Jae-Do Park

Practical Energy Harvesting for Microbial Fuel Cells: A Review

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology offers sustainable solutions for distributed power systems and energy positive wastewater treatment, but the generation of practically usable power from MFCs remains a major challenge for system scale up and application. Commonly used external resistors will not harvest any usable energy, so energy-harvesting circuits are needed for real world applications. This review summarizes, explains, and discusses the different energy harvesting methods, components, and systems that can extract and condition the MFC energy for direct utilization. This study aims to assist environmental scientists and engineers to gain fundamental understandings of these electronic systems and algorithms, and it also offers research directions and insights on how to overcome the barriers, so the technology can be further advanced and applied in larger scale.

VSC-HVDC system protection: A review of current methods

Currently classical thyristor-based high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems hold the market in bulk power transmission. However, recent advances in semiconductor technology have led to voltage source converter based HVDC (VSC-HVDC) systems becoming a viable competitor. Not only is VSC-HVDC a competitor for transmission but it can also be used in multi-terminal systems, which have become an attractive option for renewable energy applications or for distribution in large cities. As more and more VSC-HVDC systems are installed, the protection of these systems must be taken into account. This paper explores different options and ideas for VSC system protection.

Fault Detection and Isolation in Low-Voltage DC-Bus Microgrid System

A fault detection and isolation scheme for low-voltage dc-bus microgrid systems is presented in this paper. Unlike traditional ac distribution systems, protection has been challenging for dc systems. The goals of the proposed scheme are to detect the fault in the bus between devices and to isolate the faulted section so that the system keeps operating without disabling the entire system. To achieve these goals, a loop-type dc-bus-based microgrid system, which has a segment controller between connected components, is proposed. The segment controller consists of master and slave controllers that monitor currents and control the segment separation, which include solid-state bidirectional switches and snubber circuits. The proposed system can detect faults on the bus regardless of fault current amplitude or the power supplys feeding capacity. The proposed concepts have been verified by OrCAD/PSpice simulations and experiments on hardware test bed.

DC Ring-Bus Microgrid Fault Protection and Identification of Fault Location

A fault protection and location method for a dc bus microgrid system is presented in this paper. Unlike traditional ac systems, dc bus systems cannot survive or sustain high-magnitude fault currents. And if a fault causes the dc bus to de-energize completely, it makes locating faults very difficult. The main goal of the proposed scheme is to detect and isolate faults in the dc bus without de-energizing the entire system and identifying the fault location. In order to achieve this, a ring-type bus was used in this paper. The bus was segmented into overlapping nodes and links with circuit breakers (CBs) to isolate the segment in the event of a fault. Backup protection is implemented for circuit breaker failures to improve system reliability. A noniterative fault-location technique using a probe power is also presented in this paper. This probe power can also be used for a pilot test before main CB reclosing to avoid system issues that can be expected when the reclosing fails due to a permanent fault. The proposed algorithm can be implemented and executed by an intelligent electrical device for individual node. The proposed concepts have been verified with computer simulations and hardware experiments.

Active Energy Harvesting from Microbial Fuel Cells at the Maximum Power Point without Using Resistors

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology offers a sustainable approach to harvest electricity from biodegradable materials. Energy production from MFCs has been demonstrated using external resistors or charge pumps, but such methods can only dissipate energy through heat or receive electrons passively from the MFC without any controllability. This study developed a new approach and system that can actively extract energy from MFC reactors at any operating point without using any resistors, especially at the peak power point to maximize energy production. Results show that power harvesting from a recirculating-flow MFC can be well maintained by the maximum power point circuit (MPPC) at its peak power point, while a charge pump was not able to change operating point due to current limitation. Within 18-h test, the energy gained from the MPPC was 76.8 J, 76 times higher than the charge pump (1.0 J) that was commonly used in MFC studies. Both conditions resulted in similar organic removal, but the Coulombic efficiency obtained from the MPPC was 21 times higher than that of the charge pump. Different numbers of capacitors could be used in the MPPC for various energy storage requirements and power supply, and the energy conversion efficiency of the MPPC was further characterized to identify key factors for system improvement. This active energy harvesting approach provides a new perspective for energy harvesting that can maximize MFC energy generation and system controllability.

Control of High-Speed Solid-Rotor Synchronous Reluctance Motor/Generator for Flywheel-Based Uninterruptible Power Supplies

A hybrid controller, consisting of a model-based feedforward controller and a proportional-integral feedback compensator, for a solid-rotor synchronous reluctance motor/generator in a high-speed flywheel-based uninterruptible power supply application is proposed in this paper. The feedforward controller takes most of the control output of the current regulator based on the machine model, and the PI controllers compensate the possible inaccuracies of the model to improve the performance and robustness of the complete control system. The machine current tracking error caused by parameter inaccuracy in the model-based controller is mathematically analyzed and utilized to dynamically compensate the estimated flux linkage to eliminate the steady-state error in current regulation. Stability analysis is also presented, and it can be seen that the regulation performance and robustness of the system are improved by the proposed hybrid controller. Simulation and experimental results consisting of a flywheel energy storage system validates the performance of the controller.

Analysis and Reduction of Time Harmonic Rotor Loss in Solid-Rotor Synchronous Reluctance Drive

Synchronous reluctance machines with solid rotor construction have advantages in certain high-speed applications such as flywheel energy storage systems. However, the solid rotor allows the flow of eddy currents, resulting in rotor loss and heat generation. The switching harmonics in the stator voltage supplied by a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverter are one of the sources of the rotor loss. This paper performs an analysis for the time harmonic loss in a solid-rotor synchronous reluctance machine, and investigates design and control issues associated with the inclusion of a three-phase LC filter for reduction of the rotor loss in solid rotor. A two-phase dynamic model of the machine which incorporates the LC filter dynamics is presented. This model is used to predict rotor losses due to switching harmonics generated by the three-phase PWM inverter. A model-based current regulator is utilized, which is modified to include the effects of the LC filter. Experimental results validate the proposed approach.

Design and control of high-speed solid-rotor synchronous reluctance drive with three-phase LC filter

Synchronous reluctance machines with solid rotor construction have advantages in certain high-speed applications such as flywheel energy storage systems. However, the solid rotor allows the flow of eddy currents, resulting in heat generation. A three-phase LC filter can reduce rotor losses due to the switching harmonics generated by a 3-phase inverter. This paper investigates the design and control of a high-speed synchronous reluctance drive with a three-phase LC filter. A two-phase dynamic model of the drive which incorporates the LC filter dynamics is presented. This model is used to predict rotor losses due to switching harmonics using phasor analysis. A feedforward-based current regulator is utilized, which is modified to include the effects of the LC filter. Simulation and experimental results validate the proposed approach.

Hysteresis-Controller-Based Energy Harvesting Scheme for Microbial Fuel Cells With Parallel Operation Capability

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging technology for sustainable energy production. An MFC employs indigenous microorganisms as biocatalysts and can theoretically convert any biodegradable substrate into electricity, making the technology a viable solution for sustainable waste treatment or autonomous power supply. However, the electric energy currently generated from MFCs is not directly usable due to the low voltage and current output. Moreover, the output power can fluctuate significantly according to the operating conditions, which makes stable harvest of energy difficult. This paper presents an MFC energy harvesting scheme using a hysteresis controller and two layers of DC/DC converters. The proposed energy harvesting system can capture the energy from multiple MFCs at individually controlled operating point and at the same time form the energy into a usable shape.

Alternating Current Influences Anaerobic Electroactive Biofilm Activity

Alternating current (AC) is known to inactivate microbial growth in suspension, but how AC influences anaerobic biofilm activities has not been systematically investigated. Using a Geobacter dominated anaerobic biofilm growing on the electrodes of microbial electrochemical reactors, we found that high frequency AC ranging from 1 MHz to 1 kHz (amplitude of 5 V, 30 min) showed only temporary inhibition to the biofilm activity. However, lower frequency (100 Hz, 1.2 or 5 V) treatment led to 47 ± 19% permanent decrease in limiting current on the same biofilm, which is attributed to the action of electrohydrodynamic force that caused biofilm damage and loss of intercellular electron transfer network. Confocal microscopy images show such inactivation mainly occurred at the interface between the biofilm and the electrode. Reducing the frequency further to 1 Hz led to water electrolysis, which generated gas bubbles that flushed all attached cells out of the electrode. These findings provide new references on understanding and regulating biofilm growth, which has broader implications in biofouling control, anaerobic waste treatment, energy and product recovery, and general understanding of microbial ecology and physiology.