Vortex-Induced Vibrations Based Energy Harvester: Reduced-Order Modeling, System Dynamics, and Performance

Andrés Bellei-Pardo and Balakumar Balachandran
J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam. Mar 2026, 21(3): 031003
https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4070543

The growing demand for self-powered remote sensors and small electronics has spurred interest in energy harvesters that can operate in low-speed wind environments for which conventional turbines are not best suited. Energy harvesters based on vortex-induced vibrations offer a promising, sustainable alternative. However, modeling and optimization of these systems is challenging as high-fidelity simulations are often prohibitively expensive, while simplified lumped-parameter models fail to capture complex geometries or boundary conditions. Here, the authors address this challenge by presenting a reduced-order modeling framework in which a nonlinear wake oscillator is integrated with a finite-element structural formulation. With this approach, the fidelity required to capture complex mode shapes of the structure is retained while maintaining the computational efficiency of lower-order models. Validation is conducted by using data from three independent experiments. The integrated framework is found to capture the critical lock-in region, wherein vortex shedding and structural frequencies synchronize, which is essential for maximizing power extraction. By accurately predicting key metrics such as voltage output and vibration amplitude without the cost of full fluid dynamics simulations, this model can serve as a useful tool for efficient design and optimization of sustainable energy harvesters.