A comparison between state-of-the-art and neural network modelling of solar collectors

The state-of-the-art modelling of solar collectors as described in the European Standard EN 12975-2 is based on equations describing the thermal behaviour of the collectors by characterising the physical phenomena, e.g. transmission of irradiance through transparent covers, absorption of irradiance by the absorber, temperature dependent heat losses and others. This approach leads to so called collector parameters that describe these phenomena, e.g. the zero-loss collector efficiency η₀ or the heat loss coefficients a₁ and a₂.Although the state-of-the-art approach in collector modelling and testing fits most of the collector types very well there are some collector designs (e.g. “Sydney” tubes using heat pipes and “water-in-glass” collectors) which cannot be modelled with the same accuracy than conventional collectors like flat plate or standard evacuated tubular collectors. The artificial neural network (ANN) approach could be an appropriate alternative to overcome this drawback.To compare the different approaches of modelling investigations for a conventional flat plate collector and an evacuated “Sydney” tubular collector have been carried out based on performance measurements according to the European Standard EN 12975-2. The investigations include the parameter identification (training), the comparisons between measured and modelled collector output and the simulated yearly collector yield for a solar domestic hot water system for both models.The obtained results show better agreement between measured and calculated collector output for the artificial neural network approach compared with the state-of-the-art modelling. The investigations also show that for the ANN approach special test sequences have to be designed and that the determination of the ANN that fits the thermal performance of the collector in the best way depends significantly on the expertise of the user.Nevertheless artificial neural networks have the potential to become an interesting alternative to the state-of-the-art collector models used today.     

Quantum transport including nonparabolicity and phonon scattering: application to silicon nanowires

In this work, the particular and combined influence of nonparabolicity and phonon scattering on the device characteristics of a triple-gate silicon nanowire is investigated. In addition, different approximations of the retarded self-energy for electron-phonon scattering are analyzed in terms of the electrostatics, current and computational cost.     

Understanding the metabolic burden of recombinant antibody production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a quantitative metabolomics approach

The cellular changes induced by heterologous protein expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been analysed on many levels and found to be significant. However, even though high‐level protein production poses a metabolic burden, evaluation of the expression host at the level of the metabolome has often been neglected. We present a comparison of metabolite profiles of a wild‐type strain with those of three strains producing recombinant antibody variants of increasing size and complexity: an scFv fragment, an scFv–Fc fusion protein and a full‐length IgG molecule. Under producing conditions, all three recombinant strains showed a clear decrease in growth rate compared with the wild‐type strain and the severity of the growth phenotype increased with size of the protein. The levels of 76 intracellular metabolites were determined using a targeted (semi) quantitative mass spectrometry based approach. Based on unsupervised and supervised multivariate analysis of metabolite profiles, together with pathway activity profiling, the recombinant strains were found to be significantly different from each other and from the wild‐type strain. We observed the most prominent changes in metabolite levels for metabolites involved in amino acid and redox metabolism. Induction of the unfolded protein response was detected in all producing strains and is considered to be a contributing factor to the overall metabolic burden on the cells.     

A novel PWM control for a bi-directional full-bridge DC–DC converter with smooth conversion mode transitions

A novel CMOS integrated pulse-width modulation (PWM) control circuit allowing smooth transitions between conversion modes in full-bridge based bi-directional DC–DC converters operating at high switching frequencies is presented. The novel PWM control circuit is able to drive full-bridge based DC–DC converters performing step-down (i.e. buck) and step-up (i.e. boost) voltage conversion in both directions, thus allowing charging and discharging of the batteries in mobile systems. It provides smooth transitions between buck, buck-boost and boost modes. Additionally, the novel PWM control loop circuit uses a symmetrical triangular carrier, which overcomes the necessity of using an output phasing circuit previously required in PWM controllers based on sawtooth oscillators. The novel PWM control also enables to build bi-directional DC–DC converters operating at high switching frequencies (i.e. up to 10?MHz and above). Finally, the proposed PWM control circuit also allows the use of an average lossless inductor-current sensor for sensing the average load current even at very high switching frequencies. In this article, the proposed PWM control circuit is modelled and the integrated CMOS schematic is given. The corresponding theory is analysed and presented in detail. The circuit simulations realised in the Cadence Spectre software with a commercially available 0.18?µm mixed-signal CMOS technology from UMC are shown. The PWM control circuit was implemented in a monolithic integrated bi-directional CMOS DC–DC converter ASIC prototype. The fabricated prototype was tested experimentally and has shown performances in accordance with the theory.     

In situ FT-IR measurements of competitive vapor adsorption into porous thin films containing silica nanoparticles

Vapor adsorption into porous ultrathin films on a gold surface is investigated with in situ surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and polarization-modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The thin films are prepared by the electrostatic self-assembly of oppositely charged poly(L-lysine) (PL) and silica nanoparticles on a chemically modified gold surface. Characterization with ex situ SPR and PM-IRRAS demonstrates the buildup of multiple PL/SiO2 bilayers as well as an excellent correlation between the quantitative results from these two techniques. In situ vapor adsorption experiments with these thin films show evidence of porosity, reproducibility, and rapid reversibility. Exposure to acetone vapor (P/P0 = 0.032) causes the film to adsorb 9% acetone by volume, which corresponds to coverage of approximately one-half of the silica nanoparticle surface area. In situ PM-IRRAS provides much information about the molecular interactions occurring in the film upon adsorption or desorption of vapors. Dosing with a mixture of vapors leads to a competition for adsorption into the film, and PM-IRRAS results show that acetone slightly outcompetes nitromethane. These experiments with nanoparticle thin films demonstrate the advantages of using in situ PM-IRRAS for studying reversible adsorption in the presence of vapor mixtures.     

Impedance criterion for power modules comparison

It is well known that power modules must exhibit as low as possible stray inductance. However, the total inductance of a power module is not the only parameter to indicate the electrical quality of the packaging. In this paper, mathematical criteria will be given, which will allow the evaluation of power modules interconnects with regard to several objectives: equal current constraints among the different paralleled dies, power-drive, and even drive-drive interactions.     

Analysis of injection-locked gain-guided diode laser arrays

A new model for injection-locked gain guided laser arrays is proposed. Diffraction-limited and single-lobe operation of injection-locked arrays is attributed to coherent summation of several transverse modes that are phase locked by injection. The model predicts far-field and near-field patterns, locking bandwidth, beam-steering properties, and locked output power. The effects of varying the master power, beam shape, position, and incidence angle on the slave array facet are also studied. Theoretical and experimental results are compared