Modelling and Simulation of Double Magnet-coil Arrays and Halbach Magnet-coil Arrays for Vibrational Energy Harvesting in an Agricultural Transportation Electric Tricycle

Abstract

Electric vehicles compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, offer a promising solution to transportation problems faced by farmers such as high maintenance and fuel costs. However, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles is still hindered by their limited driving range compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. Harvesting wasted energies through vibrations in electric vehicles is a good approach to compliment the energy from the batteries of electric vehicles. Space constraints in electric vehicles require devices with high power output per unit volume. The aim of this study was to design a novel vibration energy harvesting geometrical model for use in electric vehicles. Different configurations and their performance in terms of maximum flux linkage, electromagnetic coupling coefficient, induced voltage and generated power were investigated. Using the ANSYS Maxwell software, four different configurations were modelled, excited and analyzed under similar conditions. That is; the (1) Halbach array with three magnets, one coil and flat back shield; (2) Halbach array with three magnets and one coil with stepped back shield; (3) double magnet array with two magnets, one coil and flat back shield; and the (4) double magnet array with two magnets, one coil and stepped back shield. The MATLAB Simulink software was used for the further examination of the results and power output. The results of the analysis show that the Halbach array with three magnets, one coil and stepped back shield is the best configuration for harvesting energy from vibrations, producing an electromagnetic coupling coefficient of up to 110 Wb/m, a voltage of up to 36 V and generated power density of 0.13 W/cm. A reasonable increase in output using less volume was obtained compared to the other studies. Extended range electric vehicles through energy harvesting, can perform better in agricultural transportation, reducing farmers’ income spent on fuel and maintenance.