The 2007 International Future Energy Challenge has
been organized for participation by student engineering teams around the world.
The competition is open to college and university student teams from recognized
engineering programs in any location. The 2007 competition addresses two broad
topic areas: (A) Universal Adapting Battery Charger and (B) Integrated Starter/Alternator-Motor Drive for Automotive Applications.
The Monash University Team has chosen to partake in topic A, described as follows:
Universal Adapting Battery Charger:
The primary requirement of this project is to develop an efficient universal battery charger that will adapt to charge Lead-Acid, Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel-Metal-Hydride, Lithium-Ion and possibly rechargeable alkaline batteries with a minimum need for user intervention. The charger is required to operate over an input voltage ranging from 95V to 270V and a frequency range of 48 to 440Hz. Its efficiency should be high (>50% under charging conditions), and it must have a minimum AC input power-factor of 0.7 (> 0.8pf when charging above 0.5A). The maximum charging current at any voltage should be at least 1A, and the cost of the charger should not exceed US$10 for large-scale manufacture. Finally, the charger should be robust, self protecting against open and short circuits, and be able to manage batteries connected in any polarity.
In August 2006, the Monash University Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering has assembled a team to participate, along with 12 other international Universities, in the 2007 International Future Challenge, a competition sponsored by the IEEE Power Electronics Society, with the aim of promoting innovation in the field of distributed electricity generation systems.
The team consists of 13 undergraduate engineering students with an interest in power electronics, guided by A/Prof. Grahame Holmes. As the director of the Monash Power Electronics Group, he is actively involved in practical applications in this area of industry.
