Article
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Numerical Assessment of Flow Energy Harvesting Potential in a Micro-channel
Version 1
: Received: 27 June 2023 / Approved: 28 June 2023 / Online: 28 June 2023 (11:37:13 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Koubogiannis, D.G.; Benetatos, M.V.N. Numerical Assessment of Flow Energy Harvesting Potential in a Micro-Channel. Fluids 2023, 8, 222. Koubogiannis, D.G.; Benetatos, M.V.N. Numerical Assessment of Flow Energy Harvesting Potential in a Micro-Channel. Fluids 2023, 8, 222.
Abstract
A micro energy harvesting device proposed in the literature, is numerically studied. It consists of two bluff bodies in a micro-channel and a flexible diaphragm at its upper wall. Vortex shedding behind bodies induces pressure fluctuation causing vibration of the diaphragm that converts me-chanical energy to electrical by means of a piezoelectric membrane. Research on enhancing vortex shedding is justified due to the low power output of the device. Amplitude and frequency of un-steady pressure fluctuation on the diaphragm center are numerically predicted. Vortex shedding severity is mainly assessed in terms of pressure amplitude. The CFD model set-up is described in detail and appropriate metrics to assess energy harvesting potential are defined. Several cases are simulated to study the effect of inlet Reynolds number and channel blockage ratio on the prospec-tive performance of the device. Furthermore, the critical blockage ratio leading to vortex shedding suppression is sought. Higher inlet velocity for a constant blockage ratio is found to enhance vor-tex shedding and pressure drop. Great blockage ratio values, but lower than the critical one, seem to provide great pressure amplitudes in the expense of moderate pressure drop. There is evidence that the field is fruitful for research and relevant directions are provided.
Keywords
Energy harvesting; micro-channel flow; CFD; piezoelectric phenomenon; bluff body.
Subject
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
