Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of
Design Optimization of a Linear Generator With Dual Halbach Array for Human Motion Energy Harvesting
Date of this Version
7-2015
Citation
W. Zhao, "DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF A LINEAR GENERATOR WITH DUAL HALBACH ARRAY FOR HUMAN MOTION ENERGY HARVESTING," M.S.thesis, Dept. Elect. & Comput. Eng., Nebraska Univ., Lincoln, NE, 2015.
Abstract
A linear generator for human motion energy harvesting is designed and optimized in this study. The linear generator can be used to convert human motion energy to electrical energy to charge portable electronics, such as cellular phones, wireless internet devices, etc. The use of dual Halbach magnet arrays in the proposed generator provides a significant improvement in power density. Different dual Halbach arrays were studied, and a novel Halbach array with nonuniform magnet blocks is proposed to enhance the air-gap flux density in the linear generator for a given size and weight of permanent magnet material. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify significant design variables for further optimization. Then, an optimization model was constructed with the objective of maximizing the output power of the linear generator. The proposed linear generator was compared with two other different linear generators for human walking motion energy harvesting. The effectiveness of the proposed methods was verified by two-dimensional finite element analysis simulation results.
Advisor: Liyan Qu
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Electrical Engineering, Under the Supervision of Professor Liyan Qu. Lincoln, Nebraska: July, 2015
Copyright (c) 2015 Wenjia Zhao