Effects of installation position of fin-shaped rods on wind-induced vibration and energy harvesting of aeroelastic energy converter

Abstract

Abstract The influence of fin-shaped rod (FSR) with different installation positions on wind-induced vibration and energy harvesting of a cylinder-based aeroelastic energy harvester are studied by experiments and simulations. Two FSRs are installed symmetrically on the surface of a circular cylinder, and the coverage angle of each FSR is 20°. The installation position of FSRs on the cylinder is represented by the placement angle, θ, which varies in the range of ±160°. And the tested wind speed range is 0–6.8 m s−1. The results show that FSRs change the position of the separation point of the boundary shear layers, further affect the formation and shedding of vortices. Then the force on the cylinder changes, which causes the energy harvester to produce different vibration responses and energy outputs. When 0° < θ < 70°, back-to-back vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and galloping can be observed for FSR-cylinder, and the output power increases with the increase of wind speed, the maximum output voltage and power reach 18.1 V and 1.645 mW. For 70° ⩽ θ < 120°, the vibration of FSR-cylinder is suppressed, which is not conducive for energy harvesting. When 120° < θ ⩽ 160°, the vibration of FSR-cylinder firstly experiences VIV and then galloping occurs after reaching the critical wind speed.