Energy harvesting from ambience for powering sensors has become a focal research area and recent research indicates that extracting fluid flow energy from Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV) is a promising candidate for Energy Harvesting Devices (EHDs). In its basic form, a VIV-based EHD consists of flow past a bluff body and the resulting vortex shedding is used to vibrate a mechanical oscillator that houses a transducer.
Energy harvesting from ambience for powering sensors has become a focal research area and recent research indicates that extracting fluid flow energy from Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV) is a promising candidate for Energy Harvesting Devices (EHDs). In its basic form, a VIV-based EHD consists of flow past a bluff body and the resulting vortex shedding is used to vibrate a mechanical oscillator that houses a transducer. The objectives of the proposed research are to quantify the energy harnessed from certain bluff body flow oscillations using a piezoelectric transducer in different configurations and to establish the effects of Reynolds number, body geometry, piezoelectric material and load resistance on the power generated.