Energy Systems

Design:
Spiral Development
Procedure
https://www.broccolibus.com/index.php/2020/01/26/skooliepalooza-2020-solar-discussion/

Aaron Bockelie • 1.20.2020

 Energy systems design for (mostly)
off-grid vehicles.

Overview A method for selecting from too many

choices, options, and opinions.
 1. Spiral Design primer.
Today’s Topics 2. Requirements Activity!
3. How to talk about power.
Spiral Design Primer
The Design Spiral

● Learned informally the concept of "design spiral" process

mostly during design and implementation of complex IT
systems

● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_model

● https://resources.sei.cmu.edu/asset_files/SpecialReport/
2000_003_001_13655.pdf
Design Spiral Is A Tool

● Use it the same as a Welder, a computer, a saw.

● It is a mental tool for thinking through and understanding
a large, complex project.
Is this about design spiral?

● We are not here to talk exclusively about Design Spiral -

but the approach is core to this talk, if that makes sense.
● Just a brief discussion of design spiral as related to
designing systems to facilitate partial to full time living in
van and bus shaped over-the-road vehicles.
Energy Systems Definition

Q: What is our definition of an “Energy System”

A: An engineered system to support your objectives and

requirements related to tools that "take energy to operate"
What do you use energy for?

● Driving Generally, anything that requires fuel

● Lighting or electricity to function.
● Heating
● Cooling
● Cooking
● Bathing
● Youtube
● ...Many other things
How does a "design spiral" apply?

● Requirements There is no test to these slides, I

● Risks promise. :)
● Expectations
● Time-to-build
0. Before we start.

● Artifacts are defined concurrently, not sequentially.

○ There are enough different variables each time this
is done - you are building a prototype.
○ Highly likely nobody has ever done this exact
combination before, even if you read about it on the
internet
 6 Design spiral invariant characteristics.
Invariant = “Never Changing”

1. The requirements are known in advance of implementation

2. The requirements have no unsolved, high risk implications.
3. The nature of the requirements will not change very much during
development or evolution.
4. The requirements are compatible with stakeholder expectations.
5. The right architecture for implementing the requirements is well
understood.
6. There is enough time to proceed sequentially during implementation.
 Design Spiral Activities
Stakeholders = probably you or your spouse :)

In each cycle of the design spiral, the following activities occur:

1. Consider the winning conditions for all stakeholders.

2. Identify and evaluate alternative approaches to satisfy win
conditions.
3. Identify and resolve risks that stem from selected approaches
4. Obtain approval from all stakeholders and commitment to refine.
Write It Down!

● This process works if you write things down in a planning

notebook of some kind (electronic or otherwise)
● And can then turn the planning notebook into a
prioritized list of to-do items. You can then tackle the list
in any "project managey" sort of way - agile, waterfall,
etc.
 Example System Requirements?

● Comfortable interior climate as often as possible

● Food is always safe and refrigerated
● "zero worry" approach for family members
● long lasting
● low maintenance
● good status reporting (so I'm not paranoid of what is happening)
● take up least space possible (because of limited room)
● as light as possible (because in a vehicle, lighter is better)
Common Theme of Requirements

Q: What common feature is across all the requirements I

listed?

A: No implementation of technology or tools are mentioned.

● When you get free stuff, it often gets high priority.

● “Free stuff” = “choices made for you” and reduces
flexibility of your design spiral.
Example Requirements Walkthrough

● Work from requirements to reality. This will be your first

trip around the spiral.
● Remember to stay "concurrent", which means consider all
requirements holistically.
Example: Comfortable interior climate

Identify physical things that affect comfort:

● Insulation
● Windows
● Doors
● Airflow
● Humidity
● Temperature
● The Weather
● Probably lots of other stuff
Example: Comfortable interior climate

Identify specific technology that affects physical comfort:

● Identify specific technology that affects physical comfort:

● Roof vent fan, box fan, hand fans
● Window mount air conditioner, mini split, engine driven, bucket of ice
● Mr. Buddy, Woodstove, Diesel furnace, hydronic, propane furnace, more
jackets
● Umbrellas, reflective paint, parking under trees, sun shades, reflectix
● How far can you drive?
Apply the Spiral Analysis

● Each technology you've identified, you must cross against each of your
requirements.
● Sometimes it's kind of like doing your taxes. (you do that, right?)
● Cross reference all the boxes and apply the criteria you yourself defined.
● This is a PROCEDURAL effort, not best guess effort.
Spiral Cycle Activities

Ask the following questions for each technology:

● Consider the winning conditions for all stakeholders.

● Identify and evaluate alternative approaches to satisfy win conditions.
● Identify and resolve risks that stem from selected approaches
● Obtain approval from all stakeholders and commitment to refine.
Risk Management

● Each of the four cycle activities for each technology

should have one or more risks attached after analysis.
● Common risks you will see over and over again.
○ Cost of implementation
○ Difficulty of implementation
○ Skillset to implement
Document the Risks

● Recording your risks for each of your planned technology

solutions will begin to form a map.
● Common risk themes will help you, with actual data,
identify the areas of domain you need to either mitigate,
improve, or revise your requirements.
Congratulations!

● You have now taken one trip around the design spiral, for
a single requirement!
● It's not an exercise you complete in one day or an hour.
● It takes a long time to consider and cross reference the
requirements and proposed solutions.
● It is potentially exhausting.
● There are many factors that affect it, and the more
requirements you can call out, the more accurate picture
you paint for your plan and design.
This Is Not Trivial

● A design spiral approach is not something to take lightly -

it takes significant effort to work through the thought
processes that drive it.
● The thoroughness of this approach ensures minimal
surprises.
● This process can be revisited whenever you feel there is a
change in requirements.
○ But remember design spiral depends on requirements that stay
relatively static.
As you can see, Energy Systems
Design is affected from every
aspect, and every choice you
make.
 This is the song that never ends!

● For example, the color of exterior paint and number of windows affects the thermal regulation
○ which affects the size of the air conditioning or heating
■ which affects the power collection requirements
● which affects the power storage requirements
○ which affects the system efficiency
■ which affects your comfort level
● which affects your choices of travel time and place
○ ...and so on
Each affect is incremental and cumulative. No
one choice greatly affects the outcome. But
by sticking to the spiral iterative design, you
can have far more control managing the
individual aspects of the whole design
process.
Requirements Activity!
What are your requirements?

● Think about your requirements and write some down.

● Requirements do not have specific technical answers or
approaches.
Bad and Good Examples

Bad Good

Must have high quality Must have well documented

components like Victron components with a reputation
of low failure rates
Bad and Good Requirements

Good requirement statements are agnostic to tools or

technology, and have specific statements that can be backed
with another general statement.

● "well documented components" -> able to understand -> non-ambiguous

installation
● "low failure rate" -> high reliability -> less worry -> long term less
expensive -> less disruption to finance and activities
Discuss a Requirement

● Talk to your neighbor as if they are a "stakeholder" about

one of your requirements. Your neighbor (stakeholder)
can exercise various risk concerns such as cost, skills, and
time to implement.
● Then, consider the resulting compromise and decide how
this affects the remaining requirements.
● This repeated negotiation and analysis corresponds do
the resulting plan that can be followed to build your
system.
Talking About Power
Use the term Watts

The watt (symbol: W) is a unit of power. In the

International System of Units (SI) it is defined as
a derived unit of 1 joule per second,[1] and is
used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. In SI
base units, the watt is described as
which can be demonstrated to coherent by
dimensional analysis.
(James) Watt’s Law

100 Amp Hour (12 volt battery?) = Watts over an hour = Watt Hours
1200 Watt Hours
Amps over an hour = Amp Hours
120 volt appliance @ 10 amps = 1200
Watts 1000 Watts = 1 Kilowatt

Watts = Volts x Amps 10,000 Watts = 10 Kilowatts

Amps = Watts / Volts

Volts = Watts / Amps

Simplified Storage in Watts

● Example battery is rated at 100 ● This rating is not the full story.
Amp Hours and is 12 volts. ● Chemistry plays a large part in
● Battery is actually about 13.5 true capacity.
volts ● Lead acid can only discharge to
● Battery is 1.35 Kilowatt Hours “50 percent”
rating. ● Lithium batteries can discharge
more, like “80 percent”

What does the percentage

mean?
 Lead Acid storage “percentage”

The chemistry dictates empty and

full.

For example, this lead acid is

completely discharged at 11.9, and
full at 12.7

Trash 0% 100% On Fire

SOC Table for Lead Acid

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_measure_state_of_charge
Battery SOC: Lead Acid
Battery SOC: Lithium
You decide state of charge.

Doesn’t matter if it’s: ● Each chemistry is different

● Exceeding chemistry elasticity
● Lead Acid damages the battery
● Lithium ● Think of a battery bending like
● Potatos with Nails a paperclip. Bend too far/too
many times and it breaks.
Chase down and remove inefficiencies

A cheap appliance that is inefficient is Usually just one inefficient device

a compounding expense. isn’t enough to cause “tip over” to a
next level of expenditure.
Every other component in your
system has to support it. High Use spiral design analysis to improve
demand devices become a cost efficiency.
multiplier.
Yearly Expected Solar Yield
Daily solar yield example
The Power System as Bank Account

● Your battery is the savings ● Just balance the account each

account solar day.
● Power consumers are ● Use Watt Hours to model.
expenditures ● Use spiral design to refine your
● Power producers are income system.
● System efficiency (or
inefficiency) is purchasing with
a coupons or discounts, or
paying a premium.
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