Pavement electromagnetic energy harvesting system from highway-speed vehicles

Khan, Asad Ali Raza

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117601 Copy

Description

Title

Pavement electromagnetic energy harvesting system from highway-speed vehicles

Author(s)

Khan, Asad Ali Raza

Issue Date

2022-12-06

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Al-Qadi, Imad L

Department of Study

Civil & Environmental Eng

Discipline

Civil Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

Energy harvesting, pavement, electromagnetic

Abstract

Energy from pavements can be harvested in multiple ways to produce clean energy. One of the techniques is electromagnetic energy harvesting in which mechanical energy from vehicles is captured in the form of input displacement to produce electricity. In this study, a rack-and-pinion electromagnetic energy harvester proposed in the literature as a speed bump is optimized for highway-speed vehicles. A displacement transfer plate is also proposed, with a minimum depth of embedment in the pavement to carry input displacements from passing vehicles and excite the energy harvester. The energy harvester was designed, and kinematic modeling was carried out to establish power output relations as a function of rack velocity. Sensitivity analysis of different parameters showed that, for high-speed applications where rack velocities are relatively high, small input excitations could be harnessed to achieve the rated revolution per minute (RPM) of the generator. A set of laboratory tests were conducted to validate the kinematic model, and a good correlation was observed between measured and predicted voltages. Dynamic modeling of the plate was done for both recovery and compression to obtain the plate and rack velocities. The plate was designed for a class-9 truck with wide-base tires moving at 128 km/h using Monte Carlo simulation. Design and layout of the energy harvester with a displacement transfer plate was proposed for field validation. The energy harvester with the displacement plate could be integrated with transverse rumble strips in construction zones and near diversions. Hence, it could be used as a standalone system to power roadside applications such as safety signs, road lights, speed cameras and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems

Graduation Semester

2022-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Asad Khan

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