ENERGY HARVESTING FROM HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FLUCTUATIONS USING AN OSCILLATING PISTON

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical model of a novel energy harvester for use in hydraulic systems.The pressure pulsation caused by the pump is used as the energy source.The harvester can be connected to a hydraulic system's line and is composed of an oil volume that serves as an oil spring, a vibrating piston excited by the pressure pulsation in the hydraulic system, and an electromagnetic linear generator.The harvester is designed to be compatible with a broad static pressure range due to static pressure compensation between the oil volume and the system.The analytical description of the piston motion is derived and validated by measurements.Further, the mechanical harvester parameters are optimized to achieve maximum piston speed.Lastly, the possible performance of the harvester is estimated.