Apparatus for harvesting energy from flow-induced oscillations and method for the same
First Claim
1. A device for generating electrical power from a flow, said device comprising:
- a vibrating assembly for placing in a flow, said vibrating assembly comprising an electrical conductive element, andat least one elastic element having one end fixed to a base and another end is in free motion caused by the flow, wherein said electrical conductive element is integrated with said at least one elastic element; and
a magnetic field source configured to apply a magnetic field to said electrical conductive element and to induce an electrical current in said electrical conductive element;
the conductive element being substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field direction;
wherein said vibrating assembly is configured to oscillate in response to said flow, causing displacements of said electrical conductive element relatively to the direction of said magnetic field, and to output said electrical current resulting from said displacements.
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Abstract
A device and method for harvesting electrical power from kinetic energy of a flow. The electricity generator includes a vibration assembly and magnetic field source. The external gas or liquid flow causes a vibration of the assembly with an integrated conductive element, producing electricity in proximity of a magnetic field. The vibrating assembly has a set of resonant frequencies that correspond to a set of the frequencies of the flow vortices within a predetermined range of the external flow velocities. An arbitrary number of adjustable generators can be connected into a single circuit, either in-series or in-parallel, to increase an overall power output. It is capable to operate under wide range of flow characteristics and can serve as a virtually maintenance-free source of electrical power.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A device for generating electrical power from a flow, said device comprising:
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a vibrating assembly for placing in a flow, said vibrating assembly comprising an electrical conductive element, and at least one elastic element having one end fixed to a base and another end is in free motion caused by the flow, wherein said electrical conductive element is integrated with said at least one elastic element; and a magnetic field source configured to apply a magnetic field to said electrical conductive element and to induce an electrical current in said electrical conductive element;
the conductive element being substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field direction;wherein said vibrating assembly is configured to oscillate in response to said flow, causing displacements of said electrical conductive element relatively to the direction of said magnetic field, and to output said electrical current resulting from said displacements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electrical power generating system, said system comprising:
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at least two electricity generating devices combined into a single electrical circuit, each device comprising; a vibrating assembly for placing in a flow, said vibrating assembly comprising an electrical conductive element having a longitudinal axis, and at least one elastic element having one end fixed to a base and another end is in free motion caused by the flow, wherein said electrical conductive element is integrated with said at least one elastic element; and
a magnetic field source configured to apply a magnetic field to said electrical conductive element and to induce an electrical current in said electrical conductive element;
the conductive element being substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field direction;
wherein said vibrating assembly is configured to oscillate in response to said flow, causing displacements of said electrical conductive element relatively to the direction of said magnetic field, and to output said electrical current resulting from said displacements, wherein the output of two electricity generating devices are combined together to produce aggregated output of the electrical power generating system. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for generating electricity, said method comprising:
placing a vibrating assembly in a flow, wherein said vibrating assembly is performing oscillations caused by said flow, said vibrating assembly comprising an electrical conductive element, and at least one elastic element having one end fixed to a base, wherein said electrical conductive element is integrated with said at least one elastic element; and
applying a magnetic field to said electrical conductive element, generating an electrical current in said electrical conductive element;
the conductive element being substantially perpendicular to the magnetic field direction;
wherein said magnetic field induces an electrical current in said electrical conductive element, and the vibrating assembly outputs a produced electric power.- View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
Specification