Power recovery method for testing the efficiency of the ECD of an integrated generation unit for offshore wind power and ocean wave energy

Offshore wind power and ocean wave energy are clean, renewable and rich resources. The integrated generation unit for the two kinds of energy is introduced. The energy conversion device (ECD) is utilized to convert the mechanical energy absorbed from the wind power and wave energy into the hydraulic energy, the conversion efficiency of which is significant. In this paper, a power recovery method for testing the efficiency of the ECD is proposed. A simulation desktop is developed to validate the proposed method. The efficiency of the ECD is influenced by the hydraulic cylinders and the mechanical transmission. Here, the static efficiency of the hydraulic cylinders of the ECD is tested first. The results show that the static mechanical efficiency is about 95% and that the volumetric efficiency is over 99%. To test the effects induced by the mechanical transmission of the ECD, each hydraulic cylinder of the ECD is substituted with two springs. Then the power loss of the ECDM under different rotational speeds is obtained. Finally, a test platform is built and the efficiency of the ECD under different rotational speeds and pressures is obtained. The results show that the efficiency is about 80%.     

The numerical investigation of flow and heat transfer characteristics of flow past a slit-cylinder

The flow and heat transfer characteristics, including transition critical Reynolds number from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, the influence of slit-cylinder geometric parameter on Strouhal number, Nusselt number and forces acting on the slit-cylinder are numerically investigated. It’s found that transition critical Reynolds number from two-dimensional (flow wake deforms in two directions) to three-dimensional (flow wake deforms in three directions) increases with the augment of the slit width ratio in the range of present considered Reynolds number. The present results indicate that the three-dimensional vortex structures resulting from the deformation of the vortex shedding have significant effects on flow and heat transfer features such as Strouhal number, Nusselt number and forces acting on the cylinders with different ratios of slit width. It’s observed that the drag and lift coefficients reduce as the increase of slit width ratio, and vortex shedding is effectively suppressed by the slits. Moreover, the comprehensive heat transfer performance of the cylinder with the slits is significantly improved with the increase of the slit width ratio.     

Finite element analysis for inclined wellbore stability of transversely iso-tropic rock with HMCD coupling based on weak plane strength criterion

The finite element analysis (FEA) technology by hydraulic-mechanical-chemical-damage (HMCD) coupling is proposed in this paper for inclined wellbore stability analysis of water-sensitive and laminated rock, developed basing on the recently established FEA technology for transversely isotropic rock with hydraulic-mechanical-damage (HMD) coupling. The chemical activity of the drilling fluid is considered as phenomenological hydration behavior, the moisture content and parameters of rock considering hydration could be determined with time. The finite element (FE) solutions of numerical wellbore model considering the chemical activity of drilling fluid, damage tensor calculation and weak plane strength criterion for transversely isotropic rock are developed for researching the wellbore failure characteristics and computing the time-dependent collapse and fracture pressure of laminated rock as shale reservoirs. A three-dimensional FE model and elastic solid deformation and seepage flow coupled equations are developed, and the damage tensor calculation technology for transversely isotropic rock are realized by introducing effect of the hydration and the stress state under the current load. The proposed method utilizing weak plane strength criterion fully reflects the strength parameters in rock matrix and weak plane. To the end, an effective and reliable numerically three-step FEA strategy is well established for wellbore stability analysis. Numerical examples are given to show that the proposed method can establish efficient and applicable FE model and be suitable for analyzing the timedependent solutions of pore pressure and stresses, and the evolution region considering the hydration surrounding wellbore, furthermore to compute the collapse cycling time and the safe mud weight for collapse and fracture pressure of transversely isotropic rock.     

Investigation on the cleaning of KDP ultra-precision surface polished with micro water dissolution machining principle

A potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) optical crystal was machined to an ultra-precision surface with water-in-oil (W/O) micro emulsion polishing fluid. The micro water dissolution principle utilized in the machining process is discussed, its planarization mechanism is illustrated, and an ultra-precision polished surface with 2.205 nm RMS roughness is obtained. However, a substantial quantity of residual contamination remained on the polished surface after machining. This can seriously impact the optical performance of the crystal, and so it must be removed. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to conduct an investigation into the composition of the surface residue, and the results showed that the residue was comprised of organic chemicals with hydrocarbon chains and aromatic ether, i.e., mostly the polishing fluid. The cleaning method and the principle on which the KDP ultra precision surface investigation is based are discussed in detail, and the cleaning experiments with selected KDP-compatible organic solvents were then performed. FTIR transmittance spectra measurement and microscopic observations were employed to assess the effects of the cleaning process on the surface of the KDP crystal. The results showed that toluene cleaning achieved the most desirable results. This cleaning method produced a surface roughness of 1.826 nm RMS, which allows the KDP crystal to be applied to subsequent engineering applications.     

Fuzzy energy management strategy for parallel HEV based on pigeon-inspired optimization algorithm

Improvements in fuel consumption and emissions of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) heavily depend upon an efficient energy management strategy (EMS). This paper presents an optimizing fuzzy control strategy of parallel hybrid electric vehicle employing a quantum chaotic pigeon-inspired optimization (QCPIO) algorithm. In this approach, the torque of the engine and the motor is assigned by a fuzzy torque distribution controller which is based on the battery state of charge (SoC) and the required torque of the hybrid powertrain. The rules and membership functions of the fuzzy torque distribution controller are optimized simultaneously through the use of QCPIO algorithm. The simulation ground on ADVISOR demonstrates that this EMS improves fuel economy more effectually than original fuzzy and PSO_Fuzzy EMS.     

Efficient coordinated control of regenerative braking with pneumatic anti-lock braking for hybrid electric vehicle

Urban bus has to start and stop frequently due to typical urban traffic conditions, which, however, can be put to good use by regenerative braking. Regenerative braking is a key technology which not only improves vehicle’s fuel economy in mild braking, but also ensures vehicle safety in emergency braking conditions. Because of the inherent limitations of traditional braking system in recycling energy, it is necessary to change its structure to decouple the brake pressure and the brake pedal force. To solve this problem, a compromise design combining traditional pneumatic braking system with brake-by-wire (BBW) system is adopted in this paper on parallel hybrid electric bus. With the transformed braking system, an efficient coordinated control strategy is proposed to solve the problem caused by the different response speeds of pneumatic braking and regenerative braking. The proposed control strategy is carried out, where the road condition varies and different control methods are adopted. Results show that the adopted braking system and the proposed coordinated control strategy are suitable for different roads, and effective in recovering energy and ensuring vehicle safety. At the same time, shorter braking distance and better control of slip ratio verify the performance of MPC compared with a logical threshold-based control. Therefore, this study may offer a useful theoretical reference to the choice of braking system and braking control strategy design in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).     

Seismic cracking analyses of two types of face slab for concrete-faced rockfill dams

Estimating the cracking capacity of the face slab and recommending effective crack-control measures are important for the anti-seismic safety of concrete-faced rockfill dams (CFRDs). In this paper, two-dimensional analyses of CFRDs are performed to simulate the seismic cracking behavior of conventional reinforced concrete (RC) face slab and a type of composite face slab. The composite face slab is composed of a ductile fiber-reinforced cement-based composite (DFRCC) layer and an RC substrate. For this purpose, a co-axial rotating smeared crack model for concrete and DFRCC is coupled with the generalized plasticity model for the rockfill material, and then implemented in a finite element program. The results show that during strong earthquakes, an RC slab is more likely to develop a penetrating macro-crack in its thickness dimension. In contrast, the crack-controlling composite slab demonstrates excellent resistance to seismic cracking, and no penetrating macro-cracks are observed. Major harmful cracks that form in the concrete substrate are stopped by the DFRCC layer in composite slabs.     

Relaxation oscillations induced by an order gap between exciting frequency and natural frequency

The main purpose of the paper is to display the relaxation oscillations, known as the bursting phenomena, for the coupled oscillators with periodic excitation with an order gap between the exciting frequency and the natural frequency. For the case when the exciting frequency is much smaller than the natural frequency, different types of bursting oscillations such as fold/fold, Hopf/Hopf bursting oscillations can be observed. By regarding the whole exciting term as a slow-varying parameter on the fact that the exciting term changes on a much smaller time scale, bifurcations sets of the generalized autonomous system is derived, which divide the parameter space into several regions associated with different types of dynamical behaviors. Two cases with typical bifurcation patterns are focused on as examples to explore the dynamical evolution with the variation of the amplitude of the external excitation. Bursting oscillations which alternate between quiescent states (QSs) and repetitive spiking states (SPs) can be obtained, the mechanism of which is presented by introducing the transformed phase portraits overlapping with the bifurcation diagrams of the generalized autonomous system. It is found that not only the forms of QSs and SPs, but also the bifurcations at the transition points between QSs and SPs, may influence the structures of bursting attractors. Furthermore, the amplitudes and the frequencies related to SPs may depend on the bifurcation patterns from the quiescent sates.     

Synchronization and bursting transition of the coupled Hindmarsh-Rose systems with asymmetrical time-delays

The study of synchronization and bursting transition is very important and valuable in cognitive activities and action control of brain as well as enhancement for the reliability of the cortex synapses. However, we wonder how the synaptic strength and synaptic delay, especially the asymmetrical time-delays between different neurons can collectively influence their synchronous firing behaviors. In this paper, based on the Hindmarsh-Rose neuronal systems with asymmetrical time-delays, we investigate the collective effects of various delays and coupling strengths on the synchronization and bursting transition. It is shown that the interplay between delay and coupling strength can not only enhance or destroy the synchronizations but also can induce the regular transitions of bursting firing patterns. Specifically, as the coupling strength or time-delay increasing, the firing patterns of the time-delayed coupling neuronal systems consistently present a regular transition, that is, the periods of spikes during the bursting firings increase firstly and then decrease slowly. In particular, in contrast to the case of symmetrical time-delays, asymmetrical time-delays can lead to the paroxysmal synchronizations of coupling neuronal systems, as well as the concentration level of synchronization for the non-identically coupled system is superior to the one of identical coupling. These results more comprehensively reveal the rich nonlinear dynamical behaviors of neuronal systems and may be helpful for us to have a better understanding of the neural coding.     

A neglected GABAergic astrocyte: Calcium dynamics and involvement in seizure activity

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contributes substantially to neurocognitive function as an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human cerebral cortex. However, the pathophysiology of disorders such as epilepsy are not well understood, since GABA agonists are not quite effective in treating epilepsy. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA would contribute to review previously proposed anti-epileptic processes by GABA agonists. In this study based on recent experiments on GABAergic astrocytes, we developed a modified GABAergic astrocyte model, and successfully simulated a long-lasting Ca²⁺ oscillation in astrocytes after 0.5-s stimulation of GABAergic transmission. We then incorporated this GABAergic astrocyte model into a classical Ullah-Schiff seizure model and surprisingly found that this GABAergic astrocyte model functions to hinder the anti-epileptic action of GABA agonists, thereby explaining their low efficiency in previous experiments. These results also update our knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA and the effects of astrocytes on physiological and pathological functions of the brain.