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AKE: Arbeitskreis Energie
AKE 2: Processes and Materials for fossil-free Energy Technologies
AKE 2.5: Vortrag
Dienstag, 11. März 2025, 12:15–12:30, HS HISKP
Design and Optimisation of a Variable Reluctance Energy Harvester for Wheel End Caps — •Niklas Pöpel1, Ye Xu2, Sebastian Bader2, and Jan Lohbreier1 — 1Technische Hochschule Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany — 2Midsweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden
As vehicular wheel failures are frequently caused by bearing faults, monitoring these components with sensors is very important for effective maintenance. Since the system is rotating, using cables to power the sensors is difficult to implement, whereas batteries only provide a limited lifetime. Therefore, using a rotational energy harvester as an energy supply is a promising alternative. Previous designs have been proposed that implement a Variable Reluctance Energy Harvester (VREH) within the wheel bearing hub. However, this limits installation to the production stage and leads to complicated repairs.
The aim of this study is to design a VREH that can be installed inside the wheel end cap of large vehicles, providing easier access and lowering the installation costs. To adhere with the requirements of the end cap, an existing VREH design is scaled to the smaller dimensions and structurally inverted. Additionally, geometric optimisations are performed. The new designs are evaluated using a finite element simulation with COMSOL Multiphysics. The results are compared in terms of power output and torque, which helps in finding an optimal design for the VREH at the required scale.
Keywords: Energy Harvesting; Variable Reluctance Energy Harvester; Finite Element Simulation; Comsol