Browsing by Author "Mereddy, Venkatram R."
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Item Development of Novel Hydrogen-Based Power Systems for ITS Applications: Phase-I(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-12) Mereddy, Venkatram R.There are many remote traffic signals on the road that don’t have access to a regular power supply, so they use batteries that need to be changed quite often. A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. It offers a clean and high-efficiency energy source to circumvent the problems associated with the conventional batteries. However, one major drawback that limits its utility is the use of compressed metal cylinders as a source of hydrogen. Chemical-based hydrogen production can provide a very compact and low-pressure storage option for the controlled release of hydrogen gas in large amounts. The hydrogen-based fuel cells can also be used as a backup power source at critical traffic signals to prevent accidents during power outages. The other possible applications include alternating-traffic signs, directional signals, speed-limit signs, blinkers in series, and warning blinkers etc. The project deals with the development of novel chemical-based hydrogen storage materials, efficient generation of hydrogen and recycling of spent materials. In this regard, we have explored several boron-based chemical hydrides as hydrogen storage materials. These hydrides offer an attractive solution to our quest in finding out materials that are safe, compact, and readily provide large quantities of hydrogen on demand. In this work, we have carried out generation of hydrogen from several boron hydrides such as sodium borohydride (SBH) and ammonia-borane (AB), etc., utilizing solvents such as water and alcohols under catalytic and non-catalytic conditions.Item A Prototype System for Chemical Hydrogen Generation and Storage for Operating ITS Devices(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2013-04) Sternberg, Steven P.; Hasan, A. Rashid; Mereddy, Venkatram R.This research project sought to develop a prototype hydrogen-based fuel cell system for ITS devices. The project investigated hydrogen storage capacities of the various candidate chemical hydride analogs; selected the most efficient of the candidates for energy storage based on volume, mass, and cost; developed a prototype system; and estimated the capital and operating cost for such a system. A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, providing a clean, high- efficiency energy source that circumvents the problems associated with conventional batteries. A major drawback that limits its utility, however, is the use of heavy and bulky compressed metal cylinders as the source of hydrogen. The chemical-based hydrogen generation used in this project can provide a compact, atmospheric-pressure storage option for the controlled release of hydrogen. Many ITS-based applications can be envisaged with hydrogen-based fuel cells, such as alternating-traffic signs, directional signals, speed-limit signs, blinkers in series, warning blinkers, and backup power sources at traffic signals during power outages. This system is particularly attractive because many remote traffic signals on northern Minnesota roads lack access to a power grid, requiring the use of batteries that must be changed often, thus incurring maintenance costs.