Engineering Commons^™

Compact Single Multistage Distillation, Sanza Kazadi, Brent Usui, Ashley An, Robin B. Zhao

Sanza Kazadi

Characterization Of A Wind Tunnel For Use In Offshore Wind Turbine Development With Mitigation Measures For The Wall Effect Of Proximal Structures, James Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the development of the Harold Alfond W² Ocean Engineering Laboratory constructed at the University of Maine through several investigations conducted with a one-third scale wind generation system. The scale wind generator is first tested in what is considered an open-circuit wind tunnel configuration to determine the influence proximal building walls of a facility housing such a device may have on the consistency and capacity of a wind generator. Turbine performance testing with the wind generator to identify any susceptibility to proximal wall influence is also conducted. This is of interest as the full-scale system will operate …

Inter-Droplet Membranes For Mechanical Sensing Applications, Nima Tamaddoni Jahromi

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation combines self-assembly phenomena of amphiphilic molecules with soft materials to create and characterize mechanoelectrical transducers and sensors whose sensing elements are thin-film bioinspired membranes comprised of phospholipids or amphiphilic polymers. We show that the structures of these amphiphilic molecules tune the mechanical and electrical properties of these membranes. We show that these properties affect the mechanoelectrical sensing characteristic and range of operation of these membrane transducers. In the experiments, we construct and characterize a membrane-based hair cell embodiment that enables the membrane to be responsive to mechanical perturbations of the hair. The resulting oscillations of membranes formed between …

Evaluating The Economic Impacts Of The Legislatively Delayed Provisions Of The 5th Edition (2014) Florida Building Code (Final Report), Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This research provides an assessment of the potential economic impacts of implementing three legislatively delayed requirements of the Florida Building Code, 5th Edition (2014): 1) residential air leakage testing, 2) residential whole-house mechanical ventilation, and 3) two fire service access elevators for applicable buildings.

Least Cost Analysis For Solar Photovoltaic Maintenance Of The Wmu Miller Auditorium Array, Kelsey Pitschel

Honors Theses

The solar photovoltaic array at Miller Auditorium is a 50 kW DC system that has relied on five seasonal angle adjustments and no cleaning measures to reach an average of 64.7 MWh annual energy generation since 2012 1 . This amount of energy generation yields $7,046 in annual energy savings based on current market pricing for end use electricity of $0.1089/kWh 2 . The current adjustment schedule based on seasonal tilts accounts for an annual costs between $760 and $848, but actual adjustments have historically not taken place according to the existing schedule. The analysis focuses on optimizing net energy …

Designing An Accessible Hall Effect Thruster, Matthew Baird

Honors Theses

A group of three Mechanical Engineering students have selected to design a 200 W Hall Effect Thruster to fulfill the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering senior design project. Preliminary studies were performed on the theory behind electric propulsion and plasma physics. The group designed the Western Hall Thruster and used COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software to refine the magnetic circuit. The group then fabricated and performed magnetic testing of their thruster in Western Michigan University’s Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments. This testing will seek to prove that a standard research HET can be built by universities without substantial financial resources.

Human-Assisted Fluid Power Vehicle, Aaron Huntoon

Honors Theses

The rising cost of energy has prompted industrial and technology companies to research and implement renewable or green energy sources in every aspect of their business. This green technology can consist of sources such as: solar, wind, fluid, or others to create energy from renewable sources. The use of these various sources reduces the pollution associated with standard methods of energy development, and it will ultimately drive costs down to benefit the general population. One of the largest benefactors to the use of renewable energy sources is the transportation industry. Billions of people rely on various modes of transportation every …

Modified Numerical-Analytical Analysis On Scpps, Nima Fathi, Seyed Sobhan Aleyasin, Peter Vorobieff

Nima Fathi

Automated, Autonomous And Connected Vehicle Technology Assessment, Florida Solar Energy Center, David L. Block

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and almost every state DOT are showing extreme interest in the application of automated and connected vehicles (ACV). This combined application can significantly reduce crashes, energy consumption, pollution and the costs of congestion which in turn will offer a fundamental change to the U.S. transportation network and system. The objective of this technology assessment project is to evaluate the vehicle technologies, actions, laws and policies that are now in place and to assess their future usage. The assessment also evaluates the highest level of automated vehicles called autonomous or self-driving vehicles. In fact, autonomous …

Development Of Distributed Off-Grid Renewable Energy System For Rural African Communities, Mateo Sebastian Guerrero, Menghong Feng

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

Our Hybrid Energy System team is committed to develop low-cost renewable energy solutions to rural African communities where access to electricity from government grid is not available. According to a World Bank’s report, only 24% of sub-Saharan countries have access to electricity. Our team has been working with local partners to build renewable energy systems since 2008. From 2015 the team has been working on micro hydropower turbine and vertical-axis wind turbine with solar energy system combined. Our current efforts include a prototype design of a wind-solar system, using a new concept of vertical axis wind turbine to harvest wind …

Development Of A Model And Optimal Control Strategy For The Cal Poly Central Plant And Thermal Energy Storage System, Daniel Douglas Castro

Master's Theses

This thesis develops a calibrated model of the Cal Poly Central Chilled Water Plant with Thermal Energy Storage for use in determining an optimal operating control strategy. The model was developed using a transient systems simulation program (TRNSYS) that includes plant performance and manufacturer data for the primary system components, which are comprised of pumps, chillers, cooling towers, and a thermal energy storage tank. The model is calibrated to the actual measured performance of the plant using the current control strategy as a baseline. By observing and quantifying areas for potential improvement in plant performance under conditions of high campus …

A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Wind Generation In Conjunction With Compressed Air Energy In The Integrated Single Electricity Market., Brendan Cleary

Doctoral

The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) is the proposed wholesale electricity market for Ireland and it is intended to replace the current Single Electricity Market (SEM) by 2018. Subsequently, substantial modifications will be required to the SEM and this has led to significant uncertainty for stakeholders. The SEM currently features no forecast risk for renewables such as wind and there is no concept of balance responsibility. Under the I-SEM, wind generation will be exposed to forecast risk and the requirement to be balance responsible. The use of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) could represent a better system configuration which would …

Novel Integrated Solar-Nuclear Combined Cycle Power Plant, Nima Fathi, Patrick Mckdaniel, Seyed Sobhan Aleyasin, Matthew Robinson, Peter Vorobieff, Salvador Rodriguez, Cassiano De Oliveira

Nima Fathi

Comprehensive Modeling Of Optimal Paths To Reach Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (Nzebs) For New Constructions In Europe, Florida Solar Energy Center, Delia D'Agostino

FSEC Energy Research Center®

As established by the recast of the European Union (EU) Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), all new buildings have to be nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) by the end of 2020. However, reaching this result considering cost-optimality is still an open challenge. Balancing renewable power generation with energy efficiency to reach the nZEB target is a key goal of all EU Member States. We describe results obtained from the modeling of nZEBs for new constructions in Europe using the energy performance software EnergyPlus. The model performs hourly sequential simulations showing how to best achieve nearly zero energy home …

Phased Retrofits In Existing Homes In Florida Phase I: Shallow And Deep Retrofits (February 2016), Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America research team Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction is collaborating with Florida Power & Light (FPL) to conduct a phased residential energy-efficiency retrofit program. This research seeks to establish impacts on annual energy and peak energy reductions from the technologies applied at two levels of retrofit--shallow and deep--with savings levels that approach the Building America program goal of reducing whole-house energy use by 40%.

Relationship Between The Home Energy Score (Hes) And The Home Energy Rating System (Hers), Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A significant cohort of approximately 2,900 registered home energy ratings using the REM/Rate HERS software tool, as reported to RESNET, are subjected to statistical analysis by the Dillon Group, Inc. The statistical analysis determines the distribution of HES results as a function of home energy efficiency as measured by the minimum standards of the 2009 IECC and by EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.

In addition, a parametric simulation analysis is conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center using EnergyGauge® USA version 5.0, a RESNET-accredited HERS software tool, to determine the relationship between HES scores and the HERS Index. The parametric analysis …

Battery Thermal Management For Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using A Phase-Change Material Cold Plate, Sandra Boetcher, Marc Compere, Domenic Barsotti, William Townsend Hyatt, Brian Neal Harries

Publications

A thermal management system for an energy storage device that includes a liquid-cooled cold plate made of phase-change material changeable from a substantially solid form to a sub­stantially liquid form upon absorbing heat generated by the energy storage device. The system may be useful as a thermal management solution for energy storage systems (ESS) in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEY).

Procesy Cieplne I Aparaty (Lab), Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Solar Thermal Collector, Hazel Tickner, Tyson Nakamura

All Undergraduate Projects

During the course of this project, a solar thermal collector and supporting stand were designed and manufactured to be used during Mechanical Engineering Technology labs. Students will be able to use the collector to heat water, with the sun being the only heat source. The collector was designed by calculating surface area limitations, estimated solar input, and desired efficiency, to find the required water flow rate. From there, the necessary pipe lengths and diameters were determined, and the solar thermal collector was constructed. Two pipe paths were manufactured: a curved path, and a manifold path. Students will be able to …

Inżynieria Chemiczna Lab., Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Using Photovoltaics To Power Electrochemical Chloride Extraction From Concrete, Sean Bond, Lynette O'Callaghan, Niall Holmes Dr., Brian Norton

Conference papers

Corrosion of embedded steel in reinforced concrete (RC) is a world-wide problem, that reduces structural performance and lifespan. Chloride attack may be a result of seawater, de-icing salts or contaminated admixtures, brought on by ingress of chlorides into the concrete. Electrochemical Chloride Extraction (ECE) is a non-destructive treatment for contaminated RC structures, that due to uncertainty of treatment times and applied current densities, is only 50% effective. It is often diesel powered has an environmental impact and often very costly due to the long treatment times. To improve the efficiency of ECE the influences of concrete resistance, cement type and …

Design For Fractal Grid Generated Turbulence, Moira Gion

Undergraduate Research & Mentoring Program

Fractal geometry can be used to find organization or order in something that appears to be in disorder, or chaos. Turbulence is viewed as one place where fractal geometry can be found in nature. The irregularity in fluid flow is dependent on the initial conditions. In the past, the idea of self-similarity has been used to develop statistical theories of energy cascade in a turbulent flow. Recent studies have done experiments on obstructing flows with fractal objects to observe intermittency, (or self-similarity) within a turbulent flow. Experiments on fractal grid generated turbulence has been performed by other research groups, so …

On The Aerodynamic Properties Of Slotted-Flap Flow-Control Devices For Wind Turbine Applications, Muraleekrishnan Menon Menon Muraleedharan Nair

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Wind energy is growing at a fast pace and utility-scale wind turbines growing in size with increasing rotor diameters. To sustain development of up-scaled wind turbines of tomorrow there is a need for innovation in load control methodologies. This thesis research targets an assessment of the aerodynamic properties of airfoil sections specifically intended for wind turbine applications, featuring them with flow-control devices. The use of fractional chord trailing-edge flaps as slotted-flap devices on aerodynamically active parts of a turbine blade were studied. As modular devices attached externally on existing blade designs, they comfortably form a cost-effective means for active load …

Predictive Control Of Power Grid-Connected Energy Systems Based On Energy And Exergy Metrics, Meysam Razmara

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Building and transportation sectors account for 41% and 27% of total energy consumption in the US, respectively. Designing smart controllers for Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems and Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) can play a key role in reducing energy consumption. Exergy or availability is based on the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics and is a more precise metric to evaluate energy systems including HVAC and ICE systems. This dissertation centers on development of exergy models and design of model-based controllers based on exergy and energy metrics for grid-connected energy systems including HVAC and ICEs.

In this PhD dissertation, …

Scalability Of Microscale Fractal-Like Branching Channel Networks, James R. Miller Iii

Honors College Theses

Fractal-like branching channel networks have been shown to offer the advantages of reduced pumping power and lower maximum wall temperatures when employed in the design of microscale heat sinks. Unfortunately, previous literature has been limited to microscale flow networks. In this paper, a microscale flow network will be scaled up to result in a mesoscale flow network and a macroscale flow network. In order to compare the pressure drop across the flow networks of varying scales the results will be nondimensionalized in the form of the Euler number. For a laminar inlet Reynolds number the microscale, mesoscale, and macroscale fractal-like …

Solar Photovoltaic System Control Topology Investigation For Power Source Mismatch, Lynette O'Callaghan

Conference papers

An investigation into solar photovoltaic (PV) system control topology selection, when partial shade is anticipated in the solar array, is presented. As available area is maximised in Building Integrated PV (BIPV) systems, shading is an inevitable consequence. The presence of partial shading in a PV array leads to multiple power peaks in the power-voltage curve, due to bypass diode sections being triggered, and an increase in module mismatch losses in the array. A building energy design software, Integrated Environmental Solutions, is used to determine the shadowed area on PV modules throughout the year, incorporating the PV system location and geometrical …

Power Maximization For Pyroelectric, Piezoelectric, And Hybrid Energy Harvesting, Murtadha A. Shaheen

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation consists of improving the efficiency of energy harvesting using pyroelectric and piezoelectric materials in a system by the proper characterization of electrical parameters, widening frequency, and coupling of both effects with the appropriate parameters.

A new simple stand-alone method of characterizing the impedance of a pyroelectric cell has been demonstrated. This method utilizes a Pyroelectric single pole low pass filter technique, PSLPF. Utilizing the properties of a PSLPF, where a known input voltage is applied and capacitance C_p and resistance R_p can be calculated at a frequency of 1 mHz to 1 Hz. …

Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom

Honors Theses and Capstones

Started in Fall 2015, Project OASIS (Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary capstone project with the goal of designing a sustainable and affordable small-scale aquaponic system for use in developing nations to tackle the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship between fish and vegetables growing together in a recirculating system. The project’s goals were to minimize energy consumption and construction costs while using universally available materials. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to create transient and steady-state models of fish tanks to visualize velocity profiles, streamlines, and particle movement. …

Nebraska Summary: S1030 Challenger Mt555e, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S1053 Case-Ih Optum 270 Cvx, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …