An approach to the evaluation of electromechanical transient processes in power systems

The paper presents an approach to the evaluation of electromechanical transient processes in power systems. On the basis of identification of the physical properties of the system considered, for an adequately chosen time interval, quasilinearization and decomposition of the original system of nonlinear differential equations into subsystems is performed. A linear transformation is introduced which transforms the state matrix of the sub-systems into diagonal form. These simplifications enable the use of numerical integration schemes based on difference state equations, which have an elementary form. As a result, a model is formed which is very suitable for numerical treatment. The integration is performed without numerical instability, quickly and effectively, with the desired simulation accuracy, and with low memory requirements.     

High-throughput single-cell fluorescence spectroscopy

A high-throughput method for measuring single-cell fluorescence spectra is presented. Upon excitation with a 488 nm argon-ion laser many bacterial cells were imaged by a 20x microscope objective while they moved through a capillary tube. Fluorescence was dispersed by a transmission diffraction grating, and an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera simultaneously recorded the zero and the first orders of the fluorescence from each cell. Single-cell fluorescence spectra were reconstructed from the distance between zero-order and first-order maxima as well as the length and the pixel intensity distribution of the first-order images. By using this approach, the emission spectrum of E. coli cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) was reconstructed. Also, fluorescence spectra of E. coli cells expressing non-fluorescent apo-subunits of R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) were recorded after incubation of the cells with phycoerythrobilin (PEB) chromophore. The fluorescence spectra are in good agreement with results obtained on the same cells using a fluorescence spectrometer or a fluorescence microscope. When spectra are to be acquired, this approach has a higher throughput, better sensitivity, and better spectral resolution compared to flow cytometry.     

Road lighting energy-saving system based on wireless sensor network

An intelligent wireless sensor network that is designed to save road lighting energy, while maintaining traffic safety, is presented. It consists of an array of nodes that may be installed on both sides of the road, being mutually separated by a few tens to a few hundreds of meters. Each node consists of (i) vehicle detection subsystem, (ii) wireless communications and control subsystem for message exchange between the neighboring nodes, and (iii) lighting subsystem. During the day, nodes are inactive, while during the night, they turn to an active mode enabling detection of passing vehicles and timely activation of road lighting. Upon detection of a passing vehicle, the node generates a wireless message. Neighboring nodes that receive the wireless message will turn on their road lighting. In order to prevent driver distraction, each lamp will be turned on at a safe distance ahead of the moving vehicle. In order to improve energy efficiency, the lights will be dimmed or turned off behind the passing vehicle. The proposed road lighting energy-saving (RLES) system, which combines advanced sensor and wireless communication technologies, is suitable for implementation both with existing high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps and new light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Our analysis shows that the RLES system will pay off in less than a year when used with HID lamps, while pay-back period is less than two and a half years when used with LEDs.     

Verification of some very simple clear and cloudy sky models to evaluate global solar irradiance

Several very simple clear sky and cloudy sky global irradiance models were tested under the climate and latitudes of Romania (Eastern Europe). The very simple clear sky models do not require meteorological data while the very simple cloudy sky models need only data on the total cloud amount. Three slightly more complex cloudy sky models which use additional meteorological inputs were also tested. The mean absolute error of the very simple clear sky models varies between 7 and 14% in July and between 12 and 19% in January. The best model originates from Western Europe. The performance of the very simple cloudy sky models is comparable to that of the more complicated ones. This is the main conclusion of the paper. Generally, their root mean square error varies between 35 and 45% in close agreement with results from the literature. Twelve classes of daily average cloudiness were defined. The model accuracy is better for the first six classes (with smaller cloud amount) and worse for the other six classes.     

Computing global and diffuse solar hourly irradiation on clear sky. Review and testing of 54 models

Fifty-four broad band models for computation of global and diffuse irradiance on horizontal surface are shortly presented and tested. The input data for these models consist of surface meteorological data, atmospheric column integrated data and data derived from satellite measurements. The testing procedure is performed for two meteorological stations in Romania (South-Eastern Europe). The testing procedure consists of forty-two stages intended to provide information about the sensitivity of the models to various sets of input data. There is no model to be ranked “the best” for all sets of input data. Very simple models as well as more complex models may belong to the category of “good models”. The best models for solar global radiation computation are, on equal-footing, ESRA3, Ineichen, METSTAT and REST2 (version 81). The second best models are, on equal-footing, Bird, CEM and Paulescu & Schlett. The best models for solar diffuse radiation computation are, on equal-footing, ASHRAE2005 and King. The second best model is MAC model. The best models for computation of both global and diffuse radiation are, on equal-footing, ASHRAE 1972, Biga, Ineichen and REST2 (version 81). The second best is Paulescu & Schlett model.     

Ermittlung der Zinkaktivität in flüssigen Mangan- und Eisenlegierungen

Ermittlung der Zinkaktivität in Mangan-Zink- und Eisen-Zink-Schmelzen. Darstellung der Aktivitätsverläufe im System Mn–Zn für 1300°C und Molenbrüche bis zu x_Zn = 0,04 sowie im System Fe–Zn für 1585°C und Molenbrüche bis zu x_Zn = 0,005.     

Optimal design and operation of ammonia decomposition reactors

The design and steady-state operation of a packed bed reactor with tubular geometry is optimized. Direct optimal control methods are used. Two objective functions are considered: (i) minimization of the ammonia mass fraction at reactor outlet and (ii) minimization of the heat flux necessary to reach a predefined value of the ammonia mass fraction at reactor outlet. The optimization process is performed by using different controls, that is, the space distributions of (1) tube wall temperature T_w , (2) circular tube diameter D_tube , and (3) diameter d_p of the catalyst spherical particles. Results for the first objective function are as follows. The optimal distribution of T_w along the reactor consists of a constant temperature or a U-shaped space temperature distribution, respectively, depending on the allowed range of variation of T_w . The optimal space distribution of D_tube (or, in other words, the shape of the reactor tube) depends of T_w . For smaller values of T_w the tube is narrower at inlet and larger at outlet while the reverse situation happens for larger values of T_w . For lower T_w values, particles with smaller diameter d_p are placed at reactor inlet while when higher values of T_w are considered, particles with larger d_p are placed at reactor inlet. When both D_tube and d_p are used as controls, the optimization results are generally different from the results obtained from one-control optimization. Results for the second objective function are as follows. The optimal space distribution of T_w starts with high values at reactor inlet. Next, the temperature decreases abruptly towards a minimum (which is lower for longer tubes). Finally, the temperature increases smoothly towards a maximum near the reactor outlet. The required heat flux slightly decreases by increasing the tube length. The optimal D_tube ranges between its maximum allowed value (at reactor inlet) and its minimum allowed value (at reactor outlet). The best performance is obtained for catalyst particles of the smallest allowed diameter.