Renewable Energy Research Laboratory - University of Bridgeport

LAB EQUIPMENT'S

Surface Characterization System

Surface characterization system, a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) (see Figure 7) was used to analyze the composition of solid surfaces, including the surface of the fuel cell electrode. SIMS is the most sensitive surface analysis technique, being able to detect elements present in the parts per billion range.

LAB EQUIPMENT'S

Potentiostat System

Potentiostat system, a Pine WaveNow Potentiostat is used to acquiring qualitative information about electrochemical reactions (see Figure 6). Cyclic voltammetry is the main method through this system to study the thermodynamics of redox processes and the kinetics of heterogeneous electron-transfer reactions.

LAB EQUIPMENT'S

Fuel Cell Testing System

Fuel Cell testing system, a fuel cell testing system was set up with a Labview program, a miniLab 1008 DAQ board, and a PC (see Figure 3). In addition, a heating tape, a transformer, a thermocouple, and a relay are used to control the temperature of a fuel cell. Therefore, the voltage-current and power-current curves (see Figures 4 and 5) can be measured.

LAB EQUIPMENT'S

Impedance Spectrum Measurement System

Impedance spectrum measurement system, Labview program was developed to communicate with a HP 4276 LCZ Meter (from Prof. Lawrence Hmurcik) through a GPIB cable (Figure 1) and an impedance spectrum can be obtained through this system. In the study of a fuel cell, the overvoltages (voltage losses) can be estimated through the analysis of the impedance spectra as shown in Figure 2

Current Projects include:

-Solar Cell and Solar Energy
-Hydrogen production and fuel cells
-Wind turbine
-Power electronics
-Simulation of micro power grid with sustainable energy

Welcome To Renewable Energy Research Laboratory

Sustainable energy is an increasingly important component of the new energy mix. The lab experiments cover the technologies in energy conversion, utilization and storage in solar, wind, fuel cells, and hybrid systems. The smart micro-power grid will also be designed and optimized through a simulation with the consideration of cost and environmental effect.

This lab is motivated from the strong need to prepare the next generation of inter-disciplinary engineers with a comprehensive background in sustainable energy. The experiments in this lab are designed to stimulate students’ interest in development and research. At the end of the course, the students are expected to:
-Estimate the solar irradiance on solar panels, set up solar panels, and evaluate their performance.
-Estimate the wind energy, understand the working principle of wind turbine, and evaluate its performance.
-Understand the working principles of fuel cell and electrolyzer, set up these instruments, evaluate their performance.
-Design, simulate, and optimize energy systems for home or small community