Energy Systems Commons^™

Nanosheets Of Cuco₂O₄ As A High-Performance Electrocatalyst In Urea Oxidation, Camila Zequine, Ram K. Gupta, Pawan K. Kahol

Posters

The urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is a possible solution to solve the world’s energy crisis. Fuel cells have been used in the UOR to generate hydrogen with a lower potential compared to water splitting, decreasing the costs of energy production. Urea is abundantly present in agricultural waste and in industrial and human wastewater. Besides generating hydrogen, this reaction provides a pathway to eliminate urea, which is a hazard in the environment and to people’s health. In this study, nanosheets of CuCo₂O₄ grown on nickel foam were synthesized as an electrocatalyst for urea oxidation to generate hydrogen as a green fuel. …

Molybdenum Oxides For Energy Generation And Storage Using Efficient Clean Method, Camila Zequine, Pawan K. Kahol, Ram K. Gupta

Posters

To solve the growing energy issues, significant efforts have been focused on the search of earth-abundant ele­ments that can provide multifunctional behavior for both energy generation and storage. Due to the low-cost and rich chemical nature, transition metal oxide nanostructures have been used in the fabrication of energy devices, such as fuel cells and lithium batteries. In this work, nickel, cobalt and iron molybdates were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method in order to fabricate electrodes for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and a superca­pacitor. FeMoO₄ required an overpotential of 294 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm2 for …

Electrocatalytic Properties Of Lanthanum-Based Perovskites For Water Splitting And Energy Storage Applications, Xavier R. Martinez, Khamis Siam, Pawan K. Kahol, Ram K. Gupta

Posters

Recent changes in global weather patterns have punctuated the need for mollification through a cleaner energy option. As part of the plan, hydrogen production for fuel cells offers substantial power without carbon emissions. Overall water splitting, with the aid of a low cost electrocatalyst could prove to be an abundant green fuel source. Utilizing readily available transition metals, three perovskite nanostructures were studied as a multifunctional material for hydrogen production as well as energy storage. LaCoO₃ (LCO), LaFeO₃ (LFO), and LaMnO₃ (LMO) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction and then dip coated onto nickel foam as electrodes in a …

Metal-Doped Catalysts For Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Tucker Morey, Ram K. Gupta, Pawan K. Kahol

Posters

The highly efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) provides a promising way to solve energy and environment problems. In this work, various transition metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, and Pt) were selected to support on molybdenum carbides by a simple organic-inorganic precursor carburization process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results indicated that the ß-MO₂C phase was formed in all metal-doped samples. X-ray photo­electron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the binding energy of MO₂+ species (MO₂C) shifted to a lower value after metal was doped on the molybdenum carbide surface. Comparing with pure ß-MO₂C, the elec­trocatalytic activity for HER was improved by …

Implementation Of Solar Car Technology, Greg Mccartney, Marcus Allen, Dedrick Cooper, Lelan Delissa, Eric Mayer

Posters

Under the leadership of Dr. Erik Mayer, Pittsburg State University hosted the first Kansas Solar Race Competition. The purpose of this competition is to motivate students to learn about different aspects of solar car technology. The competition motivates students by bringing multiple teams together in a friendly competition to test out their uniquely engineered and constructed wireless cars. The cars will compete in different competitions such as an agil­ity competition and a drag race. After the competition, the students are able to learn from the ingenuity of other teams and spark a curiosity to continue to learn about solar car …

Almond Based Electrocatalyst For Fuel Cell Applications, Kinsey Morey, Tucker Morey, Brooks Neria, Khamis Siam, Pawan K. Kahol

Posters

Hydrogen is considered one of the cleanest energy sources. Water spitting is one of the efficient ways to produce hydrogen as a fuel at the industrial level. Water splitting via electrolysis requires an efficient electrocatalyst to reduce the voltage required for water splitting. Currently, precious metals such as platinum are considered as one of the most efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen production via electrolysis of water. The current challenge is to find a cost-effective alternative for this process. Molybdenum and carbon are low cost and abundant mate­rials which could be used for the synthesis of cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen production. In …

Design Of A Portable Biogas Purification And Storage System, Anikumar Kosna, Bade Shrestha

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

The objective of this study is to propose and design a commercial portable purification and storage system to commercialize biogas (which mainly consists of 45 - 75 % of methane and 15 - 16% of carbon dioxide), produced from household/non-commercial biogas plants. The selection of purification process is based on the portability of the purification system.

Numerical Investigation Of Inclination On The Thermal Performance Of Porous Fin Heatsink Using Pseudospectral Collocation Method, George Oguntala, Gbeminiyi Sobamowo, Raed Abd-Alhameed, James Noras

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Numerical investigation of inclination effect on the thermal performance of a porous fin heat sink is presented. The developed thermal model is solved using pseudo-spectral collocation method (PSCM). Parametric studies are carried out using PSCM, and the thermal characterization of heat sink with the inclined porous fin of rectangular geometry is presented. Results show that heat sink of inclined porous fin exhibits higher thermal performance than heat sink of vertical porous fin operating under the same thermal conditions with the same geometrical configurations. Performance of inclined or tilted fin increases with decrease in length-thickness aspect ratio. However, increase in the …

Surface And Interface Properties In Thin-Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X-Rays And Electrons To Unravel The Electronic And Chemical Structure, Lothar Weinhardt, Dirk Hauschild, Clemens Heske

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

Thin‐film solar cells have great potential to overtake the currently dominant silicon‐based solar cell technologies in a strongly growing market. Such thin‐film devices consist of a multilayer structure, for which charge‐carrier transport across interfaces plays a crucial role in minimizing the associated recombination losses and achieving high solar conversion efficiencies. Further development can strongly profit from a high‐level characterization that gives a local, electronic, and chemical picture of the interface properties, which allows for an insight‐driven optimization. Herein, the authors' recent progress of applying a “toolbox” of high‐level laboratory‐ and synchrotron‐based electron and soft X‐ray spectroscopies to characterize the chemical …

Solar Thermoelectricity Via Advanced Latent Heat Storage, Michele L. Olsen, Eric S. Toberer, David S. Ginley, Philip A. Parilla, Emily L. Warren, Aaron D. Martinez, Jonathan E. Rea, Corey Lee Hardin, Christopher J. Oshman, Nathan P. Siegel

Other Faculty Research and Publications

An aspect of the present disclosure is a system that includes a thermal valve having a first position and a second position, a heat transfer fluid, and an energy converter where, when in the first position, the thermal valve prevents the transfer of heat from the heat transfer fluid to the energy converter, and when in the second position, the thermal valve allows the transfer of heat from the heat transfer fluid to the energy converter, such that at least a portion of the heat transferred is converted to electricity by the energy converter.

Evaluating Moisture Control Of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps In Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes In Climate Zone 2a, Florida Solar Energy Center, Eric Martin

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The well-sealed, highly insulated building enclosures constructed by today's home building industry coupled with efficient lighting and appliances are achieving significantly reduced heating and cooling loads. These low-load homes can present a challenge when selecting appropriate space-conditioning equipment. Conventional, fixed-capacity heating and cooling equipment is often oversized for small homes, causing increased first costs and operating costs. Even if fixed-capacity equipment can be properly specified for peak loads, it remains oversized for use during much of the year. During these part-load cooling hours, oversized equipment meets the target dry-bulb temperatures very quickly, often without sufficient opportunity for moisture control. The …

Fluorescence Of Cdse/Zns Quantum Dots In Toluene: Effect Of Cyclic Temperature, Ting Chen, Weiling Luan, Shaofu Zhang, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantum dots (QDs) are the potential material for the application in optical thermometry, and have been successfully applied to solar cells, LEDs, bio-labeling, structural health monitoring, etc. In this paper, we study the fluorescence properties of CdSe/ZnS QDs in toluene under the action of heating-cooling cycles. The experimental results show that, in a heating-cooling cycle, increasing temperature causes red-shift of the emission peak and the decrease of the PL intensity, and decreasing temperature causes blue-shift of the emission peak and the increase of the PL intensity. The surface structures of the QDs likely are dependent on the cycle numbers, which …

Proposed Delivery And Return Water Temperatures For Dartmouth College Hot Water Network, Storm Mata

ENGS 86 Independent Projects (AB Students)

This study aimed to verify the viability of the planned hot water heating network at Dartmouth, and determine the necessary hot water radiator areas needed to satisfy the empirically-determined heat demand for buildings on campus, using 5 year of steam con- sumption data. In order to verify viability, the pressure and temperature of the delivery steam and return condensate of the current heating network were used to find the amount of heat delivered per pound of steam to campus. The above-mentioned steam consump- tion data were then used to find the max heat demand for the past five years and …

Stair Climbing Hand Truck, James Mcpherson

All Undergraduate Projects

Abstract

Getting a heavy object up a flight of stairs usually requires a team of two or more people. Even with a team of people, the task is often still difficult, dangerous, and possibly insurmountable by one person. This problem is especially prevalent in for those who are moving into apartment complexes. Most apartment complexes have many buildings with two or more floors of living quarters, and elevators are often missing. This project sought to offer a solution to this problem. The solution in question; a motorized hand-truck with 2, trigonal planar pinwheels in place of the stock wheels. The …

A Novel Approach Towards Investigating The Performance Of Different Pvt Configurations Integrated On Test Cells: An Experimental Study, Vivek Tomar, Brian Norton, G. N. Tiwari

Articles

This study elaborates the theoretical and experimental analysis for the effectiveness of different photovoltaic thermal (PVT) configurations along with their building implications. An experiment was performed on especially designed four identical prototype test cells emphasise the building integration photovoltaic thermal (BiPVT) systems. A comparative analysis of four different possible PVT configurations integrated on identical test cells namely; Case 1: Glass-to-glass PV with duct integrated on a test cell, Case 2: Glass-to -glass PV without duct integrated on a test cell, Case 3: Glass to tedlar PV with duct integrated on a test cell and Case 4: Glass to tedlar PV …

Recycling Licoo2 With Methanesulfonic Acid For Regeneration Of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode Materials., Bin Wang, Xin-Ye Lin, Yuanyuan Tang, Qiang Wang, Michael K.H. Leung, Xiao-Ying Lu

Faculty of Science & Technology (THEi)

With the massive consumption of lithium-ion batteries in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles, proper disposal of spent batteries is of paramount importance for sustainable development. In this study, biodegradable organic methanesulfonic acid (MSA) is investigated for the first time to leach valuable metals from waste LiCoO2 powders for battery material regeneration. Under the optimal conditions, leaching efficiencies of lithium and cobalt are achieved at nearly ∼100% and ∼100%, respectively. Comparison experiment indicates that MSA can achieve better leaching performance than previously reported organic acids (e.g. citric acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid) under the same conditions. Besides, strong …

Year-Round-Based Optimization Of High-Low Control In The Regenerative Indirect Evaporative Cooler (Riec), Huaxia Yan, Yi Chen, Weilong Zhang

Faculty of Science & Technology (THEi)

The performance of the regenerative indirect evaporative cooler (RIEC) highly depends on ambient temperature and humidity. To maintain indoor thermal comfort, proper control strategy is essential. Previous research indicates that high–low (H-L) control by using multispeed technology is superior to the conventional on–off control in terms of energy consumption and thermal comfort. Under H-L control, a fan switches between a high speed and a low speed. The high speed is determined by the peak load. However, the selection of low speed involves a great sense of subjectivity. Therefore, the influence of low speed on system performance is comprehensively investigated and …

Micro/Nanostructured Mnco2o4.5 Anodes With High Reversible Capacity And Excellent Rate Capability For Next Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries, Bin Wang, Shifeng Wang, Yuanyuan Tang, Chi-Wing Tsang, Jinchuan Dai, Michael K.H. Leung, Xiao-Ying Lu

Faculty of Science & Technology (THEi)

Lithium-ion batteries have already achieved great success in consumer electronics. However, the electrochemical characteristics of the existing electrodes have constrained their widespread applications in electric vehicles, which need technical demands of high energy density and fast charging. Thus, it is highly desirable to explore high-performance electrodes with high reversible capacity and excellent rate capability. In this study, micro/nanostructured MnCo2O4.5 anodes were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment with the presence of positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). Physicochemical property studies suggested that the as-prepared MnCo2O4.5 of 2–5 µm in diameter was mainly composed of numerous nanoneedles, which were further comprised of many inter-connected nanoparticles. …

Synthesis Of Sea Urchin-Like Nico2o4 Via Charge-Driven Self-Assembly Strategy For High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries, Bin Wang, Chi-Wing Tsang, Ka Ho Li, Yuanyuan Tang, Yanping Mao, Xiao-Ying Lu

Faculty of Science & Technology (THEi)

In this study, hydrothermal synthesis of sea urchin-like NiCo2O4 was successfully demonstrated by a versatile charge-driven self-assembly strategy using positively charged poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) molecules. Physical characterizations implied that sea urchin-like microspheres of ~ 2.5 μm in size were formed by self-assembly of numerous nanoneedles with a typical dimension of ~ 100 nm in diameter. Electrochemical performance study confirmed that sea urchin-like NiCo2O4 exhibited high reversible capacity of 663 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at current density of 100 mA g−1. Rate capability indicated that average capacities of 1085, 1048, 926, 642, 261, and 86 mAh g−1 could be achieved …

Autojack - Hydraulic Powertrain System, Tyce Vu

All Undergraduate Projects

A primary problem for mechanics and automotive enthusiasts is the risk associated with lifting and securing a vehicle with conventional jack stands. Often times, improper jack-stand installation results in the vehicle collapsing unexpectedly, causing injury and/or death. This problem can be minimized through the application of a newly re-designed vehicle lifting system. The conventional method for lifting cars is time consuming and can be unsafe in many circumstances. A better, safer, and more efficient lift design was needed; the AutoJack. The approach of the AutoJack design was entirely focused on the safety of lifting a vehicle. Safety was improved by …