Study on Parameterization of Vortex-Induced Vibration Energy Harvester in Agricultural Environment

Abstract

In many special agricultural environments, many wireless sensors have a problem of power supply selection. Energy harvesting in the agricultural environment based on vortex-induced vibration (VIV) has the potential to solve the problem. In this paper, an energy harvester based on the VIV is designed in an agricultural environment. Relevant parameters of the harvester are studied with wind tunnel experiment to improve the efficiency of energy conversation. The results show that: (i) For large mass ratio, m∗ ≫ 1, and the same mass ratio m∗, the smaller the damping ratio ζ, the larger the normalized amplitude A∗, the larger the maximum efficiency η of VIV energy harvesting; (ii) m∗ ≫ 1, and under a certain range of Reynolds numbers, the smaller the mass-damping parameter m∗ ζ, the larger the normalized amplitude A∗, the larger the maximum and average efficiency η of VIV energy harvesting. (iii) m∗ ≫ 1, the larger the mass ratio m∗, the larger the range of resonance; the normalized frequency f∗ ≃ 1, the stable VIV locked state appears. The research results can provide references for the design of VIV energy harvesters in agricultural environments.