Energy Storage
Onboard electronics will require electrical power. Some of this will be stored, while other electric power might be generated in-situ. This is the focus of the Hypersonic Systems Initiative's Energy Storage/Capture Focus Group.
Battery development needs to account for the high temperature and high g-load environment. In addition, battery weight is an issue that trades for payload and range. The large temperature gradients that affect the structure design can be harvested using thermopiles to produce electricity that can directly power electronics or charge batteries. Another energy harvesting approach could exploit the ionized air that forms around the vehicle. These and others, are fruitful topics of interest for researchers within this Group.
Affiliated Faculty
-
Panos Antsaklis
Electrical Engineering
Expertise: Control/Dynamical Systems, Flight Control, Guidance, Batteries -
Patrick Fay
Electrical Engineering
Expertise: High-speed Opto-electronics, Sensors, Batteries -
Prashant Kamat
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Expertise: Energy Conversion, Storage, Batteries -
Eungkyu Lee
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Expertise: Thermal Radiation Cooling, Controlled Emissivity -
Tengfei Luo
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Expertise: Molecular Simulation Insulating Materials, Carbon; Thermoelectric Conversion -
Jennifer Schaefer
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Expertise: Thermoelectric Conversion