| Project Id
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BITSRMIT024B001247
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| Project Detail
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| Project Title
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Development of a Fuel Cell – Battery Hybrid Energy System for High Endurance Drone Application
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| Senior Supervision Team (BITS)
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| Supervisor name and Title
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Naveen Kumar Shrivastava
|
School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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BITS PILANI, HYDERABAD CAMPUS
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|
|
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Email ID
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naveenks@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
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| URL for more info
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https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/hyderabad/naveenkumar-shrivastava/
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| a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
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YES
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| Please comment how many you are supervising
|
3
|
| b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
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NO
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| If no, what support structures do you have in place?
|
|
| If yes, please elaborate
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N
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| Senior Supervision Team (RMIT)
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| Supervisor name and Title
|
Arash Vahidnia
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
|
STEM
|
|
|
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Email ID
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arash.vahidnia@rmit.edu.au
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| URL for more info
|
https://www.rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/v/vahidnia-dr-arash
|
| a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
|
YES
|
| Please comment how many you are supervising
|
5
|
| b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
|
NO
|
| If no, what support structures do you have in place?
|
|
| If yes, please elaborate
|
|
| Other Supervisors (BITS)
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| Supervisor name and Title
|
Dr. Ankur Bhattacharjee
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
|
BITS PILANI, HYDERABAD CAMPUS
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| Phone Number (Optional)
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+91-8240033763
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Email ID
|
a.bhattacharjee@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
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| URL for more info
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https://universe.bits-pilani.ac.in/Hyderabad/bhattacharjee/Profile
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| Other Supervisors (BITS)
|
| Supervisor name and Title
|
|
School or Department (or company, if applicable)
|
|
| Phone Number (Optional)
|
|
Email ID
|
|
| URL for more info
|
|
| Field of Research (For Codes)
|
| 400404 | Electrochemical energy storage and conversion | 40.00 |
| 400899 | Electrical engineering not elsewhere classified | 30.00 |
| 401799 | Mechanical engineering not elsewhere classified | 30.00 |
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| Project Description
|
|
Recently drones are gaining popularity for variety of applications viz. military, agriculture, inspection and monitoring etc. Traditionally, IC engines are used to power drones however, they emit greenhouse gases, have vibration, exhibit acoustic and thermal signatures. Electric-power systems such as battery, fuel cell etc. can eliminate these issues. Battery based propulsion systems are quite popular however, they have very less energy density (250 Wh/kg) and less endurance (30 min). Fuel cells are light weight and have high energy density (1000 Wh/kg) and therefore can improve the endurance of drones manyfold. However, fuel cells have low power density and therefore they alone are not sufficient to power the drones during high power requirements. Instead of stand-alone battery or fuel cell, a hybrid energy system can be more effective in powering drones. Therefore, this study aims to develop a fuel cell-battery hybrid energy system for high endurance drone application. The specific objectives are:
1. Development of a fuel cell – battery hybrid energy system.
2. Development of an energy management system (EMS) for optimal control of power splitting between fuel cell and battery.
3. Testing and performance assessment of the hybrid energy system under different operating conditions.
4. Incorporation of the hybrid energy system into drone platform and preliminary flight tests.
The proposed hybrid system consists of a fuel cell and a battery connected in parallel. It will be integrated with a DC-bus, by suitable power electronic converters. An EMS will optimize the power split between fuel cell and battery. The scheduling of prioritizing the energy sources will be decided based on the energy management algorithm. The algorithm will be embedded on the low cost Raspberry Pi processor. The associated sensor (voltage, current, temperature) data will be processed by the algorithm and thus enabling the control switches for real time operations. The brushless DC (BLDC) motor will be controlled by the motor controller powered by the DC bus. The BLDC motor will run the propeller. The fuel cell and battery are very sensitive to the operating conditions therefore, the hybrid energy system will be tested at different conditions by placing them in an environmental chamber. The hybrid energy system will be installed onto the drone platform. Initial tests will be conducted to check functionality, endurance, range etc.
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| Project Deliverable/Outcomes
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1. A prototype of the hybrid energy system.
2. High quality publications and patents (IPR) with the developed prototype.
3. Technology transfer and building start-up based on the solution as an outcome of the proposed project.
4. Producing skilled manpower through Ph.D program.
5. Further application for external grant to the Govt./ Industry funding agencies.
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| Research Impact Themes
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| SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT
| CLEAN ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES |
| ADVANCED DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION | DEEP LEARNING AND PREDICTIVE MODELLING |
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| Which RMIT Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) does your project align to
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AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
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| Which RMIT Enabling Impact Platform (EIP) does your project align to
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SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS PLATFORM
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| Which RMIT Program code will this project sit under?
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DR220 (ELECTRICALANDELECTRONIC)
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| Student Capabilities and Qualifications
|
|
Bachelors & Masters Degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Mechatronics
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Prior exposure to fuel cell, battery (experimental and modeling-simulation)
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|
MTech
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| Preferred discipline of Student
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| Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Power Engineering |
| Energy: Carbon Capture/Sequestration/Storage, Renewables |
| Mechanical Engineering |
| Mechanical Enineering, Mechanics, Mechatronics, Aerospace Eng, Hypersonics |
|