Dan Magazinnik, MSc
Nonlinear water-waves energy harvesting – modeling and experiments
Description
This research studies the dynamics of an energy harvesting prototype driven by water-waves. By exploiting the dynamics of double well potential-barrier electromagnetic energy harvesting system, an efficient energy harvesting mechanism is produced. The device converts the slow motion of open-sea water-waves, reproduced in a laboratory simulator, into fast vibrations thus creating high voltage levels through a multi-turn coil that moves relative to a magnetic field.
Schematic description of the laboratory energy harvesting system. The system consists of two buoys, linkage, interaction magnets and a conversion device. Motion is generated by water waves that are created by two motors driving a pedal each.
Schematic diagram used in the hydrostatic calculations
Top: output voltage during a system startup reaching steady-state quasi-sinusoidal oscillations. Middle: Histogram reflecting the probability density of relative angular displacement, computed from the time integrated voltage. Bottom: Slow-fast decomposition of the integrated voltage. Blue: slow, green: fast.