SCI 184

http://sites.suffolk.edu/sarahmattero/

For the thermal heating lab, we filled up two beakers. One of the beakers contained 80 ml of water and the other contained 80 ml of vegetable oil. The hot plate was then set on 1.5 since the plate itself was not heating up. The temperature of the two probes was the recorded by NXT while the probes themselves never touched the glass. The data itself did not vary as much as expected because as stated previously, our group was having trouble with the hot plate actually heating up.

For our lab, we measured the amount of solar energy needed in numerous different settings in terms of the light. We used tiny solar panels and a flash light that were provided and hooked them up to our robot cars to be read. The first test was done with the distance being zero, meaning the flash light was held directly over the solar panel. We then measured the voltage from the baseline, 5 inches and 10 inches above the solar panel. Following that, we measured the voltage from 5 inches above, but this time we used different color see through paper to measure the difference. All of the figures were then averaged out a put onto a graph for further inspection. Overall, there were some minor fluctuations from 5 inches in terms of voltage and it was found out that the closer the light source, the more effective the solar panels became.

Professor Vale showed us Faraday’s Law by using a giant coil to generate energy. The coil worked in the same way the as tube used in our lab by generating mass amounts of voltage. By placing a stick with a metal pole coming of the top of it just near the top of the coil generated a mass amount of energy and a electric current was visable. Professor Vale also explained the history of Nikola Tesla who developed the technology that was on display along with many other advancements that we take for granted in our daily lives.

For the Generator Lab, we tested Faraday’s Law which states that changing magnetic fluxes through coiled wires that generate electricity. Each group was provided with one generator, one voltage probe, and one NXT adaptor. The currents and voltage depnded on the change of the magnetic flux, which were created through the shaking of the generator tube. The tube was shaken three different times with each time having a different number of shakes. Each shake provided different flucuationsand generated voltages. While shaking, the number for the voltage would sometimes dip into the negatives. A fourth time was to examine the voltages when the tube was not shaken. The number of voltages was significantly smaller compared to when the tube was shaked.

Recently we visited the MIT Plasma Fusion Center. The center is a research lab immersed in the study of plasma physics and nuclear fusion. The main feature of the Center is the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. The tokamak works to study the stability, heating, and transport properties of plasmas. With about 270 personnel, many being scientists, the center works as one of the leading plasma study centers in the world. The tokamak itself is unique because it of it’s small size. Despite the size, however it still gives a top performance.

The nucleus of an atom consists of protons, which have positive electrical charge, and neutrons which have no charge at all. Fusion reactions release surplus binding energy when light nuclei fuse, forming heavier nuclei. The Alcator C-Mod creates a process in which two deutrons fuse and create helium. The tokamak uses magnets to shape the plasma into a donut shape. This donut shape is called a torus. The tokamak’s high confining fields allows for researchers to experiment with plasmas that are more hot and dense than those in machines of similar size.

Overall, the experience was great. It was cool that the class got to see something that is very significant in terms of where the technology could advance humankind. The machinery was unlike anything I have ever seen before and the control room looked like something right out of NASA!

“MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center: Researchalcatorinformation.” Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/alcator/intro/info.html#solution>.

Demand response is the process of managing customer consumption of electricity in response to supply conditions. This relationship is determined through the regulator. It is divided into two programs of incentive-based demand response and time-based demand response. Penalties are given out for customers in case of no response to load reduction. The power market regulator sets the rules in concern to the demand response programs. The purpose is to prove the capabilities of self-organizing maps to identify customers and their response potential to distributor or customer electrical demand databases.

Economists believe that real time price programs are the most competitive and efficient demand response programs and should be the focus of policy makers. The most important part of this program would be giving the best price program to anyone willing to participate. The introduction of direct response into electricity networks can reduce fluctuating electricity prices and can work as a check against generator market power. It also can increase the reliability of the grid.

Dashti, R., & Afsharnia, S. (2011). Demand response regulation modeling based on distribution system asset efficiency. Electric Power Systems Research, 81(2), 667-676. doi:10.1016/j.epsr.2010.10.031

Mahmoudi-Kohan, N. N., Moghaddam, M., Sheikh-El-Eslami, M. K., & Kamali, M. (2009). Determination of Optimum Real Time Price Patterns for Demand Response Application. (Cover story). International Review on Modelling & Simulations, 2(6), 611-615. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Walawalkar, R., Fernands, S., Thakur, N., & Chevva, K. (2010). Evolution and current status of demand response (DR) in electricity markets: Insights from PJM and NYISO. Energy, 35(4), 1553-1560. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2009.09.017

Mr. Vale showed the class many different types of heat engines and the different types of functionalities that each one had. One of the heat engines used solar energy to keep itself powered. Mr. Vale said that this type of heat engine comes in many different forms. There was also a heat engine that used water to power itself. Lastly, Mr. Vale showed us an electric bug swatter that used an electric charge to kill bugs. If you placed anything against the netting, a spark would occur. All of these different heat engines were said to come in many different forms, but all were said to be fully functional.