Course detail
Energy Harvesting and Smart Materials
FSI-RAE-A Acad. year: 2021/2022 Winter semester
The course “Energy Harvesting and Smart Materials” deals with introduction of unique ways of the energy generating from surroundings. Currently remote electronics, autonomous low power devices and wireless sensors are used in Industry 4.0 applications. One possibility to overcome energy limitations of batteries is to harvest ambient energy from the environment. The ambient energy is available in the form of radiation, thermal energy and mechanical energy of the environment. The course deals with Smart Materials and mainly focused on energy harvesting from mechanical energy of vibrations, shocks, deformation, human behaviour etc., and simulation modelling of energy harvesting systems.
Supervisor
Learning outcomes of the course unit
The “Energy Harvesting and Smart Materials” deals with overview of independent ways of generating energy from surroundings for autonomous supplying of wireless sensors, remote electronics and low power devices. Students will be able to analyse cyber-physical systems and energy harvesting sources from the typical industrial systems.
Prerequisites
Kinematics and dynamics, Solving the 2nd order differential equations, Laws of electromechanical energy conversion, Laws of conservation of energy, Basic knowledge of measurement of electrical and non-electrical quantities, Simulation software Matlab-Simulink and ANSYS (basic knowledge).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is taught through lectures explaining the basic principles and theory of the discipline. Teaching is suplemented by practical laboratory work.
Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes
The students will solve reports from the exercises and labs, also present an overview of individual topic and students create the final project, which are necessary for awarding the course-unit credit.
Language of instruction
English
Aims
The objective of the course “Energy Harvesting and Smart Materials” is to familiarize students with a concept of Industry 4.0 and basic principles of energy harvesting systems as autonomous sources of energy for Internet of Things applications. Students will be familiarized with methods of electro-mechanical conversion, principle of photovoltaic cells and thermoelectric generators and also MEMS technologies. The emphasis is on understanding the physical principles of energy harvesting methods mainly electro-mechanical conversion and simulation modelling of such mechatronic systems and piezoelectric devices.
Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences
Attendance at practical training is obligatory. Absence is compensated by special tasks according to instructions of the tutor.
The study programmes with the given course
Programme N-MET-P: Mechatronics, Master's
branch ---: no specialisation, 5 credits, compulsory-optional
Programme N-IMB-P: Engineering Mechanics and Biomechanics, Master's
branch BIO: Biomechanics, 5 credits, compulsory-optional
Programme N-IMB-P: Engineering Mechanics and Biomechanics, Master's
branch IME: Engineering Mechanics, 5 credits, compulsory-optional
Type of course unit
Lecture
13 hours, optionally
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
1. Introduction of energy harvesting technologies
2. Photovoltaic cells
3. Thermoelectric generators
4. Electro-mechanical conversion – physical principles
5. Electro-mechanical conversion – analysis of ambient vibration energy
6. Electromagnetic principle
7. Design of electromagnetic generators
8. Mechatronic system of energy harvesters
9. Piezoelectric principle
10. Piezoelectric materials and other SMART materials
11. Energy storage elements, Electronics – power management
12. Wireless sensor networks
13. MEMS
Laboratory exercise
26 hours, compulsory
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
1. Analysis of ambient energy for energy harvesting
2. Model of solar cells a thermoelectric generators
3. Thermoelectric module model
4. Vibration measurement and analysis
5. Mechanical energy analysis
6. Simulation and modelling of electromagnetic conversion
7. Model of magnetic field
8. Simulation modelling of complex electromagnetic generator
9. Measurement of energy harvesting devices
10. Model of piezoelectric elements and basic analysis
11. Model of piezoelectric generator
12. Model of power management electronics
13. Presentation of final projects