(MENAFN- PR Newswire)
The major limitation of energy harvesters is their relatively low power output compared to their size. Consequently, much research has been dedicated to increasing their power output through new energy conversion mechanisms, often incorporating hybrid structures that combine these mechanisms with higher power output of EI. Many studies have sought higher power output by using larger and stronger magnets and more coil turns. However, an innovative approach is to try to optimize the topology of magnets and coils based on the principle of maximizing the magnetic flux change.
With this motivation, a team of researchers from the Republic of Korea, led by Associate Professor Dahoon Ann from the Department of Mechanical System Design Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), focused on cylindrical EI coils and magnet cores, the most commonly used components in energy harvesters, to come up with a novel design for energy-efficient and high-power-output EI-type vibration energy harvesters (VEHs). "This can help achieve higher power output in a smaller volume. If such energy harvesters are realized, it could herald a future where all battery-powered devices use energy harvesters as their primary power source,"
claims Dr. Ahn.
Their findings were made available online on September 10, 2024 and published in Volume 9, Issue 4 of the Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices
on December 01, 2024.
The researchers studied the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion in cylindrical EI-VEHs with disc- or ring-shaped magnets and coils. Their simulations reveal that using a repulsive magnet pair instead of a single magnet, incorporating a yoke (a structure for guiding and concentrating magnetic flux in a desirable part of a magnetic circuit), and optimizing the position and thickness of the coil are promising strategies. These approaches modify the path of the magnetic flux so as to maximize the magnetic flux gradient at the coil winding, leading to better EI-VEHs.
Specifically, a yoke enhanced the power consumption at the external load by about 5.8 times. The team also determined the points in the magnetic circuit where power generation is unfeasible as a result of zero magnetic flux gradient and observed a remarkable 5.3-fold uptick in power generation upon optimizing the coil placement.
Based on these results, the study proposes two novel designs for EI-VEHs: one with a moving coil winding and fixed disc magnets with a yoke to the housing and another based on moving ring magnets and fixed coil winding to the housing with a yoke enclosure. While the first design demonstrates high power output, it's not structurally sound. In contrast, the second configuration has no structural limitations and can also generate power at about 85% of the first design's level.
Reference
Title of original paper: Power enhancement of vibration energy harvesters by way of magnetic flux gradient analysis of electromagnetic induction
Journal: Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices
DOI:
About the institute Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
Website:
Contact:
Eunhee Lee
82-2-970-9166
[email protected]
SOURCE Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
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