Magnetic Continuously Variable Transmission for Reduction of Wind Turbine Drivetrain Size

The objective of this research is to do analysis on magnetic gears for the application of Magnetic Continuously Variable Transmissions (mCVTs) on wind turbines. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. A primary component of the wind turbine is the gearbox. Currently, mechanical gears are used in the gearbox; however, there are several issues with the physical contact required to transfer power between the shafts, such as wear-and-tear, heat, and misalignment. Magnetic gears are a potential solution to many of these problems as they function without contact and are not as severely impacted by misalignment. Bidirectional conversion for the control rotor, harnessing wind at all possible wind speeds, and increasing speed while holding torque, are all desirable features of an mCVT for wind turbines; however, they each require a larger and more expensive power electronics converter in the drivetrain. A two-axis testbed and a magnetic gear prototype is designed to test the impact of misalignment on the operation of the magnetic gear. Solutions to reducing the size and cost of the power electronics considered in this research include: only using unidirectional converters on the control rotor, using optimum gear ratios, considering different synchronous generator speeds, and only harnessing wind above certain wind speeds. Matlab data is collected to compare wind speed to the output power, analyze power generation capacity lost by using only a unidirectional, and review power to gear ratio relationships. The costs and benefits of each solution is considered based on the data collected. The experimental data from the prototype is compared to simulated data on the prototype to compare the evaluate the demonstrator. The data from the prototype is used to form torque angle curves of the magnetic gears at varying misalignments and is evidence that the magnetic gear is a viable replacement for mechanical gears

Regarding Pilot Usage of Display Technologies for Improving Awareness of Aircraft System States

ed systems and the procedures for ng in complexity. This interacting trend places a larger burden on pilots to manage increasing amounts of information and to understand system interactions. The result is an increase in the likelihood of loss of airplane state awareness (ASA). One way to gain more insight into this issue is through experimentation using objective measures of visual behavior. This study summarizes an analysis of oculometer data obtained during a high-fidelity flight simulation study that included a variety of complex pilot-system interactions that occur in current flight decks, as well as several planned for the next generation air transportation system. The study was comprised of various scenarios designed to induce low and high energy aircraft states coupled with other emulated causal factors in recent accidents. Three different display technologies were evaluated in this recent pilot-in-the-loop study conducted at NASA Langley Research Center. These technologies include a stall recovery guidance algorithm and display concept, an enhanced airspeed control indication of when the automation is no longer actively controlling airspeed, and enhanced synoptic diagrams with corresponding simplified electronic interactive checklists. Multiple data analyses were performed to understand how the 26 participating airline pilots were observing ASA-related information provided during different stag specific events within these stages

Magnetic Continuously Variable Transmission for Reduction of Wind Turbine Drivetrain Size

The objective of this research is to do analysis on magnetic gears for the application of Magnetic Continuously Variable Transmissions (mCVTs) on wind turbines. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. A primary component of the wind turbine is the gearbox. Currently, mechanical gears are used in the gearbox; however, there are several issues with the physical contact required to transfer power between the shafts, such as wear-and-tear, heat, and misalignment. Magnetic gears are a potential solution to many of these problems as they function without contact and are not as severely impacted by misalignment. Bidirectional conversion for the control rotor, harnessing wind at all possible wind speeds, and increasing speed while holding torque, are all desirable features of an mCVT for wind turbines; however, they each require a larger and more expensive power electronics converter in the drivetrain. A two-axis testbed and a magnetic gear prototype is designed to test the impact of misalignment on the operation of the magnetic gear. Solutions to reducing the size and cost of the power electronics considered in this research include: only using unidirectional converters on the control rotor, using optimum gear ratios, considering different synchronous generator speeds, and only harnessing wind above certain wind speeds. Matlab data is collected to compare wind speed to the output power, analyze power generation capacity lost by using only a unidirectional, and review power to gear ratio relationships. The costs and benefits of each solution is considered based on the data collected. The experimental data from the prototype is compared to simulated data on the prototype to compare the evaluate the demonstrator. The data from the prototype is used to form torque angle curves of the magnetic gears at varying misalignments and is evidence that the magnetic gear is a viable replacement for mechanical gears