Vortex-induced swing (VIS) motion for energy harvesters and flowmeters

Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) has been widely studied in the fields of vibration control, building construction, and underwater vehicles. Recently, researchers began utilizing the VIV phenomenon for flow energy harvesting. Here, we describe that vortex shedding causes periodic rotational motions and explore these vortex-induced swing (VIS) motions for harvesting flow energy and measuring flow speed. An arc-bluff structure was constructed to enlarge the VIS motions, and a phenomenological model was developed using the Van der Pol equation. Swing characteristics when flow velocities were in the range of (0.15, 0.45) m/s were assessed. Experiments showed that the maximum swing amplitude of the device is 120°, and it converges to 80° as the water velocity increases. The frequency, amplitude, and initial angle curve of the VIS device can be used to represent the water speed vector. The proposed flowmeter showed a flow rate sensitivity of 7∼10 Hz/(m·s−1) in the experimental range. Energy harvester prototypes demonstrated a peak-peak output of 3.28 V in water with a velocity of 0.45 m/s. The present work provides an approach for the flow measurement and energy harvesting under low-speed and low-frequency conditions.