Energy-Harvesting System and Transfer Matrix Model for Pressure Regulators

This study is focused on energy harvesting. The goal was to develop a new energy-harvesting system using a pressure regulator and establish an efficient energy flow model within it. The harvested electrical energy can be used as a power source for devices around the regulator, such as primary battery-powered gas meters, thereby enabling battery-free operation. Here, we focus on pressure regulators for LP and city gases, which are used by a vast number of consumers. We systematically modeled complicated energy-conversion processes using the transfer matrix method to maximize the recovered electrical energy. Under normal gas usage conditions, the gas flow is low, and the harvested energy is limited. However, it surpasses the energy supplied by the primary batteries. The results obtained under the actual operational conditions were compared with those calculated using a theoretical model. Within the system, a DC motor and an AC motor were used as generators, and the results were compared. When a DC motor was used as the generator under 0.05 MPa, 0.8 L/m, and maximum power-harvesting load conditions, the harvested power was 0.237 W, which is sufficient to drive the meters. Additionally, the error between the experimental and theoretical results ranged from 2.6% to 4.6%. When an AC motor was used as a generator, the harvested energy was 0.015 W and the error was −14.7%. Utilizing this theoretical model allows for the calculation of the optimal conditions for energy harvesting from various pressure regulators, thereby offering design guidelines for energy-harvesting systems.