Introductory Chapter: Recent Advances

Chapter Excerpt: This book proposes the most important researches in electrical resistivity and conductivity modeling, measurement, estimation and sensing methods, and implications. Electrical conductivity and electrical resistivity are very important properties for different materials. The goal of the book achieved via presenting new and modern case studies for sensing methods of electrical resistivity, resistivity modeling of frozen soil, measurement of the electrical resistivity for unconventional structures, estimation of hydrological parameters from geoelectric measurements, and assessment of cryoprotectant concentration by electrical conductivity measurement. It presents different methods to measure resistivity for both liquid and solid materials by explaining two, three, and four pole as well as toroidal resistivity cells ..

Modelling and Simulation of Grid Connected Lithium-Ion Battery Using HOMER

In order to improve battery technology understanding the capacity fading method in batteries is very important. Battery models can be used to predict their behavior under various operating conditions. Here we proposed a simple dynamic model of lithium-ion battery with MATLAB/Simulink to observe the output characteristics of this energy storage device. Dynamic simulations are carried out, including the observation of the changes in battery terminal output voltage under different discharging/charging, temperature and cycling conditions. The simulation studies are presented for proving that the model is useful. At the end we will use this energy storage device to interconnect with HOMER. Then different possibilities of producing electricity from various renewable energy sources like solar, wind etc. will be discussed by using HOMER. MATLAB software, Simulink, HOMER and Power System toolbox are used in modeling and simulation process

Organic Solar Cell by Inkjet Printing—An Overview

In recent years, organic solar cells became more attractive due to their flexible power devices and the potential for low-cost manufacturing. Inkjet printing is a very potential manufacturing technique of organic solar cells because of its low material usage, flexibility, and large area formation. In this paper, we presented an overall review on the inkjet printing technology as well as advantages of inkjet-printing, comparison of inkjet printing with other printing technologies and its potential for organic solar cells (OSCs). Here we highlighted in more details about the viability of environment-friendly and cost-effective, non-halogenated indium tin oxide (ITO) free large scale roll to roll production of the OSC by inkjet printing technology. The challenges of inkjet printing like the viscosity limitations, nozzle clogging, coffee ring effect, and limitation of printability as well as dot spacing are also discussed. Lastly, some of the improvement strategies for getting the higher efficiency of the OSCs have been suggested

Performance Investigation of Three Combined Airfoils Bladed Small Scale Horizontal Axis wind Turbine by BEM and CFD Analysis

The present work is based on the comparative study between “Blade-Element- Momentum” (BEM) analysis and “Computational-Fluid-Dynamics” (CFD) analysis of small-scale horizontal axis wind turbine blade. In this study, the pitch is considered as fixed and rotor speed is variable. Firstly, the aerodynamic characteristics of three different specialized airfoils were analyzed to get optimum design parameters of wind turbine blade. Then BEM was performed with the application of the open source wind turbine design and performance computation software Q-Blade v0.6. After that, CFD simulation was done by Ansys CFX software. Here, k-ω “Shear-Stress-Transport” (SST) model was conducted for three-dimensional visualization of turbine performance. However, the best coefficient of performance was observed at 6˚ angle of attack. At this angle of attack, in the case of BEM, the highest coefficient of performance was 0.47 whereby CFD analysis, it was 0.43. Both studies showed good performance prediction which was a positive step to accelerate the continuous revolution in wind energy sector

Design Studies and Aerodynamic Performance Analysis of Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blade for Nano-Grid Applications

Wind energy, being easily accessible, environmentally friendly, and being cost effectively, has become the world\u27s one of popular growing renewable energy sources of electricity generation. Among all of the wind turbines, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) is considered as leading technology due to its high efficiency. However, to spread this technology to mankind it is needed to develop turbine in this way that people can use it individually and comfortably. This kind of thinking accelerates the advancement of integration of wind turbine with Nano grid concept. Although great progress has been achieved in the wind technology, there is still scope to reduce the cost and improve the performance of small-scale wind turbines. Moreover, low wind velocity should also need to be utilized properly to achieve saturated energy production. So, concentration is going to small scale wind. Small scale horizontal axis wind turbines (SSHAWT) provide a clean, prospective and viable option for energy supply. Moreover, SSHAWT can also be acted as one of the reliable power sources of Nano grid. To design efficient wind turbine it is required a smooth and continuous development process. The current study focused on aerodynamic design and performance analysis of small-scale horizontal axis wind turbine blade using the blade element momentum (BEM) method with most updated and corrected model. The effects of the design parameters of a small wind turbine such as the blade chord and twist angle distributions on power performance were also investigated. In this study, the pitch is fixed and speed is variable. Results show that the maximum coefficient of performance is .5089 at the Tip speed ratio 6.5 which is very indication in preliminary stage power prediction

PMSM Sensorless Speed Control Drive

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) are very popular in many industrial applications such as in mechatronics, automotive, energy storage flywheels, centrifugal compressors, vacuum pumps, and robotics. This paper proposes Sensorless control for a PMSM speed drive which is based on a closed loop control system using a proportional and integral (PI) controller that is designed to operate in flux weakening regions under a constant torque angle. This Sensorless element was adopted for best estimating the PMSM rotor position based on its performance characteristics eliminating the need for speed sensors which are usually required in such control applications. To achieve this goal, a pulse width modulation (PWM) control scheme was developed to work in conjunction with a field oriented motor control drive using Simulink.This innovative control system was simulated assuming realistic circuit components to maximize the accuracy of the proposed model. Finally, simulation results obtained under different operation conditions at below and above the rated speed of the motor were presented and discussed in this paper

Lead Acid Battery Modeling for PV Applications

Lead-Acid batteries continue to be the preferred choice for backup energy storage systems. However, the inherent variability in the manufacturing and component design processes affect the performance of the manufactured battery. Therefore, the developed Lead-Acid battery models are not very flexible to model this type of variability. In this paper, a new and flexible modeling of a Lead-Acid battery is presented. Using curve fitting techniques, the model parameters were derived as a function of the battery’s state of charge based on a modified Thevenin equivalent model. In addition, the charge and discharge characteristics of the derived model were investigated and validated using a real NP4-12 YUASA battery manufacturer\u27s data sheet to match performance at different capacity rates. Furthermore, an artificial neural network based learning system with back-propagation technique was used for estimating the model parameters using MATLAB software. The proposed neural model had the ability to predict values and interpolate between the learning curves data at various characteristics without the need of training. Finally, a closed-form analytical model that connects between inputs and outputs for neural networks was presented. It was validated by comparing the target and output and resulted in excellent regression factors

Smart Grids Technology Fundamentals - New Course

In this paper, a new course in smart grid technologies to enhance the power systems concentration in an Electrical Engineering program is presented. The aim of this course is to introduce students to contemporary topics related to distributed generation, micro-grids, renewable energy sources, and smart homes applications. This proposed 4-credit course is designed to provide students with a working knowledge from the basic concepts of power systems to the inherent elements of computational intelligence including decision support systems, smart metering, cyber security, optimization, and renewable energy sources. The automation and computational techniques involved in Smart Grid technologies are also introduced with special emphasis on the interoperability of different renewable energy sources without losing the integrity and reliability of the existing power systems. Furthermore, the standards and requirements for designing new devices and products for Smart Grid applications are introduced and discussed in this course. Topics in power generation, transmission, distribution, demand response, and reconfiguration are thoughtfully explained with real world applications to enhance the student learning process. Several case studies are analyzed and simulated using software tools such as MATLAB, Simulink, and PowerWorld packages. The course has also a laboratory component which provides students with hand-on experience in the utilization of commonly used tools to formulate and solve engineering problems