Electroaeroelastic Modeling and Analysis for Flow Energy Piezoelectric Harvester

An electroaeroelastic model for wind energy harvesting using piezoelectric generators is presented. The flow field is mapped in detail. The force which the fluid flow exerts on the generator is formulated. The output voltage levels generated from the mechanical strain within the piezoelectric elements are determined. An analytical model is developed with consideration of the interactions between the fluid, solid and electric. Various analytical results are obtained, such as flow velocity contour and pressure contour for the flow, moving trajectories, stress contour and output voltage of the harvester. A prototype is fabricated and tested. The simulation result is close to the experimental result. The model developed in this paper can predict the performance and behavior of different energy harvesters. And it also can be used as a design tool for optimizing the performance of the harvester.