Piezoelectric film attached suspension for detecting disk flutter and reducing track misregistration

To increase the recording density of hard disk drives, high accuracy of head positioning is required. But disk flutter, which is airflow induced vibration, is a major contributor to head positioning error. For detecting disk flutter, we proposed a suspension to which a PVDF film sensor was attached, and built the suspension into an actual HDD. Comparing the power spectrum of disk vertical vibration with that of the PVDF film sensor output, disk flutter was well detected. We also implemented a feedforward controller and confirmed that the influence of disk flutter on position error signal is considerably suppressed.     

Regulation of WTG dynamic response to parameter variations of analytic wind stochasticity

Although variable‐speed operation can reduce the impact of transient wind gusts and subsequent component fatigue, this is still an unknown factor that must now be quantified. Reduction in drive‐train stresses caused by fatigue loads in high wind turbulence is fundamental to realizing both output power leveling and long service life for a wind turbine generator (WTG). This paper presents an evolutionary controller comprising a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) and neurocontroller acting in tandem to effect optimal performance under high turbulence intensities, for a variable‐speed, fixed‐pitch WTG. The control objectives are maximum energy conversion and reduction in mechanical stresses on the system components. The proposed paradigm utilizes generator torque in controlling the rotor speed in relation to the highly turbulent wind speed, thereby ensuring the extracted aerodynamic power is maintained at a constant value, while shaft moments are regulated. The performance of the proposed controller is compared with that of the LQG and it is found that the former is more efficient in maintaining rated power, minimizing shaft torque variations, and shows robustness to parameter variations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive Dead-Time Compensation Strategy for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drive

This paper presents an adaptive dead-time compensation strategy to obtain fundamental phase voltage for inverter-fed vector-controlled permanent magnet synchronous motor drives. A phase dead-time compensation voltage (DTCV) to compensate the disturbance voltage due to undesirable characteristics of inverter, such as dead time, turn on/off time of switching devices, and on-voltages of switching devices and diode, is transformed into q-axis DTCV in the rotor reference frame. The relationship between q-axis DTCV and a dead-time compensation time (DTCT) is investigated. DTCT is identified online by using q-axis disturbance voltage, which is estimated by a disturbance observer. The amplitude of phase DTCV is adaptively determined according to the identified DTCT. The accuracy of identified DTCT is experimentally confirmed by calculating the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) between calculated active power and measured one. MAPE for adaptive DTCT is within 5% at any operating point and is less than that for the fixed DTCT.     

Sociotechnical issues for the ubiquitous information society in 2010

Impact of the ubiquitous information technology on our society is so significant that directing technological development and preparing institutional apparatus are quite important and urgent. The present paper elaborates, with the efforts by both humanity and engineering disciplines, to find the sociotechnical issues of ubiquitous information society in 2010 by inspecting social implications of emerging technology as well as social expectations. In order to deliberate the issues, scenarios are developed that describe possible life in ubiquitous information society. The derived issues cover integrating information technology and the human body, producing smart sharable environment, protecting individual rights, fostering new service business, and forming community. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(1): 60–67, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20565     

Next-Day Peak Electricity Price Forecasting Using NN Based on Rough Sets Theory

Electricity price forecasting is an essential task for market participants in deregulated electricity market. This paper proposes an approach for next-day peak electricity price forecasting, since it is important for risk management and bidding strategy. In the proposed method, neural network (NN) is employed as the forecasting method, and its learning data is selected by using rough sets. Moreover, the creating method of learning data based on temperature fluctuation is also proposed for generation of new learning data in order to efficiently learn. This method is examined by using the data of Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) electricity market and The independent electricity system operator (IESO) market. From the simulation results, it is observed that the proposed method is useful for next-day peak electricity price forecasting. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Optimal Thermal Unit Commitment Integrated with Renewable Energy Sources Using Advanced Particle Swarm Optimization

This paper presents a methodology for solving generation planning problem for thermal units integrated with wind and solar energy systems. The renewable energy sources are included in this model due to their low electricity cost and positive effect on environment. The generation planning problem also known by unit commitment problem is solved by a genetic algorithm operated improved binary particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Unlike trivial PSO, this algorithm runs the refinement process through the solutions within multiple populations. Some genetic algorithm operators such as crossover, elitism, and mutation are stochastically applied within the higher potential solutions to generate new solutions for next population. The PSO includes a new variable for updating velocity in accordance with population best along with conventional particle best and global best. The algorithm performs effectively in various sized thermal power system with equivalent solar and wind energy system and is able to produce high quality (minimized production cost) solutions. The solution model is also beneficial for reconstructed deregulated power system. The simulation results show the effectiveness of this algorithm by comparing the outcome with several established methods. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Optimal Control of Voltage in Distribution Systems by Voltage Reference Management

Recently, renewable energy technologies such as wind turbine generators and photovoltaic (PV) systems have been introduced as distributed generations (DGs). Connections of a large amount of distributed generations may cause voltage deviation beyond the statutory range in distribution systems. A reactive power control of DGs can be a solution of this problem, and it also has a possibility to reduce distribution loss. In this paper, we propose a control methodology of voltage profile in a distribution system using reactive power control of inverters interfaced with DGs and tap changing transformers. In the proposed method, a one-day schedule of voltage references for the control devices are determined by an optimization technique based on predicted values of load demand and PV power generation. Reactive power control of interfaced inverters is implemented within the inverter capacity without reducing active power output. The proposed method accomplishes voltage regulation within the acceptable range and reduction of distribution loss. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pore-scale quantification of colloid transport in saturated porous media

It is currently not clear how to quantifiably relate pore-scale observations of colloid transportto larger scales, so,we proposed a geometric theory showing that pore-scale-derived rate constants may be appropriate to model a larger scale system. This study considered three different types of colloids: latex microspheres, Escherichia coli, and microspheres made of poly lactic acid (PLA). Colloid attachment and detachment rate constants were calculated using digital microscope images, taken in rapid (1 s) sequences, from which rates of attaching and detaching colloids were readily observed. Average rate constants from >1000 images per colloid-type were used to model Darcy-scale colloid transport breakthrough curves. The modeled and observed breakthrough curves agreed well for all three types of colloids. However, for latex and PLA microspheres, the model systematically under predicted the breakthrough curves' rising limb, which may indicate that the rate "constants" are actually dependent on the amount of attached colloids. Insights into these sorts of complexities are best addressed by research that considers both pore-scale phenomena and larger-scale transport responses.     

Reduced linewidth re-broadening by suppressing longitudinal spatial hole burning in high-power 1.55-/spl mu/m continuous-wave distributed-feedback (CW-DFB) laser diodes

For the first time, the impact of longitudinal photon density distribution and longitudinal carrier density distribution on the spectral linewidth re-broadening effect in single-electrode 1.55-/spl mu/m distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes (LDs) is investigated experimentally in details. By optimizing the front-to-rear facet power ratio, the nonuniformity of the photon density distribution along the laser cavity is reduced, hence reducing the degree of longitudinal spatial hole burning (SHB). Using this optimized value of front-to-rear facet power ratio, the degree of longitudinal SHB can be further reduced through reduction of the nonuniformity of the longitudinal carrier density distribution by increasing the cavity length. As a result, the local stimulated emission is reduced, hence reducing linewidth re-broadening caused by longitudinal SHB. The outcomes of this analysis is being used fruitfully to design high-power 1.55-/spl mu/m DFB LDs exhibiting very narrow spectral linewidth of approximately 1.3 MHz at an output power of 175 mW under continuous-wave operation.