Design, simulation and experimental validation of a Tesla turbine based rotational electromagnetic energy harvester for pipelines

In this paper, a bladeless electromagnetic energy harvester based on Tesla turbine is proposed to harvest fluid's kinetic energy and monitor the stability of flow inside the pipeline. To figure out the principle of the friction-type turbine, the dynamics and electromagnetism are analyzed theoretically. Meanwhile, two structures of the container, named Structure 1 and Structure 2, are designed and distinguished by their different outlets. Structure 1 has both its inlet and outlet on the same side, while Structure 2 has its inlet and outlet on opposite sides. Simulations based on fluid dynamics (CFD) and electromagnetic induction are carried to analyze the working performance and check with the experimental results. Two main rotors which are 5 and 6 disks have been analyzed via simulations and experiments. Optimizations for the rotor are conducted through changing the magnet array. In summary, the results indicate that although increasing the number of rotors to six can enhance the output torque, it is still insufficient to offset the friction caused by the increased weight and manufacturing issues. However, with 5 disks rotors, significantly improving the performance can be realized by enlarging the size of the magnets and coils. The maximum power can reach 3.11 mW, representing a 438 % improvement compared to the 6 disks setup without magnet and coil optimization.