Power and Energy Commons^™

Optimal Location And Sizing Of Facts Devices To Improve Voltage Profiles On A 132 Kv Mwanza-Musoma-Nyamongo Transmission Line, Peter Makolo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Recently, utility companies have desired to supply quality, stable and reliable power to customers, and ensure they meet the demand. Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) dynamic compensator devices such as Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Static VAr Compensator (SVC) and Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) are an impeccable choice, however, cost is one of the limiting factors following these technologies. In addition, using FACTS devices in the system requires a detailed steady state, dynamic and optimisation analysis to effectively meet the purpose and ensure reduced cost. This paper proposes using an optimised FACTS device to improve voltage profile, power transfer, system …

Adoption Of Agrivoltaics In Developing Countries: A Review On Challenges, Opportunities And Future Prospects, Abdi J. Athumani, Pater Makolo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper provides a review of agrivoltaics technology and how it has been applicable in developing countries, including African countries. Agrivoltaics, the integration of agricultural production with photovoltaic energy generation, offers promising solutions to water- energy-food nexus in developing countries. This technology offers the dual benefit of increasing agricultural productivity while generating clean energy, which is very important for regions facing frequent electricity shortages and declining agricultural yields due to climate change. However, despite its potential, the adoption of agrivoltaics in developing nations remains limited in comparison to developed countries due to financial, technical and policy constraints. This paper explores …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Hybrid Pv-Wind-Diesel Generator Swarm Grid For Rural Electrification In Tanzania, Ibrahim Mwammenywa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Remote, rural, and off-grid communities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), face significant challenges in securing reliable and affordable electricity. While solutions such as solar home systems (SHSs) and diesel generators (DGs) have been adopted by some individuals, their deployment is often not optimized to meet the full load demand. This study addresses this challenge by proposing a hybrid swarm grid (HSG) design that integrates photovoltaic (PV), wind energy, and diesel generators (DGs). Utilizing MATLAB/Simulink and HOMER, the HSG is modeled and optimized for a typical SSA village, incorporating real-world variables such as load demand profiles, solar irradiance, and wind patterns. …

Research On The Construction Of Domain Knowledge Graph For Assisted Decision Making And Its Scenario-Oriented Application, Hao Xu, Linlin Ge, Yan Zhang, Sanhong Deng

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This research constructed a domain knowledge graph and its scenario-oriented application framework for decision support at four levels: the data foundation layer, the key technology layer, the domain knowledge graph construction layer, and the scenario-oriented application layer. This framework aims to provide systematic support for knowledge discovery.

[Method/process] Based on the construction of a domain knowledge graph and its scenario-oriented application framework for decision support, this research focuses on the improvement of models and performance evaluation for fine-grained entity and relationship extraction at the discourse level within texts. The optimal model is selected to construct a domain knowledge graph. …

Hands-On Microgrid Education: Using Programmable Dc-Dc Converters To Teach Power & Energy Systems, Alejandra Zuniga

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project will develop an analog computing circuit that can accelerate power system simulations used for grid interconnection studies. The project will leverage analog computing to create a specialized circuit capable of simulating large-scale power networks with detailed models of power electronics-based loads, such as those found in data centers and manufacturing plants. A software application programming interface will be developed to integrate this circuit with a desktop computer, where simulations can be run by the user. The project team will also work with industry partners and utilities to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed technology for conducting real-world grid …

Resilience Engineering Via Bifurcation And Ecological Network Analysis: Demonstrated In An Electric Power Case Study, Rogelio Gracia Otalvaro

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Modern systems are increasingly complex, interconnected cyber-physical systems that combine digital controls with physical infrastructure. This integration, along with the constant introduction of new technologies and actors into the network, enables reliable operation but introduces vulnerabilities to unexpected and varied disruptions and cascading failures, making resilience a critical concern. Traditional risk management and resilience assessment methods often struggle with the nonlinearity and dynamic behavior of these systems. This dissertation proposes a novel approach combining Bifurcation Analysis (BA) and Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) to enhance the understanding and improvement of system resilience. BA, a mathematical method from dynamical systems theory, is …

Bridging Materials And Energy Storage Mechanisms In Zn-I2 Batteries, Rong-Qi Liu, Wen-Shuo Shang, Jin-Tao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Zinc-iodine (Zn-I₂) batteries have emerged as a compelling candidate for large-scale energy storage, driven by the growing demand for safe, cost-effective, and sustainable alternatives to conventional systems. Benefiting from the inherent advantages of aqueous electrolytes and zinc metal anodes, including high ionic conductivity, low flammability, natural abundance, and high volumetric capacity, Zn-I₂ batteries offer significant potential for grid-level deployment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in three critical domains: positive-electrode engineering, zinc anode stabilization, and in situ characterization methods. On the cathode side, anchoring iodine to conductive matrices effectively mitigates polyiodide shuttling and enhances …

Series Reports From Professor Wei’S Group Of Chongqing University: Advancements In Electrochemical Energy Conversions (2/4): Report 2: High-Performance Water Splitting Electrocatalysts, Ling Zhang, Wang-Yang Wu, Qiu-Yue Hu, Shi-Dan Yang, Li Li, Rui-Jin Liao, Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

The unavailability of high-performance and cost-effective electrocatalysts has impeded the large-scale deployment of alkaline water electrolyzers. Professor Zidong Wei’s group has focused on resolving critical challenges in industrial alkaline electrolysis, particularly elucidating hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) mechanisms while addressing the persistent activity-stability trade-off. This review summarizes their decade-long progress in developing advanced electrodes, analyzing the origins of sluggish alkaline HER kinetics and OER stability limitations. Professor Wei proposes a unifying “12345 Principle” as an optimization framework. For HER electrocatalysts, they have identified that metal/metal oxide interfaces create synergistic “chimney effect” and “local electric field enhancement effect”, enhancing selective …

Local Electric Fields Coupled With Cl− Fixation Strategy For Improving Seawater Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance, Yu-Rong Liu, Miao Zhang, Yan-Hui Yu, Ya-Lin Liu, Jing Li, Xiao-Dong Shi, Zhen-Ye Kang, Dao-Xiong Wu, Peng Rao, Ying Liang, Xin-Long Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Development of robust electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in a seawater electrolyte is the key to realize seawater electrolyte-based zinc-air batteries (SZABs). Herein, constructing a local electric field coupled with chloride ions (Cl⁻) fixation strategy in dual single-atom catalysts (DSACs) was proposed, and the resultant catalyst delivered considerable ORR performance in a seawater electrolyte, with a high half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.868 V and a good maximum power density (Pmax) of 182 mW·cm⁻² in the assembled SZABs, much higher than those of the Pt/C catalyst (E_1/2: 0.846 V; Pmax: 150 mW·cm^{−2 …}

Significantly Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity In Co-N-C Catalysts Through Synergistic Boron Doping, Chang Lan, Jing-Sen Bai, Xin Guan, Shuo Wang, Nan-Shu Zhang, Yu-Qing Cheng, Jin-Jing Tao, Yu-Yi Chu, Mei-Ling Xiao, Chang-Peng Liu, Wei Xing

Journal of Electrochemistry

The weak adsorption energy of oxygen-containing intermediates on Co center leads to a considerable performance disparity between Co-N-C and costly Pt benchmark in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this work, we strategically engineer the active site structure of Co-N-C via B substitution, which is accomplished by the pyrolysis of ammonium borate. During this process, the in-situ generated NH₃ gas plays a critical role in creating surface defects and boron atoms substituting nitrogen atoms in the carbon structure. The well-designed CoB₁N₃ active site endows Co with higher charge density and stronger adsorption energy toward oxygen species, …

Improvement Of Lithium-Metal Electrode All-Solid-State Batteries Performance By Shot Peening And Magnetron Sputtering, Atsuro Okumura, Manabu Kodama

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

To enable fast charging in lithium-metal anode all-solid-state batteries, suppressing lithium dendrite formation at the solid electrolyte (SE) interface is critical. Increasing fracture toughness via shot peening (SP) and improving interfacial contact with Au sputtering can inhibit dendrite growth. However, conventional sputtering may reduce toughness due to localized thermal damage. This study investigated magnetron sputtering as a low-damage, plasma-based Au deposition method. SEs with and without SP were fabricated and coated via normal and magnetron sputtering. Critical current density (CCD) and fracture toughness were evaluated. Without SP, CCD improvement was limited regardless of sputtering method due to poor bonding. With …

Experimental Study Of Energy Conversion Efficiency Improvement Of Photovoltaic (Pv) Module Using Hybrid Cooling System, Olufisayo O. Babalola, Olatunji W. Olademeji, Joseph B. Samson

Al-Bahir

The elevation of the photovoltaic module operating temperature resulting in diminution of its energy conversion efficiency is one of the key limitations to its application. A decrease of power delivered performance by 0.4-0.5% per 1 rise over its Standard Test Condition (STC) accounted for the overheating of the PV module. This study evaluates the energy conversion efficiency improvement of a PV module using hybrid cooling system. An hourly segmented hybrid cooling system made up of aluminum fins as passive cooling segment and helical structured copper tubules for water conduction as active cooling segment helps to improve the energy conversion efficiency …

Robust Fault Detection And Classification In Power Systems Via Physics-Informed And Data-Driven Learning, Biswash Basnet, Varsha Sen

Graduate Student Scholarship

Electrical faults in power transmission systems can severely affect grid stability, equipment safety, and operational reliability. Traditional protection schemes, particularly distance relays, depend on apparent impedance computation that changes with error, creating a risk of misclassification. The results from relay overreach, underreach, or complete maloperation due to CT/PT saturation lead to developing problems in high impedance situations. These limitations highlight the need for adaptive, data-driven alternatives. This paper proposes an intelligent fault detection and classification model based on supervised machine learning techniques that overcome these challenges. The system’s robustness was validated under different training sizes and Gaussian noise levels, demonstrating …

Detecting Electrical Submersible Pump (Esp) Failures And Estimating Run Life Using Artificial Neural Networks, Mostafa Ahmed Sobhy

Theses and Dissertations

Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs) are one of the important artificial lift methods for sustaining production in mature and high-water-cut wells; but may suffer frequent failures due to mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, chemical, and operational failures. These failures can yield substantial deferred production and intervention costs. Plenty of ESP installations are fitted with downhole sensors. Yet, it is observed that the current industry practice underutilizes the wealth of available sensor and operational data and lacks standardized, explainable failure-type identification and classification.

In this thesis, a comprehensive Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) framework was introduced for ESPs that simultaneously estimates remaining …

Nanostructured Zinc Stannate Perovskite Films Synthesized Via Molten Salt Modified-Solvothermal Method For Enhanced Piezoelectric Properties, Christopher Munoz, Alyssah Fuentes, Christian Alaniz, Tarik Dickens, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Three dimensional (3D) piezoelectric zinc stannate (ZnSnO3) nanoweb arrays are synthesized using a molten salt modified solvothermal method and deposited in PDMS films for electrochemical analysis of its piezoelectric response. This work is a preliminary assessment of comparative piezoelectric efficacy influenced by changes in synthesis, effecting dimension and particle size. Advantages of hydrothermal, molten salt, and solvothermal synthesis methods were leveraged to facilitate several chemical and surface engineering techniques to enhance piezoelectric properties by increasing the surface area of zinc stannate nanoparticles. The combination of these treatments reduce the size of zinc stannate to approximately ∼40nm-80nm weblike networks. Scanning …

Exopg Maturation And Owl Interface, Duncan Michael Louden

Electrical Engineering

The maturation of the ExOPG buoy generator consists of an interface to facilitate remote data acquisition of an existing battery charge controller. This module telemeters battery controller data including voltage, temperature, and state of battery charge. The data is transmitted to a communication system and is able to be viewed by humans on a 24/7 basis for continuous operation and human usage. The module works seamlessly as an addition to the existing ExOPG generator, and it does not interfere with any existing and planned components of the generator. The module is highly efficient and draws minimal power from the existing …

Improved Triboelectric Nanogenerator By As-Prepared Lithium Niobate For Energy Harvesting And Sensing Applications, Jahid Inam Chowdhury, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Md Arafat Hossain, Nicholas Dimakis, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have garnered significant research interest due to their ability to harvest mechanical energy efficiently. In this study, we report a TENG composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as triboelectric layers. To enhance charge generation in the PDMS composite polymer, we incorporated lithium niobate (LiNbO3) nanoparticles, leveraging their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. The LiNbO3 nanoparticles were synthesized using a solid-state reaction method, resulting in two distinct phases: triclinic LiNbO3 and monoclinic LiNb3O8. Various weight percentages of LiNbO3 and LiNb3O8 nanoparticles were added to the PDMS matrix to optimize power generation. The maximum open-circuit voltage (VOC) and …

Superhydrophilic Porous Coooh Nano-Architecture With Abundant Oxygen Vacancies For Enhanced Urea Electrooxidation At Ampere-Level Current Densities, Wen-Jing Lv, Xiao-Man Tang, Xue-Tong Wang, Wen-Cai Liu, Jian-Wen Zhu, Guo-Jing Wang, Yuan-Zhi Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The conversion of urea-containing wastewater into clean hydrogen energy has gained increasing attention. However, challenges remain, particularly with sluggish catalytic kinetics and limited long-term stability of urea oxidation reaction (UOR). Herein, we report the loosely porous CoOOH nano-architecture (CoOOH LPNAs) with hydrophilic surface and abundant oxygen vacancies (O_v) on carbon fiber paper (CFP) by electrochemical reconstruction of the CoP nanoneedles precursor. The resulting three-dimensional electrode exhibited an impressively low potential of 1.38 V at 1000 mA·cm⁻² and excellent durability for UOR. Furthermore, when tested in an anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer, it required only 1.53 V at …

Design And Optimization Of Anode Catalysts For Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells: Advances And Challenges In C-C Bond Activation And Selective Modulation Of The C1 Pathway, Kai-Chi Qin, Meng-Tian Huo, Yu Liang, Si-Yuan Zhu, Zi-Hao Xing, Jin-Fa Chang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are a promising alternative to conventional energy sources, offering high energy density, environmental sustainability, and operational safety. Compared to methanol fuel cells, DEFCs exhibit lower toxicity and a more mature preparation process. Unlike hydrogen fuel cells, DEFCs provide superior storage and transport feasibility, as well as cost-effectiveness, significantly enhancing their commercial viability. However, the stable C–C bond in ethanol creates a high activation energy barrier, often resulting in incomplete electrooxidation. Current commercial platinum (Pt)- and palladium (Pd)-based catalysts demonstrate low C–C bond cleavage efficiency (

Structure Regulation Engineering For Biomass-Derived Carbon Anodes Enabling High-Rate Dual-Ion Batteries, Rui Zhou, Rui Liu, Yun-Nuo Li, Si-Jie Jiang, Tian-Tian Jing, Yan-Song Xu, Fei-Fei Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) usually use carbon-based materials as electrodes, showing advantages in high operating voltage, potential low cost, and environmental friendliness. Different from conventional “rocking chair” type secondary batteries, DIBs perform a unique working mechanism, which employ both cation and anion taking part in capacity contribution at an anode and a cathode, respectively, during electrochemical reactions. Graphite has been identified as a suitable cathode material for anion intercalation at high voltages (> 4.8 V) with fast reaction kinetics. However, the development of DIBs is being hindered by dynamic mismatch between a cathode and an anode due to sluggish Li^{+ …}