ii

SOLAR WATER LEVEL CONTROLLER

LIM MIN SIANG

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the awarded of

the Degree of Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Power System)

Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering

University Malaysia Pahang

NOVEMBER, 2010

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I declare that this thesis entitled “SOLAR WATER LEVEL CONTROLLER” is the

result of my own research except as cited in the references. The thesis has not been

accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of any other

degree.

Signature : ....................................................

Name : LIM MIN SIANG

Date : 29 November 2010

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project would not have been possible without considerable guidance and

support. So, I would like to acknowledge those who have enabled me to complete

this project.

Firstly I would like to thank to my project supervisor, En. Ramdan Bin Razali

for providing the guideline with continues advice and feedback throughout the

duration of finishing this project.

Secondly I would also like to thank for all other University Malaysia Pahang

staff members that I may have called upon for assistance since the genesis of this

project. Their opinions and suggestions have helped me in realizing this project. Also

not to be forgotten, I would like to thank for all my friends with the support, valuable

opinion and sharing ideas during the progress of this project.

Finally, I would like to thank to my family for their understanding,

encouragement and support, towards the compilation of my project. Grateful that my

family members who always stand by my side concerning the ups and downs of my

life. Appreciations that can never be express merely in words were delivered to all

that contributed effort to my project. Best regards and thanks you

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ABSTRACT

In today's society, the remote area is experiencing a great demand for

supplied of water which beyond the reach of power lines. Sunlight, as the keys to a

new generation of power sources are widely available for replace the conventional

fuel resources. Hence the aim for this project is to module a solar water level

controller pump to obtain the water from well or underground water source for the

purpose of irrigate crops, water livestock, and provide potable drinking water.

This project calculated and estimated the amount of water delivered depends

on distance that water is lifted, distance traveled through a delivery pipe, the

efficiency of the pump and the amount of energy needed as the main consideration.

With this solar water controller, the remote area residents can enjoy the benefit from

the solar energy as the lowest cost and sustainable alternative option with

environmental friendly that are not polluting.

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ABSTRAK

Masyarakat pada zaman ini, terutamanya di kawasan pedalaman telah

menghadapi satu permintaan yang amat tinggi kepada bekalan air yang jauh daripada

litar kuasa. Cahaya matahari, merupakan kunci kepada penjanaan kuasa baru untuk

bekalan kuasa yang sedia ada secara luasnya untuk menggantikan sumber bahan api

yang konvensional. Oleh hal yang demikian, tujuan untuk projek ini adalah untuk

memodulkan pengatur peringkat pam air tenaga suria untuk mendapatkan air dari

perigi atau sumber-sumber air bawah tanah untuk tujuan tanaman air, ternakan air,

dan menyediakan air minum bersih.

Projek ini mengira dan menganggarkan jumlah air yang dihantar bergantung

pada jarak bahawa air yang diangkat, jarak tempuh melalui paip penghantaran,

kecekapan pam dan jumlah tenaga yang diperlukan sebagai pertimbangan

utama. Dengan pengatur air suria ini, penduduk daerah terpencil dapat menikmati

manfaat dari tenaga matahari sebagai kos terendah dan pilihan alternatif yang

berterusan dengan mesra alam yang tidak berbahaya.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

FRONT PAGE i

TITLE PAGE ii

DECLARATION iv

DEDICATION v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vi

ABSTRACT vii

ABSTRAK viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ix

LIST OF TABLES xiv

LIST OF FIGURES xv

LIST OF APPENDICES xviii

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CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem Statement 2

1.3 Objectives of the Project 2

1.4 Scopes of the Project 3

1.5 Thesis Outline 3

CHAPTER 2:

LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Introduction 4

2.2 Solar Energy 4

2.3 Solar Panel 5

2.3.1 Monocrystalline Solar Panel 7

2.3.2 Polycrystalline Solar Panel 7

2.3.3 Thin Film Solar Panel 7

2.4 Battery 8

2.4.1 Starting Battery 9

2.4.2 Marine Battery 10

2.4.3 Deep cycle Battery 10

2.4.4 Lead Acid Battery 11

2.4.5 Lithium-Ion Battery 12

2.4.6 Nickel-cadmium Battery 13

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2.4.7 Nickel-metal hydride Battery 15

2.4.8 Nickel-zinc Battery 16

2.5 Battery Charger 18

2.5.1 Simple Battery Charger 18

2.5.2 Trickle Battery Charger 19

2.5.3 Timer-based Battery Charger 20

2.5.4 Intelligent Battery Charger 21

2.5.5 Fast Battery Charger 22

2.5.6 Solar Charger 23

2.5.7 Battery Charger Overall Review 24

2.6 Inverter 24

2.6.1 Single-Stage Full-Bridge Buck-Boost 25

Inverter

2.6.2 Hybrid Cascaded Multilevel Inverter26

2.6.3 PWM inverter with auxiliary inverter27

2.6.4 Simple Six Step Square Wave Inverter 28

2.7 Pump 29

2.7.1 Direct Lifting Pump 29

2.7.2 Positive Displacement Pump 31

2.7.3 Buoyancy Pump 33

2.7.4 Velocity pumps 34

2.7.5 Gravity pumps 34

2.8 Electrical motor 36

2.8.1 DC motors 36

2.8.2 AC motors 38

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2.9 Maximum Power Point Tracking 41

CHAPTER 3:

METHODOLOGY 44

3.1 Introduction 44

3.2 Solar Charge Controller 45

3.2.1 Circuit Activation 46

3.2.2 Voltage Regulator 47

3.2.3 Float Charge Comparator 49

3.2.4 Clock Oscillator 52

3.2.5 State Latch 53

3.2.6 Charge Current Switch 55

CHAPTER 4:

RESULT & DISCUSSION 56

4.1 Introduction 56

4.2 Solar Panel Maximum Power 56

4.3 Operational Amplifier Comparator 58

4.4 Voltage regulator 60

4.5 Phase shift oscillator 61

4.6 D-Type Flip-flop 62

4.7 Charge Current Switch 64

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CHAPTER 5:

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION 67

5.0 Conclusion 67

5.1 Problem Encountered 70

5.2 Future Recommendations 70

REFERENCES 72

APPENDIX A 73

APPENDIX B 75

APPENDIX C 77

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE

4.1 Power data for solar panel during 19 March 2010 57

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE

2.1 Types of solar panel 8

2.2 Construction of a Lead Acid battery 11

2.3 Lithium Ion Battery used in typical consumer electronic

such as laptop battery 12

2.4 Sealed nickel-cadmium battery from top to bottom

– "Gumstick", AA, and AAA NiCd batteries. 13

2.5 Vented cells where the single cell size is approximately a

drink’s can size where they are combined to store more

power 14

2.6 Modern, high capacity NiMH rechargeable cells 15

2.7 Nickel-zinc Battery constructions 16

2.8 Simple Battery Charger 18

2.9 Trickle Battery Charger 19

2.10 Timer-based Battery Charger with digital display 20

2.11 Intelligent Battery Charger 21

2.12 Typical AA Fast Battery Charger 22

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2.13 Simple types Solar Battery Charger 23

2.14(a) Conventional voltage source inverter. 25

2.14(b) Circuit topology of the full-bridge series-resonant

buck-boost inverter 25

2.15 Circuit diagram of the hybrid multilevel inverter. 26

2.16 Circuit diagram of the PWM inverter with auxiliary

drive 27

2.17 Conventional direct lifting using Persian wheels to

lift up drinking water 29

2.18 Electrically powered Sakia diagram 30

2.19 Rotary peristaltic pumps 31

2.20 Hand-operated, reciprocating, positive displacement, water

pump in Košice-Ťahanovce, Slovakia 32

2.21 Compressed-air-powered double-diaphragm pumps 33

2.22 Centrifugal pump operates 35

2.23 Brush DC motor diagram 36

2.24 Brushless DC motor diagram 37

2.25 Squirrel cage induction AC motor 38

2.26 Synchronous AC motor 39

2.27 Maximum Power Point in I-V graph 41

3.1 Flow Chart of Project Arrangement 44

3.2 Solar Charge Controller Overall Circuit diagram 45

3.3 Circuit Activation 46

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3.4 Voltage regulator with capacitors 48

3.5 Float Voltage comparator and temperature 49

Compensation

3.6 Temperature Effects on Batteries 51

3.7 Clock oscillator 52

3.8 D- Flip Flop to determine charging state 53

3.9 Operation of Flip-flop 54

3.10 Charge Current switches 55

4.1 Comparator Output (V1<V2) 58

4.2 Comparator Output Voltage (V1 > V2) 59

4.3 Voltage regulator output voltage 60

4.4 The output waveform observed in the waveform viewer 61

4.5 Simulation using Multisim 62

4.6 Output from the oscilloscope 63

4.7 Measured start-up process 64

4.8 Output waveform without optimal control 65

4.9 Waveforms with the optimal control algorithm 66

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX NO. TITLE PAGE

A Flow Charts 73

B Overall Circuit Design 75

C Data Sheet 77

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Alternative energy is commonly used to operate water sourcing equipment in

applications including remote water pumping for residential supply, small-scale

irrigation and livestock watering. Remote or off-grid power sources—solar panels

are specifically design to making great changes in locations where electricity from

power lines is unavailable.

The use of PV systems for remote applications is becoming more and more

accepted across the world as its advantages over distribution line extension are

realized. Therefore, this project proposed for the control of regulator supplying

sufficient and reasonable drives for pump system to fully operate in various states

from photovoltaic (PV) module. Solar photovoltaic water pumping systems

composed of a photovoltaic solar array, a solar charge controller, a motor, a pump

and a battery with inverter.

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Hence, as future electrical engineer, this is an honor and responsibility to

facilitate and share the technology in order to improve their live. This is how the

basic idea that leads to this project of solar water level controller. The study and

implementation of solar water level controller is believed to be helpful in increase

demand of available water supply.

1.2 Problem Statement

While water is readily available in developed countries, in developing

countries more than 1.2 billion people do not have access to a safe and adequate

water supply. Significantly, resident especially in rural area make a three-hour

journey just to collect water from the nearest water source such as well and lake

and stream. Moreover, the power lines are often unavailable in these deep remote

areas due to the high net electricity costs concerns.

1.3 Objectives of the project

The vital objectives of this project are:

1. To develop a suitable controller scheme for water level controller

based on solar power.

2. To design an efficient solar charger for pump battery here this is less

maintenance and long life-span.

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1.4 Scope of the project

The scope of this project will be mainly focus on develop an efficient solar

powered water level controller using AC motor pump system which will consume

14-17V. Besides that, this pump will be using a deep cycle batteries for power supply

if solar power is not available. Lastly, a proper controller scheme is designed to

supply the correct voltage and current to the pump. The distance between the pump

systems to the consumer will also be determined to assure the sufficient water

pressure.

1.5 Thesis outline

This thesis contains five chapters, which are introduction, literature review,

methodology, result, conclusion and recommendations.

Chapter 1 is explaining about the background, objectives, and scopes of the

project and overview of the whole chapter.

Chapter 2 provides a literature review on solar system overview in general

and discusses about the methods used today to design solar water level controller.

Chapter 3 focuses on the methods that are used for this project including flow

chart, and circuit design of the system. Other than that, it also discusses about

simulation tool used for this project.

Chapter 4 discusses about the result obtained from the simulation and the

results explained in more detail.

Chapter 5 covers the conclusion has made, problems encountered and future

recommendations for this project.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter presents an overview of solar system. Solar photovoltaic (PV)

system has been recognized as suitable for power generation in countries where there

are high levels of solar radiation.

2.2 Solar Energy

Sun provided the earth with various energies such as in the form of solar

energy, radiant light and heat. These energies have been utilized and develop in the

human civilization since ancient times. Across the centuries, many other alternative

energy have been discovered and hence competition between the source of energy

start from solar radiation to the other resources such as wind energy, wave

power, hydroelectricity and also thermal.

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Generally, solar powered electrical generation relies mainly on photovoltaic

and harvest the solar energy using solar panels. Since the era of “cheap but dirty

energy” – fossil fuel resources arise; solar energy's uses are limited only by human

ingenuity. List of the solar powered applications includes day-lighting, solar water-

heater, solar cooking, solar pump in irrigation and minor use in potable

water via distillation and disinfection, high temperature heating process for industrial

purposes.

Solar technologies are commonly categorized as either passive solar or active

solar depending on the way the energy being captured, converted and distributed.

Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar

thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a

building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light

dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air. [1]

2.3 Solar Panel

Solar panels use light energy (photons) from the sun to generate electricity

through the photovoltaic effect (this is the photo-electric effect). [8] Theoretically,

photons are created in the center of the sun by the fusion of atoms. Then, it takes a

photon about a million years to work its way to the surface of the sun, but once free it

is hurled through space so fast that it reaches earth in just eight minutes - after

traveling 93 million miles. Hence, by using the energy of speeding photons, an

electrical current can be created within a solar panel.

The majority of modules use wafer-based crystalline silicon cells or a thin-

film cell based on cadmium telluride or silicon. Crystalline silicon, which is

commonly used in the wafer form in photovoltaic (PV) modules, is derived from

silicon, a commonly used semi-conductor.

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In order to use the cells in practical applications, they must be connected

electrically to one another and to the rest of the system. Furthermore, it must be

protected from mechanical damage during manufacture, transport, installation and

use (in particular against hail impact, wind and snow loads). This is especially

important for wafer-based silicon cells which are brittle. Finally, it must also be

protected from moisture, which corrodes metal contacts and interconnects, (and for

thin-film cells the transparent conductive oxide layer) thus decreasing performance

and lifetime.

PV array was divided into 3 type of solar cell where most efficient and most

expensive type are Monocrystalline, followed by Polycrystalline and the least

expensive and least efficient are Amorphous(Thin Film). Figure 2.1 showed the

physical image of three types of solar cell.

Figure 2.1 Types of solar panel

Most modules are usually rigid, but there are some flexible modules

available, based on thin-film cells. By far, the most prevalent bulk material for solar

cells is crystalline silicon (abbreviated as a group as c-Si), also known as "solar grade

silicon". Bulk silicon is separated into multiple categories according to crystallinity

and crystal size in the resulting ingot, ribbon, or wafer.

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2.3.1 Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Monocrystalline silicon often made using the Czochralski process. Single-

crystal wafer cells tend to be expensive, and because they are cut from cylindrical

ingots, do not completely cover a square solar cell module without a substantial

waste of refined silicon. Hence most monocrystalline panels have uncovered gaps at

the four corners of the cells.

2.3.2 Polycrystalline Solar Panel

Poly- or multicrystalline silicon made from cast square ingots — large blocks

of molten silicon carefully cooled and solidified. Polycrystalline cells are less

expensive to produce than single crystal silicon cells, but are less efficient. However,

there were a higher number of multicrystalline sales than monocrystalline silicon

sales due to the economical cost.

2.3.3 Thin Film Solar Panel

Thin-film technologies reduce the amount of material required in creating a

solar cell. Though this reduces material cost, it may also reduce energy conversion

efficiency. Thin-film silicon cells have become popular due to cost, flexibility,

lighter weight, and ease of integration, compared to wafer silicon cells.

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Diodes are often included to avoid overheating of cells in case of partial

shading. Since cell heating reduces the operating efficiency it is desirable to

minimize the heating. Very few modules incorporate any design features to decrease

temperature; however installers try to provide good ventilation behind the module.[1]

The power produced by the solar array depends on the weather conditions,

the position of the sun and the capacity of the array. At noon on a bright day, a good

array can produce over 2 kilowatts (2.6 hp). A 6 m2 array of 20% cells will produce

roughly 6 kW·h (22 kJ) of energy during a typical day on the Malaysia weather at

daily insolation of 4 hours.

In brief, monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient commercially

viable photovoltaic solar collectors among three types of solar panel. PV panels

made from monocrystalline solar cells are able to convert the highest amount of solar

energy into electricity of any type of flat solar panel. Consequently, Monocrystalline

panels are a great choice for urban settings or where space is limited. Moreover,

monocrystalline cell have greater heat resistance where the loss of efficiency is lower

than what is typically experienced by polycrystalline cells.

2.4 Battery

A battery, in concept, can be any device that stores energy for later use. A

rock, pushed to the top of a hill, can be considered a kind of battery, since the energy

used to push it up the hill (chemical energy, from muscles or combustion engines) is

converted and stored as potential kinetic energy at the top of the hill. Later, that

energy is released as kinetic and thermal energy when the rock rolls down the hill.

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Common use of the word, "battery," however, is limited to an

electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electricity, by use of a

galvanic cell. A galvanic cell is a fairly simple device consisting of two electrodes

(an anode and a cathode) and an electrolyte solution. Batteries consist of one or more

galvanic cells.

A battery is an electrical storage device. Batteries do not make electricity;

they store it, just as a water tank stores water for future use. As chemicals in the

battery change, electrical energy is stored or released.

In rechargeable batteries this process can be repeated many times. Batteries

are not 100% efficient - some energy is lost as heat and chemical reactions when

charging and discharging. If you use 1000 watts from a battery, it might take 1200

watts or more to fully recharge it. Slower charging and discharging rates are more

efficient.

2.4.1 Starting Battery

Starting (sometimes called SLI, for starting, lighting, ignition) batteries are

commonly used to start and run engines. Engine starters need a very large starting

current for a very short time. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for

maximum surface area. The plates are composed of a Lead "sponge", similar in

appearance to a very fine foam sponge. This gives a very large surface area, but if

deep cycled, this sponge will quickly be consumed and fall to the bottom of the cells.

Automotive batteries will generally fail after 30-150 deep cycles if deep cycled,

while they may last for thousands of cycles in normal starting use (2-5% discharge).