Official URL: http://www.hamilton.ie/rick/publications/AusMining...

The process of acquiring the energy surrounding a system and converting it into usable electrical energy is termed power harvesting. With piezoceramic materials, it is possible to harvest power from vibrating structures. It has been proven that micro-to milliwatts of power can be generated from vibrating systems. The project targets the transformation of mechanical vibration into electrical energy using piezoelectric material. In some mining applications, eg water jet drilling; large high frequency vibrations may be present. If successfully harvested, this energy could be used to eliminate batteries in wireless sensors. This article presents a model of a piezoelectric transducer, a mechanical vibration spectrum, the simulation of the model, prototype of the power scavenging circuit, experimental results and its future perspectives.