Fluid–structure interaction in piezoelectric energy harvesting of a membrane wing

Abstract

Flow-induced vibrations (FIVs) can be utilized to harvest energy for micro-aerial vehicles. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fluid–structure interaction in piezoelectric energy harvesting. A piezoelectric energy harvester for a membrane wing at Reynolds number Re = 8000 is studied based on an aero-electro-mechanical model using the computational fluid dynamics/computational structure dynamic coupling method. The updated Lagrangian formulation is applied for the large deformation of the flexible structure. The effects of the location of piezoelectric harvesters and the angle of attack (α=4∘–24°) on FIV response and energy harvesting performance are investigated. Average power density is defined to evaluate the energy harvesting performance of the harvester. The location of the piezoelectric harvester has a negligible effect on the energy harvesting performance under the same FIV response. However, the change in local stiffness caused by the location of the piezoelectric harvester may induce a noticeable difference in FIV response which impacts the energy harvesting performance. The simulation results indicate the strong coupling relationship among flow field, membrane structure, and electric field. There are two states of fluid–structure interaction at the angles of attack investigated. At α=4°–12°, the vibration response of the membrane wing is mainly driven by the natural frequency of the structure. At α=16°–24°, the convection and shedding of leading- and trailing-edge vortices play a dominant role in FIV response. The work presents the mechanism of fluid–structure interaction in energy harvesting from FIVs and provides a significant basis for designing energy harvesters of membrane wings.

Optimizing the Clearance Fit of a Progressive Cavity Pump for the Thermal Recovery of Petroleum Using Fluid–Structure Thermal Coupling

“…To solve this problem, the boundary of the outer contour is blurred, and an additional force term is added to the Navier–Stokes momentum equation to reflect the effect of the boundary. 16 , 17 The equation of constraints on the solid and fluid in the region of coupling is …”

“…For a fluid–solid contact boundary, the mesh of the moving boundary must be generated in each time step owing to the large deformation and displacement of the stator over a short time. To solve this problem, the boundary of the outer contour is blurred, and an additional force term is added to the Navier–Stokes momentum equation to reflect the effect of the boundary. , The equation of constraints on the solid and fluid in the region of coupling is …”

“…To solve this problem, the boundary of the outer contour is blurred, and an additional force term is added to the Navier−Stokes momentum equation to reflect the effect of the boundary. 16,17 The equation of constraints on the solid and fluid in the region of coupling is The first equation is the Navier−Stokes equation of the fluid, and ΔF is an additional force term that reflects the interaction between the fluid and the structure on the coupling surface. The second equation is the distribution function of the additional force.…”

Multimodal piezoelectric wind energy harvester for aerospace applications

“…Results of the theoretical model are well‐correlated with the simulation outcomes at the particular range of the flow speed, angle of attack, and membrane structure. Researchers have claimed that the proposed methodology would be best suited in designing the piezoelectric energy harvesters for micro‐aerial vehicles 29 . During the fluid‐structure interaction, the inherent structural dynamics play a prominent role in identifying the fluttering nature of the harvester 30‐32 .…”

“…Researchers have claimed that the proposed methodology would be best suited in designing the piezoelectric energy harvesters for microaerial vehicles. 29 During the fluid-structure interaction, the inherent structural dynamics play a prominent role in identifying the fluttering nature of the harvester. [30][31][32] The predefined boundary conditions of the host structure are also influenced by the fluid-induced vibrations, 33 and consequently, the electrical performance of the harvester changes dynamically.…”