UC Researchers Push the Limits of Machine Endurance

Mohamed AbuAli,  post-doctoral fellow in mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science, is working within the college’s Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems to revolutionize the monitoring of energy equipment in industrial facilities.

He recently presented his work at the 6th annual World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM). His paper, “Systematic Design of Prognostics & Health Management (PHM) Solutions for Energy Applications," was showcased in the maintenance and innovation paper session.
 

“I was attracted to the IMS Center due to the strength of its ties to industry and the practicality of the research performed. Almost all research conducted at the IMS Center directly relates to and addresses gaps and challenges faced by industry to monitor and diagnose their industrial assets,” says AbuAli. “The research is quite diverse in that it can be implemented in a variety of industries, from automotive to aerospace to semiconductor.”

The IMS Center focuses its efforts on frontier technologies. Their vision is to enable products and systems to achieve and sustain near-zero breakdown performance.

Traditionally, the methods for monitoring and maintaining machines have been a “fail and fix” method. Troubleshooting machine issues after a breakdown is the common approach. The IMS center is developing ways to transform these traditional maintenance practices to a "predict and prevent" methodology. This “predict and prevent” approach seeks to forecast and maintain machines to eliminate failures before they happen. This approach focuses on machine performance making “near-zero breakdown” status is not only possible but probable.

AbuAli states, “Since joining the center in 2007, I have had invaluable opportunities to gain experience conducting industry-driven research.”  AbuAli and his co-researchers at the IMS Center are actively applying the IMS methodology and techniques for renewable energy and mobility applications. The team’s research on renewable energy applications centers on wind turbine technology and solar power while their research on mobility applications focuses on the performance and analysis of electric batteries for vehicles.
 
Since the IMS Center was founded by Professor Jay Lee in 2001, IMS research teams have made considerable strides in technology and researching predictive systems. AbuAli states, “Our core technology, the Watchdog Agent® is a set of algorithms that can be used to monitor, diagnose, and predict the performance or health of a system.”
 
AbuAli and fellow researchers focus on predictive systems for three main energy applications: industrial energy, renewable energy, and mobility. Using the Watchdog Agent®, they are able to: 1) further optimize overall energy management and utilization in industrial energy applications, 2) monitor and relate the degradation patterns in renewable energy applications such as wind turbines and 3) manage energy storage capabilities of batteries to realize optimum output while managing their life-cycle to ensure mobility.
 

The IMS Center has introduced a new concept called the “smart battery.” This “smart battery” incorporates IMS technologies and methodologies. The IMS approach has been proven to be a powerful solution for conducting prognostics for systems. These systems, products, and components exist in next generation technologies, such as the lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

AbuAli and the IMS team showcased their work on mobility applications at The Battery Show on Oct. 25-27 in Novi, Mich. Commenting on the show AbuAli declared, “We had an outstanding presence and promoted our research which is applied on the TWIKE that we have purchased for mobility research.”

The IMS Center recently acquired the TWIKE ACTIVE. The TWIKE is a hybrid vehicle build for two passengers plus cargo. It is a human-electric hybrid vehicle. It can be driven in electric-only mode or electric plus pedal power-mode. The driver and passenger power the lithium-ion phosphate battery through pedaling, with similar motions to that of pedaling a paddleboat.

Additionally, the TWIKE is equipped with regenerative breaking, which means as the vehicle slows down the kinetic energy, which is converted and either stored in the battery or used immediately to power the TWIKE. This is in contrast to regular braking systems which waste excess kinetic energy. The TWIKE can also be charged via a common 220V household outlet in 2-3 hours.

The TWIKE is used by the IMS Center to validate the “smart battery” concept. Through on board systems, the center provides the driver important information such as battery temperature, voltage, and time remaining to fully charge the battery. Predictive information can also be provided to the user, such as remaining useful life and remaining charge cycles of the battery.

The IMS Center’s work with the TWIKE is featured in the February issue of Sound & Vibration Magazine. Sound and Vibration magazine is a practical engineering magazine covering the areas of: noise and vibration control, dynamic measurements, structural analysis, computer-aided engineering, and machinery reliability and dynamic testing.

“The magazine is a well-known source circulated monthly to qualified personnel who are concerned with noise and vibration control, automotive NVH, dynamic measurements, modal analysis, machinery reliability, acoustical engineering and dynamic testing. Qualified individuals perform: design engineering, testing and evaluation, management, research and development, consulting and engineering services, equipment reliability/PM/PdM, occupational safety and health, and other functions related to the fields served.”

AbuAli hopes he can work with the IMS Center to commercialize their research to reach an even broader audience. Actually, the IMS team is already beginning this step in concert with National Instruments. The center’s Watchdog Agent(tm) toolkit for the National Instruments LabVIEW product can be viewed and downloaded from the National Instruments website.

AbuAli plans to feature IMS developments in more detailed technical journal publications in the near future and will be presenting his research in upcoming events including

• MFPT Conference, April 24-26, in Dayton, Ohio
• IMS Industry Advisory Board Meeting (IAB-23), May 16-18, in Ann-Arbor, Mich.
• IEEE PHM Conference, June 18-21, in Denver, Colo.