An active balancer with rapid bidirectional charge shuttling and adaptive equalization current control for lithium-ion battery strings

This article proposes an active balancer, which features bidirectional charge shuttling and adaptive equalization current control, to fast counterbalance the state of charge (SOC) of cells in a lithium-ion battery (LIB) string. The power circuit consists of certain bidirectional buck-boost converters to transfer energy among the different cells back and forth. Owing to the characterization of the open-circuit voltage (OCV) vs SOC in LIB being relatively smooth near the SOC middle range, the SOC-inspected balance strategy can achieve more precise and efficient equilibrium than the voltage-based control. Accordingly, a compensated OCV-based SOC estimation is put forward to take into account the discrepancy of SOC estimation. Besides, the varied-duty-cycle (VDC) and curve-fitting modulation (CFM) methods are devised herein to tackle the problems of slow equalization rate and low balance efficacy, which arise from the diminution in balancing current as the SOC difference between the cells decreases in the later duration of equalization especially. The proposed strategies have taken the battery nonlinear characteristic and circuit parameter nonideality into account and can adaptively modulate the duty cycle with the SOC difference to keep balancing current constant throughout the balancing cycle. Simulated and experimental results are given to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the same prototype constructed. Compared with the fixed duty cycle and the VDC methods, the proposed CFM has the best balancing efficiency of 81.4%, and the balance time is shortened by 27.1% and 18.6%, respectively.     

Experimental study on mitigating wind erosion of calcareous desert sand using spray method for microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation

Wind erosion is one of the significant natural calamities worldwide, which degrades around one-third of global land. The eroded and suspended soil particles in the environment may cause health hazards, i.e. allergies and respiratory diseases, due to the presence of harmful contaminants, bacteria, and pollens. The present study evaluates the feasibility of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technique to mitigate wind-induced erosion of calcareous desert sand (Thar desert of Rajasthan province in India). The temperature during biotreatment was kept at 36 °C to stimulate the average temperature of the Thar desert. The spray method was used for bioaugmentation of Sporosarcina (S.) pasteurii and further treatment using chemical solutions. The chemical solution of 0.25 pore volume was sprayed continuously up to 5 d, 10 d, 15 d, and 20 d, using two different concentration ratios of urea and calcium chloride dihydrate viz 2:1 and 1:1. The biotreated samples were subjected to erosion testing (in the wind tunnel) at different wind speeds of 10 m/s, 20 m/s, and 30 m/s. The unconfined compressive strength of the biocemented crust was measured using a pocket penetrometer. The variation in calcite precipitation and microstructure (including the presence of crystalline minerals) of untreated as well as biotreated sand samples were determined through calcimeter, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX). The results demonstrated that the erosion of untreated sand increases with an increase in wind speeds. When compared to untreated sand, a lower erosion was observed in all biocemented sand samples, irrespective of treatment condition and wind speed. It was observed that the sample treated with 1:1 cementation solution for up to 5 d, was found to effectively resist erosion at a wind speed of 10 m/s. Moreover, a significant erosion resistance was ascertained in 15 d and 20 d treated samples at higher wind speeds. The calcite content percentage, thickness of crust, bulk density, and surface strength of biocemented sand were enhanced with the increase in treatment duration. The 1:1 concentration ratio of cementation solution was found effective in improving crust thickness and surface strength as compared to 2:1 concentration ratio of cementation solution. The calcite crystals formation was observed in SEM analysis and calcium peaks were observed in EDX analysis for biotreated sand.     

Chemical,functional and physicochemical properties of flour from cassava stored under freezing

Cassava root spoils rapidly after harvest but can be well preserved by storing under freezing. This study investigated the functional, chemical and physicochemical properties of flour produced from frozen cassava roots. Freezing period did not significantly (p < 0.05) alter the moisture, ash, fat and fibre, but had slight effect on the carbohydrate and protein contents of the flour. Lightness, yellowness index and bulk densities of the flour samples reduced with freezing period. While freezing did not significantly (p < 0.05) change the ability of the flour samples to absorb oil, a slight but significant increase in the water absorption capacity was observed. Potassium (1.29–3.46 mg/kg), sodium (1.24–1.28 mg/kg), and calcium (0.94–1.34 mg/kg) were the major minerals in the cassava flour samples. The cyanide content (10.80–22.95 mg/kg) reduced as freezing days increased but peak, setback, breakdown and final viscosities did not follow a particular pattern. The information from this study is important to further determine the industrial potentials of flour from stored cassava roots.     

Cowpea resistance and bioactivity of two diatomaceous earths against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on three cowpea varieties

The bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) is the most important pest of stored cowpea in tropical climates. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of three cowpea varieties and the bioactivity of SilicoSec® and FossilShield® against this insect pest under ambient laboratory conditions at the contents 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of cowpea. The Dobie susceptibility index for cowpea genotypes was estimated to compare their relative tolerance to this insect pest. Adult mortality was assessed after 1, 2, 4 and 6 days of exposure followed by the evaluation of the F₁ progeny. Population increase, percentage seed damage and weight loss were assessed after three months of storage. The results showed that the CRPS and TN5-78 varieties were highly susceptible to C. maculatus, while Lori variety was moderately susceptible to the weevil. SilicoSec® and FossilShield® caused a significant and increasing bruchid mortality according to the dose rates and periods of exposure. Malathion 5% caused complete mortality after one day exposure time. SilicoSec® was more effective than FossilShield® on the three varieties of cowpea. The greatest dose of SilicoSec® and FossilShield® (2 g/kg) caused 100% mortality on all three varieties; 4 days of exposure in the Lori variety was the shortest exposure time leading to complete mortality. Regarding LD₅₀ and LD₉₅ values, it was observed that C. maculatus adults are more susceptible to SilicoSec® than to FossilShield®.The two formulations of diatomaceous earth (1.5 g/kg) reduced the F₁ progeny by more than 70%, and produced less than 10% of seed damage and weight loss for the three varieties of cowpea. The varietal resistance and the use of diatomaceous earth against C. maculatus in storage could represent an alternative to Malagrain® for the protection of the cowpea.     

Effect of different control strategies on rapid cold start-up of a 30-cell proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

Many places experience extreme temperatures below −30 °C, which is a great challenge for the fuel cell vehicle (FCV). The aim of this study is to optimize the strategy to achieve rapid cold start-up of the 30-cell stack at different temperature conditions. The test shows that the stack rapidly starts within 30 s at an ambient temperature of −20 °C. Turning on the coolant at −25 °C show stability of the cell voltage at both ends due to the end-plate heating, however, voltage of intermediate cells fluctuates sharply, and successful start-up is completed after 60 s. The cold start strategy changes to load-voltage cooperative control mode when the ambient temperature reduced to −30 °C, the voltage of multiple cells in the middle of the stack fluctuate more drastic, and start-up takes 113 s. The performance and consistency of the stack did not decay after 20 cold start-up experiments, which indicates that our control strategies effectively avoided irreversible damage to the stack caused by freeze-thaw process.     

加氢反应器头盖密封质量控制探讨

加氢反应器是加氢装置的重要组成部分,反应器头盖因工况复杂,导致密封难度较大,密封不严,会导致整个装置不能正常运转。为此,就其头盖拆装及密封问题进行探讨,提出有效的质量控制措施。     

Do metal grain silos benefit women in Kenya,Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe?

Metal silos can reduce maize losses during storage in smallholder farm systems, contributing towards international goals of reducing food waste and moving towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. However, technologies are introduced into farming systems with complex sets of relationships. These may differentially affect the ability of women and men to secure the expected benefits of metal silos. This, in turn, may affect adoption rates and expected outcomes. To better understand these relationships, a mixed methods study was conducted in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia where metal silos were introduced through the Effective Grain Storage Project (EGSP). EGSP distributed 1717 metal silos across the four countries.Quantitative surveys using random sampling were conducted in Kenya (124 respondents) and Malawi (100 respondents) with metal silo owners. Qualitative surveys, using purposive sampling, were conducted in all four countries covering 14 ethnic groups using focus group discussions (360 respondents), key informant interviews (62 respondents), and household case studies (62 respondents). The aim was to understand gendered post-harvest management and storage strategies in traditional systems and to map changes when metal silos were introduced.The findings suggest roles and responsibilities regarding the ownership and management of storage structures are strongly gendered with some differences between ethnic groups and countries. Men benefit more than women from the introduction of metal silos. Ownership of the grain storage facility, and the benefits attached to ownership, can switch from women to men with women having less scope for bargaining over their rights to use the stored grain for their own needs and the benefit of all household members. Women and men fail to fully follow guidelines for effective use of metal silos. They differ in their preferred attributes for their ideal storage system. Whilst some attributes are shared, women’s preferences were sharply differentiated from men in others.     

Compound fault-tolerant attitude control for hypersonic vehicle with reaction control systems in reentry phase

In this paper, a novel compound fault-tolerant attitude control (FTC) scheme is proposed for reentry hypersonic vehicles with aerodynamic surfaces and reaction control systems (RCS) in the presence of parameter uncertainties, external disturbances and aerodynamic surfaces faults. Aerodynamic surfaces work as the primary actuators and RCS serve as auxiliary actuators. When aerodynamic surfaces cannot provide the required attitude control torque due to low dynamic pressure or faults, RCS are activated to assist aerodynamic surfaces to generate the residual torque. A nonlinear disturbance observer-based sliding mode controller is designed to calculate the required attitude control torque which can handle the parametric uncertainties and external disturbances together. The quadratic programming method is applied to obtain the optimal aerodynamic surfaces deflections from the required control torque. An innovative fuzzy rule-based decision-making system is design to solve the RCS control allocation problem, which is conceptually easy to understand and computationally efficiently compared with existing approaches. Based on quantized control theory, the closed-loop control system stability is rigorously analyzed. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of developed FTC scheme.