charles Kennedy

Thesis:  Study of Potential Energy Harvesting Opportunity Utilizing Thermoelectric Effect (Anticipated Completion 2021)

Thesis Director:  Dr. Omar Faruque, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

"The Bess H. Thesis Award and IDEA grant are allowing me to pursue the high quality of research that will result in a state of the art experiment showcasing thermoelectric-solar coupling. Over the past weeks I have reviewed fundamental thermodynamics, researched thermal imaging equipment, and have been writing portions of the thesis. I need to make a simulation to validate with an experiment and have been working at that for most of my time. A full simulated thermodynamic analysis that is equipped with the build materials of a solar photovoltaic panel and thermoelectric generator array attached to the back is required. Then a heat sink will be modeled most likely by just a coefficient which is because I have to reduce the complexity of some aspects to move forward hastily.

Negotiating the level of detail in my simulation model is done between me and my adviser. Overall the experiment will consist of a solar panel, an array of thermoelectric generators attached to the back of said panel, and electrical measurements of the power output given a constant load. Thermal measurements will be taken with contactless sensors, this is because thermocouples (which require contact) change the thermodynamic properties of the system. The use of a thermal imaging camera which has an individual temperature measurement per pixel is being considered.

Reviewing the latest research and building the simulation model are my main focus right now. A lot of research has been done in different types of applications so the difficulty of taking what is applicable to my problem and discarding the less useful information has been challenging. Coming from an electrical and computer engineering background, advanced thermodynamics and material science is a new domain of study for me. I look forward to finishing the simulation model and ordering the materials to start the experiment. The awards I've received have allowed me to order experimental materials that will allow me to manifest my idea into reality and test my hypothesis"

-Charles Kennedy, Spring 2020 Bess H. Ward Honors in the Major Award Winner