Highway Wind Turbines

We all know that how important wind power is.The only disadvantage with wind power is that it needs continuous flow of wind to generate electricity. Moreover, this is the reason that most of wind mills area is limited to large farmlands, sea and hills.

Project idea we are discussing today can solve this limitation problem. The only place in the world , where winds keeps on flowing irrespective of season whether day or night is Highways . What if we install our wind turbine at Dividers?


Advantages:

• Installation on divider not only reduce our land cost but also significantly optimize our power generation capability.
• We can use energy from vehicles from both sides of divider.
• Can generate electricity from natural wind also.

Concept:

When any vehicle move forward , it produce strong wind force at its sides. In this project, we would use that force to rotate our turbine. And, this turbine would be designed in such a way that it can use force of both the sides of divider as shown in the video.





Related Projects:

Power generation using wind turbine kites
Mechanical Projects
Electrical Projects
Electronics Project

Power generation using railway track

The key element of  this project  is a variable capacitor, which can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy with the help of work done by an external force against the electric field formed between the two plates of the capacitor.
Concept :

We can generate electricity by pushing one plate of capacitor against another plate( which is also connected with small power source).Generated electricity is way more than electricity we supplied with the help of power source.

To produce good amount of electricity significantly we need to stimulate the variable capacitor using power from external source and discharging it at a later time in a cyclic manner to change the capacitance. 

How this system works with rails?

As explained before, by varying the distance between the capacitance portions in response to a vehicle on the rail, the capacitance plate moves against the energy field to act as a variable capacitor that make the co-generation of power with respect to the system.

Things we need :

1. Variable Capacitor
2. Power Source
3.Biasing Device : to keep two portions of capacitor separate.

Another Way ?

There is one  other way of generating electricity using trains is to use T Box wind power generator, which use the wind produce by trains to produce power.

Related Video : T Box Wind Power Generator

 

Related Projects :
Mechancial Projects
Physics Projects

Car monitoring System

How many times you heard about car accident caused just because of tire burst or due to break fail?
Have you ever imagined that these accidents not only cause harm to car passengers but also to innocent people on the streets. Even though these accidents are random and can happen with anyone but they can be avoided with the help of modern engineering and technology.

What is the solution?

We can place Sensors throughout a car that wirelessly send data back to a central terminal.And whenever anything awkward happens, driver would be alarmed about that information and its sources through dashboard monitor.


Advantages :

Avoiding traffic accidents due to under-inflated tires by early recognition of the malfunction of tires
Reducing CO2 emission and reducing tire abrasion by an optimal inflation
Avoid Engine Maintenance Cost
Lesser Battery related Problems
Car Alignment and Balancing could be done at right time so increase tire life cycle.

Related Presentation :

Car Monitoring System ppt : Presentation about how to use Zigbee technology to measure different components  (Tyre  Pressure, Temperature, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor or Car Battery Voltage) of a car and display the data on a main LCD screen.

Related Video :

Line follower Robot

Some of the earliest Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) were line following mobile robots. They might follow a visual line painted or embedded in the floor or ceiling or an electrical wire in the floor. Most of these robots operated a simple "keep the line in the center sensor" algorithm.
This simple robot is designed to be able to follow a black line on the ground without getting off the line too much. The robot has two sensors installed underneath the front part of the body, and two DC motors drive wheels moving forward. A circuit inside takes an input signal from two sensors and controls the speed of wheels’ rotation. The control is done in such a way that when a sensor senses a black line, the motor slows down or even stops. Then the difference of rotation speed makes it possible to make turns. For instance, in the figure on the right, if the sensor somehow senses a black line, the wheel on that side slows down and the robot will make a right turn.


Useful Material :

A Line follower Robot (PDF)
Line follower robot  (pdf)

Related Video :


Related Projects :

Robotics Projects
Mechanical Engineering Projects
Physics Projects
Electronics Project
Electrical Projects

Generating electricity using roads

There are millions of cars on streets around the world at any given time of day. Whenever, we talk about cars;  we start to think about negatives such as pollution , congestion etc etc. Despite all these cons , cars are essential part of our life and project would discuss today use these cars for generating electricity.

How?
We would use Piezoelectric material below the roads.When cars roll over it, due to pressure exerted by the cars, it starts generating electric current.

Recently , we have discussed most of the project related to Piezoelectric  Some of you might think that why , we are giving such a emphasis on this form of electricity?

When we talk about future of energy , Piezoelectric Electricity is going to play very important role. We are too much dependent on traditional sources ,and  to reduce there dependency we have to generate electricity from as much sources as we can such as solar, wind and piezoelectric materials. 

What's the advantage?

Electricity generated from roads can be used to light up street lights nearby which otherwise needs electricity from very distant sources.Moreover, significant amount of electricity has been lost while travelling big distances.

Related Projects :

Power generation using foot steps
Energy Harvesting from Sidewalk 

Energy Harvesting from a Piezoelectric Sidewalk

Millions of people use sidewalk daily which is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade (height) and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb.


This project idea is about harvesting pedestrian mechanical energy and converting it into electrical energy.We have already discussed Piezoelectric sidewalk in our post Power generation using foot steps.


Concept :

This project is based on very simple concept which states that when certain solid materials put under a mechanical stress they produce electricity. These materials are known as Piezoelectric materials.Some examples of these materials are Sucrose (table sugar), Quartz and  Topaz


 Related PDF :
Yale University



Human Power Harvesting

MIT Links 
 
Parasitic Power Harvesting in Shoes
Piezoelectric Energy Scavenging In Shoes

Related Docs :
Human Power Harvesting

Related Pdf :
Wearcom power harvesting in shoes
Human generated power for Micro Electronics

Hydraulic Car Lift

We all have heard about Hydraulic lifts sometime in our life, but some of you may think that how it works or how to build one for ourselves.

Today we are going to discuss about lifting cars using Hydraulics, which is based on Pascal concept.

Why understanding Hydraulics important?
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties.


Concept:
Pascal's law states that the pressure applied at one point of the liquid is transmitted equally in all direction. This principal is applied in hydraulic lift, for lifting heavy objects.

We know 

Force = Pressure x Area

Therefore Pressure = Force / Area

P1 = P2 (if pressures are equal throughout).

Formula becomes F1/A1 = F2/A2

Using above formula we can lift heavy materials using little force. For e.g. here we are lifting 10 pound using 1 pound.

1 pound / 1 square inches = 10 pounds / 10 square inches

So, to lift a car we should produce force(F1) which is more than F2(car force)

F1(force applied)
F2(Car force)
A1(Area below F1)
A2(Area below Car)

F1/A1 = F2/A2

F1 = F2 * A1/ A2

Therefore value of F1 is dependent on A1/A2 Ratio. Lesser it is lesser the force required by us.


 
Related Links :

How Hydraulic Machine Works ?

Fluid Power (pdf)

Stair Climbing Hand Cart

Stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps.They become integral part of human life and in every construction you can find stairs in one or the other design.Moreover, they are so significant that whether you like them or not but you can't avoid them.

So what's the problem?

Every thing has its own pros and cons and stairs is no exception. When we think of stairs we know that how problematic it for old people or person with disability to climb it. Not only that, but for common person to carry heavy material using them.

Imagine if you want to carry something heavy with you on stairs , you probably would know that it is very difficult and risky task, sometime involved more than one person, if thing is more heavier.


Solution :

We all know that we can't live without stairs , so engineers develop a machine called stair climbing hand cart which helps you to carry heavy things while climbing on staircase. Stair climbing hand cart , as the name implies, are designed to go up and down stairs.

Concept :

By rotating its two sets of powered wheels about each other, this machine can walk up and down stairs, much like a cog railway or a rack and pinion with the two wheels as the teeth of the gear. The wheels can roll slightly at each step to compensate for a wide range of stair dimensions.

Useful PDF :
 Stair Climber

 

Related Posts :

Stair Climbing Robot 

3D Solar Cells

We all know that popular conventional energy resources  such as oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear power are accompanied by problems of air and water pollution, resource depletion and the greenhouse effect, all of which are becoming increasingly unacceptable and difficult to afford. In the 21st century PV (Solar Energy) can potentially meet the rapidly growing demand for electricity with minimal environmental consequence.

Despite being one of the best alternative , solar energy is far behind from coal and nuclear energy in terms of market share. Moreover, it is costlier and less efficient   than its counterparts.To improve its efficiency and reducing cost, we should move towards advanced solar cells such as 3 dimensional.


 Three-dimensional solar cells that capture nearly all of the light that strikes them and could boost the efficiency of photovoltaic systems while reducing their size, weight and mechanical complexity. The new 3D solar cells, created at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, capture photons from sunlight using an array of miniature “tower” structures that resemble high-rise buildings in a city street grid.

This idea of 3D Cell is of William Yuan is a freshman from Beaverton, Oregon.Yuan has developed a 3D solar cell that has the potential to revolutionize solar power.At the heart of Yuan's project is a solar cell that can harness both visible and ultraviolet light.Yuan's solar cells are calculated to absorb about five hundred times more light then a conventional solar cell and nine times more than advanced 3D solar cells.

More Info

\

Thermal Engineering Projects

The projects of Thermal Engineering includes topics related to theory and applications of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics or heat and mass transfers . The best example for this is Air conditioner. This is one of the most important branch of Mechanical engineering and we can not imaging even a single important task which can be done without implementation of this engineering in one or the other way. Various ideas related to this branch are :

Prediction of temperature and humidity distribution in a room with ceiling panel

CFD Modelling of coal combustion in drop tube reactor

Simulation of coal-air flow in a bowl type coal mill

Mathematical modeling of heat transfer in walking beam type reheat furnace


Thermodynamics and Combustion Engineering

Solar Refrigeration System

Analysis of AGR Emission Reduction

Mini Bio Gas Fuel Turbine

Bio Gas Powered Vehicle

Candle Light Powered Fan

Heat Transfer and Thermal Power

Design of Heat Exchanger for a Steel Plant

Working Model of Heat Pipe

Compact thermal management system


Hydro turbo machines

Turbo machinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid.

Hydro Power Projects

Water Turbine Power generation system

Internal Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines

ICE Project

Bio Gas Powered Vehicle

Refrigeration and Air conditioning

Solar Powered Refrigerator

Solar Powered Air Conditioner

Thermal Turbo machines

Compressed Air Cars

Mini Scooter

Compact thermal management System
What is Thermal Management System ?
It is a system where we manage heat for the safety of our electric items.It is very important project because we can't able to do it effectively, it can harm our computer,laptop and ipad. Moreover, as our equipment's are getting compact, its importance would increase.
Related PDF :
Battery Thermal Management System Design Modelling
Dynamic Thermal Management for Distributed Systems
Nonlinear Controller for Automotive Thermal Management Systems
Projects from other universities :
Purdue University Projects

Related PDF :

A linear thermal expansion apparatus

Thermo Acoustic Refrigerator

Thermoacoustics is the study of the interactions between thermodynamic and acoustic phenomena. Thermoacoustics is a relatively new field of science and engineering. Few devices based on this principle have been made thus far. Most are for research purposes.

Thermoacoustic refrigerators have no ozone-depleting or toxic coolant and few or no moving parts therefore require no dynamic sealing or lubrication.


Concept :





The above formula states that there is a relation between pressure changes, and temperature changes. A dynamic pressure would cause a dynamic temperature and vice versa


Interference between the incoming and reflected wave is now imperfect since there is a difference in amplitude causing the standing wave to travel little, giving the wave acoustic power. In the acoustic wave, parcels of gas adiabatically compress and expand. Pressure and temperature change simultaneously,when pressure reaches a maximum or minimum, so does the temperature. Heat pumping along a stack in a standing wave device can now be described using the Brayton cycle.

Thermoacoustic engines (sometimes called "TA engines") are thermoacoustic devices which use high-amplitude sound waves to pump heat from one place to another, or conversely use a heat difference to induce high-amplitude sound waves.

Thermoacoustics is a relatively new field of science and engineering.


Related Projects:

Mechanical Projects
Solar Powered Refrigerator

Flying Cars

A flying car is an aircraft that can also travel along roads. All the working examples have required some manual or automated process of conversion between the two modes of operation.
Some of you thinking that why I have discussed this project now. The main reason behind is that it recently revealed car at Holland. A flying car, which can fly for up to 315 miles at speeds of 110 mph, has been produced in Holland.

Is it possible to build one?
Yes it is possible but not commercially viable till date. Henry Ford tried to build one for everyone but was unsuccessful.But, with today's technology we can think about it more seriously. Recently, DARPA has awarded 988 Thousand dollars contract to Carnegie Mellon University for the developing the same.Read More.

We all know that aircraft is almost like a car before taking of from the runway but it can't be used as a car because of its wide wingspan , complicated design and costly manufacturing? These bottlenecks has not been sorted out, if we can find ways to solve these problems, we would be able to build one as one company from Holland is trying to do.

Concept :
To build flying car you should read about Parajet Skycar now in production, developed by British para-motor manufacturer Parajet.

Steam engine Powered bicycle

 We all have heard about steam engines, a big giant engine on train, producing enough power to pull huge boogies attached to it. But today, we are going to discuss about engines opposite to train engines, an engine which is small engine but produce enough torque to move our bicycle forward.

Cycle which is powered by engines is called as motorized bicycle. A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedaling. Since it always retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one.

The history of the steam engine stretches back as far as the first century AD. The first commercially successful engine was the atmospheric engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen around 1712. 

Why this project ?

To understand concept of engines and how they work, you should start with something very historical such as steam engines. This project used with old cycle would not cost much and will be great learning experience for you.

Are Steam engines relevant in modern world?

Despite many people think steam engine as outdated material, however it is important to remember that the power supplied to the electric grid is predominantly generated using steam turbine plant, so that indirectly the world's industry is still dependent on steam power.

Related Projects :

Stirling Engine
Homemade steam engines

Solar Powered LED Lights

Have you ever heard of energy poverty. Energy poverty is very rare in developed countries but in many African and Asian countries it is pretty common.

Someday, if you get a chance to travel to these remote parts of the world, you would amaze to find that how important moon light is!!. These villages have no street lights nor lights at home . Whenever they need some lights they burn kerosene lamps for that.

We have discussed lot of about LED in our " LED Light" post, what about powering it with solar energy.Solar LED is composed of a LED lamp, a photovoltaic solar panel, and a rechargeable battery.

This project idea is for students who are interested in green energy projects. It would be very useful for developing countries , but with one disadvantage that it has more buying cost than any of its counterparts.Even though its operating cost is negligible, we need to provide it on cheaper rates so that it can be afforded even in last part of world.


What we can do ?

Use existing available technology and try to minimize its cost, even if we compromise some of the brightness of light but if you can make it cheaper ,it would change lives of many people.

What's the benefit? 

1. It would take years for their government to build power transmission system , which can bring electricity to there places, but solar powered lights can be installed in minutes.

2.Mass production is always cheaper. If people started to buy these lights they would eventually gets more cheaper and better, while reducing dependencies on traditional way of lightning a bulb.

3.It is very reliable and can works in extreme conditions. In the video shown below you can see it.

Concepts : 


1) Understanding how a solar cell functions and its limitations with respect to power generation in varying light levels

2) The charging characteristics of various energy storage devices (batteries, ultra-capacitors)

3) The advantages and disadvantages of various power supplies (linear, switching/buck/boost) in matching the current-voltage characteristics of the three system elements.


Related Posts:

Solar Energy Projects
Mechanical Projects
Physics Projects

Human Powered Gym

Millions of people do there workout everyday.Imagine if we can capture the kinetic energy created while pedaling or running and converts it into electricity that can be channeled back into power outlets. The idea makes a lot of sense when you think about all the energy wasted in gym workouts.



A US gym has installed specially-adapted exercise bikes that recycle energy generated by people as they work out. The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, aims to be a carbon neutral exercise facility through the use of solar power and human-generated energy from clients as they pedal and run.

The science behind generating electricity from gym equipment is not new. For decades people have been using dynamos on their bikes to power the front and rear lamps.We have discussed this before in pedal operated power Generating system, power in a gym setting is based on the same principle. If you think about a gym, almost all of the exercise equipment has a spinning wheel, and if you can spin a wheel you can make electricity, just like a windmill makes electricity.

More Details


Related Projects :

Mechancial Projects
Physics Projects

Online Auction Site in PHP

Traditional way of doing auction is still popular but due to its limitations more and more people are thinking of shifting online.

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. In economic theory, an auction may refer to any mechanism or set of trading rules for exchange.


This project idea is for computer science students having preliminary knowledge of PHP and My SQL.

Tools Required :

Xampp : is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use - just download, extract and start.

Open Source Projects :

Web Auction : Web Auction is a simple auction designed for organizations or individuals who want to hold an auction. It is not like Ebay in the sense that only admins can add products. Products can have pictures, price, minimum bids, bid imcrements, and more.

A Shop :An advanced but user friendly PHP/MySQL based shopping cart system with support for selling digital products, physical products and access to protected membership areas of a website.

Related Projects :
Computer Engineering Project ideas
Java Project Ideas
Python Projects
Php Project
Iphone Applications
C++ Projects
How to answers Projects