Numerical Assessment and Parametric Optimization of a Piezoelectric Wind Energy Harvester for IoT-Based Applications

Muhammad Abdullah Sheeraz, Muhammad Sohail Malik, Khalid Rehman, Hassan Elahi, Zubair Butt, Iftikhar Ahmad, Marco Eugeni and Paolo Gaudenzi
Additional contact information
Muhammad Abdullah Sheeraz: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23460, Pakistan
Muhammad Sohail Malik: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23460, Pakistan
Khalid Rehman: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23460, Pakistan
Hassan Elahi: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Zubair Butt: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila 47080, Pakistan
Iftikhar Ahmad: Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering Bahrain Polytechnic, Isa Town P.O. Box 33349, Bahrain
Marco Eugeni: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Paolo Gaudenzi: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: In the 21st century, researchers have been showing keen interest in the areas of wireless networking and internet of things (IoT) devices. Conventionally, batteries have been used to power these networks; however, due to the limited lifespan of batteries and with the recent advancements in piezoelectric technology, there is a dramatic increase in renewable energy harvesting devices. In this research, an eco-friendly wind energy harvesting device based on the piezoelectric technique is analytically modeled, numerically simulated, and statistically optimized for low power applications. MATLAB toolbox SIMSCAPE is utilized to simulate the proposed wind energy harvester in which a windmill is used to produce rotational motion due to the kinetic energy of wind. The windmill’s rotational shaft is further connected to the rotary to linear converter (RLC) and vibration enhancement mechanism (VEM) for the generation of translational mechanical vibration. Consequently, due to these alternative linear vibrations, the piezoelectric stack produces sufficient electrical output. The output response of the energy harvester is analyzed for the various conditions of piezoelectric thickness, wind speed, rotor angular velocity, and VEM stiffness. It is observed that the electrical power of the proposed harvester is proportional to the cube of wind speed and is inversely proportional to the number of rotor blades. Furthermore, an optimization strategy based on the full factorial design of the experiment is developed and implemented on MINITAB 18.0 for evaluating the statistical performance of the proposed harvester. It is noticed that a design with 3 rotor-blades, having 3 mm piezoelectric thickness, and 40 Nm ?1 stiffness generates the optimum electrical response of the harvester.

Keywords: energy harvesting; piezoelectric transducers; vibration enhancement mechanism (VEM); design of experiments-based optimization; internet of things (IoT) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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