Hydraulically-actuated microscale traveling energy recovery

As the demand for portable electrical power grows, alternatives to chemical stored energy may enable users with additional system capabilities. This thesis presents a miniature hydroelectric turbine system for use in wearable energy harvesting applications. A radial outflow turbine, which trades performance for manufacturability, is designed and built. A permanent magnet generator is designed and embedded within the turbine to enable a compact overall system. Fluidic rectification is pursued with the goal of harnessing more of the available mechanical power. A method for reliably conveying pressurized fluid to and from the shoe is developed. Results for the turbine and generator system are presented under a variety of test conditions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Robbins, Michael F. (Michael Frank)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Elliot Ranger and Joseph A. Paradiso.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53310

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/53310