Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons^™

Reliability Techniques For Data Communication And Storage In Fpga-Based Circuits, Yubo Li

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the effects of radiation-induced single-event upsets (SEUs) on field-programmable gate array(FPGA)-based circuits. It analyzes and quantifies a special case in data communication, that is, the synchronization issue of signals when they are sent across clock domains in triple modular redundancy (TMR) circuits with the presence of SEUs. After demonstrating that synchronizing errors cannot be eliminated in such case, this dissertation continues to present novel synchronizer designs that can guarantee reliable synchronization of triplicated signals. Fault injection tests then show that the proposed synchronizers provide between 6 and 10 orders of magnitude longer mean time to failure (MTTF) …

Developing Life Cycle Management Plans For Power Plant Components, Srinath Raghavan, Badrul H. Chowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A process to develop life cycle management (LCM) plans for power plant components is described. an LCM plan is a guide to make operational decision for a piece of equipment over its life cycle. an LCM typically consists of preventive maintenance schedule, condition monitoring and inspection activities, replacement or refurbishment plans and spares management. It is developed on the basis of component failure modes, operating history, maintenance practices, ageing, spares and obsolescence. Once an LCM plan has been formulated it can be compared with other alternative LCM strategies in order to minimize the long-term costs over the plant lifetime. for …

Enabling Wind Power Plants With Frequency And Voltage Regulation Capability By Forced Curtailment, Anshuman Vaidya, Badrul H. Chowdhury, Manohar Chamana

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

With higher penetration of renewable energy resources like wind energy, its utilization for the provision of ancillary services, such as frequency and voltage regulation, is imminent. This paper deals with allowing the wind power plant to provide these services in a microgrid environment with the consideration of different generation mixes of wind and conventional energy resources. a novel hysteresis control algorithm is implemented in the wind control system to compensate for the shortcomings of droop control during low wind conditions. a microgrid model test system is simulated in Matlab/Simulink environment to compare the performance of the control strategy, henceforth called …

Implementation Of A Microgrid Central Controller In A Laboratory Microgrid Network, Md Rasheduzzaman, Shyam N. Bhaskara, Badrul H. Chowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

When distributed generation (DG) units operate in a microgrid environment, there is a need for coordinated operation between the DGs, the utility grid and the loads. a Microgrid Central Controller (MGCC) can keep track of the status from the systemic point of view and command the local micro source controllers (MC) to ensure system stability. in various modes of operation, vis-à-vis grid-connected, islanded and during transition from grid-connected to islanded mode and vice versa, the MGCC can support the MCs by feeding the necessary information to contribute towards stable system operation. This paper discusses the implementation of the MGCC for …

Reliability Evaluation Of Distribution Systems Containing Renewable Distributed Generations, Abdulaziz A. Alkuhayli, Srinath Raghavan, Badrul H. Chowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reliability evaluation of distribution networks under grid-tied and islanded microgrid modes is presented. the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) algorithm is applied to a modified RBTS Bus 2 distribution network. the network includes three types of distributed energy resources, namely, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), and diesel turbine generator (DTG). These distributed generators contribute to supply part of the load during grid-connected mode but supply 100% of the load in the islanded microgrid mode. This study shows that the implementation of distributed generations can improve the reliability indices of the distribution network. © 2012 IEEE.

A Single-Layer Compact Hf-Uhf Dual-Band Rfid Tag Antenna, Zi Long Ma, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Jingtian Xi, Terry Tao Ye

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This letter presents a novel dual-band (HF and UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna. Two key challenges are faced: the compact dimension and the impaired bandwidth due to the couplings between two band structures. To enable the implementation of whole design on a credit-card-size single-layer support, a spiral coil along the edges of the card is designed to handle the HF (13.56 MHz) near-field coupling, and the UHF antenna is placed inside the coil instead of outside. Meanwhile, a diagonal symmetric design consisting of two meander lines inside the spiral coil is adopted for UHF band. This structure supports …

The Far Field Transformation Using The Iterative Srm Based On The Phaseless Data, Ping Li, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Conventional equivalent source reconstruction methods (SRM) require both phase and amplitude information of the field data. However, there are situations where the phase information is not easy to obtain. Hence, developing novel SRM based on phaseless data is necessary. In this paper, a novel iterative SRM based on two sets of measured phaseless data is presented. It can reproduce the 3D radiation pattern with very good accuracy. Integral equation (IE) is employed to build reconstruct equivalent source. Combined field IE (CFIE) is also employed to obtain more physical current distribution. © 2012 IEEE.

An Efficient Method For Highly Oscillatory Physical Optics Integrals, Yu Mao Wu, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Weng Cho Chew

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we use the steepest descent path (SDP) method in the complex analysis to calculate the highly oscillatory physical optics (PO) integral with quadratic phase and amplitude variations on the triangular patch. Compared with traditional approximate asymptotic expansion approach, our method has significantly improved the PO integral accuracy by one to two digits (10 1 to 102) for evaluating the PO integral. Moreover, the computation effort for the highly oscillatory integral is frequency independent. © 2012 IEEE.

Integral Equation Method For Analyzing Purcell Effect In Plasmonic System, Yongpin P. Chen, Weng Cho Chew, Wei E.I. Sha, W. C.H. Choy, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Integral equation method is applied to analyze the Purcell effect in plasmonic system in this paper. By applying the Fermi's golden rule, the Purcell effect of a quantum emitter can be calculated from the local density of states (LDOS), which can be further expressed by the imaginary part of the Green's function of the whole system. To obtain this Green's function numerically, the layered medium Green's function is utilized to simplify the modeling of planarly layered substrate, where the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be sustained. The metallic nano scatterers are introduced to excite the localized surface plasmons (LSP), and …

A Circular Polarization Hybrid-Integrated Rectangular Ring Antenna For Rfid Reader, Yan Li, Sheng Sun, Lijun Jiang, Terry T. Ye

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a compact hybrid-integrated microstrip rectangular ring antenna with circular polarization is proposed for RFID reader. By integrating a cross-slotted patch hybrid with a rectangular ring antenna in the same plane, the proposed antenna has the features of circular polarization, compact size, low cost, light weight and unique flexibility for RFID applications. A prototype operating at 915 MHz is designed and fabricated. The measured results agree well with the simulated results. © 2012 IEEE.

An Automated Forward Operating Base Electrical Distribution System Simulator, Onur Kahveci, Mariesa L. Crow, Steven Corns

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, an automated forward operating base electrical distribution system simulator (ODCC) is developed. the ODCC has been developed based on the open platform distribution system simulator (DSS) that is able to create variable models of electrical systems and performing many types of analysis. © 2012 IEEE.

Characterization Of Wave Physics Using The Rigorous Helmholtz Decomposition Based On The Surface Integral Equation, Xiaoyan Y.Z. Xiong, Wei E.I. Sha, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Helmholtz decomposition (HD) is a fundamental tool of vector calculus and plays an important role in electromagnetics. In this work, arbitrary vector field defined on the open or closed surface is decomposed into the sum of an irrotational (curl-free) vector field and a solenoidal (divergence-free) vector field by using the surface integral equation method. Unlike the popular loop-tree decomposition that is only a quasi-HD suitable for the circuit physics in the low frequency regime, the HD developed in this paper is rigorous and can capture both circuit and wave physics from very low frequency to high frequency regimes. The work …

Fokker-Planck Equation Application To Analysis Of A Simplified Wind Turbine Model, Keyou Wang, Mariesa L. Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a new method to evaluate the stochastic dynamic model of the wind turbine system using stochastic differential equations (SDE). the wind speed is described by the Rayleigh distribution which is constructed as the stationary solution of a one-dimensional nonlinear SDE. the dynamic model of the wind turbine system can be combined with this SDE of wind speed to expand to multi-dimensional stochastic differential equations. the time evolution of the probability density function of the system is described by the Fokker-Planck equation (FPE) which can be derived from the corresponding stochastic differential equations. the procedure is illustrated using …

Distribution System Operation With Solid State Controller And Energy Storage Management, F. Meng, D. Shah, B. H. Chowdhury, M. L. Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel distribution system infrastructure is proposed with solid state controller locating at load sites. an energy storage management algorithm is developed to optimize battery charge/discharge operation using forward dynamic programming method. This algorithm is implemented in a system test bed in PSCAD. the simulation results present economic benefits to private customers with reduced energy cost. It also reduces system peak demand which may improve system reliability. © 2012 IEEE.

Efficient Estimation For Small Multi-Rotor Air Vehicles Operating In Unknown, Indoor Environments, John Charles Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation we present advances in developing an autonomous air vehicle capable of navigating through unknown, indoor environments. The problem imposes stringent limits on the computational power available onboard the vehicle, but the environment necessitates using 3D sensors such as stereo or RGB-D cameras whose data requires significant processing. We address the problem by proposing and developing key elements of a relative navigation scheme that moves as many processing tasks as possible out of the time-critical functions needed to maintain flight. We present in Chapter 2 analysis and results for an improved multirotor helicopter state estimator. The filter generates …

Dynamic Modeling, Trajectory Generation And Tracking For Towed Cable Systems, Liang Sun

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we focus on the strategy that places and stabilizes the path of an aerial drogue, which is towed by a mothership aircraft using a long flexible cable, onto a horizontally flat orbit by maneuvering the mothership in the presence of wind. To achieve this goal, several studies for towed cable systems are conducted, which include the dynamic modeling for the cable, trajectory generation strategies for the mothership, trajectory-tracking control law design, and simulation and flight test implementations. First, a discretized approximation method based on finite element and lumped mass is employed to establish the mathematical model for …

The Architecture Selection, Design, And Discharge Modeling Of A Passive Compensation, Iron-Core, Two-Phase, Permanent Magnet Compulsator To Power A Small Railgun Platform, Collin Macgregor

Aerospace Engineering

The goal of this project was to design and build a compensated pulsed alternator, or compulsator, to power the Cal Poly Electromagnetic Railgun Mark 1.1. This project examines the feasibility of implementing mechanical pulsed power supplies for repeatable use with a railgun load for orbital debris hypervelocity testing. The final system architecture chosen was a passively compensated, iron-core, 2-phase, permanent magnet compulsator. The Cal Poly Compulsator will be capable of storing 45 kJ of mechanical energy with a peak operating speed of 5,000 rpm at 190 V. Theoretical calculations resulted in the following predicted electrical performance values: a peak output …

Methodology For Standby Leakage Power Reduction In Nanometer-Scale Cmos Circuits, Jae Woong Chun

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Dissertations

In nanometer-scale CMOS technology, leakage power has become a major component of the total power dissipation due to the downscaling of threshold voltage and gate oxide thickness. The leakage power consumption has received even more attention by increasing demand for mobile devices. Since mobile devices spend a majority of their time in a standby mode, the leakage power savings in standby state is critical to extend battery lifetime. For this reason, low power has become a major factor in designing CMOS circuits.

In this dissertation, we propose a novel transistor reordering methodology for leakage reduction. Unlike previous technique, the proposed …

Design, Modeling And Analysis Of Non-Classical Field Effect Transistors, Peijie Feng

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Dissertations

Transistor scaling following per Moore's Law slows down its pace when entering into nanometer regime where short channel effects (SCEs), including threshold voltage fluctuation, increased leakage current and mobility degradation, become pronounced in the traditional planar silicon MOSFET. In addition, as the demand of diversified functionalities rises, conventional silicon technologies cannot satisfy all non-digital applications requirements because of restrictions that stem from the fundamental material properties. Therefore, novel device materials and structures are desirable to fuel further evolution of semiconductor technologies. In this dissertation, I have proposed innovative device structures and addressed design considerations of those non-classical field effect transistors …

Development Of Mems-Based Corrosion Sensor, Feng Pan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is to develop a MEMS-based corrosion sensor, which is used for monitoring uniform, galvanic corrosion occurring in infrastructures such as buildings, bridges. The corrosion sensor is made up of the composite of micro/nano metal particles with elastomers. The mechanism of corrosion sensor is based on the mass transport of corrosive species through the sensor matrix. When the metal particles in the matrix corrode, the electrical resistivity of the material increases due to increasing particle resistances or reduction of conducting pathways. The corrosion rate can be monitored by detecting the resistivity change in sensing elements. The life span of …

Performance And Cost Analysis Of A Structured Concrete Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage System, Matt Nicholas Strasser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing global energy demands and diminishing fossil fuel resources have raised increased interest in harvesting renewable energy resources. Solar energy is a promising candidate, as sufficient irradiance is incident to the Earth to supply the energy demands of all of its inhabitants. At the utility scale, concentrating solar power (CSP) plants provide the most cost-efficient method of harnessing solar energy for conversion to electrical energy. A major roadblock to the large-scale implementation of CSP plants is the lack of thermal energy storage (TES) that would allow the continued production of electricity during the absence of constant irradiance. Sensible heat TES …

Three-Dimensional Indoor Rfid Localization System, Jiaqing Wu

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an information exchange technology based on radio waves communication. It is also a possible solution to indoor localization. Due to multipath propagation and anisotropic interference in the indoor environment, theoretical propagation models are generally not sufficient for RFID-based localization. In fact, the radio frequency (RF) signal distribution may not even be monotonic and this makes range-based localization algorithms less accurate. On the other hand, range free localization algorithms, such as k Nearest-Neighbor (kNN), require reference tags to be spread throughout the whole three-dimensional (3D) space which is simply not practical. In this work, a hybrid …

Conductive Concrete For Electromagnetic Shielding – Methods For Development And Evaluation, Aaron P. Krause

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research investigates the development and evaluation innovative methods for the use of conductive concrete as an electromagnetic shield. New testing methods are developed to determine the best conductive components to use in the design of a concrete mixture for shielding that shows the best promise. The conductive concrete mixture has the potential to provide electromagnetic shielding that is cost-effective in terms of construction, operation, and maintenance compared to conventional approaches. Two testing methods, Small Sample Testing and Large Slab Testing, are developed based on standardized testing methods that have been modified for the testing of conductive concrete mixtures. As …

Impedance-Based Fault Location Methods For Transmission Line Connecting Wind Farm Plants, Chaoqi Ji

All Theses

With an increasing capacity of wind power installed in the world, the impact of wind generation during fault condition has been studied. Wind plants equipped with induction generator results in a different fault behavior in transmission networks. In this paper, the validation of existing impedance-based fault location methods are performed on a transmission line connecting wind plant equipped with three different types of induction generators. This work is based on the simulation in real-time digital simulator (RTDS).
Squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG), wound-rotor induction generator (WRIG) and doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) are the three common generators used for wind power plants. …

Early Forest Fire Detection Using Texture, Blob Threshold, And Motion Analysis Of Principal Components, Georges Fouad Moussa

Master's Theses

Forest fires constantly threaten ecological systems, infrastructure and human lives. The purpose behind this study is minimizing the devastating damage caused by forest fires. Since it is impossible to completely avoid their occurrences, it is essential to accomplish a fast and appropriate intervention to minimize their destructive consequences. The most traditional method for detecting forest fires is human based surveillance through lookout towers. However, this study presents a more modern technique. It utilizes land-based real-time multispectral video processing to identify and determine the possibility of fire occurring within the camera’s field of view. The temporal, spectral, and spatial signatures of …

Noise Reduction With Microphone Arrays For Speaker Identification, Zachary Gideon Cohen

Master's Theses

The presence of acoustic noise in audio recordings is an ongoing issue that plagues many applications. This ambient background noise is difficult to reduce due to its unpredictable nature. Many single channel noise reduction techniques exist but are limited in that they may distort the desired speech signal due to overlapping spectral content of the speech and noise. It is therefore of interest to investigate the use of multichannel noise reduction algorithms to further attenuate noise while attempting to preserve the speech signal of interest.

Specifically, this thesis looks to investigate the use of microphone arrays in conjunction with multichannel …

Radio Direction Finding Network Receiver Design For Low-Cost Public Service Applications, Marcel Colman Eric Stieber

Master's Theses

A low-cost radio direction finding (RDF) VHF receiver has been investigated for development into a radio direction finding network (RDFN) with a particular focus towards public service and commercial asset tracking applications. The primary design criteria were reproducibility, low-cost, and simplicity such that public service and volunteer organizations can benefit from the technology. Two receiver designs were built and tested to allow for comparison of practicality, cost, and accuracy. A pseudo-Doppler RDF and a time difference of arrival (TDOA) receiver were built as proof-of-concept for a system design based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The pseudo-Doppler system is a less …

Smart Wall Plug Design For The Dc House Project, Edward Constant Sibal

Master's Theses

The DC House project at Cal Poly State University faces a challenge of supplying DC voltage to household appliances. Each appliance in the DC House constitutes a DC load that has a unique voltage and power rating, hence the need to develop a smart DC wall plug that will automatically adjust to the operating voltage required by any DC load. This thesis entails a proof of concept design of the smart DC wall plug which can automatically detect an appliance’s voltage rating. The design employs a dc-dc converter in conjunction with a microcontroller to sense load current to properly adjust …

Labview Based Whispering Gallery Mode Microtoroid Coupling Pid Controller, Peiyao Li

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The aim of this thesis is to test the implementation of PID control algorithm for stabilization of coupling. Efficient and robust coupling is prerequisite in microcavity related applications. But surrounding environments, like temperature and airflow, could easily influence coupling condition. PID algorithm has been used for stabilization and control in industry for several decades. For this reason, the author decided to test further application, with the goal of proving the suitability for Whispering Gallery Mode coupling. The thesis first discusses the Whispering Gallery Mode microtoroid, especially its relative coupling regime. In a second stage, the LabVIEW and Arduino based real …

Power Transmission Line Fault Classification Using Support Vector Machines, Zhuokang Jia

Masters Theses

Electrical transmission lines are prone to faults and failures. When a fault occurs, it is impossible most of the times to fix it manually. Many methods have been adopted in the past in order to serve the purpose as fault diagnosing application. In this thesis, I discuss the method of Support Vector Machine (SVM) for fault diagnosis. SVM has the edge of good generalization over other fault diagnosing applications because it is based on pattern recognize algorithms. The aim is to classify the type of fault in the lines. Furthermore, in this work, the current and voltage of each phase …