Improving the performance of galloping energy harvester with striped bluff body

Abstract

To improve the performance and efficiency of ordinary galloping energy harvesters (GEHs), this paper proposes a GEH with a striped bluff body. The fluid-structure coupling simulation of the bluff body and the oscillator of the energy harvester was carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics. The cloud diagram in the flow field, tip displacement at the tip of the beam, lifting and dragging force, and trace and frequency response of the harvester are analyzed. Simulation results show that the GEH with a striped bluff body has the characteristics of rising frequency and falling peak compared with the ordinary GEH, which can be locked at a fixed peak to form a stable periodic response. Experimental results show that the striped bluff body energy harvester displays better energy harvest performance. The output root mean square voltage can be increased by 119.2% at 2 m/s wind speed, which means that the galloping harvester with a striped bluff body has more stable dynamic characteristics and shows better energy harvest performance.