Piezo-electricity

Presented by

ANANTHARAM.S Manakula Vinayagar Institute Of Technology PUDUCHERRY

Our mother Earth

Filled with colorful,innumerable living things !

But if we dont utilize alternative resources the consequence is very obvious !!!

Conservation of energy


To scientists, conservation of energy is not saving energy. The law of conservation of energy says that energy is neither created nor destroyed. When we use energy, it doesnt disappear. We change it from one form of energy into another.

 

TYPES OF ENERGY
 

Renewable Source Of Energy Non-Renewable Source Of Energy

Source

Unit

1991-92

1996-97

2009-10

2020-21

1. Electricity

Ton watt hour Metric tons

231

336

725

1300

2. Coal

229

311

690

1345

3. Petroleum Products

Metric tons

57

81.2

165

335

4. Natural Gas

Billion cubic meters

18.6

30.2

65

130

Since there is a need to conserve the non-renewable sources of energy, there is certainly a need for an alternative sources of energy. Our search for such a plan has ended up us in this project We the students of MANAKULA VINAYAGAR INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY,PUDUCHERRY have designed a project to device energy using the piezo-electric property of quartz crystals discovered by Pierre and Jacques curie in 1880.

PIEZO-ELECTRIC EFFECT: The property of certain crystals to exhibit electrical charges under mechanical effect is called the piezoelectric property.


By putting the piezo-electric material under mechanical stress, a shifting of the positive and negative charge centers of the elementary units in the material takes place, which then shows up in an external electrical field. This effect is proportional to the deformation, which depends on the state of tension found in the corresponding material. Piezo-electric effect was first discovered in various substances like Rochelle salt and quartz.

 

Piezo-electric measuring systems are active electrical systems. That is, the crystals produce an electrical output only when they experience a change in load.

In materials having piezo-electric properties, ions can be moved more easily along some crystal axes than others. Pressure in certain directions results in a displacement of ions such that opposite faces of the crystal assume opposite charges.

When the pressure is released, the ions return to original positions. A material like quartz is considered piezoelectric because it has the ability to develop a net dipole moment if it is mechanically deformed in certain directions with respect to the atomic arrangement. These delicate, sensitive wafers of quartz are hermetically sealed in a dry nitrogen atmosphere in cans with pins for electrical contact.

IDEA OF USING PIEZO-ELECTRIC CRYSTAL IN RAILWAYS: The train travels with an average speed of 80 km/hour. Weight of the train acts vertically downwards on the track causing vibrations in the track as the train passes, i.e., when a wheel of the train passes a point in the track, it causes a vibration at that particular point due to its weight acting downwards. At a distance of 1 km from the station, series of quartz crystals of dimension 1 cm cube is placed beneath the rails.

 Piezo-electric transducers are of two types of high and low impedance. High impedance units have a charge output which requires a charge amplifier for charge to voltage conversion. Considering the huge mass of the train, the force applies on the track would be large. Since the pressure applied on a piezo-electrical crystal is directly proportional to charge output, high impedance units are used as piezo electric transducers.

Quartz transducers exhibit remarkable properties, which justify our preference for using them. They are extremely stable, rugged and compact. Some of their excellent properties are given below. o o o o o o High material stress limit, approximately 20,000 psi. Temperature resistance upto 500C. Very high rigidity, high linearity and negligible hysteresis. Almost constant sensitivity over wide range of temperature. Voltage sensitivity(g) of 0.05 Ultra high insulation resistance allowing low frequency measurements (<1Hz)

DESIGN OF THE CONTAINER The distance between the two tracks is 1.673m and hence width of the container should be1.673m. The container is made up of rubber so as to provide suspension and vibrations to pass through it. Since the crystals are of dimension 1cubic cm, there would be enough spacing between any two crystal. The crystals are connected in series with the help of copper wires.

 The outer view of the container is shown here.

MECHANISM OF CONVERSION OF ENERGY: A huge amount of force is exerted on the transducers as the train passes over them. Let us consider one such transducer in the series. A high pressure is applied on the transducer as a wheel of the train crosses it. By the property of piezo electricity, the compression in the crystal causes the production of charges in it due to the change in the load.

 The charges obtained across the opposite faces of the crystal produce a voltage difference. The obtained voltage is stored in the battery. Then voltage which is stored in the battery can be utilized by the railway station for its internal purpose.

CALCULATIONS INVOLVED:F=m*g Where F is the total force acting downwards m is the Overall weight of one boogie g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8) The mass of one boogie = 10 tons Passengers traveling per boogie = 72 Average weight of passengers = 60 kg Total weight of passengers = 4320 kg Luggage carried by each passenger = 30 kg Total weight of luggage = 2100 kg

Overall weight of boogie = (The mass of one boogie+ Total weight of Passengers+ Total weight of luggage) = 16420 kg Total force acting downwards = m*g = 16420 * 9.8 = 1,60,916 N The 8 wheels of the boogie equally share the force acting downward by the boogie. Hence force acting by one wheel = Total force acting downwards / 8 = 1,60,916 /8= 20114.5 N

V=g * t * p Where V is the voltage produced g is the voltage sensitivity t is the thickness of the crystal p is the force applied Here the quartz crystal used is of dimension 1 cm cube and the voltage sensitivity of the quartz crystal is 0.05. V = 0.05 * 0.01 *20114.5 = 10.05725 v This is the voltage obtained per crystal for a train.

Thus voltage produced by a piezo-electric crystal is calculated. Depending on our voltage requirement, series of piezoelectric crystals are placed beneath the track.

The total voltage produced is the sum of the voltages produced by series of piezo-electric crystals. The obtained voltage is stored in the battery. Thus the battery can be used for internal functioning of the railway station

 

ADVANTAGES:y y y y Does not cause any air pollution Fuels are not consumed for the production of voltage. Eco-friendly method Alternative source of energy

If such a setup is installed in every major station in the country, lot of energy can be conserved and it can definitely be effected in a larger scale !!!

It is our pleasure to live and our duty to let others live in

Piezo-electricity

ANANTHARAM.S Manakula Vinayagar Institute Of Technology PUDUCHERRY