Miniaturized vortex-induced vibration energy harvester for low velocity air flow application

A miniaturized vortex-induced vibration (VIV) fluid energy harvester is proposed. The theoretical background of this working principle is studied. A fluid-structure interaction simulation is carried out to optimize the structure of the energy harvester. As result, the conversion efficiency is significantly improved, which is experimentally confirmed. The demonstrators are working in air flow already at a velocity of 2 m/s, and reach the maximum efficiency at 3.6 m/s. This performance ranks among the best published results and is discussed in detail.