Harvesting flow-induced vibration using a highly flexible piezoelectric energy device

Energy harvesting is a topic of global interest in both academic research and practical application across many fields. The main concept in energy harvesting is to convert wasted ambient energy into useful electrical energy. In particular, piezoelectric materials can be used to convert strain energy into electric power directly, and piezoelectric materials can be used to harvest external vibration forces. This paper proposes and develops a highly flexible piezoelectric energy device (FPED) to harvest flow induced vibration by converting ambient kinetic energy such as ocean, current and wind energy into electric power. The energy harvesting device uses piezoelectric layers (e.g. PVDF) and elastomer materials (e.g. rubber or silicone) to achieve high electric performance and efficiency. The design of the FPED was optimized by considering the aspect ratio, support system, initial tension and incorporates a bluff body to generate turbulence. A theoretical model based on the transfer matrix method was used with the initial tension force and natural frequency of the harvester. The model demonstrated the maximum electric performance and optimized the structural layers and size under the parameter studies. Numerical and experimental results proved the potential of the highly flexible piezoelectric energy device to convert ambient kinetic energy from flow-induced vibration into useful electrical energy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.