Abstract A proof of principle for a new mechanical to electrical energy harvesting method using an AC liquid metal vortex magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator has been designed, fabricated, demonstrated, and analyzed. The novel energy harvesting approach uses mechanical force to drive a swirling flow of Galinstan through a cylindrical chamber in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Useful voltage is produced via an integrated liquid switch that causes the internal resistance of the generator to vary in time, leading to a pulsating current that is transformed to higher voltage. An analytical model for the system was developed and validated against experimental results taken with multiple load resistances and transformer windings. The AC generator is capable of delivering power of the order of one watt and voltages of the order of one volt in a compact and versatile package, and it shows substantial promise for previously unaccessible energy harvesting applications including mobile electronics, prosthetics, and industrial machinery. Thus, this generation method would allow for high power density at size and velocity scales where that previously would have been untenable.

中文翻译：

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交流液态金属涡流磁流体发电机

摘要 设计、制造、演示和分析了使用交流液态金属涡流磁流体动力 (MHD) 发电机的新型机械到电能收集方法的原理证明。新的能量收集方法使用机械力在强磁场存在的情况下驱动 Galinstan 涡流通过圆柱形腔室。有用的电压是通过一个集成的液体开关产生的，该开关使发电机的内阻随时间变化，从而导致脉动电流转换为更高的电压。该系统的分析模型被开发出来，并根据多负载电阻和变压器绕组的实验结果进行验证。交流发电机能够在紧凑且多功能的封装中提供 1 瓦数量级的功率和 1 伏数量级的电压，并且它对以前无法实现的能量收集应用（包括移动电子产品、假肢和工业机械）显示出巨大的前景。因此，这种发电方法将允许在以前无法实现的尺寸和速度范围内实现高功率密度。