Innovative Grid-Connected, Small-Scale Wind Turbine Generators Offering Low Cost and Wide Operating Speed Range. Growing concerns about sustainability issues with fossil fuels have resulted in strong interest in wind power worldwide. Grid-connected inverters are an efficient way of utilising small wind turbines on domestic, farming or small commercial properties which have access to the power grid. Existing small-scale, grid-connected wind turbines are expensive and have a limited operating wind ....Innovative Grid-Connected, Small-Scale Wind Turbine Generators Offering Low Cost and Wide Operating Speed Range. Growing concerns about sustainability issues with fossil fuels have resulted in strong interest in wind power worldwide. Grid-connected inverters are an efficient way of utilising small wind turbines on domestic, farming or small commercial properties which have access to the power grid. Existing small-scale, grid-connected wind turbines are expensive and have a limited operating wind speed range. We are investigating new designs for low-cost wind turbine generators which can produce power over a wide range of wind speeds. The project should result in a greater application of small-scale wind generators in Australia and will lead to reductions in fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions.Read moreRead less
Design and Control of Sensorless, Brushless, Linear Permanent Magnet Motors for Fluid Pumping. Many machines require reciprocating motion and achieve it by mechanical conversion of rotary motion. In particular, pistons for liquid pumping and gas compression are usually driven by a crank on a rotary electric motor. Driving the piston directly by a linear motor eliminates the cost, weight, inefficiency and wear of the mechanical conversion. This project will design, construct and test high efficie ....Design and Control of Sensorless, Brushless, Linear Permanent Magnet Motors for Fluid Pumping. Many machines require reciprocating motion and achieve it by mechanical conversion of rotary motion. In particular, pistons for liquid pumping and gas compression are usually driven by a crank on a rotary electric motor. Driving the piston directly by a linear motor eliminates the cost, weight, inefficiency and wear of the mechanical conversion. This project will design, construct and test high efficiency, tubular, linear permanent magnet motors for fluid pumping. Further, an intelligent electronic controller will be developed to control the motor speed and reversals without sensors in the motor. Initial applications will be solar powered water pumping and purification.Read moreRead less
Theoretical study and experimental verification of low cost, integrated and efficient AC/DC power supplies using time-multiplexing control. The project aims to reduce the amount of energy waste and cost due to inefficient AC/DC power supplies by introducing a novel power supply technique - combining conventional two-stage power circuits and using time-multiplexing control. Improvements in power supply efficiency and size will mean reduced total cost, improved product lifetime and reduced heating ....Theoretical study and experimental verification of low cost, integrated and efficient AC/DC power supplies using time-multiplexing control. The project aims to reduce the amount of energy waste and cost due to inefficient AC/DC power supplies by introducing a novel power supply technique - combining conventional two-stage power circuits and using time-multiplexing control. Improvements in power supply efficiency and size will mean reduced total cost, improved product lifetime and reduced heating up of the environment, leading to a reliable product that is particularly relevant to the Australian switching power supply industry. The development of this technology will help to put Australia into a leading position internationally in the design and manufacturing of AC/DC power supply.Read moreRead less
Hot-swappable and High-efficient Grid-connected Power Electronics System For Photovoltaic Modules with Direct Power Transfer Technique. The project aims to increase the amount of available energy intake from photovoltaic panels, lengthen lifetime of power DC/AC inverter, reduce the amount of energy waste due to inefficient inverter by introducing new switching power converters with direct power transfer technique - bypassing part of the input power without repeatedly processing it, and using lon ....Hot-swappable and High-efficient Grid-connected Power Electronics System For Photovoltaic Modules with Direct Power Transfer Technique. The project aims to increase the amount of available energy intake from photovoltaic panels, lengthen lifetime of power DC/AC inverter, reduce the amount of energy waste due to inefficient inverter by introducing new switching power converters with direct power transfer technique - bypassing part of the input power without repeatedly processing it, and using long-life ceramic type capacitors. Development of this technology will mean reduced total cost, improved product lifetime and reduced global warming. It will lead to a reliable product that will help to put the Australian switching power converter industry into a leading position internationally in the design and manufacture of DC/AC inverters.Read moreRead less
CONTROL AND INTERFACING OF GRID-CONNECTED IGBT INVERTERS FOR SMALL-SCALE WIND GENERATORS. The project aims to investigate methods for extracting and converting intermittent energy from variable speed wind generators and supplying to electricity grids. Low cost power conditioning units for integrating small-scale wind generators will be designed, developed and commercialised. It is expected that this project will lead to a systematic design procedure for grid connected inverter technology using ....CONTROL AND INTERFACING OF GRID-CONNECTED IGBT INVERTERS FOR SMALL-SCALE WIND GENERATORS. The project aims to investigate methods for extracting and converting intermittent energy from variable speed wind generators and supplying to electricity grids. Low cost power conditioning units for integrating small-scale wind generators will be designed, developed and commercialised. It is expected that this project will lead to a systematic design procedure for grid connected inverter technology using a novel current control technique, and extraction of more energy from small scale wind turbines especially at low wind speeds. Successful commercialisation will result in significant reduction in cost resulting wider application of wind turbines, substantial economic benefit to the commercial partners as well as Australian communities in rural areas.Read moreRead less
Development of Low Cost High Performance Motor Drives for Electrical Appliances using New Soft Magnetic Composite Materials. This project aims to break the major barrier to commercial production of efficient electrical appliances by developing low cost high performance motor drives using new soft magnetic composite materials. Initial applications will be swimming pool/spa pump drives. Optimum material composition, novel motor topologies, intelligent variable speed drive, and motor manufacturing ....Development of Low Cost High Performance Motor Drives for Electrical Appliances using New Soft Magnetic Composite Materials. This project aims to break the major barrier to commercial production of efficient electrical appliances by developing low cost high performance motor drives using new soft magnetic composite materials. Initial applications will be swimming pool/spa pump drives. Optimum material composition, novel motor topologies, intelligent variable speed drive, and motor manufacturing techniques using mould injection/compaction will be developed to reduce the production cost with improved performance in collaboration with Waterco. The new technology will contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emission by reducing energy consumption of electrical appliances and once commercialised will greatly enhance the competitiveness of Australian industry in the world market.Read moreRead less
High Efficiency Low Cost Low Noise Variable Speed Compressor Drive for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems. This project aims to break the major barriers to the commercial production of efficient refrigerators and air conditioners by developing a high efficiency low cost low noise variable speed compressor drive. High performance PM motors, power electronic fault tolerant converters/inverters, and intelligent algorithms for motor control and temperature control will be developed to meet ....High Efficiency Low Cost Low Noise Variable Speed Compressor Drive for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems. This project aims to break the major barriers to the commercial production of efficient refrigerators and air conditioners by developing a high efficiency low cost low noise variable speed compressor drive. High performance PM motors, power electronic fault tolerant converters/inverters, and intelligent algorithms for motor control and temperature control will be developed to meet the specific requirements of compressor drives in collaboration with Kirby Refrigeration. The new technology will contribute to the reduction of CO2 greenhouse gas emission by reducing the energy consumption of refrigerators and air conditioners and once commercialised will greatly enhance the competitiveness of Australian industry in the world market.Read moreRead less
Application Oriented System Level Optimum Design Method for Advanced Electrical Drive Systems. The new concept of application-oriented, integrated, system level design will relieve the constraints formerly applied to appliances by motors and give appliance designers full freedom to pursue the best appliance functions. The new platform will become a powerful tool for designing advanced drive systems of new materials, novel topologies, low cost and high performance, and shorten significantly the p ....Application Oriented System Level Optimum Design Method for Advanced Electrical Drive Systems. The new concept of application-oriented, integrated, system level design will relieve the constraints formerly applied to appliances by motors and give appliance designers full freedom to pursue the best appliance functions. The new platform will become a powerful tool for designing advanced drive systems of new materials, novel topologies, low cost and high performance, and shorten significantly the period of new product development. This will enhance tremendously the competitiveness of Australian industry. The energy savings achieved by using efficient systems will contribute significantly towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. High quality PhD and honours degree students will be trained.Read moreRead less
Nanostructured Silicon-Based Tandem Solar Cells. The expected outcome from the project is a new generation of low-cost silicon solar cell that will significantly reduce the costs of generating electricity from sunlight. Solar cells are presently the world's most rapidly growing energy source, with Australians and Australian companies already major players in the associated rapidly expanding industry. Solar cells represent the most benign technology yet suggested for supplying the world's future ....Nanostructured Silicon-Based Tandem Solar Cells. The expected outcome from the project is a new generation of low-cost silicon solar cell that will significantly reduce the costs of generating electricity from sunlight. Solar cells are presently the world's most rapidly growing energy source, with Australians and Australian companies already major players in the associated rapidly expanding industry. Solar cells represent the most benign technology yet suggested for supplying the world's future energy needs. A cleaner environment in the future than would otherwise be likely is another expected outcome as is the creation of major new opportunities for Australian industry.Read moreRead less
ADVANCED PHYSICS AND CHARACTERISATION OF SILICON MATERIALS AND DEVICES. Silicon, the semiconductor material that has revolutionised modern society through Microelectronics, is also at the centre of Photovoltaics, the technology that permits harvesting the energy from the sun to improve the quality of life and sustain it beyond the limitations of fossil fuel resources. By improving our understanding of the fundamental properties of silicon and advancing the solar cell devices made from it, this p ....ADVANCED PHYSICS AND CHARACTERISATION OF SILICON MATERIALS AND DEVICES. Silicon, the semiconductor material that has revolutionised modern society through Microelectronics, is also at the centre of Photovoltaics, the technology that permits harvesting the energy from the sun to improve the quality of life and sustain it beyond the limitations of fossil fuel resources. By improving our understanding of the fundamental properties of silicon and advancing the solar cell devices made from it, this project aims to increase Australia's presence in the vast field of Microlectronics and maintain its leading position in solar energy technologies.Read moreRead less