Modeling and Analysis of an Electromagnetic Energy Harvester

Schmitt Jr., Airton J. Mechanical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil, airtonjoseschmittjr@gmail.com

Cordioli, Júlio A. Mechanical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil, julio.cordioli@ufsc.br

Braga, Danilo Dynamox / Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil, danilo@dynamox.net

Ferreira da Luz, Maurício V. Mechanical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil, mauricio.luz.ufsc@gmail.com

Abstract

Vibration Energy Harvesters (VEHs) are devices capable of converting energy from an external source of vibration into electrical energy, which can power small equipment, such as sensors and vibration monitoring instruments. Nowadays, the vast majority of such transducers can be classified into four main categories according to their operating principle, namely: Piezoelectric; electromagnetic; electrostatic and magnetostrictive harvesters. This paper presents the analysis and modeling of a compact commercial device of approximately 50.97 cm3 in volume and a mass of 90 g, containing a resonant-type electromagnetic generator in its interior. The harvesting power of this device is up to 45 mW, when operating at its resonance frequency of approximately 60Hz and at an acceleration amplitude of 0.7g [m/s2], resulting in a normalized power density around 1.8018 mW/cm3/g2. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to detail the modeling of such a transducer via Comsol Multiphysics, as well as the validation of the developed models with the experimental results.

Keywords:

Energy Harvesting

modeling

electromagnetic

transducer

vibration.

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