Collisions in the context of electric power generation
Abstract
Abstract The power transfer from fluids to solid bodies is discussed in this work. The purpose is to construct a didactic model able to describe the gathering of momentum and energy from fluid flow (air or water) to a given collector along with the corresponding electricity production from a simple electromotive force (EMF) generator. Collisional models for elastic and inelastic encounters are presented. Simple formulae are derived for the power that can be delivered by the fluid and the results are compared with the standard limits for energy production. To this concern, an alternative route to derive the Betz limit is proposed. Finally, the problem of variable power input in energy production is discussed.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Fluid dynamics and aerodynamics studies
Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies
Innovative Energy Harvesting Technologies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- European Journal of Physics
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 035005–035005
- Publication date
- 26 May 2026