Jeremy Edmondson

Light traps are an important monitoring tool for moth pests of agricultural crops worldwide. These systems are composed of four metal baffles that house a fluorescent black light bulb and ballast. Below the baffles is a metal cone facing downward into a metal container to catch moths (typically containing a killing agent). In North Carolina, these traps are operated continuously to capture several species of economically important agricultural moth pests from July to September Each morning researchers empty the bottom of the trap and count the moths. The problem with this system is twofold: 1) current traps use a florescent light/ballast system that is not durable, 2) traps require access to a standard 120v plug which limits the location of traps. These two issues are related to inconsistent trapping and poor trap placement that reduce exposure to moths. An ideal system would be portable and could be placed in wide-open agricultural areas with full exposure.

Transport wheelchairs are available for the mobility impaired for low cost and are light and easy to transport in the trunk of a car. Often caretakers of the mobility impaired do not have full mobility themselves and struggle to push the transport chairs on anything other than hard flat ground. Electric wheelchairs are considerably more expensive, but, most importantly, are too heavy for the caretaker to load into a vehicle. What is needed is a light weight, low cost transport chair with an electric assist to help on small inclines and uneven pavement and still be able to be loaded into a vehicle by a caretaker.

Project Background & Need: Low Voltage breakers used in the US nuclear industry typically use analog trip units, which are more expensive and can face obsolescence. Digital trip units are available commercially, however, the digital trip units are often not qualified for the severe environment of a nuclear power plant. In addition, it is difficult to ensure there is no software error in the digital trip unit to prevent common causes and modes of failure. Problem Description/Requirement (high-level features for end-product): For breakers that are used to start or stop motors, generators, transformers, and such, EMPATH�� should be considered to couple with the low voltage breakers to enable advanced diagnosis and monitor functions. EMPATH is Framatome���s hardware and software product where its innovative digital signal processing techniques of raw motor current and voltage, detect numerous motor problems with bearings, rotor bars, insulation, misalignment, imbalance, voltage, current, and unusual conditions, or wear. Using EMPATH software technology, motors, generators or transformers of any size and type can be evaluated for normal and abnormal conditions. This system can be potentially used to monitor the breaker's health as well.

Tidal flooding is a problem affecting thousands of people, and this number will only increase as sea levels continue to rise. These floods are hyper-local, often affecting single intersections or community blocks at one time. While locals may know of problem areas to avoid during a tidal flood, there is no systematic method for capturing the extent by which many roads, yards, and public spaces are inundated during these events, nor their duration. There is an overall need for the following for furthering the research in this field: -Monitor the extent of flooding cheaply and consistently -Record the effects of flooding, know the amount of pollutants in flood water. understand the impact of sunny day flooding on coastal water quality -Record the extent of flooding throughout a community (eg Beaufort NC) each time one of these sunny day floods occurs -Determine the extent of damage and diagnose issues -Determine where flooding is occurring, including areas without WiFi and power.

Build a test rig to validate IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) measuring systems to help remote control operators understand machine pitch, roll and yaw from remote console.

The scope of this project is for the student team to study the design, functionally and performance of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM), develop a load model for that PMSM, and design a physical prototype of that load. This prototype load will be used as a test load to test a PMSM controller without the need of having a motor and a mechanical load attached to it; the test load will take their place when testing the controller.

For more than 60 years, Fleet Readiness Center East, at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., has played an integral role in our national defense. The facility's In���������������Service Support Center provides multidisciplinary, engineering services in both design and maintenance. Our workforce has earned a reputation of excellence, providing worldwide support for Navy and Marine Corps aviation. The Caution/Advisory Panel provides in���������������flight warning of failure conditions in systems aboard the H���������������53 helicopter. It contains 72 amber caution capsules that light up in response to 28 VDC stimulus, and 30 green advisory capsules that light up in response to 28 VDC stimulus. This panel is an important component used to monitor and alert aircrew of possible failed systems onboard during flight. The status of Caution/Advisory capsules is an important part of engineering investigations for catastrophic mishap events. However, physical analysis of a burnt Caution/Advisory Panel to determine activation status of the capsules is limited. Acquiring a means to monitor and record Caution Advisory annunciations would provide important information to maintainers as part of troubleshooting aircraft problems, as well as, assisting investigators with determining root cause of mishap failures. Problem Description/requirements: Develop a system that can monitor and record activations of up to 102 independent 28 VDC input signals. Minimum Parameters Required: System shall include 2 components: the Data Recorder and the Test Panel. System shall be powered by 28 VDC. System Data Recorder shall be capable of monitoring up to 102 independent 28 VDC signals concurrently. System Data Recorder shall record Signal Name, Activation Duration, and Initial Signal Activation Time on removable storage media. System Data Recorder shall be entirely contained inside a box that will allow access to removable storage media. System Test Panel shall exhibit a visual representation of at least 30 independent 28 VDC stimuli being input to the data recorder.

Electric Motor Performance and Analysis Hardware, EMPATH��������� System platform combine a standard Laptop Computer and a Hardware Interface Module (HIM) diagnostic device to receive analog sensor signals, process them, and send them to the computer. Employing innovative digital signal processing techniques to raw motor current and voltage, EMPATH��������� detects numerous motor problems with bearings, rotor bars, insulation, misalignment, imbalance, voltage, current, and unusual conditions or wear. EMPATH Continuous Motor Monitoring system (ECMS) is Framatome������������������s next generation hardware and software. ECMS is designed to operate autonomously to acquire data from multiple electric machines then analyze the collected data. It then reports the findings to the users via emails, SMS������������������s and on-screen displays. ECMS data is stored in a server which can be accessed by the users for further analysis when needed. Currently, ECMS operation needs a 110/220 VAC power supply and an Ethernet connection to perform its functions. Framatome would like to expand ECMS operations to the electric machines that are located at remote locations that have no access to the wired networks. For this purpose, Framatome would like to communicate with the acquisition device using satellite links that store the data in a cloud server.

This proposal covers two senior design projects for Fall 2021-Spring 2022 academic year. The technical description of both the projects are uploaded with the proposal documents.