Casey Nichols

Research Engineer at National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Denver Metropolitan Area

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 National Renewable Energy Laboratory

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

About
Research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory working to advance ocean
and wind energy to build a better tomorrow.

Activity
 Workforce development…with a competitive twist! Last month, #CLTEPIC faculty
member and CLEANcarolinas Project Co-Director Dr. Saffeer Khan took the…
 Workforce development…with a competitive twist! Last month,
#CLTEPIC faculty member and CLEANcarolinas Project Co-
Director Dr. Saffeer Khan took the…

Liked by Casey Nichols

 Visit CubeLogic and S&P Global Market Intelligence at the Global Trade Review
(GTR) conference on November 30th in Manhattan! 🗽 GTR US will offer…
 Visit CubeLogic and S&P Global Market Intelligence at the
Global Trade Review (GTR) conference on November 30th in
Manhattan! 🗽 GTR US will offer…

Liked by Casey Nichols

 NREL’s water power research is varied with a number of roles for researchers to
ensure success. Enter the testing team: a core group at NREL that…

NREL’s water power research is varied with a number of roles

for researchers to ensure success. Enter the testing team: a core
group at NREL that…

Liked by Casey Nichols

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Experience


Research Engineer

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Dec 2019 - Present 4 years

Boulder, CO

Areas of Interest:

- Embedded system design for MRE control and data acquisition (SCADA)
- Modular Ocean Data Aquisition System (MODAQ)
- Design and validation of MRE devices
- Automation of manufacturing for wind turbine blades and MRE devices
- Composite materials research

https://www.nrel.gov/research/staff/casey-nichols.html

Graduate Research Assistant

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Aug 2018 - Dec 2019 1 year 5 months

Charlotte, North Carolina

Magnetic Gearing Research Team lead by Dr. Wesley Williams.


 IACMI Composites Graduate Intern II (Second Summer)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

May 2019 - Aug 2019 4 months

Boulder, CO

IACMI Composites Graduate Intern at the National Wind Technology

Center (NREL)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

May 2018 - Aug 2018 4 months

Boulder, CO

Undergraduate Researcher

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

May 2017 - May 2018 1 year 1 month

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Undergraduate Researcher on the UNCC Magnetic Gearing Research Team.

Research funded by the NC Space Grant, Department of Energy, UNC Coastal
Studies Institute and National Science Foundation.


 Test Engineering Intern

Jacobsen, A Textron Company

Apr 2016 - May 2017 1 year 2 months

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

-Designed an automated system for mower deck testing to ensure decks

adhere to ANSI and ISO standards. Utilized PLC programming and pneumatic
mechanisms to automate for safety.
-Used data acquisition hardware and software to record mower accelerations
experienced while field testing and updated a testing track to simulate the
field accelerations.
-Designed and installed controls and plumbing for an automated water
immersion test on testing track.
-Designed a fixture for attaching a…Show more

Assistant Plumbing Technician

PipeTechs Plumbing Technologies

Jun 2012 - Oct 2016 4 years 5 months

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

-Traveling service technician and estimator relying heavily on problem solving

skills
-Assisted the technician with work on commercial, industrial and residential
job sites
-Operated technological plumbing instruments such as hydro-jetters, helium
leak location equipment, epoxy pipe liners and pipe line cameras to make
repairs
-Completed monthly maintenance on lift pumps to prevent failure
-Project planning with bid calculation and cost analysis to maximize profits

Assistant Environmental Educator

 UNC Charlotte

Jan 2015 - Apr 2016 1 year 4 months

-Assisting the head environmental educator with marketing and campus wide
sustainability programs
-Communicating with different departments across campus about recycling
and waste reduction to collectively improve recycling on campus
-Planning events for the recycling department on campus for sustainability
education
-Cooperation between the department and the environmental student
organizations to greater the impact of the organizations

System Applications Engineer Intern

Schneider Electric

May 2015 - Aug 2015 4 months

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

-Networked building’s HVAC units through one centralized unit using the
software StruxureWare and a MSTP language of controller communication
-Edited the programming for units to compensate for changes in building
plans
-Assisted with the replacement of the outdated and inefficient controls in
Clayton High School which involved over 100 units such as Fan Cool Units and
Air Handlers
-Worked on the new construction project of Wake Tech Community College’s
Library which involved testing…Show more

Education


 University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Master of Science (MS) Applied Energy and Electromechanical Systems

2017 - 2019
Activities and Societies: National Science Foundation - Innovation Corps

Completed research for my master's thesis on renewable hydropower technologies.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Bachelor of Science - BS Mechanical Engineering Technolgy with Applied

Energy Concentration 3.84/4.00

2014 - 2018
Activities and Societies: Tau Alpha Pi - Engineering Technology Honor Society,
Earth Club, Office of Recycling and Waste Reduction

Licenses & Certifications

E.I. - Mechanical

State of Colorado

Issued Mar 2020

Credential ID EI.0077018


 Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer

National Instruments

Issued Nov 2019

Credential ID 100-319-17908

See credential

Certified Composites Technician - Vacuum Infusion Process (CCT)

American Composites Manufacturers Association

Volunteer Experience

President

UNCC Earth Club

Oct 2014 - Sep 2016 2 years

Environment

Publications
 UNH TDP - Concurrent Measurements of Inflow, Power Performance,
and Loads for a Grid-Synchronized Vertical Axis Cross-Flow Turbine
Operating in a Tidal Estuary

OSTI December 21, 2021

See publication
  Wind Turbine Blade Finishing Automation: Robotic Toolpath
Generation

OSTI September 26, 2021

See publication

 THE DESIGN OF AN IN-CONDUIT HYDROPOWER PLANT WITH

A SEALFREE MAGNETIC TRANSMISSION

UNC Charlotte Master's Thesis (ProQuest) Dec 2019

 A Comparative Study of the Manufacturing Effects on the Performance

of Steel Laminations in Magnetic Gearing

UNC Coastal Studies Institute NC Renewable Ocean Energy Program Poster

Presentation April 15, 2019

 Design of a Micro Hydropower Turbine with a Magnetic Transmission

UNC Charlotte Grad Research Symposium Poster Presentation March 15, 2019

 Mechanical Design of Magnetic Gearboxes Optimized for Assembly

[IMECE2018-86878]

ASME IMECE Conference Proceedings 2018 November 13, 2018

Co-author: Sina Modaresahmadi

 Modular Magnetic Gearbox

NC Renewable Ocean Energy Symposium April 1, 2018

Poster Board Presentation

 Modular Magnetic Gearbox for Robotic Applications

State of NC Undergraduate Reseach and Creativity Symposium November 1,

2017

Poster Board Presentation

Patents
  In-Conduit Hydropower Plant With Axial Turbine and Magnetic
Transmission

Filed February 4, 2019 US 62/800682

This design of an in-conduit hydropower plant uses a contact-free, magnetic

transmission to eliminate the need for mechanical seals which allows for a more
robust power generation system. The use of a magnetic transmission in this design
eliminates the need for mechanical seals which inherently add friction and have a
limited life. With the use of permanent magnets attached to the reaction axial turbine
rotor within a conduit, the rotational energy of the turbine can be transmitted through
the…Show more

Other inventors

 Modular Magnetic Gearbox with Clawed Pole Magnetic Field

Modulation

Issued December 11, 2018 US 92/777926

The modular design of a magnetic gearbox involves different end plate configurations
which allow for varying gear ratios within the gearbox very similar to commercially
available, small-scale gearboxes. Within the modular design, disassembly required for
changing configuration requires minimal effort in contrast from larger magnetic
gearboxes. The different configurations of the modular gearboxes share all of the
same components excluding the end plates which allow the same gearbox to have…
Show more

Other inventors

Courses
 Analysis of Renewable Energy Systems

ENER 4250

 Applied CAD Modeling and Simulation

ETME 3150

 Computational Fluid Dynamics for Energy Applications (Ansys Fluent)

ENER 6260
  Energy Management

ENER 4140

 Energy Transmission and Distribution

ENER 6135

 Haas CNC Controls

ToolingU

 Mechatronics

ENER 6170

 System Dynamics

ENER 6150

Projects
 Manufacturing and assembly of spar cap/shear web assembly for
subcomponent testing of wind blades

May 2018 - Present

 Modular Magnetic Gearbox for Robotic Applictions

May 2017 - Present

Projected Funded by the North Carolina Space Grant

 Interroll Drum Motor Test Rig Senior Design Project

Aug 2017 - May 2018

Served as Project Lead for the Senior Design Project. The project involved designing,
fabricating and testing a testing bench for Interroll drum motors. I lead a team of 8
senior engineering students to complete the project over the course of 2 semesters.

Project areas I was involved in:

LabVIEW Programming
Modbus Programming
Sensor Data Acquisition Setup
Fabrication (CNC, 3D Printing, Welding, Machining)
Testing and performance verification
 See project

Honors & Awards

 EPIC Innovator - 2nd Place

EPIC - Energy Production & Infrastructure Center - UNC Charlotte

May 2019

The EPIC Innovators program aims to identify and recognize entrepreneurial

engineering students and faculty with a focus on energy. Individuals or teams are
invited to submit ideas, projects, technology concepts, or prototypes that they believe
are worthy of further exploration and funding.

Each participating team/individual will have 10-12 minutes to present their idea to a
panel composed of Affiliates. After each presentation, the panel will have 10 minutes
to provide the presenter(s)…Show more

 Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award

Williams States Lee College of Engineering - UNC Charlotte

Apr 2019

 Graduating Senior Achievement Award

April 1, 2018

Award for graduating with honors from the college of engineering.

 Junior Academic Achievement Award

Department of Engineering Technology

April 1, 2017

 North Carolina Space Grant

Languages
 English
 Native or bilingual proficiency

 Spanish

Elementary proficiency