Energy Harvesting from Fluttering Membranes
Edwar Romero
Nellie Bonilla
Christian Martínez
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Energy Harvesting from Fluttering Membranes | ||
| Published in: | Megaprojects: Building Infrastructure by Fostering Engineering Collaboration, Efficient and Effective Integration and Innovative Planning: Proceedings of the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology | |
| Date of Conference: | July 23-25, 2012 | |
| Location of Conference: | Panama City, Panama | |
| Authors: | Visvanatha Sundararaan Edwar Romero Nellie Bonilla Christian Martínez | |
| Refereed Paper: | #67 | |
Abstract | ||
| Research has shown that vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric generators have been preferred due to the higher power output. The main advantage of energy harvesting is the possibility of powering wireless sensor nodes while extracting energy from environmental sources. This research focuses on study of the self-sustained oscillations (panel flutter) for energy generation with the use of flexible piezoelectric materials (MFC). Mylar sheets with a thickness of 100 μm and aspect ratios of 1, 1.5 and 2 were evaluated. The addition of fins at the trailing edge has been analyzed as well since it decreases the speed at which the fluttering starts. Wind speeds ranging from 10 to 16 mph caused the tested Mylar membrane to flutter, producing open-circuit voltages from 1-2.5 V. | ||