Date of Last Revision

2023-05-02 19:09:39

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Date of Expected Graduation

Fall 2016

Abstract

The Advanced Energy and Sensor Lab at the University of Akron has been working to develop a working flow battery that replaces today’s solid batteries. The objective of this senior design project was to replace the conventional lithium-ion battery as the energy storage component in nano-copters with a newly designed hybrid structural battery. In the design, the nano-copter needed to be mechanically supported and store enough energy for flying. In order to accomplish this, the nano-copter weight was reduced so that the flight range could be significantly increased. Therefore, the project was broken into two major parts. The first was the 3D modeling and printing of the hexacopter. The second was working in the research lab to develop a working flow battery. The results were mixed as a hexacopter was successfully printed, but due to delays in battery testing, the team was unable to confirm that the body would successfully house the flow battery. However, near the end of the project, one battery recipe successfully underwent a full 50-hour charge and discharge cycle, reaching 4.2 volts, which is promising. More testing would be needed to confirm its successfulness and compatibility with the hexacopter.

Research Sponsor

Dr. Siamak Farhad

First Reader

Dr. Siamak Farhad

Second Reader

Dr. Scott Sawyer

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