Thesis
Enhancement of Self-Powered High-Efficiency Rectifier Circuits for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems
Southern Cross University
Master of Engineering (ME), Southern Cross University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.293
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Abstract
Modern-day high electricity demand and consumption are among humans' most pressing challenges. As a result, many researchers are searching for renewable energy sources, namely sunlight, wind, thermal, heat, and mechanical excitations/vibrations.
Mechanical vibrations appear extensively in various forms: piezoelectric vibrational energy harvesting, electrostatic vibration energy, and electromagnetic vibration energy. Nevertheless, piezoelectric energy harvesting has attracted more attention due to its capability, flexibility, and negligible electromagnetic interference. This process is also called piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH). Although the subjected PEH process generates alternating current/voltage (AC), it cannot be directly powered to the electrical devices as they require direct current/voltage (DC). Thus, a power electronics circuit includes a feature of the rectification process (AC to DC conversion).
In PEH, the researchers have proposed various advanced and new power electronic circuit methodologies that enable the most efficient power conversion circuits in single & dual stage. However, a typical approach is to convert AC into DC (DC-Rectified voltage) and power the electronic apparatus. Besides this process called as rectification process.
However, scientists have proved that this rectification process is inefficient due to its low output, flexibility, forward voltage drops across each component in the circuit, the ripples in the output and limited applicability. Therefore, to boost the competence of the PEH process, the authors aimed to address these challenges, such as boosting output voltage by investigating in two methods: i) minimising the forward voltage, soothing the output waveform of the FBR circuit, and ii) boosting the low AC that is accumulated in the PEH process into high DC voltage at high and low frequencies.
In particular, this thesis starts by proposing several improved circuits, including (1) a self-powered FBRJT AC-DC conversion (i.e., full-bridge rectifier: FBRJT) circuit for PEH process, and then it improved as (2) a self-powered VDJT circuit for piezoelectric energy harvesting circuit.
The FBRJT circuit’s output showed that (1) using an FBRJT circuit, maximum output power (3.41 mW), which is suggestively higher than the FBR and existing circuits, was achieved with 10 Vac; (2) using the proposed VDJT circuit, it converted an input voltage of 15 Vac at a frequency of 5 Hz into an output voltage of 18 VO and power of 5500 µW.
These developments can contribute to the development of the potential of PEH systems. Furthermore, this is highly advantageous for low-power electronics engineering industries.
Details
- Title
- Enhancement of Self-Powered High-Efficiency Rectifier Circuits for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems
- Creators
- Muhammad Kamran
- Contributors
- Vinh Bui (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityMahesh Edla (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityMustafa Ucgul (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityCharles Lemckert (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Master of Engineering (ME)
- Theses
- Master of Engineering (ME), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- 108
- Identifiers
- 991013135813602368
- Copyright
- © M Kamran 2023
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Information Technology
- Resource Type
- Thesis