Experimental investigation of the wake of tandem cylinders using pivoted flapping mechanism for piezoelectric flag

• Published in: Ocean engineering 2024-10, Vol.310, p.118587, Article 118587
• Main Authors: Shah, Muhammad Mahad, Mahmood, Rizwan, Latif, Usman, Uddin, Emad, Munir, Adnan, Zhao, Ming, Riaz, Hafiz Hamza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bluff body; Energy harvesting; Fluid-structure interaction; Piezoelectric membrane; Tandem arrangement; Vibration energy; Wake
• ISSN: 0029-8018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2024.118587

In this paper, the current of ocean at a depth with the velocity of 0.1–0.3 m/s has been studied. The effect of the mounting mechanism of the piezoelectric flag on the energy efficiency of the energy harvester is investigated. The flag is mounted uniquely, and the results are analyzed to explain the underlying mechanism associated with variations in power output. The experiments described extend our previous work and it is the experimental investigation of the baseline case for our previous work. It was found that using a pivoted mounting mechanism caused a significant improvement in flapping amplitude (51%) and dominant frequency (23%). The variation in the flag's distance from the bluff body (Gd) is also investigated. The maximum output for a passively mounted flag was obtained at Gd=2D due to the existence of a vortex core position at the same point where the flag's head was positioned. The same mechanism is implemented for tandem cylinder arrangement. The study found that increasing the distance between the bluff bodies resulted in the suppression of vortex shedding of the upstream cylinder by the rear cylinder. However, this behavior was found to be random and was thoroughly explored in this study. The obtained results were also verified through the flow visualization technique. A comparative analysis is made to show the optimal performance of the harvester by fine-tuning parameters such as the gap between cylinders and piezo flag, flow rate, and flag-mounting technique. The comparative analysis with benchmark cases demonstrated a rise in the A/L ratio by 30.25% and in the flapping frequency by 19.09% in the case of 120° cut C-shaped inverted cylinder upstream, indicating a higher percentage gain of 66% more energy harvesting. An increase of 51.18% in the A/L ratio and 22.79% in flapping frequency with the use of a pivot-mounted piezoelectric flag was observed, indicating higher energy harvesting performance compared to the baseline case (circular cylinder with fixed flag head). •The current of ocean at a depth with the velocity of 0.1–0.3 m/s has been studied.•Energy harvesting enhancement from pivoted flexible flag excited by impinging vortices using different bluff bodies.•Pivoted mounting mechanism caused a significant improvement in flapping amplitude (51%) and dominant frequency (23%).•It indicates higher energy harvesting performance compared to the baseline case (circular cylinder with fixed flag head).