Power and Energy Commons^™

High Energy Battery Team Capstone Project Report, Evan Bowen, Brandon Cash, John Edinger, Matt Muller

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

James Madison University’s High Energy Battery Team was commissioned in Fall 2011 to conceptualize, design, prototype, test, and construct a high voltage, high amperage battery pack capable of powering an all-electric motorcycle at a speed of 70 miles per hour for a minimum of 150 miles. Key design goals were to minimize volume and weight and to maximize power output, reliability, and serviceability. This project report details the Team’s work to develop a battery “sub-pack” using 18650-type lithium ion cells which could be used (in a full-size battery pack) to power a future version of the motorcycle. The ultimate project …

An Assessment Model For Energy Efficiency Program Planning In Electric Utilities: Case Of The Pacific Of Northwest U.S.A., Ibrahim Iskin

Dissertations and Theses

Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, and decreasing system reliability and flexibility. Being the least cost and least risky alternative, the share of energy efficiency programs in utilities' energy portfolios has been on the rise since the 1980s, and their increasing importance is expected to continue in the future. Despite holding great promise, the ability to determine and invest in only the most promising program alternatives plays a key role in the successful use of energy efficiency as a …

Merry-Go-Round Human Powered Generator, Sarah Lorraine Ashe, Salvador Navarro

Electrical Engineering

How do you bring electricity to families who have limited resources in a developing country? The DC House project, advised by Dr. Taufik, provides a way for kids to have fun, exercise and generate power for their homes – play-park human powered generators. This project intends to create a more efficient and cost effective way for playground equipment to be implemented for power generation. The redesigned and reconstructed merry-go-round human powered generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to power the DC house. This was a fully functioning generator that needed a better voltage gain, as well as, a more …

Human-Powered Swing Generator, Danny Cai, Timothy Lai, Brandon Wong

Electrical Engineering

Many developing countries lack sufficient resources to provide enough electricity for every family to live with a satisfying level of comfort and convenience. Our project proposes a solution that provides families with an alternative access to electricity using a playground swing. This project addresses the design and construction of the Human-Powered Swing Generator, which converts mechanical energy to electrical energy for charging a battery. The charged battery serves as a source of DC energy for potential DC purposes, such as charging a cell phone.

Integration Of Pv & Simulated Dc Sources For The Dc House, Arvind Ramesh, Kevin Gingrich, Scott Chau

Electrical Engineering

The DC House, an ever improving project, uses only pure DC power which most renewable energy sources generate, from solar to wind power. The DC House and this project expect a donation of photovoltaic modules to supply a constant source of DC power. At the moment, the DC House desperately needs power sources because not only does the house have various loads unaccounted for, but the distribution system to determine proper power flow needs a redesign. The project chose to account for these issues by implementing a solar panel onto the DC House and a power distribution module to have …

Smart Wall Outlet Design And Implementation For The Dc House Project, Kevin Roy Mendoza

Master's Theses

Most everyday AC appliances are designed to operate off of 120V coming from the wall outlet in our homes. This voltage is a standard set from our established infrastructure. Unlike AC devices, DC devices do not have any set standard of voltage they all will run off of. This presents a problem for the DC house as the various loads that will be used will have different required input voltages. One set voltage for a wall outlet will not suffice for the DC House. This Smart Wall Outlet is designed with a DC-DC converter that will have its output voltage …

Battery Management System, Michael Desando, Kyle Woody

Electrical Engineering

Problem Statement:

There have been recent reports of multi-million dollar companies having to recall entire projects due to their BMS’s malfunctioning or operating incorrectly. The purpose of this project is to analyze the future of batteries, the Lithium-Ion cell, and to exercise a BMS to better understand its capabilities and possible cases for errors. Lithium ion batteries are intolerant of overcharge and overdischarge. Abuse of this kind can result in high temperatures, venting of gases, fire, or explosion. Therefore battery management systems have been devised to prevent such abuse. Recent events such as fires on the Boeing Dreamliner and the …

Wind And Ventilation Turbine (Wvt) Generator, Anthony Lloyd, Jacob Michener

Electrical Engineering

This project aims to create a more compact and accessible renewable energy source using the Wind and Ventilation Turbine (WVT) Generator. The wind turbine provides ventilation while generating “clean” electricity using solar and kinetic energy. The electrical generation causes no functional losses to the ventilation as rising heat and passing wind turn the turbine, ventilating the house. Placing a generator beneath the spinning turbine allows for the transformation of mechanical motion into electrical energy. The system charges a battery, supplying recharging power into small standard electronics (i.e. cell phones, tablets, etc.) through a USB output.

Buck-Boost Dc-Dc Converter With Input Protection System For The Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines Project, Byungjae David Yoo, Sheldon Tyler Kong Ming Chu

Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly’s Energy Harvesting from Exercise Machines (EHFEM) project comprises of multiple subprojects seeking to effectively create a sustainable energy source through harvesting electrical energy generated from physical exercise machines. This project designs and implements a Buck-Boost DC-DC converter using a LT3791-1 4-Switch Buck-Boost Controller, replacing the previous SEPIC design. The DC-DC converter must operate within limits set by the maximum input range of the LT3791-1 controller. An input protection system prevents inputs higher than rated values, which may adversely damage the Buck-Boost DC-DC converter. These inputs include overvoltage transients, average voltage, and current output by the Precor EFX 561i …

Piezoelectric Powered Led Street Reflector, Collin Shane Douglass

Electrical Engineering

In many areas of Washington, it rains for a majority of the year. During rainy weather it becomes difficult to see street lanes and dividers, causing hazardous road conditions. The Piezoelectric Powered LED Street Reflector solves this problem. The PPL Street Reflector modifies a street reflector with LED lights. These lights help drivers clearly see where dividers and street lines are in non-ideal weather conditions, such as rain, fog, and snow. The PPL Street Reflector capabilities include harvesting energy through the Piezoelectric Effect, creating a self-sustaining device with minimal maintenance.

Portable Nano Hydro Generator For The Dc House Project, Caleb David Fink, Victor Olusoji Ojewole, Christopher Mapua Tan

Electrical Engineering

This Senior Project entails the design and testing processes of the Portable Nano Hydro Generator for the continuing DC House Project. No natural resources should go unused, especially in developing countries where they are found in abundance. Small streams in particular have potential to further Professor Taufik's DC House Project that will provide electricity to 1.6 billion people in the world without access to electricity upon completion. The goal of this project is to create a small portable generator that utilizes the discharge from small streams and convert it into useable electricity that could charge a car battery as an …

All Purpose Mobile Gps, James C. Smith, Matt Weege, Kevin Peters

Electrical Engineering

The aim of the All Purpose Mobile GPS (The System) is to create a GPS tracking device that can accurately record location and calculate velocity, distance traveled and elevation change even when the satellite signal is lost. This data can later overlay on existing internet-based maps illustrating a trip to oneself or others. The portable tracker consumes very little power achieving several days’ worth of power in a single charge. A solar cell provides a quick battery boost in a pinch. SD Card storage increases compatibility with computers and other forms of data transfer. Data processing, such as viewing the …

Design Improvement For The Smart Dc Wall Plug, Cory Yee, Haoyan Huang

Electrical Engineering

The DC smart wall plug is a subsystem within the Cal Poly DC House Project. The previous version faces challenges supplying DC voltage to meet household appliances’ nominal values. Specifically, it can only output the minimum required voltage for DC appliances to operate, resulting in unwanted power loss. In addition, the maximum output voltage is rated at 15V, which is insufficient to power most DC appliances. This design improvement project incorporates NFC technology as a solution to overcome the power loss and a new buck converter configuration to increase the output voltage range. Additionally, the new design introduces short-circuit and …

Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines - Dc-Dc Buck Boost Converter (Lt3791), Matthew B. Wong

Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly’s ongoing Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines (EHFEM) project proposes sustainability and energy saving costs through modifying exercise machines generating DC power, providing a renewable energy resource through physical exercise. The EHFEM project contains multiple sub-projects involving modifying several different exercise machines. Each machine generates DC power and an inverter converts this power to AC. This AC power returns to the grid. This project addresses an issue involving a previously installed DC-DC converter not returning power properly. When generating DC power, the grid demands a specific AC voltage, but the generated power through the previous DC-DC converter and power …

Cnc Torch, Steven Chiu

Computer Engineering

This CNC Torch cuts steel plate. It can cut up to a maximum area of 3x3 feet. The user builds a cut list on the touchscreen from a selection of predefined shapes and enters the parameters need for each shape. When the user is ready, the cut list is sent to an Arduino that will move each motors accordingly to the shapes desired.

Dual High-Voltage Power Supply For Use On Board A Cubesat, Nicholas Weiser

Master's Theses

Since their conception in 1999, CubeSats have come and gone a long way. The first few that went into space were more of a “proof of concept,” and were more focused on sending simple data and photographs back to Earth. Since then, vast improvements have been made by over 40 universities and private firms, and now CubeSats are beginning to look towards interplanetary travel. These small satellites could provide a cost effective means of exploring the galaxy, using off the shelf components and piggy-backing on other launch vehicles with more expensive payloads. However, CubeSats are traditionally launched into Low Earth …

Improvements To A Bi-Directional Flyback Dc-Dc Converter For Battery System Of The Dc House Project, Michael Wu

Master's Theses

The DC House project relies primarily on renewable energy sources to provide DC power to the various loads of the house. However, not all renewable sources are capable of providing power at all times of the day. A back-up energy source in the form of a battery storage system must be available to meet the electrical needs of the house. A bi-directional flyback power converter was initially designed to allow a battery to charge from as well as discharge to the 48V bus line of the DC House. The design provided a 35W prototype to demonstrate the converter’s feasibility. Further …

Is Biofuel A Feasible Long-Term Chief Energy Source? A Global Perspective, Rajee Olaganathan, Aston Lee, Debra Tong, Mameegate Zheng Jun Cheston, Zack Ho Xuan Yi

Publications

This scientific paper examines the feasibility of officiating biofuels as the future chief energy source of the world. It weighs the pros and cons of the four different generations of biofuels that have been discovered over time, explaining how the raw materials used in each generation determines each individual level of long-term sustainability. It then further analyses both general advantages and disadvantages, comprising of economic, social, health and environmental impacts; giving the reader an unbiased perspective. Few case studies have also been reviewed to better understand the implications of drawing energy from biofuels, as well as the current state of …

Design And Prototyping Of An Antenna-Coupled Cryotron, Shauna Jensen

Dissertations and Theses

Grid-scale integration of renewable energy sources and smart grid devices has created new demands in flexible power conversion. State-of-the-art semiconductor power switches present limitations in power handling capability, as well as forward and reverse breakdown voltages. Superconducting materials are a viable alternative due to their robustness against high ampacities, large electric fields and abrupt changes in power flow. This work pays focus to material testing and apparatus design for an antenna-coupled cryotron (ACC), which is a superconducting power switch.
Design, fabrication and testing are examined for a longitudinal resonant cavity, paired with monopole transmit and modified slot receive antennae. These …

Defect Levels In Cu₂Znsn(Sₓse₁₋ₓ)₄ Solar Cells Probed By Current-Mode Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy, S. Das, S. K. Chaudhuri, R. N. Bhattacharya, K. C. Mandal

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Methods For Control Of Vegetation In Utility Corridors, George V. Rancea

Master's Projects and Capstones

Vegetation management programs are now one of the largest budget items for most of the utility companies in the United States. Control methods used in line clearance activities include mechanical trimming, planting management, or use of tree growth regulators (chemicals that suppress the production of gibberellins, the plant hormones that control stem elongation). Choosing the appropriate control method is a decision that vegetation program managers should take based on many factors, like costs, environmental impacts, existing agreements with the landowners, terrain, public perception etc. To find a balance between competing interests – a reliable and economic electric system on one …

Evaluation Of Conservation Voltage Reduction As A Tool For Demand Side Management, Ali Dorrody

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

To ensure stability of the power grid, electricity supply and demand must remain in balance in real time. Traditionally utilities, call upon peaking power plants to increase power generation to meet the peak demand during the afternoons of the hot summer months. Demand-side management (DSM), which includes energy efficiency and demand response (DR), works from the other side of the equation - instead of adding more generation to the system, it pays energy users to reduce consumption as it is cheaper and easier to procure than traditional generation. As a consequence, demand-side management allows utility customers to act as a …

Design Of A High Temperature Subsurface Thermal Energy Storage System, Qi Zheng

All Theses

Solar thermal energy is taking up increasing proportions of future power generation worldwide. Thermal energy storage technology is a key method for compensating for the inherent intermittency of solar resources and solving the time mismatch between solar energy supply and electricity demand. However, there is currently no cost-effective high-capacity compact storage technology available (Bakker et al., 2008). The goal of this work is to propose a high temperature subsurface thermal energy storage (HSTES) technology and demonstrate its potential energy storage capability by developing a solar-HSTES-electricity generation system. In this work, main elements of the proposed system and their related state-of-art …

Modeling And Simulation Of Parallel D-Statcoms With Full-Wave Rectifiers, Jason Brinsfield

Master's Theses

In recent years, both a significant increase in electrical demand and a large influx of intermittent renewable energy sources have put a considerable stress on the nation’s electrical grid. Conventional power flow control techniques such as capacitor banks and tap-changing transformers are incapable of adequately handling the rapid fluctuations in power supply and demand that today’s grid experiences. Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) controllers are a practical way to compensate for such rapid power fluctuations. One type of shunt FACTS controller is the Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), which uses fully controllable switches to source or sink reactive power to a …

Dynamic Rating Of Transmission Lines For Improved Wind Energy Integration In Complex Terrain, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Transmission congestion is a growing concern that could limit integration on new renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Because construction of new transmission lines is a long and expensive process, transmission service providers are investigating dynamic line rating (DLR) mehtods that could potentially increase capacity of existing transmission lines. DLR is a smart-grid technology that enables rating of power lines based on real-time conductor temperature that is dependent on local weather conditions. whereas conventional practice relies on a static rating, which is based on conservative local weather assumptions to limit transmission line sag.

With todays improved wind and weather …

Broadband Nanostructured Antireflection Coating For Enhancing Inas/Gaas Quantum Dots Solar Cells Performance, Jony C. Sarker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The broadband suppression in reflection is one of the primary focuses in high efficiency solar cell research. In this thesis, a moth-eye inspired nanostructure antireflection coating is fabricated on InAs/GaAs quantum dots solar cell in order to enhance the power conversion efficiency. The abrupt refractive index transition between air and GaAs surface is replaced by a tapering zinc oxide nanoneedle on planar tantalum pentoxide coating. The antireflection structure provides gradual reduction of refractive index away from the solar cell top surface.

The nanostructured antireflection coating is fabricated by utilizing chemical bath deposition of tapered zinc oxide nanoneedles on planar tantalum …

Anisotropy Of The Reynolds Stress Tensor In The Wakes Of Counter-Rotating Wind Turbine Arrays, Nicholas Michael Hamilton

Dissertations and Theses

A wind turbine array was constructed in the wind tunnel at Portland State University in a standard Cartesian arrangement. Configurations of the turbine array were tested with rotor blades set to rotate in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise sense. Measurements of velocity were made with stereo particle-image velocimetry. Mean statistics of velocities and Reynolds stresses clearly show the effect of direction of rotation of rotor blades for both entrance and exit row turbines. Rotational sense of the turbine blades is visible in the mean spanwise velocity W and the Reynolds shear stress -[macron over vw]. The normalized anisotropy tensor was …

Preparation And Electrochemical Performances Of Cofe2O4/Gns Nanocomposites As Anode Material For Lithium Ion Battery, Mo-Chao Cai, Sen-Rong Cai, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The CoFe₂O₄/GNS was synthesized by a simple one-pot solvothermal method. The results obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the CoFe₂O₄ particles with sizes of 15 nm dispersed on the surface of graphene uniformly. Electrochemical tests indicated that the CoFe₂O₄/GNS nanocomposite exhibited excellent cyclic stability with almost 95.8% capacity retention after 100 cycles at the current density of 500 mA·g^-1 and delivered a high reversible capacity of 482 mAh·g^-1 at the current density of 2 A·g^-1.

Electro-Catalytic Oxidation Of Hydrogen Peroxide On Au/ L-Methionine /Gc Electrode, Jian-Feng Fan, Xue-Mei Luo, Jing Li, Lou-Zhen Fan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The modified electrodes have been fabricated by generation of Au nanoparticle chains, which was produced by reaction between HAuCl4 and sodium citrate without any additional capping agents or surfactants. The self-assembled Au nanoparticles were attached to the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) layer by layer, using L-methionine (L-Met), thiourea (TU), allyl thiourea (ATU) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a crosslinking agent, respectively. The experimental results showed that the electrochemical performance of the different modified electrodes varied in [Fe(CN)₆]^3-/4- solution. The Au/L-Met/GCE exhibited an excellent electrochemical property, which is superior to other modified electrodes. In addition, the catalysis …

Synthesis Of Platinum Nanocrystallites And Possible Electrocatalytic Properties For Methanol, Lei-Lei Lu, Bao-Zhong Du, Sha Sun, Jin-Fen Niu, Jie Zhao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Platinum nanocrystallites were synthesized by the colloidal method using oxamide as the stabilizer. The morphologies and electrocatalytic performances for methanol of platinum nanocrystallites prepared at different pH values and with different reactant ratios of precursor and stabilizer were investigated. It was found that the platinum nanocrystallites synthesized at pH=5 and with the reactant ratio of 1:20 showed the best electrocatalytic activity for methanol. The peak current density reached up to 1709 μA·cm^-2. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of platinum nanocrystallites for methanol reduced significantly although the cyclic voltammograms in the blank solution were not obviously changed after exposing in …