Power and Energy Commons^™

Investigation Of Wave Farm Electrical Network Configurations, Fergus Sharkey, Michael Conlon, Kevin Gaughan

Conference papers

Wave Energy Converters (WECs) have been in development for a number of decades and some devices are now close to becoming a commercial reality. As such, pilot projects are being developed, particularly in the UK and Ireland, to deploy WECs on a pre-commercial array scale. There is little experience in the wave energy or utility industry of designing and installing electrical networks for WEC arrays with the closest comparison being offshore wind farms. There are some key features of WECs which will ultimately dictate thatthe electrical configuration differs from that of offshore wind farms.

This paper investigates the potential representative …

A Discussion Of Anti-Islanding Protection Schemes Incorporated In A Inverter Based Dg, Mohamed Moin Hanif, Malabika Basu, Kevin Gaughan

Conference papers

The discussion in this paper is about the local anti-islanding protection techniques that are incorporated in a inverter based DG. The most widely used passive and active techniques along with their suitability to reduce the Non-detection zone (NDZ) are explained here. The most recent work using wavelet transform which actually reduces the NDZ to zero is also introduced in the last section of the paper.

Elliptical Machine Dc-Dc Converter For The Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines Project, Greg Hollister

Electrical Engineering

Designing a DC/DC Converter for the Cal Poly Energy Harvesting from Exercise Machines project requires special attention to the unique operating characteristics of the source and the load. An elliptical machine powered by a person exercising comprises the source, while an AC Inverter makes up the load. This project attempts to integrate the two devices with a custom DC/DC Converter in order to ultimately deliver power back into the power grid.

Energy Harvesting From Elliptical Machines Using Four-Switch Buck-Boost Topology, Alvin Jay Hilario

Master's Theses

This thesis presents the topic of using the Four-Switch Buck-Boost topology as a DC-DC converter for the Energy Harvesting from Elliptical Machines Project. The project works toward providing a modular synchronous power generation system. Due to the dynamic and sporadic output voltage and power characteristics of the Precor elliptical machine, the system requires a DC-DC converter as a voltage preregulator. The inherent wide input range, high efficiency, and low parts cost of this converter well suit the application. This paper further discusses other topologies and their shortcomings, as well as characterizes the Precor elliptical machine and Enphase Microinverter for interfacing. …

Electric Motor & Power Source Selection For Small Aircraft Propulsion, Jeremy Fehrenbacher, David L. Stanley, Mary E. Johnson Dr., Jeffrey Honchell

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

The research conducted in this project is on electrical propulsion in aviation. A Cessna 172K aircraft with a Lycoming O-320-E2D piston engine serves as a baseline measurement. Investigation of the components required for electrical flight is performed, and components are selected based on market availability and operational performance criteria.

This research focuses on electrical propulsion in the aviation industry, and is tailored to aircraft within the General Aviation sector leading to the following research question: Can current electric motor and battery technologies conceptually support flight operations for a Cessna 172K in terms of aircraft performance criteria?

The results explore the …

Long Term Surface Power Generator Design For Mars: Autonomously Deployable Photovoltaic Solar Arrays Along With Regenerative Fuel Cell Modules, Omer Demirok

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis studies the feasibility of incorporating a large autonomously deployed photovoltaic solar array power system as the primary power source for a large fixed Mars base. A mission duration of 10 Earth years has been assumed and the nominal power demands have been specified as a minimum of 40 kW, during daytime operation and a continuous 10 kW. demand for nighttime operation.

The overall system design developed in this thesis has an estimated total mass of 7,400 kg, when utilizing hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film solar arrays and an estimated total mass of 5,100 kg when utilizing polycrystalline copper-indium-diselenide …

Measured Performance Of A 1.72 Kw Rooftop Grid Connected Photovoltaic System In Ireland, Lacour Ayompe, Aidan Duffy, Sarah Mccormack, Michael Conlon

Articles

This paper presents results obtained from monitoring a 1.72 kWp photovoltaic system installed on a flat roof of a 12 m high building in Dublin, Ireland (latitude 53.4 N and longitude 6.3 E). The system was monitored between November 2008 and October 2009 and all the electricity generated was fed into the low voltage supply to the building. Monthly average daily and annual performance parameters of the PV system evaluated include: final yield, reference yield, array yield, system losses, array capture losses, cell temperature losses, PV module efficiency, system efficiency, inverter efficiency, performance ratio and capacity factor. The maximum solar …

Visualizing Time-Varying Harmonics Using Filter Banks, Carlos Augusto Duque, Paulo M. Silveira, Paulo F. Ribeiro

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Although it is well known that Fourier analysis is in reality only accurately applicable to steady state waveforms, it is a widely used tool to study and monitor time-varying signals, such as are commonplace in electrical power systems. The disadvantages of Fourier analysis, such as frequency spillover or problems due to sampling (data window) truncation can often be minimized by various windowing techniques, but they nevertheless exist. This paper demonstrates that it is possible to track and visualize amplitude and time-varying power systems harmonics, without frequency spillover caused by time-frequency techniques. This new tool allows for a clear visualization of …

Design And Analysis Of A Wind Energy Harvesting Circuit Using Piezoelectric Polymers, Jameson J. Thornton

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates a relatively new method for harvesting wind energy by using flexible piezoelectric polymers with additional sails to increase their ability to harvest wind energy. This paper also introduces a new topology deemed the “stacked buck” that allows for multiple inputs to a system with a single output. Derivations and analysis detail the workings of the “stacked buck” with a laboratory test to show a working model. This paper also reports another experiment done in a wind tunnel to analyze the capability of the piezoelectric polymers as sources to the “stacked buck” topology with measurements of the power …

Increasing Efficiency In Boundary Security With Wireless Sensor Networks And Geospatial Information Systems Using Homology Theory, Luis Berumen^, Eric Chaidez^, Hamide Dogan*, Jose Gerardo Rosiles**

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

As part of an institutional investigation, we attempt to address the challenges the US customs and Border protection agency faces in the El Paso region. Our research focuses on defining a system for the surveillance application, and the use of mathematical models employed to achieve a greater efficiency of such architecture. With the use of the defined system, we apply homology theory through the algebraic process of topology, to accomplish an independent coordinate-free based system, which covers the surveillance area, with lesser quantity of sensor nodes. Our architecture makes the use of an operating system for wireless sensor networks; TinyOS, …

A Study Into The Use Of Microprocessor Relays For Motor Operated Valve (Mov) Electrical Protection In Nuclear Power Plants, James Andrew Tuccillo

Master's Theses

Motor Operated Valves (MOVs) are electro-mechanical components used to isolate, divert, or introduce fluid flow. The use of microprocessor relays for actuator motor electrical protection within nuclear power plants is the focus of this thesis and is implemented by providing a new and enhanced protection scheme that provides the adequate conservatism necessary to ensure valve operation while still maintaining electrical safety and continued operational availability. The comprehensive protection scheme is designed around an advanced microprocessor relay that has the ability to simulate the thermal overload conditions of a motor operating into a destructive thermal region. Through laboratory testing, the validity …

Off-Grid Photovoltaic System Design Project, Brian Duffy

Electrical Engineering

This project uses the BP SX 150S solar panel to charge a 12 V battery. This battery powers an AIMS 400 W Modified Sine Wave Inverter to provide 120 V RMS AC power to a load of up to 40 W. Inverter efficiency was measured at different load conditions. A control circuit was implemented to prevent overcharging or over-discharging of the battery, by disconnecting it from the panel or the load, respectively. The control circuit turn-on and cutoff voltages were measured versus battery voltage, and the on-resistance of the MOSFET switches was measured for various load currents. A table of …

Correlations Of Capacitance-Voltage Hysteresis With Thin-Film Cdte Solar Cell Performance During Accelerated Lifetime Testing, David S. Albin, Joseph A. Del Cueto

Publications (E)

In this paper we present the correlation of CdTe solar cell performance with capacitance-voltage hysteresis, defined presently as the difference in capacitance measured at zero-volt bias when collecting such data with different pre-measurement bias conditions. These correlations were obtained on CdTe cells stressed under conditions of 1-sun illumination, open-circuit bias, and an acceleration temperature of approximately 100 ºC.

Use Of 2nd And 3rd Level Correlation Analysis For Studying Degradation In Polycrystalline Thin-Film Solar Cells, David S. Albin, Joseph A. Del Cueto, S. H. Demtsu, S. Bansal

Publications (E)

The correlation of stress-induced changes in the performance of laboratory-made CdTe solar cells with various 2^nd and 3^rd level metrics is discussed. The overall behavior of aggregated data showing how cell efficiency changes as a function of open-circuit voltage (V_oc), shortcircuit current density (J_sc), and fill factor (FF) is explained using a two-diode, PSpice model in which degradation is simulated by systematically changing model parameters. FF shows the highest correlation with performance during stress, and is subsequently shown to be most affected by shunt resistance, recombination and in some cases voltage-dependent collection. Large decreases …

Effect Of Hysteresis On Measurements Of Thin-Film Cell Performance, David S. Albin, Joseph A. Del Cueto

Publications (E)

Transient or hysteresis effects in polycrystalline thin film CdS/CdTe cells are a function of pre-measurement voltage bias and whether Cu is introduced as an intentional dopant during back contact fabrication. When Cu is added, the current-density (J) vs. voltage (V) measurements performed in a reverse-to-forward voltage direction will yield higher open-circuit voltage (V_oc), up to 10 mV, and smaller short-circuit current density (J_sc), by up to 2 mA/cm², relative to scanning voltage in a forward-to-reverse direction. The variation at the maximum power point, Pmax, is however small. The resulting variation in FF can be …

High Efficiency, Low Cost Solar Cells Manufactured Using ‘Silicon Ink’ On Thin Crystalline Silicon Wafers October 2009 - November 2010, Homer Antoniadis

Publications (E)

The objectives of Phase I (Feb – Oct 2009) include the development and demonstration of a 17% efficient 25mm x 25mm crystalline Silicon solar cell and a 16% efficient 125mm x 125mm crystalline Silicon solar cell, both produced by Ink-jet printing Silicon Ink on a thin crystalline Sil-icon wafer. To achieve these objectives, processing approaches were developed to print the Silicon Ink in a predetermined pattern to form a high efficiency selective emitter, remove the solvents in the Silicon Ink and fuse the deposited particle Silicon films. Additionally, standard solar cell manufacturing equipment with slightly modified processes were used to …

Hybrid Cooling Systems For Low-Temperature Geothermal Power Production, Andrea Ashwood, Desikan Bharathan

Publications (E)

The overall objective of this investigation is to identify and evaluate methods by which the net power output of an air-cooled geothermal power plant can be enhanced during hot ambient conditions using minimal amounts of water.

Geothermal power plants that use air-cooled heat rejection systems experience a decrease in power production during hot periods of the day. This decrease in power output typically coincides with the time when utilities need power to address high air conditioning loads. Hybrid cooling options, which use both air and water, have been studied for this report to assess how they might mitigate the net …

Synthesis Of Mesoporous Nickel Oxide For Supercapacitor Application, Xuan-Xuan Chen, Zhen-Zhen Zhao, Deng-Chao Wang, Zhong-Jie Huang, Wen-Bin Ni, Li Yu, Jian-Wei Zhao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Mesoporous nickel oxide has been synthesized by calcining metal-organic coordination precursor.Transmission electron microscopy and BET test showed that the prepared NiO had a regular morphology and displayed a narrow size distribution.Electrochemical tests revealed that such mesoporous NiO had a specific capacity of 72 F·g^-1 at the current of 2.0 A·g^-1.Futhermore,the material showed excellent cycle-life stability.There was no degradation of capacitance after 1000 cycles.

A Titanium-Supported Nanoporous Pd Electrocatalyst For Methanol Oxidation, Feng-Juan Niu, Qing-Feng Yi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Titanium-supported nanoporous palladium electrode(nanoPd /Ti) was prepared by a hydrothermal process in the presence of the ligand EDTA and using formaldehyde as reducing agent.SEM images showed that the size of Pd particles was about 60 nm and the Pd particles were connected with each other to form a three-dimensional network structure.Cyclic voltammetry(CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) were applied to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of the nanoPd/Ti electrode towards methanol oxidation in alkaline solution.CV results showed that the nanoPd /Ti electrode presented high anodic peak densities and a low onset potential for methanol oxidation.Also nanoPd /Ti electrode showed excellent CO tolerance …

The Charge-Discharge Properties Of 40 Ah Aerospace Nickel Hydrogen Cell, Hai-Chang Zhang, Wen-Cheng Ming, Xue-Ying Ren, Hui-Juan Li, Hong-Min Fan, Li-Chao Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

In present investigation,40 Ah nickel-hydrogen cell has been manufactured and its charge-discharge properties has been performed.The results indicate that the cell exhibited the best discharge capacity(50 Ah) when the test conditions were between 0~10 ℃,on the other hand,the cell accompanied with temperature being raised to 10 ℃ while the cell was subjected to discharge operating.The cell voltage decreased to -0.2 V and the cell temperature increased continuously during the over-discharge test.The cell voltage was first increased and then decreased,but the cell temperature was climbed rapidly while the cell was performed during the over-charge test.The 40 Ah nickel-hydrogen cell has excellent …

Novel Anion Exchange Membranes Base On Copolymer Of 2-(Diethylamino) Ethyl Methacrylate And Fluoro-Polyacrylate For Alkaline Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Yan-Mei Zhang, Jun Fang, Ge Yan, Yong-Ze Zhuang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells,which use anion exchange membranes as polyelectrolytes,have attracted more and more research interests recently.In this work,a series of hydroxyl-conducting anion-exchange membranes based on the copolymer of 2-(Diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and fluoro-polyacrylate were prepared by radical polymerization,and their potential applications in alkaline fuel cells were assessed.It was shown that the ionic conductivity of the membranes reached 10^-2 S·cm^-1 at room temperature,while the methanol permeability was lower than 10^-7 cm²·s^-1.The maximum power density of fuel cell assembled with this membrane was achieved to be 43.2 mW·cm^-2 at room temperature,indicating possible application …

Applications Of Raman Spectroscopy Technique In Lithium Ion Batteries, Liang Zhao, Yong-Sheng Hu, Hong Li, Zhao-Xiang Wang, Hong-Xing Xu, Xue-Jie Huang, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Raman spectroscopy has been widely used in the study of lithium ion batteries.In this short review,we gave some examples of the applications of Raman spectroscopy in the study of electrode materials including carbonaceous materials,spinel LiM_xMn_2-x O₄,LiFePO₄,as well as polymer electrolytes,room temperaturemolten salt electrolytes and the solid-electrolyte interphase layers.The advantages and disadvantages of the ex-situ and in-situ Raman spectrum techniques are discussed.Using new Raman techniques to investigate Li-ion batteries are suggested.

Electrooxidation Of Methanol On Multilayer Films Of Polypyrrole-Platinum Electrode, Ling Zhang, Long-Zhen Zheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

Multilayer films of polypyrrole-platinum electrode were fabricated by cyclic voltammetric technique.Electro-oxidation of methanol on this electrode was investigated with the aid of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.Results demonstrated that the multilayer of polypyrrole-platinum electrode behaved better electrocatalytic performance for electro-oxidaton of methanol and better poison resistant.Furthermore,with the increase of deposited platinum loadings,the rate controlling step on electro-oxidation reaction of methanol was changed from CO oxidation to sorption-desorption of hydrogen.

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Sn Thin Film As Anode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Hong-Mei Bai, Zhan-Liang Tao, Fang-Yi Cheng, Jun Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Sn thin films as the anode materials of Li-ion batteries were prepared by vacuum-evaporation method on the copper foam substrate. The phase structure,surface morphology and electrochemical property of the as-prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and galvanostatic cycling. The results showed that three-dimensional structure of copper foam substrate enhanced the adhesion strength between the active material and the substrate, under the same substrate temperature, the particles became bigger with the increasing of evaporation time, while their electrochemical property decreased, under the same evaporation time, the particles didn′t changed obviously with the increasing of substrate temperature,while their cycle …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Hydrazine At Rutin Carbon Nanotubes Modified Electrode, Hong-Fang Zhang, Qing-Lin Sheng, Jian-Bin Zheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical behavior and electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine on rutin multiwall carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry.The experimental results indicated that the electrode exhibits good electrocatalytic activity to hydrazine at a reduced oxidation potential of 262 mV.The amperometric response of the modified electrode showed linear increase after successive addition of hydrazine in the concentration range of 2.5×10^-6~1.0×10^-4 mol·L-1 with a detection limit of 5×10^-7 mol·L^-1.

Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors Using Phenolic Resin-Based Carbon Fibers, Rong Xue, Jing-Wang Yan, Ying Tian, Bao-Lian Yi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Phenolic resin-based activated carbon fiber(ACF) was prepared by KOH activation.The electrochemical properties of pulverized phenolic resin-based carbon fiber(P-ACF) were examined in 6 mol·L^-1 KOH compared with that of the original ACF.P-ACF exhibited a better capacitive behavior and showed a larger specific capacitance(200 F·g^-1) as well as a lower capacitance decrease at high current densities.The pore resistance for ion migration(Rp) in P-ACF was lower(2.96 Ω) than that in ACF(4.65 Ω).Pulverization increased the exposure of the cross section,lowered the contact resistance between the carbon fibers and decreased the pore resistance for ion migration.

Low-Temperature Performance Of Li-Ion Battery With Fluoroethylene Carbonate Electrolyte, Chun-Wei Yang, Feng Wu, Bo-Rong Wu, Yong-Huan Ren, Jing-Wen Yao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The low temperature performance of electrolytes containing FEC including FEC+EMC, EC and PC, as well as the compatibility of electrolytes with LiFePO₄ anode and with MCMB cathode were investigated.The electrolyte exhibits a high value of ionic conductivity at low temperature.The stability of cathode was enhanced by the formation of SEI film at 1.6 V as a result of FEC reaction. The infrared spectra showed that FEC can suppress decomposition of other solvents during SEI formation, and lower the resistance of SEI on MCMB cathode. The electrochemistry test indicates that Li-ion batteries with FEC electrolyte display high capacity at low …

Electrochemical Deposition Of Zinc Oxide Crystal Whiskers, Peng-Zeng Lu, Su Li, Jin-Qian Jia, Zhen-Hai Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Pine needle ZnO crystal whiskers were electrodeposited by anodization of zinc foil.The crystal whiskers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) spectroscopy.The results show that the lengths and diameters of ZnO crystal whiskers are 200~300 nm and 20~50 nm,respectively,with the ratio of the length to diameter ranging from 10~15.The whiskers belong to wurtzite ZnO(JCPDS 36-1451) with good crystallinity and high purity.The crystalization behavior of ZnO was studied by cyclic voltammetry.The effects of the surface oxide layer at the zinc substrates and the [Zn(OH)₄]^2-concentration of the aqueous electrolyte on the formation of zinc oxide whiskers …

"Buried-Anode" Technology Leads To Advanced Lithium Batteries, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publications (E)

A technology developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has sparked a start-up company that has attracted funding from the Advanced Projects Research Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Planar Energy, Inc. has licensed NREL's "buried-anode" technology and put it to work in solid-state lithium batteries. The company claims its large-format batteries can achieve triple the performance of today's lithium-ion batteries at half the cost, and if so, they could provide a significant boost to the emerging market for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Dynamic Companion Harmonic Circuit Models For Analysis Of Power Systems With Embedded Power Electronics Devices, H. Garcia, M. Madrigal, B. Vyakaranam, R. Rarick, F. Eugenio Villaseca

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper a methodology that extends the dynamic harmonic domain (DHD) analysis of large networks is presented. The method combines DHD analysis and discrete companion circuit modeling resulting in a powerful analytic technique called dynamic companion harmonic circuit modeling. It provides for a complete dynamic harmonic analysis of the system while preserving the advantages of discrete companion circuit models. The methodology is illustrated by its application to a three-node power system, where reactive power compensation is achieved using a fixed-capacitor, thyristor-controlled reactor (FC-TCR) and its control system.