For information about the center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS), please visit: http://poets-erc.org/.
| The following ARG students are currently conducting research in the field of energy system modeling and control.
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Cary Laird: Electrical/Thermal Power Systems
My research focuses on improving the pulsed power capabilities of current energy storage systems by combining battery packs with supercapacitors. By modeling these hybrid energy storage systems (HESS), we can demonstrate improved power capabilities and battery life.
Reid Smith: Electro-Thermal Power Systems
Hybrid-electric vehicles for high payload, long-range applications introduce new challenges into electro-thermal control due to a dramatic increase in power requirements when compared to short-range electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. As these vehicles utilize turbomachinery, drive motors, cooling cycles, and energy storage systems, the corresponding control optimization presents multi-domain, multi-timescale challenges. Reid’s current work focuses on modeling the electrical and thermal dynamics of each subsystem, while his future work will be to design and validate a control architecture for this hybrid-electric vehicle power management system.
Kayla Russell: Modeling and Control Optimization for Aircraft
With the increase of on-board electronics and avionics implemented on aircraft, the electrical power demand from aircraft drastically increases which results in excess heat generation and a need for more advanced thermal management systems. My current research is to create a control-oriented models of a vapor compression system, a common refrigeration system on aircraft. These models will be used to help improve the existing hierarchical model predictive control framework for aircraft, resulting in safer and more efficient air travel.
Frank Andujar Lugo: Distributed Optimization and Control of Thermal Storage Resources for Complex Grid Networks
Improving energy storage is the critical to ensuring a more responsive, resilient and sustainable energy grid. One of the biggest challenges of this future will be the effective management of the distributed storage. My research focuses on how hierarchical model predictive control (MPC) can be used as a tool to coordinate thermal storage systems with the requirements of the individual buildings and the grid they form a part of. My current efforts revolve around creating control friendly models that connect buildings, thermal storage, and the HVAC systems within the building and the broader network. This model will be used to learn about the system performance when controlled through hierarchical MPC.
