Design of an Ornamental Bladeless Vortex

Generator
Conrado Ostia Jr.#1, Jesus Martinez Jr.#2, Earvin Earl Aglipay#, Maiko Morata#,
Cliff Michael Solidum#, Aldrin John Tamano#
#
School of EECE, Mapua University
Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila, Philippines
1cfostia@mapua.edu.ph,2jmmartinez@mapua.edu.ph

Abstract— Renewable energy is more relevant now than before as
battery technology is advancing and as the society pursues a cleaner
form of generating electricity. One of the many ways to harness
energy is through wind power. Without a doubt, wind power is
among the frequently used renewable energy, but traditional wind
turbines have inherent disadvantages in terms of noise pollution
and the danger it poses to the flying creatures. The purpose of this
study is to develop a bladeless wind generator. Instead of rotational
motion to harness energy, the bladeless wind generator used the
concept of vortex shedding which was translated to pendulum
motion. A total of three of prototypes are integrated and tested with
its functionality at different wind speeds. The monitoring and
gathering of data were done automatically through a data logger.
The output characteristics of the prototype is then recorded and
interpreted with various analysis. The results showed that the
developed prototype was able to generate an average output voltage
of 2.36 V in a controlled environment while when deployed in an
uncontrolled environment, it was just able to generate an average
voltage of 0.67 V. The prototype gave an average noise level of 63.87
dB which satisfy the noise limit required in IEC 60034-9. It was
observed that the values showed high dependence on the wind speed
of the environment.
Keywords- Renewable energy, ornamental, bladeless vortex, wind
power, mast
I. INTRODUCTION
Renewables are finally becoming a globally significant
source of power. The interest in clean energy has spread
worldwide, undermining the long-held assumption that a strong
economic future is reliant on fossil fuels, particularly in the
developing world. Particularly, wind power has been advancing
in way areas namely the rotors, controls and electronics but has
always aimed for the same goal which is making wind power a
better choice for power generation. Some of the most recent
models on the market are vertical axis wind turbines, which
manufacturers claim are quiet, efficient, and economical. An
example of advancements in wind power is a wind turbine
without blades designed by a company named Vortex where it
uses the power of oscillation to generate energy [1].
The silent operation of the vertical axis does away with the
sound pollution of traditional wind turbines and since it can be
installed as close as possible to any load, it benefits to almost no
transmission loss [2]. The vortex bladeless generator is a
miniature concept design of a bladeless wind generator that
applies the principle of oscillation. Instead of harnessing its
power from the rotational motion of turbines, it uses the
pendulum motion brought by vortices to generate electricity [3].
The kinetic energy of the oscillating pendulum is converted to
electricity through a linear generator similar to those used to
harness wave energy. Earlier designs were able to utilize wind
energy from only a single direction. Although the concept design
generates significantly less power compared to huge
conventional wind turbine, this design can be cloned in a finite
number to generate electricity enough to power light bulbs, a
house or a building [3].
The study aimed to develop an ornamental vortex bladeless
generator. Specifically, it aimed to design the ornamental
bladeless generator, design the AC/DC rectifier/booster,
integrate the microcontroller for data gather, integrate and test
the functionality of the system in a controlled environment,
measure the noise level of the generator at different wind speeds
in a controlled environment, and, test the final prototype in an
uncontrolled environment.
II. RELATED WORKS
Vortex induced vibrations are the motion produced on the
body due to its integration with an external fluid flow. A classic
example is a flow around a cylinder, a bluff body sheds
alternating vortices with frequency n, which mainly depends on
the Reynolds number and body geometry. Vortices induce
transverse forces on the body with the same frequency. In many
cases of flexible and slender structure with a small damping,
these forces may produce unacceptable vibrations that can cause
oscillation [4].
Vortex bladeless generator is the future of wind propulsion.
Compared to other types of wind propulsion it does not require
turbines to capture the kinetic energy of wind. Instead it vibrates
the mast or the conical in shaped structure that protrudes above
the base of the structure where a linear generator is coupled.
When wind passes through the structure it oscillates and creates
kinetic energy to the mast which then converted to electrical
energy. The oscillation is caused by the protruding structure
where air goes around it and exits with spinning motion of fluid.
Although it generates electricity, much of its energy came from
the back and forth motion due to vortices generated at its mast.
This conceptual approach does not utilize kinetic energy of wind
in all direction [5].
In recent studies and motivations [4], vortex bladeless can be
considered an up and coming technology that can shape the
future of wind harnessing technology. The other studies focused
on having the prototype operate on a single direction only or a
linear generator and also they designed the system to have a large
build. Another study [2] used as motivation focused on
integrating multiple generators in a single system which made

978-1-7281-3044-6/19/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE

the generators small scale compared to the ones we have on our
industry today.
III. METHODOLOGY
Fig.1 shows that the converted energy starts from an input of
wind energy that may hit any side of the mast producing a
gyration movement. The wind energy will cause the mast to
move and is connected to a generator. Once the generator
produced AC voltage, it will be rectified to DC voltage and then
boosted to a desired voltage level using a Cúk Converter. The
boosted voltage level would now be used to power the energy
harvester that would be the one powering up the charging circuit.
The output voltage would be stored in a battery and results be
interpreted.

Fig.1. Conceptual Framework

Fig. 2 describes the design process of the whole system. The
first step is profiling of the wind strength at a certain area. The
next step is having the initial design of the vortex bladeless
generator then building it. In the process, designing and building
the AC to DC rectifier and booster is also done. After that, we
assemble the charging circuit and data logger along with
everything else to test the charging of the battery. If the battery
is charging, the output characteristics can now be tested and
evaluated. The system will then undergo a series of testing in an
uncontrolled environment.
Fig.3 illustrates the system from energy conversion which
convert the wind energy from the environment to electrical Fig.2 Flow chart of the study
energy. The device will catch the kinetic energy which will be
the primary source of energy then it will make the mast move
which is connected to the generator. Since the output is rectified
to DC, a booster can be used easily. The output will be stored in
a battery.
Fig.3 Block diagram of the system
A. Geometry of the Cylindrical Frustum Body
study did not replicate the design of the mast by them because it
Computational analysis of the geometry of the mast is highly would be too tall that it might topple on its side.
rare since it is a new technology. However, recent studies in Based on the experiment conducted by the researchers, the
simulations have come up with designs without sacrificing researchers decided to use 40-cm height of the mast. Using (1),
practicality and efficiency of the system [6]. The following data the initial computation suggested that the base diameters are 3.17
are simulated and tested to produce maximum number of cm and 0.74 cm of upper diameter and lower diameter
vortices at its size. respectively at a height of 40 cm.
Based on the study by Cajasa et al [6], the geometry of the
cylindrical frustum body used the following dimensions: H proposed = 40 cm
D1 previous = lower diameter = 1 cm
D2 previous = upper diameter = 4.75 cm = = (1)

H previous = height of frustum = 53.7 cm
40
Now, the researchers used the study of Cajasa et al [6] as a =
1 53.7
basis for the design of the mast to maximize the vortices
produced by the proposed design of the generator. However, this = 0.74
 40
=
4.75 53.7

= 3.17

As per observation of the mast, it was not producing enough

vortices to induce gyrating motion because the dimensions were
too small. However, a mast that is too big as well as too tall
would topple on its sides. The researchers experimentally
modified the dimension to satisfy the practicality and efficiency
of the system. Based on a series of experimentation, the
researchers decided to use base diameters of 8.5 cm and 5 cm Fig. 4. Cylindrical frustum body
while the height remains 40 cm.
B. Magnetic Field and Coils
The magnet acts as the weight of the pendulum. Ring magnet
is used in this study. The researchers decided to use 5 ring
magnets placed on top of each other because the researchers
found that using 5 ring magnets is enough to stabilize the system
for the mast not to topple down. Opposite to the ring magnet, an
E-I core wound with 2500 turns of magnet wire is used.
Excessive number of turns on the E-I core causes the air gap
between the magnet and coil to be too large.
Using Faraday’s Law to approximate the voltage produced at Fig. 5. Generator casing
our initial computation:

∆( )
E. Multi-Direction Pendulum
= (2) The prototype was designed to act like a pendulum linear
∆
(0.2)(0.001) generator, however, it generated voltage not only by swaying in
= (2500)
1 one direction, but in any direction. The lowest part of the rod
= 0.5 pendulum is where the magnet is placed. Underneath is the coil
Where: V = voltage produced by the prototype to cut flux. The rod connects the cylindrical frustum body and
N = number of turns pendulum having a pivot point in between as shown in Fig. 6.
B = magnetic field strength of the magnet, T
A = Area of core, m2
t = time during the pendulum gyrates, s

Based on the computation, an average of 0.5V can be

generated thereby proved that the proposed design was able to
successfully generate a voltage. The researchers did not use
magnets with stronger magnetic field because the magnetic
attraction between magnet and the core is too strong that the mast
connected to the magnet would prevent it from gyrating even
with the wind striking the mast. Due to the limited size of the E-
I core, 2500 turns were wound on the core. The generated
voltage would also vary based on the movement of the
pendulum. Fig. 6. Multi-direction pendulum
C. Cylindrical Frustum Body
The cylindrical frustum shaped body illustrated in Fig. 4, F. Integration of Three Vortices
acted as the prime mover performing vibrational or swaying
movements as the air hit the cylindrical body and create vortices Fig. 7 shows the arrangement of the integration of the three
aiding the frustum to perform its oscillations so that the body vortices for the ornamental bladeless generator.
was made from a light weight and locally available materials. G. DC/DC Boost Converter and Rectifier
D. Generator Casing A simple rectifier with a bridge diode and capacitor were
Fig. 5 shows the base of the ornamental bladeless vortex connected to the booster as the generator’s rectifier. The
generator. It functioned as the support of the whole assembly and converter used is a buck-boost or Cúk converter using
housed the electric generator unit. LM2611A.
 parameters required in this study. The test was in 30-min interval
in 24 hours. The output voltage was measured as well as the
noise level produced while operating. The charging time of the
battery was also tested.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The functionality was also tested in the controlled
environment where in the researchers used a digital multimeter
to measure the output and compared it with the data taken from
the data logger. The results were as follows.
As shown in Fig. 8, the lowest output voltage and wind speed
recorded are 1.68 V and 13.79 Kph respectively while the
highest are 2.90 V and 20.58 Kph respectively which give an
average output voltage of 2.36 V and an average wind speed of
17.57 Kph.

Fig. 7. The ornamental bladeless generator assembly.

H. Energy Harvester
The module, LTC3588-1, was used which is commonly
seen in piezoelectric energy and solar energy harvesting. The
module allowed the charge to accumulate on an input capacitor
until the buck converter can efficiently transfer a portion of the
stored charge to the output constantly. The output voltages can
be configured 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V and 3.6V based on the pin
Fig. 8. Plots of the output voltage and wind speed in a
configurations. Due to the unique movement of the generator, controlled environment
the researchers also chose to use this module to avoid damaging
the battery or and the charging circuit. While recording the output voltage, noise level was also
I. Charging Circuit recorded to be able to define at what wind speed the generator
would give the highest noise level. Fig. 9 shows the observed
The booster boosts the voltage coming from the generator to
noise in decibels (dB) vis-a-vis the wind speed. The lowest
register inside the energy harvester and provides a constant
observed value of noise was 50 dB while the highest was 75 dB.
charging voltage to the charging circuit and further to the battery.
This translates to an average noise of 63.87 dB which is
J. Data Logger satisfactorily below the limit required in IEC 60034-9.
The data logger used the microcontroller in the system. The
storage used for the data gathered by the Arduino
microcontroller is a micro SD card attached to the unit. For the
noise measurement. an OZN-15E sound sensor was used. For the
current and voltage, the ASC712 board is used along with a 1k
ohm resistor. The wind speed was measured with a homemade
anemometer and the DS3231 for the clocking input.
K. Data Gathering
The gathering of data was divided into two parts which is the
controlled and uncontrolled environments. The researchers
tested the functionality of the system along with the output
power characteristics of the generator in a controlled
environment which spanned 30 trilas. Calibration of sensors Fig. 9. Plots of the noise and the wind speed in a
controlled environment
were also done in this part. The noise level was measured with
respect to the environment and the generator. The charging test was also done to observe how long a
The uncontrolled environment testing spanned for 2 weeks battery be charged within a controlled environment only. Fig. 10
in the open area where the wind speed was unpredictable and records the test. In this graph, trials 1 and 3 hit a full charging
random. In this experiment, the researchers placed the bladeless time of 270 minutes while trial 2 recorded a full charging time
vortex generator in a location where there was strong wind force. of 210 minutes which gave an average full charging time of 250
In this test, a data logger was used to record the different minutes.

Fig. 10. The state of charge plotted against the time in a
controlled environment
Based on the testing done that spanned for 2 weeks for the
uncontrolled environment, the researchers observed that at some
certain wind speed, the system had an output but with
unexpectedly low value. Expectedly, the researchers observed a
zero output voltage during very slow wind speed or no
movement from the mast. Fig 11 shows the results of the testing
in an uncontrolled environment. The lowest recorded daily
average output voltages were 0.46 V for week 1 and 0.43 for
week 2 while the highest were 0.94 V for week 1 and 0.78 V for
week 2. The weekly average output voltages were 0.71 V and
0.63 V for week 1 and week 2 respectively. The overall average
output voltage is 0.67 V.
Fig. 11. Daily average voltage observed in two weeks in
an uncontrolled environment
V. CONCLUSION
This study was able to developed an ornamental bladeless
vortex generator. The generator was designed to be unique and
has a pendulum mechanism that can react to winds in different
directions. The design was also considered to have no rotating
parts that could potentially harm nearby onlookers. The
researchers also designed the booster converter that would be
connected to the prototype that could boost the level of output
voltage and convert the alternating current from the generator to
direct current.
The result showed that the generator was able to full-charge
the battery in an average time of 250 minutes and the prototype
was just able to generate an average noise level of 63.87 dB. It
was observed that there was just a small fluctuation in noise level
due to the movement of the mast but not enough to give or cause
discomfort to the nearby listeners.
It was observed that the prototype would still need a
considerable wind speed to produce an output.
This study confirmed that bladeless vortex generator satisfies
the IEC 60034-9 noise limits which requires AC motor/generator
to meet the noise level of 85dB.
As shown in the graphs, the output characteristics of the
prototype, the charging time of the battery by the generator, and
the noise level of the prototype showed reliance the consistency
of the wind speed.
VI. RECOMMENDATION
The researchers recommend having the final prototype and
all its components to be weather proof to withstand drizzles and
rain along with heavy winds because it is where the prototype
will have a better output than of a normal breezy day.
The researchers also recommend increasing the quantity of
the generators for a better output and potentially faster charging
time in actual settings. The researchers recommend making the
body or structure enclosing the generators to be refined and
shock resistant for the mast to have a smoother movement and
reduce the noise produced by the shaking and rattling of the body
itself. The researchers used a monitoring system in which one
needs to retrieve the storage card from the logger to view the
data gathered so they are recommended to use a wireless real-
time monitoring system where one can view the gathered data
from afar at the same time it is recorded. This study used a
unique kind of multi directional pendulum mechanism, hence,
the researchers would like to recommend finding another
mechanism coupled with different kinds of materials to be able
to function better in low winds in urban areas and improve output
characteristics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to thank the School of Electrical,
Electronics and Computer Engineering of Mapúa University for
the assistance, our love ones for their encouragement and
support, and above all, the almighty God for giving us the
wisdom and courage to finish this study.
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