Engineering Commons^™

An Entrochemical Water Heater, Sanza Kazadi, Sabrina Lin, Kelvin Ye

Sanza Kazadi

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

Sanza Kazadi

Low Cost Solar Chimney Performance-Improving Enhancement, Sanza Kazadi, Meishan Liang, Aaron Togelang, Daniel Chan

Sanza Kazadi

Constrained Discrete Phase Control Of A Heaving Wave Energy Converter In Irregular Seas Using Reinforcement Learning, Praveen D. Malali

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Designed for offshore deployment in irregular seas, the point absorber wave energy conversion (WEC) system is promisingly attractive amongst the currently available WEC technologies. The effectiveness of phase control when applied to a heaving point absorber through a hydraulic power take-off (PTO) system is systematically investigated in both regular and irregular waves. For this purpose, two phase control accumulators are utilized in the hydraulic PTO system. Simulations are performed in MATLAB® using the Cummins equation to model the dynamics of the heaving point absorber in the time domain.

For a given sea state, the opening instant of the control valves …

Vanadium Trichloride Thermochemical Solar Energy Storage System Analysis., Caleb Michael Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As annual energy consumption grows, developing renewable solar energy conversion systems, storage systems, and high density electrical energy production systems is growing increasingly important. The proposed system utilizes vanadium trichloride thermal decomposition to produce chlorine gas and vanadium dichloride. A second reaction combines gaseous hydrogen chloride and the product vanadium dichloride to reform vanadium trichloride and produce hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas and chlorine gas can be stored indefinitely and electrical energy is obtained from the chemicals by a non-humidified dry membrane hydrogen – chlorine fuel cell. The fuel cell produces the gaseous hydrogen chloride needed to reform vanadium trichloride. The …

Effective Utilization Of Excess Energy In Standalone Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems For Improving Comfort Ability And Reducing Cost Of Energy: A Review And Analysis

Faculty of Engineering University of Malaya

One of the features that characterize renewable energy sources is their variability and intermittency. Intermittency covers both the predictable and unpredictable variations of their power outputs and uncertainty in the power availability. To overcome the drawback of intermittency, special design considerations should be taken into account. These additional design considerations increases the overall cost of the renewable energy systems. Adding storage system and/or backup source to the renewable sources is one of the measures used to guarantee the continuity of power supply to the loads, and therefore improve the reliability of the renewable energy systems. The operation of renewable energy …

A Review Of Safety, Health And Environmental (She) Issues Of Solar Energy System

Faculty of Engineering University of Malaya

Solar energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy sources and considered as a green source of energy. Solar energy benefit ranges from low carbon emission, no fossil fuel requirement, long term solar resources, less payback time and other. However like other power generation sources, solar energy has also some Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) concerns. This paper presents the overview of solar energy technologies and addresses the SHE impact of solar energy technologies to the sustainability of human activities. This paper will also recommend the possible ways to reduce the effect of potential hazards of widespread use of …

The Role Of Surface Area In Catalytic Gasification Of Biomass, Elizabeth A. Wachs, Nitish Kumar, Indraneel Sircar, Prithviraja Basak, Jay P. Gore Phd

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Gasification of biomass has the potential to provide a carbon-negative source of liquid fuels. The current limited use of gasification is due in part to the high temperatures necessary to achieve high conversion levels. These temperatures can be lowered by the use of catalysts, but the mechanisms by which catalysts affect the reaction rate are not fully understood. Here, the structural component of potassium carbonate’s role in the gasification process was examined. Samples of pinewood sawdust were impregnated with potassium carbonate, then pyrolyzed with N2 in a fixed bed reactor at 750°C (heater thermocouple reading). Half of the char was …

Computational And Experimental Study On Vertical Axis Wind Turbine In Search For An Efficient Design, Mohammad M. Bashar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wind alone can fulfill most of the energy requirement of the world by its efficient conversion in to energy. Though Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) is more popular but needs high wind speed to generate energy. On the other hand Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) needs low wind speed and can be installed anywhere which are some of the reasons for this research. The main objective of this research is to improve the design and performance of VAWT to make it more attractive, efficient, durable and sustainable. For a VAWT the blades perform the main role to extract energy from …

Low-Cost Scheffler Solar Concentrator For The Developing World, Darren Sholes, Jason Morgan, Nicholas Fuller

Mechanical Engineering

This report will outline an approach to design, test, and build a low-cost Scheffler solar concentrator to be used for safer, sustainable and cost effective cooking in the developing world. The function of Scheffler concentrators and a proposed method to create one in an economic, environmentally conscious manner is summarized. If successful, the design will be presented in a way that is readily and freely available to anyone in the world. The authors have examined existing technology and researched the availability and cost of different materials. Analysis was performed in order to verify the feasibility of the different design ideas …

Swing Human Powered Generator: For The Dc House Project, Juan Vicente Avelar, Juan Jose Galindo, Juan Pramyr Ramos

Electrical Engineering

The Play Park Human Powered Generator project addresses various ways of generating power. More specifically, this project entails the design and construction of the Swing Power Generator to provide electrical power from mechanical energy. The swing generator will eventually be used as part of the human-powered generators utilized in the DC House project.

A swing generator prototype was built for this project, which demonstrates the feasibility of its use for electrical power source. Detailed design and construction of the swing generator is presented in this report along with results from hardware testing.

Manufacturing Of Single Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Jonathan Torres-Caceres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are devices that convert chemical energy into electrical energy and have the potential to become a reliable renewable energy source that can be used on a large scale. SOFCs have 3 main components; the electrolyte, the anode, and the cathode. Typically, SOFCs work by reducing oxygen at the cathode into O2- ions which are then transported via the electrolyte to the anode to combine with a fuel such as hydrogen to produce electricity. Research into better materials and manufacturing methods is necessary to reduce costs and improve efficiency to make the technology commercially viable. The …

Cdm Potential In Palm Solid Waste Cogeneration As An Alternative Energy In Aceh Province, Mahidin Mahidin, Izarul Machdar, Muhammad Faisal, Muhammad Nizar

Makara Journal of Technology

Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) as a solid waste in Crude Palm Oil (CPO) industry does not utilized yet as an alternative energy source to generate electricity. It is well known that use of solid wate (biomass) as an energy source is part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) scheme due to direct reduction of Green House Gases (GHGs) emission and provide a direct contribution to sustainable development. Utilization of EFB as a source of energy is very potential to be implemented in Aceh since this province has 25 CPO Mills at the moment which actively produce about 870,000 ton EFB …

Investigating Potential Improvements To Enhance The Performance Of A Solar Thermal Collection System: Design Of The Dual Axis Tracking System, Eric Landry

Honors Theses

Due to the current energy crisis, there are a large number of opportunities in the applications of renewable energy technologies. Specifically, my partner and I have explored those associated with a solar thermal collection dish. The sun, being a virtually limitless supply of energy, ought to be used to its fullest potential. This technology is designed to do just that. Using a concave reflective surface, the sun’s thermal energy is concentrated to a central location where it is then collected by a working fluid. This type of approach achieves very high temperatures and maximizes the effectiveness of the thermal energy …

Small-Scale Solar Central Receiver System Design And Analysis, Daniel Murray

Master's Theses

This thesis develops an analytical model of a small-scale solar central receiver power plant located at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California at 35.28° N, 120.66° W. The model is used to analyze typical energy output at any time during the year. The power plant is designed to produce an output of 100 kW electrical power, and is supplemented by the combustion of natural gas. Methodologies for determining the proper size and layout of heliostats, optimal tower height, receiver size, and turbine engine selection are developed. In this specific design, solar shares of up to 73.2% …

Vortex Shedding Dynamics In Long Aspect-Ratio Aerodynamics Bodies, Liu Chen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The focus of the current dissertation is to study qualitatively the underlying physics of vortex-shedding and wake dynamics in long aspect-ratio aerodynamics in incompressible viscous flow through the use of the KLE method. We carried out a long series of numerical experiments in the cases of flow around the cylinder at low Reynolds numbers. The study of flow at low Reynolds numbers provides an insight in the fluid physics and also plays a critical role when applying to stalled turbine rotors. Many of the conclusions about the qualitative nature of the physical mechanisms characterizing vortex formation, shedding and further interaction …

High Tech High Touch: Lessons Learned From Project Haiti 2011, Yan Tang, Marc Compere, Yung Lun Wong, Jared Anthony Coleman, Matthew Charles Selkirk

Publications

In this paper, we will share our experiences and lessons learned from a design project for providing clean water to a Haitian orphanage (Project Haiti 2011). Supported by funds from a renewable energy company and the university president’s office, five engineering students and two faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University successfully designed and installed a solar powered water purification system for an orphanage located in Chambellan, Haiti. This paper discusses the unique educational experiences gained from unusual design constraints, such as ambiguity of existing facilities due to limited communication, logistics of international construction at a remote village location, and cross-cultural …

Optimization Of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Plants, Steven Emanoel Rizea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A proprietary Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) modeling tool, the Makai OTEC Thermodynamic and Economic Model (MOTEM), is leveraged to evaluate the accuracy of finite-time thermodynamic OTEC optimization methods. MOTEM is a full OTEC system simulator capable of evaluating the effects of variation in heat exchanger operating temperatures and seawater flow rates. The evaluation is based on a comparison of the net power output of an OTEC plant with a fixed configuration. Select optimization methods from the literature are shown to produce between 93% and 99% of the maximum possible amount of power, depending on the selection of heat exchanger …

An Experimental Study Of Potential Residential And Commercial Applications Of Small-Scale Hybrid Power Systems, Michael Anthony Acosta

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The research presented in this thesis provides an understanding of small-scale hybrid power systems. Experiments were conducted to identify potential applications of renewable energy in residential and commercial applications in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Solar and wind energy converted into electric energy was stored in batteries and inverted to power common household and commercial appliances. Several small to medium size hybrid power systems were setup and utilized to conduct numerous tests to study renewable energy prospects and feasibility for various applications. The experimental results obtained indicate that carefully constructed solar power systems can provide people living in isolated …

Experimental Test And Cost Analysis Of Residential Solar Water Heaters, Sai Mahesh Dharanikota

ETD Archive

Non renewable energy sources have been diminishing in the recent times.Renewable energy is abundant in nature, but the use of it is very low.Lowering the energy consumption and using renewable energy, thereby decreasing the use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy would have a positive impact on our environment. The use of solar energy as an alternate resource is discussed in this research. The solar water heater is tested for its recovery rates, under normal solar radiation in static testing. The effect of solar radiation in increasing the temperature of water is studied and discussed. The solar water heater is …