Distributed Systems

Sponsors

• Office of Naval Research (ONR)
• Florida State University (FSU)
• Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS)

Overview

Distributed Systems Group primarily works on Energy Management (EM) for Ship Power Systems (SPSs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). The lab is Equipped with Hardware-in-loop (HIL) capabilities to implement the designed EM algorithms. A Single SPEEDGOAT performance target machine along with five individual SPEEDGOAT unit target machines enable broad area for distributed algorithm implementation.

Integration of modern defense weapons into ship power systems poses a challenge in terms of meeting the high ramp rate requirements of those loads. It might be demanding for the generators to meet the ramp rates of these loads. Failure to meet so, might lead to stability issues. This is addressed by conglomeration of generators and energy storage elements to handle the required power demand posed by loads. An energy management strategy based on model predictive control that incorporates the uncertainty in the load prediction in a distributed fashion is designed. The proposed controller optimally coordinates the power split between the generators and energy storage elements to guarantee that the power demand is met taking into considerations the ramp rate limitations and the load uncertainty.

Stringent regulations on environmental emissions such as Paris climate accord and fears of extinction of oil and natural gases in near future led the automobile industry to focus on manufacturing more alternate energy dependent, efficient and environmentally clean vehicles. This has resulted in emergence of HEVs and EVs. Currently the distributed group is focusing on developing an EM strategy for HEVs. Optimal Energy management (EM) between engine and battery plays pivotal role in enhancing the fuel efficiency of HEV. The current goal is to design an energy efficient distributed control algorithm while considering the battery degradation characteristics. The Image shown below depicts the idea of a distributed control on HEV.

Hardware

Relevant Papers:

• Model and Load Predictive Control for Design and Energy Management of Shipboard Power Systems
• Low-bandwidth Modular Mathematical Modeling of DC Microgrid Systems for Control Development with Application to Shipboard Power Systems
• Degradation Aware Predictive Energy Management Strategy for Ship Power Systems