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Numerical study and design optimization of electromagnetic energy harvesters integrated with flexible magnetic materials

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Abstract

This study presents a new design of an electromagnetic energy harvester integrated with a soft magnetic material. The harvester design optimizes the magnetic material characteristics and the size of a rectangular permanent magnet. The design employs a complete magnetic circuit made of (1) a thin-film soft magnetic material that facilitates a flexible but highly (magnetically) permeable beam and (2) an optimally-sized magnet that maximizes the harvester performance. The design is demonstrated to reduce magnetic flux leakage, and thus considerably enhances both magnetic flux density (B) and its change by time (dB/dt), which both influence harvester performance. The improvement in harvester performances strongly depends on critical design parameters, especially, the magnet size and characteristics of magnetic materials, including permeability, stiffness, and thickness. The analyses conclude that recently-introduced nanomaterials (having ultrahigh magnetic permeability) can potentially innovate harvester performances. However, the performance may be degraded without design optimization. Once optimized, the integrated nanomaterials facilitate a significant improvement compared with a conventional design without integrated magnetic materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Automotive Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-791, Korea

    Sang Won Yoon

Authors
  1. Sang Won Yoon
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Correspondence to Sang Won Yoon.

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Recommended by Associate Editor Heung Soo Kim

Sang Won Yoon received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, in 2000; and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, in 2003 and 2009, respectively. From 2009 to 2013, he was a Senior Scientist and Staff Researcher at the Toyota Research Institute of North America, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, where he conducted research in the fields of power electronics and sensor systems for automobiles. Since 2013, he has been with the Department of Automotive Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea, where he is presently working an Assistant Professor. His current research interests include power electronics, sensors and sensor systems, electronic reliability, and their applications in both conventional and future vehicles.

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Yoon, S.W. Numerical study and design optimization of electromagnetic energy harvesters integrated with flexible magnetic materials. J Mech Sci Technol 31, 2399–2406 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0437-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0437-1

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