Enhancing Low-Velocity Wind Energy Harvesting through Semi-Circular Passive Turbulence Controls on Bluff Bodies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38032/scse.2025.3.114Keywords:
Energy Harvesting, Vortex-Induced Vibration, Flow-Induced Vibration, Piezoelectricity, Low Velocity, Cantilever, Passive Turbulence Control (PTC)Abstract
The exponential growth of small-scale electronic devices and the limitations of battery life that necessitate frequent replacements in remote locations have driven researchers to develop various energy harvesting techniques. Conventional wind turbines are inefficient for capturing low-velocity wind energy due to their complexity and dependence on high wind speeds. Therefore, vortex-induced energy harvesting has attracted considerable attention as an alternative, but its performance is highly dependent on wind velocity, generating high output power in a narrow range and almost none at other velocities. This study aims to enhance this range by integrating two semi-circular passive turbulence control (SPTC) devices at different circumferential positions on a cylindrical bluff body, symmetrically aligned with the stagnation line. Experimental studies conducted in a subsonic wind tunnel demonstrated that while SPTC placements at 45° and 90° reduced performance, positions at 60° and 75° significantly expanded the operational range and increased output power. These configurations also showed continuous power increases with wind speed, offering a potential solution to the limitations of traditional cylindrical bluff bodies.
Downloads
Downloads
Downloads
References
[1] A. Tummala, R. K. Velamati, D. K. Sinha, V. Indraja, and V. H. Krishna, “A review on small scale wind turbines,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 56, pp. 1351–1371, Apr. 2016.
[2] J. Wang et al., “Energy harvesting from flow-induced vibration: a lumped parameter model,” Energy Sources, Part A Recover. Util. Environ. Eff., vol. 40, no. 24, pp. 2903–2913, Dec. 2018.
[3] J. Wang, L. Geng, L. Ding, H. Zhu, and D. Yurchenko, “The state-of-the-art review on energy harvesting from flow-induced vibrations,” Appl. Energy, vol. 267, p. 114902, Jun. 2020.
[4] J. Wang, Y. Zhang, M. Liu, and G. Hu, “Etching metasurfaces on bluff bodies for vortex-induced vibration energy harvesting,” Int. J. Mech. Sci., vol. 242, p. 108016, Mar. 2023.
[5] H. L. Dai, A. Abdelkefi, and L. Wang, “Theoretical modeling and nonlinear analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesting from vortex-induced vibrations,” Int. J. Mech. Sci., vol. 25, no. 14, pp. 1861–1874, Jun. 2014.
[6] M. Mohiuddin, K. M. Rahman, Z. Ahmed, and R. Ahmed, “Optimizing Power Density in Partially Coated Cantilever Beam Energy Harvesters: A Cost-Effective Design Strategy,” Energies 2024, Vol. 17, Page 5572, vol. 17, no. 22, p. 5572, Nov. 2024.
[7] M. Mohiuddin, Z. U. Ahmed, and R. Ahmed, “Influence of Beam Geometry on the Power Capacity of a Cantilever Beam Based Energy Harvester,” Vol. 6 Dyn. Vib. Control, Feb. 2024.
[8] M. Mohiuddin, Z. U. Ahmed, and R. Ahmed, “An Analysis of Concave and Convex Shaped Cantilever Beams On Vibration-Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting,” Vol. 11 36th Conf. Mech. Vib. Sound, Nov. 2024.
[9] V. Azadeh-Ranjbar, N. Elvin, and Y. Andreopoulos, “Vortex-induced vibration of finite-length circular cylinders with spanwise free-ends: Broadening the lock-in envelope,” Phys. Fluids, vol. 30, no. 10, Oct. 2018.
[10] Y. Gao, Z. Zhang, L. Zou, L. Liu, and B. Yang, “Effect of surface roughness and initial gap on the vortex-induced vibrations of a freely vibrating cylinder in the vicinity of a plane wall,” Mar. Struct., vol. 69, p. 102663, Jan. 2020.
[11] S. Huang, “VIV suppression of a two-degree-of-freedom circular cylinder and drag reduction of a fixed circular cylinder by the use of helical grooves,” J. Fluids Struct., vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 1124–1133, Oct. 2011.
[12] Z. Jin, G. Li, J. Wang, and Z. Zhang, “Design, modeling, and experiments of the vortex-induced vibration piezoelectric energy harvester with bionic attachments,” Complexity, vol. 2019, 2019.
[13] J. Wang, S. Sun, L. Tang, G. Hu, and J. Liang, “On the use of metasurface for Vortex-Induced vibration suppression or energy harvesting,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 235, p. 113991, May 2021.
[14] J. Song, G. Hu, K. T. Tse, S. W. Li, and K. C. S. Kwok, “Performance of a circular cylinder piezoelectric wind energy harvester fitted with a splitter plate,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 111, no. 22, Nov. 2017.
[15] J. Wang, G. Zhao, M. Zhang, and Z. Zhang, “Efficient study of a coarse structure number on the bluff body during the harvesting of wind energy,” Energy Sources, Part A Recover. Util. Environ. Eff., vol. 40, no. 15, pp. 1788–1797, Aug. 2018.
[16] G. Hu, K. T. Tse, K. C. S. Kwok, J. Song, and Y. Lyu, “Aerodynamic modification to a circular cylinder to enhance the piezoelectric wind energy harvesting,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 109, no. 19, Nov. 2016.
[17] H. Zheng and J. Wang, “Galloping oscillation of a circular cylinder firmly combined with different shaped fairing devices,” J. Fluids Struct., vol. 77, pp. 182–195, Feb. 2018.
[18] M. Mohiuddin, Z. U. Ahmed, A. Rahman, and M. R. Islam, “Performance Enhancement of Flow-Induced Energy Harvester through Integration of Semi-Circular Passive Turbulence Control,” 2024.
[19] G. Hu, K. T. Tse, M. Wei, R. Naseer, A. Abdelkefi, and K. C. S. Kwok, “Experimental investigation on the efficiency of circular cylinder-based wind energy harvester with different rod-shaped attachments,” Appl. Energy, vol. 226, pp. 682–689, Sep. 2018.
Published
Conference Proceedings Volume
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Md. Mohiuddin, Zahir U. Ahmed, Mohammad Ilias Inam, Md. Rhyhanul Islam (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All the articles published by this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
