scholarly journals Electrical and Meteorological Data Acquisition System of a Commercial and Domestic Microgrid for Monitoring PV Parameters

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 9092
Author(s):  
Edson L. Meyer ◽  
Oliver O. Apeh ◽  
Ochuko K. Overen
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Solar Irradiance ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Data Acquisition System ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Acquisition System ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Pv System

This paper centers on the design and installation of a robust photovoltaic (PV)-based microgrid data acquisition system (DAS) that can monitor different PV systems simultaneously. The PV-based microgrid consists of three solar systems: off-grid, hybrid and grid-assisted systems, each with 3.8 kWp located at SolarWatt park, Fort Hare Institute of Technology (FHIT), South Africa. The designed DAS is achieved by assembling and connecting a set of sensors to measure and log electrical and meteorological parameters from each of the three power plants. Meteorological parameters use a CR1000 datalogger while the electrical output parameters use a DT80 data logger. Calibration was done by voltage signal conditioning which helps to reduce errors initiated by analogue signals. The designed DAS mainly assist in assessing the potential of solar energy of the microgrid power plant considering the energy needed in the remote community. Besides, the simultaneous monitoring of the three systems ensures that the outdoor operating conditions are the same while comparing the logged data. A variable day and a week, data were used to verify the reliability of the system. The back of the array temperature was observed to be 42.7 °C when solar irradiance was 1246 W/m2. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were obtained at 21.3 °C and 63.3%, respectively. The PV current in all three systems increases with the solar irradiance and is highest around midday. The results obtained show that the designed DAS is of great interest in PV system developments.

scholarly journals Design and implementation of an indoor solar emulator based low-cost autonomous data logger for PV system monitoring

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1645
Author(s):  
Oday A. Ahmed ◽  
Hussain K Sayed ◽  
Kanaan A Jalal ◽  
Dhari Y. Mahmood ◽  
Waleed H. Habeeb
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Data Acquisition System ◽  
Acquisition System ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Partial Shading ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Pv Panel

With the growing interest in renewable energy resources, a various number of studies and development for photovoltaic (PV) systems have investigated to satisfy global needs in energy. The larger interest in PV resources has increased request for suitable apparatus with which to test PV systems. This paper deals with the design of an indoor PV source emulator using an actual PV panel to facilitate PV system testing under real environment conditions. A low-cost Arduino Mega256 microcontroller-based data acquisition system (DAQ) approach has been developed to collect the data in term of voltage, power and current based on different levels of light intensity and temperature as well as under partial shading conditions. Hence, the proposed system is not just a solar emulator but it’s a complete solar emulator-DAQ system that can emulate the sunlight and monitor the PV parameters and then collect and store the data for further research investigation. The proposed monitoring system provides real time update of the solar panel characteristics at any time in the year without relying on the weather changes. This data acquisition system will be of superior interest for undergraduate and graduate students as it is both open-source and flexible. The details design of the proposed PV solar emulator and data logger and its implementation are described.

The Development of a Roller Rig for Experimental Evaluation of Contact Mechanics for Railway Vehicles

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajjad Z. Meymand ◽  
Milad Hosseinipour ◽  
Mehdi Ahmadian
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Contact Mechanics ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Data Acquisition System ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Acquisition System ◽  
Design Solution ◽  
Roller Rig

This paper discusses the development of a state of the art single-wheel roller rig for studying contact mechanics and dynamics in railroad applications. The use of indoor-based simulation tools has become a mainstay in vehicle testing for the automotive and railroad industries. In contrast to field-testing, roller rigs offer a controlled laboratory environment that can provide a successful path for obtaining data on the mechanics and dynamics of railway systems for a variety of operating conditions. The idea to develop a laboratory test rig started from the observation that there is a need for better-developed testing fixtures capable of accurately explaining the relatively unknown physics of the wheel-rail contact mechanics and dynamics. Developing a better understanding of such physics would assist with designing faster, safer, and more efficient railroad systems. A review of the existing roller rigs indicated that many desired functional requirements for studying contact mechanics are not readily available. The Virginia Tech Railway Technologies Laboratory (RTL) has embarked on a mission to develop a state-of-the-art testing facility that will allow experimental testing for contact mechanics in a dynamic, controlled, and consistent manner. The VT roller rig is intended to allow for actively controlling all the wheel-rail interface degrees of freedom: cant angle, angle of attack, and lateral displacement. Two AC synchronous servomotors, accompanied with proper gearheads, accurately drive the rotating wheels. A novel force measurement system, suitable for steel on steel contact, is configured to precisely measure the contact forces and torques. The control architecture is developed based on the SynqNet data acquisition system offered by Kollmorgen, the drive-motor and actuator supplier. The Synqnet provides a unified communication protocol between actuators, drives, and data acquisition system; therefore eliminating any difficulty with data conversion among these units. Other auxiliary sensors and measurement systems are implemented to help with characterizing the contact mechanics and contact geometry. This paper will describe the main steps in the design process of the VT roller rig and the final design solution selected. It will also present the testing capabilities of the rig. The design analysis indicates that the rig can successfully meet the set requirements: additional accuracy in measurements, and better control on the design of experiments.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of a Tractor Drawbar Force Measurement and Data Acquisition System (DAQ)

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 781-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
James BW Roeber ◽  
Santosh K Pitla ◽  
Roger M Hoy ◽  
Joe D Luck ◽  
Michael F Kocher
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Force Measurement ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Data Acquisition System ◽  
Hydraulic Cylinder ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Acquisition System ◽  
Draft Force ◽  
Agricultural Tractors ◽  
Development And Validation

Abstract. Matching agricultural tractors to implements towed by the drawbar is one of the important aspects of machinery management for ensuring optimum performance and fuel cost savings. A field deployable tractor draft force measurement and data acquisition system was developed and evaluated as part of this research project. A drawbar instrumented to measure draft force in field operating conditions was developed and statically calibrated. The drawbar was calibrated by applying loads from 4.45 to 134 kN using a hydraulic cylinder connected to a 444.8 kN load cell. Testing was conducted with the drawbar installed on a tractor on a concrete track. The Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL) load car was used for applying draft loads to evaluate the instrumented drawbar. The track test consisted of seven loads corresponding to maximum power in seven gears. The draft forces as measured by the drawbar were compared to the draft measurements recorded by the load car. The error between draft force measurements of the instrumented drawbar and the load car measurements ranged from 0.21 kN (0.27%) to 0.99 kN (2.88%).There were no statistically significant differences between drawbar and load car measurements confirming that the drawbar force measurement and data acquisition (DAQ) system developed as part of this research can be used for field use. Keywords: Data acquisition, Draft load, Drawbar, LabVIEW, Strain gages, Tractor.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document