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Energy Storage and Communication System
Get PDFThe Industrial Power and Controls Lab in Engineering East is welcoming the addition of a new lab course, EE 435. Schneider Electric sponsors this course, which seeks to teach students how to use the Modicon M580 Program Logic Controller (PLC) in various industry use cases. This project is a continuation of previous senior projects and focuses on developing a lab experiment to teach students how to utilize the M580 in an energy storage use case. More specifically, it focuses on the battery management system that oversees the units and exposes students to the various situations this system may encounter during its lifetime. Aside from the overall direction of the lab experiment and its topic focus, the project is open-ended which leaves room for self-development of a large majority of the needs and requirements. This document covers those requirements, the necessary specifications and justifications along with the history of the PLC and a more detailed background behind this senior project. This project developed a simulated battery model using Functional Block Diagrams and structured text in the PLC software. A small PCB was designed and manufactured to include a tangible component for students to interact with. Large efforts were made to make the model as accurate as possible and heavily commented to provide ease of upgrades. Additionally, time was spent developing a lab manual to guide students through the use of the simulation and hardware
Pre-Regulator Switching Converter for Photovoltaic Inverters
Get PDFThe photovoltaic industry is constantly looking for more efficient and affordable methods to boost power generation and equipment lifetime. This project considers the design, simulation, fabrication, and testing of a DC-DC switching converter for pre-regulator photovoltaic system applications. The proposed converter is unique in that the solar array is divided up and switched between series and parallel instead of switching to charge and discharge a component for a desired duty cycle. This redesign of the conventional photovoltaic topology allows for more flexibility and control over the output voltage and current of the system, which ideally will protect the inverter from sudden changes on its input
Alzheimer\u27s Detection via Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
No full textAlzheimer’s is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health [1]. If left undiagnosed, Alzheimer’s leads to progressive cognitive decline and ultimately, dementia. Currently, in order to fully diagnose early-onset Alzheimer’s, multiple sessions of lengthy tests are needed, requiring excessive time and resources that some individuals may not have access to. In addition to minimizing the number of tests needed, this project will strive to improve both the accuracy and reliability rates of recognizing and identifying early signs of Alzheimer’s development from Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) brain scans. Currently, MRI scans as a sole means of diagnosis are not accurate for early detection since about 33% of individuals receive an incorrect diagnosis [2].
To address this problem, this project uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to determine when a person may be showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The project will use the ADNI1 (Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative) dataset to train and test the neural network. The CNN will be used for feature extraction as it is trained to search for anomalies in MRI scan and determine whether the patient has Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or is cognitively normal (NL)
Three Rivers: Plan Analysis and Recommendations Including an Environmental Justice Addendum
Get PDFThis document examines the existing Three Rivers Community Plan in order to find shortcomings, missing information and to recommend appropriate format and content for future iterations. The final section of this document has been designed to be a model for the Environmental Justice section for the Three River’s future community plan update because the current plan is silent on this topic
Three Rivers Community Town Center
Get PDFThis project is an extension to the Community Planning courses in the City and Regional Planning Department, CRP 410 and 411. The project began in Fall 2022 and was completed in Winter 2023. The first quarter, the studio team worked with Three Rivers, California, which resulted in a thorough general plan background report for the community. The Tulare County Mountain Area Plan – Background Report, will be referenced throughout the project. The second quarter, the studio team switched directions and completed a five-year review for the Three River’s community, based on their community plan and the General Plan for Tulare County. The Five-Year Review, Three Rivers, document will also be referenced throughout the project. The studio team did extensive research and public outreach in order to complete the projects. The Three Rivers Community Town Center pulls all that information together and proposes a development based on Three River’s wants and needs. This project uses the information gathered by the studio team and primarily focuses on site design. During public outreach, it was clear and unanimous that a community center was highly desired. It was also clear that there was a need for more affordable housing, and more housing in general. The proposed Three Rivers Community Town Center will not only give the community a place to gather but it will also provide a variety of housing and offer new local employment opportunities. This document encompasses relevant background information, regulations, site conditions, and community feedback. This document also goes through the site design process and shows what a possible community center could look like for Three Rivers
The Development of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules for Cal Poly Students
Get PDFPurpose: Sexual health education continues to be a taboo topic underrepresented in young adult health education. Many high school students do not receive the sexual health education they need. One study found that 34% of girls and 42% of boys left high school without education on birth control methods (Wong et al., 2019). Furthermore, students entering college have varying, often inadequate, levels of sexual health knowledge. After examining sexual health data at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Cal Poly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Lab found that students engage in risky sexual behaviors. For example, nearly one quarter (22.9%) of cisgender female students reported using the pull-out method as their only form of contraception the last time they had vaginal intercourse (ACHA-NCHAIII, 2021). Additionally, 42.4% of students reported using a barrier method during anal sex (ACHA-NCHAIII, 2021). These statistics are concerning as Cal Poly students believe the pull-out method is effective for birth control. Further, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the increased risks associated with unprotected anal sex. While on-campus peer health education programs have attempted to fill these gaps, no specific sexual health training is required for all students. Methods: Through the conduction of a literature review, analysis of past SRH lab & ACHA data, assessment of students\u27 and campus partners\u27 knowledge and needs regarding sexual health education, and a review of California State University sexual health education offerings, apparent gaps in student knowledge were identified which revealed the need for learning modules with a sexual health educational focus. Results: The Cal Poly SRH Lab is developing a set of comprehensive sexual health education learning modules. Ten modules focus on healthy sexual relationships, barrier methods, contraception, pregnancy options, STIs, testing, and access to resources. Reading material, specialized graphics and educational videos were compiled. Interactive modules were produced using the Canvas course management platform students currently use for their academic courses. Conclusions: After this resource was launched June 2023, all students now have access to reliable sexual health information in one place with complete anonymity whenever they have a question. Overall, it is predicted that the number of students regularly using a barrier method during sex will increase, STI testing rates will improve, and open conversations surrounding sexual health will become more normalized on campus. References: American College Health Association (2021). National College Health Assessment III Fall 2021 Reference Group Data Report. https://www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHAIII_FALL_2021_REFERENCE_GROUP_ Wong T, Pharr JR, Bungum T, Coughenour C, Lough NL. Effects of Peer Sexual Health Education on College Campuses: A Systematic Review. Health Promotion Practice. 2019;20(5):652-666. doi:10.1177/152483991879463
Cardio Trainer
Get PDFThe Cardio Trainer Device is a wearable device that guides the user through a physical exercise based on the user’s heartbeat measurements. Users interface with the device via a wearable band. The band determines the heartbeat of the user in real time and, using that reading, gives the user verbal instructions to optimize their workout. These verbal instructions then serve to control the physical exertion of the user and are delivered through an audio device. Users input personal physical metrics to the Cardio Trainer Device that tailor the performance of the device in a manner of ways: rate of instruction, expected heartbeat of the user, and expected duration of workout. The device is functional throughout the duration of the user’s workout and stores generated data for post workout analysis. The stored data is used to analyze the overall performance of the user over a prolonged time period and allows users to analyze their performance of their workouts. The functionality of the device is not affected by the various conditions experienced through a workout such as sweat, shaking, dropping, rain, and dust
Distributed Control of Servicing Satellite Fleet Using Horizon Simulation Framework
Get PDFOn-orbit satellite servicing is critical to maximizing space utilization and sustainability and is of growing interest for commercial, civil, and defense applications. Reliance on astronauts or anchored robotic arms for the servicing of next-generation large, complex space structures operating beyond Low Earth Orbit is impractical. Substantial literature has investigated the mission design and analysis of robotic servicing missions that utilize a single servicing satellite to approach and service a single target satellite. This motivates the present research to investigate a fleet of servicing satellites performing several operations for a large, central space structure.
This research leverages a distributed control approach, implemented using the Horizon Simulation Framework (HSF), to develop a tool capable of integrated mission modeling and task scheduling for a servicing satellite fleet. HSF is a modeling and simulation framework for verification of system level requirements with an emphasis on state representations, modularity, and event scheduling. HSF consists of two major modules: the main scheduling algorithm and the system model. The distributed control architecture allocates processing and decision making for this multi-agent cooperative control problem across multiple subsystem models and the main HSF scheduling algorithm itself. Models were implemented with a special emphasis on the dynamics, control, trajectory constraints, and trajectory optimization for the servicing satellite fleet.
The integrated mission modeling and scheduling tool was applied to a sample scenario in which a fleet of 3 servicing assets is tasked with performing 12 servicing activities for a large satellite in Geostationary Orbit. The tool was able to successfully determine a schedule in which all 12 servicing activities were completed in under 32 hours, subject to the fuel and trajectory constraints of the servicing assets
Deep Ocean Vehicle Applications and Modifications
Get PDFThis project had two primary goals: (1) to explore opportunities to further a deep-ocean vehicle’s reach using alternative pressure spheres, and (2) to implement an existing deep-ocean vehicle (lander) in active scientific research.
I gained a greater understanding of the limitations and design choices made for existing pressure spheres using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). My simplified FEA model predicted sphere failure for the existing 30% Fiber Glass 70% Nylon injection molded spheres at an external pressure of 3,954psi or 2,690m ocean-depth (only a 7.38% error compared to the tested minimum failure depth), so I determined it a valid model. I also explored alternative designs and materials that could be used for pressure spheres in deep-sea applications. Existing pressure sphere models filled with an incompressible fluid failed at 12,670psi or 8,621m ocean-depth - over three times the depth of the same sphere filled with air. Next, I varied the sphere thickness of existing spheres to determine its impact on depth rating. While the increased thickness did provide an increase in depth rating, there were diminishing returns as the sphere was made thicker. I deemed both of these design options infeasible for our application.
To consider the use of laminated composite spheres, the addition of an equatorial ring was required to manufacture O-ring seals safely and reliably. A simple cylindrical equatorial ring model using a stainless-steel ring had a predicted failure at 3,017psi or 2,053m ocean-depth. While this model predicted failure at 637m shallower than the sphere without the ring, it was the only ring material tested to reach the rated depth for the existing pressure spheres (2km), so I concluded stainless-steel is the best ring material. A spherical stainless-steel equatorial ring design was then analyzed which predicted failure at 3,915psi or 2,664m ocean-depth – only 8.3% less than the original sphere with no ring. Because of its successful performance and near identical results to the original model, I determined a stainless-steel spherical equatorial ring is the best option for laminated composite sphere sealing.
Finally, I analyzed three different kinds of laminated composite pressure spheres: two carbon fiber and one fiber glass. Each laminate was designed to be quasi-isotropic and as close to 0.8” thick as possible to keep it consistent with the original sphere design. The sphere made of 584 Carbon Fiber with a lay-up of: [[-45/45/0/90]6]s was found to predict failure at 10,000psi or 6,804m ocean-depth, more than 2.5 times that of the original sphere. Next, a model made of 282 Carbon Fiber with a lay-up of: [[-45/45/0/90]11]s predicted failure at 9,242psi or 6,289m ocean-depth – more than 2.3 times as deep as the original pressure spheres. Lastly, a sphere of 7781 Fiber Glass with a lay-up of: [[-45/45/0/90]11]s predicted failure at 6,630psi or 4,511m ocean-depth – about two-thirds the depth of the 584 Carbon Fiber composite, but more than 1.6 times the depth of the original sphere. While real-life applications of these materials would include design modifications and manufacturing imperfections which would lower their maximum depth rating, these results are highly encouraging and show that all three materials could be viable options for future production.
Additionally, through partnership with Dr. Crow White and his marine science undergraduate students, I completed numerous deployments for a Before and After Controlled Impact (BACI) study on the area of the proposed windfarm off the coast of Morro Bay, CA. Many modifications were made to the existing lander which enabled it to successfully be implemented in these studies including a new bait containment unit, light color filters, a GPS tracking device, and a large vessel recovery device. A total of 5 pier deployments and 3 boat deployments were conducted by my team over the course of 6-months. Planning for these deployments included accounting for budgeting, weather, permitting, and multi-organizational logistics while working with both NOAA and the Cal Poly marine operations staff
Benefits of Having a Disability Cultural Center at Cal Poly
Get PDFAll colleges and universities in the United States are legally required to accommodate their students with disabilities. However, many schools do not support their disabled student body in ways that go beyond what they are legally required to provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Though every university and college in the United States has a dedicated ADA compliance office, students with disabilities still express that their holistic needs are unmet and that they feel unsupported by their schools. Establishing Disability Cultural Programs and Centers is one method that colleges and universities across the country have implemented in order to better support their disabled student body. Representatives from various Disability Cultural Centers have expressed the success that their centers and programs have in improving the experiences of disabled students at their schools. Cal Poly, SLO is a school that does not have a Disability Cultural Center or Program. However, numerous students, faculty, and staff have seen a need for Cal Poly to better support their disabled community members. For over a year, dedicated members of the Cal Poly community have petitioned for and organized events to support the creation of a Disability Cultural Center or Program on campus as a way to make the campus more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive for people with disabilities