Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha)

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/10758
The Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies - Te Ara Auaha is comprised of four schools: The School of Future Environments - Huri Te Ao, the School of Art and Design - Te Kura Toi a Hoahoa, the School of Communication Studies - Te Kura Whakapāho and the School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences - Te Kura Mātai Pūhanga, Rorohiko, Pāngarau. It also has Institutes, Centres and Labs across the Arts and Sciences in a mix that blends the traditional and the new, praxis and theory.

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Browsing Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha) by Subject "02 Physical Sciences"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Analysis of Improved In-Cylinder Combustion Characteristics with Chamber Modifications of the Diesel Engine
    (MDPI AG, 2023-03-09) Doppalapudi, AT; Azad, AK; Khan, MMK
    This study numerically analyses the effects of chamber modifications to investigate the improvement of in-cylinder combustion characteristics of the diesel engine using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. Five different modified chambers, namely, the double swirl combustion chamber (DSCC), bathtub combustion chamber (BTCC), double toroidal re-entrant combustion chamber (DTRCC), shallow depth combustion chamber (SCC), and stepped bowl combustion chamber (SBCC) were developed and compared with a reference flat combustion chamber (FCC). The effects of chamber modifications on temperature formation, velocity distribution, injection profiles, and in-cylinder turbulent motions (swirl and tumble ratio) were investigated. During the compression stroke, near top dead centre, the SCC showed a peak temperature of 970 K, followed by the FCC (968 K), SBCC (967 K), and DTRCC (748 K to 815 K). The DSCC and the SCC showed a high swirl ratio above 0.6, whereas the DTRCC and the BTCC showed a high tumble ratio of approximately 0.4. This study found that the SCC, BTCC, and DSCC have better combustion rates than the FCC in terms of temperature, heat release rate, and velocity distribution. However, the DTRCC showed poor temperature formation rates and rapid heat release rates (approx. 150 J/°CA), which can lead to rapid combustion and knocking tendencies. In conclusion, the DSCC and the SCC showed better combustion rates than the other chambers. In addition, turbulent motions inside the chambers avoided combustion in crevice regions. This study recommends avoiding chambers with wider bowls in order to prevent uneven combustion across the cylinder. Furthermore, split bowls such as the DSCC, along with adjusted injection rates, can provide better results in terms of combustion.
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    Battery Energy Storage Capacity Estimation for Microgrids Using Digital Twin Concept
    (MDPI AG, 2023-06-06) Padmawansa, Nisitha; Gunawardane, Kosala; Madanian, Samaneh; Than Oo, Amanullah Maung
    Globally, renewable energy-based power generation is experiencing exponential growth due to concerns over the environmental impacts of traditional power generation methods. Microgrids (MGs) are commonly employed to integrate renewable sources due to their distributed nature, with batteries often used to compensate for power fluctuations caused by the intermittency of renewable energy sources. However, sudden fluctuations in the power supply can negatively impact battery performance, making it challenging to select an appropriate battery energy storage system (BESS) at the design stage of an MG. The cycle count of a battery in relation to battery stress is a useful measure for determining the general health of a battery and can aid in BESS selection. An accurate digital replica of an MG is required to determine the required cycle count and stress levels of a BESS. The Digital Twin (DT) concept can be used to replicate the dynamics of the MG in a virtual environment, allowing for the estimation of required cycle numbers and applied stress levels to a BESS. This paper presents a Microgrid Digital Twin (MGDT) model that can estimate the required cycle count and stress levels of a BESS without considering any unique battery type. Based on the results, designers can select an appropriate BESS for the MG, and the MGDT can also be used to roughly estimate the health of the currently operating BESS, allowing for cost-effective predictive maintenance scheduling for MGs.
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    Comprehensive Review of Dust Properties and Their Influence on Photovoltaic Systems: Electrical, Optical, Thermal Models and Experimentation Techniques
    (MDPI AG, 2023-04-12) Almukhtar, H; Lie, Tek Tjing; Al-Shohani, WAM; Anderson, TA; Al-Tameemi, Zaid
    As conventional energy sources decrease and worldwide power demand grows, the appeal of photovoltaic (PV) systems as sustainable and ecofriendly energy sources has grown. PV system installation is influenced by geographical location, orientation, and inclination angle. Despite its success, weather conditions such as dust substantially influences PV module performance. This study provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature on the impact of dust characteristics on PV systems from three distinct perspectives. Firstly, the study looks at the dust properties in different categories: optical, thermal, physical, and chemical, highlighting their significant impact on the performance of PV systems. Secondly, the research reviews various approaches and equipment used to evaluate dust’s impact on PV, emphasizing the need for reliable instruments to measure its effects accurately. Finally, the study looks at modeling and predicting the influence of dust on PV systems, considering the parameters that affect electrical, optical, and thermal behavior. The review draws attention to the need for further research into dust’s properties, including thermal conductivity and emissivity. This analysis highlights the need for further research to develop a scientific correlation to predict the thermal behavior of PV in dusty environments. This paper identifies areas for further research to develop more efficient and effective methods for analyzing this influence and improving PV efficiency and lifespan.
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    Control Strategies and Stabilization Techniques for DC/DC Converters Application in DC MGs: Challenges, Opportunities, and Prospects—A Review
    (MDPI AG, 2024-01-31) Nduwamungu, Aphrodis; Lie, Tek Tjing; Lestas, Ioannis; Nair, Nirmal-Kumar C; Gunawardane, Kosala
    DC microgrids (DC MGs) offer advantages such as efficiency, control, cost, reliability, and size compared to AC MGs. However, they often operate with numerous constant power loads (CPLs), exhibiting a negative incremental impedance characteristic that can lead to instability. This instability weakens stability boundaries and reduces system damping, especially when dealing with pulsed power loads (PPLs) on electric aircraft, ships, and cars. Linear controllers may not ensure stability across various operations, causing voltage dips and potential system instability. To secure DC/DC converter functionality and comply with impedance specifications, it is crucial to consider minor loop gain in control strategies and stabilization techniques. Employing diverse methods to decrease minor loop gain in DC/DC converters is essential. A comprehensive evaluation, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, is conducted to assess control strategies, stabilization techniques, and stability standards for different DC/DC converters, identifying SWOT.
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    DC Circuit Breaker Evolution, Design, and Analysis
    (MDPI AG, 2023-08-23) Moradian, Mehdi; Lie, Tek Tjing; Gunawardane, Kosala
    While traditional AC mechanical circuit breakers can protect AC circuits, many other DC power distribution technologies, such as DC microgrids (MGs), yield superior disruption performance, e.g., faster and more reliable switching speeds. However, novel DC circuit breaker (DCCB) designs are challenging due to the need to quickly break high currents within milliseconds, caused by the high fault current rise in DC grids compared to AC grids. In DC grids, the circuit breaker must not provide any current crossing and must absorb surges, since the arc is not naturally extinguished by the system. Additionally, the DC breaker must mitigate the magnetic energy stored in the system inductance and withstand residual overvoltages after current interruption. These challenges require a fundamentally different topology for DCCBs, which are typically made using solid-state semiconductor technology, metal oxide varistors (MOVs), and ultra-fast switches. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the development, design, and performance of DCCBs and an analysis of internal topology, the energy absorption path, and subcircuits in solid-state (SS)-based DCCBs. The research explores various novel designs that introduce different structures for an energy dissipation solution. The classification of these designs is based on the fundamental principles of surge mitigation and a detailed analysis of the techniques employed in DCCBs. In addition, our framework offers an advantageous reference point for the future evolution of SS circuit breakers in numerous developing power delivery systems.
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    Design of Three Electric Vehicle Charging Tariff Systems to Improve Photovoltaic Self-Consumption
    (MDPI AG, 2024-04-09) Etxegarai, Garazi; Camblong, Haritza; Ezeiza, Aitzol; Lie, Tek Tjing
    Electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as one of the pillars for achieving climate neutrality. They represent both a threat and an opportunity for the operation of the network. Used as flexible loads, they can favor the self-consumption of photovoltaic (PV) energy. This paper presents three EV charging tariff systems (TSs) based on the self-consumption of excess PV energy. The TS objectives are to increase the self-consumption rate (SCR) and thus indirectly decrease the charging cost of the EV users. Two of the proposed TSs correspond to an indirect control of EV charging. The third TS is a hybrid system where the charging power is controlled. The TS is designed using a series of rules that consider the momentary PV surplus and the charging power of each EV. The influence of the TS is simulated by considering real data from a PV collective self-consumption project in the Basque Country (Spain). The TS simulations performed with 6 months of data show a 13.1% increase in the SCR when applying the third TS, reaching an average of 93.09% for the SCR. In addition, the cost of EV charging is reduced by 25%.
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    End-to-End Top-Down Load Forecasting Model for Residential Consumers
    (MDPI AG, 2024-05-24) Parkash, Barkha; Lie, Tek Tjing; Li, Weihua; Tito, Shafiqur Rahman
    This study presents an efficient end-to-end (E2E) learning approach for the short-term load forecasting of hierarchically structured residential consumers based on the principles of a top-down (TD) approach. This technique employs a neural network for predicting load at lower hierarchical levels based on the aggregated one at the top. A simulation is carried out with 9 (from 2013 to 2021) years of energy consumption data of 50 houses located in the United States of America. Simulation results demonstrate that the E2E model, which uses a single model for different nodes and is based on the principles of a top-down approach, shows huge potential for improving forecasting accuracy, making it a valuable tool for grid planners. Model inputs are derived from the aggregated residential category and the specific cluster targeted for forecasting. The proposed model can accurately forecast any residential consumption cluster without requiring any hyperparameter adjustments. According to the experimental analysis, the E2E model outperformed a two-stage methodology and a benchmarked Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) model by a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.27%.
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    Enhanced Coordination in the PV–HESS Microgrids Cluster: Introducing a New Distributed Event Consensus Algorithm
    (MDPI AG, 2024-01-06) Al-Tameemi, Zaid Hamid Abdulabbas; Lie, Tek Tjing; Zamora, Ramon; Blaabjerg, Frede
    To ensure reliable power delivery to customers under potential disturbances, the coordination of a microgrid cluster (MGC) is essential. Various control strategies—centralized, decentralized, distributed, and hierarchical—have been explored in the literature to achieve this goal. The hierarchical control method, with three distinct levels, has proven effective in fostering coordination among microgrids (MGs) within the cluster. The third control level, utilizing a time-triggering consensus protocol, relies on a continuous and reliable communication network for data exchange among MGs, leading to resource-intensive operations and potential data congestion. Moreover, uncertainties introduced by renewable energy sources (RESs) can adversely impact cluster performance. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces a new distributed event-triggered consensus algorithm (DETC) to enhance the efficiency in handling the aforementioned issues. The proposed algorithm significantly reduces communication burdens, addressing resource usage concerns. The performance of this approach is evaluated through simulations of a cluster comprising four DC MGs, in each of which were PV and a hybrid Battery-Super capacitor in the MATLAB environment. The key findings indicate that the proposed DETC algorithm achieves commendable results in terms of voltage regulation, precise power sharing among sources, and a reduction in triggering instants. Based on these results, this method can be deemed as a good development in MGC management, providing a more efficient and reliable means of coordination, particularly in scenarios with dynamic loads and renewable energy integration. It is also a viable option for current microgrid systems, due to its ability to decrease communication loads while retaining excellent performance.
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    Finite Time Disturbance Observer Based on Air Conditioning System Control Scheme
    (MDPI AG, 2023-07-12) Rsetam, Kamal; Al-Rawi, Mohammad; Al-Jumaily, Ahmed M; Cao, Zhenwei
    A novel robust finite time disturbance observer (RFTDO) based on an independent output-finite time composite control (FTCC) scheme is proposed for an air conditioning-system temperature and humidity regulation. The variable air volume (VAV) of the system is represented by two first-order mathematical models for the temperature and humidity dynamics. In the temperature loop dynamics, a RFTDO temperature (RFTDO-T) and an FTCC temperature (FTCC-T) are designed to estimate and reject the lumped disturbances of the temperature subsystem. In the humidity loop, a robust output of the FTCC humidity (FTCC-H) and RFTDO humidity (RFTDO-H) are also designed to estimate and reject the lumped disturbances of the humidity subsystem. Based on Lyapunov theory, the stability proof of the two closed-loop controllers and observers is presented. Comparative simulations are carried out to confirm that the proposed controller outperforms conventional methods and offers greater accuracy of temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration, having superior regulation performance in terms of a rapid finite time convergence, an outstanding disturbance rejection property, and better energy consumption. In addition to presenting the comparative simulation results from the control applications on the VAV system, the quantitative values are provided to further confirm the superiority of the proposed controller. In particular, the proposed method exhibits the shortest settling time of, respectively, 15 and 40 min to reach the expected temperature and humidity, whereas other comparative controllers require a longer time to settle down.
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