Federico Moro is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova, where he teaches in courses of Electrical Engineering since 2005. His research interests include multi-physics modeling, computational electromagnetism, electromagnetic compatibility, and energy storage. He is author or co-author of over 100 papers in international journals and conference proceedings on these topics. Address: via Gradenigo, 6/A 35131 Padova, Italy
A novel h-ϕ approach for solving 3-D time-harmonic eddy current problems is presented. It makes i... more A novel h-ϕ approach for solving 3-D time-harmonic eddy current problems is presented. It makes it possible to limit the number of degrees of freedom required for the discretization such as the T-method, while overcoming topological issues related to it when multiply connected domains are considered. Global basis functions, needed for representing magnetic field in the insulating region, are obtained by a fast iterative solver. The computation of thick cuts by high-complexity computational topology tools, typically required by the T-method, is thus avoided. The final matrix system turns out to be symmetric and full-rank unlike the more classical A-A method, which requires gauging of magnetic vector potential to ensure uniqueness. Numerical tests show that the proposed method is accurate and the field problem solution is obtained in a reasonable computational time even for 3-D models with millions of mesh elements. INDEX TERMS Eddy currents, finite element method, cell method, multiply connected, cut.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of direct methanol fuel cells ... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of direct methanol fuel cells for portable applications by combining a non-linear, fully coupled circuit model and a stochastic optimization procedure. Design/methodology/approach – A novel non-linear equivalent circuit that accounts for electrochemical reactions and charge generation inside catalyst layers, electronic and protonic conduction, methanol crossover through the membrane, mass transport of reactants inside diffusion layers is presented. The discharge dynamic of the fuel cell, depending on the initial methanol concentration and on the load profile, is modelled by using the mass conservation equation. The equivalent circuit is interfaced to a stochastic optimization procedure in order to maximize the battery duration while minimizing fuel crossover. Findings – In the proposed circuit scheme, unlike semi-empirical models, lumped circuit parameters are derived directly from mass transport and electric equations in order to fully describe the dynamic performance of the fuel cell. Physical and geometrical parameters are optimized in order to improve the system runtime. It is shown that a combined use of fuel cells and lithium batteries can improve the runtime of portable electronic devices compared to traditional supply systems based on lithium batteries only. Research limitations/implications – The one-dimensional model of the micro fuel cell does not take into account possible transverse mass and electric charge flows in the fuel cell layers; most of the geometric and physics model parameters cannot be estimated from direct in situ or ex situ measurements. Practical implications – Direct methanol fuel cells are nowadays a promising technology for replacing or complementing lithium batteries due to their high energy density. Most limiting features of direct methanol fuel cells are the fuel crossover and its slow oxidation kinetics. By using the proposed approach, fuel cell parameters can be optimized in order to enhance the discharge runtime and to reduce the methanol crossover. Originality/value – The equivalent circuit model with optimized lumped non-linear parameters can be used when designing power management units for portable electronic devices.
2008 43rd International Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2008
A three-dimensional integral procedure based on the cell method and suitable for simulating non-m... more A three-dimensional integral procedure based on the cell method and suitable for simulating non-magnetic shields has been proposed recently. Its validation against systematic measurements is here presented. A good agreement between computed and measured magnetic field RMS values confirms that the proposed integral procedure can be used confidently in designing shielding apparatuses for MV/LV substations.
Volume 4: Advanced Manufacturing Processes; Biomedical Engineering; Multiscale Mechanics of Biological Tissues; Sciences, Engineering and Education; Multiphysics; Emerging Technologies for Inspection, 2012
ABSTRACT A three-dimensional (3D) domain decomposition method for analyzing electrical-thermal co... more ABSTRACT A three-dimensional (3D) domain decomposition method for analyzing electrical-thermal contact problems is presented. The computational domain is subdivided into non-overlapping regions discretized according to the Cell Method. Voltage and temperature drops at the contact interfaces are modelled by means of boundary constitutive operators. Continuity between sub-domains is enforced with Lagrange multipliers. The final non-linear algebraic system is solved by an iterative Newton procedure combined to a Schur’s complement approach in order to reduce the problem size and improve the condition number. Potential and temperature jumps across the contact interface depend on the local surface conditions according to Holm’s theory. Surface roughness and a-spot density in the contact area are modelled by means of statistical parameters that can be easily embedded into a CM formulation. The developed code has been validated by a 3D FEM commercial software package.
IECON 2013 - 39th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, 2013
ABSTRACT Multi-layer and multi-material induction cookware has become a standard among manufactur... more ABSTRACT Multi-layer and multi-material induction cookware has become a standard among manufactures due to its superior cooking performance and efficiency. Resonant converters are usually adopted to achieve an optimal power transfer at high supply frequency so that the load impedance modeling becomes of great importance. In this work a coupled finite element-circuit model of an induction-efficient appliance including a multi-layer pan is proposed. Equivalent circuit parameters, extracted from the FEM model, can be used when designing resonant converters. The frequency-behavior of the load impedance at the inductor terminals is analyzed for different types of materials and layer arrangements in the typical operating range (20–100 kHz).
International Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2004
Developments in computational methods for solving boundary value problems, coupled with the advan... more Developments in computational methods for solving boundary value problems, coupled with the advances in computer hardware, has led to the commercial availability of very efficient computer aided engineering (CAE) tools. The aim of this work is to define a suitable criterion for the shape design optimization of HV shielding electrodes for reducing the radio interference. The experimental part of the
The electromagnetic environment related to electric power installations is typically evaluated by... more The electromagnetic environment related to electric power installations is typically evaluated by numerical integration methods. Numerical techniques, although powerful, are not well suited for assessing the dependence of the field strength on electric and geometric parameters. In this paper, a fast procedure to analytically evaluate power-line magnetic fields, based on complex vectors, is proposed. The use of complex algebra greatly
A novel h-ϕ approach for solving 3-D time-harmonic eddy current problems is presented. It makes i... more A novel h-ϕ approach for solving 3-D time-harmonic eddy current problems is presented. It makes it possible to limit the number of degrees of freedom required for the discretization such as the T-method, while overcoming topological issues related to it when multiply connected domains are considered. Global basis functions, needed for representing magnetic field in the insulating region, are obtained by a fast iterative solver. The computation of thick cuts by high-complexity computational topology tools, typically required by the T-method, is thus avoided. The final matrix system turns out to be symmetric and full-rank unlike the more classical A-A method, which requires gauging of magnetic vector potential to ensure uniqueness. Numerical tests show that the proposed method is accurate and the field problem solution is obtained in a reasonable computational time even for 3-D models with millions of mesh elements. INDEX TERMS Eddy currents, finite element method, cell method, multiply connected, cut.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of direct methanol fuel cells ... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of direct methanol fuel cells for portable applications by combining a non-linear, fully coupled circuit model and a stochastic optimization procedure. Design/methodology/approach – A novel non-linear equivalent circuit that accounts for electrochemical reactions and charge generation inside catalyst layers, electronic and protonic conduction, methanol crossover through the membrane, mass transport of reactants inside diffusion layers is presented. The discharge dynamic of the fuel cell, depending on the initial methanol concentration and on the load profile, is modelled by using the mass conservation equation. The equivalent circuit is interfaced to a stochastic optimization procedure in order to maximize the battery duration while minimizing fuel crossover. Findings – In the proposed circuit scheme, unlike semi-empirical models, lumped circuit parameters are derived directly from mass transport and electric equations in order to fully describe the dynamic performance of the fuel cell. Physical and geometrical parameters are optimized in order to improve the system runtime. It is shown that a combined use of fuel cells and lithium batteries can improve the runtime of portable electronic devices compared to traditional supply systems based on lithium batteries only. Research limitations/implications – The one-dimensional model of the micro fuel cell does not take into account possible transverse mass and electric charge flows in the fuel cell layers; most of the geometric and physics model parameters cannot be estimated from direct in situ or ex situ measurements. Practical implications – Direct methanol fuel cells are nowadays a promising technology for replacing or complementing lithium batteries due to their high energy density. Most limiting features of direct methanol fuel cells are the fuel crossover and its slow oxidation kinetics. By using the proposed approach, fuel cell parameters can be optimized in order to enhance the discharge runtime and to reduce the methanol crossover. Originality/value – The equivalent circuit model with optimized lumped non-linear parameters can be used when designing power management units for portable electronic devices.
2008 43rd International Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2008
A three-dimensional integral procedure based on the cell method and suitable for simulating non-m... more A three-dimensional integral procedure based on the cell method and suitable for simulating non-magnetic shields has been proposed recently. Its validation against systematic measurements is here presented. A good agreement between computed and measured magnetic field RMS values confirms that the proposed integral procedure can be used confidently in designing shielding apparatuses for MV/LV substations.
Volume 4: Advanced Manufacturing Processes; Biomedical Engineering; Multiscale Mechanics of Biological Tissues; Sciences, Engineering and Education; Multiphysics; Emerging Technologies for Inspection, 2012
ABSTRACT A three-dimensional (3D) domain decomposition method for analyzing electrical-thermal co... more ABSTRACT A three-dimensional (3D) domain decomposition method for analyzing electrical-thermal contact problems is presented. The computational domain is subdivided into non-overlapping regions discretized according to the Cell Method. Voltage and temperature drops at the contact interfaces are modelled by means of boundary constitutive operators. Continuity between sub-domains is enforced with Lagrange multipliers. The final non-linear algebraic system is solved by an iterative Newton procedure combined to a Schur’s complement approach in order to reduce the problem size and improve the condition number. Potential and temperature jumps across the contact interface depend on the local surface conditions according to Holm’s theory. Surface roughness and a-spot density in the contact area are modelled by means of statistical parameters that can be easily embedded into a CM formulation. The developed code has been validated by a 3D FEM commercial software package.
IECON 2013 - 39th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, 2013
ABSTRACT Multi-layer and multi-material induction cookware has become a standard among manufactur... more ABSTRACT Multi-layer and multi-material induction cookware has become a standard among manufactures due to its superior cooking performance and efficiency. Resonant converters are usually adopted to achieve an optimal power transfer at high supply frequency so that the load impedance modeling becomes of great importance. In this work a coupled finite element-circuit model of an induction-efficient appliance including a multi-layer pan is proposed. Equivalent circuit parameters, extracted from the FEM model, can be used when designing resonant converters. The frequency-behavior of the load impedance at the inductor terminals is analyzed for different types of materials and layer arrangements in the typical operating range (20–100 kHz).
International Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2004
Developments in computational methods for solving boundary value problems, coupled with the advan... more Developments in computational methods for solving boundary value problems, coupled with the advances in computer hardware, has led to the commercial availability of very efficient computer aided engineering (CAE) tools. The aim of this work is to define a suitable criterion for the shape design optimization of HV shielding electrodes for reducing the radio interference. The experimental part of the
The electromagnetic environment related to electric power installations is typically evaluated by... more The electromagnetic environment related to electric power installations is typically evaluated by numerical integration methods. Numerical techniques, although powerful, are not well suited for assessing the dependence of the field strength on electric and geometric parameters. In this paper, a fast procedure to analytically evaluate power-line magnetic fields, based on complex vectors, is proposed. The use of complex algebra greatly
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