CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION:-

INTRODUCTION

The Multi plate road ramp is a method of generating electricity by harnessing the kinetic energy of automobiles that drive over the ramp. In June 2009, one of the devices was installed in the car park at a Sainsbury's supermarket in Gloucester, United Kingdom, where it provides enough electricity to run all of the store's cash registers. The ramp was invented by Peter Hughes, an electrical and mechanical engineer who is employed by Highway Energy Systems Ltd. The company says that under normal traffic conditions, the apparatus will produce 30 kW of electricity. Other proposed applications for the road ramps include powering street and traffic lights, heating roads in the winter to prevent ice from forming, and ventilating tunnels to reduce pollution. The Ramp operates by virtue of a number of articulated plates placed in the road. When vehicles weight is exerted on the plates they are moved up and down and by means of a specially designed mechanism, a generator is driven, which is capable of producing AC or DC current. In either event, the generator's output will vary according to the frequency and weight of traffic, but in general terms will be capable of producing between 5 and 10kW. The ramp is unobtrusive, silent in operation, causes no discomfort to the vehicles occupants and is entirely safe in operation. The Ramp requires the minimum of maintenance and may be used for generating electricity to power street lighting, traffic lights or road signs, with the surplus being fed into the national grid. It can also store electricity within a storage battery for future use. In development for six years, this new technology was installed in the last month of 2009 at a Sainsbury, a UK grocery store chain in Gloucester. The electro kinetic road ramp was placed in the stores parking lot, where energy generated from the weight of the cars traveling over the plates is being used to completely power all the registers in the store. The company says that in normal traffic conditions, the ramps will produce 30kWh of energy. The power ramps do not use any gas from the motorists tank and this has been scientifically proven. We are simply using the kinetic energy and braking effect that would otherwise be wasted, said Hughes.

For many of us, the installation of such devices creates fears of long months of construction that disrupt traffic. But, depending on the terrain, installation actually only takes a few hours. And if a ramp stops producing energy; it does not become a hazard to traffic. The ramp can simply be switched out with a new functioning ramp in about 20 minutes, according to Hughes. And it may not be long before you could be driving over one of these ramps.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

[1] Peter Hughes (2005-2009) He is an electrical and mechanical engineer responsible for many sustainable technological innovations. He spent years as an environmental consultant to the United Nations. Hughes developed ways to use solar-powered cooking at night for third world countries, and ways to force water into arid climates. But none of his accomplishments is as impressive as his most recent innovation. The electrokinetic road ramp, or as he refers to it, his prized jewel in the crown, is already making an impact in the UK and will soon be coming to the United States. [2] David MacKay (June 2009) The idea was dismissed as Talk of 'kinetic energy plates' is a total waste of energy in the Guardian by David MacKay, the professor of natural philosophy in the department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. MacKay wrote, "The savings from parking at the green car park thus amount to one four-thousandth of the energy used by the trip to the supermarket."

[3] Highway Energy Systems Ltd. : The company that designed the kinetic plates for Sainsburys, also designed an electro-kinetic road ramp for widespread usage on public streets. They address the question of whether this type of energy costs users money in this way: The ramp is designed to be situated in parts of the roadway where vehicles are having to slow down, for example on downhill gradients, when approaching traffic lights or roundabouts as well as replacing sleeping policemen and traditional traffic calming measures. In the these situations, the kinetic energy of the car is being dissipated into heat (i.e. through the braking system) anyway; the ramp at this point scavenges a degree of kinetic energy as the car passes over it, but this is far less than is lost through other mechanisms.

CHAPTER 3

WORKING PRINCIPLE

In this model we show that how we can generate a voltage from the busy traffic. Conversion of the mechanical energy into electrical energy is widely used concept. Its a mechanism to generate power by converting the potential energy generated by a vehicle going up on a speed breaker into rotational energy. We have used that simple concept to the project. We connect one mechanical rod with the dynamo and fit this rod on the surface of the road. When any vehicle moves from this roller then due to friction, vehicle Rotate the rod or roller and roller then move the dynamo. When dynamo move then it generates a voltage.
3

In power generation using multi plate ramp we can use different mechanism to convert the mechanical energy into the electrical energy from the ramps. The generation of electricity using the vehicle weight can considers as an input. The possible three different mechanisms are given below: Crank-shaft mechanism Roller mechanism Rack and pinion mechanism

In this project we have introduced Rack and pinion mechanism to convert the mechanical energy into the electrical energy. We have connected ramps to the rack and pinion assembly when ramp moves it gives reciprocating motion to the rack and hence rotary motion to pinion which rotates the shaft of the dynamo, by that process electricity is generated. By using a crank shaft mechanism we can also generate an electrical power from mechanical power. But the problem of vibration often occurs. Crank shaft are required to be mounted on bearings which creates a balancing problems in that mechanism which leads a problem of mechanical vibration which in turn can damage a bearings. Rack and pinion mechanism is most efficient mechanism in comparison of the other two. Rack and pinion gives good mounting convenience. Maximum gear losses which occur in that mechanism can lie between three to five percent and efficiency of that mechanism can lie between ninety to ninety five percent. Fig 1.2 shows the basic concept of rack and pinion mechanism.

Rack and pinion mechanism for electricity generation from multi plate ramp.

CHAPTER 4

APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE

APPLICATIONS :Many applications for the road ramps are emerging. They have developed ways -to power street and traffic lights. -even heat roads in the winter to prevent ice from forming. -Other innovative applications include using the ramps to operate toll booths and ventilate tunnels to reduce pollution.

FUTURE SCOPE:In a present scenario such kind of speed breaker are being used for a light vehicles in various countries. Now in a future that technology can be used for heavy vehicles, thus increasing input torque to various mechanism and ultimately output of the generator or dynamo. To enhance the efficiency of that system, engineers have to find out more compact, reliable and suitable mechanism to produce electricity. Future goal of that system to enhance the efficiency, so there should be rapid rotation of the dynamo shaft, to do the same we can employ a flywheel to the system in such a way that it would be increase the rotation per minute of dynamo or a generator. Generally a flywheel used in machines serves as a reservoir which stores energy during the period when supply energy more than the requirement and releases it during the period when the requirement of energy more than the supply.

REFERENCE

[1]. http://www.hughesresearch.co.uk/ [2]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-kinetic_road_ramp [3]. Electro-kinetic road ramp powers up by pushing down, Green Right Now, Noofangle Media, July 10, 2009. [4]. Talk of 'kinetic energy plates' is a total waste of energy, The Guardian, June 17,2009. [5]. The one-percent rule, by David Mackey, June17, 2009.