Energy Systems Commons^™

Nuclear Energy As A Reliable And Safe Source Of Power Generation, Sarup Dhungana

Honors Theses

There is a high demand of energy for generating civil applicable power in the world and in the USA, correspondingly. The world has been consuming various sources to extract the power to meet its demands. Most of the power sources include renewable and non-renewable sources like fossil fuels, natural gas, coal, water, solar, wind, and nuclear power. Although most of these sources have many advantages in terms of their capacity and cost of production, nuclear power can be categorized as the emerging driving force in the United States and in the world for power generation, because of its reliability and …

Efficient Energy Harvesting With Applications In Vibration And Implantable Biosensors, Mohammad Atmeh

Mechanical Engineering Theses

The world has stepped into the fourth industrial revolution in many ways such as using the internet of things (IoT) in various applications, and removing the rechargeable power sources seeking for batteryless systems. Since energy is widely abundant around us and it is going to waste, numerous of recent studies have been conducted to propose sustainable solutions to harvest the free ambient power from the surrounding and convert it into electricity. Heat energy, kinetic energy, and radio waves are examples of these potentially harvestable energy sources. Mechanical vibrations represent one of the most plentiful forms of kinetic energy that can …

Understanding Thermal Comfort Impact And Air Movement Around Open Stairs Through The Use Of Cfd Modeling, Ethan Davidson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The air exchange between two floors of a building has an impact on thermal comfort. The present research attempts to quantify this impact and identify the contributing factors disrupting the thermal comfort on and around stairs. Various heating and cooling scenarios were analyzed, using CFD modeling, in a simple two-story building separated by a single staircase. The research examines a single building layout with a fixed inlet and outlet configuration. In addition, the study investigated the short-term impact on thermal comfort. As a result, the duration of the simulations varies from two and half minutes to ten minutes, consistent with …

Development Of An Accelerated Life Testing Method For Reliability Assessment Of Wire Bonded Interconnects Subjected To Mechanical And Electromigratory Stresses, Whit Vinson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power electronic advancement trends indicate that device power density will continue to increase as a result of increased power requirements and desired device form factor reduction in order to reduce weight and material costs and increase ease of integration into next-generation power systems. With these advancements come concerns regarding device reliability. The compounded effects of increased power density and form factor reduction in electrical conductors will yield amplified joule heating effects in addition to the already increasing device temperature profiles resulting from the incorporation of wide bandgap technology into power systems. Joule heating effects can lead to a variety of …

Enhancing Stability Of High-Nickel Cathodes For Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Additive Manufacturing Of Cathode Structure, Matthew Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are currently the best method to store electrical energy for use in portable electronics and electronic vehicles. New cathode materials for LIBs are consistently studied and researched, but few are as promising and attainable as nickel-rich transition metal oxides such as LiNi1-x-yMnxCoyO2 (NMC). NMC materials exist with many different mass ratios, but higher nickel content materials provide higher energy density. With this increase in capacity comes a sacrifice with cyclability, as high-nickel NMC variants are prone to structure collapse, transition metal dissolution, and cracks due to volume change. In this report, mechanical modification of the electrode by …

Modeling Energy Efficiency Of Solar Thermal Powered Batch Reverse Osmosis, Lahiri Chitturi

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Batch reverse osmosis is the most energy efficient water desalination method and when powered by renewable energy, suggests promise for a cost-effective, low-carbon solution. One abundant energy source on Earth is solar energy which can be implemented using solar panels which have an established maximum efficiency of 25%, or solar thermal engines which can outperform solar photovoltaic systems by achieving higher efficiencies between 20% and 40% according to market research. Here, an approach to model and quantify the energy efficiency of a direct-drive solar thermal powered batch reverse osmosis system is presented to indicate the feasibility of pursuing this technology. …

Managing Humidity In Electronics Using Water Vapor-Selective Membranes, Songhao Wu, Andrew J. Fix, Allison Mou, David M. Warsinger, James Braun

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Abstract: As outdoor electronics have become prevalent in every aspect of daily life, handling humidity in them is an emerging issue for reliable devices. As water vapor enters the electronics enclosure, there is a risk of condensation, which could prevent the electronics from functioning and further damage the device. Traditionally, the humidity removal for electronics is usually done by heating the air within the enclosure, which can be energy-intensive and less efficient. Vapor selective membrane systems are promising alternatives for air heating dehumidification as they do not require heating energy for water vapor removal. It allows water vapor transport through …

Cal Poly Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge 2022, Sangmin Sung, Eddy Rodriguez, Travis Welch, Jeremy Baechler, Kevin Pauls

Mechanical Engineering

In this report, the Featherweight Cycles design team puts forth the scope and overview of their design project, discusses background research and competitor analysis, and presents the project’s final design and manufacturing plans. The overall goal of this project is to fabricate and compete in the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, hosted by the National Fluid Power Association. To better define the design process, the team researched previous year’s designs from Cal Poly, as well as winning designs from the last two years to form a baseline of knowledge about competing schools’ designs. After researching multiple design paths, Featherweight Cycles chose …

Nucleate Boiling Under Different Gravity Values: Numerical Simulations & Data-Driven Techniques., Sandipan Banerjee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nucleate boiling is important in nuclear applications and cooling applications under earth gravity conditions. Under reduced gravity or microgravity environment, it is significant too, especially in space exploration applications. Although multiple studies have been performed on nucleate boiling, the effect of gravity on nucleate boiling is not well understood. This dissertation primarily deals with numerical simulations of nucleate boiling using an adaptive Moment-of-Fluid (MoF) method for a single vapor bubble (water vapor or Perfluoro-n-hexane) in saturated liquid for different gravity levels. Results concerning the growth rate of the bubble, specifically the departure diameter and departure time have been provided. The …

Dc Microgrid Fault Detection Using Multiresolution Analysis Of Traveling Waves, Rudy Montoya

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Fast detection and isolation of faults in a DC microgrid is of particular importance. Fast tripping protection (i) increases the lifetime of power electronics (PE) switches by avoiding high fault current magnitudes and (ii) enhances the controllability of PE converters. This thesis proposes a traveling wave (TW) based scheme for fast tripping protection of DC microgrids. The proposed scheme utilizes a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to calculate the high-frequency components of DC fault currents. Multiresolution analysis (MRA) using DWT is utilized to detect TW components for different frequency ranges. The Parseval energy calculated from the MRA coefficients are then used …

Zero-Power Ac Current Sensor, Omar Aragonez

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

In this study, a magnetic piezoelectric cantilever powered AC current and frequency sensor is proposed. This paper covers the configuration of the experimental setup, finite element modeling of the magnetic coupling, and the optimal spatial location of the magnetic proof mass in relation to the wire for smart grid applications. Solid and stranded copper wires of various gauges were used and carried current up to 30A. The magnets act as a proof mass to lower the frequency while also coupling to the magnetic field generated by the current carrying wire. The frequency of the AC current produces a sinusoidal force …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Lauric Acid Melting At Suboptimal Inclines, Casey J. Troxler

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Validation experiments are the baseline for completing numerical studies for engineering design. Applications of the enthalpy-porosity model have expanded in research with the growth of new technologies such as metal additive manufacturing or the renewed interest in thermal energy storage for supplementing renewable energy. A simplified experiment examining the melting behavior of lauric acid from an isothermal surface has become a common case for validating the performance of numerical models. Several studies of this rectangular experiment have been repeatedly used as model validation in a variety of problem conditions.

The first part of this study presents experimental data for the …

Achieving Optimal Value Of Solar: A Municipal Utility Rate Analysis, Ben Saarloos, Jason C. Quinn

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Wind and solar renewable energy in the United States is projected to triple by 2050 to nearly 30% of total electric energy generation. The upper Midwest region (Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota in particular) is considered wind energy country and not historically known for solar energy development. In this work, Value of Solar (VOS) is developed as a photovoltaic (PV) optimization measure and analysis tool using a northwest Iowa municipality as a representative case study. By applying a top-down load duration curve system analysis, VOS is used to optimize PV orientation and compare electric rate structures for increasing …

System Performance Model And Control System For A Small-Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine, Niko Banks

Master's Theses

Predicting the performance of wind turbines is a key part of the turbine design process and operation, as predictive models play a large role in determining potential power output and efficiency at different operating conditions to help maximize production. On small-scale wind turbines performance models become more complex, as the rotor aerodynamic performance depends not only on the tip speed ratio, but also on the flow Reynolds number. An accurate predictive model that includes this behavior on small-scale wind turbines can be used to find the optimal operating conditions for power output, and is also a critical component of the …

Economic Analysis Of Islanded Microgrid: A Case Study Of Kisiju Village - Coastal Region, Jackson Justo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The concept of Microgrid (MG) has gained significant attention of researchers and projects on the business side of electrical power generation and utilization, particularly in electrification of islanded areas such as villages. Most of these microgrids are powered by renewable energy resources (RERs) and they distribute power in low voltage distribution networks. Hence, these systems are faced with reliability problems due to the intermittency nature of RERs which affect the technical as well as the return on Investment of specific projects. In the latter context, reliability and economic analysis of the MG systems is an inevitable choice. This paper presents …

Strategic Energy Master Planning For Carbon Neutrality, Marie Patterson

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Universities across the United States are generating goals to be more sustainable and carbon neutral. The energy used in existing buildings on campuses amount to a large volume of greenhouse emissions and must be reduced to help achieve neutrality goals. Strategic Energy Master Plans are instrumental to support these goals through the development of recommendations to reduce energy. Calculating the energy use intensity for existing buildings, a main component of a Strategic Energy Master Plan, can help the campus understand where energy is being used the most. With this information the highest energy consuming buildings can be the focus of …

Lithium-Ion Battery Prognosis With Variational Hybrid Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Renato Giorgiani Do Nascimento

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Lithium-ion batteries are an increasingly popular source of power for many electric applications. Applications range from electric cars, driven by thousands of people every day, to existing and future air vehicles, such as unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) and urban air mobility (UAM) drones. Therefore, robust modeling approaches are essential to ensure high reliability levels by monitoring battery state-of-charge (SOC) and forecasting the remaining useful life (RUL). Building principled-based models is challenging due to the complex electrochemistry that governs battery operation, which would entail computationally expensive models not suited for prognosis and health management applications. Alternatively, reduced-order models can be used …

An Innovative Elastohydrodynamic Seal Concept For Gases, Matthew J. Demond

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) power cycles are next generation power technologies offering improved efficiency, lower customer costs, and less water usage. They hold significant potential in many different industries such as nuclear power production, ship propulsion, geothermal power, solar power, and fossil fuel power plants. One of the largest hurdles preventing this milestone is the lack of suitable shaft seals for sCO₂ operating conditions. This component issue needs to be addressed for the next generation nuclear turbine and compressor development to progress. In this study, a novel Elastohydrodynamic (EHD) seal is proposed. This proposed design is capable …

Process Optimization For An Integrated Reverse Osmosis—Pressure Retarded Osmosis Pilot-Scale System Operated On Humboldt Bay, Ca, Galen O'Toole

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is an emerging osmotic power technology that could mitigate the major challenges faced by seawater reverse osmosis desalination (RO): brine disposal and high energy consumption. The primary focus of this paper is process optimization for a linked seawater reverse osmosis (RO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) water purification system. PRO generates power by using osmosis to “pump” water through a membrane from low pressure and low concentration to high pressure and high concentration (RO brine). This commercial-scale pilot effort explores process optimization for pressure retarded osmosis as an industrial process rather than theoretical or experimental process. …

Coastal Wave Powered Reverse Osmosis System, Alexander Raymond Charest, Joeseph Daniel Camobreco, Tori Sweet, Sam Williams, Andrew Lepage, Devan Sack, Meagan Wiggin, Chelsea Kimball, Brendan Reagan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Part of the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) is the optional Build and Test Challenge where teams are encouraged to build a portion of their proposed solution. After the conducted testing the laboratory results are compared to the simulated and calculated models. For the MECC the University of New Hampshire (UNH) team decided to use a wave energy converter to produce pressurized water. The pressurized water would be filtered through a reverse osmosis membrane to make it potable. Our system uses the power of the ocean waves to move a float up and down in heave motion. This motion drives …

Tractor Test 2252: John Deere 9rx 540, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Tractor Test 2251: John Deere 9rx 490, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Tractor Test 2250: John Deere 9rt 570, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Tractor Test 2249: John Deere 9rt 520, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Tractor Test 2248: John Deere 9rt 470, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2261: John Deere 6140m, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2259: John Deere 9r 440, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2257: John Deere 5125m, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2256: John Deere 5115m, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …