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Recent trends in the energy sector have provided opportunities in the research of alternative energy sources and optimization of systems that harness these energy sources. With the rising cost of fossil fuel and rising concern about detrimental effects that fossil fuel consumption has on the environment, electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent. A study put out in 2009 gives a prediction that in the year 2025, 20% of new vehicles will be PHEVs.[1] As energy providers become more concerned about a growing population and diminishing energy source, they are looking into alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. Much of this is done on a large scale with vast amounts of land used for solar or wind farms to provide energy to the grid. However, as population grows, requirements of the physical components of a power transmission system will become more demanding and the need for remote micro-grids will become more prevalent. Micro-grids are essentially smaller subsystems of a distribution system that provide power to a confined group of loads, or households. Using the idea of micro grid technology, a solar charging station can be used as a source to provide energy for the immediate surroundings, or also to electric vehicles that are demanding energy from the panels. Solar charging stations are becoming very popular, however the need for improvement and optimization of these systems is needed. This thesis will present a method for redesigning the overall architecture of the controls and power electronics of typical carports so that efficiency, reliability and modularity are achieved. Specifically, a typical carport, as seen commonly today, has been built on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. This iii carport was designed in such a way that shifting from conventional charging methods is made easy while preserving the fundamental requirements of a practical solar carport.

Technology advancements enable and encourage higher system electrifications in various applications. More electrified applications need more capable and higher performing sources of energy in terms of power delivery, power regeneration, and energy capacity. For example, in electric, hybrid electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle applications (EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs), the power and energy ratings of the vehicle energy storage system (ESS) have a direct impact on the vehicle performance. Many researchers investigated and studied various aspects of hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) wherein multiple ESSs are combined together to share system loads, increase ESS capabilities, and cycle life. Various configurations and their application specific topologies were also proposed by other researchers; the potential of HESS has been proven to be very promising. In this research, the goal is to present the theory of a HESS configuration that has not been discovered thus far. This HESS configuration is called a series-parallel reconfigurable HESS (SPR-HESS) since it is capable of recombining multiple storage systems into different series, parallel, or series-parallel configurations, via power electronic converters, to accommodate different operation modes and load requirements. Simulations, as well as experimental verifications, are presented in this thesis. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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<p>In this study, the effect of HEVs on traffic related pollution was assessed in the Hamilton CMA. This thesis aimed to combine findings from these two fields in a traffic simulation procedure. By introducing the HEVs in incremental levels to the vehicle travel pattern of more than 700,000 people in the study area, changes occurring in traffic related pollution at different levels were modeled.</p> <p>The hypothetical HEV spatial distribution patterns models were derived through negative binomial regression modeling based on 2006 census data and 2008 vehicle registration data. The distribution of predetermined number of HEVs throughout the Hamilton CMA was completed through these models and results were used to modify input OD matrices for the TRAFFIC program. The link-based emissions were calculated in combination with traffic emission factors for HEV.</p> <p>The results indicated that converting 10% of the total fleet into HEVs was needed to make significant reductions to the HC and CO aggregate emissions in all five models. An important finding with the incremental HEV penetration levels was the approximately linear trend between the percent reduction in the traffic emissions and the percent of HEVs in the total fleet. This trend allows calculations of approximate traffic emission reduction expected with any HEV level. The results illustrating links with more than 10% reduction in traffic emissions indicated that HEV technology as an effective method in dealing with environmental concerns.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Résumé : Depuis la fin du XXème siècle, l’augmentation du prix du pétrole brut et les problématiques environnementales poussent l’industrie automobile à développer des technologies plus économes en carburant et générant moins d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Parmi ces technologies, les véhicules électriques hybrides constituent une solution viable et performante. En alliant un moteur électrique et un moteur à combustion, ces véhicules possèdent un fort potentiel de réduction de la consommation de carburant sans sacrifier son autonomie. La présence de deux moteurs et de deux sources d’énergie requiert un contrôleur, appelé système de gestion d’énergie, responsable de la commande simultanée des deux moteurs. Les performances du véhicule en matière de consommation dépendent en partie de la conception de ce contrôleur. Les véhicules électriques hybrides rechargeables, plus récents que leur équivalent non rechargeable, se distinguent par l’ajout d’un chargeur interne permettant la recharge de la batterie pendant l’arrêt du véhicule et par conséquent la décharge de celle-ci au cours d’un trajet. Cette particularité ajoute un degré de complexité pour ce qui est de la conception du système de gestion d’énergie. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons un modèle complet du véhicule dédié à la conception du contrôleur. Nous étudions ensuite la dépendance de la commande optimale des deux moteurs par rapport au profil de vitesse suivi au cours d’un trajet ainsi qu’à la quantité d’énergie électrique disponible au début d’un trajet. Cela nous amène à proposer une technique d’auto-apprentissage visant l’amélioration de la stratégie de gestion d’énergie en exploitant un certain nombre de données enregistrées sur les trajets antérieurs. La technique proposée permet l’adaptation de la stratégie de contrôle vis-à-vis du trajet en cours en se basant sur une pseudo-prédiction de la totalité du profil de vitesse. Nous évaluerons les performances de la technique proposée en matière de consommation de carburant en la comparant avec une stratégie optimale bénéficiant de la connaissance exacte du profil de vitesse ainsi qu’avec une stratégie de base utilisée couramment dans l’industrie. // Abstract : Since the end of the XXth century, the increase in crude oil price and the environmental concerns lead the automotive industry to develop technologies that can improve fuel savings and decrease greenhouse gases emissions. Among these technologies, the hybrid electric vehicles stand as a reliable and efficient solution. By combining an electrical motor and an internal combustion engine, these vehicles can bring a noticeable improvement in terms of fuel consumption without sacrificing the vehicle autonomy. The two motors and the two energy storage systems require a control unit, called energy management system, which is responsible for the command decision of both motors. The vehicle performances in terms of fuel consumption greatly depend on this control unit. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are a more recent technology compared to their non plug-in counterparts. They have an extra internal battery charger that allows the battery to be charged during OFF state, implying a possible discharge during a trip. This particularity adds complexity when it comes to the design of the energy management system. In this thesis, a complete vehicle model is proposed and used for the design of the controller. A study is then carried out to show the dependence between the optimal control of the motors and the speed profile followed during a trip as well as the available electrical energy at the beginning of a trip. According to this study, a self-learning optimization technique that aims at improving the energy management strategy by exploiting some driving data recorded on previous trips is proposed. The technique allows the adaptation of the control strategy to the current trip based on a pseudo-prediction of the total speed profile. Fuel consumption performances for the proposed technique will be evaluated by comparing it with an optimal control strategy that benefits from the exact a priori knowledge of the speed profile as well as a basic strategy commonly used in industry.

Hybrid electric vehicles significantly reduce exhaust emissions and increase fuel economy. Power packs are the most fundamental components in a series powertrain configuration of a hybrid vehicle, which produce the necessary power to run the vehicle. The aim of this project is to design a compact power pack for a series hybrid vehicle, using virtual prototyping. The hybrid electric vehicle characteristics and configurations are analysed, followed by an explanation of the principles of induction machines. A new type of rotary induction machine with an outer rotor construction is designed to be coupled with the novel rotary internal combustion engine with rotating crankcase in order to form the compact power unit for the hybrid vehicle. The starting and generation performance of the designed machine is analysed by an electric machine simulator, called JMAG. ADVISOR software is studied and utilised to simulate the overall vehicle performance, employing different categories of power packs in the powertrain. Results show that the proposed compact power pack has the best performance in terms of fuel economy, emissions and battery charging compared to the existing power unit options. Over the city cycle, fuel economy is increased by up to 47 % with emission reduced by up to 36 % and over the highway cycle, fuel economy is increased by up to 69 % with emission reduced by up to 42 %.

A regular vehicle of today is equipped with an internal combustion engine that runs on either gasoline or diesel, which are fossil fuels from oil reserves that are millions of years old. In all types of combustion processes carbon dioxide and several other emissions are produced. There are none known technologies of today that can reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from combustion, but the amount that is produced is mainly dependent on the fuel that is used. Combustion of fossil fuels increases the contamination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and diminishes the oil resources. The results are global warming and empty oil reserves within a few decades with the current production tempo, in addition to many other pollution effects that are harmful to the environment. A transition towards a society based on sustainable transportation is therefore urgent. The hydrogen fuel cell powered car with an electric propulsion system has the potential to be the car of the future that possesses the required characteristics of no harmful tailpipe emissions. There are some obstacles in the way for an early commercialisation, including the expensive catalysts used today and the lack of an infrastructure based on hydrogen, though. The hybrid electric vehicle, with both a conventional as well as an electric drivetrain, is a natural candidate for making the transition from the conventional car towards the car of the future. This thesis is focused on the design and analysis of permanent magnet machines for a novel hybrid electric vehicle drive system called the Four Quadrant Transducer. A number of electrical machine aspects are identified, including cores of soft magnetic composites, fractional pitch concentrated windings, core segmentation, novel machine topologies and cost effective production methods. The main objective is to analyse and judge the many unconventional machine aspects of which some may have the potential to improve the performance and reduce the cost of permanent magnet machines. Another objective is to study the effects of the use of fossil fuels and describe them with a new perspective and thereby make one small contribution to the debate about energy issues. Much focus has been spent on the theory of concentrated windings for permanent magnet machines. The potential parasitic effects and methods to improve the torque performance have been described. Other topics that have been given a high priority are material and power loss studies. An important contribution to the understanding of iron losses during field-weakening operation has been presented. A comprehensive use of finite element modeling has been done in the analysis combined with measurements on several laboratory prototypes. The Four Quadrant Transducer drivetrain and its two electrical machines intended for a midsized passenger car has been studied. The gearbox can be of a simple single stage type, which reduces the mechanical complexity and makes the traction performance of the vehicle smooth, without gear changes and drops in power. Simulations on a complete hybrid system show that fuel savings of more than 40% compared to a conventional vehicle can be achieved at citytraffic driving. The savings are modest at highway driving, since the engine is required to operate at high power during such conditions, and the support from the electrical system is negligible. The laboratory prototypes have shown that it is possible to manufacture high performance electrical machines with high material utilization and potential for automated production. The described concepts offer cost effective solutions for future drive systems in automotive and industrial applications. A number of weaknesses with the presented constructions have also been characterized, which should serve as guidelines for creating more optimized machines.

Electric power has become a basic necessity of human life. The major share of electric power comes from fossil fuel which results in global warming and pollution. A share of generated power comes from nuclear power which is equally dangerous. Big hydro projects take away lots of fertile land. The continuous usage of fossil fuel also poses a threat of petroleum and coal getting over in the near future. The only way out of this energy scarcity is to depend more and more on renewable sources like solar, wind and micro-hydro. At present, instead of having preference over any particular source of renewable energy, effort should be made to extract power from every possible energy source available in whatever form it is and use it in an optimal way. Like any renewable energy sources, the wind power contains large potential for harnessing energy that has been well understood hundreds of years ago. The importance of wind power generation has come to focus recently both at installation and research level and lot of activities are being carried out for efficient use of wind energy. There are different types of wind turbine designs available in the literature. But the most commercially used model is the two or three blade horizontal axis propeller type wind turbine. Research has shown that variable speed operation of this type of turbine is advantageous over fixed speed operation in terms of total energy synthesis. The most commonly used machines for wind power conversion are synchronous machine, squirrel cage induction machine and slip ring induction machine (SRIM). Variable speed operation using synchronous machine or squirrel cage induction machine requires large ratings of the power converters. However, SRIM based variable speed wind generator is advantageous over other schemes due to its inherent advantages like lower power rating for the converters, higher energy capture and the flexibility of sharing reactive power between the stator and the rotor. SRIM is used for both grid connected and stand alone applications and have been reported in the literature. The grid connected applications have received major attention in the literature whereas there are only a very few instances of its stand alone counterparts. There are many places both within and outside India where utility grid has not yet reached or the available grid is very weak. Moreover, in many of the places, the transmission line is so long that the losses in the system are extremely high. Isolated wind power generation can be of great advantage in such places where the available wind power is harnessed and utilized locally. This has been the motivation to go for proposing an isolated wind power generation scheme in this thesis. The proposed scheme is designed to supply power to the load even when very low or no wind power is available. Therefore, a battery bank is also a part of the system. The power converter assembly of the proposed scheme has three major components. One is the rotor side converter which is connected to the rotor terminals of the SRIM. The second one is the stator side converter with output LC filter which is connected to the stator side. These two converters share a common DC link which is interfaced to the battery bank through a multi phase bi-directional fly-back DC-DC converter. Fig. 1. Overall block diagram of the proposed stand alone wind power generator Functionally, this thesis proposes a system as shown in Fig. 1, which has primarily two components with multiple energy ports viz. (i) the SRIM is one triple energy port component and (ii) the proposed power conditioner is another triple energy port component. The SRIM device consists of (i) a mechanical energy port that is interfaced with the windmill shaft (ii) an AC port through the stator windings that is interfaced with the micro-grid/load and (iii) a third port which is also an AC port through the rotor windings of the SRIM that interfaces with an AC port of the proposed power conditioner. The proposed power conditioner is another triple energy port device which consists of (i) a DC energy port that interfaces with a battery/accumulator, (ii) an AC port that interfaces with the rotor windings of the SRIM and (iii) another AC port that generates the micro-grid that is connected to the load and the stator port of the SRIM. The proposed power conditioner provides the frame work for managing the energy flow from the mechanical port of the SRIM to the rotor and accumulator as well as from the mechanical port to the stator/load and accumulator. Further, energy interaction can also take place between the stator and the rotor externally through the power conditioner. The power interfaces on all three energy ports of the proposed power conditioner poses several challenges that have been discussed in this thesis. This thesis focuses on developing schemes to solve these challenges as explained below. Speed sensorless control is a natural choice for slip ring induction machine because of the flexibility of sensing both stator and rotor currents. There are different methods proposed in the literature which deal with the speed sensorless control of slip ring induction machine. However, the elimination of the measurement noise in the flux position estimation is not sufficiently addressed. It is important to address this issue as this would lead to deterioration in rotor side control of SRIM if the measurement noise is not eliminated. Primarily, the schemes which use algebraic relation between the estimated rotor current in stator reference frame and the sensed rotor current, are prone to measurement noise. On the other hand, the schemes, which use rotor back-emf integration, are affected by DC drift problems, though they are not much affected by measurement noise. The proposed stator flux position estimation scheme incorporates the benefits obtained from both the above schemes while eliminating the disadvantages inherent to them. The rotor flux position is estimated by integrating the rotor back-electromotive force. The stator flux is then obtained from the rotor flux estimate. This integration mechanism leads to several problems like dc drift and lack of error decaying mechanism. This estimation scheme solves the above problems including reduction in the propagation of noise in the sensed current to the estimated rotor side unit vectors. On the implementation front, this scheme also eliminates the need for differentiating the unit vectors for estimating slip frequency. This makes the proposed flux estimator very robust. The proposed scheme is simulated and experimentally verified. There is an internal DC bus within the proposed power conditioner that manages the energy flow through the three energy ports. The internal DC bus is interfaced to an external accumulator or battery through a power interface called the multi phase bi-directional dc-dc converter. It is generally advantageous to have the motor rated for higher voltages in order to achieve better efficiencies for a given power rating as compared to low voltage motors. This implies higher DC bus voltage. On the other hand, it is advantageous to have the battery bank rated for low voltage in order to improve the volumetric efficiency which is better at lower battery bank voltages. Both these are contradictory requirements. The above problem is solved in this thesis by proposing a multi power port topology using a bidirectional fly-back converter that is capable of handling multiple power sources and still maintain simplicity and features like high gain, wide load variations and lower output current ripple. As a spin-off, the scheme can handle parallel energy transfer from even a eutectic combination of batteries without any additional control circuitry for parallel operation. Further, the scheme also incorporates a novel transformer winding technique which significantly reduces the leakage inductance of the coupled inductor. The proposed multi-port bidirectional converter is analyzed by including non-idealities like leakage inductance. The DC bus voltage regulation requirement is not very stringent because it is not directly fed to any load. Therefore, hysteresis voltage regulation with small proportional correction is used for DC bus voltage control. The proposed converter is built and experimentally verified in the proposed system as well as in a hybrid-electric vehicle prototype. The third port of the proposed power conditioner interfaces with the stator of the SRIM and the load. The stator/load needs to be connected to a stiff micro-grid. The control requirement of the micro-grid is very stringent because, even for a sudden variation in the wind speed or the load, the grid voltage magnitude and frequency should not change. The dynamic response of the grid voltage controller has to be very fast. Moreover, the grid voltage must be balanced in presence of unbalanced loading. This thesis proposes a converter called the stator side converter along with three phase L-C filter at its output to form the micro-grid. A generalized control scheme is proposed wherein the negative sequence components and the harmonics can be eliminated at the micro-grid by means of feed-forward compensators included in the fundamental positive synchronous reference frame alone. The theoretical foundation for this scheme is developed and discussed in the thesis. In isolated locations linear loads constitute a significant percentage of the total load. Therefore, on the implementation front, only the compensation of fundamental negative sequence is demonstrated. One more necessity for compensating the fundamental negative sequence is that, the SRIM offers only leakage impedance to the fundamental negative sequence components resulting in high fundamental negative sequence current even for a small fundamental negative sequence voltage present at the micro-grid. The proposed scheme ensures balanced three phase currents at the SRIM windings and the full unbalanced current is provided from the stator side converter. This scheme is validated both by simulation and experimentation. The proposed power conditioner is integrated and used in the implementation of the entire wind power generation scheme that is proposed in the thesis. The maximum power point tracking of the wind power unit is also incorporated in the proposed system. The simulation and experimental results are also presented. Finally, the engineering issues involved in the implementation of the proposed scheme are discussed in detail highlighting the hardware configuration and the equipments used. The wind turbine is emulated using a chopper controlled DC motor. The shaft torque of the DC motor is controlled to give the Cp−λ characteristic of a typical windmill. The control issues of the DC machine to behave as a wind turbine are also explained. Finally the thesis is concluded by a statement of potentials and possibilities for future work in this research area.