This thesis is an examination of one of the main technologies to be developed on the
path to Space Solar Power (SSP): Wireless Power Transfer (WPT), specifically power beaming. While SSP has been the main motivation for this body of work, other applications
of power beaming include ground-to-ground energy transfer, ground to low-flying satellite
wireless power transfer, mother-daughter satellite configurations, and even ground-to-car or
ground-to-flying-car power transfer. More broadly, Wireless Power Transfer falls under the
category of radio and microwave signals; with that in mind, some of the topics contained
within can even be applied to 5G or other RF applications. The main components of WPT
are signal transmission, propagation, and reception. This thesis focuses on the transmission
and propagation of wireless power signals, including beamforming with Phased Array Antennas (PAAs) and evaluations of transmission and propagation efficiency. Signals used to
transmit power long distances must be extremely directive in order to deliver the power at an
acceptable efficiency and to prevent excess power from interfering with other RF technology.
Phased array antennas offer one method of increasing the directivity of a transmitted beam
through off-axis cancellation from the multi-antenna source. Besides beamforming, another
focus of this work is on the equations used to describe the efficiency and far field distance
of transmitting antennas. Most previously used equations, including the Friis equation and
the Goubau equation, are formed by examining singleton antennas, and do not account for
the unique properties of antenna arrays. Updated equations and evaluation methods are
presented both for the far field and the efficiency of phased array antennas. Experimental
results corroborate the far field model and efficiency equation presented, and the implications
of these results regarding space solar power and other applications are discussed. The results
of this thesis are important to the applications of WPT previously mentioned, and can also
be used as a starting point for further WPT and SSP research, especially when looking at
the foundations of PAA technology.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/14668548 |
| Date | 05 August 2021 |
| Creators | Abigail Jubilee Kragt Finnell (10867179) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Wireless_Power_Transfer_Efficiency_Far_Field_Directivity_and_Phased_Array_Antennas/14668548 |
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