New Ideas 4th Year Project: Production/Renewable Energy

[ashwin1590]

Hey guys I am new to PF...m searching for new innovative ideas basically in production or renewable energy but m not able to get any...any suggestions??..

 

[Simon Bridge]

4th year where? College is a bit different from High School.

 

[skaboy607]

I don't really understand the OP? You want us to give you project ideas? Are they not provided by your university?

What areas are you interested in?

 

[ashwin1590]

my university didnt give any topics for project...we have to choose our own topic...m in interested in renewable energy or anything related to production...any innovative idea that can be used in daily life...

 

[Simon Bridge]

It is very common for 4th-year University students to be expected to think up their own project topic. You want to finesse this, go ask around the graduate school - you know, potential thesis supervisors? Ask what research the college is doing.

Apart from that - renewable energy is a big field. We do a lot of this in NZ.
Look around your area, see what is needed. The actual innovation need not be great - you are not writing a thesis right?

So - renewable energies are all solar ... either directly by solar heating or photoelectric effect or indirectly through wind, waves, streams, plants, that sort of thing. The main point is to find some way of getting energy faster than you can use it up ... coal is ultimately solar and so "renewable" but it takes a very long time to make coal in the ground so we are using it much faster than it can be created see? Same with oil.

So you want to look for a common application which uses up it's fuel quickly - say it is fossil-fuel based, and look for some other way to power it so it doesn't.

On the production angle - I do know of a project but it may be pricey. The "reprap" is a rapid prototyper (a 3D printer) whose main design parameter is that it can print it's own parts ... as much as possible. Right now it can print many of it's own parts but not all ... add to the number of parts it can print and you have got yourself an innovation. There are more substantial research goals in there too.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page

 

[ashwin1590]

Hey thanks for the info but m searching something purely mechanical...i have this concept in mind hybrid solar and wind energy..known as "wind from sun power plant"..but the point is this project is too large in size and i want to concise it some meters.
check this link u might like it.
http://www.jxca.org/

 

[Simon Bridge]

Yeah? You could build that in small scale ... though, if you used a parabolic reflector instead of a dark patch you will heat a small patch of air quickly and create a steady stream. Set the focus directly below the pipe and put a light fan-and-motor inside the pipe to run backwards as a generator.

This would give you data to extrapolate to the larger scale.

 

[xxChrisxx]

The first bit of advice if this is Uni engineering project is:

The aim is not to develop something new. The aim is to demonstrate you can think like an engineer and apply your knowledge .
Second, is to not do a design and build. The logistics of doing this with just university machine shop support are a nightmare. They are more difficult to gain marks in, and you WILL run into problems getting stuff made. I know this from first hand experience.

The key to good marks, is to look at one single aspect. eg:

"Design of a wing turbine". Is a terrible starting point.
"Effect of flow inteference on the efficiency of a turbine blades". Is a much better project, as the scope is really focused.

So remember, aim and scope, always.

It also depends on the subjects you enjoy and are good at. What modules have you taken and enjoy.

 

[skaboy607]

The first bit of advice if this is Uni engineering project is:

The aim is not to develop something new. The aim is to demonstrate you can think like an engineer and apply your knowledge .
Second, is to not do a design and build. The logistics of doing this with just university machine shop support are a nightmare. They are more difficult to gain marks in, and you WILL run into problems getting stuff made. I know this from first hand experience.

The key to good marks, is to look at one single aspect. eg:

"Design of a wing turbine". Is a terrible starting point.
"Effect of flow inteference on the efficiency of a turbine blades". Is a much better project, as the scope is really focused.

So remember, aim and scope, always.

It also depends on the subjects you enjoy and are good at. What modules have you taken and enjoy.

The OP should be doing what satisfies him. I know lost of people who physically built things for their projects including me. Yes it was a nightmare and very stressful but I don't regret it one bit. It's never been done before, it worked, and I am probably going to end up with a published paper out of it. You make a project what you want you want out of it.

 

[xxChrisxx]

The OP should be doing what satisfies him. I know lost of people who physically built things for their projects including me. Yes it was a nightmare and very stressful but I don't regret it one bit. It's never been done before, it worked, and I am probably going to end up with a published paper out of it. You make a project what you want you want out of it.

All we can do is advise, and a narrow scope project that is non build oriented is far easier to smash a 1st on. As it's easier to show depth of knowledge, and avoids abusively long leads times from the machine shop.

If this is for his undergraduate engineering project, then the bottom line is marks, marks, marks. It makes sense to take the pragmatic approach.

 

[skaboy607]

If this is for his undergraduate engineering project, then the bottom line is marks, marks, marks. It makes sense to take the pragmatic approach.

I'll agree with that.

It is important you get good marks. For me, I won't work hard at something unless it interests me, a paper all on theory and background does not and won't motivate me so ultimately I won't end up with good grades. Got to know you are and how you work.

 

[ashwin1590]

Guys the idea is going to fetch me marks. The project is of 18 credits in my university and the people around here are asking for something new and innovative with design and every testing on it. I am just asking for some ideas guys...

Anyone into AGV?...