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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

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Articles 31 - 43 of 43

Full-Text Articles in Energy Systems

System-Layout-Dependent Thermally Induced Solder Stress & Reliability Implications, Ange C. Iradukunda May 2017

System-Layout-Dependent Thermally Induced Solder Stress & Reliability Implications, Ange C. Iradukunda

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electronic flip chip assemblies consist of dissimilar component materials, which exhibit different CTE. Under thermal cyclic operating conditions, this CTE mismatch produces interfacial and interconnect stresses, which are highly dependent on system layout. In this paper, sensitivity analyses are performed using ANSYS FEA to establish how the proximity and arrangement of neighboring devices affect interconnect stress. Flip chip alignment modes ranging from edge-to-edge to corner-to-corner are studied. Results of these FEA studies, demonstrated that closely packing devices together has the effect of making them act as one. This results in a significant increase in the thermomechanical stresses induced on peripheral …


Go With The Flow –Thermoelectric Energy, Shawn Bell Jul 2016

Go With The Flow –Thermoelectric Energy, Shawn Bell

Middle School Lesson Plans

In this unit, students will learn how thermal energy be transferred and transformed. They will carry out investigations to gather evidence to support an explanation about direct conversion of heat into electrical energy. They will develop a model that shows the components of the system and changes in the system being investigated, and they will use evidence from the investigation to construct an explanation for how the energy flows.


Industrial Energy Consumption, Benchmarking, And Analysis In The United States, Daniel Maldonado Dec 2015

Industrial Energy Consumption, Benchmarking, And Analysis In The United States, Daniel Maldonado

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the energy consumption of the industrial sector in the United States, and to identify the tools that can be used to minimize the consumption and improve the energy efficiency of all facilities in the country. The first part of the paper is a historical analysis of the industrial sector energy consumption, where the different energy sources are identified. The second part details different electronic tools that will provide facilities the ability of performing benchmarking, in order to understand their energy performance. Finally, the third part of this paper provides information about the …


A Look At Commercial Building Energy Use And Energy Efficiency Technologies From 1980 To Present, Marvin M. Arroyo Dec 2015

A Look At Commercial Building Energy Use And Energy Efficiency Technologies From 1980 To Present, Marvin M. Arroyo

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Energy consumption has increased considerably in the last fifty years as population rises. At the same time, design and efficiency of all equipment used in commercial buildings have changed as well. The purpose of this thesis is to explain how HVAC systems have changed and how they have affected energy consumption. Entities like the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) facilitate the data-gathering process by offering databases of energy information from actual monthly energy bills to promote public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. Moreover, in order to …


Maximum Power Point Tracking And Solar Power For Developing Countries Around The World, Christopher M. Plate May 2015

Maximum Power Point Tracking And Solar Power For Developing Countries Around The World, Christopher M. Plate

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Renewable energy is becoming increasingly important as more and more countries become industrialized. Using solar power as opposed to fossil fuels and coal is becoming cheaper and easier to access throughout the world, yet there are still efficiency hurdles to be overcome. Designing a cheap, easily modifiable and reparable Maximum Power Point Tracker would be a stepping stone to bringing solar power to remote parts of the globe. Once designed and made portable, these devices could be distributed throughout developing countries to enhance renewable energy output. An Arduino-based tracker was chosen for ease of use and access. This base also …


Improved Methods For Identifying, Applying, And Verifying Industrial Energy Efficiency Measures, Andrew Chase Harding May 2015

Improved Methods For Identifying, Applying, And Verifying Industrial Energy Efficiency Measures, Andrew Chase Harding

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy efficiency is the least expensive source of additional energy capacity for today's global energy expansion. Energy efficiency offers additional benefits of cost savings for consumers, reduced environmental impacts, and enhanced energy security. The challenges of energy efficiency include identifying potential efficiency measures, quantifying savings, determining cost effectiveness, and verifying savings of installed measures. This thesis presents three separate chapters which address these challenges. The first is a paper presented at the 2014 industrial energy technology conference (IETC) that details a compressed air system project using the systems approach to identify cost effective measures, energy intensity to project savings, and …


Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer May 2015

Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in energy demand by the residential community in this country and the diminishing fossil fuel resources being used for electric energy production there is a need for a system to efficiently manage power within a residence. The Smart Green Power Node (SGPN) is a next generation energy management system that automates on-site energy production, storage, consumption, and grid usage to yield the most savings for both the utility and the consumer. Such a system automatically manages on-site distributed generation sources such as a PhotoVoltaic (PV) input and battery storage to curtail grid energy usage when the price …


A Study On The Effects Of Solar Power, Jonathan Hayes May 2012

A Study On The Effects Of Solar Power, Jonathan Hayes

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The utilization of new and alternative energy sources, specifically solar energy, has been on the rise and will continue to grow as we attempt to diminish our use and dependency on older, nonrenewable energy sources. One of the biggest challenges involved with the use of solar energy, or renewable energy in general, is how to provide this energy for general public use. Some of the limiting factors to this are the efficiency in which solar power can be harvested and converted into usable energy, and the cost of the technology to do this. Recent technological developments have included the microinverter, …


Energy Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Commercial And Manufacturing Sectors Specific Studies On Hvac Equipment And Dairy Processing, Aik Jong Tan May 2012

Energy Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Commercial And Manufacturing Sectors Specific Studies On Hvac Equipment And Dairy Processing, Aik Jong Tan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Commercial and manufacturing sectors in United States consumed approximately 50% of the total End use energy in 2010. In 2009, 81.5% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted in the United States was energy related. From the broad aspects of commercial and manufacturing sectors; two relatively narrow and specific topics, commercial building's HVAC equipment and dairy processing were chosen to increase the understanding of the energy use and GHG emission in these two sectors. Few published studies related to these two specific areas are available. The first study in this thesis discussed the energy use and GHG emissions by HVAC equipment …


Development Of A Structured Concrete Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage System, Bradley M. Brown Dec 2011

Development Of A Structured Concrete Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage System, Bradley M. Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The past couple of decades have shown a concern when considering the way the world obtains its power. The focus has been switching from fossil fuels that have been used for hundreds of years to renewable energy sources, such as the sun. Solar energy is readily and infinitely available for harnessing. One problem with solar energy, though, is its inability to be used during the night time and during cloud covered weather. A solution to this problem is the use of energy storage mechanisms. For solar plants that use solar thermal energy (concentrating solar power plants), thermal energy storage (TES) …


The Effects Of Roof Solar Absorptance On Building Energy Performance In A Variety Of U.S. Climate Zones, Zachary Eubanks Dec 2010

The Effects Of Roof Solar Absorptance On Building Energy Performance In A Variety Of U.S. Climate Zones, Zachary Eubanks

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The solar absorptance of a roof surface directly affects the solar heat gain through the roof. It has been shown that buildings in hot climates benefit from roofs with low absorptance. Cold and moderate climates have received less attention in previous studies. This paper simulates the effects on annual energy use, carbon dioxide emission, and utility cost of varying the solar absorptance of warehouse and small office building roofs in a wide variety of U.S. climate zones using EnergyPlus software and the DOE Commercial Building Benchmark Models. Results show that the optimum absorptance not only depends on the climate zone, …


Free Fridays: An Alternative Way To Conserve Energy, Lauren Kuenzel May 2009

Free Fridays: An Alternative Way To Conserve Energy, Lauren Kuenzel

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In February 2007, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF) signed the President's Climate Commitment to set a goal of becoming climate neutral. A large part of any strategy to become climate neutral includes energy conservation. In light of that, a four-day school week is proposed for UAF as an alternative energy savings possibility. This reduced schedule has been applied to K-12 schools and state government institutions, but not yet to universities. Along with numerous benefits such as energy conservation of buildings on the free day, a more effective use of time and building space and the positive emotional repercussions …


Benefits Of Leed Designs In Arkansas K-12 Schools, Philip Thrift May 2008

Benefits Of Leed Designs In Arkansas K-12 Schools, Philip Thrift

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper provides and evaluation of an existing LEED certified sustainable green building for energy-efficiency, environmental impact, economic value, and occupant health. The new Bethel Middle School located in Bryant, Arkansas was the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified public school building in the state. Based on actual building specifications and validated with the first year's utility bills, a simulation model was used to evaluate various design aspects of the school building. The building's baseline energy usage was compared with numerous energy and environmental scenarios. Results include both environmental and economic assessments. Overall, the study found that …