Design and locomotion analysis of two kinds of rolling expandable mobile linkages with a single degree of freedom

Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering - This study presents two kinds of rolling robots that are able to roll by deforming their outer shapes with a single degree of freedom. Each robot is an...     

Environmental economic dispatch in multi-area power system employing improved differential evolution with fuzzy selection

In a deregulated multi-area electrical power system the objective is to determine the most economical generation dispatch strategy that could satisfy the area load demands, the tie-line limits and other operating constraints. Usually, economic dispatch (ED) deals only with the cost minimization, but minimization of emission content has also become an equally important concern due to the mandatory requirement of pollution reduction for environmental protection. Environmental economic dispatch (EED) is a complex multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem with conflicting goals. Normally a fuzzy ranking is employed to rank the large number of Pareto solutions obtained after solving a MOO problem. But in this paper the preference of the decision maker (DM) is used to guide the search and to select the population for the next generation. An improved differential evolution (DE) method is proposed where the selection operation is modified to reduce the complexity of multi-attribute decision making with the help of a fuzzy framework. Solutions are assigned a fuzzy rank on the basis of their level of satisfaction for different objectives before the population selection and then the fuzzy rank is used to select and pass on better solutions to the next generation. A well distributed Pareto-front is obtained which presents a large number of alternate trade-off solutions for the power system operator. A momentum operation is also included to prevent stagnation and to create Pareto diversity. Studies are carried out on three test cases and results obtained are found to be better than some previous literature.     

Balancing of parallel U-shaped assembly lines

A new hybrid assembly line design, called parallel U-shaped assembly line system, is introduced and characterised along with numerical examples for the first time. Different from existing studies on U-shaped lines, we combine the advantages of two individual line configurations (namely parallel lines and U-shaped lines) and create an opportunity for assigning tasks to multi-line workstations located in between two adjacent U-shaped lines with the aim of maximising resource utilisation. Utilisation of crossover workstations, in which tasks from opposite areas of a same U-shaped line can be performed, is also one of the main advantages of the U-shaped lines. As in traditional U-shaped line configurations, the newly proposed line configuration also supports the utilisation of crossover workstations. An efficient heuristic algorithm is developed to find well-balanced solutions for the proposed line configurations. Test cases derived from existing studies and modified in accordance with the proposed system in this study are solved using the proposed heuristic algorithm. The comparison of results obtained when the lines are balanced independently and when the lines are balanced together (in parallel to each other) clearly indicates that the parallelisation of U-shaped lines helps decrease the need for workforce significantly.     

Study on maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic array in irregular shadow

Traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods can hardly find global maximum power point (MPP) because output characteristics curve of photovoltaic (PV) array may have multi local maximum power points in irregular shadow, and thus easily fall into the local maximum power point. To address this drawback, Considering that sliding mode variable structure (SMVS) control strategy have such advantages as simple structure, fast response and strong robustness, and P&O method have the advantages of simple principle and convenient implementation, so a new algorithm combining SMVS control method and P&O method is proposed, besides, PI controller is applied to reduce system chattering caused by switching sliding surface. It is applied to MPPT control of PV array in irregular shadow to solve the problem of multi-peak optimization in partial shadow. In order to verity the rationality of the proposed algorithm, the experimental circuit is built, which achieves MPPT control by means of the proposed algorithm and P&O method. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional P&O algorithm, the proposed algorithm can fast track the global MPP, tracking speed increases by 60% and the relative error decreased by 20%. Moreover, the system becomes more stable near the MPP, the fluctuations of output power is greatly reduced, and thus make full use of solar energy.     

On optimizing system energy of voltage–frequency island based 3-D multi-core SoCs under thermal constraints

Three dimensional (3-D) multi-core SoC has been recognized as a promising solution for implementing complex applications with lower system energy. Recently, voltage–frequency island (VFI)-based design paradigm was widely adopted for energy optimization. However, the existing work commonly targeted 2-D platform, which cannot handle the exacerbated thermal issues and the increased solution space from 3-D integration. In this paper, we propose an optimization framework targeting VFI-based 3-D multi-core SoCs to minimize system energy meanwhile still meeting task deadline and thermal constraints. Our framework conducts at an earlier design phase in which designers have the freedom to determine the core stacks and map them into the hardware platform. Besides energy-aware task scheduling, we also conduct core stacking and task adjusting to balance the powers across the chip for thermal optimization. Moreover, by treating each core stack as a unity, the complicated problem of core mapping and VFI partitioning in 3-D platform can be simplified as a 2-D one. Experimental results demonstrate that on average our framework can achieve an energy reduction of 15.8% over the prior thermal balancing algorithm [17] (X. Zhou, J. Yang, Y. Xu, et al. Thermal-aware task scheduling for 3D multicore processors, IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst. (TPDS), 21(1) (2010), 60–71.). Moreover, on average a reduction of 4.8 °C in peak temperature is achieved by our framework, compared with the state-of-the-art energy optimization scheme [8] (U.Y. Ogras, R. Marculescu, P. Choudhary, et al. Voltage–frequency island partitioning for GALS-based networks-on-chip, in: ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC), 2007, pp. 110–115.).     

Use of micellar extraction and cloud point preconcentration for valorization of saponins from sisal (Agave sisalana) waste

Sisal (Agave sisalana) is the main hard fiber produced worldwide, with an estimated generation of 400 thousands t in 2011. From its leaves, only the hard fibers, which represent 3–5% of their weight, are removed. The remaining 95–97% is referred to as sisal waste and contains steroidal saponins that can be potentially used in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals formulations, as well as for soil bioremediation. The present work aimed at to evaluate strategies for the extraction and concentration of saponins from sisal waste, focused on the use of clean solvents, such as water and ethanol. For this purpose, it was firstly performed a central composite rotatable design for the optimization of the extraction conditions followed by a comparison of this strategy with other methods (Soxhlet, ultrasound-assisted extraction and micellar extraction). Cloud point preconcentration was then tested, using several types and concentrations of salts. The use of orbital shaker extraction (200 rpm) with an ethanolic solution (30%, v/v) at 50 °C, a mass/volume ratio sisal/solvent of 0.17 (g/mL) for 4 h allowed a recovery of 38.6% of the saponins. When a micellar extraction strategy using 7.5% (v/v) of Triton X-100, under the above-mentioned conditions was performed, saponins recovery raised to 98.4%. In a subsequent step, the addition of 20% (m/v) sodium carbonate led to a preconcentration factor of 20.3. The best adsorbent for Triton removal from the preconcentrated solution was Amberlite FPX-66. The process strategy proposed in the present study showed to be efficient for saponins extraction and preconcentration from a low-cost, highly available agricultural waste.     

Thermodynamic parameters of amitriptyline hydrochloride–additives at cloud point: effects of the ethanol–water mixed media

Abstract

Addition of organic solvents is known to change the properties of amphiphiles through modification of bulk phase. Amitriptyline hydrochloride (AMT) is a tricyclic amphiphilic drug which is usually used as an antidepressant. In drug delivery, the cloud point (CP) of the drug is an important parameter. This article discusses the effects of ethanol–water (EtOH–WR) compositions on the energetic parameters, such as changes in Gibbs energy of clouding (Δ_sG⁰), enthalpy of clouding (Δ_sH⁰), and entropy of clouding (TΔ_sS⁰) of AMT-additive systems. Monovalent alkali halide salts, cationic conventional surfactants, and gemini surfactants were used as additives in the EtOH–WR mixed media whose compositions were varied between 0 and 15% (w/w). The Δ_sG⁰ values are positive for all the additives and the values decrease with the rise in mole fractions of the additives. The Δ_sH⁰ and TΔ_sS⁰ were noted to be positive except for KF in 15% EtOH–WR mixed media.     

双管程热交换器强化传热研究

研发一种双管程热交换器(液/液),以强化传热技术为基础，从换热温度、流体流速、蒸发量和最小换热温差4个方面进行协同优化设计。通过相变优化、驻点优化技术，该换热器换热能力可提高30%,同时增强了抗堵塞和耐腐蚀能力。     

基于Spider卷积的三维点云分类与分割网络

针对传统的卷积神经网络（CNN）不能直接处理点云数据，需先将点云数据转换为多视图或者体素化网格，导致过程复杂且点云识别精度低的问题，提出一种新型的点云分类与分割网络Linked-Spider CNN。首先，在Spider CNN基础上通过增加Spider卷积层数以获取点云深层次特征；其次，引入残差网络的思想在每层Spider卷积增加短连接构成残差块；然后，将每层残差块的输出特征进行拼接融合形成点云特征；最后，使用三层全连接层对点云特征进行分类或者利用多层卷积层对点云特征进行分割。在ModelNet40和ShapeNet Parts数据集上将所提网络与PointNet、PointNet++和Spider CNN等网络进行对比实验，实验结果表明，所提网络可以提高点云的分类精度和分割效果，说明该网络具有更快的收敛速度和更强的鲁棒性。