HEA STEM Conference 2018:Creativity in Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Introductions
Dr Antony Allen CEng FIMechE FIET SFHEA
14 years automotive research and development
8 years working directly in automotive companies
4 years as Senior Teaching Fellow at WMG, University of Warwick
Mr Andrew Moore
Electronics designer since 1983
Robotics, Power Lasers, Radar, Microbiology, Aerospace, Rail
5 years as Lead Engineer at WMG, University of Warwick
Workshop overview
1. Introductions 2. Context of application
Course formatsSkills for industry
3. Experiment design: Exercise 14. Overview of the equipment5. Experiment design: Exercise 26. Further experiments7. What next?8. Summary and discussion
2. Context of application
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Technical Accreditation SchemeDelivered exclusively for employees at Jaguar Land-RoverLevel-7 provision within the JLR Academy for Life-Long LearningAll modules are co-owned by a company subject expertMulti-institution degree scheme with mutual recognition andtransfer of credits80+ modules from 8+ providersWMG modules are 15 CATS
40hr “Tutor led content” over one week110hr independent study assessed by post-module assignment
CATS Credits
MSc in Sustainable Automotive EngineeringFull-time over 1 year or Part-time over 3 years
Launched in October 2015
Sustained student base, 50%+ international
Nine x 10 CAT modules delivered in one-week format:Automotive Hybridisation and Electrification
Energy Storage and High Voltage Systems
Propulsion Technology – Machines, and Control
Lightweight Structures and Materials
Systems Modelling and Simulation
Four elective modules such as
Technology management, Innovation, Management of Change, Supply Chain Management etc.
900 hour (90 CATS) dissertation project
The SAE course grew out of a suite of modules on the TAS professional programme
Further details and course video available: Type “WMG SAE” into Google
SAE: Core modules
Research lead
Industry relevance
Automotive Council roadmap forlow-carbon propulsion technology
Automotive CouncilStrategic Technologies
Some of the challenges
Teaching an MSc module in one week
Pre-module work is rarely undertaken
Maintaining engagement
Practical experience
Problem based learning
Upskilling and “wicked competences”*
Maintaining academic standards*[Knight 2007 Fostering and assessing wicked competencies]
It’s not atraining course!
Energy Storage and High Voltage SystemsOn-vehicle energy storage technologiesSpecification, battery design and constructionHigh voltage integration for automotive platformsThree days of lectures and case study sessionsTwo full days of rotating small-group practicalsHands-on experience in WMG’s battery pilot lineand battery characterization laboratory
Make a battery Test a battery
Design problemclass
Vehicle chargingevaluation
3. Experiment design: Exercise 1
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Experiment design: Exercise 1Working in in small groups,
Design an experiment
to determine the speed of the vehicle.
Useful information:
A flexible tape-measure, stopwatch and smartphone are available along withpen, paper etc.
The control system connects the car’s motor directly to the battery via a relay.
The control system can be preconfigured to open the relay after a set periodof time has elapsed (1ms resolution).
The car takes time to accelerate / decelerate
Experiment design: Exercise 1
This is a fairly simple example of a
partially defined problem:
Many approaches, most correct.
Some approaches more sensible than others!
Unspecified requirements.
Compromises between time feasibility and accuracyof result.
Could easily spend far too long on it!
Experiment design: Exercise 1
Key aspects of experiment design:
What is controlled?
What is measured?
How long will it take?
How long have we got?
How accurate will the answer be?
How accurate does the answer need to be?
4. Overview of equipment
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
What is the Battery EV ScaleX?Functions of the control system:
1ms execution rateMeasures battery voltage and currentCalculates power and accumulates time, charge, and energyCloses charge or discharge relay at start of experimentOpen the relay when any of the above parameters reach a pre-configured threshold
E.g. open after x seconds, open after y joules, etc.
Plots real-time graphs and UI displaysLogs time, voltage, current and relay state to csv files (at 1ms)
NB Charging is at the voltage / current limit controlled by the PSU
5. Experiment design: Exercise 2
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Experiment design: Exercise 2
Working in in small groups,Design an experiment
to determine the battery efficiency.
The control system can:Use relays to connect the battery to either the power supply or the car.Monitors time, current and voltage, taking 1ms samples.Calculate power and accumulate time, charge, and energy.Open the relay when any of the above parameters reach a pre-configuredthreshold (E.g. open after x seconds, open after y joules, etc.)
The power supply can:Maintain its output according to preconfigured fixed voltage and current limits
Experiment design: Exercise 2
Success evidences key learning about batterytechnology:
What does the battery actually store?How can we ensure consistency over the test?What is measured, what is controlled?Time duration? Accuracy?Electrical fundamentals:
Current, charge, amps, coulombs, As, AhPower and energy, W, J, Wh, kW, kWh, MJ
6. Further experiments
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Further experiments aligned with module ILOsVehicle energy requirement
In Wh/mile or miles/kWh
Boundary of charging constraintsConstant currentConstant voltage
Representation of overnight vs rapid chargingEffect of charging rate on
Battery efficiencyWhole vehicle energy requirement
Populate and apply zero order modelsPredict outcomes and verify experimentally
Populate and apply first order models
7. What next?
Antony Allen & Andrew MooreWMG, University of Warwick
HEA STEM Conference, Feb 2018
“Battery EV ScaleX”Scalextric slot-cars for student led exploration of
battery electric vehicle phenomena
Future developments1. Lower cost implementation
Arduino rather than dSpace MicroAutoBoxMultiple systems for parallel working
2. Variable vehicle speedPWM the battery to car connection with variable duty
3. Speed measurement and controlDC motor commutation frequency indicates vehicle speed
4. Positional measurementUse inductance of track / car circuit to measure distanceVary speed according to position on the track
5. Efficient driving challengeOne lane is computer controlledUser controls the otherChallenge is to use least energy for a set distance
Teachingapplications
Outreach andEngagement
Questions and discussion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this workshop
We’re happy to share the resources
Contact:
Appreciate your questions and thoughts
@DrAntAllen
@AndrwADM
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