Live Performance Testing

UK Solar Car Team, University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

December 2014

The Team

• Daniel Cambron,

University of Kentucky

• Joshua Morgan,

University of Kentucky

• Chris Heintz, University

of Kentucky

• John Broadbent,

University of Kentucky

• Zachary Reeder,

University of Kentucky

• Matthew Morgan,

Advisor, West Kentucky

Community & Technical

College

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TEAM PHOTO

Special thanks to Dr. Jeff Ashley and Dr. Tom Henninger at the University of Kentucky for their endless technical and professional advice.

Objective

Objective Increase the idle efficiency of the solar vehicle by at least 10%, all while saving time by quickly finding and minimizing inefficient components.

Fluke Connect tools will be used to measure live performance data of the solar vehicle while it is in motion in hopes of detecting areas of strategic improvement. Additionally, The Fluke Connect tools will be used to statically measure components of the vehicle and minimize inefficient systems. By improving driving strategy and mitigating inefficiencies, the solar car team hopes to increase the idle efficiency of the solar vehicle by 10% and the dynamic efficiency of the vehicle by 5%.

The use of Fluke Connect tools will open up new avenues for data collection and team collaboration that will significantly decrease the time needed to improve the efficiency of the solar car. The objective is to see marked improvements in efficiency within a short time period of 2 weeks.

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Methodology

– V3001 DC Voltage Module measures battery pack and control voltages

– A3002 Current Measurement Module placed on the vehicle’s main DC power bus

– A3001 iFlex AC Current Module placed on the “A” Phase of the vehicle’s Permanent Magnet Synchronous motor

– T3000 Temperature Module placed on Motor

– Ti95 Thermal Imaging Camera used to find faulty electrical connections, inefficient components, and faulty solar cells.

– 3000 True RMS Multimeter used for efficiency calculations of electronic components and troubleshooting.

– These measurements were displayed and logged on a smartphone as the car was in motion. Results were shared in real-time with other members of the Solar Car Team.

– Fluke Connect data collection and sharing features enabled effective problem analysis and solution identification.

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Results

• The team was able to not only meet, but exceed, every goal by using the Fluke Connect tool suite!

Metric Goal Before After Total change

Idle Energy Consumption

10% decrease

45.5 Watts 38.22 Watts 16% decrease!

Dynamic Energy Efficiency

5% increase

82.5% 88.0% 5.5% increase!

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Results

• Within the first 5 minutes of using the Ti95 Thermal Imaging Camera, we

found a power-wasting loose connection in the vehicle’s electronics

panel which otherwise would have gone undetected for months!

• Fixing this terminal resulted in an immediate 12% decrease in idle power

consumption.

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Before: Notice the hot Terminal After: Terminal connection fixed

Results

• A quick fix can make a

huge difference!

• Our next step is to replace

the power-hungry

automotive relays with

energy efficient relays.

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Current Bus Voltage Power

Before 3.49 A 13.04 V 45.5 Watts

After 2.92 A 13.06 V 38.22 Watts

Results

• Thermal Images of

brake rotors, solar

array, and vehicle

electronics.

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Results

• The real-time voltage, current, and

temperature data allowed the team

to determine the most efficient

cruising speed.

• Adjusting the target speed set-point

improved the dynamic energy

efficiency by 5.5%

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Results

• The Fluke voltage and current modules allowed us to remotely monitor

the vehicle as it was charging. This gave team members the opportunity

to work on other projects while charging, saving the team 4 hours of

tedious labor.

• “before” & “after” photos

• Screenshots/measurement data

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Results

• Previously, senior members of the team would have to meet

in person to review data being collected with standard test

equipment.

• Using the Fluke Connect tools, senior members were free to

be away from the facilities during these tests because live

data could be shared remotely.

• Previously, the team had no system in place for organizing

and logging data. The Fluke tools take care of this for us

now, saving the team significant amounts of time.

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Impact & Recommendations

The Solar Car Team continuously strives to be on the cutting edge of new green technology and energy efficiency. By improving the efficiency of the solar vehicle, our team is proving to the world that solar energy is a viable option for powering the transportation of tomorrow. Tackling global energy challenges will be of paramount importance in the coming century, and our team is helping make a difference today.

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In addition to research, our team is dedicated to inspiring aspiring engineers to join the field. We showcase our work to people of all ages and take pride in the fact that we’ve continuously improved our systems.

Recommendations

Our team utilized the Fluke Connect for a very specialized application, but our process can be extended to a broad array of applications. We suggest that teams take advantage of the ability to share data through the Connect application. For example, a team of maintenance electricians working in an industrial setting could share test results so that the next shift of electricians could pick up right where they left off. Likewise, a team of scientists could use the device logging feature to associate a specific set of measurements with a particular device under test.

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Solar Car master control box

Standard industrial components and wiring

Lessons learned

• The thermal imaging camera was impressively effective at detecting faulty electrical connections and sources of wasted energy within the solar car.

• An increase in motor current causes significant voltage fluctuations on the DC bus, causing potential problems with car electronics.

• Using the right tools for the job is a significant time saver. The ability to communicate parameters to other engineers though smart phone apps and associate data with a vehicle component is a valuable capability.

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