Master Thesis: Frequent cycling of super caps

Background of thesis project
Electrical Engineering

Suitable background
Electrical Engineering

Description of thesis work

To what kind of students is this master thesis directed: This is a call for thesis students within the area of electrical or energy engineering with a deep interest in utilizing data analysis and simulations in their work.

Objective: The project is aiming at exploring energy and power savings utilizing super cap packs in construction machine short cycle applications. The machines under study will be both pure BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) and hybrid/FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) in transient power demand applications. The primary project goal will be to determine power and energy availability increase in the system. The possibility of utilizing super cap packs as battery pack support method in less transient applications might also be explored. A Secondary output of the project would be the ESS (Energy Storage System) and machine lifetime increase as well as cost decrease calculations.

Method: Calculations will be done in Simulink and data processing mostly in Python which is why good knowledge of these tools is paramount. Students will learn how to prepare and analyze big amounts of data and set up and perform simulations. Students will also have a good opportunity to learn traction battery technology. All work and results will be supervised and supported by engineers at Volvo Construction Equipment Technology Center in Eskilstuna.

Background: Super caps as energy source are rarely profitable due to low energy content. For certain applications, a more frequent cycling of pack could increase profitability dramatically. Energy and power savings are not always obvious and a method to calculate these will be decisive when figuring out a suitable capacitor pack size for each application and determining cost savings.

Number of students and project time frame: This project is suitable for two students. Project time frame is still somewhat open, but the preliminary aim is to initiate in January 2024.

Requirements: As an applicant for the project described, you should have a background in electrical or energy engineering and extensive interest in energy storage systems. Skills in Simulink and Python will be important as the project will utilize machine data as input for the simulations. Understanding the importance of project goals, meeting deadlines and the ability to solve problems independently will also be crucial in this project. We expect applicants to be interested in a career with Volvo Construction Equipment.

Language: English, Swedish
Start date: November 2023-January 2024
Number of students: 2
Tutors: Lukas Migas, Aritra Chaudhuri
Contact: Lukas Migas Lukas.Migas@volvo.com +46730438466

Thesis Level: Master

Language: English

Starting date: 2023 January

Number of students: 2

Tutor
Lukas Migas Engineer Lukas.Migas@volvo.com +46730438466