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Utilizing Gravitational Energy as an Alternative Source To Produce Usable

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Article · January 2019

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

Utilizing Gravitational Energy as an Alternative Source To

Produce Usable Electricity
S.M. Mehedi Hasan1*, Md. Mostafizur Rahman2, Md. Raihan Mostafiz3, Md. Shahriar
Sakib4, Md. Sajid Hossain5
1-5
Faculty,
1-5
Department of Electronics & Electrical Engineering,American International University-
Bangladesh, Dhaka
*Email: smmehedi2014@gmail.com

Abstract
Gravity is one of the most available and cheap source of energy. Utilization of gravity is
being done from ancient times. But utilizing it as a source of electricity is not much old
concept. Gravity light is an example of gravitational energy conversion to electrical energy.
Using gravity as the main energy source a simple lever mechanism that would provide torque
which will be rotating a generator via fly wheel. While moving, the vehicles possessing some
kinetic energy that is wasted. This kinetic energy can be utilized on the lever mechanism to
lift up the weight and in turn the generator can be rotated via fly wheel. This paper presents a
comprehensive review on harvesting electrical energy using gravity as the main source.
From this study, one is able to gain an idea about energy harvesting from gravity, its use in a
road highway for energy production, an estimate of the cost of such setups and a possible
means of putting together such a contraption.

Keywords: System construction, Shaft, Chain sprocket, Gear mechanism, Fly wheel, DC
generator, Charge controller, Lead acid battery

INTRODUCTION
The mechanical structure will be
implemented on the road. When cars will
hit the ramp, a simple lever mechanism
that would provide torque which will be
rotating a generator via fly wheel. While
moving, the vehicles possessing some
kinetic energy that is wasted.
This kinetic energy can be utilized on the
lever mechanism to lift up the weight
and in turn the generator can be rotated
via fly wheel. The lever mechanism will
allow to generate renewable energy via
converting mechanical to electrical
process which is sustainable, clean and
pollution free.
METHODOLOGY
The whole systems can be represented by
a block diagram in Figure 1. Where the
force from the vehicle is taking by the
system as a potential energy which is
converted to mechanical energy through
the mechanism of shaft and gear
mechanism.
The shaft is connected to a DC Generator
via flywheel and chain sprocket to allow
the conversion of mechanical energy to
electrical energy. The ramp of the system
will return to its former place with the help
of counter weight attached with a pulley
system. The gear mechanism allows low
rpm to high rpm. The charge controller
then charges the 12V battery [1].

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

Down
Up

Vehicle

Gravitational
lever return
device

F
DC
Gear l Generator
Mechanism y

w Charging
h Controller
e Circuit
e
Shaft
l

Battery

Figure 1: Block Diagram of the Full Experimental Setup.

SYSTEM DESIGN & FUNCTION

Vehicle Gear
Shaft mechanism
pressure

Fly wheel

Battery Charge DC
controller Generator

Figure 2: Block Diagram of the Mechanical Setup.

The vehicle pressure at the ramp will allow
the shaft to rotate. This will in turn rotate
the generator via fly wheel. The ratio
between the gear and the fly wheel is
almost 1:5.
SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION
DC Generator, Flywheel, Gear, Bearing,
Chain sprocket, Shaft, counter weight,
Charge controller was used to the system in
this research work.
A. DC Generator
A DC dynamo motor works as a generator
which produces direct current with the help
of a commutator. Dynamo is the oldest
electrical generator that is able to provide
power to industries. It is the foundation of
today’s many other electrical power
conversion devices. Two main parts of a dc
dynamo motor are stator and rotor [2].
B.Chain Sprocket
In chain sprocket, a sprocket is a wheel
with meshed teeth with a chain. It works
like a gear but the significant part is, in a
chain sprocket the sprockets never mesh
with one another directly. It also works like

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

a pulley but the sprocket got teeth and
pulleys are smooth. Chain sprocket is used
to transmit rotary motion in bicycles,
motorcycles or other machineries, between
the two shafts where gear is not suitable.
Chain sprocket is also used in power
transmission from one shaft to another
shaft where slippage is not admissible [3].
C. Gear Mechanism
Gear is the rotating part of a machine with
cut teeth which mesh with another toothed
part of the machine to transmit torque.
Devices with gear can change its speed,
direction and torque of a power source. By
changing the speed or torque gear always
create a mechanical advantage. The two
colliding gears have the same shaped teeth.
If one gear is bigger than the other one that
it is meshing with, then a mechanical
advantage is produced with the difference
of their rotational speeds and torques.
There can be multiple cut tooth elements
meshed with one another of different sizes
according to the necessity [4].
D. Charge Controller
Charge controller is device that limits the
rate of current added to the battery. It
prevents the battery to be over loaded thus
protects the equipments. It can perform
controlled discharging depending on
battery type. It also enhance battery
lifespan [5].
E. Lead Acid Battery
It is the oldest type of rechargeable battery.
Lead acid batteries are mostly used for its
high providence of currents and also for its
lower cost compared to newer
technologies. Most of the lead acid
batteries are used in automobile starting.
Here, electrical energy can be stored as
chemical energy and that chemical energy
can be converted to electrical energy for
further use [6].

PROJECT DESIGN

Figure 3: Mechanical Equipments. Figure 4: Lever Mechanism with Ramp.

Figure 5: Shaft and Fly Wheel Connection with Gear and Chain Sprocket.

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

Figure 6: Pulley System with Counter Weight.

Figure 7: Output Power Measurement. Figure 8: Complete Experimental Setup.

POWER CALCULATION & RESULT
ANALYSIS
A wire was connected to the DC
Generator’s positive & negative terminals
by using a soldering iron. Then, a
voltmeter was connected at the end of the
wire. When pressure was put on the device
we get different voltage showing in Table
1.

Table 1: Observation Voltage at Different Pressure.

03 1.1. High pressure 1.2. 17.60
04 1.3. Medium pressure 1.4. 13.28
05 1.5. Medium pressure 1.6. 12.14
06 1.7. Medium pressure 1.8. 14.48
07 1.9. Low pressure 1.10. 9.30
08 1.11. Low pressure 1.12. 8.58
09 1.13. Low pressure 1.14. 10.56
For measuring power current ILwas measured acrossRL = 100 Ω load.

Table 2: Observation of Current IL.

05 1.15. Medium pressure 146.3
06 1.16. Medium pressure 140.4
07 1.17. Low pressure 1.18. 124.7
08 1.19. Low pressure 1.20. 126.9
09 1.21. Low pressure 1.22. 135.6

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

A. Measurement of Power = 7.38 watts.

At high pressure average generator output The generated power from one vehicle is
voltage, 7.38 watts. If the weight of the car
V= 18.76V increases then Output power is also
Average generator output current, I= increased.
196.63 mA
Load resistance, RL = 100 Ω Let us assume, in every minutes, one
So, the generated Output power, P= vehicle passes through the system.
(18.76×196.63 × 10-3) For One Hour Output power = (7.38×60)
=3.69 watts watts = 442.8 watts.
When a vehicle passes through the ramp, it
hits the ramp two times by its front wheels Generated power will increase with the
& back wheels. increase of vehicle density in hour. The
So, The Output power of one vehicle = (2 following graph shows the change in
× 3.69) watts. output according to vehicle density.

Power generation according to vehicle density

800
700
GENERATED POWER (WATT)

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
VEHICLE DENSITY IN HOUR

Figure 9: Graphical Representation of Output Power at Different Vehicle Density.

The graph shows that increase in vehicle F= 6936.72 N

density increases the output power. The So, the torque will be Ʈ =
density has been calculated in hour. 0.5×6936.72×sin45⁰= 2452.5 Nm.
If the ramp is aligned at an angle of 45⁰
then force applied on the ramp will be From the equations it is clear that
, where m= 1000kg for increasing force will result in increasing
average weight of a car and g= 9.81 m/s2 the torque. The following graph shows the
So, F= 1000×9.81× cos 45⁰ =6936.72 N relationship between force and torque.

Torque calculation of the shaft: The following bar chart will show the
relationship between force and torque at
Where Ʈ is the torque in Nm different weight of vehicle.
r= ramp distance to shaft = 0.5 m

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
Volume 5 Issue 1

Force and Torque at different weight of vehicle

Weight Force Torque

WEGHT (KG), FORCE(N), TORQUE(N-M)

12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1 2 3 4 5
NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS.

Figure 10: Bar Chart of Relation between Force and Torque at Different Vehicle Weight.

The bar chart indicates that the force on the COST ANALYSIS
ramp and torque generated at the shaft will The different essential equipment and its cost
change according to the weight of vehicle. with quantities are given to Table 3.

Table 3: Cost Analysis.

Equipment No. of quantity or set Price (BDT)
DC Generator 1.23. 1 1.24. 1000
Shaft (Large) 1.25. 1 1.26. 400
Shaft (Small) 1.27. 1 1.28. 200
Fly Wheel (12 kg) 1.29. 1 1.30. 600
Wooden Board 1.31. 1 1.32. 1500
Counter Weight(5 kg) 1.33. 1 1.34. 200
Chain Sprocket 1.35. 1 1.36. 550
Bearing 1.37. 6 1.38. 600
Screws 1.39. 60 1.40. 200
Gear (20 teeth) 1.41. 1 1.42. 200
12v Lead acid battery 1.43. 1 1.44. 450
Charge controller 1.45. 36 1.46. 400
Bread board 1.47. 1 1.48. 50
LED 1.49. 4 1.50. 10
Connecting wire 1.51. 10 1.52. 50
Glue/Gum 1.53. 3 1.54. 250
Resistor (100Ω, 50Ω) 1.55. 5 1.56. 10
Belt 1.57. 1 1.58. 100
Pulley string 1.59. 1 1.60. 100
Pulley bearing 1.61. 2 1.62. 100
Miscellaneous 1.63. 300
Total Cost 1.64. =7220

ADVANTAGES  No chemical emission.

 Low installation and maintenance cost.  All weather compatible.
 Simple and robust construction.  Suitable for hybrid connection.
 No man power or extra source of  Suitable for busy roads.
power is needed.  Non-conventional energy source so
 Zero air pollution. eco-friendly.
 Less noise.

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 Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering
DISADVANTAGES
 Some maintenance is required.
 Might be a little noisy.
 Installation cost might be greater than
usual.
LIMITATIONS
There are some limitations in this project:
 It may take a while to completely
charge the battery.
 Efficiency might fall during low or
zero traffic.
 Extremely heavy weighted vehicle
might do some damage to the system.
DISCUSSION
This gravitational energy system is suitable
for Bangladesh. This is a good way to
utilize the heavy traffic in busy city like
Dhaka. Equipments that are used are low
of costs and available. The efficiency of
this system can be further increased by
hybrid system. Adding other system such
as Solar, Piezo materials can boost its
efficiency up to 2-3 times. The produced
electricity would be enough to light up the
streets and around it. This system might
have other applications such as gym
equipment. With proper modification it can
be used in exercise as well as a good
medium to produce usable electricity.
Smaller or miniature versions can be used
in crowded footpaths or over-bridges to
produce electrical energy as well.
CONCLUSION
This work has been an attempt to use
renewable energy efficiently in a different
and simple way. This system is efficient,
cheap and eco-friendly, which was the
main concern. It might help to fight the
7 Page 1-7 © MAT Journals 2019. All Rights Reserved
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Volume 5 Issue 1
energy problem of this country. The
Proposed work may prove a promising
platform for energy harvesting with
environmental sustainability in the future.
With further research it is hoped that the
system will improve and its limitation will
be reduced to work much effectively.
REFERENCES
1. Using Gravity to store electricity,
http://blog.electricitybid.com/index.ph
p/2013/04/11/using-gravity-to store-
electricity/ Accessed on July 25, 2018.
2. Mehta V.K. & Mehta R. Principle of
Electrical Machines. S. Chand and
Company LTD, 2nd ed., pp.#145-189,
Ram Nagar, New Delhi. 2016, ISO
9001: 2000.
3. Priyanshi Vishnoi & Pradip Agrawal.
Power Generation by Kinetic Energy
of Speed Breaker. MIT International
Journal of Electrical and
Instrumentation Engineering. August
2014; 4(2): pp. 90-93.
4. US Department of Energy, Internet:
https://web.archive.org/web/20071217
075631/http://www.eere.energy.gov/co
nsumer/your_home/electricity/index.cf
m/mytopic%3D10640 accessed on July
25, 2018
5. H. C. Mat Haris et al., NFA Abdul
Rahman. Development of Energy
Harvesting Using Speed Breaker. 2016
IEEE Conference on Systems, Process
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December 2016, Melaka, Malaysia.
6. Working of Lead Acid Battery,
https://www.electrical4u.com/working-
of-lead-acid-battery-lead-acid-
secondary-storage-
battery/ Accessed on July 2018.