Design and Control of a High-Efficiency System for Electric Air Taxis Using MPC And LQR Control, and GAN-Based Power Electronics with Optimized Lithium-Sulfur Battery Management

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are a new type of battery that could revolutionize the way we store energy. They have the potential to deliver much more energy than current lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from electric cars to smartphones. Li-S batteries work by storing lithium ions in sulfur. Sulfur is a very cheap and readily accessible material, so Li-S batteries have the potential to be much cheaper than lithium-ion batteries. However, some challenges must be addressed before Li-S batteries can be commercialized. One challenge is the shuttle effect. The shuttle effect is a process in which polysulfides (the sulfur compounds that store lithium ions in Li-S batteries) dissolve in the electrolyte and travel to the anode. Another challenge is the formation of lithium dendrites. Lithium dendrites are needle-like structures that can grow on the surface of the battery's anode. A key application for Li-S batteries would be in electric air taxis. Electric air taxis are an exciting new technology that has the potential to revolutionize urban transportation. These aircraft are designed to provide fast, efficient, and environmentally friendly transportation for short-to-medium distance trips within urban areas. They are typically smaller and more agile than traditional helicopters or airplanes and can take off and land vertically, which eliminates the need for a runway. Battery models do not consider specific Li-S battery chemical phenomena - which does not provide an accurate representation of how the battery ages. Furthermore, implementing model predictive control provides an innovative approach to address the dynamic and nonlinear challenges inherent in air taxi flight, offering a sophisticated solution for precise and adaptive thrust control. This dissertation highlights the modeling of an air taxi, as well as a more accurate representation of the battery as it ages. Introducing the MPC ties together the overall control of the vehicle