Power evaluation of flutter-based electromagnetic energy harvesters using computational fluid dynamics simulations

Abstract

H- and T-shaped cross sections are known to be susceptible to rotational single-degree-of-freedom aerodynamic instabilities. Here, such self-excited aerodynamic response of a T-shaped cantilever structure is used to extract energy, which is then converted into electric power through an electromagnetic transducer. The complex fluid–structure interaction between the cantilever harvester and wind flow is analyzed numerically and experimentally. To study the dynamic response of the cantilever and estimate the power output from the harvester, numerical simulations based on the vortex particle method are performed to determine the aerodynamic damping of the harvester section and to analyze the stability behavior of the section. The estimated aerodynamic damping parameter together with the mechanical and electrical damping parameters in the harvester are used to find the critical wind speed of flutter onset as well as the optimum load resistance. Wind tunnel experiments are conducted to validate the simulation results.