Parallel simulated annealing for power system decomposition

This paper proposes a parallel optimization approach to power system decomposition for voltage control. In this paper, a parallel simulated annealing (PSA) technique is developed to decompose power systems so that subsystems are equally separated in terms of the number of nodes and control variables. System decomposition is one of difficult discrete number combinatorial problems. The PSA technique provides better solutions than the conventional SA because of searching a solution near a global minimum over a wide range. The proposed method is tested in IEEE 30, 57, and 118 node systems     

Effects of crystallographic misorientation on power loss in

The effects of the inclination angle β of the [001] axis out of the sheet plane on the thickness dependence of the power losses in     

New protection method for HVDC lines including cables

For the third project of the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link in Japan, called the HVDC Link III project (rated at 250 kVDC-1200 A-300 MW), we developed an HVDC transmission line protection method based on a new working principle that allows high-speed and highly sensitive detection of faults, enhancing reliability in the supply of electric power. In general, increasing the sensitivity of relays will lead to an increased likelihood of undesired operation whereas lowering the sensitivity will impair the responsiveness of the relays. Our proposed method meets these apparently incompatible requirements very well. Basically classified as a differential scheme, the HVDC transmission line protection method compensates for a charging and discharging current that flows through the line-to-ground capacitance at times of voltage variations caused by a line fault or by the operation of DC power systems. The developed protection method is also characterized in that it uses current changes induced by voltage variations to restrain the operation of a relay. This configuration has made the proposed method far superior in responsiveness and sensitivity to the conventional protection method. A simulation using an EMTP (Electro-Magnetic Transients Program) was conducted on this method. Developed relay equipment embodying the new protection method was subjected to various verification tests, where this equipment was connected to a power system simulator, before being delivered to the HVDC Link III facility     

Integrated optical devices of InGaAsP/InP heterojunction phototransistor and inner stripe light-emitting diode

New integrated optical devices combining an InGaAsP/InP HPT and an inner-stripe LED are proposed and their fabrication processes are described. The device functions of light amplification, optical bistability, and optical switching are demonstrated in the 1-μm wavelength region.     

A load dispatch method using fractional programming and semidefinite programming

This paper describes a load dispatch method which minimizes power cost—[fuel cost]/[electric output]—for a power system with thermal plants and energy storage facilities. The proposed method employs fractional programming to convert a minimization problem with fractional objective function to a series of quadratic minimization problems, and semidefinite programming to solve converted problems. The method provides the optimum time‐dependent power output/input and storage level of energy storage facilities as well as time‐dependent power output of thermal plants. The method has been applied to a power system with five thermal plants, two energy storage facilities of various performances, and five load demands. The optimum load scheme of four time mesh points is obtained for the thermal plants and energy storage facilities. The fractional programming successfully converges the optimal scheme through a few iterations. The semidefinite programming deals with a variable matrix of 164 dimensions, and 185 inequality constraints. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 138(2): 49–58, 2002     

Change of characteristics of desulfurization and denitrification by combustion flue gas composition and electrode configuration under pulsed corona discharge

Laboratory-scale and parametric experiments of SO₂ and NO_x removal from the simulated combustion gas by pulsed corona discharge have been performed by changing the combustion gas composition and temperature, the electrode configuration of plasma reactor, and the polarity of high-voltage electrode. The following results are obtained: 1) the higher the concentration of H₂O and O₂, the higher the efficiency of desulfurization and denitrification at the same specific input; 2) the pulsed corona discharge with a voltage pulsewidth as short as 200 ns of negative polarity shows the possibility to attain almost 90 percent deSO_x and deNO_x efficiency at the specific discharge input of 20 J/g, which is almost the same as the specific input in the electron-beam process; 3) the deNO_x characteristics show a little temperature dependence in the range of 70 to 130°C, but the deSO_x efficiency increases rapidly in the temperature region below 100°C suggesting the thermochemical dependence of deSO_x reaction; 4) when desulfurization and denitrification proceed, the white dendritic powder deposits on the plasma reactor whose composition is identified to be 49 mol% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and 47 mol% of 2NH₄NO₃ · (NH₄)₂SO₄, and the ratio of SO₂, NO and NH₃ of the deposit is almost equal to that of supplied gas.     

Photoinduced bidirectional phase transitions in single crystals of polydiacetylenes

Photoinduced phase transitions have been observed between the two phases in single crystals of polydiacetylenes with side-groups of alkylurethanes. The threshold of the excitation intensity for the photochromism is extremely low, one absorbed photon per 140 repeated backbone units, indicating a collective nature of the photoconversion. The excitation spectra for the converted fraction clearly show that the photoinduced phase transition is mediated by photogeneration of polaronic species and not of singlet excitons.     

2D artificial life system using network-type assembly-like language: influence of change in environment with costs of instructions

To unlock the full potential of evolution in digital media, a Tierra-like system using network-type assembly-like language has been constructed. In the system, like Avida, digital creatures, self-replicating programs, live in a discrete 2D torus space and an interaction between creatures is restricted locally. Bearing a genetic network in mind, network structure is introduced. In the previous works, it is shown that the possibility that the network-type model has more potential of evolution than a linear-type model like Avida in a simple environment. In this paper, to study the potential of evolution more precisely, we model the effects of environment other than creatures. As one of the simplest models of such environment, the cost of execution, i.e. executing time, is introduced. The difficult environment to live in costs high to execute instructions, the easy environment does low. In computer experiments, we have investigated the influence of change in environment by analyzing the process of evolution and diversity of the system. Experimental results show that the network-type system keeps more stable diversity than the linear-type system does, even when the environment changes drastically. This indicates the possibility that the network-type system has more potential of evolution than the linear-type system has. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Physical modeling of urban air-pollutant transport

Air-pollutant transport within an urban setting is conditioned by local urban geometry, urban-modified meteorological variables, a wide variety of source characteristics and local topography. Extreme complexity and local specificity of the resulting dispersion process requires the use of physical modeling rather than numerical or analytical methods to predict concentration distributions. Serving as an analog computer the boundary-layer wind tunnel provides reliable concentration data which can be applied directly to design and/or decision making.A brief review is made of similarity criteria for simulating physical modeling of the atmospheric boundary-layer and source characteristics in a boundary-layer wind tunnel. Applications to several problems related to stack, vent and automobile emissions are described. Rudimentary portions of a data bank are presented which, with additional data acquisition, can provide a practical method for prediction of automobile exhaust concentrations that will result from proposed freeways or alternative traffic routings.     

Isotachophoretic analysis of surfactants

The qualitative and quantitative determination of anionic surfactants (sodium and lithium alkylsulfate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, sodium di-2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate, sodium and lithium perfluoroalkylcarboxylate, and lithium perfluorooctanesulfonate) were investigated by a capillary tube isotachophoresis using a potential gradient detector. The leading electrolyte solution was the mixture of acetonitrile and aqueous solution of histidine buffer containing calcium chloride. The terminating electrolyte solution was the aqueous solution of sodium octanoate. These electrolytes were effective for the analysis of the mixtures of strongly acidic surfactants.