Performance Evaluation of Flapping-Wing Energy Harvester in Confined Duct Environments

This study investigates the impact of different duct designs on the energy-harvesting performance of oscillating-wing systems in both partially and fully confined environments. Numerical simulations were conducted to examine the effects of straight, convergent–straight, and convergent–divergent duct configurations on the aerodynamic forces and overall energy extraction efficiency. Under partial confinement, the convergent–divergent duct demonstrated a significant improvement of 67.5% in power output over the ductless baseline configuration. This enhancement is attributed to the increased incoming flow velocity and amplified pressure difference around the wing, which improve the effectiveness of energy generation. However, the straight and convergent–straight ducts reduced the harvester’s performance due to the diminished flow velocity within each duct. Under full confinement, all duct configurations substantially enhanced energy-harvesting performance, with the convergent–straight duct providing the highest efficiency gain (84.9%). This improvement is primarily due to the increased velocity and pressure differential across the wing surfaces, which maximise the heaving force and overall energy generation performance. These findings highlight the critical role of duct geometry in optimising energy-harvesting performance, both in partially confined and fully confined flow environments.