Estimation of power outage size based on the dominating differential equation

This paper describes a method to estimate how much power will drop after severe generation outage. When a large generation outage occurs, system frequency plummets to an unacceptable frequency level. Frequency drop affects both customers and generation systems. Thus adequate and quick load-shedding must be done to prevent problems. To institute any load-shedding policy effectively, the size of the generation outage must be precisely estimated in a very short time. So far, several methods have been proposed to estimate the power outage amount by measuring the decaying frequency variations that are obtained at each local bus. These methods are easily applied, but cannot be expected to provide good results in real power system operations because of the noises that are a part of decaying frequency variations. To cope with this problem, a new estimation method based on one that uses the dominating differential equation is proposed in this paper. The most precise estimation at this point is obtained by using additional factors, such as the sine wave included in the decaying frequency fluctuations and considered as a part of the equation. Simulation studies on a model power system consisting of five generating stations and four load points show that the newer method is encouraging. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 118 (3): 39–49, 1997     

Measurement of the damping coefficient of an electric power system by use of a superconducting magnet energy storage system

In this paper, a new application of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) for diagnosis of power systems is proposed. Basic experiments for measurement of damping coefficient of power systems by use of SMES are carried out in an experimental system with a small generator, artificial transmission lines, and a small SMES. The SMES produces small power disturbances in the power system without affecting its operating conditions. The small power oscillations in the power system due to continuous power disturbances generated by SMES are observed. The relations among the damping coefficient, the power disturbances, and the power change of SMES are discussed for a one-machine infinite-bus system. The damping coefficients of the power system are obtained by investigating the oscillations due to the sinusoidal power changes of the SMES. The possibility of estimation of the steady-state power system stability by monitoring the damping coefficients of an operating power system by the use of SMES can be shown experimentally. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 119(3): 40–48, 1997     

Two-point correlation estimation of turbulent shear flows using a novel laser Doppler velocity profile sensor

In this paper we describe, for the first time, a new method of two-point correlation estimations of turbulent flows using a laser Doppler velocity profile sensor. For the spatial correlation estimations the laser Doppler velocity profile sensor offers unique opportunities since a high spatial resolution of approximately 20 micron within the measurement volume is achieved. Furthermore, the low relative velocity measurement uncertainty of about 0.1% yields a high resolution of small velocity fluctuations and, therefore, allows correlation investigations where such high resolution is required. Moreover, a new virtual detection volume technique is presented which is only applicable in conjunction with the laser Doppler velocity profile sensor and offers the potential to achieve highly precise spatial correlation estimations. Measurements have been carried out in the turbulent wake of a circular. Both temporal as well as spatial correlation estimations have been calculated from the acquired velocity data yielding a longitudinal Taylor microscale of 3.53 mm and a transverse Taylor microscale of 1.84 mm.     

Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum and chitosan in the reduction of browning of pericarp Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)

The effects of Lactobacillus plantarum alone or in combination with chitosan were evaluated on quality and color retention in rambutan fruits (Nephelium lappaceum) stored at 25 °C and 10 °C with 75 ± 2.5% of relative humidity for 10 and 15 days, respectively. The development of the microorganisms was evidenced by viability analyses and lactic acid production. The application of L. plantarum significantly improved color retention (a* and L*), and reduced weight losses. The lactobacilli, alone or in combination with chitosan, preserved fruit quality characteristics such as firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acidity. The lactobacilli application on rambutan pericarp produced acidification of pericarp and avoided the browning; thereby desiccation was prevented due to biofilm formation.     

Precise metabolic flux analysis of coryneform bacteria by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and verification by nuclear magnetic resonance

Precise metabolic flux analysis (MFA) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and computer calculation was performed, and the consistency of the estimated results was verified by independently performed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The precise estimation of flux by the integration method of the mass isotopomer signal, defined as the coefficient of variance (CV) of multiple determination, was investigated, and the results estimated using different data sets with the same magnitude of error were confirmed. The CV of multiple determinations was sufficiently small to discuss and compare the fluxes of a metabolic pathway. The estimated fluxes using the GC-MS data were cross-validated with the NMR data that were independently measured and not used for MFA. The developed method was successfully applied to the MFA of the growth phase of two different glutamate-producing coryneform bacteria, Corynebacterium glutamicum and C. efficiens. The difference in the growth rate between these two bacterial species was discussed while considering the results of MFA, including forward and backward (exchange) fluxes.     

Global competition and technological transition in electrical,electronic, information and communication engineering: quantitative analysis of periodicals and conference proceedings of the IEEE

This study analysed the technical and publication activities of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), the most influential academic publisher in engineering. We first constructed an original comprehensive database of periodicals (journal and magazine) and conference proceedings published by the IEEE between 1980 and 2008, which comprised approximately 0.36 million periodical articles and 1.14 million conference articles. We analysed the transitions in technical innovations from two perspectives: trends within (1) individual countries and (2) specialized fields represented in IEEE societies. The number of published periodical articles increased fourfold between 1980 and 2008, while that of published conference articles increased nearly 20-fold in the same period. In particular, the number of conference articles published by China increased dramatically from 2002, exceeding even the number published by the US in 2008. The IEEE has increasingly shifted away from its US-centred origins to literally becoming the ‘electrical and electronics association of the world’. The proportion of articles published by authors in North America, Europe and East Asia has increasingly balanced, thus leading to the formation of a tri-polar structure of IEEE technological activities. This comprehensive analysis of IEEE publications over a period of almost 30 years revealed that with the emergence of more active international competition, ‘glocalisation’ is occurring among publications and research activities of the IEEE. Consequently, quantitative analysis revealed structural changes in global competition and technological transition characterized by five phases.     

A DNA-based molecular motor that can navigate a network of tracks

Synthetic molecular motors can be fuelled by the hydrolysis or hybridization of DNA. Such motors can move autonomously and programmably, and long-range transport has been observed on linear tracks. It has also been shown that DNA systems can compute. Here, we report a synthetic DNA-based system that integrates long-range transport and information processing. We show that the path of a motor through a network of tracks containing four possible routes can be programmed using instructions that are added externally or carried by the motor itself. When external control is used we find that 87% of the motors follow the correct path, and when internal control is used 71% of the motors follow the correct path. Programmable motion will allow the development of computing networks, molecular systems that can sort and process cargoes according to instructions that they carry, and assembly lines that can be reconfigured dynamically in response to changing demands.     

Boiling heat transfer from a horizontal flat plate in a pool of liquid hydrogen

Heat transfer from a flat plate facing upward immersed in a liquid hydrogen pool was measured for the pressures from atmospheric to 1.1 MPa. The flat plate heater used was 10 mm in width, 100 mm in length and 0.1 mm in thickness. Critical heat fluxes (CHFs) in saturated boiling increased with the increase in pressure up to around 0.3 MPa and then decreased with further pressure increase. The CHFs under subcooled condition at each pressure increased with the increase in sub-cooling. Discussions were made on the experimental results by comparing with those of the other cryogenic liquids and also the Kutateladze’s equations under saturated and subcooled conditions. The experimental CHFs were much smaller than the Kutateladze’s equation for higher pressure up to critical. The heater surface temperature was found to reach the critical temperature before the occurrence of hydrodynamic instability and jump to the film boiling regime at the lower heat flux in the higher pressure range. It was suggested that the CHFs are determined not by the heat flux but by the temperature in the higher pressure range.     

Fabrication of conductive porous alumina (CPA) structurally modified with carbon nanotubes (CNT)

A novel binary porous composite nano-carbon networks (NCNs)/alumina, which is denoted as electrically conductive porous alumina (CPA), was structurally modified by carbon nanotubes (CNT) pre-treated with mixed concentrated acids at 60 °C for 6 h in this study. This conductive ceramics (CCs) was fabricated by combination of gelcasting and high temperature reductive sintering (HTRS) in novel atmosphere. CNT pre-treatment leading to the increased hydrophilicity makes it possible to make uniformly dispersed CNT/alumina slurry. And by HTRS in Ar at 1700 °C for 2 h, well-gelled polymer net-paths in green body prepared by gelcasting technology were totally converted to nano-carbon networks (NCNs) without destruction of CNT. NCN with graphitic crystal structure was evaluated by Raman spectroscopy in sintered ceramic body. Moreover, comparing with as-received CNT, the decreased surface defect of detected composite also supported the further graphitization of CNT via HTRS in Ar instead of burning out. With the aid of field-emission scanning electronic microscopy (FE-SEM) observation, the increased alumina grains in sintered ceramic body CNT/NCN/alumina was valid. Moreover, it was demonstrated that there were three components in this composite, which is carbon filler with two different forms (CNT and NCN) and alumina matrix. And these three components CNT covered with Al₂O₃ particles (Al₂O₃/CNT), NCN and alumina grains (alumina) co-exist in four different situations as follows: (a) Al₂O₃/CNT–alumina co-junction, (b) Al₂O₃/CNT–NCN co-junction, (c) Al₂O₃/CNT–alumina–NCN and (d) Al₂O₃/CNT mesh between alumina boundaries. Furthermore, by comparing with binary composite NCN/alumina (CPA), the increased flexural strength of ternary composite CNT/NCN/alumina (CNT/CPA) up to 38 MPa was attributed to the reinforcement CNT acting as elastic bridge in composite.     

Effect of homogenisation heat treatment on heat affected zone cracking susceptibility.Study of weldability of Inconel 718 cast alloy (3rd Report)

ALW has developed a new tungsten inert gas (TIG) robotic welding process which combines the quality of the TIG process with the productivity of the MIG process. The keystone is the particular configuration of the torch: the weld wire is fed directly into the arc zone, where the temperatures are higher resulting in ‘continuous liquid-flow’ transfer. This configuration also offers the advantage of reduced overall dimensions and greater accessibility of the torch for robotic welding of complex geometries. There is no longer any need to position and direct the weld wire with respect to the torch and the joint to be welded. Hence, the sixth axis of the robot is free.

The applications to date relate to the welding of stainless steel containers, butt and lap welding, carbon steel mechanical parts with intermittent beads in the thin or medium thickness range. Applications on thin, galvanised sheeting, using CuSi₃ wire with no spatter, have been successfully tested in the weld-brazing field, in partnership with the automobile industry. Other applications may include the welding of stainless steels and light alloys for the food and furniture sectors, among others.