https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/65864 2026-04-12T11:37:56Z 2026-04-12T11:37:56Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66860 2021-01-08T14:36:31Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Design, building and testing of plug-in hybrid electric drive for a small boat Abstract: Nowadays the idea of having an electric drive partially or fully powering the individuals means of transport is gaining more and more interest. This increase in popularity can be mostly seen in the automotive industry as technology is advancing at a very fast rate hence making these vehicles very efficient. The marine industry is also making technological improvements in this sector. One can already opt to purchase a hybrid or fully electric boat. One example of this is the fully electric Pehn 550 electric boat equipped with a 4kW electric outboard motor and an 8kWH lithium-ion battery pack. With Malta being surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, it is time to have cleaner drive systems for boats in order to conserve the natural habitats found in our seas and also help in reducing Malta’s carbon footprint by reducing the amount of carbon emissions being produced. This dissertation presents the design, building and testing procedure for a plug-in hybrid electric drive system for a small boat. The main objective of this project was to design a plug-hybrid drive system that can be used to make long trips such as a trip from Malta to Sicily. This dissertation will delve into each step that was carried out. The first objective was to carry out research in order to choose the components required to design and build such a system. Secondly, the designing procedure was commenced. Here, the sizing of all components was done and all circuits required were designed. Simultaneously, simulations were carried out to have an initial idea of the performance of some components. Finally tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of each component. This helped in making sure that the system would be as efficient, reliable and safe as possible. Description: B.ENG (HONS)

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66859 2021-01-08T14:35:53Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Using KNX based home automation system to optimize energy efficiency in a domestic application Abstract: In the past decade, environmental awareness amongst consumers of electricity has picked up momentum and controlling energy consumption is an economical way of improving energy efficiency. The growing demand for automation systems in homes has made the implementation for energy management algorithms achievable. The objective of this project was to implement a home energy management system to reduce the occurrence of peak loads and decrease customer electricity bill cost. Initially, a detailed power consumption analysis and load profile are constructed for each selected power-intensive home appliance. This analysis would then be used to set up a typical one-day power usage profile. As an encouragement to modify habitual energy usage patterns, consumers are entitled to incentive-based demand response strategies. In this project, a load-shifting technique is proposed, which is aimed at optimizing customers’ daily household energy costs by scheduling loads from peak load periods to off-peak periods according to a dynamic Time-of-Use tariff. Over the past few years, subsidy schemes provided for renewable energy sources caused a notable increase in investment in photovoltaic (PV) systems in the residential sector. This project also analyses the effect on the daily cost of electricity if the energy generated from a photovoltaic system is utilized for self-consumption, in conjunction with a dynamic Time-ofUse tariff. The simulated results concluded that by having an automatic load-shifting algorithm in conjunction with PV generated energy and a time-varying incentive, this would result in a reduction in the daily overall cost of imported electricity. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the scheduling algorithm can be implemented through a load-switching algorithm via KNX communication protocol. Description: B.ENG (HONS)

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66858 2021-01-08T14:35:23Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: High voltage DC supply for more electric aircraft Abstract: The More Electric Aircraft concept aims to replace the hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical power systems with electrical ones [1]. This has several advantages such as, increasing operational efficiency and reducing the weight and size of the system. Thus, with the MEA fuel is saved which for airlines it is important since this would allow them to be more competitive and this also helps them to meet more stringent requirements on emissions. Till now only two commercial aircrafts have used this concept these are the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 [5]. The MEA requires a much larger electrical power system than a conventional one, since it is servicing loads that were previously powered with a different power system. The electrical power system of a conventional airplane is usually less than 300kVA but that of an MEA is about 1MW. Inverter driven motors are used for energy efficiency and their accurate control but require a DC supply. To keep the weight of the electrical power system as low as possible HVDC is preferred because with higher voltage less current will pass through the cabling thus, thinner cables can be used [9]. The generating system of any airplane is AC thus, a converter is required to change AC to DC. The preferred solution is that of using an Autotransformer rectifier unit which is the main subject of this project, which mainly consists of an autotransformer and 6-bridge diode rectifiers. The advantage of using such system is its low complexity, high reliability , high system efficiency and low weight when used in airplanes due to the supply frequency of the aircraft being from about 360 to 800Hz thus allowing a smaller core of the autotransformer. There are several autotransformer configurations available such as the star, delta and polygon configurations. The characteristics of these configurations will be investigated and the most suitable option identified. An Autotransformer Rectifier Unit is a multipulse rectifier, with its number of pulses being a multiple of 6. When its pulse number is increased the DC output voltage becomes smoother due to the larger number of pulses. This also leads to reduced input current THD and lower harmonic injection in the aircraft electrical system. Description: B.ENG (HONS)

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66857 2021-01-08T14:31:15Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A DC brushless drive for a micro light aircraft Abstract: The concept of electrically powered aircraft has been around since the late 19th century when airships were first being developed. Since then, there have been significant developments in this industry, with the main goal of researchers being a future where aviation becomes fully electric. This project is centred around the process involved in the design of a complete drive for a micro light aircraft. This process includes several aspects such as modelling and simulation of the drive system, the choosing of the system to be purchased, the design, construction, and testing of a lithium-ion battery, as well as the programming and implementation of the correct communication protocols. These aspects of the project will then be integrated together, forming a complete drive system which will be implemented in a micro light aircraft in the future. The complete drive system is comprised of a DC brushless motor, a motor controller, the lithium-ion battery as well as a propeller. Due to the nature of the application a duplex type motor will be used, where effectively two separate motors will act on a single shaft. Therefore, two motor controllers will also be required so that each motor can be controlled independently of the other. Commands are sent to the motor controller via a software input, where the speed of the motor can be set to the desired value. The motor controller senses the motor’s position through feedback from the Hall sensors, and switches the current from phase to phase accordingly in order to maintain the speed required. Description: B.ENG (HONS)

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z