A simulation study on the contact‐separation triboelectric nano‐generator for magnetic energy harvester

Abstract

Transmission lines and outdoor substations are replete with various forms of micro energy such as wind energy, solar energy, and electromagnetic energy. There exists micro energy in the forms of mechanical vibrations, temperature differences, and humidity in power distribution equipment. Innovative sensor or monitoring methods are needed to maintain the stability and digitisation of the grid. Unfortunately, there is limited study on the power supply of these sensor systems. Triboelectric nanogenerators, which are environmentally friendly and use simple materials, show excellent performance in environmental nano‐energy collection and self‐powered online monitoring. Therefore, environmental energy collection systems based on triboelectric nanogenerators are one of the selected methods to convert magnetic energy in the magnetic field into electrical energy. A model structure was designed using the contact separation mode, which is one of the four working modes of triboelectric nanogenerators, based on the strength of the magnetic field in the environment. This structure mainly consists of the friction layer, electrodes for current conduction, and connected loads. The research includes a comparison of four inherent electrical outputs of the triboelectric nanogenerator: open‐circuit voltage, short‐circuit current, capacitance, and power. COMSOL Multiphysics software was used for all modelling and simulation of the TENG. This software was used for the design, material selection, and static study of the TENG. When the relative dielectric constant was fixed, the output voltage reached and the energy reached . Overall, ideal reference can be provided for researchers studying power supply issues for sensors in complex magnetic field situations and help them design high‐performance TENGs.