Dynamic modeling of DC–DC converters with peak current control in double‐stage photovoltaic grid‐connected inverters

In photovoltaic (PV) double‐stage grid‐connected inverters a high‐frequency DC–DC isolation and voltage step‐up stage is commonly used between the panel and the grid‐connected inverter. This paper is focused on the modeling and control design of DC–DC converters with Peak Current mode Control (PCC) and an external control loop of the PV panel voltage, which works following a voltage reference provided by a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm. In the proposed overall control structure the output voltage of the DC–DC converter is regulated by the grid‐connected inverter. Therefore, the inverter may be considered as a constant voltage load for the development of the small‐signal model of the DC–DC converter, whereas the PV panel is considered as a negative resistance. The sensitivity of the control loops to variations of the power extracted from the PV panel and of its voltage is studied. The theoretical analysis is corroborated by frequency response measurements on a 230 W experimental inverter working from a single PV panel. The inverter is based on a Flyback DC–DC converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) followed by a PWM full‐bridge single‐phase inverter. The time response of the whole system (DC–DC + inverter) is also shown to validate the concept. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic modeling of a dual active bridge DC to DC converter with average current control and load‐current feed‐forward

Bidirectional power flow is needed in many power conversion systems like energy storage systems, regeneration systems, power converters for improvement of the power quality and some DC‐DC applications where bidirectional high power conversion and galvanic isolation are required. The dual active bridge (DAB) is an isolated, high voltage ratio DC‐DC converter suitable for high power density and high power applications, being a key interface between renewable energy sources and energy storage devices. This paper is focused on the modeling and control design of a DC‐DC system with battery storage based on a DAB converter with average current mode control of the output current and output voltage control. The dynamic response of the output voltage to load steps is improved by means of an additional load‐current feed‐forward control loop. An analytical study of the load‐current feed‐forward is presented and validated by means of both simulations and experimental results. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fe-doped LaCoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> perovskite catalyst for NO oxidation in the post-treatment of marine diesel engine’s exhaust emissions

New post-treatment process for marine diesel engine exhaust emissions was proposed by combining NO oxidation and wet scrubbing technology for the simultaneous removal of SO_X, NO_X and PM. NO, insoluble in aqueous scrubbing absorbent, is preferentially oxidized to NO₂, which then turns fully soluble in it. Fe substituted LaCo_1-xFe_xO₃ perovskite catalysts were developed for NO oxidation to NO₂. The catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method and analyzed with XRD, XRF, BET, FT-IR, NO-TPD and XPS techniques. Crystal structure change from rhombohedral to orthorhombic was observed with the increased amount of Fe substituted in the B site of the perovskite by XRD analysis. From FT-IR and NO-TPD analysis, nitrate on perovskite species was found to be the active species for NO oxidation. Quantitative analysis was performed within the prepared catalysts. Catalytic activity was measured using a packed bed reactor operated at 150–400 °C, atmospheric pressure and with gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 20,000 h^-1 using a simulated exhaust gas composed of NO 400 ppm, O₂ 10% balanced with N2. Formation of Fe⁴⁺ cation enhanced the redox property as well as the mobility of the lattice oxygen present in the perovskite catalysts, confirmed by XPS analysis. Reaction mechanism of NO oxidation on Fe substituted LaCo_1-xFe_xO₃ was discussed based on Mars-van Krevelen mechanism.     

Dispersant‐free dyeing of poly(lactic acid) fabric with temporarily solubilised disperse dyes from azopyridone derivatives

Poly(lactic acid) fibre is derived from annually renewable crops and known to be 100% compostable. In order to extend its environmental friendliness into the dyeing process, dispersant‐free dyeing of poly(lactic acid) fabric with three temporarily solubilised azo disperse dyes based on hydroxypyridone moiety containing a β‐sulphatoethylsulphonyl group was investigated. The dyes were successfully applied to poly(lactic acid) fabric without the use of dispersants. The colour yields of the dyes on poly(lactic acid) fabric were observed to be dependent on dyebath pH and dyeing temperature. The optimum results were obtained at pH 4–5 and 110 °C. One of the dyes showed a colour yield as good as that of a commercial disperse dye and good build‐up on poly(lactic acid) fabric. All of the dyes could be alkali cleared owing to ionisation of the dye under mild alkaline conditions. Wash fastness was good to very good, and light fastness was good. The chemical oxygen demand levels of the poly(lactic acid) dyeing effluent from the dyes were considerably lower than those from a commercial disperse dye.     

Solidification behavior of Al-Si-Fe alloys and phase transformation of metastable intermetallic compound by heat treatment

Solidification behavior of Al-20 wt% Si-8 wt% Fe and Al-30 wt% Si-5 wt% Fe alloys during cooling with a cooling rate of 10 K/min has been studied using optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. In Al-20Si-8Fe alloy, metastable -Al₄FeSi₂ phase with tetragonal structure formed first from melt, followed by primary Si precipitation and then remaining liquid solidified finally into ternary eutectic of -Al, Si and phases. However, in Al-30Si-5Fe alloy, primary Si formed first, followed by the phase precipitation and then eutectic solidification. During isothermal heat treatment of as-solidified alloys, phase transformation from the phase to equilibrium phase began at the interface between phase and -Al matrix and progressed toward the inside of phase with co-precipitation of Si particles due to the difference in composition between -Al₄FeSi₂ and -Al₅FeSi phases.     

Ontology based E-learning framework: A personalized,adaptive and context aware model

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Enhancing the degree of learner productivity, one of the major challenges in E-Learning systems, may be catered through effective personalization, adaptivity and...     

Parallel Approach for Ensemble Learning with Locally Coupled Neural Networks

Ensemble learning has gained considerable attention in different tasks including regression, classification and clustering. Adaboost and Bagging are two popular approaches used to train these models. The former provides accurate estimations in regression settings but is computationally expensive because of its inherently sequential structure, while the latter is less accurate but highly efficient. One of the drawbacks of the ensemble algorithms is the high computational cost of the training stage. To address this issue, we propose a parallel implementation of the Resampling Local Negative Correlation (RLNC) algorithm for training a neural network ensemble in order to acquire a competitive accuracy like that of Adaboost and an efficiency comparable to that of Bagging. We test our approach on both synthetic and real datasets from the UCI and Statlib repositories for the regression task. In particular, our fine-grained parallel approach allows us to achieve a satisfactory balance between accuracy and parallel efficiency.     

Design of interval observers for uncertain dynamical systems

Interval state observers provide an estimate on the set of admissible values of the state vector at each instant of time. Ideally, the size of the evaluated set is proportional to the model uncertainty, thus interval observers generate the state estimates with estimation error bounds, similarly to Kalman filters, but in the deterministic framework. Main tools and techniques for design of interval observers are reviewed in this tutorial for continuous-time, discrete-time and time-delayed systems.     

Improving the performance and functionality of Mondrian open‐source OLAP systems

For a long time, the design of relational databases has focused on the optimization of atomic transactions (insert, select, update or delete). Currently, relational databases store tactical information of data warehouses, mainly for select‐like operations. However, the database paradigm has evolved, and nowadays on‐line analytical processing (OLAP) systems handle strategic information for further analysis. These systems enable fast, interactive and consistent information analysis of data warehouses, including shared calculations and allocations. OLAP and data warehouses jointly allow multidimensional data views, turning raw data into knowledge. OLAP allows ‘slice and dice’ navigation and a top‐down perspective of data hierarchies. In this paper, we describe our experience in the migration from a large relational database management system to an OLAP system on top of a relational layer (the data warehouse), and the resulting contributions in open‐source ROLAP optimization. Existing open‐source ROLAP technologies rely on summarized tables with materialized aggregate views to improve system performance (in terms of response time). The design and maintenance of those tables are cumbersome. Instead, we intensively exploit cache memory, where key data reside, yielding low response times. A cold start process brings summarized data from the relational database to cache memory, subsequently reducing the response time. We ensure concurrent access to the summarized data, as well as consistency when the relational database updates data. We also improve the OLAP functionality, by providing new features for automating the creation of calculated members. This makes it possible to define new measures on the fly using virtual dimensions, without re‐designing the multidimensional cube. We have chosen the XML/A de facto standard for service provision. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.