William L. Hughes

Solar energy conversion and storage systems for the future

The thesis of this paper is that the long-range solution to the energy woes of the world does not lie in any one particular approach and that several avenues should be explored simultaneously, with particular emphasis on the exploitation of solar energy in its various manifestations such as heat, winds, tides, and ocean thermal gradients. Research and development over the past thirteen years at Oklahoma State University has resulted in the evolution of several components required to engineer a continuous duty power system running on nonexpendable energy sources, namely the sun and the wind. This paper presents the system and discusses its applicability to the energy systems of the future.

Prospects for tapping solar energy on a large scale

Abstract As a result of the energy conversion and storage research underway at Oklahoma State University since 1961, several components needed to engineer a continuous-duty energy system operating on replenishable solar energy have been developed to the prototype stage and are being tested. This paper presents and discusses these components and how they fit together in the solar energy systems envisioned for the long-term and immediate future. A simplified economic analysis of solar energy systems is presented, and the calculated generation costs are compared with those of conventional fuel burning systems for different fuel costs, load factors and interest rates. One result of this study is that wind energy systems, costing

A Field Modulated Frequency Down Conversion Power System

125 to

An Energy System for the Future

150 per installed kW and pumping power directly into a.c. mains for 20 per cent of the time using the field-modulated generating systems developed at OSU, are competitive with conventional systems costing

Analysis of the Parallel-Bridge Rectifier System

250 to

Operation of Alternators with Parallel-Bridge Rectifier Systems

350 per installed kW operating at a load factor of 80 per cent and fuel cost of

Some Comments on the Technical Realities Concerning Television Allocations

0·50 per MBtu. More such comparisons are included in the text of the paper.

Method of converting organic material into useful products and disposable waste

A new concept in power generation has been theoretically developed and experimentally tested at Oklahoma State University. The generator design incorporates new techniques in field modulation and solid-state alternator output processing. The resulting generator is smaller and lighter than comparable commercial models presently available, and it will operate such that frequency output is independent of the shaft speed of a prime mover.

FIELD MODULATED ALTERNATOR SYSTEM AND CONTROL THEREFOR

A technique for the practical utilization of solar energy on a continuous basis to provide bulk power is described. The output of solar energy converters is used to produce hydrogen by pressure electrolysis of water. The energy stored in the hydrogen can be efficiently transformed into electrical energy by the use of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells.

DEVICE FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF THERMAL DYNAMIC FREE ENERGY IN FUEL GASES TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

A new rectifier connection scheme which eliminates line-to-line short circuits and tends to present a balanced load to three-phase power sources, such as synchronous machines with high commutating reactances, is presented. The scheme consists of using three full-wave bridges, one across each of the three isolated phase windings, with their outputs tied in parallel across the load. Resulting voltage and current waveforms have been studied in detail theoretically and verified experimentally for both resistive and inductive load conditions. Equations for voltages and currents and theoretical plots for voltages under different operating conditions are given. Comparison of these with oscillograms obtained from an experimental model shows very close agreement.