Power and Energy Commons^™

2018 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2018 ENGR333 project focused on renewable energy generation.

I asked the students “What is the largest possible reduction in Calvin’s annual energy costs from a $5M investment in renewable energy?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Russell Bray, Director of Calvin’s Physical Plant.

Exploring The Efficiency And Cost Limits Of Fractional Hp Axial Flux Pm Machine Designs, Narges Taran, Vandana Rallabandi, Greg Heins, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Optimizing the design of electric machines is a vital step in ensuring the economical use of active materials. The three-dimensional flux paths in axial flux PM (AFPM) machines necessitate the use of computationally expensive 3D electromagnetic analysis. Furthermore, a large number of design evaluations is required to find the optimum, causing the total computation time to be excessively long. In view of this, a two-level surrogate assisted algorithm capable of handling such expensive optimization problems is introduced, which substantially reduces the number of FEA evaluations. The proposed algorithm is employed to optimally design an AFPM machine within a specified envelope, …

Net Zero Energy Houses With Dispatchable Solar Pv Power Supported By Electric Water Heater And Battery Energy Storage, Huangjie Gong, Vandana Rallabandi, Dan M. Ionel, Donald G. Colliver, Shaun Duerr, Cristinel Ababei

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Over a year, net zero energy (NZE) houses produce and feed zero net metered electrical energy to the grid. Technical challenges, notably the `duck curve' arise due to the fact that peak solar generation and load demand are seldom coincident. Common approaches to mitigate this limitation include the curtailment of solar power, and the use of storage. Surplus solar energy may be stored in a battery, which can subsequently be discharged to supply the home electricity needs when demand is in excess. In addition to batteries, less expensive electric water heaters, which are ubiquitous, can be modified as energy storage …

Torque Production Capability Of Axial Flux Machines With Single And Double Rotor Configurations, Narges Taran, Greg Heins, Vandana Rallabandi, Dean Patterson, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Axial flux PM (AFPM) machines are used particularly in applications requiring a compact structure. Their disc shape topology and axial air-gap have lead to a variety of configurations including two popular ones: the yokeless and segmented armature (YASA), and the single-stator single-rotor or single sided machine. In this study, a comprehensive comparative analysis of these configurations is conducted at different magnetic and electric loadings. It is found that at lower loadings, typically employed for air-cooled machines, the torque/ampere characteristics of the YASA machine are almost identical to those of a single sided machine constructed with half the magnet volume. On …

Transistor-Clamped Multilevel H-Bridge Inverter In Si And Sic Hybrid Configuration For High-Efficiency Photovoltaic Applications, Yibin Zhang, Jiangbiao He, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Using wide bandgap (WBG) devices has been a promising solution to improve the efficiency of power inverters for photovoltaic (PV) applications. However, for multilevel inverters, using WBG devices to improve the inverter efficiency can increase the system cost dramatically due to the high price of WBG devices in the present market as well as the large number of power devices typically required in multilevel inverter topologies. In this paper, a five-level transistor clamped H-bridge (TCHB) inverter will be further investigated. This inverter requires much lower number of semiconductor switches and fewer isolated dc sources than the conventional cascaded H-bridge inverter. …

Improving The Capacity Factor And Stability Of Multi-Mw Grid Connected Pv Systems With Results From A 1mw/2mwh Battery Demonstrator, Oluwaseun M. Akeyo, Vandana Rallabandi, Nicholas Jewell, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Conventional PV systems integrated with a battery connect the array and the energy storage unit to a dc-link through individual dc-dc converters for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and battery charge control. This paper proposes a new system configuration, which connects the PV array and battery unit to the dc-link of the system inverter via a single dc-dc converter capable of simultaneously operating as a charge controller and MPPT device. This dc-dc converter is controlled such that it charges/discharges the battery with the amount of power required to maintain the PV array at its MPPT reference voltage. The proposed system …

Hybrid Pv-Wind, Micro-Grid Development Using Quasi-Z-Source Inverter Modeling And Control—Experimental Investigation, Neeraj Priyadarshi, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Dan M. Ionel, Lucian Mihet-Popa, Farooque Azam

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

This research work deals with the modeling and control of a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)-Wind micro-grid using Quasi Z-source inverter (QZsi). This inverter has major benefits as it provides better buck/boost characteristics, can regulate the phase angle output, has less harmonic contents, does not require the filter and has high power performance characteristics over the conventional inverter. A single ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) module used as DC-DC switched power apparatus is employed for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) functions which provide high voltage gain throughout the process. Moreover, a modified power ratio variable step (MPRVS) based perturb & observe (P&O) …

Assemblies And Properties Of Asymmetric Supercapacitors Based On Wo3/Carbon Cloth, Wen-Ke Shao, Lei Zhao, Chao Liu, Yan-Ying Dong, Yuan-Jie Zhu, Qiu-Fan Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The demand for a new generation of flexible, portable, and high-capacity power sources increases rapidly with the development of advanced wearable electronic devices. One dimensional (1D) nanowires structures have been demonstrated as one of the most ideal electrode materials in energy storage systems due to their advantages in both micorstructures and their high surface areas. Here we report a simple process for large-scale fabrication of self-standing composite film electrodes composed of WO₃ nanorods on carbon cloth. In order to improve the energy density of supercapacitor, we assembled an asymmetric supercapacitor using WO₃ nanorods and activated carbon cloth as …

An Aqueous All-Metal Oxide Asymmetric Supercapacitor With High Gravimetric And Volumetric Energy Densities, Xin Jing, Xu Zhang, Wei Wang, Jun-Wei Lang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Only with both high gravimetric and high volumetric energy densities, can supercapacitors find more extensive applications.In this paper, by making good use of the interesting nanostructures and the high packing densities of RuO₂ (nanoshpheres,1.69 g·cm^-3) and Co-Ni oxide (nanoflakes, 2.14 g·cm^-3), the RuO₂//KOH//Co-Ni oxide all-metal oxide asymmetric supercapacitors with high performance were successfully fabricated, which led to the maximum specific capacitance of 217.5 F·g^-1 (412.3 F·cm^-3) and specific energy density of 61.8 Wh·kg^-1 (121 Wh·L^-1) in a cell voltage between 0 and 1.5 V in KOH electrolyte. …

Highly Crystalline Nickel Borate Nanorods As Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts, Xi Xu, Juan Liu, Hua-Zong Wu, Wen-Jie Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hydrogen energy, a kind of clean and renewable energy, is considered to be the solution to the problems of energy crisis and environmental deterioration. Electrochemical water splitting is an efficient and promising technology for the production of high-purity hydrogen. However, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode of water electrolyzer limits the efficiency of water splitting due to the high overpotential. Therefore, the challenges still remain for the exploration of highly active, stable and low-cost catalysts with superior activity for OER. Herein, nickel borate nanorods with high crystallinity were prepared via high-temperature calcination. The as-obtained nickel borate nanorods with 2 …

Hybrid Battery-Capacitor System Based On Liti5O12 Anode And Ptpan Cathode, Xiu-Li Su, Xiao-Li Dong, Yao Liu, Yong-Gang Wang, Ai-Shui Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Owing to its high safe, high rate and long life characteristics, lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) anode material has attracted extensive attention in recent years, and many efforts are being made to develop the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ based high performance hybrid supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries. Herein, we prepared the organic cathode material polytriphenylamine (PTPAn) through chemical oxidation and polymerization of triphenylamine (TPAn), and investigated its charge storage mechanism and electrode kinetics withthe typical electrochemical methods in an organic electrolyte. It was demonstrated that the PTPAn exhibited the reversible capacity of 85 mA·g^{-1 …}

Complex Coordination Silver Electrocrystallization Mechanism On Glassy Carbon Electrode Surface, Shuai-Shuai Huang, Cheng Liu, Lei Jin, Fang-Zu Yang, Zhong-Qun Tian, Shao-Min. Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Cyclic voltammetry and potential step methods were successfully used to study the electrochemical crystallization mechanism of silver deposition on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in the practical cyanide-free silver plating electrolyte containing composite complexing agents. Scharifker-Hill (SH) theory was used to fitting the experimental data. The results showed that the electrodeposition of silver is a diffusion controlled irreversible electrode process according to three-dimensional instantaneous nucleation mechanism. When the step potential shifted from -750 mV to -825 mV, the peak deposition current Im was increased, while the induced nucleation time tm shortened. The calculated kinetic parameters showed that the diffusion coefficient (D) …

Electrochemical Performances Of Neodymium Doped Lead Dioxide Composite Anode, Hong-Hui Wang, Ming-Jie Ma, Jie Feng, Huang-Ya Kang, Wen-Jie Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Neodymium (Nd) doped titanium (Ti)-based lead dioxide (PbO₂) composite anode was prepared by electrodeposition. The surface morphologies and crystal structures of the as-prepared anodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, respectively. The electrochemical performances of PbO₂-Nd anode were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. Additionally, the electrocatalytic activity and durability of PbO₂-Nd anode were investigated through the degradation of simulative refractory organic wastewater of phenol. The results showed that Nd doping made the PbO₂ anode surface structure dense and uniform with smaller …

Preparation And Characterization Of Self-Supporting Flexible Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Fabric Electrodes, Bo Yang, Zhi-Hang Jin, Ya-Ping Zhao, Zai-Sheng Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

With the wide applications of intelligent wearable devices in various fields, developing a new generation of flexible energy storage devices has become a major challenge for the current technology. As a wide application of wearable flexible substrate, cotton fabric has the advantages over low price, non-toxic and environmental friendly, but the poor conductivity becomes a major problem limiting its development. As a nitrogen-containing conducting polymer, polypyrrole is traditionally used as electrode materials, but poor mechanical performance and cycle stability severely limit its application in electrode materials. In this article, a self-supporting flexible nitrogen-doped carbon fabric electrode was prepared by in …

Electrochemical Preparation And Photo-Electro Catalytic Properties Of Flexible Znni/Al-Ldhs/Carbon Fibers Composite, Jing-Jing Tian, Tao Chen, Xing-Chen Bao, Meng-Xu Gao, Ye-Xiao Yu, Si-Yao Peng, Guan-Ping Jin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, a promising flexible composite consisting of zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al) layered double hydroxide coated carbon fibers (ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs) was prepared by electrochemical method with convenient recovery and separation. The structures, morphologies, and photo-electro catalytic properties of ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The excellent photo-electro bifunctional catalytic properties were obtained with the ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs composite as compared to that of Zn/Al-LDHs/CFs (photo catalyst) or Ni/Al-LDHs/CFs (electrocatalyst) alone, which could be used in the electro-catalytic oxidations of methanol and …

A Study On Reduction Of Harmonic Distortion Caused By Ac Arc Furnaces, Venkata Mani Gadiraju

LSU Master's Theses

In AC arc furnaces, arc ignition is stabilized by inductors which are connected across its supply lines. They cause power factor degradation in the system. When furnaces are modelled as linear RL load, the arc nonlinearity reduces the impact of this degradation to a significant extent. Furnace Power factor is improved by the DC voltage on the arc. In this research study, power factor of AC furnaces is estimated on the assumption that DC voltage on the arc is constant and furnace operates in steady state. Primary objective of this research was to determine the power factor of the furnace …

Sustainability Of Utilizing Renewable And Nuclear Energy In Saudi Arabia Using Different Types Of Life Cycle Assessment, Kamel Almutairi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating the global environmental impacts of the current and future energy policies in Saudi Arabia using Life cycle assessment (LCA) method was the main objective of this dissertation. First, the attributional life cycle assessment (ALCA) framework was used to evaluate the Saudi’s air conditioning systems, as they are responsible for about 70% of the total Saudi residential electricity consumption. The ALCA’s results showed that the AC use phase produces the largest share of the environmental impact and the magnitude of the environmental impacts is influenced by the type of primary fuel used for electricity generation.

Emerging non-fossil sources of electricity …

Efficacy Of Multi-Threshold Null Convention Logic In Low-Power Applications, Brent Bell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order for an asynchronous design paradigm such as Multi-Threshold NULL Convention Logic (MTNCL) to be adopted by industry, it is important for circuit designers to be aware of its advantages and drawbacks especially with respect to power usage. The power tradeoff between MTNCL and synchronous designs depends on many different factors including design type, circuit size, process node, and pipeline granularity. Each of these design dimensions influences the active power and the leakage power comparisons. This dissertation analyzes the effects of different design dimensions on power consumption and the associated rational for these effects. Results show that while MTNCL …

Hybrid Perovskite Characterization And Device Applications., Kasun Fernando

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid perovskites are a group of materials that has shown a great impact in the field of scientific research in the past decade due to the efficiency gain within a short period of time. Hot casting is one technique that has been producing high efficient and stable solar cells. Electrical transportation of lateral device structure by such film is explored to understand basic properties and predict possible device applications using it. Under dark, memristive ability of the film was explored using various experiments. Unique uni-polar memristor ability was observed. Using the experimental results, a model is hypothesized using the concepts …

Design And Control Of Series Resonant Converters For Dc Current Power Distribution Applications, Hongjie Wang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the growth of renewable energy usage and energy storage adoption in recent decades, people have started to reevaluate the possible roles of dc systems in current and future electrical systems. The dc voltage distribution has been applied in various applications, such as data centers and aircraft industry, for high efficiency and power density. However, for some applications such as subsea gas and oil fields, and ocean observatory systems, the dc current distribution is preferred over dc voltage distribution for its low cost and robustness against cable faults. Design and control of dc power distribution systems for different applications is …

Coreless And Conventional Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Motors For Solar Cars, Narges Taran, Vandana Rallabandi, Greg Heins, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) motors are suitable options for solar-powered vehicles due to their compact structure and high torque density. Furthermore, certain types of AFPM machines may be configured without stator cores, which eliminates associated losses and cogging torque and simplifies the manufacturing and assembly. This paper examines two machine designs for use in the solar-powered vehicle of the challenger class-a single rotor, single stator conventional AFPM machine, and a coreless AFPM machine with multiple stator and rotor disks. The response surface methodology (RSM) is utilized for the systematic comparison of the conventional and coreless topologies and to select …

Decentralized Optimal Control With Application In Power System, Boyu Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An output-feedback decentralized optimal controller is proposed for power systems with renewable energy penetration. Renewable energy source is modeled similar to the classical generator model and is equipped with the unified power flow controller (UPFC). The transient performance of power system is considered and stability of the dynamical states are investigated. An offline decentralized optimal controller is designed that utilizes only the local states. The network comprises conventional synchronous generators as well as renewable sources with inverter equipped with UPFC. Subsequently, the optimal decentralized controller is compared to the initial stabilizing controller used to obtain the optimal controller. An online …

What Can I Do As A Student To Make A Positive Impact On The Environment?, Tammy Guthrie, Greg Herzig, Kathy Prophet, Cassie Kautzer

Middle School Lesson Plans

Students discover ways they can make a positive impact on the environment.

Power Electronics Powertrain Architectures For Hybrid And Solar Electric Airplanes With Distributed Propulsion, Damien Lawhorn, Vandana Rallabandi, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Distributed propulsion in aircraft has been shown to increase reliability and benefit aerodynamic performance. This paper discusses power electronic architectures and proposes control schemes suitable for distributed propulsion in hybrid and electric airplanes. Hybrid electric airplanes include permanent magnet synchronous generators driven by jet engines. The output of the generators is connected to the propulsion motors through back to back voltage source converters. Batteries, connected to the DC bus through buck-boost converters, are used to provide additional power to the propulsion motors during take off and climb. In the case of electric airplanes, the jet engine-permanent magnet generator system is …

Design Day Analysis - Forecasting Extreme Daily Natural Gas Demand, David Joseph Kaftan

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This work provides a framework for Design Day analysis. First, we estimate the temperature conditions which are expected to be colder than all but one day in N years. This temperature is known as the Design Day condition. Then, we forecast an upper bound on natural gas demand when temperature is at the Design Day condition. Natural gas distribution companies (LDCs) need to meet demand during extreme cold days. Just as bridge builders design for a nominal load, natural gas distribution companies need to design for a nominal temperature. This nominal temperature is the Design Day condition. The Design Day …

Surrogate Affine Approximation Based Co-Optimization Of Transactive Flexibility, Uncertainty, And Energy, Hongzing Ye

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This study presents an approach to co-optimization of transactive flexibility, energy, and optimal injection-range of Variable Energy Resource (VER). Flexibility receives immense attention, as it is the essential resource to accommodate VERs in modern power systems. With a novel concept of transactive flexibility, the proposed approach proactively positions the flexible resources and optimizes the demand of flexibility. A surrogate affine approximation (SAA) method is proposed to solve the problem with variable infinite-constraint range in polynomial time. It is shown that SAA is more optimistic than the traditional affine policy in the power literature. The SAA method is also applicable to …

Investigation Of The Skin Effect In Alternating Currents, Matthew Liang

The International Student Science Fair 2018

My research is on the investigation of the skin effect in alternating currents. The skin effect is when an alternating current tends to flow on the surface of the conductor, such that the current density is highest near the surface, and decreases with greater depths in the conductor. This is due to the alternating current inducing changing magnetic fields, which in turn induces currents that oppose the original flow of current, resisting the current flowing through the centre the most. This reduces the effective cross-sectional area of the conductor and increases the resistance, causing increased power losses. This effect becomes …

Low Voltage Ride Through Enhancement For Wind Turbines Equipped With Dfig Under Symmetrical Grid Faults, Francis Mwasilu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

In modern power systems with significant penetration of wind-turbines (WTs), improvement of low voltage ride through (LVRT) capability of WTs equipped with doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) is an important issue. Thus, this paper proposes a low voltage ride through (LVRT) strategy, which comprise of a capacitor connected in series with an inductor both connected in parallel to a resistor. The configuration is then connected to a small series resistor via a pair of antiparallel-Thyristors. The circuit and its switching control scheme of the proposed LVRT circuit are designed to: minimize the transition times, maintain the RSC connection to the rotor-windings, …

Recent Progress For Fe-N-C Electrocatalysts In Alkaline Fuel Cells, Xin Deng, Heng-Quan Chen, Ye Hu, Qing-Gang He

Journal of Electrochemistry

Fuel cells are highly recommended nowadays due to their intrinsic advantages such as high energy conversion efficiency, nearly no pollution, and convenient operation. With the development of anion exchange membrane, alkaline fuel cells have gone through a renaissance thanks to their superiorities such as faster reaction kinetics, wider choices for both fuels and electrocatalysts. It is essential to find an appropriate electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to improve the performance of alkaline fuel cells. Further commercialization of the widely used Pt-based materials has suffered from disadvantages such as scarcity and high cost. As alternatives to largely investigated Pt-based materials, …

A Study Of Pulse Electrodeposition On Suppressing The Formation Of Lithium Dendrite, Wen-Jun Guo, Zi-Qiong Li, Ruo-Hao Ke, Dong-Fang Niu, Heng Xu, Xin-Sheng Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A pulse charge method was used to suppress the formation of lithium dendrite on the copper electrode in 0.5 mol·L^-1 LiBr/propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte. The surface variation of lithium deposition was investigated by scanning electron microscope and impedance measurement. The SEM test showed that the lithium dendrites were formed on the copper electrode during the traditional process of electrodeposition. However, the formed dendrite was suppressed by pulse charge method. The results of the impedance measurement confirmed that the pulse electrodeposition could suppress the dendrite under the optimized duty ratio (0.5). The long single pulse deposition time decreased the resistance …