Design and optimization of radioisotope sources for betavoltaic batteries

A Monte Carlo source model using PENELOPE was developed to investigate different tritiated metals in order to design a better radioisotope source for betavoltaic batteries. The source model takes into account the self‐absorption of beta particles in the source which is a major factor for an efficient source design. The average beta energy, beta flux, source power output, and source efficiency were estimated for various source thicknesses. The simulated results for titanium tritide with 0° and 90° angular distributions of beta particles were validated with experimental results. The importance of the backscattering effect due to isotropic particle emission was analyzed. The results showed that the normalized average beta energy increases with the source thickness, and it reaches peak energy depending on the density and the specific activity of the source. The beta flux and power output also increase with increasing source thickness. However, the incremental increase in beta flux and power output becomes minimal for higher thicknesses, as the source efficiency decreases significantly at higher thicknesses due to the self‐absorption effect. Thus, a saturation threshold is reached. A low‐density source material such as beryllium tritide provided a higher power output with higher efficiency. A maximum power output of approximately 4 mW/cm³ was obtained for beryllium tritide with SiC. A form factor approach was used to estimate the optimum source thickness. The optimum source thickness was found near the thickness where the peak beta particle average energy occurs.     

单一低渗透突出煤层水力冲孔工艺优化应用分析

为了有效提高单一低渗透突出煤层的瓦斯抽采效率，以高压水射流冲击理论为指导，针对平煤股份八矿己组突出煤层特征建立数值模型，模拟分析水力冲孔应力分布规律，通过现场实测分析冲孔有效影响范围，进一步优化设计冲孔参数、指导现场施工。现场应用表明，水力冲孔是一种行之有效的方法，对单一低渗透突出煤层实施水力冲孔卸压增透、提高瓦斯抽采效果具有重要意义。     

Cutting parameter optimization for one-step shaft excavation technique based on parallel cutting method

The outcome of the cutting blasting in a one-step shaft excavation is heavily related to the cutting parameters used for parallel cutting method. In this study, the relationships between the cutting parameters (such as the hole spacing L and the empty hole diameter D) and damage zones were investigated by numerical simulation. A damage state index γ was introduced and used to characterize the crushing and crack damage zones through a user-defined subroutine. Two indices, i.e., η₁ and η₂ that can reflect the cutting performance, were also introduced. The simulation results indicate that an optimal value of L can be obtained so that the η₁ and η₂ can reach their optimal states for the best cutting performance. A larger D results in better cutting performance when the L value maintains its best. In addition, the influences of the loading rate and the in-situ stress on the cutting performance were investigated. It is found that an explosive with a high loading rate is suit for cutting blasting. The propagation direction and the length of the tensile cracks are affected by the direction and the magnitude of the maximum principal stress.     

Structural optimization with an automatic mode identification method for tracking the local vibration mode

Traditional optimization methods, which take a specific order of modal frequency as the design constraint, could fail to obtain the desired solution because of modal substitution. An improved optimization model with continuous sizing variables is established to solve this problem, in which the minimum weight and a given local modal frequency are considered as the objective and the constraint. To capture accurately the expected mode of vibration, a local mode identification technique is proposed based on the strain energy ratio between the local area and the whole structure. With that scheme, an optimization system is developed, in which the local mode can be effectively identified and the constraint can be updated with it in the iteration process. Two numerical examples, of a reinforced plate and a satellite structure, are applied to illustrate the effectiveness and efficacy of the proposed method.     

Solid dispersion adsorbate technique for improved dissolution and flow properties of lurasidone hydrochloride: characterization using 32 factorial design

The aim of the present study was to improve the dissolution and flow properties of lurasidone hydrochloride (LH) by solid dispersion adsorbate (SDA) technique. Solid dispersions (SDs) of LH were prepared by fusion method using Poloxamer P188. The melt dispersion was adsorbed onto the porous carrier Florite (calcium silicate). A 3² factorial design was employed to quantify the effect of two independent variables, namely ratio of carrier (Poloxamer 188) and LH in SD and ratio of adsorbent (Florite) to SD. SDA granules of LH were studied for flow properties and characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Tablets of optimized composition of SDA granules (equivalent to 20?mg of drug) and plain tablets were prepared by direct compression method. The dissolution studies were carried out in Mcllvaine buffer (pH 3.8) as per USFDA guidelines and characterized for parameters such as percent dissolution efficiency, t₅₀, and Q₃₀. Tablets prepared from SDA granules showed almost four-fold increase in cumulative percentage drug release as compared to tablets prepared from plain LH. The value of dissolution efficiency was enhanced from 49.60% for plain tablets to 94.15% for SDA tablets. SDA granules did not show any change in drug release and X-ray diffraction pattern after storage at 40?°C/75% of RH for 3?months, which confirms that Florite prevented conversion of drug from amorphous form to crystalline form improving physical stability of the amorphous state of LH.     

Parallel Multipopulation Differential Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization for Voltage and Reactive Power Control

This paper presents parallel multipopulation differential evolutionary particle swarm optimization (DEEPSO) for voltage and reactive power control (VQC). The problem can be formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear optimization problem and various evolutionary computation techniques have been applied to the problem including PSO, differential evolution (DE), and DEEPSO. Since VQC is one of the online controls, speed‐up of computation is required. Moreover, there is still room for improvement in solution quality. This paper applies parallel multipopulation DEEPSO in order to speed up the calculation and improve solution quality. The proposed method is applied to IEEE 30, 57, and 118 bus systems. The results indicate that the proposed method can realize fast computation and minimize more active power losses than the conventional evolutionary computation techniques.     

绿色住区参数化优化设计平台的开发进展与展望

绿色住区设计是建设宜居城市和实现节能减排目标的重要手段与方法。文章首先回顾绿色住区参数化优化设计方法及平台概况，在此基础上，重点介绍平面生成、噪声计算、通风计算、可视度计算等新增功能和天空遮挡算法升级，以及广州市的工程应用，最后展望平台研发与应用的未来发展方向。     

机械结构分层优化技术研究进展

复杂机械结构优化设计一般表现为多目标、多约束、多参数的优化问题,所以复杂结构优化设计过程通常存在计算复杂、不易收敛等困难。分层优化技术是复杂结构优化设计的一种有效途径,通过将优化问题中复杂的约束、设计变量以及功能目标合理分解为若干子层问题进行求解,然后通过协调得到复杂机械结构整体优化问题的结果。文章对机械结构分层优化技术的理论、应用研究现状进行了总结并探讨了其关键技术环节及发展趋势。