Onboard Wave Energy Harvesting for Sustainable Boats and Ships
Disciplines
Computer-Aided Engineering and Design | Digital Circuits | Electrical and Electronics | Power and Energy
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In this research project, we have designed and fabricated an ocean wave energy harvesting device to make boats and ships more sustainable by producing renewable electrical energy onboard. The device has a doughnut-shaped structure with a linear generator bent in a toroidal shape around it. A rolling spherical magnet is placed inside the doughnut cavity. This design allows the device to gather energy from multiple directions of motion on the boat – as the boat tilts, the magnetic ball rolls and consequently produces electrical energy. Several different designs were conceptualized and then modeled in CAD, and subsequently 3D printed and assembled. Multi-phase 24 AWG copper coils are wound onto the doughnut. The output terminals of the coils are connected to an energy harvesting circuit which converts the output AC current into DC current for high efficiency battery charging. We have also designed and fabricated a wave simulation platform to test our prototype devices in the lab. For on-site experiments, we are currently designing a compact remote measurement and data logging circuit. The battery-powered data logging circuit consists of digital accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS module, Micro SD card reader and current/voltage/power measurement chips. We will demonstrate and present the device design, fabrication methods, and performance results of our prototype.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Sandip Das
Onboard Wave Energy Harvesting for Sustainable Boats and Ships
In this research project, we have designed and fabricated an ocean wave energy harvesting device to make boats and ships more sustainable by producing renewable electrical energy onboard. The device has a doughnut-shaped structure with a linear generator bent in a toroidal shape around it. A rolling spherical magnet is placed inside the doughnut cavity. This design allows the device to gather energy from multiple directions of motion on the boat – as the boat tilts, the magnetic ball rolls and consequently produces electrical energy. Several different designs were conceptualized and then modeled in CAD, and subsequently 3D printed and assembled. Multi-phase 24 AWG copper coils are wound onto the doughnut. The output terminals of the coils are connected to an energy harvesting circuit which converts the output AC current into DC current for high efficiency battery charging. We have also designed and fabricated a wave simulation platform to test our prototype devices in the lab. For on-site experiments, we are currently designing a compact remote measurement and data logging circuit. The battery-powered data logging circuit consists of digital accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS module, Micro SD card reader and current/voltage/power measurement chips. We will demonstrate and present the device design, fabrication methods, and performance results of our prototype.