Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System for Low-Power IoT Sensors
Piezoelectric Transducer Design and Characterization
I.T. Sokal (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
V. Verkoren (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
Sijun Du – Mentor (TU Delft - Electronic Instrumentation)
W. Peng – Mentor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
Zijun Qiu – Mentor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
F. Fioranelli – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Microwave Sensing, Signals & Systems)
Hani Vahedi – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - DC systems, Energy conversion & Storage)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand across various industries, the demand for self-generating and sustainable power solutions is increasing more urgent. Piezoelectric energy harvesters offer a promising solution as they can generate electrical energy from ambient mechanical vibrations and operate independently even in locations that are difficult to reach. This thesis explores the modeling and measurements of a piezoelectric harvesting (PEH) system designed to power a low-power IoT circuit embedded in aircraft wings. Focusing on a piezoelectric cantilever beam implementation made from a PZT-5H transducer, the research evaluates three commercial models developed by 'Mide Technology': PPA-1021, PPA-2011 and PPA-4011. Every model is evaluated for their performance under mechanical vibrations in the 30-120 Hz range, characteristic for aircraft environments. The methodology includes electromechanical modeling and a structured series of laboratory experiments to validate key parameters such as resonance frequency tuning, impedance matching, power output, and behavior in noisy environments. Among the tested models, the PPA-2011 demonstrated the best overall performance achieving a peak power output of 1.61 mW at resonance of 58 Hz and was able to stably power an IoT circuit even in a noisy environment. The results validate the ability to use PEHs for the power generation of aircraft wireless sensor networks. Future work should explore long-term stability and extensive testing of real-world aircraft vibrations.