Reduced order H∞ TCSC controller & PSO optimized fuzzy PSS design in mitigating small signal oscillations in a wide range

This paper proposes hybrid control schemes for compensation of parametric and non-parametric uncertainties arising in modern power systems. The robust loop shaping design procedure considering non-parametric uncertainty term is used to design H_∞ TCSC. To further enhance steady state stability, and consider the effect of parametric uncertainties occurring due to variation in loading conditions, robust TCSC is supplemented with three types of PSS i.e. PSO-PID PSS, PSO Mamdani FPSS and PSO TS FPSS. PSO is used to optimize the parameters of PID based and Fuzzy type PSS. The proposed hybrid control schemes are found to compensate uncertainty well by stabilizing the power system over whole parametric uncertainty range. However, the proposed hybrid controller involving robust TCSC and PSO-Takagi–Sugeno FPSS shows best performance with enhanced steady state stability among all schemes. Also the T–S FPSS performs better as compared to Mamdani FPSS.     

Capacitor placement of distribution systems using particle swarm optimization approaches

Capacitor placement plays an important role in distribution system planning and operation. In distribution systems of electrical energy, banks of capacitors are widely installed to compensate the reactive power, reduce the energy loss in system, voltage profile improvement, and feeder capacity release. The capacitor placement problem is a combinatorial optimization problem having an objective function composed of power losses and capacitor installation costs subject to bus voltage constraints. Recently, many approaches have been proposed to solve the capacitor placement problem as a mixed integer programming problem. This paper presents a new capacitor placement method which employs particle swarm optimization (PSO) approaches with operators based on Gaussian and Cauchy probability distribution functions and also in chaotic sequences for a given load pattern of distribution systems. The proposed approaches are demonstrated by two examples of application. Simulation results show that the proposed method can achieve an optimal solution as the exhaustive search can but with much less computational time.     

Visualisierung der Partikelbewegung in einem Abweiseradsichter

In spite of its great importance for the dry classification of fine powders, the processes in deflector wheel classifiers are to a large extent unknown. Therefore, in the present work a commercial available classifier was modified to gain an optical access to the deflector wheel. For the first time, the obtained photographs enable an observation of the gas flow and the particle motion between the blades of the deflector wheel. Especially the importance of particle‐particle‐ and particle‐blade‐collisions could be shown.     

Fraktionsfreisetzungsgrad – Ein neuer Ansatz zur Quantifizierung der Staubungsneigung von Pulvern

The handling of dispersed solids may lead to undesirable release of particles. Size and quantity of the particles transferred into the gas depend on the holding and separating forces in the powder. These in turn are determined by characteristic parameters of the powder and of the process. Analogous to the fractional collection efficiency describing the dust separation, a fractional release rate to quantify the release of dust is introduced. The application is demonstrated by an example and the way to further development of this new approach is demonstrated.     

Partikelform und Porosität von biogenen Pyrolysekoksen

Char particles from pyrolyzed biomass vary in particle size and shape. On average, the particles are more elongated the larger their size. The average size‐specific elongation is almost alike for all investigated samples, i.e. independent from their source material and process. The particle collectives cannot be characterized accurately with classical particle size distributions, which assume spherical particle shape. Accounting for their shape, they can be described more accurately with particle size distributions that are based on an ellipsoid model. The high bulk porosity is mainly attributed to the spaces between particles.     

New Insights into the Decisional Use of Process Capability Indices via Hypothesis Testing

Process capability indices C_p, C_pk, and C_pm are still nowadays widely used in industry—thanks to their easy formulation and implementation. This paper aims to give new mathematical insights in order to support their use in decision‐making via hypothesis testing. The minimum sample size usually needed in the applications to achieve fixed significance level and power is reported in light of the new mathematical aspects for C_pk and C_pm, which avoid misleading conclusions and the use of extensive numerical experiments. In addition, power curves for C_pk and C_pm, which have not previously appeared in the literature before, are also presented. Lastly, easy‐to‐follow diagrams for hypothesis testing with C_pk and C_pm and two critical scenarios for C_pm are included in the paper to facilitate the applicative use and the comprehension of the novel inferential aspects. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monitoring of the manufacturing process for ambroxol hydrochloride tablet using NIR-chemometric methods: compression effect on content uniformity model and relevant process parameters testing

This study aimed at using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to monitor compaction pressure for simultaneously determining the tensile strength and content uniformity, as well as moisture and mean particle size of ambroxol hydrochloride tablets. The content uniformity, compression force and tensile strength of the laboratory samples were obtained by pressing a mixture of active principle and excipient components into tablets. To reduce the spectral baseline shift of the laboratory samples, the compaction pressure applied to the mixture was assessed by a variable pressure test. Production samples were added to the test and subjected to principal component analysis. The expanded partial least-squares (PLS) calibration model used to quantify the active content was more accurate than the model constructed from laboratory samples using the production tablets included in the calibration set. The model showed good predictability, with correlation coefficient (R) 0.9977. The validation and reliability of the content model were evaluated to determine trueness and reliability for the measurement of individual production tablets and the laboratory tablets with drug content ranging from 24 to 36?mg. The PLS calibration models for compression force and tensile strength were constructed using the same spectral set assuming both were highly related. These models yielded high R values (0.9955 and 0.9910). The R values of the moisture and mean particle size were 0.9994 and 0.9919, respectively. This study demonstrated that NIR spectroscopy combined with chemometric techniques can be successfully used to quantitatively monitor the tablet manufacturing process in the pharmaceutical industry.     

Investigation of injectable drospirenone organogels with regard to their rheology and comparison to non-stabilized oil-based drospirenone suspensions

The objective of this study was to evaluate organogels as potential injectable drug-delivery systems for drospirenone (DRSP). Recently, studies on organogel characterization with focus on the parenteral injection are rarely to find in the literature. DRSP organogels contained the drug suspended in medium-chain triglycerides and were stabilized by various organogelators. The DRSP organogels were assessed in comparison to non-stabilized DRSP microcrystal suspensions (MCSs). Furthermore, rheological properties of the organogels, in particular the elastic modulus (G′), the complex viscosity (η*) and the elasticity, were evaluated with respect to the long-term stability, syringeability/injectability and in vitro release. DRSP organogels showed significantly improved storage stability compared to non-stabilized MCSs with regard to sedimentation and particle growth. Furthermore, all of the DRSP organogels showed shear-thinning behavior. Thus, ejection from syringes was possible by an autoinjector using 23G needles comparable to non-stabilized MCSs. Nevertheless, DRSP organogels exhibited significantly more sustained drug release than non-stabilized MCSs most likely caused by partial recovery of the organogelator structures at 37?°C after destruction. Consequently, DRSP organogels were evaluated to be superior to conventional non-stabilized MCSs. Silica organogels, which provided the highest elasticity, moderate G' and η* and avoided most efficiently particle growth, are slightly more preferable compared to the other DRSP organogels.     

Influence of Particle Size and Heating Rate on Decomposition of BC Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishing Powders

Pyrolysis of BC dry chemical fire extinguishing powders which are useful for Class “B” and Class “C” fires was conducted on a thermogravimetric analyzer with sample loading of 10–25 mg under dynamic air atmosphere. The effect of particle sizes (medium value 48.99, 27.24, 4.93 µm) and heating rates (10, 15, and 20°C min^?1) were examined. The pyrolysis kinetics of the samples was analyzed using a distribution activation energy model. It was found that the decomposition temperature decreased and the pyrolysis rate increased after the samples were milled. The agglomeration of particles during production did not have an appreciable influence on the pyrolysis process of the samples in our experimental conditions. The activation energy value was 77.13?219.78 kJ · mol^?1, 58.18?288.67 kJ · mol^?1, and 44.59?209.17 kJ · mol^?1 for the powder of particle size 48.99, 27.24, 4.93 µm. We should use micro powder in fire extinguishing.