Internal leakage detection for feedwater heaters in power plants using neural networks

As interest in safety and performance of power plants becomes more serious and wide-ranging, the significance of research on turbine cycles has attracted more attention. This paper particularly focuses on thermal performance analysis under the conditions of internal leakages inside closed-type feedwater heaters (FWHs) and their diagnosis to identify the locations and to quantify leak rates. Internal leakage is regarded as flow movement through the isolated path but remaining inside the system boundary of a turbine cycle. For instance, leakages through the cracked tubes, tube-sheets, or pass partition plates in a FWH are internal leakages. Internal leakages impact not only plant efficiency, but also direct costs and/or even plant safety associated with the appropriate repairs. Some types of internal leakages are usually critical to get the parts fixed and back in a timely manner. The FWHs installed in a Korean standard nuclear power plant were investigated in this study. Three technical steps have been, then, conducted: (1) the detailed modeling of FWHs covering the leakage from tubes, tube-sheets, or pass partition plates using the simulation model, (2) thermal performance analysis under various leakage conditions, and (3) the development of a diagnosis model using a feed-forward neural network, which is the correlation between thermal performance indices and leakage conditions. Since the operational characteristics of FWHs are coupled with one another and/or with other neighbor components such as turbines or condensers, recognizing internal leakages is difficult with only an analytical model and instrumentation at the inlet and outlet of tube- and shell-sides. The proposed neural network-based correlation was successfully validated for test cases.     

Intelligent data structures selection using neural networks

It is well known that abstract data types represent the core for any software application, and a proper use of them is an essential requirement for developing a robust and efficient system. Data structures are essential in obtaining efficient algorithms, having a major importance in the software development process. Selecting and creating the appropriate data structure for implementing an abstract data type can greatly impact the performance and the efficiency of the software systems. It is not a trivial problem for a software developer, as it is hard to anticipate all the use scenarios of the deployed application, and a static selection before the system’s execution is, generally, not accurate. In this paper, we are focusing on the problem of dynamic selection of efficient data structures for abstract data types implementation using a supervised learning approach. In order to dynamically select the most suitable representation for an aggregate according to the software system’s current execution context, a neural network will be used. We experimentally evaluate the proposed technique on a case study, emphasizing the advantages of the proposed model in comparison with existing similar approaches.     

调节形态学运算及其神经网络实现

数学形态学是一门建立在集合论基础上的学科,为数字图像处理和分析提供了一种有效的工具.在分析传统的数学形态学基本运算的基础上,引入调节数学形态学运算的概念,然后讨论了调节形态学运算的神经网络实现,并给出了用于图像滤波的计算机仿真结果.该方法较之传统的数学形态学基本运算更为灵活.     

Intelligent sensor system for discrimination of material type using neural networks

Neural network based classification of material type even with the variation in the sensor parameter is investigated in this paper. The sensor is developed by means of a lightweight plunger probe and an optical mouse sensor. An experimental prototype was developed which involves bouncing or hopping of the plunger based impact probe freely on the plain surface of an object under test. The experiment is conducted to obtain the bouncing signals for plain surface of an objects kept at different distances from the probe. During the bouncing of the probe, time varying signals are generated from optical mouse that are recorded in data files on PC. Some dominant unique features are then extracted using signal processing tools to optimize neural network based classifier. The time and features of bouncing signal are related to the material type, and each material has a unique set of such properties. It is found that the sensor system is intelligent due to its ability to classify the material type even with the variation in the sensor parameter (distance between the sensor probe and plain objects). The classifiers are developed using two neural networks configurations, namely a well-known Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Networks (MLP NN), and Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBF NN). MLP NN and RBF NN models are designed to maximize accuracy under the constraints of minimum network dimension.The optimal parameters of MLP NN and RBF NN models based on various performance measures that include percentage classification accuracy (PCLA) on the testing data, and area under Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC), and are determined. For the sensor data set, the PCLA of both the classifiers are found reasonable consistently in respect of rigorous testing using different data partitions. The areas under the ROC curves are close to unity. Performances of the two classifiers have been compared. It has been found that the RBF NN is more robust to noise, and epochs required for training are very less as compared to that for MLP NN.     

Rule extraction for fatty liver detection using neural networks

Neural Computing and Applications - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common diseases in the world. Recently the FibroScan device is used as a noninvasive, yet costly...     

Optimal power allocation for cognitive relay networks: amplify-and-forward versus selection relay

We consider a cognitive relay network which is defined by a source,a destination,and cognitive relay nodes and primary user nodes.In this network,a source is assisted by cognitive relay nodes which allow coexisting with primary user nodes by imposing severe constraints on the transmission power so that they operate below the noise floor of primary user nodes.In this paper,we mainly study the power allocation strategies of this system to minimize the outage probability subject to total and individual power c...     

Epileptic EEG detection using neural networks and post-classification

Electroencephalogram (EEG) has established itself as an important means of identifying and analyzing epileptic seizure activity in humans. In most cases, identification of the epileptic EEG signal is done manually by skilled professionals, who are small in number. In this paper, we try to automate the detection process. We use wavelet transform for feature extraction and obtain statistical parameters from the decomposed wavelet coefficients. A feed-forward backpropagating artificial neural network (ANN) is used for the classification. We use genetic algorithm for choosing the training set and also implement a post-classification stage using harmonic weights to increase the accuracy. Average specificity of 99.19%, sensitivity of 91.29% and selectivity of 91.14% are obtained.     

Object detection using pulse coupled neural networks

Describes an object detection system based on pulse coupled neural networks. The system is designed and implemented to illustrate the power, flexibility and potential the pulse coupled neural networks have in real-time image processing. In the preprocessing stage, a pulse coupled neural network suppresses noise by smoothing the input image. In the segmentation stage, a second pulse coupled neural-network iteratively segments the input image. During each iteration, with the help of a control module, the segmentation network deletes regions that do not satisfy the retention criteria from further processing and produces an improved segmentation of the retained image. In the final stage each group of connected regions that satisfies the detection criteria is identified as an instance of the object of interest.     

Spoken keyword detection using autoassociative neural networks

Spoken keywords detection is essential to organize efficiently lots of hours of audio contents such as meetings, radio news, etc. These systems are developed with the purpose of indexing large audio databases or of detecting keywords in continuous speech streams. This paper addresses a new approach to spoken keyword detection using Autoassociative Neural Networks (AANN). The proposed work concerns the use of the distribution capturing ability of the Autoassociative neural network (AANN) for spoken keyword detection. It involves sliding a frame-based keyword template along the speech signal and using confidence score obtained from the normalized squared error of AANN to efficiently search for a match. This work formulates a new spoken keyword detection algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed approach competes with the keyword detection methods reported in the literature and it is an alternative method to the existing key word detection methods.     

Goal distance estimation for automated planning using neural networks and support vector machines

Many of today’s most successful planners perform a forward heuristic search. The accuracy of the heuristic estimates and the cost of their computation determine the performance of the planner. Thanks to the efforts of researchers in the area of heuristic search planning, modern algorithms are able to generate high-quality estimates. In this paper we propose to learn heuristic functions using artificial neural networks and support vector machines. This approach can be used to learn standalone heuristic functions but also to improve standard planning heuristics. One of the most famous and successful variants for heuristic search planning is used by the Fast-Forward (FF) planner. We analyze the performance of standalone learned heuristics based on nature-inspired machine learning techniques and employ a comparison to the standard FF heuristic and other heuristic learning approaches. In the conducted experiments artificial neural networks and support vector machines were able to produce standalone heuristics of superior accuracy. Also, the resulting heuristics are computationally much more performant than related ones.     

LADAR target detection using morphological shared-weight neural networks

Morphological shared-weight neural networks (MSNN) combine the feature extraction capability of mathematical morphology with the function-mapping capability of neural networks in a single trainable architecture. The MSNN method has been previously demonstrated using a variety of imaging sensors, including TV, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In this paper, we provide experimental results with laser radar (LADAR). We present three sets of experiments. In the first set of experiments, we use the MSNN to detect different types of targets simultaneously. In the second set, we use the MSNN to detect only a particular type of target. In the third set, we test a novel scenario, referred to as the Sims scenario: we train the MSNN to recognize a particular type of target using very few examples. A detection rate of 86% with a reasonable number of false alarms was achieved in the first set of experiments and a detection rate of close to 100% with very few false alarms was achieved in the second and third sets of experiments. In all the experiments, a novel pre-processing method is used to create a pseudo-intensity images from the original LADAR range images.     

Short-term electric power load forecasting using feedforward neural networks

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a study on short‐term electric power load forecasting based on feedforward neural networks. The study investigates the design components that are critical in power load forecasting, which include the selection of the inputs and outputs from the data, the formation of the training and the testing sets, and the performance of the neural network models trained to forecast power load for the next hour and the next day. The experiments are used to identify the combination of the most significant parameters that can be used to form the inputs of the neural networks in order to reduce the prediction error. The prediction error is also reduced by predicting the difference between the power load of the next hour (day) and that of the present hour (day). This is a promising alternative to the commonly used approach of predicting the actual power load. The potential of the proposed method is revealed by its comparison with two existing approaches that utilize neural networks for electric power load forecasting.     

Joint relay selection and power allocation for amplify-and-forward two-path relaying networks

This paper presents a joint relay selection and power allocation scheme for amplify-and-forward two-path relaying networks,in which diferent relay nodes forward information symbols alternatively in adjacent time slots.Our approach is based on the maximization of the received signal-to-noise ratio under total power consumption by the transmission of the symbol.We show that in spite of inter-relay interferences,the maximization problem has a closed-form solution.Simulation results explicitly indicate that the performance of proposed approach outmatches the existing methods including equal power allocation and one-path relaying.     

Collision detection for multiple robot manipulatyors by using orthogonal neural networks

This article discusses the application of orthogonal neural networks to detect collisions between multiple robot manipulators that work in an overlapped space. By applying an expansion/shrinkage algorithm, the problem of collision detection between arms is transformed into that among cylinders (or rectangular solids) and line segments. This mapping simplifies the collision detection problem and thus neural networks can be applied to solve it. The property of parallel processing enables neural networks to detect collisions rapidly. A single-layer orthogonal neural network is developed to avert the problems of conventional multilayer feedforward neural networks such as initial weights and the number of layers and processing elements. This orthogonal neural network can approximate various functions and is used to calculate forward solution and to detect collisions. An efficient neural network system for collision detection is also developed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

宽带电力线通信网络最优中继选择算法

针对现有低压宽带电力线通信网络拓扑不均衡问题,提出一种宽带电力线通信网络最优中继选择算法.从入网申请节点到中央控制器所有路径中选择信噪比最高的路径,使节点选择最合理的中继节点;利用信标报文丢包率记录节点间通信状态,使节点分布更加均衡;以公有中继节点为顶端节点建立倒V型中转策略,提高数据传输效率.实验结果表明,该算法在平...     

Hybrid accident simulation methodology using artificial neural networks for nuclear power plants

A hybrid accident simulation methodology for nuclear power plants is proposed to enhance the capabilities of compact simulator by introducing artificial neural networks. Two neural networks are trained with the target values obtained from the analyses of detailed computer codes and trained results are combined with the compact simulator to perform the following roles: (i) compensation for inaccuracies of a compact simulator occurring from simplified governing equation and reduced number of physical control volumes, and (ii) prediction of the critical parameter usually calculated from the sophisticated computer code: the autoassociative neural network improves the computational results of the compact simulator up to the accuracy level of detailed best estimate computer code, while the backpropagation neural network predicts the minimum departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR). Simulations are carried out to verify the applicability of the proposed methodology for the loss of flow accidents and the results show that the neural networks can be used as a complementary tool to improve the results of a compact simulator.     

Fault detection on robot manipulators using artificial neural networks

Nowadays, gas welding applications on vehicle’s parts with robot manipulators have increased in automobile industry. Therefore, the speed of end-effectors of robot manipulator is affected on each joint during the welding process with complex trajectory. For that reason, it is necessary to analyze the noise and vibration of robot’s joints for predicting faults. This paper presents an experimental investigation on a robot manipulator, using neural network for analyzing the vibration condition on joints. Firstly, robot manipulator’s joints are tested with prescribed of trajectory end-effectors for the different joints speeds. Furthermore, noise and vibration of each joint are measured. And then, the related parameters are tested with neural network predictor to predict servicing period. In order to find robust and adaptive neural network structure, two types of neural predictors are employed in this investigation. The results of two approaches improved that an RBNN type can be employed to predict the vibrations on industrial robots.     

Dynamic brake switching strategies for stabilization of power systems using artificial neural networks

When a large disturbance appears on a power system, it may render the system unstable. One way to stabilize the post-disturbance system is to connect resistors or brakes at the generator terminals, and switch them dynamically. In this study, artificial neural networks have been trained to predict the switching times of these dynamic braking resistors for stability improvement. Training data for the nets were generated from a minimum time stabilizing strategy. Comparison of the back-propagation and radial-basis-function networks demonstrate that while both are suitable in estimating the switch times, the radial-basis-function networks are superior in terms of convergence characteristics as well as accuracy of prediction. The nets were also trained with different input features from the various generators.     

An expert system based on S-transform and neural network for automatic classification of power quality disturbances

In this paper, an S-transform-based neural network structure is presented for automatic classification of power quality disturbances. The S-transform (ST) technique is integrated with neural network (NN) model with multi-layer perceptron to construct the classifier. Firstly, the performance of ST is shown for detecting and localizing the disturbances by visual inspection. Then, ST technique is used to extract the significant features of distorted signal. In addition, an optimum combination of the most useful features is identified for increasing the accuracy of classification. Features extracted by using the S-transform are applied as input to NN for automatic classification of the power quality (PQ) disturbances that solves a relatively complex problem. Six single disturbances and two complex disturbances as well pure sine (normal) selected as reference are considered for the classification. Sensitivity of proposed expert system under different noise conditions is investigated. The analysis and results show that the classifier can effectively classify different PQ disturbances.