Power and Energy Commons^™

Effect Of Sodium Alcohol Thiyl Propane Sulfonate On Electrolysis Of High Performance Copper Foil For Lithium Ion Batteries, Sen Yang, Wen-Chang Wang, Ran Zhang, Shui-Ping Qin, Min-Xian Wu, Naotoshi Mitsuzaki, Zhi-Dong Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrolytic copper foils have been widely used in printed circuit boards and lithium-ion batteries due to their simple production process and high economic value. In the process of electrolysis foil making, additives can greatly improve the performance of electrolytic copper foils. In this work, the copper foils were prepared in a self-designed plate electrodeposition device of which the operating principles were in accordance with those of actual industrial production. A series of the Virgin Make-up Solution (VMS: 312.5 g·L^-1 CuSO₄·5H₂O, 100 g·L^-1 H₂SO₄, 50 mg·L^-1 Cl^-) containing …

Modified Q-Learning Method For Automatic Voltage Regulation In Wide-Area Multigeneration Systems, Brook Abegaz, Sina Zarrabian

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

The state-estimation and optimal control of multigeneration systems are challenging for wide-area systems having numerous distributed automatic voltage regulators (AVR). This paper proposes a modified Q-learning method and algorithm that aim to improve the convergence of the approach and enhance the dynamic response and stability of the terminal voltage of multiple generators in the experimental Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC) and large-scale IEEE 39-bus test systems. The large-scale experimental testbed consists of a six-area, 39-bus system having ten generators that are connected to ten AVRs. The implementation shows promising results in providing stable terminal voltage profiles and other system parameters …

Monofacial Vs Bifacial Solar Photovoltaic Systems In Snowy Environments, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Aliaksei Petsiuk, Pierce Mayville, Laura Brown, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

There has been a recent surge in interest in the more accurate snow loss estimates for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as large-scale deployments move into northern latitudes. Preliminary results show bifacial modules may clear snow faster than monofacial PV. This study analyzes snow losses on these two types of systems using empirical hourly data including energy, solar irradiation and albedo, and open-source image processing methods from images of the arrays in a northern environment in the winter. Projection transformations based on reference anchor points and snowless ground truth images provide reliable masking and optical distortion correction with fixed surveillance cameras. …

Sunsation’S Solar Powered Picnic Table, Michelle M. Barnett, Christopher Barber, Casey Durham, David Mason

Mechanical Engineering

Team SunSation is an interdisciplinary senior design project group that was tasked with developing a semi-permanent seating area for Cal Poly's electrical engineering courtyard. The EE courtyard is populated with plastic folding tables and chairs that are slowly falling apart. Dale Dolan, the head of the EE department, requested that a table design be developed that incorporates the use of solar panels. The addition of the solar panels to the table would help promote clean renewable energy as well as provide shade to those sitting in the courtyard.

The solution that SunSation arrived at is broken up into mechanical/structural, electrical, …

Smart Usb-C Wall Plug For The Dc House Project, Ridge Lahti, Dino Maslic

Electrical Engineering

DC operated devices and appliances powered by AC systems suffer inefficiencies resulting from the losses of converting AC energy into DC energy. At Cal Poly, the DC House Project aims to minimize the need for AC electricity in homes and encourage the use of renewable energy systems. The DC House uses a 48V DC bus that must be stepped down for use with increasing number of DC loads in a typical home. In this project, a Smart USB-C Wall Plug is designed to work with USB Power Delivery to provide a variable voltage output for use with these DC loads …

Developing A Miniature Smart Boat For Marine Research, Michael Isaac Eirinberg

Computer Engineering

This project examines the development of a smart boat which could serve as a possible marine research apparatus. The smart boat consists of a miniature vessel containing a low-cost microcontroller to live stream a camera feed, GPS telemetry, and compass data through its own WiFi access point. The smart boat also has the potential for autonomous navigation. My project captivated the interest of several members of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s (Cal Poly SLO) Marine Science Department faculty, who proposed a variety of fascinating and valuable smart boat applications.

Solar Solution For Mini-Rover, Michaella Ochotorena, Derick Louie, Jonathan Cederquist, Collin Petersen, Cole Korchek

Mechanical Engineering

This project focuses on designing, building, and testing a functional prototype of a collapsible solar array on the mini Mars rover being developed by client and sponsor, Mr. Rich Murray. Although many previous collapsible solar arrays have been deployed for space missions, the previous solar-powered Mars rovers only deployed their arrays once upon landing. This solar array will be able to collapse and deploy multiple times to allow for greater rover mobility and stability when the rover is not charging. This system is critical to the success of the rover project because it provides power without which the rover cannot …

Total Sky Imager Project, Ryan D. Maier, Benjamin Jack Forest, Kyle X. Mcgrath

Mechanical Engineering

Solar farms like the Gold Tree Solar Farm at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have difficulty delivering a consistent level of power output. Cloudy days can trigger a significant drop in the utility of a farm’s solar panels, and an unexpected loss of power from the farm could potentially unbalance the electrical grid. Being able to predict these power output drops in advance could provide valuable time to prepare a grid and keep it stable. Furthermore, with modern data analysis methods such as machine learning, these predictions are becoming more and more accurate – given a sufficient data set. The …

Multifamily Complex Smart Locks For Property Management And Tenant Security, April Mills, Allen Chen, Dana Kumamoto, Michael Cook

Mechanical Engineering

Maintaining and managing hundreds of locks and physical keys for an apartment complex can be time consuming and costly, especially when the apartments turn over to new tenants. Our goal was to develop a smart door lock that is compatible with Obodo’s management app for apartment complexes to make accessing apartments secure and simpler for tenants and easier to manage for owners.

We designed and manufactured one smart door lock that is powered with four AA batteries and utilizes a dynamic NFC device and Bluetooth technology. The board can enter a sleep mode which reduces power consumption. The dynamic NFC …

Behavior, Switching Losses, And Efficiency Enhancement Potentials Of 1200 V Sic Power Devices For Hard-Switched Power Converters, Ali Mahmoud Salman Al-Bayati, Mohammad Abdul Matin

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Semiconductor power devices are the major constituents of any power conversion system. These systems are faced by many circumscriptions due to the operating constraints of silicon (Si) based semiconductors under certain conditions. The emergence and persistence evolution of wide bandgap technology pledge to transcend the restrictions imposed by Si based semiconductors. This paper presents a thorough experimental study and assessment of the performance of three power devices: 1200 V SiC cascode, 1200 V SiC MOSFET, and 1200 V Si IGBT under the same hardware setup. The study aims to capture the major attributes for each power device toward determining their …

Skip The Grid: Giving Power To Navajo Nation, Ryan J. Schacherbauer

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is a project organized by Heart of America, a nonprofit, looking to improve the education and overall wellbeing of children and their families. Many residents within Navajo Nation do not have access to continuous power and rely on temporary generators or car battery to obtain any kind of electricity. Heart of America partnered with the Red Mesa School District to identify families that did not have power, which was impacting the children’s ability to complete their online schoolwork. This senior project was comprised of an interdisciplinary team responsible for installing a working solar system on twelve homes …

Controlling Temperature Of Dc-Dc Converter Using Switching Frequency Adjustment, Sajjad Ahsan, Arsalan Mughal, Mark Rapiz

Electrical Engineering

As DC-DC converter operates under different load conditions, the amount of loss within the converter varies accordingly. Consequently the temperature of the DC-DC converter will also change based on the load demand. For PWM based DC-DC converters, one factor that contributes to the loss; thus, the increase in temperature is the switching frequency at which the converter operates. The higher the switching frequency used, the bigger the switching loss and in turn the hotter the converter. In this project, the temperature of a DC-DC converter is controlled by changing the switching frequency used by the converter. The hardware investigation used …

Hybrid Ac/Dc Light Bulb, Celina Mendez, Kristian Vincent Cruz, Nouman Baryal

Electrical Engineering

A hybrid AC/DC house aims to maximize the use of AC electricity from the utility grid and DC electricity from renewable energy sources such as roof-top solar panels. The hybrid system will therefore improve the reliability of the electrical by enabling power to be delivered to the loads even when one of the sources is not operational. One of the critical loads that every house needs is lighting. The hybrid AC/DC system should therefore be reliably facilitating the power delivery to the lighting. In this project, a localized hybrid AC/DC for LED light bulbs is designed and constructed. The hybrid …

Hybrid Ac/Dc House: The Road To A Sustainable Future, Nicholas Mcadams, Luis Rodriguez

Electrical Engineering

The Hybrid AC/DC house is a sustainable alternative to preexisting residential power systems. The implementation of a DC bus in current homes will allow inefficient DC-AC and AC-DC conversions to be circumvented. This provides a direct path for current to flow to DC loads from DC sources such as solar panels to minimize power losses. In doing so, this will give users the ability to power their homes strictly from renewable sources and substantially decrease reliance on the utility. For this purpose, the hybrid AC/DC house is also designed in such a way to be entirely grid-independent to provide power …

Microgrid Energy Storage Branch, Evan Luu, Jeffrey Shieh

Electrical Engineering

The microgrid is the future for the electrical utility system. Because of this, future power engineers need to be well-versed in this topic when they go into industry. Cal Poly has created a microgrid laboratory for this very purpose. However, it is missing its battery based energy storage branch. Due to safety concerns, a traditional chemical battery is not suitable for student use. In order to maintain Cal Poly’s learn-by-doing approach, an alternative solution must be implemented. A regenerative power supply meets the criteria for student use. It is capable of simulating the sinking and sourcing capabilities of a battery …

Baker/Koob Final Report: Solar Solution For Mini Mars Rover, Jonathan Cederquist, Cole Korchek, Derick Louie, Michaella Ochotorena, Collin Petersen

Mechanical Engineering

This project focused on designing, building, and testing a functional prototype of a collapsible solar array on the mini Mars rover being developed by client and sponsor, Mr. Rich Murray. Although many previous collapsible solar arrays have been deployed for space missions, the previous solar-powered Mars rovers only deployed their arrays once upon landing. This solar array will be able to collapse and deploy multiple times to allow for greater rover mobility and stability when the rover is not charging. This system is critical to the success of the rover project because it provides power without which the rover cannot …

Current-Source Dc-Dc Converter For Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, Jissell C. Jose

Master's Theses

In this thesis, a proof of concept for a current-source DC-DC converter for powering sensors used in an underwater communications system is presented. The proposed converter steps down an input current of 0.9 A to 0.625 A, while maintaining an output voltage of 24 V and output power of 15 W. The complete steady-state analysis and design of the proposed converter in its single-stage form is also explained in detail. Performance evaluation of the proposed converter was carried out using LTspice. Results of the simulation demonstrate that the design was able to produce average output current of 0.639 A at …

Reliability Study Of Electrical Distribution System With Local And Interregional Bidirectional Centralized Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Janine Gian Christii C. Darato

Master's Theses

In this thesis, a method was developed to evaluate the impact of bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) charging on power system reliability using Synergi Electric software. Load profiles, EV availability, EV state-of-charge (SOC) were important factors considered in this study. The analysis in this study is based on local and interregional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) implementation at different load points in the system. In general, local V2G implementation is observed to be more effective in improving system reliability over interregional V2G power flow. System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) improvements were observed to increase with increasing …

Microgrid Laboratory Wind Energy Integration, Vincent Liang

Master's Theses

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Electrical Engineering Department and the Power Energy Institute have developed a microgrid laboratory with various generators, loads, and protection systems over the past several years. To improve and make the Cal Poly microgrid laboratory more realistic, this thesis outlines the process of improving the EE microgrid setup by adding a wind energy generation system via an induction generator, excitation capacitors, and a protection relay. By adding an induction generator, the microgrid system becomes more resilient to sudden power fluctuations by maintaining a stable voltage and frequency when the microgrid is islanded. To test this, a …

Optimizing Speed Profiles For Sustainable Train Operation With Wayside Energy Storage Systems, Leon A. Allen

Dissertations

Large hauling capability and low rolling resistance has put rail transit at the forefront of mass transportation mode sustainability in terms of congestion mitigation and energy conservation. As such, rail vehicles are one of the least energy-intensive modes of transportation and least environmentally polluting. Despite, these positives, improper driving habits and wastage of the braking energy through dissipation in braking resistors result in unnecessary consumption, extra costs to the operator and increased atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions.

This study presents an intelligent method for the optimization of the number and locations of wayside energy storage system (WESS) units that maximize the …

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Acetylpyrazine, Lin Mao, Dong-Fang Niu, Shuo-Zhen Hu, Xin-Sheng Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Acetylpyrazine is naturally presented in hazelnuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds. As an important food additive, it is widely used in baked foods, meat, sesame and tobacco. At the same time, acetylpyrazine is also an important pharmaceutical intermediate, which is used in the syntheses of anti-tuberculosis drugs, anti-tumor, anti-malaria, anti-viral, antibacterial and treatments of epilepsy, pain and Parkinson’s drugs. At present, the synthesis methods of acetylpyrazine include oxidation method, multi-step method and Grignard reagent method, which have the disadvantages of low yield, cumbersome process, severe reaction conditions and high cost. In this study, acetylation of pyrazine was used to synthesize acetylpyrazine …

Electrochemical Voltammetric Behavior Of Sulfur Mustard On The Bare Pt Electrode, Yu-Lin Yang, Jie Sun, Tian Zhou, Ji-Gang Li, Shou-Ping Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

The sulfur mustard (bis(2-chloroethyl) sulphide, HD), one of highly toxic chemical weapon agents, can damage the alive tissue cells (such as skin, lung, respiratory mucosa and so on), and cause carcinogenic and mutagenic effects for a long time exposure, which imposes a great threat not only to the human health, but also to the sustainable development of the society. With its convenience, high sensitivity and rapid response, electrochemical technology exhibits considerable potential in the field-deployed detection toward HD, but the related reports are rare. Herein, the electrochemical behavior of HD on the bare Pt electrode was investigated by electrochemical measurements, …

Electrocatalytic "Volcano-Type" Effect Of Nano-Tio2 (A)/(R) Phase Content In Pt/Tio2-CnX Catalyst, Ai-Lin Cui, Yang Bai, Hong-Ying Yu, Hui-Min Meng

Journal of Electrochemistry

The relationship between the electrochemical activity of fuel cell catalysts and Pt particle size, as well as the catalyst support and co-catalyst is still unclear. In this work, FESEM, XRD, BET, TEM and CV techniques were adopted to investigate the effects of TiO₂ anatase (A)/rutile (R) phases content on the electrochemical activity of Pt electrocatalyst. The results showed that the anatase-rutile phase transformation occurred during the heat treatment of TiO₂ at 700 ~ 900 ^oC accompanied by the growth of two-phase crystalline size, and anatase was completely transformed into rutile at 900 ^oC. TEM results revealed …

Study And Improvement On Expansion Property Of Silicon Oxide, Wei-Chuan Qiao, Fang-Ru Li, Jin-Lin Xiao, Li-Juan Qu, Xiao Zhao, Meng Zhang, Chun-Lei Pang, Zi-Kun Li, Jian-Guo Ren, Xue-Qin He

Journal of Electrochemistry

The silicon-based anode materials have the potential to meet the ever-increasing demand for energy density in lithium-ion batteries market owing to their high theoretical specific capacity. Unfortunately, their commercialization was hindered by the continuous volume expansion. Herein, the expansion characteristics and corresponding mechanism of the silicon oxide and graphite-silicon oxide composites were investigated by in-situ displacement detection systematically. The results showed that the expansion property was improved by material process modifications. During the de/lithiation processes of graphite, the expansion ratio in 30% ~ 50% SOC changed little because of the small interlayer spacing variation of the intercalated graphite. …

Preparation And Properties Of Gcp-Supported Palladium Particles Composite Towards Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis, Ying-Chao Wang, Zi-Zai Ma, Yi-Fan Wu, Xiao-Guang Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ammonia (NH₃) plays an essential role in agriculture and modern industries. Electrochemical fixation of nitrogen (N₂) to ammonia (NRR) under ambient conditions with renewable electricity is a promising strategy to replace the industrial Haber-Bosch method. However, it usually suffers from extremely poor ammonia yield and low Faraday efficiency due to the poor electrocatalysts. Therefore, intensive studies have been devoted to developing efficient NRR catalysts till now. Among them, palladium (Pd) can capture protons in the aqueous phase to form stable α-PdH, which balances the competitive adsorption between nitrogen and protons as well as reduces the …

Simultaneous Hydrogen And (Nh4)2So4 Productions From Desulfurization Wastewater Electrolysis Using Mea Electrolyser, Ju-Cai Wei, Lin Shi, Xu Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

It is preferred to simultaneously recover resource and energy from waster. Sulfur dioxide, SO₂, a common air pollutant, a potential energy resource, is a key link to sulfur nature circulation. SO₂ can be conversed to NH₄HSO₃ and (NH₄)₂SO₃ during the ammonia desulfurization process, which can be used to produce (NH₄)₂SO₄ fertilizer. For high quality (NH₄)₂SO₄ fertilizer and high heat transfer efficiency of the evaporative crystallization, HSO₃^- or SO₃^2- needs to be oxidized to form SO …

Developing An Energy Service Interface Specification, Jaime T. Kolln

Dissertations and Theses

Developing an Energy Service Interface (ESI) specification requires engaging a community of stakeholders including grid operators, Information and Communication Technology implementors, integrators, and finally standards bodies who will define an interface that respects and boundaries of ownership and roles of responsibility in order to activate millions of Distributed Energy Resources for the provision of grid services. By applying Interoperability Maturity Model Criteria and ESI principles to common grid-DER service use cases, the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium team will engage subject matter experts to develop a specification, with an eventual goal of informing development of ESI compliant profiles or standards. The …

Transformer Fault Event Detection And Classification Using Pmus, Yadunandan Paudel

Theses and Dissertations

Transformer is one of the most reliable components in an electric power system, however its failure has huge opportunity costs for an electric utility. In this work, we detect transformer electrical faults promptly and accurately classify the fault types using voltage/current data from Phasor Measurement Units. Our work can also eliminate uncertainties which are inherent in traditional transformer fault diagnostic techniques like dissolved gas analysis. In this thesis, first, possible causes of transformer failures are discussed, and four common transformer electrical faults are identified. Second, a comprehensive simulation model for electrical faults is developed. Third, fast and efficient abrupt change …

Effective Green Marketing Strategies On Social Media: Selling Companies And Their Consumers On Investing In Carbon Offsetting And Solar Energy In 2021, Melvin Richard Springer Iv

Honors Theses

In a digital world where consumers and businesses alike care significantly about sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), the success of startup companies hinges on constant, clear, and thoughtful communication. Through my research into successfully marketing such concerns on social media as well as my internship at Clearloop, I discovered some of the best ways to convince both companies and consumers that preserving the planet should be a primary concern for every environmentally conscious company. Companies that ignore their impacts on the environment are synonymous with companies doomed to fail in the 21^st century. Clearloop’s model of partnering with …

Design Of A Bandgap Voltage Reference, Nicolaus Vail

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis details the design process of a bandgap voltage reference (BGR) integrated circuit in a 180 nm CMOS process. A BGR provides a constant DC voltage across a range of operating temperatures and supply voltages. By its nature, the circuit is intended as a reference, not to provide current, so the output would be connected to a very high impedance, such as the gate of a transistor. At 27°C, this design provides a 955 mV reference voltage given a nominal VDD of 3 V. From 20°C to 175°C, the output voltage has a variance of 7.2 mV (approximately 0.8%) …