Analyses of power output of piezoelectric energy-harvesting devices directly connected to a load resistor using a coupled piezoelectric-circuit finite element method

This study investigated the energy harvesting performance of a piezoelectric module in asphalt pavements through laboratory testing and multi-physics based simulation. The energy harvester module was assembled with layers of Bridge transducers and tested in the laboratory. A decoupled approach was used to study the interaction between the energy harvester and the surrounding pavement. The effects of embedment location, vehicle speed, and temperature on energy harvesting performance were investigated. The analysis findings indicate that the embedment location and vehicle speed affects the resulted power output of the piezoelectric energy harvesting system. The embedment depth of the energy module affects both the magnitude and frequency of stress pulse on top of the energy module induced by tire loading. On the other hand, higher vehicle speed causes greater loading frequency and thus greater power output; the effect of pavement temperature is negligible. The analysis of total power output before reaching fatigue failure of the energy module can be used to determine the optimum embedment location in the asphalt layer. The proposed energy harvesting system provides great potential to generate green energy from waste kinetic energy in roadway pavements. Field study is recommended to verify these findings with long-term performance monitoring of pavement with embedded energy harvesters.

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Nano-Mixture Coating and Geometrical Configuration Impact on Cantilever Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System

Energy Harvesting and Systems ◽

10.1515/ehs-2018-0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (3-4) ◽

pp. 53-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dinesh R. Palikhel ◽

Tyrus A. McCarty ◽

Jagdish P. Sharma

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Transport System ◽

Power Output ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽

Intermodal Transport ◽

Power Harvesting ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Energy Harvesting System ◽

The Impact

Abstract Vibrational energy from intermodal transport system can be recovered through the application of piezoelectric energy harvesting system. The intermodal vibration sources are passenger cars and freight trucks moving on streets and highways, trains moving on railway tracks and planes moving on airport runways. However, the primary limiting factor of the application of the piezoelectric energy harvesting system has been the insignificant power output for power storage or to directly power electrical device. A special nano-mixture coating is developed to enhance the energy harvesting capability of the conventional piezoelectric material. This research investigates the impact of the nano-mixture coating on the power output. The experimental results of the nano-mixture coated system show substantial and explicit improvement on the power output. Alternative geometrical designs, trapezoidal and triangular are explored in anticipation for improved power output. But the rectangular energy harvester demonstrates better power harvesting capability. The results presented in this paper show the potential of the nano-mixture coating in power harvesting from intermodal transport system.

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Topology Optimization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices Subjected to Stochastic Excitation

Volume 1: 36th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/detc2010-28856 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zheqi Lin ◽

Hae Chang Gea ◽

Shutian Liu

Keyword(s):

Topology Optimization ◽

Energy Harvesting ◽

Electrical Energy ◽

Ambient Vibration ◽

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽

The Past ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Random Responses ◽

Pseudo Excitation ◽

Energy Harvesting Devices

Converting ambient vibration energy into electrical energy using piezoelectric energy harvester has attracted much interest in the past decades. In this paper, topology optimization is applied to design the optimal layout of the piezoelectric energy harvesting devices. The objective function is defined as to maximize the energy harvesting performance over a range of ambient vibration frequencies. Pseudo excitation method (PEM) is applied to analyze structural stationary random responses. Sensitivity analysis is derived by the adjoint method. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach.

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Mechanistic Modeling and Economic Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Potential in Airport Pavements

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/0361198120942503 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2674 (11) ◽

pp. 64-75

Author(s):

Jingnan Zhao ◽

Hao Wang

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Economic Analysis ◽

Power Output ◽

Piezoelectric Materials ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Mechanistic Modeling ◽

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽

Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽

Near Surface ◽

Piezoelectric Energy

This study investigated the feasibility of applying piezoelectric energy harvesting technology in airfield pavements through mechanistic modeling and economic analysis. The energy harvesting performance of piezoelectric transducers was evaluated based on mechanical energy induced by multi-wheel aircraft loading on flexible airfield pavements. A three-dimensional finite element model was used to estimate the stress pulse and magnitude under moving aircraft tire loading. A stack piezoelectric transducer design was used to estimate the power output of a piezoelectric harvester embedded at different locations and depths in the pavement. The aircraft load and speed were found to be vital factors affecting the power output, along with the installation depth and horizontal locations of the energy harvester. On the other hand, the installation of the energy module had a negligible influence on the horizontal tensile strains at the bottom of the asphalt layer and compressive strains on the top of the subgrade. However, the near-surface pavement strains increased when the edge ribs of the tire were loaded on the energy module. Feasibility analysis results showed that the calculated levelized cost of electricity was high in general, although it varies depending on the airport traffic levels and the service life of the energy module. With the development of piezoelectric materials and technology, further evaluation of energy harvesting applications at airports needs to be conducted.

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