Power and Energy Commons^™

Low-Frequency Series Loaded Resonant Inverter Characterization, Alfredo Medina

Master's Theses

Modern power systems require multiple conversions between DC and AC to deliver power from renewable energy sources. Recent growth in DC loads result in increased system costs and reduced efficiency, due to redundant conversions. Advances in DC microgrid systems demonstrate superior performance by reducing conversion stages. The literature reveals practical DC microgrid systems composed of wind and solar power to replace existing fossil fuel technologies for residential consumers. Although higher efficiencies are achieved, some household appliances require AC power; thus, the need for highly efficient DC to AC converters is imperative in establishing DC microgrid systems. Resonant inverter topologies exhibit …

The Effects Of Phosphonic Acids In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Keith Edward James

Dissertations and Theses

Novel methods for the construction of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were developed. A thin dense underlayer of TiO₂ was applied on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass using as a precursor Tyzor AA-105. Subsequently a mesoporous film of P-25 TiO₂ was applied by spreading a suspension uniformly over the surface of the underlayer and allowing the plate to slowly dry while resting on a level surface. After sintering at 500° C slides were treated with TCPP as a sensitizing dye and assembled into DSSCs. A novel method was used to seal the cells; strips of Parafilm® were used as …

Event Detection Using Correlation Within Arrays Of Streaming Pmu Data, Jordan Landford

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis provides a synchrophasor data analysis methodology that leverages both statistical correlation techniques and a statistical distribution in order to identify data inconsistencies, as well as power system contingencies. This research utilizes archived Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data obtained from the Bonneville Power Administration in order to show that this methodology is not only feasible, but extremely useful for power systems monitoring, decision support, and planning purposes.

By analyzing positive sequence voltage angles between a pair of PMUs at two different substation locations, an historic record of correlation is established. From this record, a Rayleigh distribution of correlation coefficients …

Reflective Efficiencies Of Materials For Applications Of Bifacial Solar Cells, Michael Metter

Senior Theses

The bifacial solar cell is superior to its monofacial predecessor due to its ability to convert both incident light on top and reflected light from below into energy. The scattering of the reflected light is affected by the property of the material on which it is interacting. To date, little work has been contributed to studying the properties of these materials to determine optimal quantities for bifacial solar cells. In the first experiment, reflective efficiencies compared to the angle of reflection were explored for different grit of sandpaper in order to develop an understanding of how surface texture impacts reflectivity. …

Utilization Of Distributed Generation In Power System Peak Hour Load Shedding Reduction, Nandu Balachandran

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

An approach to utilize Distributed Generation (DG) to minimize the total load shedding by analyzing the power system in Transactive energy framework is proposed. An algorithm to optimize power system in forward and spot markets to maximize an electric utility’s profit by optimizing purchase of power from DG is developed. The proposed algorithm is a multi-objective optimization with the main objective to maximize a utility’s profit by minimizing overall cost of production, load shedding, and purchase of power from distributed generators. This work also proposes a method to price power in forward and spot markets using existing LMP techniques. Transactive …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Synchronous Generators For Real-Time Simulation, Sowmya Munukuntla

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to validate generator models for dynamic studies of power systems using PSS/E (Power System Simulator for Engineering), EMTP (ElectroMagnetic Transient Program), and Hypersim. To thoroughly evaluate the behavior of a power system in the three specified software packages, it is necessary to have an accurate model for the power system, especially the generator which is of interest. The effect of generator modeling on system response under normal conditions and under faulted conditions is investigated in this work. A methodology based on sensitivity analysis of generator model parameters is proposed aiming to homogenize the behavior …

Test Plan For Real-Time Modeling & Simulation Of Single Pole Switching Relays, Ram Mohan Sanaboyina

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A real-time simulator (RTS) with digital and analog input/output modules is used to conduct hardware-in-the-loop simulations to evaluate performance of power system equipment such as protective relays by exposing the equipment to the simulated realistic operating conditions. This work investigates the use of RTS to test relays with single-pole-switching (SPS) feature. Single-pole switching can cause misoperations due to fault arc during reclosing of the breakers. Through this investigation, a test procedure appropriate for the testing SPS relays has been developed. The test procedure includes power system modeling for real time simulation, relay test setup, and test plan. HYPERSIM real-time simulator …

Smart Gate Driver Design For Silicon (Si) Igbts And Silicon-Carbide (Sic) Mosfets, Abdulaziz Alghanem

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The design of an efficient and smart gate driver for a Si IGBT and SiC MOSFET is addressed in thesis. First, the main IGBT parameters are evaluated thoroughly in order to understand their effects in the design of the gate driver. All known consequences of previously designed gate drivers are studied in order to achieve an optimum gate driver. As a result of this assessment, the designer is able to determine whether adding or removing components from the gate driver circuit are beneficial or not. Then, exhaustive research is done to identify suitable integrated circuits to use for the power …

Design Of Processing Circuitry For An Rf Energy Harvester, Brett Schauwecker

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Significant advancements in technology and the use of low power sensors in both commercial and industrial applications have made it essential to develop wireless solutions for low power devices. Once such solution, which has generated attention in university and R&D environments, is radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting. RF energy harvesting seeks to capture ambient RF energy by means of an antenna and convert this energy to useable DC power. The presence of ambient RF energy in the environment is a result of numerous high-frequency technologies including Wi-Fi, cell phones, microwave ovens, and radio broadcasting, as well as many others. The …

Use Of Drone And Infrared Camera For A Campus Building Envelope Study, Raheem Taiwo Ariwoola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Presently, there are concerns that buildings in the USA under-performs in terms of energy efficiency when compared with the original design specifications. A significant percentage of the energy loss in these buildings is associated with the building’s envelope. This study provides a qualitative and analytical understanding of the R-value, which indicates the thermal performance of the elements that make up a building envelope. Infrared thermography is used as a methodology to assess the thermal performance of envelopes of ten buildings on East Tennessee State University Campus. A Fluke Ti25 infrared hand-held camera and a DJI phantom-2 drone mounted with FLIR …

Solar-Powered Hot Tub, Jonathan Peterson, Anthony Zepeda

Electrical Engineering

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a solar-powered hot tub. The concept of this project was to design an independently-operated hot tub powered by a 12V rechargeable battery, charged during the day by a single 400W solar panel. For this purpose, a twenty-year-old name-brand hot tub was purchased, in used condition. The plumbing, AC electrical wiring, and mechanical pumps were all removed and replaced with new components to meet our design specifications. Additionally, a solar water-heater was designed and integrated into the system to directly apply the sun’s heat to water pumped in and out of the tub, …

High Step-Up/Down Transformerless Multilevel Converter For Renewable Energy Applications, Haider Ghazi Mhiesan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on a high step-up/down transformerless dc-dc modular multilevel converter (MMC) that would be applicable to dc power systems. The design achieves high voltage ratios for interfacing renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and line interactive Uninterruptible Power System (UPS) systems. The circuit topology provides for high step-up/down dc-dc conversion ratios using an MMC approach operating in resonant mode in order to improve overall efficiency. This topology operates to step-up the input voltage with 1:10 or larger conversion ratio. As a bidirectional converter, it also provides step-down capability at the same voltage ratio (10:1 or greater). The MMC …

Control Design Of A Single-Phase Dc/Ac Inverter For Pv Applications, Haoyan Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents controller designs of a 2 kVA single-phase inverter for photovoltaic (PV) applications. The demand for better controller designs is constantly rising as the renewable energy market continues to rapidly grow. Some background research has been done on solar energy, PV inverter configurations, inverter control design, and hardware component selection. Controllers are designed both for stand-alone and grid-connected modes of operation. For stand-alone inverter control, the outer control loop regulates the filter capacitor voltage. Combining the synchronous frame outer control loop with the capacitor current feedback inner control loop, the system can achieve both zero steady-state error and …

Preparation And Performance Of 3d Graphene Type Porous Carbon Employing Nano Fe(Oh)3 As Template For Oxygen Reduction Catalyst, Chong-Yun Sun, Zhong-Fang Li, Xue-Wei Lu, Xi-Zhan Zhong, Yu-Rong Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The 3D graphene type porous carbon was prepared using coal tar pitch as carbon source and nano Fe(OH)₃ as template. Optimal conditions for the catalytic oxygen reduction performance were determined as: the mass ratio of coal tar, nano Fe(OH)₃ and KOH is 6:8:4; the pyrolysis temperature is 800 ^oC. SEM images show that the products have uniformly porous structure. TEM images demonstrate that the products are porous with foam shapes. HRTEM images further indicate that the products have formed several-layers 3D graphene structure, which are also supported by XRD and Raman data, and the pore size mainly …

Special Issue: Electrocatalyst And Electrocatalysis In Fuel Cells Preface, Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

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Recent Progress In Non-Precious Metal Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts With An Encapsulation Structure, Mei-Ling Xiao, Jian-Bing Zhu, Chang-Peng Liu, Jun-Jie Ge, Wei Xing

Journal of Electrochemistry

Platinum-based materials, the state-of-the-art catalysts for fuel cells, suffer from prohibitive costs, limited resources and insufficient durability. Accordingly, tremendous efforts were made in searching for efficient, durable and inexpensive alternatives to precious-metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Transition-metals (Fe, Co)/nitrogen co-doped hybrids, heteroatom (N, P, S, F, et al) doped carbons and composites with transition-metals encapsulated in graphitic layers are reported as the most efficient non-precious metal ORR catalysts. Among the various non-precious metal ORR catalysts, transition-metals encased in graphitic layer catalysts are a novel type of catalysts for ORR with high activity and durability, and thus, the …

Mini-Review: Possible Applications Of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (Secm) In Characterizations Of Oxygen Reduction Reaction And Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Xing-Xing Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) has been proved to be a unique technique for combinatorial screening of localized phenomena for different electrocatalysts potentially used in new energy conversion and storage systems. This mini-review provides a brief summary of different SECM working modes, such as direct mode, feedback mode, generation-collection mode, redox competition mode and noise mode, which are especially applied for characterizing the oxygen reactions. Particularly, a series of important development in SECM screening of electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction from the author and W. Schuhmann’s group in Germany has been highlighted and overviewed. Finally, some prospects …

Multi-Scaled Carbon Supported Platinum As A Stable Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Yu-Ping Li, Lu-Hua Jiang, Su-Li Wang, Gong-Quan Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The stability of carbon supports is essential for electrocatalysts of fuel cells. Herein, the mesoporous carbon with the high graphitic degree (highly graphitic mesoporous carbon, HGMC) was synthesized by using resorcinol as the carbon precursor, SiO₂ as the templates and urea as the reducing agent. The as-prepared HGMC was characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, N2 adsorption. The stability of HGMC was evaluated by mimicking the start-up/shut-down conditions of fuel cells in a three-electrode system referring to the NREL standard. The obtained HGMC is of moderate surface area (187.4 m²•g^-1) and is chemically stable under …

Recycling Mf Solid Waste Into Mesoporous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon With Iron Carbide Complex In Graphitic Layers As An Efficient Catalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Can-Yun Zhao, Lin Huang, Yong You, Ying-Fang Yao, Xiao-Gang Su, Hong Wan, Jian-Guo Liu, Cong-Ping Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials with iron ions are known as catalytic growth agents for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells, but the design and synthesis of high-performance and low-cost catalysts still remain a significant challenge. Herein, we present a cost-effective approach to dispose of MF solid waste as the precursor for the synthesis of MCFes catalyst with the favorable structure features such as the high specific surface area, abundant active sites and suitable pore structure. The results showed that the MCFe-10/10/2 had specific surface area as high as 780.7 m²•g^-1 and high efficient catalytic activity comparable …

Recent Progresses In Molybdenum-Based Electrocatalysts For The Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Ze-Xing Wu, Jie Wang, Jun-Po Guo, Jing Zhu, De-Li Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical catalytic production of hydrogen has been considered as a promising and sustainable strategy for clean and renewable energy technologies. Molybdenum-based non noble metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction have attracted extensive attention due to its effective catalytic performance. In this review, the recent progresses in molybdenum-carbide, phosphide, nitride and sulfide electrocatalysts are presented. In addition, the strategies to improve the catalytic performance are analyzed and the prospects for the future development trends are expected.

Syntheses Of Carbon Paper Supported High-Index Faceted Pt Nanoparticles And Their Performance In Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells, Long Huang, Mei Zhan, Yu-Cheng Wang, Yan-Fen Lin, Shuo Liu, Ting Yuan, Hui Yang, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Direct formic acid fuel fuels (DFAFCs) are promising energy source for portable electronic devices. Palladium (Pd) is more active than platinum (Pt) for the formic acid electrooxidation. However, the stability of Pd is much poorer than that of Pt. Unfortunately, the ultra-low natural abundance of the Pt makes it extremely expensive and limits its application as a fuel cell catalyst. Boosting both the activity and stability of Pt nanoparticles to enhance their efficiency is urgent. As previous works illustrated, nanoparticles enclosed with high-index facets usually bare a higher activity toward fuel cell related reactions than those nanoparticles with low-index facet. …

Dynamic Simulation Of Oxygen Reduction Reaction In Pt/C Electrode For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Shang Li, Fen Zhou, Lei Chen, Mu Pan

Journal of Electrochemistry

It is an urgent need to reduce the Pt loading in electrode for practical fuel cell applications worldwide. Herein, we theoretically investigate the oxygen distribution, generated current, and minimum Pt loading of Pt/C electrode for practical applications based on kinetic model of oxygen reduction reaction. The results indicate that with increasing electrode effective thickness to 40 mm, serious concentration polarization is expected for Pt/C electrode. To generate a power density of 1.4 W⋅cm^-2 (2.1A⋅cm^-2@0.67 V) for fuel cell, the cathode catalyst layer thickness in PEMFC should be as thin as 3 mm. The minimum Pt loading will …

Synthesis Of Structurally Ordered Platinum-Iron Catalysts With Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity, Ye-Zheng Cai, Ming-Chuan Luo, Fang-Hui Wang, Zhao-Nan Sun, Hong Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

To improve oxygen reduction reaction catalytic activity of the precious metals platinum for fuel cell, the precursors of carbon-supported structurally disordered platinum-iron alloy (D-Pt₃Fe/C and D-PtFe/C) catalysts with different compositions were synthesized via a modified polyol reduction method. Then, by optimizing the annealing conditions in the inert gas, we turned the structurally disordered platinum-iron alloy to the structurally ordered platinum-iron alloy (O-Pt₃Fe/C and O-PtFe/C) catalysts. The structural characterizations of the as-prepared catalysts were performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results …

Rambling Between "Zhong Yong" And "Catalysis", Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

“Zhong Yong” represents a traditional Chinese wisdom, which was first proposed by Confucius and continuously richened by his followers. “Zhong Yong” pursues the balances among all kinds of contradictions, and insists that neither “too much” nor “not enough” is good. For a successful catalyst, on which the adsorption of reactants must be not so strong and not so weak either. On this point of view, there are the same pursuits for “Zhong Yong” and catalysis. In this paper, the author starts his story with a conversation between Confucius and his student, followed by 3 interesting stories happening in the ancient …

Nitrogen, Fluorine Co-Doped Silk-Derived Carbon For Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction With High Performance In Alkaline Solution, Fang-Fang Liu, Hong-Liang Peng, Shi-Jun Liao

Journal of Electrochemistry

A high-performance, doped carbon-based catalyst was synthesized by pyrolyzing hydrothermally treated silkworm cocoon. The effects of preparation conditions and fluorine promotion on various catalysts’ performance were investigated. The catalyst prepared under optimal conditions and doped with nitrogen and fluorine possessed the high specific surface area of more than 1000 m^2⋅g^-1 and contained 3.5 and 7.3% (by mass, the same below) N and F, respectively. The activity of the catalyst toward oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium was comparable to that of commercial Pt/C, showing both superior tolerance to methanol poisoning and better durability. Doping with fluorine …

Solar Tracking And Lighting Design For A Multimedia Sculpture, Alexandra Ferguson

Honors Theses

A lighting system utilizing solar energy was built to illuminate a wireframe multimedia sculpture. Increased power generation from the solar cells was achieved using a solar tracking mechanism. Color-selectable light emitting diodes were used to provide the user with unlimited customization options. A digital control system was designed using an Arduino® microcontroller to configure the color of the lights and the positioning of the solar panel. The sculpture will create a sense of community and sustainability among students at the school.

Impact Of Clustering Microgrids On Their Stability And Resilience During Blackouts, Mahmoud S. Saleh, Ammar Althaibani, Yusef Esa, Yassine Mhandi, Ahmed Mohamed

Publications and Research

In this paper, the impact of clustering multiple microgrids during blackouts, on their stability and supply availability, will be investigated. Microgrids have the capability of satisfying their emergency loads during blackouts. However, distributed energy resources (DERs)-dominated microgrids are affected by the uncertainty of their input energy supply, e.g. impact of solar irradiance on photovoltaic (PV) output. Moreover, an individual islanded microgrid is prone to instability issues due to large sudden load/generation changes. In order to increase the supply security, and enhance system stability, we propose to use the existing distribution grid infrastructure, if applicable, during blackouts to form microgrid clusters. …

Power System Simulation Using An Adaptive Modeling Framework, Matthew Stajcar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Power system operation has changed significantly in the last several decades. Factors such as renewable energy integration and deregulation are major contributors to this change. In response, today’s power grid requires supplemental simulation techniques to ensure stable and reliable operation. One supplemental simulation technique includes a simulation tool that encompasses system dynamics of multiple time frames. This thesis proposes initial research of a power system simulation tool, Adaptive Modeling Framework (AMF), capable of modeling multiple dynamic characteristics including slow dynamics, such as transient stability, as well as long term dynamics (LTD), such as frequency regulation or voltage stability. Each power …

Incorporating Energy Related Concepts Into Ee And Cs Laboratory Work And Coursework, Jack Adams, Christopher S. Stuetzle

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

During the course of this interdisciplinary effort, members of the Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Science (CS) departments collaborated on energy related curricular efforts. Initially work was carried out to develop and utilize an inexpensive, open-source system for measuring, storing, and displaying energy related data from across campus. Hardware and software components chosen were open source or free for educational use. A low power Linux server was utilized. The LAN-enabled Arduinos included sensors to measure energy related quantities such as power and temperature. EE and CS students were engaged in various aspects of the project – EE students focused on …

Mixed Mesh/Nodal Magnetic Equivalent Circuit Modeling Of A Six-Phase Claw-Pole Automotive Alternator, Daniel C. Horvath

Open Access Theses

Magnetic equivalent circuits (MECs) have been employed by many researchers to model the relationship between magnetic flux and current in electromagnetic systems such as electric machines, transformers and inductors [1] ,[2]. Magnetic circuits are analogous to electric circuits where voltage, current, resistance and conductance are the respective counterparts of magneto-motive force (MMF), magnetic flux, reluctance and permeance. The solution of MECs can be accomplished with the plethora of techniques developed for electrical circuit analysis. Specifically, mesh analysis, based on Kirchoff’s Voltage Law (KVL), and nodal analysis, based on Kirchoffs Current Law (KCL), are two very common solution techniques. Once an …