WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER (WPT)

A PHYSICS PROJECT REPORT

Submitted By

SUGANTH RENU K, CLASS XII

SRIMATHI SUNDARAVALLI MEMORIAL SCHOOL

CHENNAI – 600 063

 ABSTRACT

The pioneering electrical engineer Nikola Tesla became obsessed with an

idea. He theorized that electricity could be transmitted wirelessly through
the air at long distances. But not all of Tesla's futuristic visions came to
fruition. Some of the inventor's most far-out and ambitious dreams went
unrealized, such as his vision for the wireless transmission of energy.

Wireless power transfer is the transmission of electrical energy without

wires as a physical connection. Wireless power uses the same fields and
waves as wireless communication devices. Various radio-frequency (RF)
technologies are used for wireless power transmission.

Nikola Tesla demonstrated it was possible to wirelessly light up lamps using

a method called inductive coupling, but he wasn't successful in building a
long-range system to broadcast energy. Modern society owes a lot to Nikola
Tesla.

This simple experiment demonstrates that Nikola Tesla's vision of the future
isn't so distant anymore, and the principles behind it will be the foundations
of all electrical inventions in the near future.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S. NO. TOPIC PAGE NUMBER

1. Introduction 1

2. Experiment 3

3. Applications 7

4. Limitations 9

5. Future Scope 10

6. Conclusion 12

7. Webliography 13
 INTRODUCTION

Wireless power transfer (WPT), wireless power transmission, wireless

energy transmission (WET), or electromagnetic power transfer is the
transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link. With a
wireless electrical transmission system, a transmitter device creates an
electromagnetic field, which is driven by electricity from a power source,
and transmits power across space to a receiver device, which extracts the
power from the field and supplies it to an electrical load.

The most common method of high power WPT is through inductive

coupling that was invented by Nikola Tesla more than a century ago. The
recent developments in semiconductor industry for high frequency and
high-power applications have paved the path for high-power inductive WPT
improvements.

Wireless power techniques mainly fall into two categories, near field and
far-field. In near field or non-radiative techniques, power is transferred
over short distances by magnetic fields using inductive coupling between
coils of wire, or by electric fields using capacitive coupling between metal
electrodes. Inductive coupling is the most widely used wireless technology;
its applications include charging handheld devices like phones and
electric toothbrushes, RFID tags, induction cooking, and wirelessly
charging or continuous wireless power transfer in implantable medical
devices like artificial cardiac pacemakers, or electric vehicles.

Two conductors are said to be inductively coupled or magnetically

coupled when they are configured in a way such that change in current
through one wire induces a voltage across the ends of the other wire through
electromagnetic induction. A changing current through the first wire
creates a changing magnetic field around it by Ampere's circuital law. The
changing magnetic field induces an electromotive force (EMF or voltage) in
the second wire .

In far-field or radiative techniques, also called power beaming, power is

transferred by beams of electromagnetic radiation, like microwaves or

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laser beams. These techniques can transport energy longer distances but
must be aimed at the receiver. Proposed applications for this type are solar
power satellites, and wireless powered drone aircraft.

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 EXPERIMENT

OBJECTIVE:

To demonstrate a simple Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) system to

explain the working principle of wireless charging.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:

Insulated copper wire:

The wire which is made of copper, and it can insulate
electric current is said to be insulated copper wire. It is
used in the construction of transformers, inductors,
motors, etc.

LED:
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light
source that emits light when current flows through it.
Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron
holes, releasing energy in the form of photons.

27K resistor:
A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component
that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In
electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow

2N2222A transistor:
A transistor is a device that regulates current or voltage flow
and acts as a switch or gate for electronic signals.

9V battery:
An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of
one or more electrochemical cells with external connections
for powering electrical devices.

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CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

RECEIVER: LED

30 turns of wire

TRANSMITTER:

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PROCEDURE:

RECEIVER:
1. Make a coil of 30 turns using an insulated copper wire and connect
both the ends with both the terminals of the LED.
TRANSMITTER:
2. Make another coil of 30 turns using an insulated copper wire but this time
make a loop after 15th turn.
3. Connect the emitter end of the transistor to the negative terminal of
the cell, the positive terminal of the cell is connected to the loop of the
coil.

4. One end of the coil is connected to the collector end of the transistor.
The other end of the coil is connected to the resistor which is connected to
the base end of the transistor.

5. Move the receiver slowly towards the transmitter.

OBSERVATION:

The intensity of the light in the LED slowly increases as the receiver
gradually comes closer to the transmitter.

RESULT:

Wireless power transfer works on the inductive power transfer principle, as found
in the conventional transformers. The basic working principle of wireless power
transfer is, two objects having similar resonant frequency and in magnetic
resonance at powerfully coupled rule tends to exchange the energy, while
dissipating relatively little energy to the extraneous off-resonant objects.

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PRECAUTIONS:

1. Connections should be neat, clean and tight.

2. Before each connection is made the insulation of the copper wire should
be removed at the ends by using a lighter or a sharp tool.

SOURCES OF ERROR:

1. There may be accidental changes in the number of turns to make a coil.

2. The insulation may not be completely worn off.

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 APPLICATIONS

The technology of wireless power transmission can eliminate the use of the
wires and batteries, thus increasing the mobility, convenience, and safety
of an electronic device for all users. Wireless power transfer is useful to
power electrical devices where interconnecting wires are inconvenient,
hazardous, or are not possible.

Advantages of Wireless Power Transfer:

 Simple design.

 Practical for short distance.

 User friendly.

 Compact design, as it avoids unnecessary wires and cables.

Firstly, WPT could eliminate traditional charging systems in place today.

Cell phones, laptops, tablets, even smart watches are found all over the
globe and are owned and used by billions of people. What these devices all
have in common is the need to recharge their internal battery so that the
device can be used while mobile. Such is the paradox of portable devices:
they provide convenience by running off internal power so they can be used
anywhere, but always must return to be tethered to a power cord in order to
charge. Instead of plugging in a mobile phone or laptop via power cord to
charge the battery, wireless power can be harnessed and implemented in a
home such that a laptop and phone charge continuously and wirelessly
without the need for plugging anything in.

Higher level applications include charging of electric vehicles (EVs). As EVs

become more and more prevalent on the roads, the feasibility of driving such
a vehicle can be maximized via stationary, and even mobile, WPT systems. As
concern over global warming and greenhouse gas emissions grows across
the globe, the prevalence of electric vehicles has also increased. One of the
drawbacks of electric vehicles is their battery. Electric vehicles currently

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need to be plugged in to recharge their internal batteries, and take many
hours to do so. However, many envision that in the near future, one need
only park their car in a pre-determined spot in their driveway and the car
will charge wirelessly and automatically. Thus, a great deal of research has
been done into WPT.

There are studies about the charging of medical products such as pacemaker
while inside the body using WPT systems.

WPT systems are used in industrial equipment as work is being carried out on
the electrical supply of equipment found in dirty and difficult to connect
environments.

The solar power plant is installed on the moon and the generated energy is
sent to the earth using wireless power transmission technology as a future
project.

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 LIMITATIONS

MPT has some drawbacks and limitations and even potential risks associated
with it.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology is becoming increasingly popular

for wireless charging of mobile phones and electrical vehicles. Because high
power energy is transferred via air, however, the problem of
electromagnetic radiated emission from WPT systems is expected to be
serious.

One of the major limitations of MPT (Microwave Power Transmission), and

WPT in general, is the concern of its safety, especially with respect to
human exposure to microwave radiation. Indeed, the transference of
microwave radiation through free space is a major design consideration in
WPT systems. Therefore, in addition, a space guard has to be constructed to
prevent the interaction of the magnetic fields and radiations with human
body.

Other disadvantages of Wireless power transfer system include,

 High power loss.

 Inefficient for longer distances.

 For higher applications the initial construction cost is high.

 Field strength should be in safety level.

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 FUTURE SCOPE

Physics will eventually overcome these drawbacks and limitations, thus

opening up the possibility of more WPTs in the future. In the future,
existing wired communication of electricity could be replaced with wireless
power. Soon, users need not carry charging devices or a power bank. In
the future, the international wireless power transmission market could
witness the rise of magnetic resonance technology, making way into the
introductory phase and inductive technology into the growth phase.

In the future, a mobile service provider could be successful in charging

mobiles by delivering the required power from a mobile base station. The
synergy between mobile inbuilt software and hardware and base station
takes care of energy threshold level to charge, which may lead to higher
efficiency.

In this emerging technology, the distance of power transfer can be

improved given continuous R&D efforts. Further, WPT is expected to
mitigate the grave energy crisis confronting the whole world at present. As
this technology is continually evolving, wireless power may become a more
realistic proposition in the future.

The potential scope of using wireless power transfer technology are as follows:

Wirelessly charging of electric vehicle on way:

In this concept power beam transmitter will be connected to highways, busy

traffic areas with power source. which converts electricity into power beam
and then that beam will transmit to the electrical vehicle which consist
power beam receiver that convert power beam into electrical power for the
charging of battery inside the vehicle.

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Wirelessly powered train:

In this system a dual mode power receiver and transmitter will connect to
the pole. Each station will have a pole with the dual mode transmitter and
receiver. Power come from the power station that dual mode transmitter
captures the power and transmit the power. By using dual mode transmitter
power receive and transmit happen simultaneously. These powers will be
received by the receiver that fixed in the roof of the train.

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 CONCLUSION

Nikola Tesla wanted to create the way to supply power without stringing
wires. He almost accomplished his goal when his experiment led him to
creation of the Tesla coil. It was the first system that could wirelessly
transmit electricity. From 1891 to 1898 he experimented with the
transmission of electrical energy using a radio frequency resonant
transformer of the Tesla coil, which produces high voltage, high
frequency alternating currents. With that he was able to transfer power
over short distances without connecting wires. However, the Tesla coil
does not have much practical application anymore, Tesla’s invention
completely transformed the way electricity was comprehended and used.
Radios and televisions still use variations of the Tesla coil today.

The focus of this project has been an overview of WPT, and its aim has been
to highlight the many benefits and applications of WPT. This project covered
things like, applications of WPT, both in practical and near future
applications and in theoretical applications for the future. The limitations
and potential safety concerns were also pointed out. WPT has the potential
to completely disrupt the way that mobile devices, from cellphones and
laptops to cars and aerial vehicles, operate and obtain energy. The future of
energy is the untethering of devices from a power cord to realize the freedom
of mobile technologies.

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 WEBLIOGRAPHY

WEB LINKS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/wireless-power-transfer

https://www.powerelectronicsnews.com/wireless-energy-transfer/

https://www.watelectrical.com/wireless-power-transmission-technology/

https://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse574-14/ftp/power/

https://www.elprocus.com/wireless-power-transfer-circuit-and-working/

https://www.analog.com/en/technical-articles/faq-wireless-power-transfer-wpt-
ltc4120.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

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