A thermoelectric generator comprising selenium-doped bismuth telluride on flexible carbon cloth with n-type thermoelectric properties

Carbon cloth was used as a flexible substrate for bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) particles to provide flexibility and improve the overall thermoelectric performance. Bi₂Te₃ on carbon cloth (Bi₂Te₃/CC) was synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction with various reaction times. After over 12 h, the Bi₂Te₃ particles showed a clear hexagonal shape and were evenly adhered to the carbon cloth. Selenium (Se) atoms were doped into the Bi₂Te₃ structure to improve its thermoelectric performance. The electrical conductivity increased with increasing Se-dopant content until 40% Se was added. Moreover, the maximum power factor was 1300 μW/mK² at 473 K for the 30% Se-doped sample. The carbon cloth substrate maintained its electrical resistivity and flexibility after 2000 bending cycles. A flexible thermoelectric generator (TEG) fabricated using the five pairs of 30% Se-doped sample showed an open-circuit voltage of 17.4 mV and maximum power output of 850 nW at temperature difference ΔT = 30 K. This work offers a promising approach for providing flexibility and improving the thermoelectric performance of inorganic thermoelectric materials for wearable device applications using flexible carbon cloth substrate for low temperature range application.     

Economic competitiveness of compact steam methane reforming technology for on-site hydrogen supply: A Foshan case study

On-site hydrogen production through steam-methane reforming (SMR) from city gas or natural gas is believed to be a cost-effective way for hydrogen-based infrastructure due to high cost of hydrogen transportation. In recent years, there have been a lot of on-site hydrogen fueling stations under design or construction in China. This study introduces current developments and technology prospects of skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator. Also, technical solutions and economic analysis are discussed based on China's first on-site hydrogen fueling station project in Foshan. The cost of hydrogen product from skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator is about 23 CNY/kg with 3.24 CNY/Nm³ natural gas. If hydrogen price is 60 CNY/kg, IRR of on-site hydrogen fueling station project reaches to 10.8%. While natural gas price fall to 2.3 CNY/Nm³, the hydrogen cost can be reduced to 18 CNY/kg, and IRR can be raised to 13.1%. The conclusion is that skid-mounted SMR technology has matured and is developing towards more compact and intelligent design, and will be a promising way for hydrogen fueling infrastructures in near future.     

基于PBFT区块链技术的电网企业仓储系统

提出了一种基于实用拜占庭容错(PBFT)算法的区块链技术,首先对传统的实用拜占庭容错算法原理进行了阐述,该传统算法包含前期、需求、预准备、准备、确认、答复6个阶段,但传统算法具有实时性差、缺乏惩罚机制、带宽高的缺点。针对出现的这些问题,又对传统算法进行了改进,具体涉及记账节点、共识过程以及视图切换过程。通过测试进一步证明了该改进算法的实用性,并将该算法应用于电网企业中,构建的虚拟仓库实现了联储联备,降低了库存资金的耗费,并且提高了电网企业库存管理的效率。     

A Voltage Control Method for a Distributed Line Feeder by means of Multiagent Approach

This paper proposes a method for the coordinated control of power factor by means of a multiagent approach. The proposed multiagent system consists of two types of agent: single feeder agent (F_AG) and bus agent (B_AG). In the proposed system, an F_AG plays as an important role, which decides the power factors of all distributed generators by executing the load flow calculations repeatedly. The voltage control strategies are implemented as the class definition of Java into the system. In order to verify the performance of the proposed method, it has been applied to a typical distribution model system. The simulation results show that the system is able to control very violent fluctuation of the demands and the photovoltaic (PV) generations.     

Deep reinforcement learning-based cooperative interactions among heterogeneous vehicular networks

Most real-world vehicle nodes can be structured into an interconnected network of vehicles. Through structuring these services and vehicle device interactions into multiple types, such internet of vehicles becomes multidimensional heterogeneous overlay networks. The heterogeneousness of the overlays makes it difficult for the overlay networks to coordinate with each other to improve their performance. Therefore, it poses an interesting but critical challenge to the effective analysis of heterogeneous virtual vehicular networks. A variety of virtual vehicular networks can be easily deployed onto the native network by applying the concept of SDN (Software Defined Networking). These virtual networks reflect their heterogeneousness due to their different performance goals, and they compete for the same physical resources of the underlying network, so that a sub-optimal performance of the virtual networks may be achieved. Therefore, we propose a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approach to make the virtual networks cooperate with each other through the SDN controller. A cooperative solution based on the asymmetric Nash bargaining is proposed for co-existing virtual networks to improve their performance. Moreover, the Markov Chain model and DRL resolution are introduced to leverage the heterogeneous performance goals of virtual networks. The implementation of the approach is introduced, and simulation results confirm the performance improvement of the latency sensitive, loss-rate sensitive and throughput sensitive heterogeneous vehicular networks using our cooperative solution.     

Designed damping controller for SSSC to improve stability of a hybrid offshore wind farms considering time delay

This paper presents the stability improvement results of hybrid doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based and permanent magnet generator (PMG)-based offshore wind farms (OWFs) using a static synchronous series compensator (SSSC). An adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) controller of the proposed SSSC is designed to render adequate damping characteristics to the studied system. A frequency-domain approach based on a linearized system model using eigenvalue technique analysis is performed. A time-domain scheme based on a nonlinear system model subject to a three-phase short circuit fault at infinite bus with variations in the signal transmission delays has also been investigated to compare the damping of the studied system in cases of with and without controller. The simulation results with MATLAB/SIMULINK toolbox have been presented. It can be concluded from the simulation results that the proposed SSSC joined with the designed ANFIS damping controller can offer adequate damping performance to the studied hybrid DFIG-based and PMG-based OWFs under severe disturbance.     

云杉八齿小蠹Ips typographus L.虚拟模型构建方法研究

本文以云杉八齿小蠹Ips typographus Linnaeus为例,经标本选取,观察虫体整体形态,绘制整体结构草图,电子显微镜观察局部、得到局部数字图像,分别建立虫体每一部分的高精度细节。把模型每部分拼装在一起组成整体模型,构建出了云杉八齿小蠹三维虚拟昆虫数字化模型。     

基于信号增强的缓慢泄漏检测方法

目前管道泄漏检测方法可有效检测突发泄漏，对于缓慢泄漏则存在检测灵敏度低、定位不准确等问题。基于此，提出了一种基于信号增强的缓慢泄漏检测方法。通过信号压缩（抽取及移位）克服缓慢泄漏压力信号下降平缓的缺点；根据声波信号具有波形尖锐突出、对突发泄漏敏感的优点，通过建立以压力为输入、虚拟声波为输出的声波信号变送器模型，将压力信号转换为声波信号，克服了泄漏压力信号容易被淹没在管道压力波动及背景噪声中的缺点，实现了缓慢泄漏信号的增强；利用临近插值方法重构虚拟声波信号，基于延时互相关分析实现了缓慢泄漏的准确定位。实验结果表明，该方法具有显著的信号增强效果和定位精度，实现了缓慢泄漏的准确检测。     

Knowledge-Based Virtual Modeling and Simulation of Manufacturing Processes for Industry 4.0

Abstract

Industry 4.0 aims at providing a digital representation of a production landscape, but the challenges in building, maintaining, optimizing, and evolving digital models in inter-organizational production chains have not been identified yet in a systematic manner. In this paper, various Industry 4.0 research and technical challenges are addressed, and their present scenario is discussed. Moreover, in this article, the novel concept of developing experience-based virtual models of engineering entities, process, and the factory is presented. These models of production units, processes, and procedures are accomplished by virtual engineering object (VEO), virtual engineering process (VEP), and virtual engineering factory (VEF), using the knowledge representation technique of Decisional DNA. This blend of the virtual and physical domains permits monitoring of systems and analysis of data to foresee problems before they occur, develop new opportunities, prevent downtime, and even plan for the future by using simulations. Furthermore, the proposed virtual model concept not only has the capability of Query Processing and Data Integration for Industrial Data but also real-time visualization of data stream processing.     

Reality-based interaction affecting mental workload in virtual reality mental arithmetic training

ABSTRACT

The concept of digital game-based learning (DGBL) evolves rapidly together with technological enhancements of virtual reality (VR) and smart phones. However, the mental workload (MWL) that VR-training applications demand and motivational qualities originating from user experience (UX) should be identified in order to create effective and enjoyable training/learning challenges that fit with individual users’ capabilities. This study examined the effects of reality-based interaction (RBI) and VR on measures of student motivation and MWL, in a mental arithmetic game for secondary school pupils. In a randomised controlled trial with sixty school children, a mental arithmetic game was tested with three different interaction and two different presentation methods – VR RBI, VR head-mounted-display tapping and tablet flick-gesture. Results found a significant effect of RBI on MWL but no differences in enjoyment of training were found between VR-experience and tablet training-experience. In fact, adding the gaming-context to the mental arithmetic task created an enjoyable, motivating experience regardless of presentation or interaction-style.