This thesis presents the design and analysis of specialised control systems for switched reluctance (SR) and permanent magnet (PM) machines in vehicular electric applications. Control systems for operation in motoring and power generation are considered for both the types of machines. The SR machine operation considered in this thesis is mainly focused towards the application of aero-engine starter/generators. The control designs for PM machines are formulated considering general fault-tolerant and isolated multiphase PM machines which can be applied in the majority of safety-critical vehicular power and propulsion applications. The SR motoring mode presented in this thesis considers the control design for operation from zero speed to a high speed range, while SR generation mode is confined to the high speed range, such as for the requirements of aero-engine starter/generator operation. This thesis investigates applied control methods for both single-pulse and chopping modes of operation. Classical excitation control versus peak current control and the introduction of a zero-voltage interval are compared for SR motor operation. Optimized excitation control versus two classical forms of excitation control are developed and compared for SR generator operation. Studies include simulation of a 12/8 250kW machine and experimental work on a 6/4 300W machine. The PM motoring and power generation considered in this thesis focuses on a special class of PM machines and drives which are specifically designed for fault-tolerant operation. Optimized control strategies for the operation of PM machines with the parallel H-bridge per-phase converter architecture are investigated. Mathematical modelling of the machine and drive with a consideration of harmonics is presented. The developed control methods are then evaluated by means of finite-element model based simulations of a 125kW five phase surface PM rotor machine and an interior PM rotor machine.

Shock boundary layer interactions (SBLI) is an undesirable event occurring in high-speed air-breathing propulsion system that stimulates boundary layer separation due to adverse pressure gradients and consequently lead to ow distortion and pressure loss in the intake section. Therefore it is essential to apply ow control mechanisms to prevent this phenomenon. This study involves a novel ow control device called micro-ramp, which is a part of the micro-vortex generator family that has shown great potential in solving the adverse phenomenon. The term micro refers to the height of the device, which is smaller than the boundary layer thickness, δ. It is important to highlight the two main novelties of this investigation. Firstly, it is the first micro-ramp study conducted in the hypersonic ow regime (Mach 5) since most of the previous micro-ramp studies were only performed in subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows. Another novelty is the various experimental techniques that were used in single study for example schlieren photography, oil-dot and oil- ow visualisation and conventional pressure transducers. In addition, advanced ow diagnostic tools such as infrared thermography, pressure sensitive paints (PSP) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) were also employed. T

Comme tout processus industriel, un système photovoltaïque peut être soumis, au cours de son fonctionnement, à différents défauts et anomalies conduisant à une baisse de la performance du système et voire à son indisponibilité. Permettre de diagnostiquer finement et de faire de la détection et de localisation de défauts dans une installation PV réduit les coûts de maintenance et surtout augmente la productivité. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous nous intéressons spécifiquement à la détection et la localisation de défauts côté DC du système PV, c'est-à-dire du côté générateur PV. L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer, en prenant le moins de mesures possibles pour respecter les contraintes économiques, un algorithme pour détecter et localiser des défauts conduisant à une baisse de production. Pour cela, le choix s'est porté sur l'analyse de la caractéristique I-V du générateur PV pour les différents modes de fonctionnement considérés. Cette analyse a conduit à utiliser la méthode d'inférence pour effectuer le diagnostic de l'installation. Cette démarche a été validée par des expérimentations sur site, des simulations temps-réel et hors temps-réel. / As every industrial process, a photovoltaic system may subject, during his operation, to various faults and abnormalities leading to a drop of its efficiency up to its unavailability. A precise diagnosis and a fault detection and isolation make it possible to reduce the maintenance costs and above all increase the yield. In this work, a focus has been made on the fault detection and isolation in the DC part of the PV system, it means of the PV array. The goal of this work is to propose, by conducting the less possible measurements to meet the economic constraints, an algorithm to detect an isolate the faults causing a drop in the array yield. To achieve this goal, the analysis of the I-V characteristic has been chosen. This analysis leads to the use of the inference method to conduct the diagnosis of the PV plant. This procedure has been validated by on site experiments, real-time simulations and non real-time simulations.

Atualmente um dos grandes responsáveis pela emissão de CO2 (Dióxido de Carbono) são os veículos movidos a motor de combustão interna, em sua maioria os automóveis. Pesquisas recentes têm mostrado maneiras de aumentar a eficiência dos automóveis por meio do aproveitamento do calor de exaustão para geração de energia elétrica, com consequente redução no consumo de combustível. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo apresentar um estudo de viabilidade técnica de um gerador termoelétrico aproveitando o calor residual dos gases de exaustão de um motor de combustão interna para geração de energia elétrica. O trabalho apresenta o modelamento matemático e a implementação de um protótipo para realização dos ensaios para a obtenção de resultados experimentais. O protótipo foi montado utilizando módulos termolétricos cujo princípio de funcionamento é baseado nos efeitos Seebeck e Peltier, que devido ao conceito de reversibilidade podem funcionar como geradores elétricos, aquecedores ou refrigeradores. Por meio das equações teóricas e dos resultados dos ensaios experimentais foi possível avaliar o desempenho do sistema de geração de energia elétrica, determinar o comportamento dos principais parâmetros envolvidos e finalmente concluir sobre a exequibilidade e viabilidade do projeto. / Currently one of the most responsible for CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions are vehicles powered by internal combustion engine, in their majority the automobiles. Recent research has shown ways to improve the efficiency of automobiles through the use of exhaust heat to generate electric power, with consequent reduction in fuel consumption. This paper aims to present a technical feasibility study of a thermoelectric generator using the residual heat from exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine to generate electric power. The paper presents the mathematical modeling and implementation of a prototype for tests to obtaining experimental results. The prototype was assembled using thermoelectric modules whose operating principle is based on the phenomena called Seebeck and Peltier Effects, which due to the concept of reversibility can act as electric generators, heaters or coolers. Through the theoretical equations and experimental results it was possible to evaluate the performance of electric power generation system, determine the behavior of the main parameters and finally conclude on the feasibility and viability of the project.

In this thesis, the reactivity and synthesis of methylalumoxane (MAO) via electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was investigated. The olefin polymerization catalyst [Cp2Zr(μ-Me)2AlMe2]+ [B(C6F5)4]− was also used to evaluate the efficacy of a nitrogen generator as a source for desolvation gas for ESI-MS analysis. The same catalyst was then used to study catalyst deactivation after 1-hexene addition. MAO ionizes very selectively in the presence of octamethyltrisiloxane (OMTS) to generate [Me2Al·OMTS]+ [(MeAlO)16(Me3Al)6Me]−. The advantage of this transformation was used to examine the reactivity and synthesis of MAO. The reactivity of this ion pair with other trialkyl aluminum (R3Al) components was studied both offline and in real-time. The exchanges are fast and reversible, and the methyl groups on the cation are also observed to exchange with the added R3Al species. MAO is also famously intractable to structural elucidation, consisting as it does of a complex mixture of oligomers generated from hydrolysis of pyrophoric trimethylaluminum (TMA). Synthesis of MAO was probed in real-time by ESI-MS, and the principal activated product of the benchtop synthesis was found to be the same as that observed in industrial samples, namely [(MeAlO)16(Me3Al)6Me]–. Computationally, a new sheet structure for this ion was proposed. The increasing competitiveness of nitrogen generators, which provide gas purity levels that vary inversely with flow rate, prompted an investigation of the effect of gas-phase oxygen on the speciation of ions by ESI-MS. The most reactive species studied, the reduced titanium complex [Cp2Ti(NCMe)2]+[ZnCl3]− and the olefin polymerization pre-catalyst [Cp2Zr(μ-Me)2AlMe2]+[B(C6F5)4]−, only exhibited detectable oxidation when they were rendered coordinatively unsaturated through in-source fragmentation. The catalyst [Cp2Zr(μ-Me)2AlMe2]+[B(C6F5)4]− was further studied by ESI-MS to understand better the complexities of catalyst deactivation in the polymerization of 1-hexene. I also contributed to other projects, namely the interaction of neutral donors with MAO, saturation problems in ESI-MS, and ligand substitution reaction in ruthenium complexes, and my work on all these projects are summarized in this thesis. / Graduate

La photopolymérisation est un procédé en plein essor qui permet d’accéder à des matériaux polymères, notamment sous la forme de films ou de revêtements. Néanmoins, celle-ci est majoritairement basée sur un mécanisme de polymérisation radicalaire qui proscrit l’obtention de matériaux totalement biodégradables. Aussi, au cours de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à la photopolymérisation par ouverture de cycle (photoROP) d’esters et de carbonates cycliques à l’aide de deux grandes familles de photogénérateurs de bases (PBGs). Tout d’abord, des PBGs, pouvant libérer des superbases de type amidine et guanidine cycliques ont été employées pour mener efficacement la photoROP du L-LA et du TMC en solution. Puis, nous nous sommes attachés à développer, sur le modèle des photobases précédentes, de nouveaux PBGs qui libèrent sous irradiation UV des carbènes N-hétérocycliques (NHCs). La libération des NHCs à partir de ces « NHCs photolatents » a été prouvée par RMN 1H et par la formation d’adduits NHC.CS2. De même, ces PBGs se sont révélés actifs pour la photoROP du L-LA et du TMC en solution, mais avec une plus faible efficacité que les PBGs précédents. En effet, les cinétiques de polymérisation sont lentes du fait de la présence de CO2 dans le milieu (libéré lors de l’irradiation UV) qui conduit à la formation d’adduit NHC.CO2 inactif en ROP. Ainsi, la photobase la plus performante, libérant du TBD, a été employée afin d’effectuer la photoROP en masse d’esters cycliques liquides (ε-CL, δ-VL et un mélange innovant L-LA/TMC). Finalement, des réseaux ont été formés par incorporation dans le milieu réactionnel d’un monomère bifonctionnel, permettant d’obtenir sur demande (contrôle temporel) des matériaux réticulés potentiellement entièrement biodégradables. / Photopolymerization is a growing process allowing preparing polymer materials, notably in the form of films or coatings. Nevertheless, it is mostly based on a radical polymerization mechanism that prevents obtaining fully biodegradable materials. The goal of this PhD work was thus to develop the photopolymerization of cyclic esters and carbonates by using two families of photobase generators (PBGs). First, already described PBGs, releasing cyclic amidine and guanidine-type superbases, were effectively employed to carry out the photopolymerization of L-LA and TMC in solution. Then, taking previous PBGs as models, we developed new PBGs able to release N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) under UV irradiation. The release of NHCs from these “photolatent NHCs” was proven both by 1H NMR and by the formation of NHC.CS2 adducts. These PBGs also proved to be active for the ROP of L-LA and TMC in solution, but to a lesser extent than previous photobases. Indeed, slower kinetics of polymerization were observed, which was attributed to the presence of CO2 in the reaction medium (CO2 released by photodegradation of the PBG) that leads to the formation of NHC.CO2 adduct (inactive for ROP). Thus, the most efficient photobase (releasing TBD) was employed to carry out the bulk photopolymerizations of liquid cyclic esters (ε-CL, δ-VL and even an innovative L-LA / TMC mixture). Finally, polymer networks have been formed by incorporating a bifunctional monomer into the reaction medium, allowing the preparation “on demand” (temporal control) of potentially fully biodegradable materials in a one-pot process.

In recent years power generation from renewable energy has grown substantially both in South Africa and around the world. This growth is set to continue as there is more pressure to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. However, renewable energy power generation suffers from unpredictability, which causes problems when it comes to managing power grids. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants offer a practical solution to store power in the form of thermal energy storage (TES). Thus, the plant can run when there is no solar energy available, leading to a more stable power supply. Unfortunately, CSP plants cost more than other renewables such as photovoltaic and wind power. Thus, there is a need for research into how to bring down the cost of CSP plants. One of the most proven types of CSP is the parabolic trough plant. The most recent innovation is to try and use molten salt as the heat transfer fluid which would reduce the cost of the plant. However, this new technology has not been implemented on a full scale CSP plant and little testing has been done to prove the technology. The HPS2 is a test facility aimed at testing the use of molten salt as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). This test facility, located in Evora Portugal, is being developed by an international consortium led by the German DLR institute of Solar Research. It is one of the first test facilities of its kind where experiments will be conducted to demonstrate the validity of using molten salt as a HTF and a storage medium in a parabolic trough CSP plant. The HPS2 test facility is not yet operational and there is a need for a dynamic thermofluid process model to better understand and predict both its steady state and transient operational behaviour. This dissertation reports on the development of such a dynamic thermofluid process model and the results obtained from it. The process model developed primarily focuses on the steam cycle with the TES incorporated into the model. The physical geometry of each of the components are employed to construct discretized elements for which the conservation of mass, energy, and momentum are applied in a one-dimensional network approach. The economizer and evaporator combined has a helical coil geometry and uses molten salt as a heat transfer fluid, which is unique. Thus, correlations had to be adjusted for the flow characteristics found in the economizer/evaporator. Results from the steady state simulations of the steam cycle show that the molten salt mass flowrate through the steam generation system will have to be reduced from the initially expected value to meet operational requirements. Results of the dynamic simulations show that the test facility will be able to produce a constant power supply despite transient solar conditions and highlights key dynamic responses for operators to be aware of.

Today many processes generate a lot of waste heat, for example industries or cars. One way to make this thermal energy useful is to transform it into electrical energy with a thermoelectric generator (TEG) or thermoelectric cooler (TEC). This technology is not used in any large scale today, but a lot of research is being done on the subject. The technology is based on the Seebeck effect and uses a temperature difference between two sides of an element to generate an electrical current. The reason that the research has gained more attention in recent years is because of the increasing electricity prices and the diminishing natural resources. Other benefits are that they run quietly and do not demand much maintenance.Another area where this technology could be useful is in off-grid cabins where it is easy to generate a lot of thermal energy by burning wood, but electrical energy is in high demand.In this thesis two different types of TEGs and one type of TEC are tested to investigate how much power they generate at different temperature differences, how well they meet the specified values in their respective data sheet and what their power per euro value is. For this, an experimental setup was made with:- An induction plate to increase the temperature on the hot side.- A CPU-fan, to reduce the temperature on the cold side.- Two temperature sensors (one for measuring the hot temperature and one for the cold one).- An electric circuit featuring a voltmeter, an amperemeter and an adjustable resistor (rheostat).The results show that, for this experiment the highest received power (6,38 W) comes from the medium-priced element but the highest power per euro comes from the lowest priced element (1,16 W/€). A quality problem for the lowest priced element was that parts of the solder melted when the temperature exceeded 225 °C. Another problem was that the induction plate was unable to provide enough heat for the most expensive of the elements to reach the temperature for which the retailer supplies their measured data.

The goal of this thesis is to design a diagnostic subsystem for secondary surveillance radar and to construct a functional prototype of communication and testing generator unit. The first part of the thesis aims at description and division of radar systems, with emphasis on air traffic control radars.  Main attention is being focused on ATC secondary surveillance radars and description of their function. Following part deals with requirements specification for design of diagnostic system and the system design itself. Part of the thesis forms design, production and testing of prototype of block enabling communication of diagnostic subsystem and function of testing generator for secondary surveillance radar.

The thesis deals with the issue of measurement of frequency and its derivative (RoCoF) in simulation software. The aim of the thesis was to compare results obtained in three different pieces of software (PSS/E, PSCAD, MODES). 2 disturbances were simulated in a grid model IEEE 39 bus system and values of frequency and generator speed were assessed. The results obtained in different software are diverse. This is influenced by method of modelling of synchronous generator and algorithm of calculation of frequency. Findings are important for future investigation of power system transients in simulation software and also point to potencial incorrect assassement of frequency in protective relays.