Engineering Commons^™

Consensus-Based Active And Reactive Power Control And Management Of Microgrids, Shruti Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microgrids incorporating distributed generation and renewable energy sources offer potential solutions to the energy crisis while modernizing traditional grids. Despite cost-effectiveness in some technologies, financial support remains crucial for expensive ones like PV, fuel cells, and storage technologies. Microgrids bring economic benefits, efficiency, reduced emissions, and improved power quality. Their success hinges on cost reductions in renewables, storage, reliability, and energy management systems, enabling operation both with and without the utility grid.

Economic Dispatch optimizes system costs, considering all constraints. Various methods tackle this problem, including quadratic convex functions, Lagrangian relaxation, and quadratic programming. For microgrids with distributed generators, seamless …

Controllable Language Generation Using Deep Learning, Rohola Zandie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advent of deep neural networks has sparked a revolution in Artificial Intelligence (AI), notably with the creation of Transformer models like GPT-X and ChatGPT. These models have surpassed previous methods in various Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. As the NLP field evolves, there is a need to further understand and question the capabilities of these models. Text generation, a crucial part of NLP, remains an area where our comprehension is limited while being critical in research.

This dissertation focuses on the challenging problem of controlling the general behaviors of language models such as sentiment, topical focus, and logical reasoning. …

Design Of Hybrid Inverters Using Wideband Gap Semiconductors For Microgrid Application, Luca Gacy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes more reliant on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, the need for high efficiency high power inverters connected to homes is more relevant than ever. Connecting these renewable energy sources (RES) coupled with an energy storage system (ESS) to the grid through a hybrid inverter, with the highest efficiency and grid stability, is quickly becoming a necessity for the near future. This thesis explores the integration of wide band gap semiconductors for the power stage in these systems, along with the analysis of hybrid inverter topologies and structures. The goal of this thesis …

Robotic Arm Extrusion End Effector, Nicholas Viamin, David Blouin, Savannah Hunt, Nico Figueroa

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

This senior design project aims to enhance the capabilities of the Rotrics AIO Desktop Arm (Dexarm) by designing and implementing an extrusion device capable of smooth and consistent extrusion for 3D printing applications. The project focused on ensuring safety, affordability, and ease-of-use for users, while achieving precise control over the extrusion process. Various mechanical and electrical components were carefully selected to ensure compatibility with the Dexarm and to provide optimal performance. To maintain safety, extensive testing and risk assessments were conducted to minimize any potential hazards associated with the extrusion process. To achieve smooth and consistent extrusion, precise control mechanisms …

Neurogen: Eeg And Near-Infrared Light Stimulation Control System, Arnold Nieto, Jaylinn Solis, Matthew Tamanaha

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

Light stimulation or transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) therapy has been shown to be effective when treating patients suffering neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. While there is currently no cure, light stimulation can help alleviate symptoms for those patient’s suffering from these diseases. With this in mind, the senior design team from last year began a prototype hybrid electroencephalography (EEG) and tPBM device. They implemented a specific wavelength of 810 nanometer (nm) near-infrared (NIR) light emitting diodes (LEDs), with a 16 channel EEG headset from OpenBCI. The device was intended to serve as a potential research tool, with a …

Unsupervised Learning Algorithm For Noise Suppression And Speech Enhancement Applications, Abdullah Zaini Alsheibi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart and intelligent devices are being integrated more and more into day-to-day life to perform a multitude of tasks. These tasks include, but are not limited to, job automation, smart utility management, etc., with the aim to improve quality of life and to make normal day-to-day chores as effortless as possible. These smart devices may or may not be connected to the internet to accomplish tasks. Additionally, human-machine interaction with such devices may be touch-screen based or based on voice commands. To understand and act upon received voice commands, these devices require to enhance and distinguish the (clean) speech signal …

Reference Frames In Human Sensory, Motor, And Cognitive Processing, Dongcheng He

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reference-frames, or coordinate systems, are used to express properties and relationships of objects in the environment. While the use of reference-frames is well understood in physical sciences, how the brain uses reference-frames remains a fundamental question. The goal of this dissertation is to reach a better understanding of reference-frames in human perceptual, motor, and cognitive processing. In the first project, we study reference-frames in perception and develop a model to explain the transition from egocentric (based on the observer) to exocentric (based outside the observer) reference-frames to account for the perception of relative motion. In a second project, we focus …

Deep Learning For Power Flow Estimation And High Impedance Fault Detection, Kun Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is divided into two parts.

The first part is: “Optimal Power Flow Estimation Using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network [1]“. Optimal power flow (OPF) is an important research topic in power system operation and control decisions. Traditional OPF problems are solved through dynamic optimization with nonlinear programming techniques. For a large power system with large amounts of variables and constraints, the solving process would take a long time. This paper presents a new method to quickly estimate the OPF results using a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). The OPF problem is treated as a high-dimensional mapping between the load …

Prediction Of Ka-Band Radar Cross Section With Thz Scale Models With Varying Surface Roughness, Andrew J. Huebner

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Radar cross section (RCS) of electrically large targets can be challenging and expensive to measure. The use of scale models to predict the RCS of such large targets saves time and reduces facility requirements. This study investigates Ka-band (27 to 29 GHz) RCS prediction from scale model measurements at 500 to 750 GHz. Firstly, the coherent quasi-monostatic turntable RCS measurement system is demonstrated. Secondly, three aluminum 18:1 scale dihedrals with surface roughness up to 218 icroinches are measured to investigate how the roughness affects the Ka-band prediction. The measurements are compared to a parametric scattering model for the specular response, …

Modeling, Simulation, And Hardware Testing Of A Noise-Canceller Adc Architecture, Ethan R. Rando

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) are essential elements of most complex electronic devices. ADCs allow for an analog signal to be converted into the digital domain, and thus interpreted by a digital circuit or model. While ADCs are extremely common, they are not immune from common tradeoffs when being designed and implemented. The most prominent tradeoff when selecting or designing an ADC is whether to pursue a high conversion rate or a high resolution on the digital output. There are some ADC designs that allow for relatively high resolution while maintaining a respectable conversion rate, however these designs often come at the …

Digital Beamforming Array Phase Calibration Techniques For Multi-Pass Interferometric Sar, Kelly Cheung

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Calibration plays a critical role in the optimal performance of algorithms in digital beamforming arrays. Phase incoherency between elements results in poor beamforming with decreased gain and higher sidelobes, leading to a decrease in accuracy and sensitivity of measurements. A similar problem exists in performing multi-pass interferometric SAR (IFSAR) processing of SAR data stacks to generate topological maps of the scene, where phase errors translate to height errors. By treating each SAR image in the data stack like an element of a uniform linear array, this thesis explores several phase calibration techniques that can be used to calibrate digital beamforming …

Multi-Variable Phase And Gain Calibration For Multi-Channel Transmit Signals, Ryan C. Ball

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

A method for software-defined radio array calibration is presented. The method implements a matched filter approach to calculate the phase shift between channels. The temporal stability of the system and calibration coefficients are shown through the standard deviation over the course of four weeks. The standard deviation of the phase correction was shown to be less than 2 deg. for most channels in the array and within 8 deg. for the most extreme case. The standard deviation in amplitude scaling was calculated to be less than 0.06 for all channels in the array. The performance of the calibration is evaluated …

Fault Diagnosis And Accommodation In Quadrotor Simultaneous Localization And Mapping Systems, Anthony J. Green

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is the process of using distance measurements to points in the surrounding environment to build a digital map and perform localization. It has been observed that featureless environments like tunnels or straight hallways will cause positioning faults in SLAM. This research investigates the fault diagnosis and accommodation problem for a laser-rangefinder-based SLAM systems on a quadrotor. A potential solution of using optical flow as velocity estimate and an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to perform position estimation is proposed. A fault diagnosis method for detecting faults in positional SLAM data or optical flow velocity data is …

Merit Study Of Battery Or Hydrogen Energy Storage For Large Scale, Combined Wind And Solar Electricity Generation, Ashley K. Moore

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the past several years, the energy sector has experienced a rapid increase in renewable energy installations due to declining capital costs for wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. Wind and solar electricity generation are intermittent in nature which must be considered in an economic analysis if a fair comparison is to be made between electricity supplied from renewables and electricity purchased from the grid. Energy storage reduces curtailment of wind and solar and minimizes electricity purchases from the grid by storing excess electricity and deploying the energy at times when demand exceeds the renewable energy supply. The objective of …

Bandgap Engineering Of 2d Materials And Its Electric And Optical Properties, Kumar Vishal

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Since their invention in 1958, Integrated Circuits (ICs) have become increasingly more complex, sophisticated, and useful. As a result, they have worked their way into every aspect of our lives, for example: personal electronic devices, wearable electronics, biomedical sensors, autonomous driving cars, military and defense applications, and artificial intelligence, to name some areas of applications. These examples represent both collectively, and sometimes individually, multi-trillion-dollar markets. However, further development of ICs has been predicted to encounter a performance bottleneck as the mainstream silicon industry, approaches its physical limits. The state-of-the-art of today’s ICs technology will be soon below 3nm. At such …

Power System Dynamic Control And Performance Improvement Based On Reinforcement Learning, Wei Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of using Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques for power system dynamic control, particularly voltage and frequency control. The conventional control strategies used in power systems are complex and time-consuming due to the complicated high-order nonlinearities of the system. RL, which is a type of neural network-based technique, has shown promise in solving these complex problems by fitting any nonlinear system with the proper network structure.

The proposed RL algorithm, called Guided Surrogate Gradient-based Evolution Strategy (GSES) determines the weights of the policy (which generates the action for our control reference signal) without back-propagation process …

Artificial Emotional Intelligence In Socially Assistive Robots, Hojjat Abdollahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) bridges the gap between humans and machines by demonstrating empathy and affection towards each other. This is achieved by evaluating the emotional state of human users, adapting the machine’s behavior to them, and hence giving an appropriate response to those emotions. AEI is part of a larger field of studies called Affective Computing. Affective computing is the integration of artificial intelligence, psychology, robotics, biometrics, and many more fields of study. The main component in AEI and affective computing is emotion, and how we can utilize emotion to create a more natural and productive relationship between humans …