The Centre for Instrumentation Research (CIR) at the Electrical Engineering Department is currently undertaking research that looks into prolonging battery life by preventing premature cell failure.

The main reason for this research, a brainchild of Dr Ian de Vries, is that battery cells are assumed to have similar characteristics, while in reality, they do not. These include charge acceptance, rate of self-discharge, and absolute capacity at a given time.

If these differences are not treated properly they will lead to premature cell failure because of overcharging and overcharging which damages the cells and are dangerous.

According to Nick Prinsloo, an MTech student involved in the research, these cells can be analogous to a chain. “The chain is only as strong as the weakest link. This means that after time cells might weaken and the battery stacks lifetime and runtime is shortened,” he said.

The idea is to make battery cells last longer and increase battery life and usable capacity.

The research applies mainly to large industrial cells, used among other things for forklifts, uninterruptible supplies, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV). Cell chemistries include Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydrate (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) and Lead Acid. The cells are heavy duty with expensive initial installation costs and constant maintenance costs thereafter.

By increasing battery lifetime these costs can be drastically decreased. This comes with the added advantage of having longer operating times between full discharge cycles.

“We want to work on saving the environment...keeping with the green theme that forces us to design and engineer smarter because technologically we can and because it makes sense. Making money while saving our planet and creating jobs”.

“Even though batteries are mass manufactured, matched in batches and capacitivly balanced, after aging, constant charging and discharging, the difference between cells increase and it becomes noticeable”.

In essence this means if all the cells are fine, one bad cell can make the entire stack inoperable and useless.

The research provides a way to ‘balance’ these cells so that they are equal. Balancing is currently done in industry by using power dissipation techniques and is only feasible when charging the cell stack. This research provides a way to minimize power losses, using power electronics, while being able to balance the stack in any operational state. By successfully doing this cell stack run time as well as lifetime is increased.

The CIR is a division in the electrical engineering department that undertakes research specifically related to problems in industry with the aim of finding feasible solutions.

The team working on the Battery Management System (B) is Dr Ian de Vries, head of the research, Doris Karemera (BTech) and Prinsloo (MTech).

By Thami Nkwanyane

Written by CPUT News
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Innovation, research and teaching activities in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering will be further advanced with the consolidation of the department on the Bellville Campus this July.

As from 18 July 2016, the department’s 1500 students, along with administration, teaching and research staff will report for class and work at the newly built Electrical Engineering facility on the Bellville Campus.

The consolidation is part of the broader CPUT consolidation process underway, which will see all Faculty of Engineering programmes be offered on the Bellville Campus.

Head of the department, Ben Groenewald welcomes the consolidation and says it will have a positive impact on the department’s activities.

“Centralization of academic administration will be reduced by 50% or more, which will have a significant positive impact on our operational budgets. It should also reduce the academic load on staff as lecturing duplication will no longer be necessary,” he says.

Students too will benefit by the consolidation, with teaching and learning activities set to take place in the new 10 000 square meter facility.

The facility features two state-of-the-art, three story buildings that are joined together by a double volume mid-air walkway. One building houses close to 30 laboratories, each that will be used for the practical training of students in specific areas of electrical engineering, while the second building houses the department’s six research niche areas.

The two buildings that housed the Bellville leg of the department will be converted into additional classroom space.

Groenewald says the consolidation will also allow the department to consolidate its research centres and to refocus and strengthen its research initiatives.

“The facilities make it possible to now consider the development of a high-tech electronics production and development facility to support our research initiatives and to deliver services and training to SME’s,” he says.

“The addition of the new facilities provide us the opportunity to take up the technology challenges in the Western Cape and South Africa in terms of Energy Security, Space Science and Technology and to help find solutions for these challenges.”

*Current research centres housed in the department include the following:

• French South African Institute of Technology (F'SATI)
• Centre for Distributed Power and Electronic Systems
• Centre for Power Systems Research
• Centre for Instrumentation Research
• Centre for Substation Automation and Energy Management Systems

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

With more than 10 000 square meters of space dedicated to research and practical training of students, the Electrical Engineering Department is setting themselves up to lead research activities at CPUT.

The department is currently in the process of constructing a new home on the Bellville Campus that will feature two state-of-the-art, three-storey buildings that will be joined together by a double volume mid-air walkway, which will accommodate student study areas.

Head of the department, Ben Groenewald, says one building will house up to 30 laboratories, each that will be used for the practical training of students in specific areas of electrical engineering.

“The second building will house the department’s six niche areas,” says Groenewald.

INNOVATIVE: The premises consist of two buildings joined by a double-volume mid-air walkway

The first floor of the second building will house the Centre for Distributed Power and Electronic Systems, the Centre for Power Systems Research and the Centre for Instrumentation Research. The second floor will feature the multi-million Rand Centre for Substation Automation and Energy Management Systems, the only centre of its kind in the world.

The top floor will be dedicated to the renowned F’SATI unit and the Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre, which is the only of its kind in Africa.

The current two buildings housing the Electrical Engineering Department will be converted and used as classroom space.

Groenewald says when conceptualising the building they considered the government requirements for growing the engineering sector and selected a building design that will allow the department to expand their training and grow their research base.

Head of the Programme, Tom van Breda, says it is the first time that the department has made provision for research at such a large scale.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.