Numerical study of vortex-induced vibration energy harvesting using a spinning cylinder

A 3D LES turbulent flow model is utilized to explore the Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) response of a spinning cylinder and wake structure interaction at a Reynolds number of 10,000. The objective of the study is to identify optimal parameters that maximize the energy harvesting efficiency of VIV of the rotating circular cylinder. Specifically, this study analyzes the influence of cylinder rotation, damping ratio, and mass damping parameter on the amplitude response. Key performance parameters, including amplitude response, hydrodynamic force coefficient, and energy harvesting efficiency, are analyzed to understand the influence of rotation on flow-induced motion. The analysis reveals that the spinning of the cylinder induces dominant vibrations around a negatively displaced equilibrium position. A higher damping ratio leads to a higher maximum efficiency of the vibrating spinning cylinder, whereas a small damping ratio results in larger amplitude responses but reduced efficiency. For energy-harvesting applications, the optimal damping ratio at a spin ratio of 2 is found to be 0.05. Moreover, the optimal spin ratio for energy harvesting lies within the range 1 ≤ α ≤ 2 . The energy harvesting efficiency increases with spin ratio, peaking at approximately 28.5% when α = 2 , which represents an improvement of around 48.5% over the non-rotating case. However, for α > 2 , the amplitude response is suppressed, making it inapplicable for energy harvesting. These findings highlight the potential of utilizing vibrating rotating circular systems to significantly improve the performance of clean energy harvesting. • Spinning of cylinder induces asymmetric flow, enhancing VIV. • Power required to spin the cylinder rises sharply once the spin ratio exceeds 2. • Optimal spin ratio for energy harvesting lies between 1 and 2. • Efficiency improvement of around 48.5% is achieved over the non-rotating case. • Higher damping ratios lead to greater energy harvesting efficiency.