Wang, Xi;
Wang, Jinxin;
Zhang, Tianyou;
Chang, Jung-Che;
Li, Siqian;
Zhang, Yao;
Zeng, Tianyi;
(2025)
Design and characterisation of the out-of-plane dielectric elastomer generator for wave energy harvesting.
Ocean Engineering
, 339
(Part 2)
, Article 122148. 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.122148.
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Abstract
Dielectric elastomers capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy have been extensively explored for wave energy harvesting. Among existing designs, a widely adopted approach involves a circular dome-shaped dielectric elastomer chamber, where air pressure between the water and the generator drives energy conversion. To enhance deployment feasibility, this paper proposes a novel point-absorber-inspired wave energy converter based on an out-of-plane dielectric elastomer generator (ODEG), which transforms linear mechanical motion into electrical energy through the buoy. A scaled-down prototype was designed and fabricated. The self-priming circuit was proposed for the ODEG to ensure continuous multi-cycle energy harvesting by autonomously replenishing the charge. This approach enabled efficiency to increase with cycle number and displacement amplitude. Furthermore, a constitutive model was developed to optimise the ODEG design and evaluate its energy conversion efficiency. The experimental investigation evaluated the performance of the ODEG under varying wave frequencies, amplitudes, and cycle numbers. The results demonstrated that the ODEG prototype was capable of harvesting wave energy across a frequency range of 0.1–1 Hz and a wave amplitude range of 30–50 mm. Specifically, the voltage boosted from 1.4 kV to 4.5 kV after 40 wave cycles at an amplitude of 50 mm.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Design and characterisation of the out-of-plane dielectric elastomer generator for wave energy harvesting |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.122148 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.122148 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Point absorber, Out-of-plane dielectric elastomer generator, Self-priming, Wave energy |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10211517 |
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