Perhaps surprisingly, the largest experience in operating nuclear power plants has been in nuclear naval propulsion, particularly submarines. This accumulated experience may become the basis of a proposed new generation of compact nuclear power plant designs. In an effort to de-carbonise commercial freight shipping, there is growing interest in the possibility of using nuclear propulsion systems. Reactor cores for such an application would need to be fundamentally different from land-based power generation systems, which require regular refueling, and from reactors used in military submarines, as the fuel used could not conceivably be as highly enriched. Nuclear-powered propulsion would allow ships to operate with low fuel costs, long refueling intervals, and minimal emissions; however, currently such systems remain largely confined to military vessels. This research project undertakes computational modeling of possible soluble-boron-free (SBF) reactor core designs for this application, with a view to informing design decisions in terms of choices of fuel composition, materials, core geometry and layout. Computational modeling using appropriate reactor physics (e.g. WIMS, MONK, Serpent and PANTHER), thermal-hydraulics etc. codes (e.g. COBRA-EN) is used for this project. With an emphasis on reactor physics, this study investigates possible fuel assembly and core designs for civil marine propulsion applications. In particular, it explores the feasibility of using uranium/thorium-rich fuel in a compact, long-life reactor and seek optimal choices and designs of the fuel composition, reactivity control, assembly geometry, and core loading in order to meet the operational needs of a marine propulsion reactor. In this reactor physics and 3D coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics study, we attempt to design a civil marine reactor core that fulfills the objective of providing at least 15 effective full-power-years (EFPY) life at 333 MWth. In order to unleash the benefit of thorium in a long life core, the micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel is well-positioned to be utilized in our proposed civil marine core. Unfortunately, A limited number of studies of duplex fuel are available in the public domain, but its use has never been examined in the context of a SBF environment for long-life small modular rector (SMR) core. Therefore, we assumed micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel for our proposed marine core in order to explore its capability. For the proposed civil marine propulsion core design, this study uses 18% U-235 enriched micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel. To provide a basis for comparison we also evaluate the performance of homogeneously mixed 15% U-235 enriched all-UO2 fuel. This research also attempts to design a high power density core with 14 EFPY while satisfying the neutronic and thermal-hydraulics safety constraints. A core with an average power density of 100 MW/m3 has been successfully designed while obtaining a core life of 14 years. The average core power density for this core is increased by ∼50% compared to the reference core design (63 MW/m3 and is equivalent to Sizewell B PWR (101.6 MW/m3 which means capital costs could be significantly reduced and the economic attractiveness of the marine core commensurately improved. In addition, similar to the standard SMR core, a reference core with a power density of 63 MW/m3 has been successfully designed while obtaining a core life of ∼16 years. One of the most important points that can be drawn from these studies is that a duplex fuel lattice needs less burnable absorber than uranium-only fuel to achieve the same poison performance. The higher initial reactivity suppression and relatively smaller reactivity swing of the duplex can make the task of reactivity control through BP design in a thorium-rich core easier. It is also apparent that control rods have greater worth in a duplex core, reducing the control material requirements and thus potentially the cost of the rods. This research also analyzed the feasibility of using thorium-based duplex fuel in different cases and environments to observe whether this fuel consistently exhibit superior performance compared to the UO2 core in both the assembly and whole-core levels. The duplex fuel/core consistently exhibits superior performance in consideration of all the neutronic and TH constraints specified. It can therefore be concluded from this study that the superior performance of the thorium-based micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel provides enhanced confidence that this fuel can be reliably used in high power density and long-life SBF marine propulsion core systems, offering neutronic advantages compared to the all-UO2 fuel. Last, but not least, considering all these factors, duplex fuel can potentially open the avenue for low-enriched uranium (LEU) SBF cores with different configurations. Motivated by growing environmental concerns and anticipated economic pressures, the overall goal of this study is to examine the technological feasibility of expanding the use of nuclear propulsion to civilian maritime shipping and to identify and propose promising candidate core designs.

Ideal prostheses are defined as artificial limbs that would permit physically impaired individuals freedom of movement and independence rather than a life of disability and dependence. Current lower limb prostheses range from a single mechanical revolute joint to advanced microprocessor controlled mechanisms. Despite the advancement in technology and medicine, current lower limb prostheses are still lacking an actuation element, which prohibits patients from regaining their original mobility and improving their quality of life. This thesis aims to design and test a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle that would actuate lower limb prostheses. This would offer patients the ability to ascend and descend stairs as well as standing up from a sitting position. A comprehensive study of knee biomechanics is first accomplished to characterize the actuation requirement, and subsequently a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle design is proposed. A novel design of muscle end fixtures is presented which would allow the muscle to operate at a gage pressure surpassing 2.76 MPa (i.e. 400 psi) and yield a muscle force that is at least 3 times greater than that produced by any existing equivalent Pneumatic Artificial Muscle. Finally, the proposed Pneumatic Artificial Muscle is tested and validated to verify that it meets the size, weight, kinetic and kinematic requirements of human knee articulation.

Ideal prostheses are defined as artificial limbs that would permit physically impaired individuals freedom of movement and independence rather than a life of disability and dependence. Current lower limb prostheses range from a single mechanical revolute joint to advanced microprocessor controlled mechanisms. Despite the advancement in technology and medicine, current lower limb prostheses are still lacking an actuation element, which prohibits patients from regaining their original mobility and improving their quality of life. This thesis aims to design and test a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle that would actuate lower limb prostheses. This would offer patients the ability to ascend and descend stairs as well as standing up from a sitting position. A comprehensive study of knee biomechanics is first accomplished to characterize the actuation requirement, and subsequently a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle design is proposed. A novel design of muscle end fixtures is presented which would allow the muscle to operate at a gage pressure surpassing 2.76 MPa (i.e. 400 psi) and yield a muscle force that is at least 3 times greater than that produced by any existing equivalent Pneumatic Artificial Muscle. Finally, the proposed Pneumatic Artificial Muscle is tested and validated to verify that it meets the size, weight, kinetic and kinematic requirements of human knee articulation.

With the rapid growth of air travel, concerns about the emissions of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the air transportation sector are growing. Although the current battery technologies might not be adequate for all-electric regional aircraft, the energy density of the current battery technologies could be adequate to electrify light-sport aircraft used for training and recreation. Due to the nature of the propeller load and noise isolation of the cabin, switched reluctance motors can be an excellent candidate for the propulsion system of electrified light-sport aircraft. The proposed SRM is designed to replace a 70 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor used in the aerospace industry with similar volume constraints and operational requirements. In order to meet the high-power density requirements of this application, a design framework is proposed which includes several layers of the design process. The design objectifies are the average torque, torque ripple, and radial forces by integrating the control and geometry design into the proposed framework. A comprehensive design process is carried out with the proposed framework, and a detailed coil design process is performed. The rotor cut-outs are designed to reduce the weight of the motor. The thermal performance of the motor has been analyzed for the calculated motor losses and the cooling system constraints. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p dir="ltr">The short lifespan of capacitors in power electronics converters is a significant challenge. These capacitors, often electrolytic, are vital for voltage smoothing and frequency filtering. However, their susceptibility to heat, ripple current, and aging can lead to premature faults. This can cause issues like output voltage instability and short circuits, ultimately resulting in catastrophic failure and system shutdown. Capacitors are responsible for 30% of power electronics failures.</p><p dir="ltr">To tackle this challenge, scientists, researchers, and engineers are exploring various approaches detailed in technical literature. These include exploring alternative capacitor technologies, implementing active and passive cooling solutions, and developing advanced monitoring techniques to predict and prevent failures. However, these solutions often come with drawbacks such as increased complexity, reduced efficiency, or higher upfront costs. Additionally, research in material science is ongoing to develop corrosion-resistant capacitors, but such devices are not readily available.</p><p dir="ltr">This dissertation presents a capacitorless solution for dc-dc and dc-ac converters. The proposed solution involves harnessing parasitic elements and integrating them as intrinsic components in power converter technology. This approach holds the promise of enhancing power electronics reliability ratings, thereby facilitating breakthroughs in electric vehicles, compact power processing units, and renewable energy systems. The central scientific premise of this proposal is that the capacitance requirement in a power converter can be met by deliberately augmenting parasitic components.</p><p dir="ltr">Our research hypothesis that incorporating high dielectric material-based thin-films, fabricated using nanotechnology, into planar magnetics will enable the development of a family of capacitorless electronic converters that do not rely on discrete capacitors. This innovative approach represents a departure from the traditional power converter schemes employed in industry.</p><p dir="ltr">The first family of converters introduces a novel capacitorless solid-state power filter (SSPF) for single-phase dc-ac converters. The proposed configuration, comprising a planar transformer and an H-bridge converter operating at high frequency, generates sinusoidal ac voltage without relying on capacitors. Another innovative dc-ac inverter design is the twelve step six-level inverter, which does not incorporate capacitors in its structure.</p><p dir="ltr">The second family of capacitorless topologies consists of non-isolated dc-dc converters, namely the buck converter and the buck-boost converter. These converters utilize alternative materials with high dielectric constants, such as calcium copper titanate (CCTO), to intentionally enhance specific parasitic components, notably inter capacitance. This innovative approach reduces reliance on external discrete capacitors and facilitates the development of highly reliable converters.</p><p dir="ltr">The study also includes detailed discussions on the necessary design specifications for these parasitic capacitors. Furthermore, comprehensive finite element analysis solutions and detailed circuit models are provided. A design example is presented to demonstrate the practical application of the proposed concept in electric vehicle (EV) low voltage side dc-dc power converters used to supply EVs low voltage loads.</p>