CBL Wireless Energy Transfer (5XWF0)

About this course

Responsible lecturer: Gabriel Tibola
Academic level: Bachelor, Q4
Number of students: 120
Disciplines: EE and AU
Status: The course is currently running.
Topic: The course focuses on defining a sustainable energy source, selecting a meaningful load, and determining how to interconnect them using a Wireless Energy Transfer (WET) system. Students will design, build, and demonstrate a small-scale version of this system.

Setup

The course immerses students in an electrical engineering environment, where they form teams of 7–10 members. Each team operates as a start-up company, tasked with designing, building, and demonstrating a Wireless Energy Transfer (WET) system that connects a sustainable energy source (either defined or pre-defined by a stakeholder) to a meaningful real-world load. Students define their own challenge within this semi-open-ended framework.

Key features include:

A simulated stakeholder (played by the responsible lecture and the team of experts) to evaluate challenges outcomes.
A matrix organization of teamwork: all group members take up roles in their own team, while also collaborating with members from other roles.
A focus on sustainability, requiring students to propose practical, impactful uses of WET technology.

Figure 1: Overview of the project assignment.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO’s)

By the end of the course, students are expected to:

Recall and describe the basic concepts and components of a wireless energy transfer system.
Decompose the system into subsystems and determine how they function and interact. They will also explain the principles of electric energy conversion, power flow and efficiency in the system and its subsystems for various energy source operating points (e.g., wind turbines, solar panels).
Apply optimization techniques and calculations to specify each subsystem, define specifications, and enhance energy transfer and system efficiency. They will showcase this through the design and presentation of functional subsystems.
Analyse the control mechanisms and algorithms that manage power flow and effectiveness within the WET system.
Critically evaluate the system’s performance comparing them to theoretical expectations and design goals. Additionally, they will be able to apply theoretical knowledge to collaboratively devise solutions for complex, ill-defined problems within a team setting.
Demonstrate creativity and innovation by designing and assembling a functional WET prototype that optimizes energy transfer and system efficiency and delivers a minimum power of 100Watts.

Moreover, in the CBL framework, the following is expected and will be observed:

Application-oriented learning.
Problem-solving.
Critical thinking.
Real-World relevance.
Collaborative learning (teamwork).

Learning activities

The course includes a blend of independent and guided learning activities:

Workshops: Students attend technical workshops tailored to specific subfields like power electronics, PCB design, and microcontroller programming. These workshops ensure foundational knowledge and technical skills development.
Self-Directed work: Teams divide responsibilities among subgroups (e.g., Power Electronics, Magnetics) and independently manage their tasks.
Team work:Through regular meetings and TA consultations, students refine their challenges incrementally.

Assessment

The course employs a comprehensive assessment framework combining formative and summative methods.

Midterm Evaluation

Design Review: Students present preliminary system designs and receive feedback.
Group reports and presentations are graded to encourage iterative improvement.

Final Assessment

Final Report: A detailed technical document integrating individual contributions.
Final Demonstration: Groups showcase their prototypes under specified conditions, focusing on energy transfer and system performance.
Peer Reviews: Team members evaluate each other's contributions to ensure accountability and fairness.

Rubrics

Rubrics are used to ensure consistency in grading across different deliverables.
The final grade is a weighted average of the design review (20%), final demonstration (40%), and final report (40%).

Learning environment

Dedicated Project Rooms: Each team has a designated space to collaborate and store equipment.
Access to Specialized Labs: Labs equipped with advanced tools (e.g., oscilloscopes, impedance analyzers) enable students to test and validate their designs.
Teaching Assistants (TAs): Former course participants act as TAs, providing guidance without direct answers, promoting independent problem-solving.
Resource Management: Teams manage their inventory, borrowing components and tools as needed.

More information

For more information, contact Gabriel (Responsible Lecturer) at g.tibola@tue.nl