Research

My research is centered on control of multiple energy systems to produce the most efficient operation possible. These control strategies will be implemented on a simulated hybrid hydraulic powertrain which is currently under development. This work will be in support of a multi-institutional research effort including the Alleyne Research Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and other member institutions in the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power. The overall program is a long-term, multi-step project with the goal of producing control tools and methodologies that will allow mobile fluid power systems to maintain their level of performance at reduced energy cost.

With the completion of the powertrain simulation and the subsequent control strategy, power regeneration will be introduced into an important class of automotive vehicles. Furthermore, the control strategy developed will enable the vehicle to switch between prime mover only, energy storage device only, and combined prime mover and energy storage device operating modes. In this way, it is expected that the operator will experience no loss in performance as a result of the increased fuel economy. This research will further our fundamental understanding of power management and introduce novel solutions to the problem of regulating multiple power sources.