Mechanical Energy

Mechanical energy transferred to the transducer, such as a Cymbal and a flexible transducer, will be converted into electrical energy through the piezoelectric effect.

From: Metal Oxides in Energy Technologies, 2018 

Concept of energy

Nikolay Belyakov, in Sustainable Power Generation, 2019

1.3.3 Mechanical energy

Mechanical energy can be found in nature in multiple forms, for instance, one can mention:

•

Pressurized hot gases or other fluids which have enough potential energy that can be turned into kinetic energy of the flow;

•

Flowing water of the streams and rivers that have enough energy stored in the running water;

•

Wind, or flowing air, which has the same logic as flowing water;

•

Waves, tides, ocean streams, etc.

In order to capture this type of energy, special rotating devices called turbines are used. These turbines capture the mechanical energy of the flow and convert it to another type of mechanical energy in the form of rotation. Evidently, due to friction during rotation, some energy is dissipated in the form of heat. Moreover, turbines usually do not capture all mechanical energy of the flow which also negatively contributes to the overall process efficiency.

Next, rotation of the turbine can then be used in multiple ways

Conversion of mechanical energy of the fluid flow (e.g. water or air) is usually done through the mechanical energy of the rotating shaft, which can be further employed for doing work or converted into electrical energy.

•

Run other machinery, for example, pumps, and do some work;

•

Run a machine called electrical generator which converts mechanical energy of the rotation to the electrical energy. The physics of the process involves rotating magnetic field that induces current, which is then transferred to the consumer.

It is important to mention that energy of the rotating equipment (wheel or shaft) is an important step within both conventional and emerging energy conversion chains. In many cases this is the only way to transform mechanical energy into electricity through coupling the shaft of the turbine to the electrical generator.