortex-Induced Piezoelectric Energy Converter (VIPEC) for Underwater Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Xinyu An

    (School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)

  • Baowei Song

    (School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)

  • Wenlong Tian

    (School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)

  • Congcong Ma

    (Laboratoire Roberval, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, Compiègne 60200, France)

Abstract

A novel vortex-induced piezoelectric energy converter (VIPEC) is presented in this paper to harvest ocean kinetic energy in the underwater environment. The converter consists of a circular cylinder, a pivoted plate attached to the tail of the cylinder, several piezoelectric patches and a storage circuit. Vortex-induced pressure difference acts on the plate and drives the plate to squeeze piezo patches to convert fluid dynamic energy into electric energy. The output voltage is derived from the piezoelectric constitutive equation with fluid forces. In order to evaluate the performance of the VIPEC, two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations based on the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation and the shear stress transport (SST) k - ω turbulence model are conducted. The CFD method is firstly verified for different grid resolutions and time steps, and then validated using simulation and experimental data. The influences of the plate length and flow velocity on the wake structure, the driving force and the performance of the VIPEC are investigated. The results reveal that different parameters reach their peaks at different plate lengths, and the converter has a maximal output voltage of 2.3 mV in a specified condition and the maximal power density reaches 0.035 μ W/m 3 with a resistance load of 10 M Ω . The influence of the simulated subcritical Reynolds number on the driving force is not noticeable. The simulation results also demonstrate the feasibility of this device.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinyu An & Baowei Song & Wenlong Tian & Congcong Ma, 2018. "Design and CFD Simulations of a Vortex-Induced Piezoelectric Energy Converter (VIPEC) for Underwater Environment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:2:p:330-:d:129951
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rostami, Ali Bakhshandeh & Armandei, Mohammadmehdi, 2017. "Renewable energy harvesting by vortex-induced motions: Review and benchmarking of technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 193-214.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peng Liao & Jiyang Fu & Wenyong Ma & Yuan Cai & Yuncheng He, 2021. "Study on the Efficiency and Dynamic Characteristics of an Energy Harvester Based on Flexible Structure Galloping," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Vidya Chandran & Sekar M. & Sheeja Janardhanan & Varun Menon, 2018. "Numerical Study on the Influence of Mass and Stiffness Ratios on the Vortex Induced Motion of an Elastically Mounted Cylinder for Harnessing Power," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, September.
    3. Hongyuan Sun & Jiazheng Wang & Haihua Lin & Guanghua He & Zhigang Zhang & Bo Gao & Bo Jiao, 2022. "Numerical Study on a Cylinder Vibrator in the Hydrodynamics of a Wind–Wave Combined Power Generation System under Different Mass Ratios," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Haider Jaafar Chilabi & Hanim Salleh & Eris E. Supeni & Azizan As’arry & Khairil Anas Md Rezali & Ahmed B. Atrah, 2020. "Harvesting Energy from Planetary Gear Using Piezoelectric Material," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-25, January.
    5. Kaiyuan Zhao & Qichang Zhang & Wei Wang, 2019. "Optimization of Galloping Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with V-Shaped Groove in Low Wind Speed," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    6. Haider Jaafar Chilabi & Hanim Salleh & Waleed Al-Ashtari & E. E. Supeni & Luqman Chuah Abdullah & Azizan B. As’arry & Khairil Anas Md Rezali & Mohammad Khairul Azwan, 2021. "Rotational Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting: A Comprehensive Review on Excitation Elements, Designs, and Performances," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-29, May.
    7. Grzegorz Wieczorek & Krzysztof Bernacki & Zbigniew Rymarski & Wojciech Oliwa, 2021. "Gathering Energy of the Stray Currents in Electrified Railways Environment for Power Supply," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.
    8. Xinyu An & Baowei Song & Zhaoyong Mao & Congcong Ma, 2018. "Layout Optimization Design of Two Vortex Induced Piezoelectric Energy Converters (VIPECs) Using the Combined Kriging Surrogate Model and Particle Swarm Optimization Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Emmanuel Mbondo Binyet & Jen-Yuan Chang & Chih-Yung Huang, 2020. "Flexible Plate in the Wake of a Square Cylinder for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting—Parametric Study Using Fluid–Structure Interaction Modeling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-29, May.
    10. Jianfeng Hong & Fu Chen & Ming He & Sheng Wang & Wenxiang Chen & Mingjie Guan, 2019. "Study of a Low-Power-Consumption Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Circuit Based on Synchronized Switching Technology," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-13, August.

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