Covering path generation for autonomous turf-care vehicle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mai, Christian; Jouffroy, Jerome; Top, Søren

2017-01-01

A covering path generation algorithm is developed to generate a lengthwise pattern based on a polygon describing the outer boundary and obstacles (polygon holes) of a geographical area. The algorithm is applied to an autonomous lawn-care robot for application to large grass turfs, for example golf......-courses, which require structured and precise cutting patterns. The geographical polygon is recorded by manually driving the vehicle around the contour, resulting in a polygon given as geographical (latitude, longitude) coordinates of the vertices, which together with machine parameters are used to generate...... a suitable toolpath. The algorithm has been tested on a recorded polygon from a local park turf which is non-convex and has holes, illustrating the algorithm functionality and limitations wrt. optimality. In particular, the algorithm can generate a tool-path for any polygon orientation....

On-Line Path Generation and Tracking for High-Speed Wheeled Autonomous Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

2006-02-17

On-Line Path Generation and Tracking for High-Speed Wheeled Autonomous Vehicles Report Title ABSTRACT In this work we proposed two semi-analytic...298-102 Enclosure 1 On-Line Path Generation and Tracking for High-Speed Wheeled Autonomous Vehicles by...Specifically, the following problems will be addressed during this project: 2.1 Challenges The problem of trajectory planning for high-speed autonomous vehicles is

Partial Path Column Generation for the Vehicle Routing Problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Mads Kehlet; Petersen, Bjørn

This paper presents a column generation algorithm for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) and the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). Traditionally, column generation models of the CVRP and VRPTW have consisted of a Set Partitioning master problem with each column...... of the giant tour’; a so-called partial path, i.e., not necessarily starting and ending in the depot. This way, the length of the partial path can be bounded and a better control of the size of the solution space for the pricing problem can be obtained....

A DCT-Based Driving Cycle Generation Method and Its Application for Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Lin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, many widely used driving cycle (DC representing and generating methods are designed for traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE. The real-world driving is viewed as a sequence of acceleration, cruise, deceleration, and idle modes. The emission and fuel consumption in each period should be taken into account carefully. However, for electric vehicles (EVs, most of them are powered by low or zero-emission renewable energy sources. The working status and energy management algorithms of them are very different from traditional vehicles. To facilitate the EV design, we proposed a novel DC representing and construction method to generate DCs for EVs. The whole driving route is divided into several length-fixed segments and each of these segments is converted into a frequency sequence. After doing that, we can adjust the frequency and amplitude of the generated driving cycle directly. The experiment results showed that the proposed method was effective and convenient.

Reducing supply chain energy use in next-generation vehicle lightweighting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanes, Rebecca J.; Das, Sujit; Carpenter, Alberta

2016-09-29

Vehicle lightweighting reduces the amount of fuel consumed in a vehicle's use phase, but depending on what lightweight materials replace the conventional materials, and in what amounts, the manufacturing energy may increase or decrease. For carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), a next-generation lightweighting material, the increase in vehicle manufacturing energy is greater than the fuel savings, resulting in a net increase in energy consumption over a vehicle's manufacturing and use relative to a standard non-lightweighted car. [1] This work explores ways to reduce the supply chain energy of CFRP lightweighted vehicles through alternative production technologies and energy efficiency improvements. The objective is to determine if CFRP can offer energy savings comparable to or greater than aluminum, a conventional lightweighting material. Results of this analysis can be used to inform additional research and development efforts in CFRP production and future directions in lightweight vehicle production. The CFRP supply chain is modeled using the Material Flows through Industry (MFI) scenario modeling tool, which calculates 'mine to materials' energy consumption, material inventories and greenhouse gas emissions for industrial supply chains. In this analysis, the MFI tool is used to model the supply chains of two lightweighted vehicles, an aluminum intensive vehicle (AIV) and a carbon fiber intensive vehicle (CFV), under several manufacturing scenarios. Vehicle specifications are given in [1]. Scenarios investigated cover alternative carbon fiber (CF) feedstocks and energy efficiency improvements at various points in the vehicle supply chains. The alternative CF feedstocks are polyacrylonitrile, lignin and petroleum-derived mesophase pitch. Scenarios in which the energy efficiency of CF and CFRP production increases are explored using sector efficiency potential values, which quantify the reduction in energy consumption achievable when process

Supporting Infrastructure and Acceptability Issues for Materials Used in New Generation Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, S.; Curlee, T.R.; Jones, D.W.; Leiby, P.E.; Rubin, J.D.; Schexnayder, S.M.; Vogt, D.P.; Wolfe, A.K.

1999-03-01

To achieve its goal of producing vehicles that use two thirds less fuel than current vehicles, the Partnership of a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) is designing vehicles that will use lightweight materials in place of heavier materials used in current vehicles. using new materials in automobiles will require the development of a supporting infrastructure to produce both the substitute materials and the components of the substitute materials, as well as the automotive parts constructed from the new materials. This report documents a set of analyses that attempt to identify potential barriers--economic, infrastructure, and public acceptance barriers--to the materials substitution in New Generation Vehicles. The analyses rely on hypothetical vehicle market penetration scenarios and material composition. The approach is comprehensive, examining issues ranging from materials availability to their eventual disposition and its effect on the automobile recycling industry, and from supporting industries' capacity to the public acceptability of these vehicles. The analyses focus on two likely substitute materials, aluminum and glass-reinforced polymer composites.

Integrated operation of electric vehicles and renewable generation in a smart distribution system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakariazadeh, Alireza; Jadid, Shahram; Siano, Pierluigi

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The contribution of electric vehicles to provide the reserve capacity is analyzed. • Decentralized energy and reserve scheduling in a distribution system is presented. • The integrated operation of renewable generation and electric vehicles is proposed. - Abstract: Distribution system complexity is increasing mainly due to technological innovation, renewable Distributed Generation (DG) and responsive loads. This complexity makes difficult the monitoring, control and operation of distribution networks for Distribution System Operators (DSOs). In order to cope with this complexity, a novel method for the integrated operational planning of a distribution system is presented in this paper. The method introduces the figure of the aggregator, conceived as an intermediate agent between end-users and DSOs. In the proposed method, energy and reserve scheduling is carried out by both aggregators and DSO. Moreover, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are considered as responsive loads that can participate in ancillary service programs by providing reserve to the system. The efficiency of the proposed method is evaluated on an 84-bus distribution test system. Simulation results show that the integrated scheduling of EVs and renewable generators can mitigate the negative effects related to the uncertainty of renewable generation

Features of infrasonic and ionospheric disturbances generated by launch vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drobzheva, Ya.V.; Krasnov, V.M.; Sokolova, O.I.

2001-01-01

In this paper we present a model, which describe the propagation of acoustic pulses through a model terrestrial atmosphere produced by launch vehicle, and effects of these pulses on the ionosphere above the launch vehicle. We show that acoustic pulses generate disturbances of electron density. The value of these disturbances is about 0.04-0.7% of background electron density. So such disturbances can not create serious noise-free during monitoring of explosions by ionospheric method. We calculated parameters of the blast wave generated at the ionospheric heights by launch vehicle. It was shown that the blast wave is intense and it can generates disturbance of electron density which 2.6 times as much then background electron density. This disturbance is 'cord' with diameter about 150-250 m whereas length of radio line is hundreds and thousand km. Duration of ionospheric disturbances are from 0.2 s to 3-5 s. Such values of duration can not be observed during underground and surface explosions. (author)

Can Next-Generation Vehicles Sustainably Survive in the Automobile Market? Evidence from Ex-Ante Market Simulation and Segmentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jungwoo Shin

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Introduced autonomous and connected vehicles equipped with emerging technologies are expected to change the automotive market. In this study, using stated preference (SP data collected from choice experiments conducted in Korea with a mixed multiple discrete-continuous extreme value model (MDCEV, we analyzed how the advent of next-generation of vehicles with advanced vehicle technologies would affect consumer vehicle choices and usage patterns. Additionally, ex-ante market simulations and market segmentation analyses were conducted to provide specific management strategies for next-generation vehicles. The results showed that consumer preference structures of conventional and alternative fuel types primarily differed depending on whether they were drivers or non-drivers. Additionally, although the introduction of electric vehicles to the automobile market is expected to negatively affect the choice probability and mileage of other vehicles, it could have a positive influence on the probability of purchasing an existing conventional vehicle if advanced vehicle technologies are available.

Battery control system for hybrid vehicle and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle battery

Science.gov (United States)

Bockelmann, Thomas R [Battle Creek, MI; Hope, Mark E [Marshall, MI; Zou, Zhanjiang [Battle Creek, MI; Kang, Xiaosong [Battle Creek, MI

2009-02-10

A battery control system for hybrid vehicle includes a hybrid powertrain battery, a vehicle accessory battery, and a prime mover driven generator adapted to charge the vehicle accessory battery. A detecting arrangement is configured to monitor the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge. A controller is configured to activate the prime mover to drive the generator and recharge the vehicle accessory battery in response to the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge falling below a first predetermined level, or transfer electrical power from the hybrid powertrain battery to the vehicle accessory battery in response to the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge falling below a second predetermined level. The invention further includes a method for controlling a hybrid vehicle powertrain system.

Generation IV and transmutation materials (GETMAT) project: First assessment of selected results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fazio, Concetta; Serrano, Marta; Gessi, Alessandro; Henry, Jean; Malerba, Lorenzo

2015-01-01

The Generation IV and Transmutation Material (GETMAT) project has been initiated within the 7. EURATOM framework programme with the objective to support the development of innovative reactor designs. Emphasis has been put on the investigation, both in the theoretical and experimental domains, of selected material properties that are cross-cutting among the various Generation IV and Transmutation systems. The selection of the properties to be investigated has been performed by identifying relevant conditions of key components as cores and primary systems. Moreover, taking into account the envisaged conditions of these components it turned out that innovative materials might be a better choice with respect to conventional nuclear grade steels. Therefore, ODS alloys and 9-12 Cr Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steels have been selected as reference for the GETMAT project. The R and D activities have been focused on basic characterisation of ODS alloys produced ad hoc for the project and on an extensive PIE programme of F/M steels irradiated in previous programmes. Finally, first principle modelling studies to explain irradiation hardening and embrittlement of F/M alloys were an additional important task. The objective of this manuscript is to make a first assessment of the results obtained within GETMAT. (authors)

Life cycle analyses applied to first generation bio-fuels consumed in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This rather voluminous publication reports detailed life cycle analyses for the different present bio-fuels channels also named first-generation bio-fuels: bio-ethanol, bio-diesel, pure vegetal oils, and oil. After a recall of the general principles adopted for this life-cycle analysis, it reports the modelling of the different channels (agricultural steps, bio-fuel production steps, Ethyl tert-butyl ether or ETBE steps, vehicles, animal fats and used vegetal oils, soil assignment change). It gives synthetic descriptions of the different production ways (methyl ester from different plants, ethanol from different plants). It reports and compares the results obtained in terms of performance

Automated Generation of Geo-Referenced Mosaics From Video Data Collected by Deep-Submergence Vehicles: Preliminary Results

Science.gov (United States)

Rhzanov, Y.; Beaulieu, S.; Soule, S. A.; Shank, T.; Fornari, D.; Mayer, L. A.

2005-12-01

Many advances in understanding geologic, tectonic, biologic, and sedimentologic processes in the deep ocean are facilitated by direct observation of the seafloor. However, making such observations is both difficult and expensive. Optical systems (e.g., video, still camera, or direct observation) will always be constrained by the severe attenuation of light in the deep ocean, limiting the field of view to distances that are typically less than 10 meters. Acoustic systems can 'see' much larger areas, but at the cost of spatial resolution. Ultimately, scientists want to study and observe deep-sea processes in the same way we do land-based phenomena so that the spatial distribution and juxtaposition of processes and features can be resolved. We have begun development of algorithms that will, in near real-time, generate mosaics from video collected by deep-submergence vehicles. Mosaics consist of >>10 video frames and can cover 100's of square-meters. This work builds on a publicly available still and video mosaicking software package developed by Rzhanov and Mayer. Here we present the results of initial tests of data collection methodologies (e.g., transects across the seafloor and panoramas across features of interest), algorithm application, and GIS integration conducted during a recent cruise to the Eastern Galapagos Spreading Center (0 deg N, 86 deg W). We have developed a GIS database for the region that will act as a means to access and display mosaics within a geospatially-referenced framework. We have constructed numerous mosaics using both video and still imagery and assessed the quality of the mosaics (including registration errors) under different lighting conditions and with different navigation procedures. We have begun to develop algorithms for efficient and timely mosaicking of collected video as well as integration with navigation data for georeferencing the mosaics. Initial results indicate that operators must be properly versed in the control of the

In Situ Magnetohydrodynamic Energy Generation for Planetary Entry Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, H. K.; Braun, R. D.

2014-06-01

This work aims to study the suitability of multi-pass entry trajectories for harnessing of vehicle kinetic energy through magnetohydrodynamic power generation from the high temperature entry plasma. Potential mission configurations are analyzed.

First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions: Two-Year Results of a Multicenter Registry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jong-Hwa Ahn

Full Text Available Limited data are available regarding the long-term clinical outcomes of second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES versus first-generation DES in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of second-generation DES with those of first-generation DES for the treatment of CTO.Between March 2003 and February 2012, 1,006 consecutive patients with CTO who underwent successful PCI using either first-generation DES (n = 557 or second-generation DES (n = 449 were enrolled in a multicenter, observational registry. Propensity-score matching was also performed. The primary outcome was cardiac death over a 2-year follow-up period. No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding the incidence of cardiac death (first-generation DES versus second-generation DES; 2.5% vs 2.0%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37 to 1.98; p = 0.72 or major adverse cardiac events (MACE, 11.8% vs 11.4%; HR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.67 to 1.50; p = 0.99. After propensity score matching, the incidences of cardiac death (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.35 to 2.06; p = 0.86 and MACE (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.63 to 1.37; p = 0.71 were still similar in both groups. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between sirolimus-eluting, paclitaxel-eluting, zotarolimus-eluting, and everolimus-eluting stents regarding the incidence of cardiac death or MACE.This study shows that the efficacy of second-generation DES is comparable to that of first-generation DES for treatment of CTO over 2 years of follow-up.

The DOE/NREL Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle Program - An Overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kevin Walkowicz; Denny Stephens; Kevin Stork

2001-01-01

This paper summarizes the Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle (NG-NGV) Program that is led by the U.S. Department Of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The goal of this program is to develop and implement one Class 3-6 compressed natural gas (CNG) prototype vehicle and one Class 7-8 liquefied natural gas (LNG) prototype vehicle in the 2004 to 2007 timeframe. OHVT intends for these vehicles to have 0.5 g/bhp-hr or lower emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by 2004 and 0.2 g/bhp-hr or lower NOx by 2007. These vehicles will also have particulate matter (PM) emissions of 0.01 g/bhp-hr or lower by 2004. In addition to ambitious emissions goals, these vehicles will target life-cycle economics that are compatible with their conventionally fueled counterparts

Shadow-Based Vehicle Detection in Urban Traffic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Ibarra-Arenado

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Vehicle detection is a fundamental task in Forward Collision Avoiding Systems (FACS. Generally, vision-based vehicle detection methods consist of two stages: hypotheses generation and hypotheses verification. In this paper, we focus on the former, presenting a feature-based method for on-road vehicle detection in urban traffic. Hypotheses for vehicle candidates are generated according to the shadow under the vehicles by comparing pixel properties across the vertical intensity gradients caused by shadows on the road, and followed by intensity thresholding and morphological discrimination. Unlike methods that identify the shadow under a vehicle as a road region with intensity smaller than a coarse lower bound of the intensity for road, the thresholding strategy we propose determines a coarse upper bound of the intensity for shadow which reduces false positives rates. The experimental results are promising in terms of detection performance and robustness in day time under different weather conditions and cluttered scenarios to enable validation for the first stage of a complete FACS.

First Generation Students and Post-Undergraduate Aspirations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morgan Teressa Carlton

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Equal access to education is a growing concern throughout the nation. With an increasing amount of programs aimed to support the underrepresented populations on college campuses, first generation college students have grown to be a target population of particular interest. This study examined the relationships between first generation college seniors and applications to graduate or professional programs. The goal of this study was to determine if first generation students are pursuing advanced degrees at lower rates than non-first generation students and if so, attempt to uncover factors contributing to that evidence. Data were gathered from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman data set, and variables were analyzed using a binary logistic regression. The results of the study indicate that first generation students are significantly less likely to pursue an advanced degree, even when controlling for race, gender, family income, and cumulative grade point average, suggesting a distinctive impact of first generation status on post-undergraduate aspirations. However, after controlling for the impact of self-reported undergraduate loans, the effect of first generation status was no longer significant. The findings in this study provide an important new perspective in the field of sociology.

Free-piston engine linear generator for hybrid vehicles modeling study

Science.gov (United States)

Callahan, T. J.; Ingram, S. K.

1995-05-01

Development of a free piston engine linear generator was investigated for use as an auxiliary power unit for a hybrid electric vehicle. The main focus of the program was to develop an efficient linear generator concept to convert the piston motion directly into electrical power. Computer modeling techniques were used to evaluate five different designs for linear generators. These designs included permanent magnet generators, reluctance generators, linear DC generators, and two and three-coil induction generators. The efficiency of the linear generator was highly dependent on the design concept. The two-coil induction generator was determined to be the best design, with an efficiency of approximately 90 percent.

Generation and management of waste electric vehicle batteries in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, ChengJian; Zhang, Wenxuan; He, Wenzhi; Li, Guangming; Huang, Juwen; Zhu, Haochen

2017-09-01

With the increasing adoption of EVs (electric vehicles), a large number of waste EV LIBs (electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries) were generated in China. Statistics showed generation of waste EV LIBs in 2016 reached approximately 10,000 tons, and the amount of them would be growing rapidly in the future. In view of the deleterious effects of waste EV LIBs on the environment and the valuable energy storage capacity or materials that can be reused in them, China has started emphasizing the management, reuse, and recycling of them. This paper presented the generation trend of waste EV LIBs and focused on interrelated management development and experience in China. Based on the situation of waste EV LIBs management in China, existing problems were analyzed and summarized. Some recommendations were made for decision-making organs to use as valuable references to improve the management of waste EV LIBs and promote the sustainable development of EVs.

Integrated scheduling of renewable generation and electric vehicles parking lot in a smart microgrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honarmand, Masoud; Zakariazadeh, Alireza; Jadid, Shahram

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Integrated operation of renewable generation and electric vehicles is presented. • The capability of electric vehicles in providing reserve has been analyzed. • A new electric vehicles charging/discharging management system is proposed. • The technical features of electric vehicle’s batteries are considered. - Abstract: Integration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) into the electric power system may bring up many technical issues. The power system may put at risk the security and reliability of operation due to intermittent nature of renewable generation and uncontrolled charging/discharging procedure of EVs. In this paper, an energy resources management model for a microgrid (MG) is proposed. The proposed method considers practical constraints, renewable power forecasting errors, spinning reserve requirements and EVs owner satisfaction. A case study with a typical MG including 200 EVs is used to illustrate the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed energy resource scheduling method satisfies financial and technical goals of parking lot as well as the security and economic issues of MG. Moreover, EV owners could earn profit by discharging their vehicles’ batteries or providing the reserve capacity and finally have desired State Of Charge (SOC) in the departure time

Device for generating auxiliary electrical energy on a vehicle. Anordnung zum Erzeugen elektrischer Hilfsenergie auf einem Fahrzeug

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lichtenberg, A

1980-10-23

The invention refers to a device for generating auxiliary electrical energy in a generator, which is situated in a vehicle, particularly a magnetic levitating vehicle (MAGLEV vehicle) connected to a magnetic pole rotor. This magnetic pole rotor is moved without touching relative to a fixed motor track made as a track, where, using the electro-dynamic interaction between the magnetic pole rotor and the track motor part, the torque generated by the magnetic pole rotor is transmitted to the generator. The purpose of the invention is to introduce the generation of auxiliary electrical energy on board vehicles without using propellers without contact and without a wandering field winding from vehicle movement. According to the invention, this is achieved by the track motor part being an inactive electrically conducting rail and the torque being transmitted using the eddy current effect. The magnetic pole rotor is made as a magnetic pole rotor without iron and is arranged above an electrically conducting support rail of an electrodynamic support system.

A Classification-oriented Method of Feature Image Generation for Vehicle-borne Laser Scanning Point Clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YANG Bisheng

2016-02-01

Full Text Available An efficient method of feature image generation of point clouds to automatically classify dense point clouds into different categories is proposed, such as terrain points, building points. The method first uses planar projection to sort points into different grids, then calculates the weights and feature values of grids according to the distribution of laser scanning points, and finally generates the feature image of point clouds. Thus, the proposed method adopts contour extraction and tracing means to extract the boundaries and point clouds of man-made objects (e.g. buildings and trees in 3D based on the image generated. Experiments show that the proposed method provides a promising solution for classifying and extracting man-made objects from vehicle-borne laser scanning point clouds.

Damping-tunable energy-harvesting vehicle damper with multiple controlled generators: Design, modeling and experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Longhan; Li, Jiehong; Li, Xiaodong; Huang, Ledeng; Cai, Siqi

2018-01-01

Hydraulic dampers are used to decrease the vibration of a vehicle, where vibration energy is dissipated as heat. In addition to resulting in energy waste, the damping coefficient in hydraulic dampers cannot be changed during operation. In this paper, an energy-harvesting vehicle damper was proposed to replace traditional hydraulic dampers. The goal is not only to recover kinetic energy from suspension vibration but also to change the damping coefficient during operation according to road conditions. The energy-harvesting damper consists of multiple generators that are independently controlled by switches. One of these generators connects to a tunable resistor for fine tuning the damping coefficient, while the other generators are connected to a control and rectifying circuit, each of which both regenerates electricity and provides a constant damping coefficient. A mathematical model was built to investigate the performance of the energy-harvesting damper. By controlling the number of switched-on generators and adjusting the value of the external tunable resistor, the damping can be fine tuned according to the requirement. In addition to the capability of damping tuning, the multiple controlled generators can output a significant amount of electricity. A prototype was built to test the energy-harvesting damper design. Experiments on an MTS testing system were conducted, with results that validated the theoretical analysis. Experiments show that changing the number of switched-on generators can obviously tune the damping coefficient of the damper and simultaneously produce considerable electricity.

High benefits approach for electrical energy conversion in electric vehicles from DC to PWM-AC without any generated harmonic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fathabadi, Hassan

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Novel hybrid power source including AC feature for using in electric/hybrid vehicles. • Minimizing the energy loss in electric/hybrid vehicles by using the proposed system. • Suitable AC wave form for braking/accelerating purposes in electric/hybrid vehicles. • A novelty is that the harmonic generated by the added AC feature is really zero. • Another novelty is the capability of choosing arbitrary frequency for AC feature. - Abstract: This paper presents a novel hybrid power source, including a Li-ion battery together with an interface, which generates simultaneously electrical energy with the forms of both DC and AC for electric vehicles. A novel and high benefits approach is applied to convert the electrical energy of the Li-ion battery from DC form to single-phase symmetric pulse-width modulation (PWM)-AC form. Harmonic generation is one of the important problems when electrical energy is converted from DC to AC but there are not any generated harmonic during the DC/AC conversion using the proposed technique. The proposed system will be widely used in electric/hybrid vehicles because it has many benefits. Minimizing the energy loss (saving energy), no generated harmonic (it is really zero), the capability of arbitrary/necessary frequency selection for output AC voltage and the ability of long distance energy transmission are some novelties and advantages of the proposed system. The proposed hybrid power source including DC/AC PWM inverter is simulated in Proteus 6 software environment and a laboratory-based prototype of the hybrid power source is constructed to validate the theoretical and simulation results. Simulation and experimental results are presented to prove the superiority of the proposed hybrid power supply

Integrated vehicle-based safety systems light-vehicle field operational test, methodology and results report.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

"This document presents the methodology and results from the light-vehicle field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michi...

Design and Implementation of a Control Strategy for Microgrid Containing Renewable Energy Generations and Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingchao Xia

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Large amount of such renewable energy generations as wind/photovoltaic generations directly connected to grid acting as distributed generations will cause control, protection, security, and safety problems. Microgrid, which has advantages in usage and control of distributed generations, is a promising approach to coordinate the conflict between distributed generations and the grid. Regarded as mobile power storages, batteries of electric vehicles can depress the fluctuation of power through the point of common coupling of microgrid. This paper presents a control strategy for microgrid containing renewable energy generations and electric vehicles. The control strategy uses current control for renewable energy generations under parallel-to-grid mode, and uses master-slave control under islanding mode. Simulations and laboratory experiments prove that the control strategy works well for microgrid containing renewable energy generations and electric vehicles and provides maximum power output of renewable energy and a stable and sustainable running under islanding mode.

Probabilistic Constrained Load Flow Considering Integration of Wind Power Generation and Electric Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vlachogiannis, Ioannis (John)

2009-01-01

A new formulation and solution of probabilistic constrained load flow (PCLF) problem suitable for modern power systems with wind power generation and electric vehicles (EV) demand or supply is represented. The developed stochastic model of EV demand/supply and the wind power generation model...... are incorporated into load flow studies. In the resulted PCLF formulation, discrete and continuous control parameters are engaged. Therefore, a hybrid learning automata system (HLAS) is developed to find the optimal offline control settings over a whole planning period of power system. The process of HLAS...

Building and Leading the Next Generation of Exploration Launch Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Stephen A.; Vanhooser, Teresa

2010-01-01

NASA s Constellation Program is depending on the Ares Projects to deliver the crew and cargo launch capabilities needed to send human explorers to the Moon and beyond. Ares I and V will provide the core space launch capabilities needed to continue providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS), and to build upon the U.S. history of human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond. Since 2005, Ares has made substantial progress on designing, developing, and testing the Ares I crew launch vehicle and has continued its in-depth studies of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. In 2009, the Ares Projects plan to: conduct the first flight test of Ares I, test-fire the Ares I first stage solid rocket motor; build the first integrated Ares I upper stage; continue testing hardware for the J-2X upper stage engine, and continue refining the design of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. These efforts come with serious challenges for the project leadership team as it continues to foster a culture of ownership and accountability, operate with limited funding, and works to maintain effective internal and external communications under intense external scrutiny.

Electric Motor-Generator for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle

OpenAIRE

Odvářka, Erik; Mebarki, Abdeslam; Gerada, David; Brown, Neil; Ondrůšek, Čestmír

2009-01-01

Several topologies of electrical machines can be used to meet requirements for application in a hybrid electric vehicle. This paper describes process of an electric motor-generator selection, considering electromagnetic, thermal and basic control design. The requested electrical machine must develop 45 kW in continuous operation at 1300 rpm with field weakening capability up to 2500 rpm. Both radial and axial flux topologies are considered as potential candidates. A family of axial flux machi...

Solar powered hydrogen generating facility and hydrogen powered vehicle fleet. Final technical report, August 11, 1994--January 6, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Provenzano, J.J.

1997-04-01

This final report describes activities carried out in support of a demonstration of a hydrogen powered vehicle fleet and construction of a solar powered hydrogen generation system. The hydrogen generation system was permitted for construction, constructed, and permitted for operation. It is not connected to the utility grid, either for electrolytic generation of hydrogen or for compression of the gas. Operation results from ideal and cloudy days are presented. The report also describes the achievement of licensing permits for their hydrogen powered trucks in California, safety assessments of the trucks, performance data, and information on emissions measurements which demonstrate performance better than the Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle levels.

Emissions Associated with Electric Vehicle Charging: Impact of Electricity Generation Mix, Charging Infrastructure Availability, and Vehicle Type

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McLaren, Joyce [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Miller, John [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); O' Shaughnessy, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wood, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Shapiro, Evan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-04-11

With the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector, policy-makers are supporting a multitude of measures to increase electric vehicle adoption. The actual level of emission reduction associated with the electrification of the transport sector is dependent on the contexts that determine when and where drivers charge electric vehicles. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the degree to which a particular electricity grid profile, vehicle type, and charging patterns impact CO2 emissions from light-duty, plug-in electric vehicles. We present an analysis of emissions resulting from both battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for four charging scenarios and five electricity grid profiles. A scenario that allows drivers to charge electric vehicles at the workplace yields the lowest level of emissions for the majority of electricity grid profiles. However, vehicle emissions are shown to be highly dependent on the percentage of fossil fuels in the grid mix, with different vehicle types and charging scenarios resulting in fewer emissions when the carbon intensity of the grid is above a defined level. Restricting charging to off-peak hours results in higher total emissions for all vehicle types, as compared to other charging scenarios.

Scenario generation for electric vehicles' uncertain behavior in a smart city environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, João; Borges, Nuno; Fotouhi Ghazvini, Mohammad Ali; Vale, Zita; Moura Oliveira, P.B. de

2016-01-01

This paper presents a framework and methods to estimate electric vehicles' possible states, regarding their demand, location and grid connection periods. The proposed methods use the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the probability of occurrence for each state and a fuzzy logic probabilistic approach to characterize the uncertainty of electric vehicles' demand. Day-ahead and hour-ahead methodologies are proposed to support the smart grids' operational decisions. A numerical example is presented using an electric vehicles fleet in a smart city environment to obtain each electric vehicle possible states regarding their grid location. - Highlights: • New concept/framework in smart cities context to estimate the states of electric vehicles and energy demand. • Monte Carlo Simulation and fuzzy logic probabilistic approach to support the envisaged concept. • A day-ahead and an hour-ahead stochastic scenarios generation to support the smart grid's operational decisions.

How hybrid-electric vehicles are different from conventional vehicles: the effect of weight and power on fuel consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reynolds, C; Kandlikar, M

2007-01-01

An increasingly diverse set of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) is now available in North America. The recent generation of HEVs have higher fuel consumption, are heavier, and are significantly more powerful than the first generation of HEVs. We compare HEVs for sale in the United States in 2007 to equivalent conventional vehicles and determine how vehicle weight and system power affects fuel consumption within each vehicle set. We find that heavier and more powerful hybrid-electric vehicles are eroding the fuel consumption benefit of this technology. Nonetheless, the weight penalty for fuel consumption in HEVs is significantly lower than in equivalent conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). A 100 kg change in vehicle weight increases fuel consumption by 0.7 l/100 km in ICEVs compared with 0.4 l/100 km in HEVs. When the HEVs are compared with their ICEV counterparts in an equivalence model that differentiates between cars and sports-utility vehicles, the average fuel consumption benefit was 2.7 l/100 km. This analysis further reveals that a HEV which is 100 kg heavier than an identical ICEV would have a fuel consumption penalty of 0.15 l/100 km. Likewise, an increase in the HEV's power by 10 kW results in a fuel consumption penalty of 0.27 l/100 km

Emissions impacts and benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid services.

Science.gov (United States)

Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul

2009-02-15

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been promoted as a potential technology to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants by using electricity instead of petroleum, and byimproving electric system efficiency by providing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services. We use an electric power system model to explicitly evaluate the change in generator dispatches resulting from PHEV deployment in the Texas grid, and apply fixed and non-parametric estimates of generator emissions rates, to estimate the resulting changes in generation emissions. We find that by using the flexibility of when vehicles may be charged, generator efficiency can be increased substantially. By changing generator dispatch, a PHEVfleet of up to 15% of light-duty vehicles can actually decrease net generator NOx emissions during the ozone season, despite the additional charging load. By adding V2G services, such as spinning reserves and energy storage, CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions can be reduced even further.

Global optimal path planning of an autonomous vehicle for overtaking a moving obstacle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Mashadi

Full Text Available In this paper, the global optimal path planning of an autonomous vehicle for overtaking a moving obstacle is proposed. In this study, the autonomous vehicle overtakes a moving vehicle by performing a double lane-change maneuver after detecting it in a proper distance ahead. The optimal path of vehicle for performing the lane-change maneuver is generated by a path planning program in which the sum of lateral deviation of the vehicle from a reference path and the rate of steering angle become minimum while the lateral acceleration of vehicle does not exceed a safe limit value. A nonlinear optimal control theory with the lateral vehicle dynamics equations and inequality constraint of lateral acceleration are used to generate the path. The indirect approach for solving the optimal control problem is used by applying the calculus of variation and the Pontryagin's Minimum Principle to obtain first-order necessary conditions for optimality. The optimal path is generated as a global optimal solution and can be used as the benchmark of the path generated by the local motion planning of autonomous vehicles. A full nonlinear vehicle model in CarSim software is used for path following simulation by importing path data from the MATLAB code. The simulation results show that the generated path for the autonomous vehicle satisfies all vehicle dynamics constraints and hence is a suitable overtaking path for the following vehicle.

Vehicle Animation Software (VAS) to Animate Results Obtained from Vehicle Handling and Rollover Simulations and Tests

Science.gov (United States)

1991-04-01

Results from vehicle computer simulations usually take the form of numeric data or graphs. While these graphs provide the investigator with the insight into vehicle behavior, it may be difficult to use these graphs to assess complex vehicle motion. C...

Process Improvement for Next Generation Space Flight Vehicles: MSFC Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Housch, Helen

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the lessons learned from process improvement for Next Generation Space Flight Vehicles. The contents include: 1) Organizational profile; 2) Process Improvement History; 3) Appraisal Preparation; 4) The Appraisal Experience; 5) Useful Tools; and 6) Is CMMI working?

Application of solar panels in vehicle parking under the concept of distributed generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calderon Vega, Jefferson

2013-01-01

An analysis of solar panels technologies is realized to implement an application of distributed generation in vehicle parking. The different technologies available in the market about solar panels are investigated. The climatological and geographical conditions are studied for the use of solar energy. The electrical requirements are determined for the implementation of solar panels as a distributed generation system. The benefit/cost is analyzed in establishments of vehicle parking for the implementation of solar panels. A photovoltaic system was developed in a vehicle parking attached at the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos, and also the technical feasibility has been determined. The photovoltaic systems about roofs of buildings every day have been more viable, due that the cost of the systems has been lower and more efficient. Crystalline silicon ''mono'' or ''poly'' has been the most reliable option in the development of new technologies in solar cells. Costa Rica is found in a zone where the photovoltaic solar energy is harnessed and should to be fostered by the engineering sector. The installation of photovoltaic systems has contributed to reduce the carbon footprint in the distributed generation [es

Materials used in new generation vehicles: supplies, shifts, and supporting infrastructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, S.; Curlee, T.R. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Schexnayder, S.M. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, (United States)

1997-08-01

The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program intends to develop new designs for automobiles that will reduce fuel consumption by two thirds but otherwise have price, comfort, safety, and other measures of performance similar to the typical automobile now on the market. PNGV vehicle designs are expected to substitute lightweight materials, such as aluminum, magnesium, carbon-reinforced polymer composites, glass-reinforced polymer composites, and ultra- light steel, for heavier materials such as steel and iron in automobile components. The target mass of a PNGV vehicle is 1,960 pounds, as compared to the average current vehicle that weights 3,240 pounds. Other changes could include the use of different ferrous alloys, engineering changes, or incorporation of advanced ceramic components. Widespread adoption of these vehicle designs would affect materials markets and require concurrent development and adoption of supporting technologies to supply the materials and to use and maintain them in automobiles. This report identifies what would be required to bring about these changes and developments in materials substitution; identifies reasons that might make these substitutions difficult to accomplish within the overall objectives and timetable of the PNGV program; and identifies any issues arising from the substitution that could prompt consideration of policies to deal with them. The analysis in this paper uses scenarios that assume the production of new generation vehicles will begin in 2007 and that their market share will increase gradually over the following 25 years. The scenarios on which the analysis is based assume a maximum substitution of each potential replacement material considered. This maximum substitution of individual materials (i.e., the amount of replacement material by weight that would be added to the baseline vehicle`s composition) is as follows: ULSAB (high strength steel), 298 lbs.; glass-reinforced composites, 653 lbs.; carbon

Vehicle lightweighting vs. electrification: Life cycle energy and GHG emissions results for diverse powertrain vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, Anne Marie; Kelly, Jarod C.; Keoleian, Gregory A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We modeled life cycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from diverse powertrain vehicles. • Lightweight versions of the vehicle models were compared against baseline models. • Maximum energy and GHG emissions occur with aluminum vs. advanced high strength steel. • Design harmonization method shows 0.2–0.3 kg of support required per 1 kg powertrain mass increase. - Abstract: This work assesses the potential of electrified vehicles and mass reduction to reduce life cycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to account for processes upstream and downstream of the vehicle operation, thereby incorporating regional variation of energy and GHG emissions due to electricity production and distinct energy and GHG emissions due to conventional and lightweight materials. Design harmonization methods developed in previous work are applied to create baseline and lightweight vehicle models of an internal combustion vehicle (ICV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Thus, each vehicle is designed to be functionally equivalent and incorporate the structural support required for heavier powertrains. Lightweight vehicles are designed using body-in-white (BIW) mass reduction scenarios with aluminum and advanced/high strength steel (A/HSS). For the mass reduction scenarios considered in this work, results indicate that the greatest life cycle energy and GHG emissions reductions occur when steel is replaced by aluminum. However, since A/HSS requires less energy to produce as compared to aluminum, the energy and GHG reductions per unit mass removed is greatest for A/HSS. Results of the design harmonization modeling method show that 0.2–0.3 kg of structural support is required per unit increase in powertrain mass, thus extending previous methods

Follow-the-leader control for a train-like-vehicle. Implementation and experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Micaelli, A.; Louveau, F.; Sabourin, D.

1994-01-01

This paper presents some practical implementation aspects and results of a particular control law dedicated to Train-Like-Vehicles (TLV) for trajectory tracking purpose. The CEA's demonstrator consists of two modules. It is a partial but representative mockup of a future 4-modules vehicle devoted to maintenance and intervention in nuclear plants, which is now on development within the frame of the Teleman/MESSINA project. The main principles of the control are first recalled; then the reference trajectory and its on line computation, and the robot's reference configuration are investigated; tuning the control parameters and control saturation are studied. Experimental and successful results of a real implementation on a TLV mockup are given and discussed. 10 figs., 3 refs

Broadband vehicle-to-vehicle communication using an extended autonomous cruise control sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Heddebaut, M.; Rioult, J.; Ghys, J. P.; Gransart, Ch; Ambellouis, S.

2005-06-01

For several years road vehicle autonomous cruise control (ACC) systems as well as anti-collision radar have been developed. Several manufacturers currently sell this equipment. The current generation of ACC sensors only track the first preceding vehicle to deduce its speed and position. These data are then used to compute, manage and optimize a safety distance between vehicles, thus providing some assistance to car drivers. However, in real conditions, to elaborate and update a real time driving solution, car drivers use information about speed and position of preceding and following vehicles. This information is essentially perceived using the driver's eyes, binocular stereoscopic vision performed through the windscreens and rear-view mirrors. Furthermore, within a line of vehicles, the frontal road perception of the first vehicle is very particular and highly significant. Currently, all these available data remain strictly on-board the vehicle that has captured the perception information and performed these measurements. To get the maximum effectiveness of all these approaches, we propose that this information be shared in real time with the following vehicles, within the convoy. On the basis of these considerations, this paper technically explores a cost-effective solution to extend the basic ACC sensor function in order to simultaneously provide a vehicle-to-vehicle radio link. This millimetre wave radio link transmits relevant broadband perception data (video, localization...) to following vehicles, along the line of vehicles. The propagation path between the vehicles uses essentially grazing angles of incidence of signals over the road surface including millimetre wave paths beneath the cars.

Measuring Aerosols Generated Inside Armoured Vehicles Perforated by Depleted Uranium Ammunition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkhurst, MaryAnn

2003-01-01

In response to questions raised after the Gulf War about the health significance of exposure to depleted uranium (DU), the U.S. Department of Defense initiated a study designed to provide an improved scientific basis for assessment of possible health effects of soldiers in vehicles struck by these munitions. As part of this study, a series of DU penetrators were fired at an Abrams tank and a Bradley fighting vehicle, and the aerosols generated by vehicle perforation were collected and characterized. A robust sampling system was designed to collect aerosols in this difficult environment and to monitor continuously the sampler flow rates. Interior aerosols collected were analyzed for uranium concentration and particle size distribution as a function of time. They were also analyzed for uranium oxide phases, particle morphology, and dissolution in vitro. These data will provide input for future prospective and retrospective dose and health risk assessments of inhaled or ingested DU aerosols. This paper briefly discusses the target vehicles, firing trajectories, aerosol samplers and instrumentation control systems, and the types of analyses conducted on the samples

Exploration of dispatch model integrating wind generators and electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haque, A.N.M.M.; Ibn Saif, A.U.N.; Nguyen, P.H.; Torbaghan, S.S.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A novel business model for the BRPs is analyzed. • Imbalance cost of wind generation is considered in the UC-ED model. • Smart charging of EVs is included into the UC-ED problem to mitigate the imbalance cost. • Effects of smart charging on generation cost, CO 2 emissions and total network load are assessed. - Abstract: In recent years, the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the electricity generation mix has been expanding rapidly. However, limited predictability of the RES poses challenges for traditional scheduling and dispatching mechanisms based on unit commitment (UC) and economic dispatch (ED). This paper presents an advanced UC-ED model to incorporate wind generators as RES-based units alongside conventional centralized generators. In the proposed UC-ED model, an imbalance cost is introduced reflecting the wind generation uncertainty along with the marginal generation cost. The proposed UC-ED model aims to utilize the flexibility of fleets of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) to optimally compensate for the wind generation uncertainty. A case study with 15 conventional units and 3 wind farms along with a fixed-sized PEV fleet demonstrates that shifting of PEV fleets charging at times of high wind availability realizes generation cost savings. Nevertheless, the operational cost saving incurred by controlled charging appears to diminish when dispatched wind energy becomes considerably larger than the charging energy of PEV fleets. Further analysis of the results reveals that the effectiveness of PEV control strategy in terms of CO 2 emission reduction is strongly coupled with generation mix and the proposed control strategy is favored in cases where less pollutant-based plants like nuclear and hydro power are profoundly dominant.

Supporting Infrastructure and Acceptability Issues Associated With Two New Generation Vehicles: P2000 and EXS2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, S

2000-06-06

As the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) has been proceeding with the development of designs for high-fuel-economy vehicles, it also has been assessing whether impediments exist to the transition to these vehicles. Toward that end, as materials options and vehicle designs have been developed, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been conducting analyses related to the attendant materials infrastructure requirements. This report addresses the question, what are the infrastructure requirements, acceptance issues, and life-cycle impacts associated with PNGV vehicles constructed of lightweight materials.

First-Generation Transgenic Plants and Statistics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nap, Jan-Peter; Keizer, Paul; Jansen, Ritsert

1993-01-01

The statistical analyses of populations of first-generation transgenic plants are commonly based on mean and variance and generally require a test of normality. Since in many cases the assumptions of normality are not met, analyses can result in erroneous conclusions. Transformation of data to

Accelerated Lane-Changing Trajectory Planning of Automated Vehicles with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haijian Bai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Considering the complexity of lane changing using automated vehicles and the frequency of turning lanes in city settings, this paper aims to generate an accelerated lane-changing trajectory using vehicle-to-vehicle collaboration (V2VC. Based on the characteristics of accelerated lane changing, we used a polynomial method and cooperative strategies for trajectory planning to establish a lane-changing model under different degrees of collaboration with the following vehicle in the target lane by considering vehicle kinematics and comfort requirements. Furthermore, considering the shortcomings of the traditional elliptical vehicle and round vehicle models, we established a rectangular vehicle model with collision boundary conditions by analysing the relationships between the possible collision points and the outline of the vehicle. Then, we established a simulation model for the accelerated lane-changing process in different environments under different degrees of collaboration. The results show that, by using V2VC, we can achieve safe accelerated lane-changing trajectories and simultaneously satisfy the requirements of vehicle kinematics and comfort control.

Satellite Images-Based Obstacle Recognition and Trajectory Generation for Agricultural Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Bodur

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, a method for the generation of tracking trajectory points, detection and positioning of obstacles in agricultural fields have been presented. Our principal contribution is to produce traceable GPS trajectories for agricultural vehicles to be utilized by path planning algorithms, rather than a new path planning algorithm. The proposed system works with minimal initialization requirements, specifically, a single geographical coordinate entry of an agricultural field. The automation of agricultural plantation requires many aspects to be addressed, many of which have been covered in previous studies. Depending on the type of crop, different agricultural vehicles may be used in the field. However, regardless of their application, they all follow a specified trajectory in the field. This study takes advantage of satellite images for the detection and positioning of obstacles, and the generation of GPS trajectories in the agricultural realm. A set of image processing techniques is applied in Matlab for detection and positioning.

Follow-the-leader control for a train-like-vehicle. Implementation and experimental results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Micaelli, A; Louveau, F; Sabourin, D [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Grenoble, 38 (France). Direction des Technologies Avancees; Canudas de Wit, C; Ndoudi-Likoho, A D [Laboratoire d` Automatique de Grenoble, 38 - Saint-martin d` Heres (France)

1994-12-31

This paper presents some practical implementation aspects and results of a particular control law dedicated to Train-Like-Vehicles (TLV) for trajectory tracking purpose. The CEA`s demonstrator consists of two modules. It is a partial but representative mockup of a future 4-modules vehicle devoted to maintenance and intervention in nuclear plants, which is now on development within the frame of the Teleman/MESSINA project. The main principles of the control are first recalled; then the reference trajectory and its on line computation, and the robot`s reference configuration are investigated; tuning the control parameters and control saturation are studied. Experimental and successful results of a real implementation on a TLV mockup are given and discussed. 10 figs., 3 refs.

Simultaneous Optimal Placement of Distributed Generation and Electric Vehicle Parking Lots Based on Probabilistic EV Model

OpenAIRE

M.H. Amini; M. Parsa Moghaddam

2013-01-01

High penetration of distributed generations and the increasing demand for using electric vehicles provide a lot of issues for the utilities. If these two effective elements of the future power system are used in an unscheduled manner, it may lead to the loss increment in distribution networks, dramatically. In this paper, the simultaneous allocation of distributed generations (DGs) and electric vehicles (EVs) parking lots has been studied in a radial distribution network. A distribution netwo...

Environmental Benefits of Using Wind Generation to Power Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Hajian

2011-08-01

Full Text Available As alternatives to conventional vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs running off electricity stored in batteries could decrease oil consumption and reduce carbon emissions. By using electricity derived from clean energy sources, even greater environmental benefits are obtainable. This study examines the potential benefits arising from the widespread adoption of PHEVs in light of Alberta’s growing interest in wind power. It also investigates PHEVs’ capacity to mitigate natural fluctuations in wind power generation.

Diversification in the driveway: mean-variance optimization for greenhouse gas emissions reduction from the next generation of vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver Gao, H.; Stasko, Timon H.

2009-01-01

Modern portfolio theory is applied to the problem of selecting which vehicle technologies and fuels to use in the next generation of vehicles. Selecting vehicles with the lowest lifetime cost is complicated by the fact that future prices are uncertain, just as selecting securities for an investment portfolio is complicated by the fact that future returns are uncertain. A quadratic program is developed based on modern portfolio theory, with the objective of minimizing the expected lifetime cost of the 'vehicle portfolio'. Constraints limit greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the variance of the cost. A case study is performed for light-duty passenger vehicles in the United States, drawing emissions and usage data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's MOVES and Department of Energy's GREET models, among other sources. Four vehicle technologies are considered: conventional gasoline, conventional diesel, grid-independent (non-plug-in) gasoline-electric hybrid, and flex fuel using E85. Results indicate that much of the uncertainty surrounding cost stems from fuel price fluctuations, and that fuel efficient vehicles can lower cost variance. Hybrids exhibit the lowest cost variances of the technologies considered, making them an arguably financially conservative choice.

Diversification in the driveway: mean-variance optimization for greenhouse gas emissions reduction from the next generation of vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver Gao, H.; Stasko, Timon H. [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

2009-12-15

Modern portfolio theory is applied to the problem of selecting which vehicle technologies and fuels to use in the next generation of vehicles. Selecting vehicles with the lowest lifetime cost is complicated by the fact that future prices are uncertain, just as selecting securities for an investment portfolio is complicated by the fact that future returns are uncertain. A quadratic program is developed based on modern portfolio theory, with the objective of minimizing the expected lifetime cost of the 'vehicle portfolio'. Constraints limit greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the variance of the cost. A case study is performed for light-duty passenger vehicles in the United States, drawing emissions and usage data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's MOVES and Department of Energy's GREET models, among other sources. Four vehicle technologies are considered: conventional gasoline, conventional diesel, grid-independent (non-plug-in) gasoline-electric hybrid, and flex fuel using E85. Results indicate that much of the uncertainty surrounding cost stems from fuel price fluctuations, and that fuel efficient vehicles can lower cost variance. Hybrids exhibit the lowest cost variances of the technologies considered, making them an arguably financially conservative choice. (author)

First results from a second generation galactic axion experiment

CERN Document Server

Hagmann, C A; Stoeffl, W; Van Bibber, K; Daw, E J; McBride, J; Peng, H; Rosenberg, L J; Xin, H; La Veigne, J D; Sikivie, P; Sullivan, N; Tanner, D B; Moltz, D M; Nezrick, F A; Turner, M; Golubev, N A; Kravchuk, L V

1996-01-01

We report first results from a large scale search for dark matter axions. The experiment probes axion masses of 1.3-13 micro-eV at a sensitivity which is about 50 times higher than previous pilot experiments. We have already scanned part of this mass range at a sensitivity better than required to see at least one generic axion model, the KSVZ axion. Data taking at full sensitivity commenced in February 1996 and scanning the proposed mass range will require three years.

First half 2006 financial results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-09-01

Areva provides technological solutions for highly reliable nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group is the world leader in nuclear power and the only company to cover all industrial activities in this field. This Press release presents the first half 2006 financial results: the overall performance and the performance by division (front end, reactors and services, back end, transmission and distribution). (A.L.B.)

Consultant radiographers: Profile of the first generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsyth, Lesley J.; Maehle, Valerie

2010-01-01

Aim: The aim of this research is to examine the profile of first generation consultant radiographers: their demographics, educational backgrounds, qualifications and training, career experience and progression, teaching, lecturing and research activities. Method: Participant recruitment was drawn from the Society and College of Radiographers consultant radiographer group. Data collection involved a self-administered paper based and web based questionnaire. Results: Participant response rate of 55% (n = 11). Conclusions: The profile of the first consultant radiographer cohort reflects a diverse and eclectic mix. While some aspects of their development such as educational background, clinical training and skills enhancement are comparable to nurse consultants, clinical experience and employment history show some differences. Commitment to development of expert clinical skills is evident within the profile of the first generation cohort of consultant radiographers however research and leadership training are not strong features.

Consultant radiographers: Profile of the first generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsyth, Lesley J., E-mail: l.forsyth@rgu.ac.u [School of Health Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, AB10 7QG (United Kingdom); Maehle, Valerie [Faculty of Health and Social Care, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, AB10 7QG (United Kingdom)

2010-11-15

Aim: The aim of this research is to examine the profile of first generation consultant radiographers: their demographics, educational backgrounds, qualifications and training, career experience and progression, teaching, lecturing and research activities. Method: Participant recruitment was drawn from the Society and College of Radiographers consultant radiographer group. Data collection involved a self-administered paper based and web based questionnaire. Results: Participant response rate of 55% (n = 11). Conclusions: The profile of the first consultant radiographer cohort reflects a diverse and eclectic mix. While some aspects of their development such as educational background, clinical training and skills enhancement are comparable to nurse consultants, clinical experience and employment history show some differences. Commitment to development of expert clinical skills is evident within the profile of the first generation cohort of consultant radiographers however research and leadership training are not strong features.

Recovery - Strategy to Accelerate U.S. Transition to Electric Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leach, Richard; LoGrasso, Joseph; Monterosso, Sandra

2014-04-30

The objective of this project was to develop Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) advanced propulsion technology and demonstrate a fleet of 146 Volt EREVs to gather data on vehicle performance and infrastructure to understand the impacts on commercialization while also creating or retaining a significant number of jobs in the United States. This objective was achieved by developing and demonstrating EREVs in real world conditions with customers in several diverse locations across the United States and installing, demonstration and testing charging infrastructure while also continuing development on second generation EREV technology. The project completed the development of the Chevrolet Volt and placed the vehicle in the hands of consumers in diverse locations across the United States. This demonstration leveraged the unique telematics platform of OnStar, standard on all Chevrolet Volts, to capture the operating experience that lead to better understanding of customer usage. The project team included utility partners that installed, demonstrated and tested charging infrastructure located in home, workplace and public locations to understand installation issues, customer usage and interaction with the electric grid. Development and demonstration of advanced technologies such as smart charging, fast charging and battery to grid interface were completed. The recipient collected, analyzed and reported the data generated by the demonstration. The recipient also continued to advance the technology of the Chevrolet Volt technology by developing energy storage system enhancements for the next-generation vehicle. Information gathered from the first generation vehicle will be utilized to refine the technology to reduce cost and mass while also increasing energy storage capacity to enhance adoption of the second generation technology into the marketplace. The launch of the first generation Chevrolet Volt will provide additional opportunities to further enhance the RESS

Brand personality perceptions of luxury sedan motor vehicles amongst the South African Generation Y cohort / Philasande Sokhela

OpenAIRE

Sokhela, Philasande Nhlakanipho

2015-01-01

Brand personality is a set of human personality traits that are relevant to a brand. A distinctive brand personality serves a symbolic or self-expressive function and helps to create a set of unique and favourable associations in the consumer’s mind. Generation Y consumers are considerably more brand and image conscious than any other generational cohort. Given that motor vehicles, especially luxury motor vehicles, are a conspicuous consumption item that are often used to signal status to oth...

Residual heat use generated by a 12 kW fuel cell in an electric vehicle heating system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colmenar-Santos, Antonio; Alberdi-Jiménez, Lucía; Nasarre-Cortés, Lorenzo; Mora-Larramona, Joaquín

2014-01-01

A diesel or gasoline vehicle heating is produced by the heat of the engine coolant liquid. Nevertheless, electric vehicles, due to the fact that electric motor transform directly electricity into mechanical energy through electromagnetic interactions, do not generate this heat so other method of providing it has to be developed. This study introduces the system developed in a fuel cell electric vehicle (lithium-ion battery – fuel cell) with residual heat use. The fuel cell electric vehicle is driven by a 12 kW PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell. This fuel cell has an operating temperature around 50 °C. The residual heat generated was originally wasted by interaction with the environment. The new developed heating system designed integrates the heat generated by the fuel cell into the heating system of the vehicle, reducing the global energy consumption and improving the global efficiency as well. - Highlights: • Modification of heating system was done by introducing the residual heat from fuel cell. • Maximum heat achieved by the heating radiator of 9.27 kW. • Reduction of the heat dissipation by the fuel cell cooling system 1.5 kW. • Total efficiency improvement of 20% with an autonomy increase of 21 km

On the vehicle routing problem with time windows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kallehauge, Brian

2006-01-01

. The fourth and final paper ‘Vehicle routing problem with time windows’ (Kallehauge, Larsen, Madsen, and Solomon. In Desaulniers, Desrosiers, and Solomon, editors, Column generation, pages 67-98, Springer, New York, 2005) is a contribution to a book on column generation edited by G. Desaulniers, J. Desrosiers......The vehicle routing problem with time windows is concerned with the optimal routing of a fleet of vehicles between a depot and a number of customers that must be visited within a specified time interval, called a time window. The purpose of this thesis is to develop new and efficient solution...... techniques for solving the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW). The thesis consists of a section of introductory remarks and four independent papers. The first paper ‘Formulations and exact approaches for the vehicle routing problem with time windows’ (Kallehauge, 2005, unpublished) is a review...

Measuring aerosols generated inside armoured vehicles perforated by depleted uranium ammunition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkhurst, M.A.

2003-01-01

In response to questions raised after the Gulf War about the health significance of exposure to depleted uranium (DU), the US Department of Defense initiated a study designed to provide an improved scientific basis for assessment of possible health effects on soldiers in vehicles struck by these munitions. As part of this study, a series of DU penetrators were fired at an Abrams tank and a Bradley fighting vehicle, and the aerosols generated by vehicle perforation were collected and characterised. A robust sampling system was designed to collect aerosols in this difficult environment and monitor continuously the sampler flow rates. The aerosol samplers selected for these tests included filter cassettes, cascade impactors, a five-stage cyclone and a moving filter. Sampler redundancy was an integral part of the sampling system to offset losses from fragment damage. Wipe surveys and deposition trays collected removable deposited particulate matter. Interior aerosols were analysed for uranium concentration and particle size distribution as a function of time. They were also analysed for uranium oxide phases, particle morphology and dissolution in vitro. These data, currently under independent peer review, will provide input for future prospective and retrospective dose and health risk assessments of inhaled or ingested DU aerosols. This paper briefly discusses the target vehicles, firing trajectories, aerosol samplers and instrumentation control systems, and the types of analyses conducted on the samples. (author)

Calculation of ground vibration spectra from heavy military vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Krylov, V. V.; Pickup, S.; McNuff, J.

2010-07-01

The demand for reliable autonomous systems capable to detect and identify heavy military vehicles becomes an important issue for UN peacekeeping forces in the current delicate political climate. A promising method of detection and identification is the one using the information extracted from ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, often termed as their seismic signatures. This paper presents the results of the theoretical investigation of ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, such as tanks and armed personnel carriers. A simple quarter car model is considered to identify the resulting dynamic forces applied from a vehicle to the ground. Then the obtained analytical expressions for vehicle dynamic forces are used for calculations of generated ground vibrations, predominantly Rayleigh surface waves, using Green's function method. A comparison of the obtained theoretical results with the published experimental data shows that analytical techniques based on the simplified quarter car vehicle model are capable of producing ground vibration spectra of heavy military vehicles that reproduce basic properties of experimental spectra.

Spectral broadening of acoustic tones generated by unmanned aerial vehicles in a turbulent atmosphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ostashev, Vladimir E.; Wilson, D. K.; Finn, Anthony

2016-01-01

The acoustic spectrum emitted by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft can be distorted by propagation through atmospheric turbulence. Since most UAVs are propeller-based, they generate a series of acoustic tones and harmonics. In this paper, spectral broadening of these tones due......, spectral broadening is calculated and analyzed for typical meteorological regimes of the atmospheric boundary layer and different flight trajectories of UAVs. Experimental results are presented and compared with theoretical predictions. Spectral broadening might also provide a means for remotely sensing...

Smart mobile in-vehicle systems next generation advancements

CERN Document Server

Abut, Huseyin; Takeda, Kazuya; Hansen, John

2014-01-01

This is an edited collection by world-class experts, from diverse fields, focusing on integrating smart in-vehicle systems with human factors to enhance safety in automobiles. The book presents developments on road safety, in-vehicle technologies and state-of-the art systems. Includes coverage of DSP technologies in adaptive automobiles, algorithms and evaluation of in-car communication systems, driver-status monitoring and stress detection, in-vehicle dialogue systems and human-machine interfaces, challenges in video and audio processing for in-vehicle products, multi-sensor fusion for driver identification and vehicle to infrastructure wireless technologies.

Thermoelectric Power Generation System for Future Hybrid Vehicles Using Hot Exhaust Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sun-Kook; Won, Byeong-Cheol; Rhi, Seok-Ho; Kim, Shi-Ho; Yoo, Jeong-Ho; Jang, Ju-Chan

2011-05-01

The present experimental and computational study investigates a new exhaust gas waste heat recovery system for hybrid vehicles, using a thermoelectric module (TEM) and heat pipes to produce electric power. It proposes a new thermoelectric generation (TEG) system, working with heat pipes to produce electricity from a limited hot surface area. The current TEG system is directly connected to the exhaust pipe, and the amount of electricity generated by the TEMs is directly proportional to their heated area. Current exhaust pipes fail to offer a sufficiently large hot surface area for the high-efficiency waste heat recovery required. To overcome this, a new TEG system has been designed to have an enlarged hot surface area by the addition of ten heat pipes, which act as highly efficient heat transfer devices and can transmit the heat to many TEMs. As designed, this new waste heat recovery system produces a maximum 350 W when the hot exhaust gas heats the evaporator surface of the heat pipe to 170°C; this promises great possibilities for application of this technology in future energy-efficient hybrid vehicles.

Impact of adding artificially generated alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles on their detectability by pedestrians who are blind.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae Shik; Emerson, Robert Wall; Naghshineh, Koorosh; Pliskow, Jay; Myers, Kyle

2012-01-01

A repeated-measures design with block randomization was used for the study, in which 14 adults with visual impairments attempted to detect three different vehicles: a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with an artificially generated sound (Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians [VSP]), an HEV without the VSP, and a comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. The VSP vehicle (mean +/- standard deviation [SD] = 38.3 +/- 14.8 m) was detected at a significantly farther distance than the HEV (mean +/- SD = 27.5 +/- 11.5 m), t = 4.823, p vehicles (mean +/- SD = 34.5 +/- 14.3 m), t = 1.787, p = 0.10. Despite the overall sound level difference between the two test sites (parking lot = 48.7 dBA, roadway = 55.1 dBA), no significant difference in detection distance between the test sites was observed, F(1, 13) = 0.025, p = 0.88. No significant interaction was found between the vehicle type and test site, F(1.31, 16.98) = 0.272, p = 0.67. The findings of the study may help us understand how adding an artificially generated sound to an HEV could affect some of the orientation and mobility tasks performed by blind pedestrians.

Partial path column generation for the vehicle routing problem with time windows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bjørn; Jepsen, Mads Kehlet

2009-01-01

This paper presents a column generation algorithm for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). Traditionally, column generation models of the VRPTW have consisted of a Set Partitioning master problem with each column representing a route, i.e., a resource feasible path starting...... and ending at the depot. Elementary routes (no customer visited more than once) have shown superior results on difficult instances (less restrictive capacity and time windows). However, the pricing problems do not scale well when the number of feasible routes increases, i.e., when a route may contain a large...... number of customers. We suggest to relax that ‘each column is a route’ into ‘each column is a part of the giant tour’; a so-called partial path, i.e., not necessarily starting and ending in the depot. This way, the length of the partial path can be bounded and a better control of the size of the solution...

A Comprehensive Analysis for Widespread use of Electric Vehicles

OpenAIRE

Yu Zhou; Zhaoyang Dong; Xiaomei Zhao

2011-01-01

This paper mainly investigates the environmental and economic impacts of worldwide use of electric vehicles. It can be concluded that governments have good reason to promote the use of electric vehicles. First, the global vehicles population is evaluated with the help of grey forecasting model and the amount of oil saving is estimated through approximate calculation. After that, based on the game theory, the amount and types of electricity generation needed by electronic ...

Vehicle System Management Modeling in UML for Ares I

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Newton W.; Biehn, Bradley A.; Curry, Tristan D.; Martinez, Mario R.

2011-01-01

The Spacecraft & Vehicle Systems Department of Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for modeling the Vehicle System Management for the Ares I vehicle which was a part of the now canceled Constellation Program. An approach to generating the requirements for the Vehicle System Management was to use the Unified Modeling Language technique to build and test a model that would fulfill the Vehicle System Management requirements. UML has been used on past projects (flight software) in the design phase of the effort but this was the first attempt to use the UML technique from a top down requirements perspective.

Refinements of the column generation process for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jesper

2004-01-01

interval denoted the time window. The objective is to determine routes for the vehicles that minimizes the accumulated cost (or distance) with respect to the above mentioned constraints. Currently the best approaches for determining optimal solutions are based on column generation and Branch......-and-Bound, also known as Branch-and-Price. This paper presents two ideas for run-time improvements of the Branch-and-Price framework for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. Both ideas reveal a significant potential for using run-time refinements when speeding up an exact approach without compromising...

Social cognitive predictors of first- and non-first-generation college students' academic and life satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Garriott, Patton O; Hudyma, Aaron; Keene, Chesleigh; Santiago, Dana

2015-04-01

The present study tested Lent's (2004) social-cognitive model of normative well-being in a sample (N = 414) of first- and non-first-generation college students. A model depicting relationships between: positive affect, environmental supports, college self-efficacy, college outcome expectations, academic progress, academic satisfaction, and life satisfaction was examined using structural equation modeling. The moderating roles of perceived importance of attending college and intrinsic goal motivation were also explored. Results suggested the hypothesized model provided an adequate fit to the data while hypothesized relationships in the model were partially supported. Environmental supports predicted college self-efficacy, college outcome expectations, and academic satisfaction. Furthermore, college self-efficacy predicted academic progress while college outcome expectations predicted academic satisfaction. Academic satisfaction, but not academic progress predicted life satisfaction. The structural model explained 44% of the variance in academic progress, 56% of the variance in academic satisfaction, and 28% of the variance in life satisfaction. Mediation analyses indicated several significant indirect effects between variables in the model while moderation analyses revealed a 3-way interaction between academic satisfaction, intrinsic motivation for attending college, and first-generation college student status on life satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of applying the normative model of well-being to promote first- and non-first-generation college students' academic and life satisfaction. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing the ground vibrations produced by a heavy vehicle traversing a traffic obstacle.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducarne, Loïc; Ainalis, Daniel; Kouroussis, Georges

2018-01-15

Despite advancements in alternative transport networks, road transport remains the dominant mode in many modern and developing countries. The ground-borne motions produced by the passage of a heavy vehicle over a geometric obstacle (e.g. speed hump, train tracks) pose a fundamental problem in transport annoyance in urban areas. In order to predict the ground vibrations generated by the passage of a heavy vehicle over a geometric obstacle, a two-step numerical model is developed. The first step involves simulating the dynamic loads generated by the heavy vehicle using a multibody approach, which includes the tyre-obstacle-ground interaction. The second step involves the simulation of the ground wave propagation using a three dimensional finite element model. The simulation is able to be decoupled due to the large difference in stiffness between the vehicle's tyres and the road. First, the two-step model is validated using an experimental case study available in the literature. A sensitivity analysis is then presented, examining the influence of various factors on the generated ground vibrations. Factors investigated include obstacle shape, obstacle dimensions, vehicle speed, and tyre stiffness. The developed model can be used as a tool in the early planning stages to predict the ground vibrations generated by the passage of a heavy vehicle over an obstacle in urban areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First half 2005 financial results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, AREVA offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets. This document presents the first half 2005 financial results of the group: 1 - overall performance: sales revenue, operating income, consolidated net income, operating cash flow, balance sheet; 2 - outlook; 3 - performance by business division: front-end division, reactors and services division, back end division, transmission and distribution division, connectors division

Feasible Path Generation Using Bezier Curves for Car-Like Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Latip, Nor Badariyah Abdul; Omar, Rosli

2017-08-01

When planning a collision-free path for an autonomous vehicle, the main criteria that have to be considered are the shortest distance, lower computation time and completeness, i.e. a path can be found if one exists. Besides that, a feasible path for the autonomous vehicle is also crucial to guarantee that the vehicle can reach the target destination considering its kinematic constraints such as non-holonomic and minimum turning radius. In order to address these constraints, Bezier curves is applied. In this paper, Bezier curves are modeled and simulated using Matlab software and the feasibility of the resulting path is analyzed. Bezier curve is derived from a piece-wise linear pre-planned path. It is found that the Bezier curves has the capability of making the planned path feasible and could be embedded in a path planning algorithm for an autonomous vehicle with kinematic constraints. It is concluded that the length of segments of the pre-planned path have to be greater than a nominal value, derived from the vehicle wheelbase, maximum steering angle and maximum speed to ensure the path for the autonomous car is feasible.

Space robot simulator vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, R. H., Jr.; Alexander, H.

1985-01-01

A Space Robot Simulator Vehicle (SRSV) was constructed to model a free-flying robot capable of doing construction, manipulation and repair work in space. The SRSV is intended as a test bed for development of dynamic and static control methods for space robots. The vehicle is built around a two-foot-diameter air-cushion vehicle that carries batteries, power supplies, gas tanks, computer, reaction jets and radio equipment. It is fitted with one or two two-link manipulators, which may be of many possible designs, including flexible-link versions. Both the vehicle body and its first arm are nearly complete. Inverse dynamic control of the robot's manipulator has been successfully simulated using equations generated by the dynamic simulation package SDEXACT. In this mode, the position of the manipulator tip is controlled not by fixing the vehicle base through thruster operation, but by controlling the manipulator joint torques to achieve the desired tip motion, while allowing for the free motion of the vehicle base. One of the primary goals is to minimize use of the thrusters in favor of intelligent control of the manipulator. Ways to reduce the computational burden of control are described.

Radioactive contamination level of vehicles resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals by rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Kaichun; Yu Boyong; Gao Shengwei

1997-01-01

This paper presents monitoring results of radioactive contamination level of steel open wagon surface resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals. Under promising transport conditions (the packaging consists of two layers of plastic bags and two layers of plastic net sacks, each package contains 50 kg of minerals, each vehicle carries 60 t), the surface radioactivity (total α and total β) of 16 vehicles on two lines from Baotou to Wujiachuan (924 km) and from Baotou to Sankeshu (2236 km) was measured before loading, after unloading and washing, using α and β surface contamination detector. The results showed that the radioactive contamination level of the vehicle surface after unloading appeared significantly different. The contamination level of vehicle bases was higher than that of both sides, long distance vehicles was higher than that of short distance vehicles. The radioactive contamination level of vehicles surface after washing was below the standard limits, these vehicles can be used for ordinary goods transport

Modeling of Thermoelectric Generator Power Characteristics for Motorcycle-Type Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Osipkov, Alexey; Poshekhonov, Roman; Arutyunyan, Georgy; Basov, Andrey; Safonov, Roman

2017-10-01

Thermoelectric generation in vehicles such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles opens the possibility of additional electrical energy generation by means of exhaust heat utilization. This is beneficial because replacing the mechanical generator used in such vehicles with a more powerful one in cases of electrical power deficiency is impossible. This paper proposes a calculation model for the thermoelectric generator (TEG) operational characteristics of the low-capacity internal combustion engines used in these vehicles. Two TEG structures are considered: (1) TEG with air cooling and (2) TEG with water cooling. Modeling consists of two calculation stages. In the first stage, the heat exchange coefficients of the hot and cold exchangers are determined using computational fluid dynamics. In the second stage, the TEG operational characteristics are modeled based on the nonlinear equations of the heat transfer and power balance. On the basis of the modeling results, the dependence of the TEG's major operating characteristics (such as the electrical power generated by the TEG and its efficiency and mass) on operating conditions or design parameters is determined. For example, the electrical power generated by a TEG for a Yamaha WR450F motorcycle engine with a volume of 0.449 × 10-3 m3 was calculated to be as much as 100 W. Use of the TEG arrangements proposed is justified by the additional electrical power generation for small capacity vehicles, without the need for internal combustion engine redesign.

First results from MAST

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sykes, A.; Akers, R.J.; Appel, L.C.

2001-01-01

MAST is one of the new generation of large, purpose-built spherical tokamaks (STs) now becoming operational, designed to investigate the properties of the ST in large, collisionless plasmas. The first six months of MAST operations have been remarkably successful. Operationally, both merging-compr...

Search for first and second generation leptoquarks at D0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abachi, S.; Abbott, B.; Abolins, M.

1995-07-01

A search for first and second generation pair produced scalar leptoquarks has been done with the DO detector at Fermilab's p bar p machine with √s = 1.8 TeV. Leptoquarks are assumed to be strictly generational; for example, a first generation leptoquark couples only to the electron, its neutrino, and the u and d quarks. 95% C.L. mass limits of 133 GeV/c 2 and 120 GeV/c 2 for respective 100% and 50% decay branching ratios to electron plus quark for first generation scalar leptoquarks have been published. The preliminary results of a search for second generation scalar leptoquarks in the absence of a signal are mass limits of 111 GeV/c 2 and 89 GeV/c 2 for 100% and 50% decay branching ratios to muon plus quark. A feature of these mass limits is that they are independent of the unknown coupling of the leptoquark to leptons and quarks. The detection for e + e - and e-p machines depends on the strength of this coupling

First-generation Students’ Underperformance at University: The Impact of the Function of Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mickaël eJury

2015-05-01

Full Text Available According to recent research, university not only has the role to educate and train students, it also has the role to select the best students. We argue that this function of selection disadvantages first-generation students, in comparison with continuing-generation students. Thus, the mere activation of the function of selection should be sufficient to produce achievement differences between first-generation and continuing-generation students in a novel academic task. Furthermore, we propose that when the function of selection is salient, first-generation students would be more vigilant to a cue that may confirm their inferiority, which should explain their underperformance. In the present experiment, participants were asked to complete an arithmetic modular task under two conditions, which either made the function of selection salient or reduced its importance. Participants’ vigilance to a threatening cue (i.e., their performance relative to others was measured through an eye-tracking technique. The results confirmed that first-generation students performed more poorly compared to continuing-generation students only when the function of selection was salient while no differences appeared in the no-selection condition. Regarding vigilance, the results did not confirm our hypothesis; thus, mediation path could not be tested. However, results indicated that at a high level of initial performance, first-generation students looked more often at the threatening cue. In others words, these students seemed more concerned about whether they were performing more poorly than others compared to their continuing-generation counterparts. Some methodological issues are discussed, notably regarding the measure of vigilance.

Cogging Force Issues of Permanent Magnet Linear Generator for Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izzeldin Idris Abdalla

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Alternatives to hydraulic drives that used on vehicles are necessary in order to reduce the Carbon dioxide (CO2 emission and oil consumption. Hence better performance and efficiency of the vehicles can be achieved by using free piston engine, in which the piston reciprocate linearly with a permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG without the need of a crankshaft. The PMLG has high performance, but suffering from the cogging force. The cogging force induces undesired vibration and acoustic noise and makes a ripple in the thrust force. Moreover, the cogging force deteriorates the control characteristics, particularly in terms of the position control and speed precisely. This paper proposes Somaloy to replace the laminated silicon steel sheets in order to reduce the cogging force in a PMLG. Through a finite-element analysis, it has been shown that, the stator core made of Somaloy minimizes the cogging force of the PMLG, moreover, giving larger flux-linkage and back-electromotive force (B-EMF, respectively.

Plug-in electric vehicles integrating fluctuating renewable electricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dallinger, David

2013-11-01

This paper examines a method to model plug-in electric vehicles as part of the power system and presents results for the contribution of plug-in electric vehicles to balance the fluctuating electricity generation of renewable energy sources. The scientific contribution includes: - A novel approach to characterizing fluctuating generation. This allows the detailed comparison of results from energy analysis and is the basis to describe the effect of electricity from renewable energy sources and plug-in electric vehicles on the power system. - The characterization of mobile storage, which includes the description of mobility behavior using probabilities and battery discharging costs. - The introduction of an agent-based simulation approach, coupling energy markets and distributed grids using a price-based mechanism design. - The description of an agent with specific driving behavior, battery discharging costs and optimization algorithm suitable for real plug-in vehicles and simulation models. - A case study for a 2030 scenario describing the contribution of plug-in electric vehicles to balance generation from renewable energy sources in California and Germany.

In-use vehicle emissions in China: Beijing study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, Hongyan H.; Gallagher, Kelly Sims (Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA (US)); Li, Mengliang; Qin, Kongjian; Zhang, Jianwei (China Automotive Research and Technology Center (CN)); Liu, Huan; He, Kebin (Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Tsinghua Univ. (CN))

2009-05-01

China's economic boom in the last three decades has spurred increasing demand for transportation services and personal mobility. Consequently, vehicle population has grown rapidly since the early 1990s, especially in megacities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Tianjin. As a result, mobile sources have become more conspicuous contributors to urban air pollution in Chinese cities. Tianjin was our first focus city, and the study there took us about two years to complete. Building upon the experience and partnership generated through the Tianjin study, the research team carried out the Beijing study from fall 2007–fall 2008. Beijing was chosen to be our second focus city for several reasons: it has the largest local fleet and the highest percentage of the population owning vehicles among all Chinese cities, and it has suffered from severe air pollution, partially due to the ever-growing population of on-road vehicles.

Using Grey Wolf Algorithm to Solve the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Korayem, L.; Khorsid, M.; Kassem, S. S.

2015-05-01

The capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) is a class of the vehicle routing problems (VRPs). In CVRP a set of identical vehicles having fixed capacities are required to fulfill customers' demands for a single commodity. The main objective is to minimize the total cost or distance traveled by the vehicles while satisfying a number of constraints, such as: the capacity constraint of each vehicle, logical flow constraints, etc. One of the methods employed in solving the CVRP is the cluster-first route-second method. It is a technique based on grouping of customers into a number of clusters, where each cluster is served by one vehicle. Once clusters are formed, a route determining the best sequence to visit customers is established within each cluster. The recently bio-inspired grey wolf optimizer (GWO), introduced in 2014, has proven to be efficient in solving unconstrained, as well as, constrained optimization problems. In the current research, our main contributions are: combining GWO with the traditional K-means clustering algorithm to generate the ‘K-GWO’ algorithm, deriving a capacitated version of the K-GWO algorithm by incorporating a capacity constraint into the aforementioned algorithm, and finally, developing 2 new clustering heuristics. The resulting algorithm is used in the clustering phase of the cluster-first route-second method to solve the CVR problem. The algorithm is tested on a number of benchmark problems with encouraging results.

Electric vehicles in imperfect electricity markets: The case of Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schill, Wolf-Peter

2011-01-01

We use a game-theoretic model to analyze the impacts of a hypothetical fleet of plug-in electric vehicles on the imperfectly competitive German electricity market. Electric vehicles bring both additional demand and additional storage capacity to the market. We determine the effects on prices, welfare, and electricity generation for various cases with different players in charge of vehicle operations. Vehicle loading increases generator profits, but decreases consumer surplus in the power market. If excess vehicle batteries can be used for storage, welfare results are reversed: generating firms suffer from the price-smoothing effect of additional storage, whereas power consumers benefit despite increasing overall demand. Strategic players tend to under-utilize the storage capacity of the vehicle fleet, which may have negative welfare implications. In contrast, we find a market power-mitigating effect of electric vehicle recharging on oligopolistic generators. Overall, electric vehicles are unlikely to be a relevant source of market power in Germany in the foreseeable future. - Highlights: → We study the effect of electric vehicles on an imperfectly competitive electricity market. → We apply a game-theoretic model to the German market. → There is a market power-mitigating effect of vehicle loading on oligopolistic generating firms. → Consumers benefit from electric vehicles if excess battery capacity can be used for grid storage. → Electric vehicles are unlikely to be a source of market power in Germany in the near future.

Integration of Advanced Concepts and Vehicles Into the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Volume 1; Introduction, Key Messages, and Vehicle Attributes

Science.gov (United States)

Zellweger, Andres; Resnick, Herbert; Stevens, Edward; Arkind, Kenneth; Cotton William B.

2010-01-01

Raytheon, in partnership with NASA, is leading the way in ensuring that the future air transportation continues to be a key driver of economic growth and stability and that this system provides an environmentally friendly, safe, and effective means of moving people and goods. A Raytheon-led team of industry and academic experts, under NASA contract NNA08BA47C, looked at the potential issues and impact of introducing four new classes of advanced aircraft into the next generation air transportation system -- known as NextGen. The study will help determine where NASA should further invest in research to support the safe introduction of these new air vehicles. Small uncrewed or unmanned aerial systems (SUAS), super heavy transports (SHT) including hybrid wing body versions (HWB), very light jets (VLJ), and supersonic business jets (SSBJ) are the four classes of aircraft that we studied. Understanding each vehicle's business purpose and strategy is critical to assessing the feasibility of new aircraft operations and their impact on NextGen's architecture. The Raytheon team used scenarios created by aviation experts that depict vehicles in year 2025 operations along with scripts or use cases to understand the issues presented by these new types of vehicles. The information was then mapped into the Joint Planning and Development Office's (JPDO s) Enterprise Architecture to show how the vehicles will fit into NextGen's Concept of Operations. The team also identified significant changes to the JPDO's Integrated Work Plan (IWP) to optimize the NextGen vision for these vehicles. Using a proven enterprise architecture approach and the JPDO s Joint Planning Environment (JPE) web site helped make the leap from architecture to planning efficient, manageable and achievable. Very Light Jets flying into busy hub airports -- Supersonic Business Jets needing to climb and descend rapidly to achieve the necessary altitude Super-heavy cargo planes requiring the shortest common flight

Building and Deploying Remotely Operated Vehicles in the First-Year Experience

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien-Gayes, A.; Fuss, K.; Gayes, P.

2007-12-01

Coastal Carolina University has committed to improving student retention and success in Mathematics and Science through a pilot program to engage first-year students in an applied and investigative project as part of the University's First-Year Experience (FYE). During the fall 2007 semester, five pilot sections of FYE classes, consisting of students from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences are building and deploying Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). These ROV-based classes are designed to: accelerate exploration of the broad fields of science and mathematics; enlist interest in technology by engaging students in a multi-stepped, interdisciplinary problem solving experience; explore science and mathematical concepts; institute experiential learning; and build a culture of active learners to benefit student success across traditional departmental boundaries. Teams of three students (forty teams total) will build, based on the MIT Sea Perch design, and test ROVs in addition to collecting data with their ROVs. Various accessories attached to the vehicles for data collection will include temperature and light sensors, plankton nets and underwater cameras. The first-year students will then analyze the data, and the results will be documented as part of their capstone projects. Additionally, two launch days will take place on two campus ponds. Local middle and high school teachers and their students will be invited to observe this event. The teams of students with the most capable and successful ROVs will participate in a workshop held in November 2007 for regional elementary, middle and high school teachers. These students will give a presentation on the building of the ROVs and also provide a hands-on demonstration for the workshop participants. These activities will ensure an incorporation of service learning into the first semester of the freshmen experience. The desired outcomes of the ROV-based FYE classes are: increased retention at the postsecondary

Propulsion and Power Generation Capabilities of a Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) Fusion System for Future Military Aerospace Vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knecht, Sean D.; Mead, Franklin B.; Thomas, Robert E.; Miley, George H.; Froning, David

2006-01-01

The objective of this study was to perform a parametric evaluation of the performance and interface characteristics of a dense plasma focus (DPF) fusion system in support of a USAF advanced military aerospace vehicle concept study. This vehicle is an aerospace plane that combines clean 'aneutronic' dense plasma focus (DPF) fusion power and propulsion technology, with advanced 'lifting body'-like airframe configurations utilizing air-breathing MHD propulsion and power technology within a reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle. The applied approach was to evaluate the fusion system details (geometry, power, T/W, system mass, etc.) of a baseline p-11B DPF propulsion device with Q = 3.0 and thruster efficiency, ηprop = 90% for a range of thrust, Isp and capacitor specific energy values. The baseline details were then kept constant and the values of Q and ηprop were varied to evaluate excess power generation for communication systems, pulsed-train plasmoid weapons, ultrahigh-power lasers, and gravity devices. Thrust values were varied between 100 kN and 1,000 kN with Isp of 1,500 s and 2,000 s, while capacitor specific energy was varied from 1 - 15 kJ/kg. Q was varied from 3.0 to 6.0, resulting in gigawatts of excess power. Thruster efficiency was varied from 0.9 to 1.0, resulting in hundreds of megawatts of excess power. Resulting system masses were on the order of 10's to 100's of metric tons with thrust-to-weight ratios ranging from 2.1 to 44.1, depending on capacitor specific energy. Such a high thrust/high Isp system with a high power generation capability would allow military versatility in sub-orbital space, as early as 2025, and beyond as early as 2050. This paper presents the results that coincide with a total system mass between 15 and 20 metric tons

Results of the first tests of the SIDRA satellite-borne instrument breadboard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudnik, O.V.; Kurbatov, E.V.; Avilov, A.M.; Titov, K.G.; Prieto, M; Sanchez, S.; Spassky, A.V.; Sylwester, J.; Gburek, S.; Podgorski, P.

2013-01-01

In this work, the results of the calibration of the solid-state detectors and electronic channels of the SIDRA satellite borne energetic charged particle spectrometer-telescope breadboard model are presented. The block schemes and experimental equipment used to conduct the thermal vacuum and electromagnetic compatibility tests of the assemblies and modules of the compact satellite equipment are described. The results of the measured thermal conditions of operation of the signal analog and digital processing critical modules of the SIDRA instrument prototype are discussed. Finally, the levels of conducted interference generated by the instrument model in the primary vehicle-borne power circuits are presented.

First-Generation Undergraduate Students' Social Support, Depression, and Life Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Sharon Rae; Belanger, Aimee; Connally, Melissa Londono; Boals, Adriel; Duron, Kelly M.

2013-01-01

First-generation undergraduate students face challenging cross-socioeconomic cultural transitions into college life. The authors compared first- and non-first-generation undergraduate students' social support, posttraumatic stress, depression symptoms, and life satisfaction. First-generation participants reported less social support from family…

Wind Tunnel and Hover Performance Test Results for Multicopter UAS Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Carl R.; Jung, Jaewoo; Willink, Gina; Glasner, Brett

2016-01-01

There is currently a lack of published data for the performance of multicopter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) vehicles, such as quadcopters and octocopters, often referred to collectively as drones. With the rapidly increasing popularity of multicopter UAS, there is interest in better characterizing the performance of this type of aircraft. By studying the performance of currently available vehicles, it will be possible to develop models for vehicles at this scale that can accurately predict performance and model trajectories. This paper describes a wind tunnel test that was recently performed in the U.S. Army's 7- by 10-ft Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. During this wind tunnel entry, five multicopter UAS vehicles were tested to determine forces and moments as well as electrical power as a function of wind speed, rotor speed, and vehicle attitude. The test is described here in detail, and a selection of the key results from the test is presented.

Measuring Social Capital among First-Generation and Non-First-Generation, Working-Class, White Males

Science.gov (United States)

Moschetti, Roxanne; Hudley, Cynthia

2008-01-01

Social capital is a useful theory for understanding the experiences of working class, first-generation college students. Social capital is the value of a relationship that provides support and assistance in a given social situation. According to social capital theory, networks of relationships can aid students in managing an otherwise unfamiliar…

French wind power generation programme EOLE 2005 - first results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laali, A.R. [Electricite de France (EDF), Chatou (France); Benard, M. [Electricite de France (EDF), Paris (France)

1997-12-31

EOLE 2005 has been launched in July 1996 by the French Ministry of Industry, Electricite de France and ADEME (Agency for Environment and Energy Management). The Ministries of Research and Environment are participating also in this programme. The purpose is to create an initial market in France for wind power generation in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and the competitiveness of the wind energy compared to other energy sources by 2005. The installed capacity will reach at least 250 MW and possibly 500 MW.

X-43 Hypersonic Vehicle Technology Development

Science.gov (United States)

Voland, Randall T.; Huebner, Lawrence D.; McClinton, Charles R.

2005-01-01

NASA recently completed two major programs in Hypersonics: Hyper-X, with the record-breaking flights of the X-43A, and the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program. The X-43A flights, the culmination of the Hyper-X Program, were the first-ever examples of a scramjet engine propelling a hypersonic vehicle and provided unique, convincing, detailed flight data required to validate the design tools needed for design and development of future operational hypersonic airbreathing vehicles. Concurrent with Hyper-X, NASA's NGLT Program focused on technologies needed for future revolutionary launch vehicles. The NGLT was "competed" by NASA in response to the President s redirection of the agency to space exploration, after making significant progress towards maturing technologies required to enable airbreathing hypersonic launch vehicles. NGLT quantified the benefits, identified technology needs, developed airframe and propulsion technology, chartered a broad University base, and developed detailed plans to mature and validate hypersonic airbreathing technology for space access. NASA is currently in the process of defining plans for a new Hypersonic Technology Program. Details of that plan are not currently available. This paper highlights results from the successful Mach 7 and 10 flights of the X-43A, and the current state of hypersonic technology.

The impact of electric vehicles on CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentley, J.M.; Teagan, P.; Walls, D.; Balles, E.; Parish, T.

1992-05-01

A number of recent studies have examined the greenhouse gas emissions of various light duty vehicle alternatives in some detail. These studies have highlighted the extreme range of predicted net greenhouse gas emissions depending on scenarios for fuel types, vehicle and power generation efficiencies, the relative greenhouse contributions of emitted gases and a number of uncertainties in fuel chain efficiencies. Despite the potential range of results, most studies have confirmed that electric vehicles generally have significant potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions relative to gasoline and most alternative fuels under consideration. This report summarizes the results of a study which builds on previous efforts with a particular emphasis on: (1) A detailed analysis of ICEV, FCV, and EV vehicle technology and electric power generation technology. Most previous transportation greenhouse studies have focused on characterization of fuel chains that have relatively high efficiency (65--85%) when compared with power generation (30--40%) and vehicle driveline (13--16%) efficiencies. (2) A direct comparison of EVs, FCVs with gasoline and dedicated alternative fuel, ICEVs using equivalent vehicle technology assumptions with careful attention to likely technology improvements in both types of vehicles. (3) Consideration of fuel cell vehicles and associated hydrogen infrastructure. (4) Extension of analyses for several decades to assess the prospects for EVs with a longer term prospective

Autonomous health management for PMSM rail vehicles through demagnetization monitoring and prognosis control.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Gang; Jiang, Junjie; Youn, Byeng D; Pecht, Michael

2018-01-01

Autonomous vehicles are playing an increasingly importance in support of a wide variety of critical events. This paper presents a novel autonomous health management scheme on rail vehicles driven by permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Firstly, the PMSMs are modeled based on first principle to deduce the initial profile of pneumatic braking (p-braking) force, then which is utilized for real-time demagnetization monitoring and degradation prognosis through similarity-based theory and generate prognosis-enhanced p-braking force strategy for final optimal control. A case study is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and benefit of using the real-time prognostics and health management (PHM) information in vehicle 'drive-brake' control automatically. The results show that accurate demagnetization monitoring, degradation prognosis, and real-time capability for control optimization can be obtained, which can effectively relieve brake shoe wear. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lane-Level Vehicle Trajectory Reckoning for Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yinsong Wang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a lane-level positioning method by trajectory reckoning without Global Positioning System (GPS equipment in the environment of Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure System (CVIS. Firstly, the accuracy requirements of vehicle position in CVIS applications and the applicability of GPS positioning methods were analyzed. Then, a trajectory reckoning method based on speed and steering data from vehicle’s Control Area Network (CAN and roadside calibration facilities was proposed, which consists of three critical models, including real-time estimation of steering angle and vehicle direction, vehicle movement reckoning, and wireless calibration. Finally, the proposed method was validated through simulation and field tests under a variety of traffic conditions. Results show that the accuracy of the reckoned vehicle position can reach the lane level and match the requirements of common CVIS applications.

Modeling of plug-in electric vehicle travel patterns and charging load based on trip chain generation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dai; Gao, Junyu; Li, Pan; Wang, Bin; Zhang, Cong; Saxena, Samveg

2017-08-01

Modeling PEV travel and charging behavior is the key to estimate the charging demand and further explore the potential of providing grid services. This paper presents a stochastic simulation methodology to generate itineraries and charging load profiles for a population of PEVs based on real-world vehicle driving data. In order to describe the sequence of daily travel activities, we use the trip chain model which contains the detailed information of each trip, namely start time, end time, trip distance, start location and end location. A trip chain generation method is developed based on the Naive Bayes model to generate a large number of trips which are temporally and spatially coupled. We apply the proposed methodology to investigate the multi-location charging loads in three different scenarios. Simulation results show that home charging can meet the energy demand of the majority of PEVs in an average condition. In addition, we calculate the lower bound of charging load peak on the premise of lowest charging cost. The results are instructive for the design and construction of charging facilities to avoid excessive infrastructure.

Sun protection attitudes and behaviours among first generation Australians with darker skin types: results from focus groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Jamie; Zucca, Alison; Brozek, Irena; Rock, Vanessa; Bonevski, Billie

2015-02-01

Despite residing in a country that has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and sun protection practices of first generation Australian-born individuals with olive and darker skin types. Six focus groups with first generation Australian-born individuals of Asian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian background were conducted. Participants had good knowledge of the dangers of skin cancer. Most correctly perceived darker skin types as protective and believed they were at low risk of skin cancer. Most participants could recall high profile mass media sun protection campaigns. Several participants suggested that greater representation of ethnic minorities and/or individuals with darker skin types would increase the personal relevance of campaigns. Beliefs that sun protection is not necessary on the basis of skin type highlights the need for further studies to explore fundamental differences in attitudes and practices between those with olive and darker skin and the general Australian population.

A fast approach to generate large-scale topographic maps based on new Chinese vehicle-borne Lidar system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youmei, Han; Bogang, Yang

2014-01-01

Large -scale topographic maps are important basic information for city and regional planning and management. Traditional large- scale mapping methods are mostly based on artificial mapping and photogrammetry. The traditional mapping method is inefficient and limited by the environments. While the photogrammetry methods(such as low-altitude aerial mapping) is an economical and effective way to map wide and regulate range of large scale topographic map but doesn't work well in the small area due to the high cost of manpower and resources. Recent years, the vehicle-borne LIDAR technology has a rapid development, and its application in surveying and mapping is becoming a new topic. The main objective of this investigation is to explore the potential of vehicle-borne LIDAR technology to be used to fast mapping large scale topographic maps based on new Chinese vehicle-borne LIDAR system. It studied how to use the new Chinese vehicle-borne LIDAR system measurement technology to map large scale topographic maps. After the field data capture, it can be mapped in the office based on the LIDAR data (point cloud) by software which programmed by ourselves. In addition, the detailed process and accuracy analysis were proposed by an actual case. The result show that this new technology provides a new fast method to generate large scale topographic maps, which is high efficient and accuracy compared to traditional methods

Torque Split Strategy for Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles with an Integrated Starter Generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhumu Fu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a torque split strategy for parallel hybrid electric vehicles with an integrated starter generator (ISG-PHEV by using fuzzy logic control. By combining the efficiency map and the optimum torque curve of the internal combustion engine (ICE with the state of charge (SOC of the batteries, the torque split strategy is designed, which manages the ICE within its peak efficiency region. Taking the quantified ICE torque, the quantified SOC of the batteries, and the quantified ICE speed as inputs, and regarding the output torque demanded on the ICE as an output, a fuzzy logic controller (FLC with relevant fuzzy rules has been developed to determine the optimal torque distribution among the ICE, the ISG, and the electric motor/generator (EMG effectively. The simulation results reveal that, compared with the conventional torque control strategy which uses rule-based controller (RBC in different driving cycles, the proposed FLC improves the fuel economy of the ISG-PHEV, increases the efficiency of the ICE, and maintains batteries SOC within its operation range more availably.

Detection and generation of first sound in4He by vibrating superleak transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Giordano, N.; Edison, N.

1986-07-01

Measurement is made of the first-sound generation and detection efficiencies of vibrating superleak transducers (VSTs) operated in superfluid4He. This is accomplished by using an ordinary pressure transducer to generate first sound with a VST as the detector, and by using a pressure transducer to detect the sound generated by a VST. The results are in reasonably good agreement with the current theory of VST operation.

Detection and generation of first sound in 4He by vibrating superleak transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giordano, N.; Edison, N.

1986-01-01

Measurement is made of the first-sound generation and detection efficiencies of vibrating superleak transducers (VSTs) operated in superfluid 4 He. This is accomplished by using an ordinary pressure transducer to generate first sound with a VST as the detector, and by using a pressure transducer to detect the sound generated by a VST. The results are in reasonably good agreement with the current theory of VST operation

Application of theoretical vehicle dynamic results for experimental validation of vehicle characteristics in autonomous vehicle guidance; Aehnlichkeitstheoretische Modelluebertragung zur experimentellen Eigenschaftsabsicherung in der autonomen Fahrzeugfuehrung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilgert, J.; Bertram, T. [Univ. Duisburg (Germany). Fachbereich Maschinenbau

2002-07-01

The validation and verification of theoretical vehicle dynamic results for autonomous driving can be seen as a major challenge. The main reasons are the high cost of driving tests and the risk of damaging or destroying the test vehicle and the involved persons. One possibility for avoiding these problems and simultaneously to ensure good experimental results lies in the use of scaled model vehicles. Of special relevance is the transfer of relevant parameters to the full size vehicle. In this paper a method based on similitude analysis is developed for validation and verification of driving tests for autonomous vehicles. This method is described for a lane change manoeuvre for a 1:5 scaled vehicle belonging to the Institute of Mechatronics and System Dynamics at the Gerhard-Mercator-Universitaet Duisburg. (orig.) [German] In der autonomen Fahrzeugfuehrung stellt die experimentelle Verifikation und Validierung von theoretischen Ergebnissen hinsichtlich fahrdynamischer Eigenschaften eine grosse Herausforderung dar. Die Ursachen hierfuer liegen zum einen in den hohen Kosten, welche bei Fahrversuchen entstehen, und zum anderen im Unfallrisiko fuer den Versuchstraeger und die am Versuch beteiligten Personen. Eine Moeglichkeit diese Nachteile zu umgehen und gleichzeitig experimentelle Ergebnisse zu bekommen, besteht in der Verwendung massstabgetreuer Modellfahrzeuge. Von besonderer Bedeutung ist hier die Uebertragung relevanter Parameter auf das reale Fahrzeug. In diesem Beitrag wird daher mit Hilfe von aehnlichkeitstheoretischen Ueberlegungen ein Konzept zur experimentellen Verifikation und Validierung von Fahrversuchen auf Basis eines am Institut fuer Mechatronik und Systemdynamik der Gerhard-Mercator-Universitaet Duisburg vorhandenen Fahrzeugmodells (Massstab 1:5) anhand eines Spurwechselmanoevers vorgestellt. (orig.)

Feasible Path Planning for Autonomous Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vu Trieu Minh

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to find feasible path planning algorithms for nonholonomic vehicles including flatness, polynomial, and symmetric polynomial trajectories subject to the real vehicle dynamical constraints. Performances of these path planning methods are simulated and compared to evaluate the more realistic and smoother generated trajectories. Results show that the symmetric polynomial algorithm provides the smoothest trajectory. Therefore, this algorithm is recommended for the development of an automatic control for autonomous vehicles.

The second generation turbosteamer.Vehicle integration as a key for an effective utilization of waste heat; Der Turbosteamer der 2. Generation. Fahrzeugintegration als Schluessel zur effizienten Abwaermenutzung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horst, Tilmann Abbe; Seifert, Marco; Schmidt, Christian [BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH, Muenchen (Germany); Zuck, Bernhard [BMW AG, Muenchen (Germany); Spliethoff, Hartmut [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Energiesysteme

2012-11-01

Waste heat recovery is a promising approach for achieving further reductions in fuel consumption and, as a result, exhaust emissions. In 2005, the potential of a system based on the Rankine cycle was demonstrated for the first time with the BMW Turbosteamer. For the second generation, the system design has been thoroughly simplified. In the current setup, heat is taken in from the exhaust gas of the engine and the heat from condensation is transferred to the existing cooling system. Steam expansion is accomplished by an impulse turbine with high power density. Integration of this system into the thermal management of the engine poses a great challenge. Interactions between the exhaust system, the cooling system and the waste heat recovery system have to be considered to enable efficient operation in a passenger car. For example, the operation range is limited by the exhaust gas backpressure that is generated in the evaporator. Another consideration is that additional heat rejection to the cooling system may not affect the thermal safety of the engine. In this paper, the second generation Turbosteamer and the latest findings regarding system design, development of the key components and vehicle integration are presented. Analysis of the interactions with the engine thermal management leads to a recommendation for the optimal operating range and strategy of the waste heat recovery system. The influence of the integration effects on the system efficiency are evaluated on this basis. (orig.)

EDF - Electricite de France, 2003 First Half Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-10-01

The EDF Group is an integrated energy supplier operating in a wide range of electricity-related businesses: generation, transmission, distribution, sale and trading of energy. It is the main operator in the French electricity market and one of the leading electricity groups in Europe. The EDF Group has built a business model balanced between deregulated and regulated operations in France and an international presence. This document is EDF Group's first half results for 2003. It contains a presentation of the First Half Developments and Outlook and the Financial Results, followed by the consolidated half year financial statements for the period ended 30 June 2003

Dual rotor single- stator axial air gap PMSM motor/generator drive for high torque vehicles applications

Science.gov (United States)

Tutelea, L. N.; Deaconu, S. I.; Boldea, I.; Popa, G. N.

2014-03-01

The actual e - continuously variable transmission (e-CVT) solution for the parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) requires two electric machines, two inverters, and a planetary gear. A distinct electric generator and a propulsion electric motor, both with full power converters, are typical for a series HEV. In an effort to simplify the planetary-geared e-CVT for the parallel HEV or the series HEV we hereby propose to replace the basically two electric machines and their two power converters by a single, axial-air-gap, electric machine central stator, fed from a single PWM converter with dual frequency voltage output and two independent PM rotors, destined for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and military vehicles applications. The proposed topologies and the magneto-motive force analysis are the core of the paper.

Dual rotor single- stator axial air gap PMSM motor/generator drive for high torque vehicles applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

University of Timisoara, Electrical Engineering Department, Vasile Parvan str., no. 1-2, 300223 Timisoara (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Politehnica University of Timisoara, Electrical Engineering Department, Vasile Parvan str., no. 1-2, 300223 Timisoara (Romania))" >Tutelea, L N; University of Timisoara, Electrical Engineering Department, Vasile Parvan str., no. 1-2, 300223 Timisoara (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Politehnica University of Timisoara, Electrical Engineering Department, Vasile Parvan str., no. 1-2, 300223 Timisoara (Romania))" >Boldea, I; University of Timisoara, Department of Electrotechnical Engineering and Industrial Informatics, 5 Revolution Street, Hunedoara, 331128 (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Politehnica University of Timisoara, Department of Electrotechnical Engineering and Industrial Informatics, 5 Revolution Street, Hunedoara, 331128 (Romania))" >Deaconu, S I; University of Timisoara, Department of Electrotechnical Engineering and Industrial Informatics, 5 Revolution Street, Hunedoara, 331128 (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Politehnica University of Timisoara, Department of Electrotechnical Engineering and Industrial Informatics, 5 Revolution Street, Hunedoara, 331128 (Romania))" >Popa, G N

2014-01-01

The actual e – continuously variable transmission (e-CVT) solution for the parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) requires two electric machines, two inverters, and a planetary gear. A distinct electric generator and a propulsion electric motor, both with full power converters, are typical for a series HEV. In an effort to simplify the planetary-geared e-CVT for the parallel HEV or the series HEV we hereby propose to replace the basically two electric machines and their two power converters by a single, axial-air-gap, electric machine central stator, fed from a single PWM converter with dual frequency voltage output and two independent PM rotors, destined for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and military vehicles applications. The proposed topologies and the magneto-motive force analysis are the core of the paper

Connected vehicles and cybersecurity.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Connected vehicles are a next-generation technology in vehicles and in infrastructure that will make travel safer, cleaner, and more efficient. The advanced wireless technology enables vehicles to share and communicate information with each other and...

The new car market for electric vehicles and the potential for fuel substitution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kihm, Alexander; Trommer, Stefan

2014-01-01

Electric vehicles are expected to significantly reduce road transport emissions, given an increasingly renewable power generation. While technological issues are more and more being overcome, the economic viability and thus possible adoption is still constrained, mainly by higher prices than for conventional vehicles. In our work we analyze possible market developments for electric vehicles with an application to Germany. We develop a drivetrain choice model with economical, technical and social constraints on the current vehicle registrations and inventory. It estimates the demand for electric vehicles until 2030 for private and commercially registered cars as well as light commercial vehicles. The results show a replacement potential of almost one third of the total German annual mileage for these vehicles. The result has a high granularity to allow for detailed emission calculation along different spatial areas as well as vehicle and engine types. Besides a baseline forecast, our method allows for calculating different scenarios regarding policy actions or the future development of important parameters such as energy prices. The results provide insights for policy measures as well as for transport and environmental modeling. - Highlights: • We model the potential German market for electric vehicles using total cost of ownership. • The results show a substitution potential of one third of the total German annual mileage. • Plug-in hybrid drivetrains outperform battery electric ones due to their cost advantages. • Suburbia around large cities is the largest market for EVs. • The first main vehicle categories for EVs are large and medium-sized company cars

Maneuverability Strategy for Assistive Vehicles Navigating within Confined Spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Auat Cheein

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In this work, a path planning strategy for both a car-like and a unicycle type assistive vehicles is presented. The assistive vehicles are confined to restricted environments. The path planning strategy uses the environment information to generate a kinematically plausible path to be followed by the vehicle. The environment information is provided by a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping algorithm implemented on the vehicles. The map generated by the SLAM algorithm compensates the lack of sensor at the back of the vehicles' chassis. A Monte Carlo-based technique is used to find the optimum path given the SLAM information. A visual and user-friendly interface enhances the user-vehicle communication allowing him/her to select a desired position and orientation (pose that the vehicle should reach within the mapped environment. A trajectory controller drives the vehicle until it reaches a neighborhood of the desired pose. Several real-time experimental results within real environments are also shown herein.

Coordinated operation of a neighborhood of smart households comprising electric vehicles, energy storage and distributed generation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paterakis, N.G.; Erdinc, O.; Pappi, I.N.; Bakirtzis, A.G.; Catalao, J.P.S.

2016-01-01

In this paper, the optimal operation of a neighborhood of smart households in terms of minimizing the total energy procurement cost is analyzed. Each household may comprise several assets such as electric vehicles, controllable appliances, energy storage and distributed generation. Bi-directional

Design and First Results of an UAV-Borne L-Band Radiometer for Multiple Monitoring Purposes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rene Acevo-Herrera

2010-06-01

Full Text Available UAV (unmanned Aerial Vehicle platforms represent a challenging opportunity for the deployment of a number of remote sensors. These vehicles are a cost-effective option in front of manned aerial vehicles (planes and helicopters, are easy to deploy due to the short runways needed, and they allow users to meet the critical requirements of the spatial and temporal resolutions imposed by the instruments. L-band radiometers are an interesting option for obtaining soil moisture maps over local areas with relatively high spatial resolution for precision agriculture, coastal monitoring, estimation of the risk of fires, flood prevention, etc. This paper presents the design of a light-weight, airborne L-band radiometer for deployment in a small UAV, including the hardware and specific software developed for calibration, geo-referencing, and soil moisture retrieval. First results and soil moisture retrievals from different field experiments are presented.

Vehicle technologies, fuel-economy policies, and fuel-consumption rates of Chinese vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huo Hong; He Kebin; Wang, Michael; Yao Zhiliang

2012-01-01

One of the principal ways to reduce transport-related energy use is to reduce fuel-consumption rates of motor vehicles (usually measured in liters of fuel per 100 km). Since 2004, China has implemented policies to improve vehicle technologies and lower the fuel-consumption rates of individual vehicles. Policy evaluation requires accurate and adequate information on vehicle fuel-consumption rates. However, such information, especially for Chinese vehicles under real-world operating conditions, is rarely available from official sources in China. For each vehicle type we first review the vehicle technologies and fuel-economy policies currently in place in China and their impacts. We then derive real-world (or on-road) fuel-consumption rates on the basis of information collected from various sources. We estimate that the real-world fuel-consumption rates of vehicles in China sold in 2009 are 9 L/100 km for light-duty passenger vehicles, 11.4 L/100 km for light-duty trucks, 22 L/100 km for inter-city transport buses, 40 L/100 km for urban transit buses, and 24.9 L/100 km for heavy-duty trucks. These results aid in understanding the levels of fuel consumption of existing Chinese vehicle fleets and the effectiveness of policies in reducing on-road fuel consumption, which can help in designing and evaluating future vehicle energy-efficiency policies. - Highlights: ► Vehicle fuel-consumption rate (VFCR) data are rarely available in China. ► We review the fuel-economy policies currently in place in China and their impacts. ► We derive real-world VFCRs on the basis of information collected from various sources. ► Results aid in understanding the fuel consumption levels of Chinese vehicle fleets. ► Results help in designing and evaluating future vehicle energy-efficiency policies.

Distributed generation incorporated with the thermal generation for optimum operation of a smart grid considering forecast error

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howlader, Harun Or Rashid; Matayoshi, Hidehito; Senjyu, Tomonobu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Optimal operation of the thermal generation for the smart grid system. • Different distributed generations are considered as the power generation sources. • Forecast error of the renewable energy systems is considered. • Controllable loads of the smart houses are considered to achieve the optimal operation. • Economical benefits can be achieved for the smart grid system. - Abstract: This paper concentrates on the optimal operation of the conventional thermal generators with distributed generations for a smart grid considering forecast error. The distributed generations are considered as wind generators, photovoltaic generators, battery energy storage systems in the supply side and a large number of smart houses in the demand side. A smart house consists of the electric vehicle, heat pump, photovoltaic generator and solar collector. The electric vehicle and heat pump are considered as the controllable loads which can compensate the power for the forecast error of renewable energy sources. As a result, power generation cost of the smart grid can reduce through coordinated with distributed generations and thermal units scheduling process. The electric vehicles of the smart house are considered as the spinning reserve in the scheduling process which lead to lessen the additional operation of thermal units. Finally, obtained results of the proposed system have been compared with the conventional method. The conventional method does not consider the electric vehicle in the smart houses. The acquired results demonstrate that total power generation cost of the smart grid has been reduced by the proposed method considering forecast error. Effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified by the extensive simulation results using MATLAB® software

Affordable High Power Density Engine Designs for Personal Air Vehicles, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Next generation General Aviation (GA) Sport Class air vehicles limited to 1200lbs, represent the first opportunity to overhaul the FAA certification process...

Affordable High Power Density Engine Designs for Personal Air Vehicles, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Next generation General Aviation (GA) Sport Class air vehicles limited to 1200lbs, represent the first opportunity to overhaul the FAA certification process...

LINK2009 Phase 1: Development of 2. generation fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling station. Final report; LINK2009 fase 1: Udvikling af 2. gen. braendselscelle koeretoejer og brinttankstation. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-03-15

LINK2009 project was to develop 2nd gen. technologies fuel cell systems for vehicles and 350bar hydrogen refueling stations. Also the LINK2009 project were to ensure a continuously positioning of Denmark and the Scandinavian Region within hydrogen for transport and continue to attract international car manufacturers to conduct demonstration and later market introduction in the region. The LINK2009 project is divided in two phases where this first phase only deals with the development of the 2nd generation technologies, whereas the following phase 2 will include the demonstration hereof as well as additional research activities. This Report describes the results of the phase 1 that was commenced in summer 2008 and ended in late 2009. Phase 1 has resulted in the development of new 2nd generation fuel cell technology for use in a city car and a service vehicle. Stated targets for price and efficiency have been reached and the following demonstration in Phase 2 is to confirm reaching of life time targets. The efficiency of the fuel cell system for the city car has been measured to be 42-48% at a power delivery of respectively 10kW and 2kW, which is significantly above the target of >40%. System simplifications and selection of new components have enabled a 50% reduction in the kW price for the fuel cell system, including 700bar hydrogen storage, now totalling Euro 4.500/kW. This creates sufficient basis for conducting demonstration of the system in vehicles. 9 vehicles are planned to be demonstrated in the following phase 2. Additional 8 vehicles were put in operation in Copenhagen in November 2009. Phase 1 has conducted development of 2nd gen. hydrogen refuelling technology that has resulted in concepts for both 350bar and 700bar refuelling as well as a concept for onsite hydrogen production at refuelling stations. In separate projects the developed 350bar technology has been brought to use in a newly established hydrogen station in Copenhagen, and the hydrogen

Influences on dispatch of power generation when introducing electric drive vehicles in an Irish power system year 2020

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Nina; Mullane, Alan; Meibom, Peter

plants. For the future transport system, electric drive vehicles are expected to be one of the solutions. Introducing different electric drive vehicle penetrations in a power system with a large amount of wind power, changes the usage of the predefined power system. This work presents investigations......Increased focus on global warming and CO2 emissions imply increased focus on the energy system, consisting of the heat, power, and transport systems. Solutions for the heat and power system are increasing penetrations of renewable heat and power generation plants such as wind power and biomass heat...... of different charging regimes’ influence of the power dispatch in the Irish power system. Analyses show an overall cost decrease and CO2 emission increase in the heat and power system with the introduction of electric drive vehicles. Furthermore, increased intelligence in the electric drive vehicle charging...

Geometry Modeling and Adaptive Control of Air-Breathing Hypersonic Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Vick, Tyler Joseph

Air-breathing hypersonic vehicles have the potential to provide global reach and affordable access to space. Recent technological advancements have made scramjet-powered flight achievable, as evidenced by the successes of the X-43A and X-51A flight test programs over the last decade. Air-breathing hypersonic vehicles present unique modeling and control challenges in large part due to the fact that scramjet propulsion systems are highly integrated into the airframe, resulting in strongly coupled and often unstable dynamics. Additionally, the extreme flight conditions and inability to test fully integrated vehicle systems larger than X-51 before flight leads to inherent uncertainty in hypersonic flight. This thesis presents a means to design vehicle geometries, simulate vehicle dynamics, and develop and analyze control systems for hypersonic vehicles. First, a software tool for generating three-dimensional watertight vehicle surface meshes from simple design parameters is developed. These surface meshes are compatible with existing vehicle analysis tools, with which databases of aerodynamic and propulsive forces and moments can be constructed. A six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear dynamics simulation model which incorporates this data is presented. Inner-loop longitudinal and lateral control systems are designed and analyzed utilizing the simulation model. The first is an output feedback proportional-integral linear controller designed using linear quadratic regulator techniques. The second is a model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) which augments this baseline linear controller with an adaptive element. The performance and robustness of each controller are analyzed through simulated time responses to angle-of-attack and bank angle commands, while various uncertainties are introduced. The MRAC architecture enables the controller to adapt in a nonlinear fashion to deviations from the desired response, allowing for improved tracking performance, stability, and

Emission factors from road traffic from a tunnel study (Gubrist tunnel, Switzerland). Part 1 Concept and first results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staehelin, Johannes; Brunner, Dominik; Baumle, Martin [Atmospheric Science, ETH-Hoenggerberg, Zuerich (Switzerland); Schlapfer, Kurt [Carbotech AG, Basel (Switzerland); Burgin, Toni; Meier, Markus [Amt fuer Technische Anlagen und Lufthygiene Kanton Zuerich ATAL, Zuerich (Switzerland); Steinemann, Urs [Ingenieurbuero Steinemann, Wollerau (Switzerland); Schneider, Stefan; Zahner, Christoph; Keiser, Stephan [Planungsbuero Jud AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Stahel, Werner; Keller, Christian [Sem. for Statistics, ETH-Z, Zuerich (Switzerland)

1995-06-22

In the industrialized world a large part of the emission of the primary air pollutants (NO{sub x}, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and CO) originates from road traffic. Here we present the concept and first results of a tunnel study which took place from September 20th to September 26th, 1993, at the Gubrist tunnel (close to Zuerich, Switzerland) in which the emission factors of a large number of individual VOCs, total hydrocarbons (t-HC), CO, NO{sub x} and SO{sub 2} are determined. The first tentative results of the emission factors of NO{sub x}, CO, t-HC and 26 individual hydrocarbons (alkanes and aromatics in the volatility range from n-heptane to n-decane) for the average of all vehicles and the light duty vehicles at an average speed of 90 km/h are given

Perceived Academic Preparedness of First-Generation Latino College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, Karen

2011-01-01

First-generation Latino college students may be characterized as underprepared for college. Research points to low performance on placement tests. However, students may not perceive themselves as academically underprepared for college. This study explored first-generation Latino students' perceptions of their academic preparedness. Seven students…

The sonic window: second generation results

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, William F.; Fuller, Michael I.; Brush, Edward V.; Eames, Matthew D. C.; Owen, Kevin; Ranganathan, Karthik; Blalock, Travis N.; Hossack, John A.

2006-03-01

Medical Ultrasound Imaging is widely used clinically because of its relatively low cost, portability, lack of ionizing radiation, and real-time nature. However, even with these advantages ultrasound has failed to permeate the broad array of clinical applications where its use could be of value. A prime example of this untapped potential is the routine use of ultrasound to guide intravenous access. In this particular application existing systems lack the required portability, low cost, and ease-of-use required for widespread acceptance. Our team has been working for a number of years to develop an extremely low-cost, pocket-sized, and intuitive ultrasound imaging system that we refer to as the "Sonic Window." We have previously described the first generation Sonic Window prototype that was a bench-top device using a 1024 element, fully populated array operating at a center frequency of 3.3 MHz. Through a high degree of custom front-end integration combined with multiplexing down to a 2 channel PC based digitizer this system acquired a full set of RF data over a course of 512 transmit events. While initial results were encouraging, this system exhibited limitations resulting from low SNR, relatively coarse array sampling, and relatively slow data acquisition. We have recently begun assembling a second-generation Sonic Window system. This system uses a 3600 element fully sampled array operating at 5.0 MHz with a 300 micron element pitch. This system extends the integration of the first generation system to include front-end protection, pre-amplification, a programmable bandpass filter, four sample and holds, and four A/D converters for all 3600 channels in a set of custom integrated circuits with a combined area smaller than the 1.8 x 1.8 cm footprint of the transducer array. We present initial results from this front-end and present benchmark results from a software beamformer implemented on the Analog Devices BF-561 DSP. We discuss our immediate plans for further

Aerodynamic Analyses and Database Development for Ares I Vehicle First Stage Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Pamadi, Bandu N.; Pei, Jing; Pinier, Jeremy T.; Holland, Scott D.; Covell, Peter F.; Klopfer, Goetz, H.

2012-01-01

This paper presents the aerodynamic analysis and database development for the first stage separation of the Ares I A106 Crew Launch Vehicle configuration. Separate databases were created for the first stage and upper stage. Each database consists of three components: isolated or free-stream coefficients, power-off proximity increments, and power-on proximity increments. The power-on database consists of three parts, all plumes firing at nominal conditions, the one booster deceleration motor out condition, and the one ullage settling motor out condition. The isolated and power-off incremental databases were developed using wind tunnel test data. The power-on proximity increments were developed using CFD solutions.

Vehicles under electricity. Result booklet; Autos unter Strom. Ergebnisbroschuere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-09-15

The booklet under consideration reports on the environmental relief of electric-driven vehicles by means of the research project OPTUM 'Potentials of environmental relief of electric driven vehicles - Integrated analysis of vehicle usage and energy economy'. Experts from the Institute for Applied Ecology (Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany) and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (Frankfurt (Main), Federal Republic of Germany) are devoted to the following issues: (1) What is the acceptance for electric-driven vehicles?; (2) What is their future market potential?; (3) What are the advantages of electromobility with respect to the climate?; (4) Are their supply shortages concerning major raw materials?.

Torque Split Strategy for Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles with an Integrated Starter Generator

OpenAIRE

Fu, Zhumu; Gao, Aiyun; Wang, Xiaohong; Song, Xiaona

2014-01-01

This paper presents a torque split strategy for parallel hybrid electric vehicles with an integrated starter generator (ISG-PHEV) by using fuzzy logic control. By combining the efficiency map and the optimum torque curve of the internal combustion engine (ICE) with the state of charge (SOC) of the batteries, the torque split strategy is designed, which manages the ICE within its peak efficiency region. Taking the quantified ICE torque, the quantified SOC of the batteries, and the quantified I...

Emissions credits from natural gas vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, J.F.; Kodjak, D.

1997-01-01

Dedicated natural gas vehicles (NGVs) often are capable of testing to lower than federally required engine certification standards. NGVs often meet inherently low emission vehicle (ILEV) and ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) standards. Over the useful life of the vehicle, a significant amount of mobile source emission reduction credits (MSERCs) can be generated. This paper will discuss key elements of establishing a workable methodology to quantify the emissions benefits generated through the purchase and use of heavy-duty natural gas vehicles instead of heavy-duty diesel vehicles. The paper will focus on a public fleet of transit buses owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Agency, the Massachusetts Port Authority, and a private fleet of waste haulers. Public fleets may generate emission credits as a key compliance option to offset emission shortfalls from changes to the Employee Commute Options (ECO) program, the Inspection and Maintenance program, and facilitate annual surface transportation conformity. Private fleets may generate emission credits for open market trading to area and stationary sources seeking to buy credits from mobile sources, where allowed by EPA and state policy

Observers for vehicle tyre/road forces estimation: experimental validation

Science.gov (United States)

Doumiati, M.; Victorino, A.; Lechner, D.; Baffet, G.; Charara, A.

2010-11-01

The motion of a vehicle is governed by the forces generated between the tyres and the road. Knowledge of these vehicle dynamic variables is important for vehicle control systems that aim to enhance vehicle stability and passenger safety. This study introduces a new estimation process for tyre/road forces. It presents many benefits over the existing state-of-art works, within the dynamic estimation framework. One of these major contributions consists of discussing in detail the vertical and lateral tyre forces at each tyre. The proposed method is based on the dynamic response of a vehicle instrumented with potentially integrated sensors. The estimation process is separated into two principal blocks. The role of the first block is to estimate vertical tyre forces, whereas in the second block two observers are proposed and compared for the estimation of lateral tyre/road forces. The different observers are based on a prediction/estimation Kalman filter. The performance of this concept is tested and compared with real experimental data using a laboratory car. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is a promising technique to provide accurate estimation. Thus, it can be considered as a practical low-cost solution for calculating vertical and lateral tyre/road forces.

Assessment of future natural gas vehicle concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Groten, B.; Arrigotti, S.

1992-10-01

The development of Natural Gas Vehicles is progressing rapidly under the stimulus of recent vehicle emission regulations. The development is following what can be viewed as a three step progression. In the first step, contemporary gasoline or diesel fueled automobiles are retrofitted with equipment enabling the vehicle to operate on either natural gas or standard liquid fuels. The second step is the development of vehicles which utilize traditional internal combustion engines that have been modified to operate exclusively on natural gas. These dedicated natural gas vehicles operate more efficiently and have lower emissions than the dual fueled vehicles. The third step is the redesigning, from the ground up, of a vehicle aimed at exploiting the advantages of natural gas as an automotive fuel while minimizing its disadvantages. The current report is aimed at identifying the R&D needs in various fuel storage and engine combinations which have potential for providing increased efficiency, reduced emissions, and reductions in vehicle weight and size. Fuel suppliers, automobile and engine manufacturers, many segments of the natural gas and other industries, and regulatory authorities will influence or be affected by the development of such a third generation vehicle, and it is recommended that GRI act to bring these groups together in the near future to begin, developing the focus on a 'designed-for-natural-gas' vehicle.

View of the Lunar Module 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

Science.gov (United States)

1972-01-01

A view of the Lunar Module (LM) 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), as photographed by Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Descates landing site. Astronaut John W. Young, commander, can be seen directly behind the LRV. The lunar surface feature in the left background is Stone Mountain.

An overview of experimental results and dispersion modelling of nanoparticles in the wake of moving vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpentieri, Matteo; Kumar, Prashant; Robins, Alan

2011-03-01

Understanding the transformation of nanoparticles emitted from vehicles is essential for developing appropriate methods for treating fine scale particle dynamics in dispersion models. This article provides an overview of significant research work relevant to modelling the dispersion of pollutants, especially nanoparticles, in the wake of vehicles. Literature on vehicle wakes and nanoparticle dispersion is reviewed, taking into account field measurements, wind tunnel experiments and mathematical approaches. Field measurements and modelling studies highlighted the very short time scales associated with nanoparticle transformations in the first stages after the emission. These transformations strongly interact with the flow and turbulence fields immediately behind the vehicle, hence the need of characterising in detail the mixing processes in the vehicle wake. Very few studies have analysed this interaction and more research is needed to build a basis for model development. A possible approach is proposed and areas of further investigation identified. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid vehicle powertrain system with power take-off driven vehicle accessory

Science.gov (United States)

Beaty, Kevin D.; Bockelmann, Thomas R.; Zou, Zhanijang; Hope, Mark E.; Kang, Xiaosong; Carpenter, Jeffrey L.

2006-09-12

A hybrid vehicle powertrain system includes a first prime mover, a first prime mover driven power transmission mechanism having a power take-off adapted to drive a vehicle accessory, and a second prime mover. The second prime mover is operable to drive the power transmission mechanism alone or in combination with the first prime mover to provide power to the power take-off through the power transmission mechanism. The invention further includes methods for operating a hybrid vehicle powertrain system.

Hybrid vehicle control

Science.gov (United States)

Shallvari, Iva; Velnati, Sashidhar; DeGroot, Kenneth P.

2015-07-28

A method and apparatus for heating a catalytic converter's catalyst to an efficient operating temperature in a hybrid electric vehicle when the vehicle is in a charge limited mode such as e.g., the charge depleting mode or when the vehicle's high voltage battery is otherwise charge limited. The method and apparatus determine whether a high voltage battery of the vehicle is incapable of accepting a first amount of charge associated with a first procedure to warm-up the catalyst. If it is determined that the high voltage battery is incapable of accepting the first amount of charge, a second procedure with an acceptable amount of charge is performed to warm-up the catalyst.

Coupling vibration research on Vehicle-bridge system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jiguo; Wang, Guihua

2018-01-01

The vehicle-bridge coupling system forms when vehicle running on a bridge. It will generate a relatively large influence on the driving comfort and driving safe when the vibration of the vehicle is bigger. A three-dimensional vehicle-bridge system with biaxial seven degrees of freedom has been establish in this paper based on finite numerical simulation. Adopting the finite element transient numerical simulation to realize the numerical simulation of vehicle-bridge system coupling vibration. Then, analyze the dynamic response of vehicle and bridge while different numbers of vehicles running on the bridge. Got the variation rule of vertical vibration of car body and bridge, and that of the contact force between the wheel and bridge deck. The research results have a reference value for the analysis about the vehicle running on a large-span cabled bridge.

Effects of strain differences and vehicles on results of local lymph node assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzai, Takayuki; Ullmann, Ludwig G; Hayashi, Daisuke; Satoh, Tetsuo; Kumazawa, Takeshi; Sato, Keizo

2010-01-01

The Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) is now regarded as the worldwide standard. The analysis of accumulated LLNA data reveals that the animal strains and vehicles employed are likely to affect LLNA results. Here we show that an obvious strain difference in the local lymph node response was observed between DMSO-treated CBA/CaOlaHsd and CBA/CaHsdRcc mice. We also show that a vehicle difference in the response was observed when CBA/CaHsdRcc mice were exposed to 6 vehicles; 4:1 v/v acetone/olive oil (AOO), ethanol/water (70% EtOH), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), 2-butanone (BN), propylene glycol (PG), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The dpm/LN level was lowest in the 70% EtOH group and highest in the DMSO group. When alpha-hexylcinnamaldehyde (HCA) was used as a sensitizer for the LLNA, HCA was a weak sensitizer when AOO or DMSO was used as a vehicle, but a moderate sensitizer when the other 4 vehicles were used. This study showed that there are vehicle differences in the local lymph node response (dpm/LN level) in the LLNA and that the sensitization potency of HCA may be classified in different categories when using different vehicles. This suggests that careful consideration should be exercised in selecting a vehicle for the LLNA. A further comprehensive study will be needed to investigate why vehicle differences are observed in the LLNA.

Night-Time Vehicle Detection Algorithm Based on Visual Saliency and Deep Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingfeng Cai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Night vision systems get more and more attention in the field of automotive active safety field. In this area, a number of researchers have proposed far-infrared sensor based night-time vehicle detection algorithm. However, existing algorithms have low performance in some indicators such as the detection rate and processing time. To solve this problem, we propose a far-infrared image vehicle detection algorithm based on visual saliency and deep learning. Firstly, most of the nonvehicle pixels will be removed with visual saliency computation. Then, vehicle candidate will be generated by using prior information such as camera parameters and vehicle size. Finally, classifier trained with deep belief networks will be applied to verify the candidates generated in last step. The proposed algorithm is tested in around 6000 images and achieves detection rate of 92.3% and processing time of 25 Hz which is better than existing methods.

Optimization of municipal waste collection scheduling and routing using vehicle assignment problem (case study of Surabaya city waste collection)

Science.gov (United States)

Ramdhani, M. N.; Baihaqi, I.; Siswanto, N.

2018-04-01

Waste collection and disposal become a major problem for many metropolitan cities. Growing population, limited vehicles, and increased road traffic make the waste transportation become more complex. Waste collection involves some key considerations, such as vehicle assignment, vehicle routes, and vehicle scheduling. In the scheduling process, each vehicle has a scheduled departure that serve each route. Therefore, vehicle’s assignments should consider the time required to finish one assigment on that route. The objective of this study is to minimize the number of vehicles needed to serve all routes by developing a mathematical model which uses assignment problem approach. The first step is to generated possible routes from the existing routes, followed by vehicle assignments for those certain routes. The result of the model shows fewer vehicles required to perform waste collection asa well as the the number of journeys that the vehicle to collect the waste to the landfill. The comparison of existing conditions with the model result indicates that the latter’s has better condition than the existing condition because each vehicle with certain route has an equal workload, all the result’s model has the maximum of two journeys for each route.

Preventing passenger vehicle occupant injuries by vehicle design--a historical perspective from IIHS.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, Brian

2009-04-01

Motor vehicle crashes result in some 1.2 million deaths and many more injuries worldwide each year and is one of the biggest public health problems facing societies today. This article reviews the history of, and future potential for, one important countermeasure-designing vehicles that reduce occupant deaths and injuries. For many years, people had urged automakers to add design features to reduce crash injuries, but it was not until the mid-1960s that the idea of pursuing vehicle countermeasures gained any significant momentum. In 1966, the U.S. Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, requiring the government to issue a comprehensive set of vehicle safety standards. This was the first broad set of requirements issued anywhere in the world, and within a few years similar standards were adopted in Europe and Australia. Early vehicle safety standards specified a variety of safety designs resulting in cars being equipped with lap/shoulder belts, energy-absorbing steering columns, crash-resistant door locks, high-penetration-resistant windshields, etc. Later, the standards moved away from specifying particular design approaches and instead used crash tests and instrumented dummies to set limits on the potential for serious occupant injuries by crash mode. These newer standards paved the way for an approach that used the marketplace, in addition to government regulation, to improve vehicle safety designs-using crash tests and instrumented dummies to provide consumers with comparative safety ratings for new vehicles. The approach began in the late 1970s, when NHTSA started publishing injury measures from belted dummies in new passenger vehicles subjected to frontal barrier crash tests at speeds somewhat higher than specified in the corresponding regulation. This program became the world's first New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and rated frontal crashworthiness by awarding stars (five stars being the best and one the worst) derived from head

Electric vehicle battery charging controller

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2016-01-01

The present invention provides an electric vehicle charging controller. The charging controller comprises a first interface connectable to an electric vehicle charge source for receiving a charging current, a second interface connectable to an electric vehicle for providing the charging current...... to a battery management system in the electric vehicle to charge a battery therein, a first communication unit for receiving a charging message via a communication network, and a control unit for controlling a charging current provided from the charge source to the electric vehicle, the controlling at least...... in part being performed in response to a first information associated with a charging message received by the first communication unit...

Parent-Student Communication about College and Freshman Grades in First-Generation and Non-First-Generation Students

Science.gov (United States)

Palbusa, Julienne A.; Gauvain, Mary

2017-01-01

Prior research has found that students whose parents attended college begin college with more understanding of higher education than do first-generation students (Engle, 2007). Parents pass on knowledge along with advice and emotional support that help their children when they encounter new challenges, such as the transition to college. This study…

A General Overview of Electric Road Vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamblin, Veronique

2018-01-01

In July 2017 Nicolas Hulot, the French Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, presented a climate plan featuring an end to electricity generation from coal by 2022, a reduction in the nuclear component of electricity supply by one third, a total ban on the sale of petrol or diesel cars by 2040 and an incentive scheme designed gradually to remove polluting vehicles from the roads. Other European partners are following suit and promoting the spread of electric vehicles (Norway, Germany, Netherlands etc.). Yet is this the panacea that will meet the targets for greenhouse gas reduction in the battle against climate change? Futuribles examines the question in this issue with two articles: the first of these by Pierre Bonnaure, above, assesses the forces driving the spread of electric cars and the impediments to that process; this second article by Veronique Lamblin offers a general over - view of electric road vehicles (passenger cars, heavy good vehicles, bicycles etc.) throughout the world. (author)

Novice Drivers' Exposure to Known Risk Factors During the First 18 Months of Licensure: The Effect of Vehicle Ownership

Science.gov (United States)

Klauer, Sheila G.; Simons-Morton, Bruce; Lee, Suzanne E.; Ouimet, Marie Claude; Howard, E. Henry; Dingus, Thomas A.

2014-01-01

Objective Though there is ample research indicating that nighttime, teen passengers, and speeding increase the risk of crash involvement, there is little research about teen drivers' exposure to these known risk factors. Three research questions were assessed in this article: (1) Does exposure to known risk factors change over time? (2) Do teenage drivers experience higher rates of exposure to known risk factors than adult drivers? (3) Do teenage drivers who own a vehicle experience higher rates of exposure to risk factors than those who share a family vehicle? Methods Forty-one newly licensed teenage drivers and at least one parent (adult) were recruited at licensure. Driving data were recorded for 18 months. Results Average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or average nighttime VMT for teens did not increase over time. Teenagers consistently drove 24 percent of VMT at night, compared with 18 percent for adults. Teenagers drove 62 percent of VMT with no passengers, 29 percent of VMT with one passenger, and less than 10 percent of VMT with multiple passengers. Driving with no passengers increased with driving experience for these teens. Teenage drivers who owned their vehicles, relative to those who shared a vehicle, sped 4 times more frequently overall and more frequently at night and with multiple teen passengers. Conclusion These findings are among the first objective data documenting the nature of teenage driving exposure to known risk factors. The findings provide evidence that vehicle access is related to risk and suggest the potential safety benefit of parental management of novice teenage driving exposure. PMID:21469023

The electric vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez duran, R.

2010-01-01

The decarbonization of transport is a key element in both energy and environmental European policies as well as one of the levers that will help us achieve the goals of improving energy efficiency, reducing CO 2 emissions and energy dependence. The use of electricity compared to other low-carbon fuels such as bio fuels and hydrogen has the advantage of its existing infrastructure (power generation plants, transmission and distribution networks), being only necessary to developed recharging infrastructures. We emphasize the role of electricity networks and their evolution, which will enable to manage demand and maximise the potential of renewable energies. The idea of an electric vehicle is not a recent one but dates back to the beginning of the last century, when first units appeared. Unfortunately, technological barriers were too high at the time to let them succeed. Namely those barriers limited the range of the electric vehicle due to problems with battery recharges. Nowadays, those difficulties have almost been solved and we can state that institutional support and coordination among all actors involved have made the electric vehicle a plausible reality. While the technological improvements needed for the electric vehicle to become cost competitive are carried out, the plug-in hybrid vehicle represents the intermediate step to reach a total decarbonization of transport. Endesa is committed to this revolution in transport mobility and believes that now is the right time to focus our efforts on it. Our goal is to contribute to a more balanced and sustainable world in the near future. (Author)

Study on the Tribological Characteristics of Australian Native First Generation and Second Generation Biodiesel Fuel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Mofijur Rahman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Biodiesels are a renewable energy source, and they have the potential to be used as alternatives to diesel fuel. The aim of this study is to investigate the wear and friction characteristics of Australian native first generation and second generation biodiesels using a four-ball tribo tester. The biodiesel was produced through a two-step transesterification process and characterized according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM standards. The tribological experiment was carried out at a constant 1800 rpm and different loads and temperatures. In addition, the surface morphology of the ball was tested by scanning electron microscope (SEM/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX analysis. The test results indicated that biodiesel fuels have a lower coefficient of frictions (COF and lower wear scar diameter (WSD up to 83.50% and 41.28%, respectively, compared to conventional diesel fuel. The worn surface area results showed that biodiesel fuel has a minimum percentage of C and O, except Fe, compared to diesel. In addition, the worn surface area for diesel was found (2.20%–27.92% to be higher than biodiesel. The findings of this study indicated that both first and second generation biodiesel fuels have better tribological performance than diesel fuel, and between the biodiesel fuels, macadamia biodiesel showed better lubrication performance.

Monitoring results of two PBS demonstration vehicles in the forestry industry in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nordengen, Paul A

2010-03-01

Full Text Available and manufactured to comply with the Level 2 safety standards of the Australian PBS system. This paper presents a summary of the monitoring data compiled during the first nine months of operation of the two PBS demonstration vehicles, which were commissioned...

An overview of experimental results and dispersion modelling of nanoparticles in the wake of moving vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpentieri, Matteo; Kumar, Prashant; Robins, Alan

2011-01-01

Understanding the transformation of nanoparticles emitted from vehicles is essential for developing appropriate methods for treating fine scale particle dynamics in dispersion models. This article provides an overview of significant research work relevant to modelling the dispersion of pollutants, especially nanoparticles, in the wake of vehicles. Literature on vehicle wakes and nanoparticle dispersion is reviewed, taking into account field measurements, wind tunnel experiments and mathematical approaches. Field measurements and modelling studies highlighted the very short time scales associated with nanoparticle transformations in the first stages after the emission. These transformations strongly interact with the flow and turbulence fields immediately behind the vehicle, hence the need of characterising in detail the mixing processes in the vehicle wake. Very few studies have analysed this interaction and more research is needed to build a basis for model development. A possible approach is proposed and areas of further investigation identified. - Research highlights: → Nanoparticle emissions experience very short transformation time scales. → Vehicle wakes need to be characterised to analyse nanoparticle dispersion. → Fast response measurements of nanoparticle evolution in vehicle wakes are very rare. → Wind tunnel methodologies can be further improved to include nanoparticle dynamics. → A simple mathematical approach has been proposed for future development. - The transformation of nanoparticles and the flow characteristics in both the near and far wake regions must be understood in order to develop mathematical models.

Potency of Thermoelectric Generator for Hybrid Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nandy Putra

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Thermoelectric Generator (TEG has been known as electricity generation for many years. If the temperature difference occurred between two difference semi conductor materials, the current will flow in the material and produced difference voltage. This principle is known as Seebeck effect that is the opposite of Peltier effect Thermoelectric Cooling (TEC. This research was conducted to test the potential of electric source from twelve peltier modules. Then, these thermoelectric generators were applied in hybrid car by using waste heat from the combustion engine. The experiment has been conducted with variations of peltier module arrangements (series and parallels and heater as heat source for the thermoelectric generator, with variations of heater voltage input (110V and 220V applied. The experimental result showed that twelve of peltier modules arranged in series and heater voltage of 220V generated power output of 8.11 Watts with average temperature difference of 42.82°C. This result shows that TEG has a bright prospect as alternative electric source.

Emission control of hybrid vehicles. What are the resulting requirements?; Abgasnachbehandlung bei Hybridfahrzeugen. Welche Anforderungen ergeben sich daraus?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spurk, Paul; Mueller, Wilfried [Umicore AG und Co.KG, Hanau (Germany); Beidl, Christian; Weickgenannt, Philipp [TU Darmstadt (Germany); Hohenberg, Guenter [IVD Prof. Hohenberg, Darmstadt (Germany)

2010-07-01

In hybrid powertrain systems the operation of the combustion engine is changed in comparison to an internal combustion or IC engine - only systems. This causes new boundary conditions and challenges for an optimized design of the exhaust aftertreatment system. These specific behavior characteristics have been identified based on results measured with a Toyota Prius III test vehicle on a both chassis dynamometer and road cycle evaluation. NEDC cycle results show a characteristic reduction of catalyst temperature compared to a conventional powertrain as the combustion engine is switched on for only approx. 40% of the cycle time. A further challenge can be identified in hybrid specific events, e.g. when the restart of the engine follows a short standstill period, resulting in high engine out emissions which need to be properly converted by the catalyst. It can also be clearly recognized that the state of charge of the traction battery has significant impact on the emission behavior. Furthermore the highly interesting question about the influence of plug-in hybrid systems with extended periods of electric-only driving needs to be addressed. A test sequence with simulated plug-in operation in which the combustion engine is only active in the EUDC part of the cycle shows the expected reduction of CO{sub 2} - emission but an increase in engine out NOx - emission. An important aspect is given by the cooling behavior of the exhaust system during the engine shut-off time. Detailed knowledge of this behavior is key for generating efficient operating strategies without emission deterioration. ''Real world'' load profiles are required for this task and are derived from the Darmstadt Urban and Extra Urban Cycle road tests. The test vehicle with series application and fresh catalytic converters is safely below the Euro V emission limits under all circumstances. Thus a certain potential can be seen for reducing the precious metal loading with a corresponding

The interaction between EU biofuel policy and first- and second-generation biodiesel production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boutesteijn, C.; Drabik, D.; Venus, T.J.

2017-01-01

We build a tractable partial equilibrium model to study the interactions between the EU biofuel policies (mandate and double-counting of second-generation biofuels) and first- and second-generation biodiesel production. We find that increasing the biodiesel mandate results in a higher share of

The development of the 3. generation electric scooter in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, J.P.H.; Wu, C.T.; Hsu, C.T.; Wu, C.T.; Lo, S.-M.; Hsiau, C.

2000-01-01

At the present time, there are approximately 25,000 electric scooters in operation in Taiwan. Most of the customers so far have complained about the cruising range, vehicle weight, charging time, and vehicle cost. Two generations of electric scooters have already been developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the first generation used valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries, while the second generation used nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. Production of the first generation of electric scooters began in September, 1999 while the second generation is still in the cost-down engineering phase. The Government had established mandatory sales regulations, and in order to support this program and improve the overall vehicle performance, ITRI is now developing the third generation, utilizing a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, in addition to higher power-electronic efficiency systems. The stated objectives of the development program for the third generation are performance improvements of 25 per cent for weight, 50 per cent for the cruising range, 20 per cent for total energy efficiency, 300 per cent longer battery life at no cost increase after the government subsidy. If the goals are met, the third generation electric scooter could replace most of the 50 cc gasoline scooters in operation in Asia. Included in the presentation are the major technical facets of development for the third generation. Aluminum-casting frame is scheduled to replace the steel-welding frame. Lithium-ion battery is equipped with a battery management system to optimize battery cells and protect them. The phase angle and flux-weakening of the motor and controller are being optimized in order to increase the torque at low and high speed. The two-stage gear transmission is replaced with a single-stage timing belt transmission of a new design. The total efficiency of the vehicle will be monitored by a centralized vehicle energy management system that will control the

Impact of stent length on clinical outcomes of first-generation and new-generation drug-eluting stents.

Science.gov (United States)

Konishi, Hirokazu; Miyauchi, Katsumi; Dohi, Tomotaka; Tsuboi, Shuta; Ogita, Manabu; Naito, Ryo; Kasai, Takatoshi; Tamura, Hiroshi; Okazaki, Shinya; Isoda, Kikuo; Daida, Hiroyuki

2016-04-01

The aim of this study is to compare first- and new-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) which are implanted in long lesion. Stent length is known to be a predictor of adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), even with the first-generation DESs. The introduction of new-generation DESs has reduced the rates of adverse clinical events. However, the impact of stent length on long-term clinical outcomes is not well known. A total of 1181 consecutive patients who underwent PCI using either a first-generation DES (n = 885) or a new-generation DES (n = 296) between 2004 and 2011 were investigated. In each of the stent groups, the patients were divided into two groups by stent length (>32 and ≤32 mm) and compared. During the follow-up period, the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) was significantly higher for patients with long stents implanted than with short stents (P stent groups in the new-generation DES group (P = 0.24; log-rank test). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, stent length was not associated with adverse events in the new-generation DES groups [hazard ratio (HR) 0.87; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 0.71-1.04; P = 0.14]. Implanted stent length was significantly associated with a higher risk of MACEs in patients who received first-generation DESs, but not in patients who received the new-generation DESs.

SEVIRI, the imaging radiometer on Meteosat second generation: in-orbit results and first assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Coste, P.; Pasternak, F.; Faure, F.; Jacquet, B.; Bianchi, S.; Aminou, Donny M. A.; Luhmann, H. J.; Hanson, C.; Pili, P.; Fowler, G.

2017-11-01

Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a series of 3 geo-stationary satellites developed and procured by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The first satellite (MSG-1) was launched on August 29, 2002 by an Ariane 5 rocket. SEVIRI is the main MSG payload and produces 12 channels imaging in visible and IR range. The 8 Infrared Channels in the 3.9-13.4 mm band benefit from high radiometric performances thanks to the use of detectors operating at 95K and cooled by specifically designed passive radiator. During the commissioning phase, dedicated tests have been conducted to verify the SEVIRI functionality and performances. This paper presents briefly the SEVIRI design and highlights the correlation of data obtained in-flight by EUMETSAT with the ground predictions. A particular emphasis is put on the in-orbit evolution of the IR channel gains and on the instrument decontamination.

A Column Generation Approach to the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Christian Holk; Lysgaard, Jens

. The CVRPSD can be formulated as a Set Partitioning Problem. We show that, under the above assumptions on demands, the associated column generation subproblem can be solved using a dynamic programming scheme which is similar to that used in the case of deterministic demands. To evaluate the potential of our......In this article we introduce a new exact solution approach to the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demands (CVRPSD). In particular, we consider the case where all customer demands are distributed independently and where each customer's demand follows a Poisson distribution...

Effectiveness of vehicle weight enforcement in a developing country using weigh-in-motion sorting system considering vehicle by-pass and enforcement capability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Rehan Karim

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Vehicle overloading has been identified as one of the major contributors to road pavement damage in Malaysia. In this study, the weigh-in-motion (WIM system has been used to function as a vehicle weight sorting tool to complement the exsiting static weigh bridge enforcement station. Data collected from the developed system is used to explore the effectiveness of using WIM system in terms of generating more accurate data for enforcement purposes and at the same time improving safety and reducing the number of vehicle weight violations on the roads. This study specifically focus on the effect of vehicle by-pass and static weigh station enforcement capability on the overall effectiveness of vehicle weight enforcement system in a developing country. Results from this study suggest that the WIM system will significantly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the current vehicle weight enforcement, thus generating substantial revenue that would greatly off-set the current road maintenance budget that comes from tax payers money. If there is substantial reduction in overloaded vehicles, the public will still gain through reduction in road maintenance budget, less accident risks involving heavy trucks, and lesser greenhouse gases (GHGs emissions.

Performance Evaluation of Electrochem's PEM Fuel Cell Power Plant for NASA's 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Kimble, Michael C.; Hoberecht, Mark

2003-01-01

NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program is being developed to meet national needs for civil and commercial space access with goals of reducing the launch costs, increasing the reliability, and reducing the maintenance and operating costs. To this end, NASA is considering an all- electric capability for NGLT vehicles requiring advanced electrical power generation technology at a nominal 20 kW level with peak power capabilities six times the nominal power. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been identified as a viable candidate to supply this electrical power; however, several technology aspects need to be assessed. Electrochem, Inc., under contract to NASA, has developed a breadboard power generator to address these technical issues with the goal of maximizing the system reliability while minimizing the cost and system complexity. This breadboard generator operates with dry hydrogen and oxygen gas using eductors to recirculate the gases eliminating gas humidification and blowers from the system. Except for a coolant pump, the system design incorporates passive components allowing the fuel cell to readily follow a duty cycle profile and that may operate at high 6:1 peak power levels for 30 second durations. Performance data of the fuel cell stack along with system performance is presented to highlight the benefits of the fuel cell stack design and system design for NGLT vehicles.

Trade-off results and preliminary designs of Near-Term Hybrid Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Sandberg, J. J.

1980-01-01

Phase I of the Near-Term Hybrid Vehicle Program involved the development of preliminary designs of electric/heat engine hybrid passenger vehicles. The preliminary designs were developed on the basis of mission analysis, performance specification, and design trade-off studies conducted independently by four contractors. THe resulting designs involve parallel hybrid (heat engine/electric) propulsion systems with significant variation in component selection, power train layout, and control strategy. Each of the four designs is projected by its developer as having the potential to substitute electrical energy for 40% to 70% of the petroleum fuel consumed annually by its conventional counterpart.

Impacts of plug-in electric vehicles in a balancing area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Razeghi, Ghazal; Samuelsen, Scott

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Unit commitment methodology is used to determine BEV impact on electricity market. • Roles of charging profile, dispatch strategy and interconnecting area are assessed. • Results show that impact of BEV on cost of electricity generation is small. • Controlled BEV charging can lower emissions intensity of the grid and MCP. • BEV deployment helps reduce overall criteria pollutant emissions. - Abstract: High contributions of the electricity generation and transportation sectors to criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in an increased interest and shift towards low to non-carbon generation options such as renewable wind and solar, and alternative transportation options including plug-in electric vehicles. Since plug-in electric vehicles transfer the tailpipe emissions to the electric grid, it is important to study the interaction between the two sectors. In this paper, a previously developed spatially and temporally resolved unit commitment model is used to determine the dispatch schedule of resources with and without battery electric vehicles for 2050 in a fictitious balancing area located within the South Coast Air Basin of California. Cases studied include various charging profiles, penetration in light-duty fleet, imports mix, and grid dispatch strategies. Results of the analysis include average cost of electricity production, market clearing price, temporal production of individual generators, and emissions from electricity generation and the transportation sectors. The results show that deploying battery electric vehicles (1) has little impact on the average cost of electricity generation-maximum of $2.5 per MW h for the cases studied with 40% penetration in the light-duty fleet, (2) reduces the overall criteria pollutant emissions except for one case, and (3) results in a smoother load profile, reduces the use of peaking units, and reduces the average emission intensity of the grid through controlled off

A hybrid metaheuristic for the time-dependent vehicle routing problem with hard time windows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Rincon-Garcia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article paper presents a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm to solve the time-dependent vehicle routing problem with hard time windows. Time-dependent travel times are influenced by different congestion levels experienced throughout the day. Vehicle scheduling without consideration of congestion might lead to underestimation of travel times and consequently missed deliveries. The algorithm presented in this paper makes use of Large Neighbourhood Search approaches and Variable Neighbourhood Search techniques to guide the search. A first stage is specifically designed to reduce the number of vehicles required in a search space by the reduction of penalties generated by time-window violations with Large Neighbourhood Search procedures. A second stage minimises the travel distance and travel time in an ‘always feasible’ search space. Comparison of results with available test instances shows that the proposed algorithm is capable of obtaining a reduction in the number of vehicles (4.15%, travel distance (10.88% and travel time (12.00% compared to previous implementations in reasonable time.

INS integrated motion analysis for autonomous vehicle navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Barry; Bazakos, Mike

1991-01-01

The use of inertial navigation system (INS) measurements to enhance the quality and robustness of motion analysis techniques used for obstacle detection is discussed with particular reference to autonomous vehicle navigation. The approach to obstacle detection used here employs motion analysis of imagery generated by a passive sensor. Motion analysis of imagery obtained during vehicle travel is used to generate range measurements to points within the field of view of the sensor, which can then be used to provide obstacle detection. Results obtained with an INS integrated motion analysis approach are reviewed.

Automated Announcements of Approaching Emergency Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelder, Aaron; Foster, Conrad

2006-01-01

Street intersections that are equipped with traffic lights would also be equipped with means for generating audible announcements of approaching emergency vehicles, according to a proposal. The means to generate the announcements would be implemented in the intersection- based subsystems of emergency traffic-light-preemption systems like those described in the two immediately preceding articles and in "Systems Would Preempt Traffic Lights for Emergency Vehicles" (NPO-30573), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 36. Preempting traffic lights is not, by itself, sufficient to warn pedestrians at affected intersections that emergency vehicles are approaching. Automated visual displays that warn of approaching emergency vehicles can be helpful as a supplement to preemption of traffic lights, but experience teaches that for a variety of reasons, pedestrians often do not see such displays. Moreover, in noisy and crowded urban settings, the lights and sirens on emergency vehicles are often not noticed until a few seconds before the vehicles arrive. According to the proposal, the traffic-light preemption subsystem at each intersection would generate an audible announcement for example, emergency vehicle approaching, please clear intersection whenever a preemption was triggered. The subsystem would estimate the time of arrival of an approaching emergency vehicle by use of vehicle identity, position, and time data from one or more sources that could include units connected to traffic loops and/or transponders connected to diagnostic and navigation systems in participating emergency vehicles. The intersection-based subsystem would then start the announcement far enough in advance to enable pedestrians to leave the roadway before any emergency vehicles arrive.

Update on the Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothwell, B.

2004-01-01

'Full text:' The Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Program (VFCVP) is a $5.8 million initiative designed to test four Ford Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles for three years in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. The project is the first of its kind in Canada and is led by Fuel Cells Canada (FCC), the Ford Motor Company (Ford), and the Governments of Canada and British Columbia. This presentation will provide program details and an update on activities leading up to currently planned delivery to Vancouver in November 2004. The VFCVP will test the performance, durability and reliability of the Ford fuel cell vehicle cars in real-world conditions and will examine fuelling issues and solutions, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and public acceptance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The program will generate data to help evolve the technology and develop international codes and standards E cents Epnd the implementation and adoption of fuel cell technology. (author)

Market penetration speed and effects on CO2 reduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yabe, Kuniaki; Shinoda, Yukio; Seki, Tomomichi; Tanaka, Hideo; Akisawa, Atsushi

2012-01-01

Abstarct: In order to reduce CO 2 emissions in the passenger vehicle sector, mass introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is required despite their high battery costs. This paper forecasts the rate at which EV/PHEV will penetrate into the market in the future and the effects of that spread on CO 2 reduction by using a learning curve for lithium-ion batteries, distribution of daily travel distance for each vehicle, and an optimal power generation planning model for charging vehicles. Taking into consideration each driver's economical viewpoint, the speed at which the EV/PHEV share of the new passenger vehicle market grows is fairly slow. The optimum calculation in our base case shows that the share of EV/PHEV is only a quarter even in 2050. However, the initial price and progress rate of batteries have a great effect on this share. Therefore, long-term economic support from the government and significant R and D innovation are required to reduce CO 2 drastically through cutting down battery price. The results also show how much the CO 2 emission intensity of power generation affects the CO 2 reduction rate by introducing EV/PHEV. - Highlights: ► Authors minimized the total cost of vehicle and power supply sectors until 2050. ► Simulation results show the penetration speed of PHEVs/EVs is not so fast. ► To accelerate it and reduce CO 2 , subsidies and innovations are required. ► The introduction of PHEVs/EVs is still reasonable even after the nuclear accident.

Combat vehicle crew helmet-mounted display: next generation high-resolution head-mounted display

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Scott A.

1994-06-01

The Combat Vehicle Crew Head-Mounted Display (CVC HMD) program is an ARPA-funded, US Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center monitored effort to develop a high resolution, flat panel HMD for the M1 A2 Abrams main battle tank. CVC HMD is part of the ARPA High Definition Systems (HDS) thrust to develop and integrate small (24 micrometers square pels), high resolution (1280 X 1024 X 6-bit grey scale at 60 frame/sec) active matrix electroluminescent (AMEL) and active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCD) for head mounted and projection applications. The Honeywell designed CVC HMD is a next generation head-mounted display system that includes advanced flat panel image sources, advanced digital display driver electronics, high speed (> 1 Gbps) digital interconnect electronics, and light weight, high performance optical and mechanical designs. The resulting dramatic improvements in size, weight, power, and cost have already led to program spin offs for both military and commercial applications.

Solar energised transport solution and customer preferences and opinions about alternative fuel Vehicles – the case of slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matjaž KNEZ

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Authorities in Slovenia and other EU member states are confronted with problems of city transportation. Fossil-fuel based transport poses two chief problems – local and global pollution, and dwindling supplies and ever increasing costs. An elegant solution is to gradually replace the present automobile fleet with low emission vehicles. This article first explores the economics and practical viability of the provision of solar electricity for the charging of electric vehicles by installation of economical available PV modules and secondly the customer preferences and opinions about alternative low emission vehicles. Present estimates indicate that for the prevailing solar climate of Celje – a medium-sized Slovenian town – the cost would be only 2.11€ cents/kWh of generated solar electricity. Other results have also revealed that the most relevant factor for purchasing low emission vehicle is total vehicle price.

How important is vehicle safety in the new vehicle purchase process?

Science.gov (United States)

Koppel, Sjaanie; Charlton, Judith; Fildes, Brian; Fitzharris, Michael

2008-05-01

Whilst there has been a significant increase in the amount of consumer interest in the safety performance of privately owned vehicles, the role that it plays in consumers' purchase decisions is poorly understood. The aims of the current study were to determine: how important vehicle safety is in the new vehicle purchase process; what importance consumers place on safety options/features relative to other convenience and comfort features, and how consumers conceptualise vehicle safety. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the key parameters associated with ranking 'vehicle safety' as the most important consideration in the new vehicle purchase. Participants recruited in Sweden and Spain completed a questionnaire about their new vehicle purchase. The findings from the questionnaire indicated that participants ranked safety-related factors (e.g., EuroNCAP (or other) safety ratings) as more important in the new vehicle purchase process than other vehicle factors (e.g., price, reliability etc.). Similarly, participants ranked safety-related features (e.g., advanced braking systems, front passenger airbags etc.) as more important than non-safety-related features (e.g., route navigation systems, air-conditioning etc.). Consistent with previous research, most participants equated vehicle safety with the presence of specific vehicle safety features or technologies rather than vehicle crash safety/test results or crashworthiness. The key parameters associated with ranking 'vehicle safety' as the most important consideration in the new vehicle purchase were: use of EuroNCAP, gender and education level, age, drivers' concern about crash involvement, first vehicle purchase, annual driving distance, person for whom the vehicle was purchased, and traffic infringement history. The findings from this study are important for policy makers, manufacturers and other stakeholders to assist in setting priorities with regard to the promotion and publicity of vehicle safety features

Advanced Vehicle and Power Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-29

optimize vehicle operation, and capture vehicle kinetic energy during braking ( regenerative energy). As much as two-thirds of this imported oil comes... categories . Figure 4 provides a visual representation of many of the HEV and BEV options available on the 2010 GSA Schedule. Figure 4 - GSA...gallon • Renewable energy generated 24 • Vehicle miles driven by vehicle category • Implementation costs – Infrastructure modifications required

First AFP results

CERN Document Server

Staszewski, Rafal; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

ATLAS Forward Proton (AFP) are detectors dedicated to measurements of protons scattered diffractively or electromagnetically at small angles in inelastic processes. The first arm of AFP was installed in 2016. The installation of the full system was finished in 2017. Since 2016 AFP has collected data is special and standard runs. The presentation shows the first results obtained with data collected by AFP.

Attractivity and acceptance of electric-powered vehicles. Results of the project OPTUM - Optimisation of the potentials of environmental reliefs of electic-powered vehicles; Attraktivitaet und Akzeptanz von Elektroautos. Ergebnisse aus dem Projekt OPTUM - Optimierung der Umweltentlastungspotenziale von Elektrofahrzeugen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goetz, Konrad; Sunderer, Georg; Birzle-Harder, Barbara; Deffner, Jutta

2012-07-01

In the research project OPTUM it was analysed to what extent environmental reliefs can be gained by electric cars. For this purpose an integrated approach was pursued, taking into account both considerations on the vehicle side and interactions with the energy sector. In detail the following key questions were analysed: acceptance and attractiveness of electric vehicles, market potentials for electric vehicles, interactions with the energy sector, CO2 reduction potentials for electric mobility, economic analysis of the storage media and resource efficiency of electric mobility. In this report the results concerning the question of acceptance and attractiveness of electric vehicles are presented. In doing so, results of two empirical investigations are described which were carried out in OPTUM to determine the acceptance and attractiveness of electric vehicles. The first one is a qualitative analysis by means of focus group discussions; the second one a standardised survey among buyers of new cars. The standardised survey contained a conjoint analysis, in which the participants had to choose between conventional cars, plug-in-hybrid vehicles and all-electrical cars. The empirical analyses show: There is an enormous potential of acceptance for electric cars (plug-in-hybrids and all-electric vehicles). Depending on scenario and vehicle class, especially for all-electrical cars, a potential of acceptance exists from 12 to 25 percent. Furthermore, both empirical investigations provide indications how the potential of acceptance can be realised or even extended.

Impact of Solar Control PVB Glass on Vehicle Interior Temperatures, Air-Conditioning Capacity, Fuel Consumption, and Vehicle Range

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rugh, J.; Chaney, L.; Venson, T.; Ramroth, L.; Rose, M.

2013-04-01

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of Saflex1 S-series Solar Control PVB (polyvinyl butyral) configurations on conventional vehicle fuel economy and electric vehicle (EV) range. The approach included outdoor vehicle thermal soak testing, RadTherm cool-down analysis, and vehicle simulations. Thermal soak tests were conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility in Golden, Colorado. The test results quantified interior temperature reductions and were used to generate initial conditions for the RadTherm cool-down analysis. The RadTherm model determined the potential reduction in air-conditioning (A/C) capacity, which was used to calculate the A/C load for the vehicle simulations. The vehicle simulation tool identified the potential reduction in fuel consumption or improvement in EV range between a baseline and modified configurations for the city and highway drive cycles. The thermal analysis determined a potential 4.0% reduction in A/C power for the Saflex Solar PVB solar control configuration. The reduction in A/C power improved the vehicle range of EVs and fuel economy of conventional vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

New Vehicle Detection Method with Aspect Ratio Estimation for Hypothesized Windows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jisu Kim

2015-12-01

Full Text Available All kinds of vehicles have different ratios of width to height, which are called the aspect ratios. Most previous works, however, use a fixed aspect ratio for vehicle detection (VD. The use of a fixed vehicle aspect ratio for VD degrades the performance. Thus, the estimation of a vehicle aspect ratio is an important part of robust VD. Taking this idea into account, a new on-road vehicle detection system is proposed in this paper. The proposed method estimates the aspect ratio of the hypothesized windows to improve the VD performance. Our proposed method uses an Aggregate Channel Feature (ACF and a support vector machine (SVM to verify the hypothesized windows with the estimated aspect ratio. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, the estimation of vehicle aspect ratio is inserted between the HG (hypothesis generation and the HV (hypothesis verification. Second, a simple HG method named a signed horizontal edge map is proposed to speed up VD. Third, a new measure is proposed to represent the overlapping ratio between the ground truth and the detection results. This new measure is used to show that the proposed method is better than previous works in terms of robust VD. Finally, the Pittsburgh dataset is used to verify the performance of the proposed method.

Technical Findings, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations Resulting from the Helios Prototype Vehicle Mishap

Science.gov (United States)

Noll, Thomas E.; Ishmael, Stephen D.; Henwood, Bart; Perez-Davis, Marla E.; Tiffany, Geary C.; Madura, John; Gaier, Matthew; Brown, John M.; Wierzbanowski, Ted

2007-01-01

The Helios Prototype was originally planned to be two separate vehicles, but because of resource limitations only one vehicle was developed to demonstrate two missions. The vehicle consisted of two configurations, one for each mission. One configuration, designated HP01, was designed to operate at extremely high altitudes using batteries and high-efficiency solar cells spread across the upper surface of its 247-foot wingspan. On August 13, 2001, the HP01 configuration reached an altitude of 96,863 feet, a world record for sustained horizontal flight by a winged aircraft. The other configuration, designated HP03, was designed for long-duration flight. The plan was to use the solar cells to power the vehicle's electric motors and subsystems during the day and to use a modified commercial hydrogen-air fuel cell system for use during the night. The aircraft design used wing dihedral, engine power, elevator control surfaces, and a stability augmentation and control system to provide aerodynamic stability and control. At about 30 minutes into the second flight of HP03, the aircraft encountered a disturbance in the way of turbulence and morphed into an unexpected, persistent, high dihedral configuration. As a result of the persistent high dihedral, the aircraft became unstable in a very divergent pitch mode in which the airspeed excursions from the nominal flight speed about doubled every cycle of the oscillation. The aircraft s design airspeed was subsequently exceeded and the resulting high dynamic pressures caused the wing leading edge secondary structure on the outer wing panels to fail and the solar cells and skin on the upper surface of the wing to rip away. As a result, the vehicle lost its ability to maintain lift, fell into the Pacific Ocean within the confines of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility, and was destroyed. This paper describes the mishap and its causes, and presents the technical recommendations and lessons learned for improving the design

Autocommander: A Supervisory Controller for Integrated Guidance and Control for the 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, J. E.; Lawrence, D. A.; Zhu, J. J.; Jackson, Scott (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper presents a hierarchical architecture for integrated guidance and control that achieves risk and cost reduction for NASA's 2d generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV). Guidance, attitude control, and control allocation subsystems that heretofore operated independently will now work cooperatively under the coordination of a top-level autocommander. In addition to delivering improved performance from a flight mechanics perspective, the autocommander is intended to provide an autonomous supervisory control capability for traditional mission management under nominal conditions, G&C reconfiguration in response to effector saturation, and abort mode decision-making upon vehicle malfunction. This high-level functionality is to be implemented through the development of a relational database that is populated with the broad range of vehicle and mission specific data and translated into a discrete event system model for analysis, simulation, and onboard implementation. A Stateflow Autocoder software tool that translates the database into the Stateflow component of a Matlab/Simulink simulation is also presented.

Performansi Algoritma CODEQ dalam Penyelesaian Vehicle Routing Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annisa Kesy Garside

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Genetic Algorithm, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing, and Ant Colony Optimization showed a good performance in solving vehicle routing problem. However, the generated solution of those algorithms was changeable regarding on the input parameter of each algorithm. CODEQ is a new, parameter free meta-heuristic algorithm that had been successfully used to solve constrained optimization problems, integer programming, and feed-forward neural network. The purpose of this research are improving CODEQ algorithm to solve vehicle routing problem and testing the performance of the improved algorithm. CODEQ algorithm is started with population initiation as initial solution, generated of mutant vector for each parent in every iteration, replacement of parent by mutant when fitness function value of mutant is better than parent’s, generated of new vector for each iteration based on opposition value or chaos principle, replacement of worst solution by new vector when fitness function value of new vector is better, iteration ceasing when stooping criterion is achieved, and sub-tour determination based on vehicle capacity constraint. The result showed that the average deviation of the best-known and the best-test value is 6.35%. Therefore, CODEQ algorithm is good in solving vehicle routing problem.

Employment and Wage Assimilation of Male First Generation Immigrants in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Husted, Leif; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Rosholm, Michael

2000-01-01

Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects...... for unobserved cohort and individual effects and panel selectivity due to missing wage information. The results show that immigrants assimilate partially to Danes, but the assimilation process differs between refugees and non-refugees.......Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects...

Employment and Wage assimilation of Male First Generation Immigrants in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Husted, Leif; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Rosholm, Michael

Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects...... for unobserved cohort and individual effects and panel selectivity due to missing wage information. The results show that immigrants assimilate partially to Danes, but the assimilation process differs between refugees and non-refugees.......Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects...

First generation WWER 440 - What is the 'reasonable' price?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pishtuhina, K.

2004-01-01

A chronological review of the international nuclear concerns and Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents effects on the international nuclear organizations' policies are presented. The IAEA, G 7 and EU approaches for Soviet design plants' safety and the main results from their implementation are described. The premature closure of the first generation WWER type reactors operated in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia and their unupgradability at a reasonable price are also discussed in this paper

Vehicles' Sample Generation and Realization in Car-Following Mathematical Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Algimantas Danilevičius

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The object of the article is the adjustment of car-following mathematical models according to collected traffic data. Here the problem of ineffectively burdened road section is solved by adjusting the speed of vehicles in order to reduce the distance between the cars to a safe distance. The paper analyzes the car-following models to measure the interaction between vehicles in the same lane. Experimental data processed in Matlab and traffic distribution histograms are created using the most appropriate distribution curve. Distribution curve is used to compile congestion scenario of road section. Applicable model uses fundamental diagrams, which are created from the kind of traffic flow measurements. The mathematical model allows to choose the optimal vehicle speed while maintaining safe distance between vehicles, and to make recommendations to improve the traffic as the process.

First approach to exhaust emissions characterization of light vehicles in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Angelo, Mauro; González, Alice Elizabeth; Rezzano Tizze, Nicolás

2018-03-15

According to Act No. 17283 of November 28th, 2000, air quality protection is a general concern in Uruguay. Road transport is the main emitter of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), as the National Inventory of Air Emissions 2006 stated. Actually, it is responsible for the emissions of 59.8% of NO x and 28% of carbon monoxide (CO). The number of households owning a car in Uruguay increased from 29% in 2005 to 39% in 2013, enhancing the importance of characterizing the vehicular emissions of the national fleet. In this paper, a first approach for this characterization is presented. It was carried out on a sample of 11 light vehicles currently in use in Montevideo city, Uruguay. On-road emissions measurements of nitrogen monoxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were carried out for calculating the emission factors. The fitness of the set of calculated emission factors values to different probability distributions was tested. When possible, the 95% confidence intervals were obtained for the mean emission factors (CO: 2.0g/km±0.3g/km; NO: 0.05g/km±0.01g/km). This procedure was useful to obtaining accurate confidence intervals from a relatively small sample size. Finally, the link between atmospheric emissions and some other parameters of the tested vehicles was studied using a multivariate statistical tool, highlighting the strong increase in carbon monoxide emissions observed for low vehicles speeds and fuel efficiencies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bayesian Parameter Estimation for Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, Eric; Konan, Arnaud; Duran, Adam

2017-03-28

Accurate vehicle parameters are valuable for design, modeling, and reporting. Estimating vehicle parameters can be a very time-consuming process requiring tightly-controlled experimentation. This work describes a method to estimate vehicle parameters such as mass, coefficient of drag/frontal area, and rolling resistance using data logged during standard vehicle operation. The method uses Monte Carlo to generate parameter sets which is fed to a variant of the road load equation. Modeled road load is then compared to measured load to evaluate the probability of the parameter set. Acceptance of a proposed parameter set is determined using the probability ratio to the current state, so that the chain history will give a distribution of parameter sets. Compared to a single value, a distribution of possible values provides information on the quality of estimates and the range of possible parameter values. The method is demonstrated by estimating dynamometer parameters. Results confirm the method's ability to estimate reasonable parameter sets, and indicates an opportunity to increase the certainty of estimates through careful selection or generation of the test drive cycle.

First-generation Korean-American parents' perceptions of discipline.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Eunjung; Hong, Seunghye

2007-01-01

Nurses not only need to be familiar with professional guidelines of discipline and but also need to be aware of variances in styles of acceptable discipline across cultural groups. The goal of this study was to explore cultural influences in relation to (1) first-generation Korean-American parents' perceptions of common discipline strategies in the United States, and (2) discipline strategies commonly used among first-generation Korean-American parents. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze interview data from seven first-generation Korean-American parents. Derived themes indicated that parents considered spanking/hitting and less hugging/kissing as Korean style, and time-out, use of sticker charts, hugging/kissing, removing/adding privileges, and giving chores as American style. Recent immigrant parents were not familiar with common positive discipline strategies in the United States. As they adapted to mainstream society, they discontinued what they perceived to be negative aspects of Korean style and adopted positive aspects of American style. They were sensitive to children's views on discipline, and they experienced communication difficulties with children. These findings indicated that Korean-American parents' perceptions of discipline strategies were shaped by living in two cultures and were different from western viewpoints.

First results of beam generation test for JAERI AVF cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachikawa, T.; Hayashi, Y.; Ishii, K.

1992-01-01

The performance of JAERI AVF cyclotron was investigated with several kinds of ions in the wide energy range. The 90 MeV protons of 10 μA intensity was successfully extracted for the first time by the model 930 cyclotron. The feature of beam chopping system is also presented. (author)

Vehicle Routing With User Generated Trajectory Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ceikute, Vaida; Jensen, Christian S.

Rapidly increasing volumes of GPS data collected from vehicles provide new and increasingly comprehensive insight into the routes that drivers prefer. While routing services generally compute shortest or fastest routes, recent studies suggest that local drivers often prefer routes that are neithe...

Brake blending strategy for a hybrid vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Boberg, Evan S.

2000-12-05

A hybrid electric powertrain system is provided including a transmission for driving a pair of wheels of a vehicle and a heat engine and an electric motor/generator coupled to the transmission. A friction brake system is provided for applying a braking torque to said vehicle. A controller unit generates control signals to the electric motor/generator and the friction brake system for controllably braking the vehicle in response to a drivers brake command. The controller unit determines and amount of regenerative torque available and compares this value to a determined amount of brake torque requested for determining the control signals to the electric motor/generator and the friction brake system.

The reusable launch vehicle technology program

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, S.

1995-01-01

Today's launch systems have major shortcomings that will increase in significance in the future, and thus are principal drivers for seeking major improvements in space transportation. They are too costly; insufficiently reliable, safe, and operable; and increasingly losing market share to international competition. For the United States to continue its leadership in the human exploration and wide ranging utilization of space, the first order of business must be to achieve low cost, reliable transportatin to Earth orbit. NASA's Access to Space Study, in 1993, recommended the development of a fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) rocket vehicle as an Agency goal. The goal of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology program is to mature the technologies essential for a next-generation reusable launch system capable of reliably serving National space transportation needs at substantially reduced costs. The primary objectives of the RLV technology program are to (1) mature the technologies required for the next-generation system, (2) demonstrate the capability to achieve low development and operational cost, and rapid launch turnaround times and (3) reduce business and technical risks to encourage significant private investment in the commercial development and operation of the next-generation system. Developing and demonstrating the technologies required for a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) rocket is a focus of the program becuase past studies indicate that it has the best potential for achieving the lowest space access cost while acting as an RLV technology driver (since it also encompasses the technology requirements of reusable rocket vehicles in general).

The reusable launch vehicle technology program

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, S.

Today's launch systems have major shortcomings that will increase in significance in the future, and thus are principal drivers for seeking major improvements in space transportation. They are too costly; insufficiently reliable, safe, and operable; and increasingly losing market share to international competition. For the United States to continue its leadership in the human exploration and wide ranging utilization of space, the first order of business must be to achieve low cost, reliable transportatin to Earth orbit. NASA's Access to Space Study, in 1993, recommended the development of a fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) rocket vehicle as an Agency goal. The goal of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology program is to mature the technologies essential for a next-generation reusable launch system capable of reliably serving National space transportation needs at substantially reduced costs. The primary objectives of the RLV technology program are to (1) mature the technologies required for the next-generation system, (2) demonstrate the capability to achieve low development and operational cost, and rapid launch turnaround times and (3) reduce business and technical risks to encourage significant private investment in the commercial development and operation of the next-generation system. Developing and demonstrating the technologies required for a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) rocket is a focus of the program becuase past studies indicate that it has the best potential for achieving the lowest space access cost while acting as an RLV technology driver (since it also encompasses the technology requirements of reusable rocket vehicles in general).

The design and results of an algorithm for intelligent ground vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Matthew; Milam, Justin; Tote, Caleb; Riggins, Robert N.

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the design, design method, test platform, and test results of an algorithm used in autonomous navigation for intelligent vehicles. The Bluefield State College (BSC) team created this algorithm for its 2009 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) robot called Anassa V. The BSC robotics team is comprised of undergraduate computer science, engineering technology, marketing students, and one robotics faculty advisor. The team has participated in IGVC since the year 2000. A major part of the design process that the BSC team uses each year for IGVC is a fully documented "Post-IGVC Analysis." Over the nine years since 2000, the lessons the students learned from these analyses have resulted in an ever-improving, highly successful autonomous algorithm. The algorithm employed in Anassa V is a culmination of past successes and new ideas, resulting in Anassa V earning several excellent IGVC 2009 performance awards, including third place overall. The paper will discuss all aspects of the design of this autonomous robotic system, beginning with the design process and ending with test results for both simulation and real environments.

ARTIST: introduction and first results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guntay, S.; Suckow, D.; Dehbi, A.; Kapulla, R.

2004-01-01

ARTIST (Aerosol Trapping In a Steam Generator) is an international project which investigates aerosol and droplet retention in a model steam generator under dry, wet and accident management conditions, respectively. The test section comprises a scaled steam generator tube bundle consisting of 270 tubes and 3 stages, one 1:1 separator unit, and one 1:1 dryer unit. As a prelude to the ARTIST project, four tests are conducted in the ARTIST bundle. These first tests address aerosol deposition phenomena on two different scales: near the tube break, where the gas velocities are sonic, and far away from the break, where the flow velocities are 3 orders of magnitude lower. With a dry bundle and the full flow representing the break stage conditions, there is strong evidence that the TiO 2 aerosols used (AMMD 2-4 μm, 32 nm primary particles) disintegrate into much smaller particles because of the sonic conditions at the break, hence promoting particle escape from the secondary and lowering the overall decontamination factor (DF), which is found to be between 2.5 and 3. With a dry bundle and a small flow reproducing the far-field velocities, the overall bundle DF is of the order of 5, implying a DF of about 1.9 per stage. Extrapolating the results of the dry tests, it turns out that for steam generators with 9 or more stages, it is expected that substantial DFs could be achieved when the break is located near the tube sheet region. In addition, better decontamination is expected using more representative proxies of severe accident aerosols (sticky, multicomponent particles), a topic which is yet to be investigated. When the bundle is flooded, the DF is between 45 and 5740, depending on the mass flow rate, the steam content, and the water submergence. The presence of steam in the carrier gas and subsequent condensation inside the broken tube causes aerosol deposition and blockages near the break, leading to an increase in the primary pressure. This has implications for real

Vehicle classification in WAMI imagery using deep network

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Meng; Yang, Fan; Blasch, Erik; Sheaff, Carolyn; Liu, Kui; Chen, Genshe; Ling, Haibin

2016-05-01

Humans have always had a keen interest in understanding activities and the surrounding environment for mobility, communication, and survival. Thanks to recent progress in photography and breakthroughs in aviation, we are now able to capture tens of megapixels of ground imagery, namely Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI), at multiple frames per second from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). WAMI serves as a great source for many applications, including security, urban planning and route planning. These applications require fast and accurate image understanding which is time consuming for humans, due to the large data volume and city-scale area coverage. Therefore, automatic processing and understanding of WAMI imagery has been gaining attention in both industry and the research community. This paper focuses on an essential step in WAMI imagery analysis, namely vehicle classification. That is, deciding whether a certain image patch contains a vehicle or not. We collect a set of positive and negative sample image patches, for training and testing the detector. Positive samples are 64 × 64 image patches centered on annotated vehicles. We generate two sets of negative images. The first set is generated from positive images with some location shift. The second set of negative patches is generated from randomly sampled patches. We also discard those patches if a vehicle accidentally locates at the center. Both positive and negative samples are randomly divided into 9000 training images and 3000 testing images. We propose to train a deep convolution network for classifying these patches. The classifier is based on a pre-trained AlexNet Model in the Caffe library, with an adapted loss function for vehicle classification. The performance of our classifier is compared to several traditional image classifier methods using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) features. While the SVM+HOG method achieves an accuracy of 91.2%, the accuracy of our deep

"Can Vehicle-to-Grid Revenue Help Electric Vehicles on the Market?"

OpenAIRE

George R. Parsons; Michael K. Hidrue; Willett Kempton; Meryl P. Gardner

2011-01-01

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric vehicles can return power stored in their batteries back to the power grid and be programmed to do so at times when power prices are high. Since providing this service can lead to payments to owners of vehicles, it effectively reduces the cost of electric vehicles. Using data from a national stated preference survey (n = 3029), this paper presents the first study of the potential consumer demand for V2G electric vehicles. In our choice experiment, 3029 responden...

Yosemite Waters Vehicle Evaluation Report: Final Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eudy, L.; Barnitt, R.; Alleman, T. L.

2005-08-01

Document details the evaluation of Fischer-Tropsch diesel, a gas-to-liquid fuel, in medium-duty delivery vehicles at Yosemite Waters. The study was conducted by NREL at the company's Fullerton, California, bottling headquarters.

Robust Vehicle Detection in Aerial Images Based on Cascaded Convolutional Neural Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Jiandan; Lei, Tao; Yao, Guangle

2017-11-24

Vehicle detection in aerial images is an important and challenging task. Traditionally, many target detection models based on sliding-window fashion were developed and achieved acceptable performance, but these models are time-consuming in the detection phase. Recently, with the great success of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in computer vision, many state-of-the-art detectors have been designed based on deep CNNs. However, these CNN-based detectors are inefficient when applied in aerial image data due to the fact that the existing CNN-based models struggle with small-size object detection and precise localization. To improve the detection accuracy without decreasing speed, we propose a CNN-based detection model combining two independent convolutional neural networks, where the first network is applied to generate a set of vehicle-like regions from multi-feature maps of different hierarchies and scales. Because the multi-feature maps combine the advantage of the deep and shallow convolutional layer, the first network performs well on locating the small targets in aerial image data. Then, the generated candidate regions are fed into the second network for feature extraction and decision making. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on the Vehicle Detection in Aerial Imagery (VEDAI) dataset and Munich vehicle dataset. The proposed cascaded detection model yields high performance, not only in detection accuracy but also in detection speed.

Performance evaluation of alternative fuel/engine concepts 1990- 1995. Final report including addendum of diesel vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nylund, N.O.; Ikonen, M.; Kytoe, M.; Lappi, M.; Westerholm, M.; Laurikko, J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland). Energy Use

1996-12-31

Annex V within the IEA Agreement on Alternative Motor Fuels is the first subtask to generate new experimental data. The objective of the task is to generate information on the emission potential of alternative fuels in severe operating conditions and to evaluate new emission measurement methods. The work was carried out in three phases, Engine Tests, Vehicle Tests and Addendum of Diesel Vehicles. The work was carried out at VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) as a cost shared operation. Participants were Belgium (Parts Two and Three), Canada (Parts One and Two), Finland, Italy (Part One), Japan, the Netherlands Sweden and USA. The United Kingdom also joined at the end of the Annex. The work included 143 different vehicle/fuel/temperature combinations. FTP type emission tests were run on 14 vehicles powered with different gasoline compositions, methanol (M50 and M85), ethanol (E85), LPG, CNG and diesel. Both regulated and unregulated emission components were measured using the most up-to-date emissions measurement technology. The results indicated, that today`s advanced gasoline vehicles must be considered rather clean. Diesel is comparable with gasoline in the case of CO and HC. M85 gives low emissions in warm conditions, but unburned methanol must be controlled. Natural gas and LPG are inherently clean fuels which, using up-to-date engine technology, give low emissions in all conditions. (orig.) (29 refs.)

SDP Policy Iteration-Based Energy Management Strategy Using Traffic Information for Commuter Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohong Jiao

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates an energy management method using traffic information for commuter hybrid electric vehicles. A control strategy based on stochastic dynamic programming (SDP is developed, which minimizes on average the equivalent fuel consumption, while satisfying the battery charge-sustaining constraints and the overall vehicle power demand for drivability. First, according to the sample information of the traffic speed profiles, the regular route is divided into several segments and the statistic characteristics in the different segments are constructed from gathered data on the averaged vehicle speeds. And then, the energy management problem is formulated as a stochastic nonlinear and constrained optimal control problem and a modified policy iteration algorithm is utilized to generate a time-invariant state-dependent power split strategy. Finally, simulation results over some driving cycles are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed energy management strategy.

Conceptual Feasibility Study of the Hyperloop Vehicle for Next-Generation Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Decker, Kenneth; Chin, Jeffrey; Peng, Andi; Summers, Colin; Nguyen, Golda; Oberlander, Andrew; Sakib, Gazi; Sharifrazi, Nariman; Heath, Christopher; Gray, Justin S.;

Fuel procurement for first generation fusion power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gore, B.F.; Hendrickson, P.L.

1976-09-01

The provision of deuterium, tritium, lithium and beryllium fuel materials for fusion power plants is examined in this document. Possible fusion reactions are discussed for use in first generation power plants. Requirements for fuel materials are considered. A range of expected annual consumption is given for each of the materials for a 1000 megawatts electric (MWe) fusion power plant. Inventory requirements are also given. Requirements for an assumed fusion power plant electrical generating capacity of 10 6 MWe (roughly twice present U.S. generating capacity) are also given. The supply industries are then examined for deuterium, lithium, and beryllium. Methods are discussed for producing the only tritium expected to be purchased by a commercial fusion industry--an initial inventory for the first plant. Present production levels and methods are described for deuterium, lithium and beryllium. The environmental impact associated with production of these materials is then discussed. The toxicity of beryllium is described, and methods are indicated to keep worker exposure to beryllium as low as achievable

First PGAA and NAA experimental results from a compact high intensity D-D neutron generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reijonen, J.; Leung, K.-N.; Firestone, R.B.; English, J.A.; Perry, D.L.; Smith, A.; Gicquel, F.; Sun, M.; Bandong, B.; Garabedian, G.; Revay, Zs.; Szentmiklosi, L.; Molnar, G.

2003-01-01

Various types of neutron generator systems have been designed and tested at the Plasma and Ion Source Technology Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. These generators are based on a D-D fusion reaction. These high power D-D neutron generators can provide neutron fluxes in excess of the current state of the art D-T neutron generators, without the use of pre-loaded targets or radioactive tritium gas. Safe and reliable long-life operations are the typical features of these D-D generators. All of the neutron generators developed in the Plasma and Ion Source Technology Group are utilizing powerful RF-induction discharge to generate the deuterium plasma. One of the advantages of using the RF-induction discharge is it's ability to generate high fraction of atomic ions from molecular gases, and the ability to generate high plasma densities for high extractable ion current from relatively small discharge volume

Maneuverability Strategy for Assistive Maneuverability Strategy for Assistive Vehicles Navigating within Confined Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Auat Cheein

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In this work, a path planning strategy for both a car-like and a unicycle type assistive vehicles is presented. The assistive vehicles are confined to restricted environments. The path planning strategy uses the environment information to generate a kinematically plausible path to be followed by the vehicle. The environment information is provided by a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping algorithm implemented on the vehicles. The map generated by the SLAM algorithm compensates the lack of sensor at the back of the vehicles' chassis. A Monte Carlo-based technique is used to find the optimum path given the SLAM information. A visual and user-friendly interface enhances the user-vehicle communication allowing him/her to select a desired position and orientation (pose that the vehicle should reach within the mapped environment. A trajectory controller drives the vehicle until it reaches a neighborhood of the desired pose. Several real-time experimental results within real environments are also shown herein.

Improved Dutch Roll Approximation for Hypersonic Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang-Liang Yin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available An improved dutch roll approximation for hypersonic vehicle is presented. From the new approximations, the dutch roll frequency is shown to be a function of the stability axis yaw stability and the dutch roll damping is mainly effected by the roll damping ratio. In additional, an important parameter called roll-to-yaw ratio is obtained to describe the dutch roll mode. Solution shows that large-roll-to-yaw ratio is the generate character of hypersonic vehicle, which results the large error for the practical approximation. Predictions from the literal approximations derived in this paper are compared with actual numerical values for s example hypersonic vehicle, results show the approximations work well and the error is below 10 %.

Fault Tolerant Autonomous Lateral Control for Heavy Vehicles

OpenAIRE

Talbot, Craig Matthew; Papadimitriou, Iakovos; Tomizuka, Masayoshi

2004-01-01

This report summarizes the research results of TO4233, "Fault Tolerant Autonomous Lateral Control for Heavy Vehicles". This project represents a continuing effort of PATH's research on Automated Highway Systems (AHS) and more specifically in the area of heavy vehicles. Research on the lateral control of heavy vehicles for AHS has been going on at PATH since 1993. MOU129, "Steering and Braking Control of Heavy Duty Vehicles" was the first project and it was followed by MOU242, "Lateral Control...

Modeling ground vehicle acoustic signatures for analysis and synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haschke, G.; Stanfield, R.

1995-01-01

Security and weapon systems use acoustic sensor signals to classify and identify moving ground vehicles. Developing robust signal processing algorithms for this is expensive, particularly in presence of acoustic clutter or countermeasures. This paper proposes a parametric ground vehicle acoustic signature model to aid the system designer in understanding which signature features are important, developing corresponding feature extraction algorithms and generating low-cost, high-fidelity synthetic signatures for testing. The authors have proposed computer-generated acoustic signatures of armored, tracked ground vehicles to deceive acoustic-sensored smart munitions. They have developed quantitative measures of how accurately a synthetic acoustic signature matches those produced by actual vehicles. This paper describes parameters of the model used to generate these synthetic signatures and suggests methods for extracting these parameters from signatures of valid vehicle encounters. The model incorporates wide-bandwidth and narrow- bandwidth components that are modulated in a pseudo-random fashion to mimic the time dynamics of valid vehicle signatures. Narrow- bandwidth feature extraction techniques estimate frequency, amplitude and phase information contained in a single set of narrow frequency- band harmonics. Wide-bandwidth feature extraction techniques estimate parameters of a correlated-noise-floor model. Finally, the authors propose a method of modeling the time dynamics of the harmonic amplitudes as a means adding necessary time-varying features to the narrow-bandwidth signal components. The authors present results of applying this modeling technique to acoustic signatures recorded during encounters with one armored, tracked vehicle. Similar modeling techniques can be applied to security systems

A comprehensive study of economic unit commitment of power systems integrating various renewable generations and plug-in electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Zhile; Li, Kang; Niu, Qun; Xue, Yusheng

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A new UCsRP problem with flexible integrations is established. • A novel multi-zone sampling method is proposed for scenarios generation. • A meta-heuristic solving tool is introduced for solving the UCsRP problem. • A comprehensive study is conducted considering multiple weathers and seasons. • The economic effects of various scenarios are evaluated and compared. - Abstract: Significant penetration of renewable generations (RGs) and mass roll-out of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will pay a vital role in delivering the low carbon energy future and low emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) that are responsible for the global climate change. However, it is of considerable difficulties to precisely forecast the undispatchable and intermittent wind and solar power generations. The uncoordinated charging of PEVs imposes further challenges on the unit commitment in modern grid operations. In this paper, all these factors are comprehensively investigated for the first time within a novel hybrid unit commitment framework, namely UCsRP, which considers a wide range of scenarios in renewable generations and demand side management of dispatchable PEVs load. UCsRP is however an extremely challenging optimisation problem not only due to the large scale, mixed integer and nonlinearity, but also due to the double uncertainties relating to the renewable generations and PEV charging and discharging. In this paper, a meta-heuristic solving tool is introduced for solving the UCsRP problem. A key to improve the reliability of the unit commitment is to generate a range of scenarios based on multiple distributions of renewable generations under different prediction errors and extreme predicted value conditions. This is achieved by introducing a novel multi-zone sampling method. A comprehensive study considering four different cases of unit commitment problems with various weather and season scenarios using real power system data are conducted and solved, and smart

The retention of first-generation college students in STEM: An extension of Tinto's longitudinal model

Science.gov (United States)

Uche, Ada Rosemary

In the current technologically advanced global economy, the role of human capital and education cannot be over-emphasized. Since almost all great inventions in the world have a scientific or technological foundation, having a skilled workforce is imperative for any nation's economic growth. Currently, large segments of the United States' population are underrepresented in the attainment of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees, and in the STEM professions. Scholars, educators, policy-makers, and employers are concerned about the decline in student enrollment and graduation from STEM disciplines. This trend is especially problematic for first-generation college students. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the factors that predict the retention of first-generation college students in the STEM majors. It employs Tinto's longitudinal model (1993) as a conceptual framework to predict STEM retention for first-generation college students. The analysis uses the Beginning Post-secondary Students study (BPS 04/09) data and Roots of STEM qualitative data to investigate the role of first-generation status in STEM major retention. Results indicate that upper levels of achievement in high school math have a significant effect on first-generation status in STEM outcomes.

How First-Generation Students Learn to Navigate Education Systems: A Case Study of First Graduate

Science.gov (United States)

Kirshner, Ben; Saldivar, Manuel Gerardo; Tracy, Rita

2011-01-01

Students from underrepresented groups who seek to become the first in their family to attend college confront economically and racially stratified education systems. This article reports findings from an evaluation of First Graduate, an organization that offers college advising, mentoring, tutoring, and case management to first-generation students…

A new versatile facility: Vehicle-1 for innovative PFC concepts evaluation and its first experiments on hydrogen recycling from solid and liquid lithium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirooka, Y.; Ohgaki, H.; Ohtsuka, Y.; Nishikawa, M.

2005-01-01

A new plasma facility: Vehicle-1 has been built for the evaluation of innovative plasma-facing component concepts. This facility can conduct experiments in such a way that standing liquids in a tray are exposed to vertically flowing plasmas, or that flowing liquids on a slope are bombarded with horizontally directed plasmas. Vehicle-1 can generate steady state hydrogen plasmas with densities of the order of 10 10 cm -3 and electron temperatures around 4 eV. Hydrogen recycling behavior has been observed in Vehicle-1, and the Arrhenius plot of rate constants exhibits a break at around 300 deg. C. The activation energies are -0.0096 eV and 0.17 eV, respectively, below and above the break. To understand the kinetics of hydrogen recycling, particles sticking coefficients have been measured. Results indicate that at temperatures below the break the sticking process appears to be rate-limiting, whereas above the break surface recombination is important. The sticking coefficients for plasma species have been found to be orders of magnitude larger than those for hydrogen molecules

Vectors of Identity Development during the First Year: Black First-Generation Students' Reflections

Science.gov (United States)

Liversage, Lindi; Naudé, Luzelle; Botha, Anja

2018-01-01

In this study, black South African first-generation students' experiences related to identity development during their first year at a higher education institution were explored. Chickering and Reisser's [1993. "Education and Identity." 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass] seven-vector identity development theory served as overarching…

Lifecycle-analysis for heavy vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaines, L.

1998-01-01

Various alternative fuels and improved engine and vehicle systems have been proposed in order to reduce emissions and energy use associated with heavy vehicles (predominantly trucks). For example, oil companies have proposed improved methods for converting natural gas to zero-aromatics, zero-sulfur diesel fuel via the Fischer-Tropsch process. Major heavy-duty diesel engine companies are working on ways to simultaneously reduce particulate-matter and NOX emissions. The trend in heavy vehicles is toward use of lightweight materials, tires with lower rolling resistance, and treatments to reduce aerodynamic drag. In this paper, we compare the Mecycle energy use and emissions from trucks using selected alternatives, such as Fisher-Tropsch diesel fuel and advanced fuel-efficient engines. We consider heavy-duty, Class 8 tractor-semitrailer combinations for this analysis. The total life cycle includes production and recycling of the vehicle itself, extraction, processing, and transportation of the fuel itself, and vehicle operation and maintenance. Energy use is considered in toto, as well as those portions that are imported, domestic, and renewable. Emissions of interest include greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants. Angonne's Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model is used to generate per-vehicle fuel cycle impacts. Energy use and emissions for materials manufacturing and vehicle disposal are estimated by means of materials information from Argonne studies. We conclude that there are trade-offs among impacts. For example, the lowest fossil energy use does not necessarily result in lowest total energy use, and lower tailpipe emissions may not necessarily result in lower lifecycle emissions of all criteria pollutants

Next Generation Inverter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Zilai [General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (United States); Gough, Charles [General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (United States)

2016-04-22

The goal of this Cooperative Agreement was the development of a Next Generation Inverter for General Motors’ electrified vehicles, including battery electric vehicles, range extended electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. The inverter is a critical electronics component that converts battery power (DC) to and from the electric power for the motor (AC).

Distributed Propulsion Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun Dae

2010-01-01

Since the introduction of large jet-powered transport aircraft, the majority of these vehicles have been designed by placing thrust-generating engines either under the wings or on the fuselage to minimize aerodynamic interactions on the vehicle operation. However, advances in computational and experimental tools along with new technologies in materials, structures, and aircraft controls, etc. are enabling a high degree of integration of the airframe and propulsion system in aircraft design. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been investigating a number of revolutionary distributed propulsion vehicle concepts to increase aircraft performance. The concept of distributed propulsion is to fully integrate a propulsion system within an airframe such that the aircraft takes full synergistic benefits of coupling of airframe aerodynamics and the propulsion thrust stream by distributing thrust using many propulsors on the airframe. Some of the concepts are based on the use of distributed jet flaps, distributed small multiple engines, gas-driven multi-fans, mechanically driven multifans, cross-flow fans, and electric fans driven by turboelectric generators. This paper describes some early concepts of the distributed propulsion vehicles and the current turboelectric distributed propulsion (TeDP) vehicle concepts being studied under the NASA s Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project to drastically reduce aircraft-related fuel burn, emissions, and noise by the year 2030 to 2035.

Vehicle surge detection and pathway discrimination by pedestrians who are blind: Effect of adding an alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles on performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae Shik; Emerson, Robert Wall; Naghshineh, Koorosh; Pliskow, Jay; Myers, Kyle

2012-05-01

This study examined the effect of adding an artificially generated alert sound to a quiet vehicle on its detectability and localizability with 15 visually impaired adults. When starting from a stationary position, the hybrid electric vehicle with an alert sound was significantly more quickly and reliably detected than either the identical vehicle without such added sound or the comparable internal combustion engine vehicle. However, no significant difference was found between the vehicles in respect to how accurately the participants could discriminate the path of a given vehicle (straight vs. right turn). These results suggest that adding an artificial sound to a hybrid electric vehicle may help reduce delay in street crossing initiation by a blind pedestrian, but the benefit of such alert sound may not be obvious in determining whether the vehicle in his near parallel lane proceeds straight through the intersection or turns right in front of him.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a way to maximize the integration of variable renewable energy in power systems: The case of wind generation in northeastern Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares MC Borba, Bruno; Szklo, Alexandre; Schaeffer, Roberto

2012-01-01

Several studies have proposed different tools for analyzing the integration of variable renewable energy into power grids. This study applies an optimization tool to model the expansion of the electric power system in northeastern Brazil, enabling the most efficient dispatch of the variable output of the wind farms that will be built in the region over the next 20 years. The expected combined expansion of wind generation with conventional inflexible generation facilities, such as nuclear plants and run-of-the-river hydropower plants, poses risks of future mismatch between supply and demand in northeastern Brazil. Therefore, this article evaluates the possibility of using a fleet of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to regularize possible energy imbalances. Findings indicate that a dedicated fleet of 500 thousand PHEVs in 2015, and a further 1.5 million in 2030, could be recharged overnight to take advantage of the surplus power generated by wind farms. To avoid the initial costs of smart grids, this article suggests, as a first step, the use of a governmental PHEV fleet that allows fleet managers to control battery charging times. Finally, the study demonstrates the advantages of optimizing simultaneously the power and transport sectors to test the strategy suggested here. -- Highlights: ► We evaluated the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to regularize possible energy imbalances in northeastern Brazil. ► This imbalance might result from the large-scale wind power penetration along with conventional inflexible power plants in the region. ► We adapted the MESSAGE optimization tool to the base conditions of the Brazilian power system. ► 500 thousand PHEVs in 2015 and 1.5 million in 2030 could be recharged taking advantage of wind energy surplus.

The emergency braking module for an electronic copilot design and first results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ameling, C.; Kirchner, A. [Univ. of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (Germany). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2000-07-01

This paper deals with design and development of an emergency braking module for an electronic copilot (ECP). ECP is used within an autonomous vehicle as a partial redundant system for vehicle control. ECP receives the necessary information about the positions and relative velocities of obstacles from various sources such as laserscanner or vision sensors. In the current stage of development the emergency breaking module computes, whether an object collides with the front of the vehicle. If the time-to-collision falls below the braking capacity an emergency braking is triggered. Experimental results show the capabilities of the system. (orig.)

First physics results from the MAST Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sykes, A.; Ahn, J.-W.; Akers, R.; Arends, E.; Carolan, P.G.; Counsell, G.F.; Fielding, S. J.; Gryaznevich, M.; Martin, R.; Price, M.; Roach, C.; Shevchenko, V.; Tournianski, M.; Valovic, M.; Walsh, M.J.; Wilson, H.R.

2001-01-01

First physics results are presented from MAST (Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak), one of the new generation of purpose built spherical tokamaks (STs) now commencing operation. Some of these results demonstrate, for the first time, the novel effects of low aspect ratio, for example, the enhancement of resistivity due to neo-classical effects. H-mode is achieved and the transition to H-mode is accompanied by a tenfold steepening of the edge density gradient which may enable the successful application of electron Bernstein wave heating in STs. Studies of halo currents show that these less than expected from conventional tokamak results, and measurements of divertor power loading confirm that most of the power flows to the outer strike points, easing the power handling on the inner points (a critical issue for STs)

Automotive dual-mode hydrogen generation system

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, D. A.

The automotive dual mode hydrogen generation system is advocated as a supplementary hydrogen fuel means along with the current metallic hydride hydrogen storage method for vehicles. This system consists of utilizing conventional electrolysis cells with the low voltage dc electrical power supplied by two electrical generating sources within the vehicle. Since the automobile engine exhaust manifold(s) are presently an untapped useful source of thermal energy, they can be employed as the heat source for a simple heat engine/generator arrangement. The second, and minor electrical generating means consists of multiple, miniature air disk generators which are mounted directly under the vehicle's hood and at other convenient locations within the engine compartment. The air disk generators are revolved at a speed which is proportionate to the vehicles forward speed and do not impose a drag on the vehicles motion.

Conventional, Hybrid, or Electric Vehicles: Which Technology for an Urban Distribution Centre?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Lebeau

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Freight transport has an important impact on urban welfare. It is estimated to be responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions and up to 50% of particles matters generated by the transport sector in cities. Facing that problem, the European Commission set the objective of reaching free CO2 city logistics by 2030 in major urban areas. In order to achieve this goal, electric vehicles could be an important part of the solution. However, this technology still faces a number of barriers, in particular high purchase costs and limited driving range. This paper explores the possible integration of electric vehicles in urban logistics operations. In order to answer this research question, the authors have developed a fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem with time windows for electric vehicles. In particular, an energy consumption model is integrated in order to consider variable range of electric vehicles. Based on generated instances, the authors analyse different sets of vehicles in terms of vehicle class (quadricycles, small vans, large vans, and trucks and vehicle technology (petrol, hybrid, diesel, and electric vehicles. Results show that a fleet with different technologies has the opportunity of reducing costs of the last mile.

Conventional, Hybrid, or Electric Vehicles: Which Technology for an Urban Distribution Centre?

Science.gov (United States)

Lebeau, Philippe; De Cauwer, Cedric; Van Mierlo, Joeri; Macharis, Cathy; Verbeke, Wouter; Coosemans, Thierry

2015-01-01

Freight transport has an important impact on urban welfare. It is estimated to be responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions and up to 50% of particles matters generated by the transport sector in cities. Facing that problem, the European Commission set the objective of reaching free CO2 city logistics by 2030 in major urban areas. In order to achieve this goal, electric vehicles could be an important part of the solution. However, this technology still faces a number of barriers, in particular high purchase costs and limited driving range. This paper explores the possible integration of electric vehicles in urban logistics operations. In order to answer this research question, the authors have developed a fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem with time windows for electric vehicles. In particular, an energy consumption model is integrated in order to consider variable range of electric vehicles. Based on generated instances, the authors analyse different sets of vehicles in terms of vehicle class (quadricycles, small vans, large vans, and trucks) and vehicle technology (petrol, hybrid, diesel, and electric vehicles). Results show that a fleet with different technologies has the opportunity of reducing costs of the last mile.

Conventional, Hybrid, or Electric Vehicles: Which Technology for an Urban Distribution Centre?

Science.gov (United States)

Lebeau, Philippe; De Cauwer, Cedric; Macharis, Cathy; Verbeke, Wouter; Coosemans, Thierry

2015-01-01

Freight transport has an important impact on urban welfare. It is estimated to be responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions and up to 50% of particles matters generated by the transport sector in cities. Facing that problem, the European Commission set the objective of reaching free CO2 city logistics by 2030 in major urban areas. In order to achieve this goal, electric vehicles could be an important part of the solution. However, this technology still faces a number of barriers, in particular high purchase costs and limited driving range. This paper explores the possible integration of electric vehicles in urban logistics operations. In order to answer this research question, the authors have developed a fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem with time windows for electric vehicles. In particular, an energy consumption model is integrated in order to consider variable range of electric vehicles. Based on generated instances, the authors analyse different sets of vehicles in terms of vehicle class (quadricycles, small vans, large vans, and trucks) and vehicle technology (petrol, hybrid, diesel, and electric vehicles). Results show that a fleet with different technologies has the opportunity of reducing costs of the last mile. PMID:26236769

Finite Element Analysis of Folded Airbag in Frontal Impact of Adapted Vehicles for Disabled Drivers

Science.gov (United States)

Masiá, J.; Eixerés, B.; Dols, J. F.; Esquerdo, T. V.

2009-11-01

The car control adaptations are used in vehicles in order to facilitate the driving to persons with physical handicaps. This does not have to suppose a decrease of the passive safety that is required to the vehicles. In order to analyze this relation there will be characterized the different control adaptations that are in use together with the different devices of passive safety that can be mounted in the vehicles in diverse cases of impact in order to generate models of simulation. The methodology used to generate this simulation consists of the first phase in which there develops the three-dimensional model of the driving place. For it, there has been used a commercial software of three-dimensional design. Once realized this one divides, the model is imported to the finite elements software in which meshing is generated. Finally, dynamic simulation software is used to assign the most important characteristics like material properties, contact interfaces, gas expansion models, airbag fold types, etc.

Modeling of Combined Phenomena Affecting an AUV Stealth Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslaw Gerigk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the paper some results of research connected with modeling the basic stealth characteristics of an AUV vehicle are presented. First of all a general approach to design of the stealth AUV autonomous underwater vehicles under consideration is introduced. Then the AUV stealth vehicle concept is briefly described. Next a method of modeling of the stealth characteristics is briefly described. As an example of the stealth characteristics investigations some results of modeling the boundary layer and wake are presented. Some remarks regarding the behavior of the AUV stealth vehicle in the submerged conditions are given. The final conclusions are presented.

ARTIST: introduction and first results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guentay, S.; Suckow, D.; Dehbi, A.; Kapulla, R.

2004-01-01

Aerosol Trapping In a Steam Generator (ARTIST) is a seven-phase international project (2003-2007) which investigates aerosol and droplet retention in a model steam generator under dry, wet and accident management conditions, respectively. The test section is comprised of a scaled steam generator tube bundle consisting of 270 tubes and three stages, one 1:1 separator unit, and one 1:1 dryer unit. As a prelude to the ARTIST project, four tests are conducted in the ARTIST bundle within the 5th EU FWP SGTR. These first tests address aerosol deposition phenomena on two different scales: near the tube break, where the gas velocities are sonic, and far away from the break, where the flow velocities are three orders of magnitude lower. With a dry bundle and the full flow representing the break stage conditions, there is strong evidence that the TiO 2 aerosols used (AMMD 2-4 μm, 32 nm primary particles) disintegrate into much smaller particles because of the sonic conditions at the break, hence promoting particle escape from the secondary and lowering the overall DF, which is found to be between 2.5 and 3. With a dry bundle and a small flow reproducing the far-field velocities, the overall bundle DF is of the order of 5, implying a DF of about 1.9 per stage. Extrapolating the results of the dry tests, it turns out that for steam generators with nine or more stages, it is expected that substantial DF's could be achieved when the break is located near the tube sheet region. In addition, better decontamination is expected using more representative proxies of severe accident aerosols (sticky, multi-component particles), a topic which is yet to be investigated. When the bundle is flooded, the DF is between 45 and 5740, depending on the mass flow rate, the steam content, and the water submergence. The presence of steam in the carrier gas and subsequent condensation inside the broken tube causes aerosol deposition and blockages near the break, leading to an increase in the

Socialization and Information Horizons: Source Use Behavior of First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Tien-I

2013-01-01

First-generation college (FGC) students have been described as an underrepresented group in comparison to their continuing-generation counterparts (non-FGC students). Studying college students' socialization experiences and their use of academic resources can help us understand how to facilitate their academic success. Incorporating…

Search for first-generation leptoquarks at HERA

CERN Document Server

Abramowicz, H.; Adamczyk, L.; Adamus, M.; Aggarwal, R.; Antonelli, S.; Antonioli, P.; Antonov, A.; Arneodo, M.; Arslan, O.; Aushev, V.; Aushev, Y.; Bachynska, O.; Bamberger, A.; Barakbaev, A.N.; Barbagli, G.; Bari, G.; Barreiro, F.; Bartosik, N.; Bartsch, D.; Basile, M.; Behnke, O.; Behr, J.; Behrens, U.; Bellagamba, L.; Bertolin, A.; Bhadra, S.; Bindi, M.; Blohm, C.; Bokhonov, V.; Bold, T.; Bondarenko, K.; Boos, E.G.; Borras, K.; Boscherini, D.; Bot, D.; Brock, I.; Brownson, E.; Brugnera, R.; Brummer, N.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Brzozowska, B.; Bussey, P.J.; Bylsma, B.; Caldwell, A.; Capua, M.; Carlin, R.; Catterall, C.D.; Chekanov, S.; Chwastowski, J.; Ciborowski, J.; Ciesielski, R.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Contin, A.; Cooper-Sarkar, A.M.; Coppola, N.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Costa, M.; D'Agostini, G.; Dal Corso, F.; del Peso, J.; Dementiev, R.K.; De Pasquale, S.; Derrick, M.; Devenish, R.C.E.; Dobur, D.; Dolinska, G.; Doyle, A.T.; Drugakov, V.; Durkin, L.S.; Dusini, S.; Eisenberg, Y.; Fang, S.; Fazio, S.; Ferrando, J.; Ferrero, M.I.; Figiel, J.; Forrest, M.; Foster, B.; Gach, G.; Galas, A.; Gallo, E.; Garfagnini, A.; Geiser, A.; Gialas, I.; Gizhko, A.; Gladilin, L.K.; Gladkov, D.; Glasman, C.; Gogota, O.; Golubkov, Yu.A.; Gottlicher, P.; Grabowska-Bold, I.; Grebenyuk, J.; Gregor, I.; Grigorescu, G.; Grzelak, G.; Gueta, O.; Guzik, M.; Gwenlan, C.; Haas, T.; Hain, W.; Hamatsu, R.; Hart, J.C.; Hartmann, H.; Hartner, G.; Hilger, E.; Hochman, D.; Hori, R.; Horton, K.; Huttmann, A.; Ibrahim, Z.A.; Iga, Y.; Ingbir, R.; Ishitsuka, M.; Jakob, H.P.; Januschek, F.; Jones, T.W.; Jungst, M.; Kadenko, I.; Kahle, B.; Kananov, S.; Kanno, T.; Karshon, U.; Karstens, F.; Katkov, I.I.; Kaur, M.; Kaur, P.; Keramidas, A.; Khein, L.A.; Kim, J.Y.; Kisielewska, D.; Kitamura, S.; Klanner, R.; Klein, U.; Koffeman, E.; Kondrashova, N.; Kononenko, O.; Kooijman, P.; Korol, Ie.; Korzhavina, I.A.; Kotanski, A.; Kotz, U.; Kowalski, H.; Kuprash, O.; Kuze, M.; Lee, A.; Levchenko, B.B.; Levy, A.; Libov, V.; Limentani, S.; Ling, T.Y.; Lisovyi, M.; Lobodzinska, E.; Lohmann, W.; Lohr, B.; Lohrmann, E.; Long, K.R.; Longhin, A.; Lontkovskyi, D.; Lukina, O.Yu.; Maeda, J.; Magill, S.; Makarenko, I.; Malka, J.; Mankel, R.; Margotti, A.; Marini, G.; Martin, J.F.; Mastroberardino, A.; Mattingly, M.C.K.; Melzer-Pellmann, I.A.; Mergelmeyer, S.; Miglioranzi, S.; Idris, F.Mohamad; Monaco, V.; Montanari, A.; Morris, J.D.; Mujkic, K.; Musgrave, B.; Nagano, K.; Namsoo, T.; Nania, R.; Nigro, A.; Ning, Y.; Nobe, T.; Notz, D.; Nowak, R.J.; Nuncio-Quiroz, A.E.; Oh, B.Y.; Okazaki, N.; Oliver, K.; Olkiewicz, K.; Onishchuk, Yu.; Papageorgiu, K.; Parenti, A.; Paul, E.; Pawlak, J.M.; Pawlik, B.; Pelfer, P.G.; Pellegrino, A.; Perlanski, W.; Perrey, H.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Plucinski, P.; Pokrovskiy, N.S.; Polini, A.; Proskuryakov, A.S.; Przybycien, M.; Raval, A.; Reeder, D.D.; Reisert, B.; Ren, Z.; Repond, J.; Ri, Y.D.; Robertson, A.; Roloff, P.; Rubinsky, I.; Ruspa, M.; Sacchi, R.; Samson, U.; Sartorelli, G.; Savin, A.A.; Saxon, D.H.; Schioppa, M.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schleper, P.; Schmidke, W.B.; Schneekloth, U.; Schonberg, V.; Schorner-Sadenius, T.; Schwartz, J.; Sciulli, F.; Shcheglova, L.M.; Shehzadi, R.; Shimizu, S.; Singh, I.; Skillicorn, I.O.; Slominski, W.; Smith, W.H.; Sola, V.; Solano, A.; Son, D.; Sosnovtsev, V.; Spiridonov, A.; Stadie, H.; Stanco, L.; Stefaniuk, N.; Stern, A.; Stewart, T.P.; Stifutkin, A.; Stopa, P.; Suchkov, S.; Susinno, G.; Suszycki, L.; Sztuk-Dambietz, J.; Szuba, D.; Szuba, J.; Tapper, A.D.; Tassi, E.; Terron, J.; Theedt, T.; Tiecke, H.; Tokushuku, K.; Tomaszewska, J.; Trusov, V.; Tsurugai, T.; Turcato, M.; Turkot, O.; Tymieniecka, T.; Vazquez, M.; Verbytskyi, A.; Viazlo, O.; Vlasov, N.N.; Walczak, R.; Wan Abdullah, W.A.T.; Whitmore, J.J.; Wichmann, K.; Wiggers, L.; Wing, M.; Wlasenko, M.; Wolf, G.; Wolfe, H.; Wrona, K.; Yagues-Molina, A.G.; Yamada, S.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yoshida, R.; Youngman, C.; Zabiegalov, O.; Zarnecki, A.F.; Zawiejski, L.; Zenaiev, O.; Zeuner, W.; Zhautykov, B.O.; Zhmak, N.; Zhou, C.; Zichichi, A.; Zolkapli, Z.; Zotkin, D.S.

2012-01-01

A search for first-generation leptoquarks was performed in electron-proton and positron-proton collisions recorded with the ZEUS detector at HERA in 2003-2007 using an integrated luminosity of 366 pb^-1. Final states with an electron and jets or with missing transverse momentum and jets were analysed, searching for resonances or other deviations from the Standard Model predictions. No evidence for any leptoquark signal was found. The data were combined with data previously taken at HERA, resulting in a total integrated luminosity of 498 pb^-1. Limits on the Yukawa coupling, lambda, of leptoquarks were set as a function of the leptoquark mass for different leptoquark types within the Buchmueller-Rueckl-Wyler model. Leptoquarks with a coupling lambda=0.3 are excluded for masses up to 699 GeV.

Search for first-generation leptoquarks at HERA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abramowicz, H. [Tel Aviv Univ. (Israel). School of Physics; Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich (Germany); Abt, I. [Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich (Germany); Adamczyk, L. [AGH-Univ. of Science and Technology, Krakow (PL). Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science] (and others)

2012-05-15

A search for first-generation leptoquarks was performed in electron-proton and positron-proton collisions recorded with the ZEUS detector at HERA in 2003-2007 using an integrated luminosity of 366 pb{sup -}1. Final states with an electron and jets or with missing transverse momentum and jets were analysed, searching for resonances or other deviations from the Standard Model predictions. No evidence for any leptoquark signal was found. The data were combined with data previously taken at HERA, resulting in a total integrated luminosity of 498 pb{sup -}1. Limits on the Yukawa coupling, {lambda}, of leptoquarks were set as a function of the leptoquark mass for different leptoquark types within the Buchmueller-Rueckl-Wyler model. Leptoquarks with a coupling {lambda}=0.3 are excluded for masses up to 699 GeV.

Integrating a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle with vehicle-to-grid technology, photovoltaic power and a residential building

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Robledo, C.B.; Oldenbroek, V.D.W.M.; Abbruzzese, F.; van Wijk, A.J.M.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the results of a demonstration project, including building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar panels, a residential building and a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) for combined mobility and power generation, aiming to achieve a net zero-energy residential building

Vehicle-to-Grid for islanded power system operation in Bornholm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte

2010-01-01

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems are an emerging concept of utilizing the battery storage of electric vehicles (EVs) for providing power system regulation services. This technology could be used to balance the variable electricity generated from various renewable energy sources. This article considers...... a model of an aggregated electric vehicle based battery storage to support an isolated power system operating with a large wind power penetration in the Danish island of Bornholm. From the simulation results, the EV battery storages represented by the V2G systems are able to integrate more fluctuating...... wind power. The islanded Bornholm power system operates satisfactory for the case of replacing most of the conventional generator reserves with V2G systems, which may represent a future operation scenario....

Quality of Life and Stressful Life Events in First and Second Generation Immigrant Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ida Lemos

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine differences in quality of life and stressful life events, in first and second generation immigrant adolescents living in Algarve. A total of 172 immigrant adolescents participated in the study, completing the kidscreen-52, the stressful and negative life events inventory and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results suggest that younger immigrant adolescents report more physical well-being and a higher mood level. Concerning gender differences, girls scored higher than boys in physical well-being, mood and self-perception, but no differences were found on the other kidscreen subscales. First generation immigrants scored significantly higher than second generation ones on the general quality of life index, psychological well-being, autonomy, financial resources and school environment. However, the second-generation immigrants did not seem to be more exposed to stressful life events than the first-generation group. When selecting relevant variables for well-being promotion and for intervention, we must consider that immigrants are more exposed to economic vulnerability, may experience difficulties in adapting to a different school context, and are at higher risk of social exclusion.

A Vehicle Active Safety Model: Vehicle Speed Control Based on Driver Vigilance Detection Using Wearable EEG and Sparse Representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zutao; Luo, Dianyuan; Rasim, Yagubov; Li, Yanjun; Meng, Guanjun; Xu, Jian; Wang, Chunbai

2016-02-19

In this paper, we present a vehicle active safety model for vehicle speed control based on driver vigilance detection using low-cost, comfortable, wearable electroencephalographic (EEG) sensors and sparse representation. The proposed system consists of three main steps, namely wireless wearable EEG collection, driver vigilance detection, and vehicle speed control strategy. First of all, a homemade low-cost comfortable wearable brain-computer interface (BCI) system with eight channels is designed for collecting the driver's EEG signal. Second, wavelet de-noising and down-sample algorithms are utilized to enhance the quality of EEG data, and Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) is adopted to extract the EEG power spectrum density (PSD). In this step, sparse representation classification combined with k-singular value decomposition (KSVD) is firstly introduced in PSD to estimate the driver's vigilance level. Finally, a novel safety strategy of vehicle speed control, which controls the electronic throttle opening and automatic braking after driver fatigue detection using the above method, is presented to avoid serious collisions and traffic accidents. The simulation and practical testing results demonstrate the feasibility of the vehicle active safety model.

TP-Space RRT – Kinematic Path Planning of Non-Holonomic Any-Shape Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Luis Blanco

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The autonomous navigation of vehicles typically combines two kinds of methods: a path is first planned, and then the robot is driven by a local obstacle-avoidance controller. The present work, which focuses on path planning, proposes an extension to the well-known rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT algorithm to allow its integration with a trajectory parameter-space (TP-space as an efficient method to detect collision-free, kinematically-feasible paths for arbitrarily-shaped vehicles. In contrast to original RRT, this proposal generates navigation trees, with poses as nodes, whose edges are all kinematically-feasible paths, suitable to being accurately followed by vehicles driven by pure reactive algorithms. Initial experiments demonstrate the suitability of the method with an Ackermann-steering vehicle model whose severe kinematic constraints cannot be obviated. An important result that sets this work apart from previous research is the finding that employing several families of potential trajectories to expand the tree, which can be done efficiently under the TP-space formalism, improves the optimality of the planned trajectories. A reference C++ implementation has been released as open-source.

Survey on In-vehicle Technology Use: Results and Findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raj K. Kamalanathsharma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The use of advanced technology in automobiles has increased dramatically in the past couple of years. Driver-assisting gadgets such as navigation systems, advanced cruise control, collision avoidance systems, and other safety systems have moved down the ladder from luxury to more basic vehicles. Concurrently, auto manufacturers are also designing and testing driving algorithms that can assist with basic driving tasks, many of which are being continuously scrutinized by traffic safety agencies to ensure that these systems do not pose a safety hazard. The research presented in this paper brings a third perspective to in-vehicle technology by conducting a two-stage survey to collect public opinion on advanced in-vehicle technology. Approximately 64 percent of the respondents used a smartphone application to assist with their travel. The top-used applications were navigation and real-time traffic information systems. Among those who used smartphones during their commutes, the top-used applications were navigation and entertainment.

Critical appraisal of first-generation renal tumor complexity scoring systems: Creation of a second-generation model of tumor complexity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobert, Conrad M; Shoemaker, Allen; Kahnoski, Richard J; Lane, Brian R

2015-04-01

To investigate whether a combination of variables from each nephrometry system improves performance. There are 3 first-generation systems that quantify tumor complexity: R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score (RNS), preoperative aspects and dimensions used for an anatomical (PADUA) classification (PC), and centrality index (CI). Although each has been subjected to validation and comparative analysis, to our knowledge, no work has been done to combine variables from each method to optimize their performance. Scores were assigned to each of 276 patients undergoing partial nephrectomy (PN) or radical nephrectomy (RN). Individual components of all 3 systems were evaluated in multivariable logistic regression analysis of surgery type (PN vs. RN) and combined into a "second-generation model." In multivariable analysis, each scoring system was a significant predictor of PN vs. RN (Psystems, CI was most highly correlated with surgery type (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.91), followed by RNS (AUC = 0.90) and PC (AUC = 0.88). Each individual component of these scoring systems was also a predictor of surgery type (Psystem (RNS), location along the lateral rim (PC), and centrality (CI). A novel model in which these 4 variables were rescaled outperformed each first-generation system (AUC = 0.91). Optimization of first-generation models of renal tumor complexity results in a novel scoring system, which strongly predicts surgery type. This second-generation model should aid comprehension, but future work is still needed to establish the most clinically useful model. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electromagnetic Cavity Effects from Transmitters Inside a Launch Vehicle Fairing

Science.gov (United States)

Trout, Dawn H.; Wahid, Parveen F.; Stanley, James E.

2009-01-01

This paper provides insight into the difficult analytical issue for launch vehicles and spacecraft that has applicability outside of the launch industry. Radiation from spacecraft or launch vehicle antennas located within enclosures in the launch vehicle generates an electromagnetic environment that is difficult to accurately predict. This paper discusses the test results of power levels produced by a transmitter within a representative scaled vehicle fairing model and provides preliminary modeling results at the low end of the frequency test range using a commercial tool. Initially, the walls of the fairing are aluminum and later, layered with materials to simulate acoustic blanketing structures that are typical in payload fairings. The effects of these blanketing materials on the power levels within the fairing are examined.

[A transportation vehicle for laparoscopically obtained follicular specimens].

Science.gov (United States)

Fliess, F R; Sudik, R

1984-01-01

Structure, function and first results with a vehicle for transportation were described. This apparatus allows to store laparoscopic harvested follicular fluids for a while in constant temperature and in air condition with 5% CO2 in compressed air. Simultaneously the follicular fluids were transported in this vehicle from operating theatre to the laboratory.

Evolutionary algorithm for vehicle driving cycle generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Perhinschi, Mario G; Marlowe, Christopher; Tamayo, Sergio; Tu, Jun; Wayne, W Scott

2011-09-01

Modeling transit bus emissions and fuel economy requires a large amount of experimental data over wide ranges of operational conditions. Chassis dynamometer tests are typically performed using representative driving cycles defined based on vehicle instantaneous speed as sequences of "microtrips", which are intervals between consecutive vehicle stops. Overall significant parameters of the driving cycle, such as average speed, stops per mile, kinetic intensity, and others, are used as independent variables in the modeling process. Performing tests at all the necessary combinations of parameters is expensive and time consuming. In this paper, a methodology is proposed for building driving cycles at prescribed independent variable values using experimental data through the concatenation of "microtrips" isolated from a limited number of standard chassis dynamometer test cycles. The selection of the adequate "microtrips" is achieved through a customized evolutionary algorithm. The genetic representation uses microtrip definitions as genes. Specific mutation, crossover, and karyotype alteration operators have been defined. The Roulette-Wheel selection technique with elitist strategy drives the optimization process, which consists of minimizing the errors to desired overall cycle parameters. This utility is part of the Integrated Bus Information System developed at West Virginia University.

Assessment of skin sensitization under REACH: A case report on vehicle choice in the LLNA and its crucial role preventing false positive results.

Science.gov (United States)

Watzek, Nico; Berger, Franz; Kolle, Susanne Noreen; Kaufmann, Tanja; Becker, Matthias; van Ravenzwaay, Bennard

2017-04-01

In the EU, chemicals with a production or import volume in quantities of one metric ton per year or more have to be tested for skin sensitizing properties under the REACH regulation. The murine Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) and its modifications are widely used to fulfil the data requirement, as it is currently considered the first-choice method for in vivo testing to cover this endpoint. This manuscript describes a case study highlighting the importance of understanding the chemistry of the test material during testing for 'skin sensitization' of MCDA (mixture of 2,4- and 2,6-diamino-methylcyclohexane) with particular focus on the vehicle used. While the BrdU-ELISA modification of the LLNA using acetone/olive oil (AOO) as vehicle revealed expectable positive results. However, the concentration control analysis unexpectedly revealed an instability of MCDA in the vehicle AOO. Further studies on the reactivity showed MCDA to rapidly react with AOO under formation of various imine structures, which might have caused the positive LLNA result. The repetition of the LLNA using propylene glycol (PG) as vehicle did not confirm the positive results of the LLNA using AOO. Finally, a classification of MCDA as skin sensitizer according to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) was not justified. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electric vehicle fleet management in smart grids: A review of services, optimization and control aspects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Junjie; Morais, Hugo; Sousa, Tiago

2016-01-01

Electric vehicles can become integral parts of a smart grid, since they are capable of providing valuable services to power systems other than just consuming power. On the transmission system level, electric vehicles are regarded as an important means of balancing the intermittent renewable energy...... resources such as wind power. This is because electric vehicles can be used to absorb the energy during the period of high electricity penetration and feed the electricity back into the grid when the demand is high or in situations of insufficient electricity generation. However, on the distribution system...... and industries. This paper presents a review and classification of methods for smart charging (including power to vehicle and vehicle-to-grid) of electric vehicles for fleet operators. The study firstly presents service relationships between fleet operators and other four actors in smart grids; then, modeling...

Parametric Analysis of a Hover Test Vehicle using Advanced Test Generation and Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Gundy-Burlet, Karen; Schumann, Johann; Menzies, Tim; Barrett, Tony

2009-01-01

Large complex aerospace systems are generally validated in regions local to anticipated operating points rather than through characterization of the entire feasible operational envelope of the system. This is due to the large parameter space, and complex, highly coupled nonlinear nature of the different systems that contribute to the performance of the aerospace system. We have addressed the factors deterring such an analysis by applying a combination of technologies to the area of flight envelop assessment. We utilize n-factor (2,3) combinatorial parameter variations to limit the number of cases, but still explore important interactions in the parameter space in a systematic fashion. The data generated is automatically analyzed through a combination of unsupervised learning using a Bayesian multivariate clustering technique (AutoBayes) and supervised learning of critical parameter ranges using the machine-learning tool TAR3, a treatment learner. Covariance analysis with scatter plots and likelihood contours are used to visualize correlations between simulation parameters and simulation results, a task that requires tool support, especially for large and complex models. We present results of simulation experiments for a cold-gas-powered hover test vehicle.

Longitudinal Control for Mengshi Autonomous Vehicle via Gauss Cloud Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongbo Gao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Dynamic robustness and stability control is a requirement for self-driving of autonomous vehicle. Longitudinal control technique of autonomous vehicle is basic theory and one key complex technique which must have the reliability and precision of vehicle controller. The longitudinal control technique is one of the foundations of the safety and stability of autonomous vehicle control. In our paper, we present a longitudinal control algorithm based on cloud model for Mengshi autonomous vehicle to ensure the dynamic stability and tracking performance of Mengshi autonomous vehicle. The longitudinal control algorithm mainly uses cloud model generator to control the acceleration of the autonomous vehicle to achieve the goal that controls the speed of Mengshi autonomous vehicle. The proposed longitudinal control algorithm based on cloud model is verified by real experiments on Highway driving scene. The experiments results of the acceleration and speed show that the algorithm is validity and stability.

Battery control system for hybrid vehicle and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle battery

Science.gov (United States)

Bockelmann, Thomas R [Battle Creek, MI; Beaty, Kevin D [Kalamazoo, MI; Zou, Zhanijang [Battle Creek, MI; Kang, Xiaosong [Battle Creek, MI

2009-07-21

A battery control system for controlling a state of charge of a hybrid vehicle battery includes a detecting arrangement for determining a vehicle operating state or an intended vehicle operating state and a controller for setting a target state of charge level of the battery based on the vehicle operating state or the intended vehicle operating state. The controller is operable to set a target state of charge level at a first level during a mobile vehicle operating state and at a second level during a stationary vehicle operating state or in anticipation of the vehicle operating in the stationary vehicle operating state. The invention further includes a method for controlling a state of charge of a hybrid vehicle battery.

Sensor-Based Trajectory Generation for Advanced Driver Assistance System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher James Shackleton

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the trajectory generation problem for an advanced driver assistance system that could sense the driving state of the vehicle, so that a collision free trajectory can be generated safely. Specifically, the problem of trajectory generation is solved for the safety assessment of the driving state and to manipulate the vehicle in order to avoid any possible collisions. The vehicle senses the environment so as to obtain information about other vehicles and static obstacles ahead. Vehicles may share the perception of the environment via an inter-vehicle communication system. The planning algorithm is based on a visibility graph. A lateral repulsive potential is applied to adaptively maintain a trade-off between the trajectory length and vehicle clearance, which is the greatest problem associated with visibility graphs. As opposed to adaptive roadmap approaches, the algorithm exploits the structured nature of the environment for construction of the roadmap. Furthermore, the mostly organized nature of traffic systems is exploited to obtain orientation invariance, which is another limitation of both visibility graphs and adaptive roadmaps. Simulation results show that the algorithm can successfully solve the problem for a variety of commonly found scenarios.

Intelligent Speed Adaptation in Company Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agerholm, Niels; Tradisauskas, Nerius; Waagepetersen, Rasmus

2008-01-01

This paper describes an intelligent speed adaptation project for company vehicles. The intelligent speed adaptation function in the project is both information and incentive, which means that the intelligent speed adaptation equipment gives a warning as well as penalty points if the driver...... is speeding. Each month the driver with that monthpsilas fewest points wins an award. The paper presents results concerning speed attitude on the first three of a planned 12 months test period. In all 26 vehicles and 51 drivers from six companies participate in the project. The key result is that speeding...

Hybrid vehicle assessment. Phase 1: Petroleum savings analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, R.; Liddle, S.; Deshpande, G.; Trummel, M.; Vivian, H. C.

1984-01-01

The results of a comprehensive analysis of near term electric hybrid vehicles are presented, with emphasis on their potential to save significant amounts of petroleum on a national scale in the 1990s. Performance requirements and expected annual usage patterns of these vehicles are first modeled. The projected U.S. fleet composition is estimated, and conceptual hybrid vehicle designs are conceived and analyzed for petroleum use when driven in the expected annual patterns. These petroleum consumption estimates are then compared to similar estimates for projected 1990 conventional vehicles having the same performance and driven in the same patterns. Results are presented in the form of three utility functions and comparisons of sevral conceptual designs are made. The Hybrid Vehicle (HV) design and assessment techniques are discussed and a general method is explained for selecting the optimum energy management strategy for any vehicle mission battery combination. Conclusions and recommendations are presented, and development recommendations are identified.

Flight Testing a Real-Time Hazard Detection System for Safe Lunar Landing on the Rocket-Powered Morpheus Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Trawny, Nikolas; Huertas, Andres; Luna, Michael E.; Villalpando, Carlos Y.; Martin, Keith E.; Carson, John M.; Johnson, Andrew E.; Restrepo, Carolina; Roback, Vincent E.

2015-01-01

The Hazard Detection System (HDS) is a component of the ALHAT (Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology) sensor suite, which together provide a lander Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) system with the relevant measurements necessary to enable safe precision landing under any lighting conditions. The HDS consists of a stand-alone compute element (CE), an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and a gimbaled flash LIDAR sensor that are used, in real-time, to generate a Digital Elevation Map (DEM) of the landing terrain, detect candidate safe landing sites for the vehicle through Hazard Detection (HD), and generate hazard-relative navigation (HRN) measurements used for safe precision landing. Following an extensive ground and helicopter test campaign, ALHAT was integrated onto the Morpheus rocket-powered terrestrial test vehicle in March 2014. Morpheus and ALHAT then performed five successful free flights at the simulated lunar hazard field constructed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space Center, for the first time testing the full system on a lunar-like approach geometry in a relevant dynamic environment. During these flights, the HDS successfully generated DEMs, correctly identified safe landing sites and provided HRN measurements to the vehicle, marking the first autonomous landing of a NASA rocket-powered vehicle in hazardous terrain. This paper provides a brief overview of the HDS architecture and describes its in-flight performance.

Affirming independence: Exploring mechanisms underlying a values affirmation intervention for first-generation students.

Science.gov (United States)

Tibbetts, Yoi; Harackiewicz, Judith M; Canning, Elizabeth A; Boston, Jilana S; Priniski, Stacy J; Hyde, Janet S

2016-05-01

First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation college students, and found that the treatment effect on grades persisted 3 years later. First-generation students in the treatment condition obtained a GPA that was, on average, .18 points higher than first-generation students in the control condition, 3 years after values affirmation was implemented (Study 1A). We explored mechanisms by testing whether the values-affirmation effects were predicated on first-generation students reflecting on interdependent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with working-class culture) or independent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with the culture of higher education). We found that when first-generation students wrote about their independence, they obtained higher grades (both in the semester in which values affirmation was implemented and in subsequent semesters) and felt less concerned about their background. In a separate laboratory experiment (Study 2) we manipulated the extent to which participants wrote about independence and found that encouraging first-generation students to write more about their independence improved their performance on a math test. These studies highlight the potential of having FG students focus on their own independence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Visible and thermal spectrum synthetic image generation with DIRSIG and MuSES for ground vehicle identification training

Science.gov (United States)

May, Christopher M.; Maurer, Tana O.; Sanders, Jeffrey S.

2017-05-01

There is a ubiquitous and never ending need in the US armed forces for training materials that provide the warfighter with the skills needed to differentiate between friendly and enemy forces on the battlefield. The current state of the art in battlefield identification training is the Recognition of Combat Vehicles (ROCV) tool created and maintained by the Communications - Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (CERDEC NVESD). The ROC-V training package utilizes measured visual and thermal imagery to train soldiers about the critical visual and thermal cues needed to accurately identify modern military vehicles and combatants. This paper presents an approach that has been developed to augment the existing ROC-V imagery database with synthetically generated multi-spectral imagery that will allow NVESD to provide improved training imagery at significantly lower costs.

Hardware-in-loop simulation of electric vehicles automated mechanical transmission system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liao, C.; Wu, Y.; Wang, L. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). Inst. of Electrical Engineering

2009-03-11

Automated mechanical transmission (AMT) can be used to enhance the performance of hybrid electric vehicles. In this study, hardware-in-loop (HIL) simulations were used to develop an AMT control system. HIL was used to simulate the running and fault status of the system as well as to optimize its performance. HIL was combined with a commercial simulation tool and an automatic code generation technology in a real time environment tool to develop the AMT control system. A hybrid vehicle system dynamics model was generated and then simulated in various real time operating vehicle environments. Virtual instrument technology was used to develop real time monitoring, parameter matching calibration, data acquisition and offline analyses for the optimization of the control system. Results of the analyses demonstrated that the AMT control system can be used to optimize the performance of hybrid electric vehicles. 5 refs., 9 figs.

The Research Process and the Library: First-Generation College Seniors vs. Freshmen

Science.gov (United States)

Pickard, Elizabeth; Logan, Firouzeh

2013-01-01

In a follow-up study to the ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) Project, librarians at UIC compared the responses of first-generation college freshmen from the original study to those of seniors. The study's aim was to determine whether student information literacy increases as a result of undergraduate education and to…

Hybrid vehicle assessment. Phase I. Petroleum savings analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levin, R.; Liddle, S.; Deshpande, G.; Trummel, M.; Vivian, H.

1984-03-01

This report presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of near-term electric-hybrid vehicles. Its purpose was to estimate their potential to save significant amounts of petroleum on a national scale in the 1990s. Performance requirements and expected annual usage patterns of these vehicles were first modeled. The projected US fleet composition was estimated, and conceptual hybrid vehicle designs were conceived and analyzed for petroleum use when driven in the expected annual patterns. These petroleum consumption estimates were then compared to similar estimates for projected 1990 conventional vehicles having the same performance and driven in the same patterns. Results are presented in the form of three utility functions and comparisons of several conceptual designs are made. The Hybrid Vehicle (HV) design and assessment techniques are discussed and a general method is explained for selecting the optimum energy management strategy for any vehicle-mission-battery combination. A discussion of lessons learned during the construction and test of the General Electric Hybrid Test Vehicle is also presented. Conclusions and recommendations are presented, and development recommendations are identified.

Design and development of a continuously variable ratio transmission for an automotive vehicle. Phase IV. Quarterly progress report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1978-05-31

Progress in the design and development of a continuously variable ratio transmission for an automotive vehicle is reported. The Major automotive hydromechanical transmission development problem continues to be the reduction of hydrostatic noise and the project plan, therefore, concentrated on the new hydrostatic module. The potential for achieving acceptably low noise levels in the second generation hydromechanical transmission is to be assessed by comparing the noise levels of the hydrostatic modules for the first and second generation transmissions. A set of twelve test points was selected comprising of road load steady state and wide-open-throttle acceleration at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mph. The module operating conditions for the two transmissions at each of these twelve points were calculated. Baseline noise data was measured on the first generation module. The results are given testing of co-axial hydrostatic module for second generation hydromechanical transmission will be emphasized. (LCL)

Life cycle assessment for next generating vehicles. Feasibility study of alternative fuel vehicles and electric vehicles; Jisedai jidosha no life cycle assessment. Daitai nenryo jidosha oyobi denki jidosha no feasibility study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanyu, T; Iida, N [Keio University, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

To show environmental assessment of introduction of substitute fuel vehicles is important information to formulate the future vehicles policy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is put forward to simulate such potential, allows us to state the reduction environmental impacts of substitute vehicles on their total life cycle. The purpose of this study is assessment and analysis of the life cycle CO2 emission for substitute fuel vehicles, such as, alternative fuel vehicles, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles. 8 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs.

Electric vehicles, primary energy sources and CO2 emissions: Romanian case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varga, Bogdan Ovidiu

2013-01-01

Starting on the 24th of April, 2011, the Romanian government offered to subsidize all potential buyers of electric vehicles, both private and corporate, offering 25% off of the retail price up to 5000 euros with no pollution tax. The Romanian government encourages all governmental institutions to consider buying electric vehicles when deciding to change their existing vehicles stock. This decision is strictly related to the Romanian government's approval of a long-term Energy Strategy, building on the National Energy Strategy for the Medium Term. The government's strategy emphasizes increasing energy efficiency and boosting renewable energy use. The first electric vehicles distributed in the Romanian market are the Citroen-C-Zero, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Renault Kangoo Z.E. and the Renault Fluence Z.E. The energy consumption of these vehicles was analyzed, considering the CO 2 generation characteristics of a Romanian electric power plant. -- Highlights: ► Tax and governmental support for electrical vehicles in Romania. ► Evaluate the CO 2 pollution of the electrical vehicles in Romania's case. ► Comprehensive understanding of the influence of primary energy source over the pollution of an electrical vehicle. ► Approach to decrees the pollution of the electrical vehicles.

SIMPLIFIED MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF SMALL SIZED UNMANNED AIRCRAFT VEHICLE LAYOUT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Strong reduction of new aircraft design period using new technology based on artificial intelligence is the key problem mentioned in forecasts of leading aerospace industry research centers. This article covers the approach to devel- opment of quick aerodynamic design methods based on artificial intelligence neural system. The problem is being solved for the classical scheme of small sized unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV. The principal parts of the method are the mathe- matical model of layout, layout generator of this type of aircraft is built on aircraft neural networks, automatic selection module for cleaning variety of layouts generated in automatic mode, robust direct computational fluid dynamics method, aerodynamic characteristics approximators on artificial neural networks.Methods based on artificial neural networks have intermediate position between computational fluid dynamics methods or experiments and simplified engineering approaches. The use of ANN for estimating aerodynamic characteris-tics put limitations on input data. For this task the layout must be presented as a vector with dimension not exceeding sev-eral hundred. Vector components must include all main parameters conventionally used for layouts description and com- pletely replicate the most important aerodynamics and structural properties.The first stage of the work is presented in the paper. Simplified mathematical model of small sized UAV was developed. To estimate the range of geometrical parameters of layouts the review of existing vehicle was done. The result of the work is the algorithm and computer software for generating the layouts based on ANN technolo-gy. 10000 samples were generated and the dataset containig geometrical and aerodynamic characteristics of layoutwas created.

Fuel cell vehicles: technological solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez Martinez, J. M.

2004-01-01

Recently it takes a serious look at fuel cell vehicles, a leading candidate for next-generation vehicle propulsion systems. The green house effect and air quality are pressing to the designers of internal combustion engine vehicles, owing to the manufacturers to find out technological solutions in order to increase the efficiency and reduce emissions from the vehicles. On the other hand, energy source used by currently propulsion systems is not renewable, the well are limited and produce CO 2 as a product from the combustion process. In that situation, why fuel cell is an alternative of internal combustion engine?

Alcohol consumption among first- and second-generation immigrant and native adolescents in 23 countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barsties, Lisa S.; Walsh, Sophie D.; Huijts, Tim

2017-01-01

and proportions of heavy episodic drinkers (HED) are associated with immigrant adolescents’ alcohol consumption. Design and Methods: We used cross-sectional survey data from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Applying multilevel regression analyses, we investigated the lifetime......Introduction and Aims: This internationally comparative study examines differences in alcohol consumption between first- and second-generation immigrant and native adolescents. We also investigate to what extent origin and receiving country alcohol per capita consumption (APCC) rates...... frequency of alcohol use and drunkenness in 69 842 13- to 15-year-olds in 23 receiving countries, with immigrants from over 130 origin countries (82% natives, 6% first-generation immigrants and 12% second-generation immigrants). Results: The lifetime frequency of alcohol use was higher among natives than...

An experimental investigation of flow around a vehicle passing through a tornado

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Masahiro; Obara, Kouhei; Okura, Nobuyuki

2016-03-01

Flow around a vehicle running through a tornado was investigated experimentally. A tornado simulator was developed to generate a tornado-like swirl flow. PIV study confirmed that the simulator generates two-celled vortices which are observed in the natural tornadoes. A moving test rig was developed to run a 1/40 scaled train-shaped model vehicle under the tornado simulator. The car contained pressure sensors, a data logger with an AD converter to measure unsteady surface pressures during its run through the swirling flow. Aerodynamic forces acting on the vehicle were estimated from the pressure data. The results show that the aerodynamic forces change its magnitude and direction depending on the position of the car in the swirling flow. The asymmetry of the forces about the vortex centre suggests the vehicle itself may deform the flow field.

An experimental investigation of flow around a vehicle passing through a tornado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzuki Masahiro

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Flow around a vehicle running through a tornado was investigated experimentally. A tornado simulator was developed to generate a tornado-like swirl flow. PIV study confirmed that the simulator generates two-celled vortices which are observed in the natural tornadoes. A moving test rig was developed to run a 1/40 scaled train-shaped model vehicle under the tornado simulator. The car contained pressure sensors, a data logger with an AD converter to measure unsteady surface pressures during its run through the swirling flow. Aerodynamic forces acting on the vehicle were estimated from the pressure data. The results show that the aerodynamic forces change its magnitude and direction depending on the position of the car in the swirling flow. The asymmetry of the forces about the vortex centre suggests the vehicle itself may deform the flow field.

Hybrid Turbine Electric Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Viterna, Larry A.

1997-01-01

Hybrid electric power trains may revolutionize today's ground passenger vehicles by significantly improving fuel economy and decreasing emissions. The NASA Lewis Research Center is working with industry, universities, and Government to develop and demonstrate a hybrid electric vehicle. Our partners include Bowling Green State University, the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Lincoln Electric Motor Division, the State of Ohio's Department of Development, and Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical. The vehicle will be a heavy class urban transit bus offering double the fuel economy of today's buses and emissions that are reduced to 1/10th of the Environmental Protection Agency's standards. At the heart of the vehicle's drive train is a natural-gas-fueled engine. Initially, a small automotive engine will be tested as a baseline. This will be followed by the introduction of an advanced gas turbine developed from an aircraft jet engine. The engine turns a high-speed generator, producing electricity. Power from both the generator and an onboard energy storage system is then provided to a variable-speed electric motor attached to the rear drive axle. An intelligent power-control system determines the most efficient operation of the engine and energy storage system.

Ultracapacitors for fuel saving in small size hybrid vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solero, L.; Lidozzi, A.; Serrao, V. [University ROMA TRE, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Eng., Via della Vasca Navale, 79 - 00146 Roma (Italy); Martellucci, L. [University of Rome ' ' La Sapienza' ' , Dept. of Electrical Eng., Via Eudossiana, 18 - 00184 Roma (Italy); Rossi, E. [ENEA, Via Anguillarese, 301 - 00060 S. Maria Galeria, Roma (Italy)

2011-01-01

The main purpose of the paper is to describe a small size hybrid vehicle having ultracapacitors as on-board storage unit. The vehicle on-board main power supply is achieved by a genset being formed of a 250 cm{sup 3} internal combustion engine and a permanent magnet synchronous electric generator, whereas 4 16V-500F ultracapacitors modules are connected in series in order to supply as well as to store the power peaks during respectively acceleration and braking vehicle modes of operation. The traction power is provided by a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, whereas a distributed power electronic interface is in charge of all the required electronic conversions as well of controlling the operating conditions for each power unit. The paper discusses the implemented control strategy and shows experimental results on the modes of operation of both generation unit and storage unit. (author)

Frequency-Control Reserves and Voltage Support from Electric Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte

2013-01-01

The increasing penetration of variable wind power generation units and electricity consumption in power systems demands additional ancillary services for its reliable operation. The battery storages of electric vehicles are one of the substitute solutions for replacing conventional fossil......-fuelled generators to supply future grid support functions. The quick start and fast response characteristics of battery storages enable the electric vehicles to provide most of the power system auxiliary tasks. This chapter discusses key ancillary services that could be supplied by electric vehicles to maintain...... the system balance in power systems with high volumes of wind power generation. To analyse the applications and performance of electric vehicles in supplying active power balancing services, the case studies simulated in wind-power-dominated Danish power systems are also presented....

Experimental investigation on thermal management of electric vehicle battery with heat pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao Zhonghao; Wang Shuangfeng; Wu Maochun; Lin Zirong; Li Fuhuo

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The thermal management system of electric vehicle battery with heat pipes was designed. ► Temperature rise is a key factor for the design of power battery thermal management system. ► Temperature distribution is inevitable to reference for better design of heat pipes used for heat dissipation. ► Heat pipes are effective for power batteries thermal management within electric vehicles. - Abstract: In order to increase the cycle time of power batteries and decrease the overall cost of electric vehicles, the thermal management system equipped with heat pipes was designed according to the heat generated character of power batteries. The experimental result showed that the maximum temperature could be controlled below 50 °C when the heat generation rate was lower than 50 W. Coupled with the desired temperature difference, the heat generation rate should not exceed 30 W. The maximum temperature and temperature difference are kept within desired rang under unsteady operating conditions and cycle testing conditions. Applying heat pipes based power batteries thermal management is an effective method for energy saving in electric vehicles.

Human Supervision of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2013-0143 HUMAN SUPERVISION OF MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Heath A. Ruff Ball...REPORT TYPE Interim 3. DATES COVERED (From – To) 09-16-08 – 03-22-13 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE HUMAN SUPERVISION OF MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES 5a...Supervision of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles To support the vision of a system that enables a single operator to control multiple next-generation

A Vehicle Active Safety Model: Vehicle Speed Control Based on Driver Vigilance Detection Using Wearable EEG and Sparse Representation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zutao Zhang

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a vehicle active safety model for vehicle speed control based on driver vigilance detection using low-cost, comfortable, wearable electroencephalographic (EEG sensors and sparse representation. The proposed system consists of three main steps, namely wireless wearable EEG collection, driver vigilance detection, and vehicle speed control strategy. First of all, a homemade low-cost comfortable wearable brain-computer interface (BCI system with eight channels is designed for collecting the driver’s EEG signal. Second, wavelet de-noising and down-sample algorithms are utilized to enhance the quality of EEG data, and Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT is adopted to extract the EEG power spectrum density (PSD. In this step, sparse representation classification combined with k-singular value decomposition (KSVD is firstly introduced in PSD to estimate the driver’s vigilance level. Finally, a novel safety strategy of vehicle speed control, which controls the electronic throttle opening and automatic braking after driver fatigue detection using the above method, is presented to avoid serious collisions and traffic accidents. The simulation and practical testing results demonstrate the feasibility of the vehicle active safety model.

Evaluation of the Effect of Operating Parameters on Thermal Performance of an Integrated Starter Generator in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moo-Yeon Lee

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The belt-driven-type integrated starter generator motor in a hybrid electric vehicle is vulnerable to thermal problems owing to its high output power and proximity to the engine. These problems may cause demagnetization and insulation breakdown, reducing the performance and durability of the motor. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the thermal performance and enhance the cooling capacity of the belt-driven type Integrated Starter Generator. In this study, the internal temperature variations of the motor were investigated with respect to the operating parameters, particularly the rotation speed and environment temperature. At a maximum ambient temperature of 105 °C and rotation speed (motor design point of 4500 rpm, the coil of the motor was heated to approximately 189 °C in generating mode. The harsh conditions of the starting mode were analyzed by assuming that the motor operates during the start-up time at a maximum ambient temperature of 105 °C and rotation speed (motor design point of 800 rpm; the coil was heated to approximately 200 °C, which is close to the insulation temperature limit. The model for analyzing the thermal performance of the ISG was verified by comparing its results with those obtained through a generating-mode-based experiment

Vehicle logo recognition using multi-level fusion model

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Wei; Xiao, Jianli

2018-04-01

Vehicle logo recognition plays an important role in manufacturer identification and vehicle recognition. This paper proposes a new vehicle logo recognition algorithm. It has a hierarchical framework, which consists of two fusion levels. At the first level, a feature fusion model is employed to map the original features to a higher dimension feature space. In this space, the vehicle logos become more recognizable. At the second level, a weighted voting strategy is proposed to promote the accuracy and the robustness of the recognition results. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, extensive experiments are performed, which demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve high recognition accuracy and work robustly.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as regulating power providers. Case studies of Sweden and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, S.-L.; Goeransson, L.; Karlsson, S.; Johnsson, F.; Elofsson, A.K.; Galus, M.D.; Andersson, G.

2010-01-01

This study investigates plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as providers of regulating power in the form of primary, secondary and tertiary frequency control. Previous studies have shown that PHEVs could generate substantial profits while providing ancillary services. This study investigates under what conditions PHEVs can generate revenues using actual market data, i.e. prices and activations of regulating power, from Sweden and Germany from four months in 2008. PHEV market participation is modelled for individual vehicles in a fleet subject to a simulated movement pattern. Costs for infrastructure and vehicle-to-grid equipment are not included in the analysis. The simulation results indicate that maximum average profits generated on the German markets are in the range 30-80 EUR per vehicle and month whereas the Swedish regulating power markets give no profit. In addition, an analysis is performed to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of PHEVs as regulating power providers. Based on the simulation results and the SWOT analysis, characteristics for an ideal regulating power market for PHEVs are presented. (author)

THE GLOBAL TANDEM-X DEM: PRODUCTION STATUS AND FIRST VALIDATION RESULTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Huber

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The TanDEM-X mission will derive a global digital elevation model (DEM with satellite SAR interferometry. Two radar satellites (TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X will map the Earth in a resolution and accuracy with an absolute height error of 10m and a relative height error of 2m for 90% of the data. In order to fulfill the height requirements in general two global coverages are acquired and processed. Besides the final TanDEM-X DEM, an intermediate DEM with reduced accuracy is produced after the first coverage is completed. The last step in the whole workflow for generating the TanDEM-X DEM is the calibration of remaining systematic height errors and the merge of single acquisitions to 1°x1° DEM tiles. In this paper the current status of generating the intermediate DEM and first validation results based on GPS tracks, laser scanning DEMs, SRTM data and ICESat points are shown for different test sites.

Development of the Tri-ATHLETE Lunar Vehicle Prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Heverly, Matt; Matthews, Jaret; Frost, Matt; Quin, Chris

2010-01-01

The Tri-ATHLETE (All Terrain Hex Limed Extra Terrestrial Explorer) vehicle is the second generation of a wheel-on-limb vehicle being developed to support the return of humans to the lunar surface. This paper describes the design, assembly, and test of the Tri-ATHLETE robotic system with a specific emphasis on the limb joint actuators. The design and implementation of the structural components is discussed, and a novel and low cost approach to approximating flight-like cabling is also presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of the "second system effect" and other lessons learned as well as results from a three week long field trial of the vehicle in the Arizona desert.

Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) smart charging module

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Jason; Dobrzynski, Daniel S.

2017-09-12

A smart charging system for charging a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) includes an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) configured to supply electrical power to the PEV through a smart charging module coupled to the EVSE. The smart charging module comprises an electronic circuitry which includes a processor. The electronic circuitry includes electronic components structured to receive electrical power from the EVSE, and supply the electrical power to the PEV. The electronic circuitry is configured to measure a charging parameter of the PEV. The electronic circuitry is further structured to emulate a pulse width modulated signal generated by the EVSE. The smart charging module can also include a first coupler structured to be removably couple to the EVSE and a second coupler structured to be removably coupled to the PEV.

76 FR 76481 - Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-07

... similarities incorporating regenerative braking (the electric motor is used as a generator to supplement..., using a scan tool in generic mode on your vehicle could cause damage to your vehicle's electric motor... whether a motor vehicle or item of replacement equipment does not comply with an applicable motor vehicle...

Well-to-wheel analysis of direct and indirect use of natural gas in passenger vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curran, Scott J.; Wagner, Robert M.; Graves, Ronald L.; Keller, Martin; Green, Johney B.

2014-01-01

The abundance of natural gas in the United States because of the number of existing natural gas reserves and the recent advances in extracting unconventional reserves has been one of the main drivers for low natural gas prices. A question arises of what is the optimal use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Is it more efficient to use natural gas in a stationary power application to generate electricity to charge electric vehicles, compress natural gas for onboard combustion in vehicles, or re-form natural gas into a denser transportation fuel? This study investigates the well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from various natural gas to transportation fuel pathways and compares the results to conventional gasoline vehicles and electric vehicles using the US electrical generation mix. Specifically, natural gas vehicles running on compressed natural gas are compared against electric vehicles charged with electricity produced solely from natural gas combustion in stationary power plants. The results of the study show that the dependency on the combustion efficiency of natural gas in stationary power can outweigh the inherent efficiency of electric vehicles, thus highlighting the importance of examining energy use on a well-to-wheels basis. - Highlights: • Well-to-wheels analysis shows differences in use of natural gas for transportation. • Well-to-wheels approach needed to evaluate total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. • Well-to-wheels energy and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions depend on efficiency of the prime mover. • Efficiency of power generation critical for low GHG emissions with electric vehicles. • Fuel economy critical for low GHG emissions with compressed natural gas vehicles

THE GENERATION OF BUILDING FLOOR PLANS USING PORTABLE AND UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE MAPPING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. J. Tsai

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Indoor navigation or positioning systems have been widely developed for Location-Based Services (LBS applications and they come along with a keen demand of indoor floor plans for displaying results even improving the positioning performance. Generally, the floor plans produced by robot mapping focus on perceiving the environment to avoid obstacles and using the feature landmarks to update the robot position in the relative coordinate frame. These maps are not accurate enough to incorporate to the indoor positioning system. This study aims at developing Indoor Mobile Mapping System (Indoor MMS and concentrates on generating the highly accurate floor plans based on the robot mapping technique using the portable, robot and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV platform. The proposed portable mapping system prototype can be used in the chest package and the handheld approach. In order to evaluate and correct the generated floor plans from robot mapping techniques, this study builds the testing and calibration field using the outdoor control survey method implemented in the indoor environments. Based on control points and check points from control survey, this study presents the map rectification method that uses the affine transformation to solve the scale and deformation problems and also transfer the local coordinate system into world standard coordinate system. The preliminary results illustrate that the final version of the building floor plan reach 1 meter absolute positioning accuracy using the proposed mapping systems that combines with the novel map rectification approach proposed. These maps are well geo-referenced with world coordinate system thus it can be applied for future seamless navigation applications including indoor and outdoor scenarios.

The Sentry Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: Field Trial Results and Future Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Yoerger, D. R.; Bradley, A. M.; Martin, S. C.; Whitcomb, L. L.

2006-12-01

The Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle combines an efficient long range survey capability with the ability to maneuver at low speeds. These attributes will permit Sentry to perform a variety of conventional and unconventional surveys including long range sonar surveys, hydrothermal plume surveys and near-bottom photo surveys. Sentry's streamlined body and fore and aft tilting planes, each possessing an independently controlled thruster, enable efficient operation in both near-bottom and cruising operations. Sentry is capable of being configured in two modes: hover mode, which commands Sentry's control surfaces to be aligned vertically, and forward flight mode, which allows Sentry's control surfaces to actuate between plus or minus 45 degrees. Sentry is equipped for full 6-Degrees of freedom position measurement. Vehicle heading, roll, and pitch are instrumented with a TCM2 PNI heading and attitude sensor. A Systron Donner yaw rate sensor instrumented heading rate. Depth is instrumented by a Paroscientific depth sensor. A 300kHz RD Instruments Doppler Sonar provides altitude and XYZ velocity measurements. In April 2006, we conducted our first deep water field trials of Sentry in Bermuda. These trials enabled us to examine a variety of issues, including the control software, vehicle safety systems, launch and recovery procedures, operation at depth, heading and depth controllers over a range of speeds, and power consumption. Sentry employ's a control system based upon the Jason 2 control system for low-level control, which has proven effective and reliable over several hundred deep-water dives. The Jason 2 control system, developed jointly at Johns Hopkins University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was augmented to manage Sentry-specific devices (sensors, actuators, and power storage) and to employ a high-level mission controller that supported autonomous mission scripting and error detection and response. This control suite will also support the Nereus

Marginal abatement cost curves for Heavy Duty Vehicles. Background report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schroten, A.; Warringa, G.; Bles, M.

2012-09-15

Cost curves were calculated for CO2 abatement technologies for Heavy Duty Vehicles. These curves were elaborated for eight different vehicle categories (six categories of truck and two subcategories), as well as for an 'average' truck and bus. Given that cost curves depend very much on underlying assumptions, the MACH model (Marginal Abatement Costs of Heavy duty vehicles) was developed. This model allows users to enter their own assumptions with respect to parameters like fuel prices and cost and lifetime of individual technologies, with the model then generating new cost curves for the various vehicle categories. This background report contains a description of the model and a summary of the results of several model runs.

Mobility Systems For Robotic Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Wendell

1987-02-01

The majority of existing robotic systems can be decomposed into five distinct subsystems: locomotion, control/man-machine interface (MMI), sensors, power source, and manipulator. When designing robotic vehicles, there are two main requirements: first, to design for the environment and second, for the task. The environment can be correlated with known missions. This can be seen by analyzing existing mobile robots. Ground mobile systems are generally wheeled, tracked, or legged. More recently, underwater vehicles have gained greater attention. For example, Jason Jr. made history by surveying the sunken luxury liner, the Titanic. The next big surge of robotic vehicles will be in space. This will evolve as a result of NASA's commitment to the Space Station. The foreseeable robots will interface with current systems as well as standalone, free-flying systems. A space robotic vehicle is similar to its underwater counterpart with very few differences. Their commonality includes missions and degrees-of-freedom. The issues of stability and communication are inherent in both systems and environment.

FIRST EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FROM DEGAS, THE QUANTUM LIMITED BRIGHTNESS ELECTRON SOURCE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zolotorev, Max S.; Commins, Eugene D.; Oneill, James; Sannibale, Fernando; Tremsin, Anton; Wan, Weishi

2008-01-01

The construction of DEGAS (DEGenerate Advanced Source), a proof of principle for a quantum limited brightness electron source, has been completed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The commissioning and the characterization of this source, designed to generate coherent single electron 'bunches' with brightness approaching the quantum limit at a repetition rate of few MHz, has been started. In this paper the first experimental results are described

Steam generator replacement at Bruce A: approach, results, and lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomkiewicz, W.; Savage, B.; Smith, J.

2008-01-01

Steam Generator Replacement is now complete in Bruce A Units 1 and 2. In each reactor, eight steam generators were replaced; these were the first CANDU steam generator replacements performed anywhere in the world. The plans for replacement were developed in 2004 and 2005, and were summarized in an earlier paper for the CNS Conference held in November, 2006. The present paper briefly summarizes the methodologies and special processes used such as metrology, cutting and welding and heavy lifting. The paper provides an update since the earlier report and focuses on the project achievements to date, such as: - A combination of engineered methodology, laser metrology and precise remote machining led to accurate first time fit-ups of each new replacement steam generator and steam drums - Lessons learned in the first unit led to schedule improvements in the second unit - Dose received was lowest recorded for any steam generator replacement project. The experience gained and lessons learned from Units 1 and 2 will be valuable in planning and executing future replacement steam generator projects. A video was presented

Search for first generation leptoquarks in ep collisions at HERA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aaron, F.D. [National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (NIPNE), Bucharest (Romania); Bucharest Univ. (Romania). Faculty of Physics; Alexa, C. [National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (NIPNE), Bucharest (Romania); Andreev, V. [Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (RU)] (and others)

2011-07-15

A search for first generation scalar and vector leptoquarks produced in ep collisions is performed by the H1 experiment at HERA. The full H1 data sample is used in the analysis, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 446 pb{sup -1}. No evidence for the production of leptoquarks is observed in final states with a large transverse momentum electron or with large missing transverse momentum, and constraints on leptoquark models are derived. For leptoquark couplings of electromagnetic strength {lambda}=0.3, first generation leptoquarks with masses up to 800 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. (orig.)

Search for First Generation Leptoquarks in ep Collisions at HERA

CERN Document Server

Aaron, F.D.; Andreev, V.; Backovic, S.; Baghdasaryan, A.; Baghdasaryan, S.; Barrelet, E.; Bartel, W.; Begzsuren, K.; Belousov, A.; Belov, P.; Bizot, J.C.; Boudry, V.; Bozovic-Jelisavcic, I.; Bracinik, J.; Brandt, G.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Britzger, D.; Bruncko, D.; Bunyatyan, A.; Buschhorn, G.; Bystritskaya, L.; Campbell, A.J.; Cantun Avila, K.B.; Ceccopieri, F.; Cerny, K.; Cerny, V.; Chekelian, V.; Contreras, J.G.; Coughlan, J.A.; Cvach, J.; Dainton, J.B.; Daum, K.; Delcourt, B.; Delvax, J.; De Wolf, E.A.; Diaconu, C.; Dobre, M.; Dodonov, V.; Dossanov, A.; Dubak, A.; Eckerlin, G.; Egli, S.; Eliseev, A.; Elsen, E.; Favart, L.; Fedotov, A.; Felst, R.; Feltesse, J.; Ferencei, J.; Fischer, D.J.; Fleischer, M.; Fomenko, A.; Gabathuler, E.; Gayler, J.; Ghazaryan, S.; Glazov, A.; Goerlich, L.; Gogitidze, N.; Gouzevitch, M.; Grab, C.; Grebenyuk, A.; Greenshaw, T.; Grell, B.R.; Grindhammer, G.; Habib, S.; Haidt, D.; Helebrant, C.; Henderson, R.C.W.; Hennekemper, E.; Henschel, H.; Herbst, M.; Herrera, G.; Hildebrandt, M.; Hiller, K.H.; Hoffmann, D.; Horisberger, R.; Hreus, T.; Huber, F.; Jacquet, M.; Janssen, X.; Jonsson, L.; Jung, H.; Kapichine, M.; Kenyon, I.R.; Kiesling, C.; Klein, M.; Kleinwort, C.; Kluge, T.; Kogler, R.; Kostka, P.; Kraemer, M.; Kretzschmar, J.; Kruger, K.; Landon, M.P.J.; Lange, W.; Lastovicka-Medin, G.; Laycock, P.; Lebedev, A.; Lendermann, V.; Levonian, S.; Lipka, K.; List, B.; List, J.; Lopez-Fernandez, R.; Lubimov, V.; Makankine, A.; Malinovski, E.; Marage, P.; Martyn, H.U.; Maxfield, S.J.; Mehta, A.; Meyer, A.B.; Meyer, H.; Meyer, J.; Mikocki, S.; Milcewicz-Mika, I.; Moreau, F.; Morozov, A.; Morris, J.V.; Mudrinic, M.; Muller, K.; Naumann, Th.; Newman, P.R.; Niebuhr, C.; Nikitin, D.; Nowak, G.; Nowak, K.; Olsson, J.E.; Ozerov, D.; Pahl, P.; Palichik, V.; Panagoulias, I.; Pandurovic, M.; Papadopoulou, Th.; Pascaud, C.; Patel, G.D.; Perez, E.; Petrukhin, A.; Picuric, I.; Piec, S.; Pirumov, H.; Pitzl, D.; Placakyte, R.; Pokorny, B.; Polifka, R.; Povh, B.; Radescu, V.; Raicevic, N.; Ravdandorj, T.; Reimer, P.; Rizvi, E.; Robmann, P.; Roosen, R.; Rostovtsev, A.; Rotaru, M.; Ruiz Tabasco, J.E.; Rusakov, S.; Salek, D.; Sankey, D.P.C.; Sauter, M.; Sauvan, E.; Schmitt, S.; Schoeffel, L.; Schoning, A.; Schultz-Coulon, H.C.; Sefkow, F.; Shtarkov, L.N.; Shushkevich, S.; Sloan, T.; Smiljanic, I.; Soloviev, Y.; Sopicki, P.; South, D.; Spaskov, V.; Specka, A.; Staykova, Z.; Steder, M.; Stella, B.; Stoicea, G.; Straumann, U.; Sykora, T.; Thompson, P.D.; Tran, T.H.; Traynor, D.; Truol, P.; Tsakov, I.; Tseepeldorj, B.; Turnau, J.; Urban, K.; Valkarova, A.; Vallee, C.; Van Mechelen, P.; Vazdik, Y.; Wegener, D.; Wunsch, E.; Zacek, J.; Zalesak, J.; Zhang, Z.; Zhokin, A.; Zohrabyan, H.; Zomer, F.

2011-10-25

A search for first generation scalar and vector leptoquarks produced in ep collisions is performed by the H1 experiment at HERA. The full H1 data sample is used in the analysis, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 446 pb^-1. No evidence for the production of leptoquarks is observed in final states with a large transverse momentum electron or with large missing transverse momentum, and constraints on leptoquark models are derived. For leptoquark couplings of electromagnetic strength lambda=0.3, first generation leptoquarks with masses up to 800 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.

Investigation of crew performance in a multi-vehicle supervisory control task

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R. A.; Plamondon, B. D.; Jagacinski, R. J.; Kirlik, A. C.

1986-01-01

Crew information processing and decision making in a supervisory control task which is loosely based on the mission of future generation helicopters is measured and represented. Subjects control the motion and activities of their own vehicle and direct the activities of four additional craft. The task involves searching an uncertain environment for cargo and enemies, returning cargo to home base and destroying enemies while attempting to avoid destruction of the scout and the supervised vehicles. A series of experiments with two-person crews and one-person crews were performed. Resulting crew performance was modeled with the objective of describing and understanding the information processing strategies utilized. Of particular interest are problem simplification strategies under time stress and high work load, simplification and compensation in the one-person cases, crew coordination in the two-person cases, and the relationship between strategy and errors in all cases. The results should provide some insight into the effective use of aids, particularly aids based on artificial intelligence, for similar tasks. The simulation is described which is used for the study and some preliminary results from the first two-person crew study are discussed.

Development of a method to rate the primary safety of vehicles using linked New Zealand crash and vehicle licensing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Keall, Michael D; Newstead, Stuart

2016-01-01

Vehicle safety rating systems aim firstly to inform consumers about safe vehicle choices and, secondly, to encourage vehicle manufacturers to aspire to safer levels of vehicle performance. Primary rating systems (that measure the ability of a vehicle to assist the driver in avoiding crashes) have not been developed for a variety of reasons, mainly associated with the difficult task of disassociating driver behavior and vehicle exposure characteristics from the estimation of crash involvement risk specific to a given vehicle. The aim of the current study was to explore different approaches to primary safety estimation, identifying which approaches (if any) may be most valid and most practical, given typical data that may be available for producing ratings. Data analyzed consisted of crash data and motor vehicle registration data for the period 2003 to 2012: 21,643,864 observations (representing vehicle-years) and 135,578 crashed vehicles. Various logistic models were tested as a means to estimate primary safety: Conditional models (conditioning on the vehicle owner over all vehicles owned); full models not conditioned on the owner, with all available owner and vehicle data; reduced models with few variables; induced exposure models; and models that synthesised elements from the latter two models. It was found that excluding young drivers (aged 25 and under) from all primary safety estimates attenuated some high risks estimated for make/model combinations favored by young people. The conditional model had clear biases that made it unsuitable. Estimates from a reduced model based just on crash rates per year (but including an owner location variable) produced estimates that were generally similar to the full model, although there was more spread in the estimates. The best replication of the full model estimates was generated by a synthesis of the reduced model and an induced exposure model. This study compared approaches to estimating primary safety that could mimic

Measurement of vehicle emissions and power performance of an engine dedicated to gasoline converted to natural gas vehicular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flores-Meneses Oscar Febo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The present research work reports the factorial experiment carried out in the Institute of Mechanical and Electromechanical Research (IIME of the Major Saint Andrew University (UMSA, the purpose was to evaluate vehicle power and emission of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, as well as other gases with harmful effects on human health, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and total hydrocarbons generated by an internal combustion engine dedicated to gasoline and converted to bi-fuel CNG. For experimentation, a test stand was assembled with a motor commonly used in light transport vehicles in the city of La Paz, and converted to CNG in two types of transformation technology, third and fifth generation, the first being subsidized by the Bolivian State. The results allowed to determine that emissions depend on the operating regime and that the vehicles converted to CNG do not significantly reduce the emission of GHG issued per unit time in relation to original operation with gasoline, this is because they generate higher emission gas flows in the same operating regimes. Emission of other gases harmful to health are significantly superior when converting to the engine with technology of 3rd generation without use of mixer. Being also its performance of lower power, it falls between 87 and 75% of the original value. It is evident that the type of technology and mode of conversion applied influences the emissions and vehicular power.

Old vehicles under new glance : A literature review and advanced data analysis on historic vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Araghi, Y.; Van Wee, G.P.

2015-01-01

This report is composed of two parts: a literature review on published material relating to historic vehicles and a data analysis on the survey gathered from historic vehicle owners in 15 EU countries. The literature review, which is a first of its kind in the field of historic vehicles (HVs),

Measuring of noise emitted by moving vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skrúcaný Tomáš

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article aims to measure the intensity of the exterior noise of a vehicle in motion. It provides the results of the measurements of the external noise of selected vehicles in motion and the impact of selected factors on the sound level of driving. There are done two measurements in the paper. Results from the first one are comparing noise level of 9 passenger cars according to the Directive 71/157/EEC. The second one shows the road surface influence on the exterior noise of moving vehicle where the sound level was measured by a road whose surface was made of slightly degraded concrete, and at a different place of the same road, where the surface was renovated by applying asphalt mix onto it.

Designing Next Generation Rechargeable Battery Materials from First-Principles

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soo

Technology has advanced rapidly, especially in the twenty-first century, influencing our day-to-day life on unprecedented levels. Most such advances in technology are closely linked to, and often driven by, the discovery and design of new materials. It follows that the discovery of new materials can not only improve existing technologies but also lead to revolutionary ones. In particular, there is a growing need to develop new energy materials that are reliable, clean, and affordable for emerging applications such as portable electronics, electric vehicles, and power grid systems. Many researchers have been actively searching for more cost-effective and clean electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) during the last few decades. These new electrode materials are also required to achieve higher electrochemical performance, compared to the already commercialized electrodes. Unfortunately, discovering the next sustainable energy materials based on a traditional 'trial-and-error' method via experiment would be extremely slow and difficult. In the last two decades, computational compilations of battery material properties such as voltage, diffusivity, and phase stability against irreversible phase transformation(s) using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations have helped researchers to understand the underlying mechanism in many oxide materials that are used as LIB electrodes. Here, we have examined the (001) and (111) surface structures of LiMn2O4 (LMO) spinel cathode materials using DFT calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) + U approach. Our theoretical results explain the observation of a wide spectrum of polyhedral shapes between (001)- and (111)-dominated LMO particles in experiments, which can be described by the narrow range of surface energies and their sensitivity to synthesis conditions. We further show that single-layer graphene coatings help suppress manganese dissolution in LMO by chemically

Energy-resolved computed tomography: first experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shikhaliev, Polad M

2008-01-01

First experimental results with energy-resolved computed tomography (CT) are reported. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in CT has been improved with x-ray energy weighting for the first time. Further, x-ray energy weighting improved the CNR in material decomposition CT when applied to CT projections prior to dual-energy subtraction. The existing CT systems use an energy (charge) integrating x-ray detector that provides a signal proportional to the energy of the x-ray photon. Thus, the x-ray photons with lower energies are scored less than those with higher energies. This underestimates contribution of lower energy photons that would provide higher contrast. The highest CNR can be achieved if the x-ray photons are scored by a factor that would increase as the x-ray energy decreases. This could be performed by detecting each x-ray photon separately and measuring its energy. The energy selective CT data could then be saved, and any weighting factor could be applied digitally to a detected x-ray photon. The CT system includes a photon counting detector with linear arrays of pixels made from cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) semiconductor. A cylindrical phantom with 10.2 cm diameter made from tissue-equivalent material was used for CT imaging. The phantom included contrast elements representing calcifications, iodine, adipose and glandular tissue. The x-ray tube voltage was 120 kVp. The energy selective CT data were acquired, and used to generate energy-weighted and material-selective CT images. The energy-weighted and material decomposition CT images were generated using a single CT scan at a fixed x-ray tube voltage. For material decomposition the x-ray spectrum was digitally spilt into low- and high-energy parts and dual-energy subtraction was applied. The x-ray energy weighting resulted in CNR improvement of calcifications and iodine by a factor of 1.40 and 1.63, respectively, as compared to conventional charge integrating CT. The x-ray energy weighting was also applied

Novice drivers' exposure to known risk factors during the first 18 months of licensure: the effect of vehicle ownership.

Science.gov (United States)

Klauer, Sheila G; Simons-Morton, Bruce; Lee, Suzanne E; Ouimet, Marie Claude; Howard, E Henry; Dingus, Thomas A

2011-04-01

Though there is ample research indicating that nighttime, teen passengers, and speeding increase the risk of crash involvement, there is little research about teen drivers' exposure to these known risk factors. Three research questions were assessed in this article: (1) Does exposure to known risk factors change over time? (2) Do teenage drivers experience higher rates of exposure to known risk factors than adult drivers? (3) Do teenage drivers who own a vehicle experience higher rates of exposure to risk factors than those who share a family vehicle? Forty-one newly licensed teenage drivers and at least one parent (adult) were recruited at licensure. Driving data were recorded for 18 months. Average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or average nighttime VMT for teens did not increase over time. Teenagers consistently drove 24 percent of VMT at night, compared with 18 percent for adults. Teenagers drove 62 percent of VMT with no passengers, 29 percent of VMT with one passenger, and less than 10 percent of VMT with multiple passengers. Driving with no passengers increased with driving experience for these teens. Teenage drivers who owned their vehicles, relative to those who shared a vehicle, sped 4 times more frequently overall and more frequently at night and with multiple teen passengers. These findings are among the first objective data documenting the nature of teenage driving exposure to known risk factors. The findings provide evidence that vehicle access is related to risk and suggest the potential safety benefit of parental management of novice teenage driving exposure.

Performance Efficient Launch Vehicle Recovery and Reuse

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, John G.; Ragab, Mohamed M.; Cheatwood, F. McNeil; Hughes, Stephen J.; Dinonno, J.; Bodkin, R.; Lowry, Allen; Brierly, Gregory T.; Kelly, John W.

2016-01-01

For decades, economic reuse of launch vehicles has been an elusive goal. Recent attempts at demonstrating elements of launch vehicle recovery for reuse have invigorated a debate over the merits of different approaches. The parameter most often used to assess the cost of access to space is dollars-per-kilogram to orbit. When comparing reusable vs. expendable launch vehicles, that ratio has been shown to be most sensitive to the performance lost as a result of enabling the reusability. This paper will briefly review the historical background and results of recent attempts to recover launch vehicle assets for reuse. The business case for reuse will be reviewed, with emphasis on the performance expended to recover those assets, and the practicality of the most ambitious reuse concept, namely propulsive return to the launch site. In 2015, United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced its Sensible, Modular, Autonomous Return Technology (SMART) reuse plan for recovery of the booster module for its new Vulcan launch vehicle. That plan employs a non-propulsive approach where atmospheric entry, descent and landing (EDL) technologies are utilized. Elements of such a system have a wide variety of applications, from recovery of launch vehicle elements in suborbital trajectories all the way to human space exploration. This paper will include an update on ULA's booster module recovery approach, which relies on Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) and Mid-Air Retrieval (MAR) technologies, including its concept of operations (ConOps). The HIAD design, as well as parafoil staging and MAR concepts, will be discussed. Recent HIAD development activities and near term plans including scalability, next generation materials for the inflatable structure and heat shield, and gas generator inflation systems will be provided. MAR topics will include the ConOps for recovery, helicopter selection and staging, and the state of the art of parachute recovery systems using large parafoils

Superconducting levitated systems: first results with the experimental facility at Erlangen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, C.; Elsel, W.; Franksen, H.; Parsch, C.P.; Wilhelm, K.

1974-01-01

The electrodynamic levitation system is being investigated in Western Germany by a development group consisting of AEG, BBC and Siemens together with Linde and other companies. A test carrier of 12t has made the first operational runs at 55km/h in the rolling mode. This paper reviews the technical features of the main non-cryogenic components such as track, power supply, current collector, linear induction motor, vehicle body and control centre, and then describes the superconducting magnet system together with a stationary cryogenic supply facility. (author)

Remotely detected vehicle mass from engine torque-induced frame twisting

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Troy R.; Salvaggio, Carl; Faulring, Jason W.; Sweeney, Glenn D.

2017-06-01

Determining the mass of a vehicle from ground-based passive sensor data is important for many traffic safety requirements. This work presents a method for calculating the mass of a vehicle using ground-based video and acoustic measurements. By assuming that no energy is lost in the conversion, the mass of a vehicle can be calculated from the rotational energy generated by the vehicle's engine and the linear acceleration of the vehicle over a period of time. The amount of rotational energy being output by the vehicle's engine can be calculated from its torque and angular velocity. This model relates remotely observed, engine torque-induced frame twist to engine torque output using the vehicle's suspension parameters and engine geometry. The angular velocity of the engine is extracted from the acoustic emission of the engine, and the linear acceleration of the vehicle is calculated by remotely observing the position of the vehicle over time. This method combines these three dynamic signals; engine induced-frame twist, engine angular velocity, and the vehicle's linear acceleration, and three vehicle specific scalar parameters, into an expression that describes the mass of the vehicle. This method was tested on a semitrailer truck, and the results demonstrate a correlation of 97.7% between calculated and true vehicle mass.

Vehicle Speed Determination in Case of Road Accident by Software Method and Comparing of Results with the Mathematical Model

OpenAIRE

Hoxha Gezim; Shala Ahmet; Likaj Rame

2017-01-01

The paper addresses the problem to vehicle speed calculation at road accidents. To determine the speed are used the PC Crash software and Virtual Crash. With both methods are analysed concrete cases of road accidents. Calculation methods and comparing results are present for analyse. These methods consider several factors such are: the front part of the vehicle, the technical feature of the vehicle, car angle, remote relocation after the crash, road conditions etc. Expected results with PC Cr...

Control-Oriented First Principles-Based Model of a Diesel Generator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Jesper Viese; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon; Andersen, Palle

2016-01-01

This paper presents the development of a control-oriented tenth-order nonlinear model of a diesel driven generator set, using first principles modeling. The model provides physical system insight, while keeping the complexity at a level where it can be a tool for future design of improved automatic...... generation control (AGC), by including important nonlinearities of the machine. The nonlinearities are, as would be expected for a generator, primarily of bilinear nature. Validation of the model is done with measurements on a 60 kVA/48 kW diesel driven generator set in island operation during steps...

Reusable launch vehicles, enabling technology for the development of advanced upper stages and payloads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metzger, John D.

1998-01-01

In the near future there will be classes of upper stages and payloads that will require initial operation at a high-earth orbit to reduce the probability of an inadvertent reentry that could result in a detrimental impact on humans and the biosphere. A nuclear propulsion system, such as was being developed under the Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) Program, is an example of such a potential payload. This paper uses the results of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) study to demonstrate the potential importance of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) to test and implement an advanced upper stage (AUS) or payload in a safe orbit and in a cost effective and reliable manner. The RLV is a horizontal takeoff and horizontal landing (HTHL), two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle. The results of the study shows that an HTHL is cost effective because it implements airplane-like operation, infrastructure, and flight operations. The first stage of the TSTO is powered by Rocket-Based-Combined-Cycle (RBCC) engines, the second stage is powered by a LOX/LH rocket engine. The TSTO is used since it most effectively utilizes the capability of the RBCC engine. The analysis uses the NASA code POST (Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories) to determine trajectories and weight in high-earth orbit for AUS/advanced payloads. Cost and reliability of an RLV versus current generation expandable launch vehicles are presented

Research on the Interior Sound Quality in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liao Lian Ying

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Even the overall level of vehicle interior noise of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV reduced to a certain degree, the vibration and noise generated by the engine, motor, generator and power split have made greater effect on the vehicle interior sound quality in HEV. In order to research the feature of vehicle interior sound quality in HEV, the HEV is used to be the research object, the binaural noise sample of the driver when playing different kinds of music in the vehicle with the speed of sixty kilometers per hour is collected. ArtemiS is used to conduct frequency division processing, so as to obtain the relative weight of each frequency band and the overall noise. The tone, roughness and sharpness of sound quality subjective evaluation parameters are quantified, the SPSS is used to establish the linear regression model of the sample, and the best masking music tracks are found out. Then, the sound samples that contains the best music tracks and the simple vehicle interior noise are re-collected, the regression model and ArtemiS are used to predict the subjective evaluation value. The research results show that when adding the music, the tone degree rises and the lowering degree decreases, thus the disturbing degree reduces, which significantly improves the sound quality in the HEV.

The concept of 'first-generation student' in the literature: Implications ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the United States first-generation students (FGSs), those who are the first in their families to attend university, are recognised as disadvantaged and receive government support. Amidst affirmative action debates in higher education in South Africa, an increased awareness has emerged about challenges that FGSs in this ...

Measured Noise from Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Cabell, Randolph; McSwain, Robert; Grosveld, Ferdinand

2016-01-01

Proposed uses of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including home package delivery, have the potential to expose large portions of communities to a new noise source. This paper discusses results of flyover noise measurements of four small UAVs, including an internal combustion-powered model airplane and three battery-powered multicopters. Basic noise characteristics of these vehicles are discussed, including spectral properties and sound level metrics such as sound pressure level, effective perceived noise level, and sound exposure level. The size and aerodynamic characteristics of the multicopters in particular make their flight path susceptible to atmospheric disturbances such as wind gusts. These gusts, coupled with a flight control system that varies rotor speed to maintain vehicle stability, create an unsteady acoustic signature. The spectral variations resulting from this unsteadiness are explored, in both hover and flyover conditions for the multicopters. The time varying noise, which differs from the relatively steady noise generated by large transport aircraft, may complicate the prediction of human annoyance using conventional sound level metrics.

Outcomes of social class and classism in first- and continuing-generation college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Allan, Blake A; Garriott, Patton O; Keene, Chesleigh N

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of classism that may explain links between social class, first-generation college student status, and academic and well-being outcomes. Specifically, with a sample of 1,225 college students from a public university, we examined social class and first-generation status as predictors of institutionalized, citational, and interpersonal classism and classism as a predictor of life satisfaction, academic satisfaction, and grade point average (GPA). Partially supporting hypotheses, social class and first-generation status predicted institutionalized classism and interpersonal classism, and social class predicted citational classism. In turn, institutionalized classism and citational classism negatively predicted life satisfaction, and institutionalized classism negatively predicted academic satisfaction. Indirect effects were significant from social class to life satisfaction via institutionalized and citational classism, from social class to academic satisfaction via institutionalized classism, and from first-generation status to life satisfaction via institutionalized classism. Social class also had direct effects to life satisfaction, academic satisfaction, and GPA, and first-generation status had direct effects to academic satisfaction and GPA. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Vehicle technologies program Government Performance and Results Act (GPA) report for fiscal year 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward, J.; Stephens, T. S.; Birky, A. K. (Energy Systems); (DOE-EERE); (TA Engineering)

2012-08-10

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has defined milestones for its Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP). This report provides estimates of the benefits that would accrue from achieving these milestones relative to a base case that represents a future in which there is no VTP-supported vehicle technology development. Improvements in the fuel economy and reductions in the cost of light- and heavy-duty vehicles were estimated by using Argonne National Laboratory's Autonomie powertrain simulation software and doing some additional analysis. Argonne also estimated the fraction of the fuel economy improvements that were attributable to VTP-supported development in four 'subsystem' technology areas: batteries and electric drives, advanced combustion engines, fuels and lubricants, and materials (i.e., reducing vehicle mass, called 'lightweighting'). Oak Ridge National Laboratory's MA{sup 3}T (Market Acceptance of Advanced Automotive Technologies) tool was used to project the market penetration of light-duty vehicles, and TA Engineering's TRUCK tool was used to project the penetrations of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Argonne's VISION transportation energy accounting model was used to estimate total fuel savings, reductions in primary energy consumption, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that would result from achieving VTP milestones. These projections indicate that by 2030, the on-road fuel economy of both light- and heavy-duty vehicles would improve by more than 20%, and that this positive impact would be accompanied by a reduction in oil consumption of nearly 2 million barrels per day and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 300 million metric tons of CO{sub 2} equivalent per year. These benefits would have a significant economic value in the U.S. transportation sector and reduce its dependency on oil and its vulnerability to oil price shocks.

Employment and Wage Assimilation of Male First-generation immigrants in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Husted, Leif; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Rosholm, Michael

2001-01-01

Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects...... for unobserved cohort and individual effects and panel selectivity due to missing wage information. The results show that immigrants assimilate partially to Danes, but the assimilation process differs between refugees and non-refugees....

Reinforcement Learning–Based Energy Management Strategy for a Hybrid Electric Tracked Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teng Liu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a reinforcement learning (RL–based energy management strategy for a hybrid electric tracked vehicle. A control-oriented model of the powertrain and vehicle dynamics is first established. According to the sample information of the experimental driving schedule, statistical characteristics at various velocities are determined by extracting the transition probability matrix of the power request. Two RL-based algorithms, namely Q-learning and Dyna algorithms, are applied to generate optimal control solutions. The two algorithms are simulated on the same driving schedule, and the simulation results are compared to clarify the merits and demerits of these algorithms. Although the Q-learning algorithm is faster (3 h than the Dyna algorithm (7 h, its fuel consumption is 1.7% higher than that of the Dyna algorithm. Furthermore, the Dyna algorithm registers approximately the same fuel consumption as the dynamic programming–based global optimal solution. The computational cost of the Dyna algorithm is substantially lower than that of the stochastic dynamic programming.

Always on the starting line: ELCAT 200 - the new-generation electric vehicle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baeckstroem, K.; Leisio, C. [ed.

1997-11-01

The Elcat 200 electric van can always be left charging. With most other electric van models, the situation is different. They run the risk of overcharging, which prevents continual `refuelling` of their batteries and thus considerably reduces the performance of the vehicles. The Elcat electric vehicle project has so far manufactured over 160 electric vans. Of these, the Elcat Cityvan accounts for 130, and the state-of-the-art Elcat 200 just over 30. The greatest single Elcat user is Finland Post, with 50 electric vehicles. Fifty Elcats have been sold abroad, most of them to Sweden

Alcohol-fueled vehicles: An alternative fuels vehicle, emissions, and refueling infrastructure technology assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCoy, G.A.; Kerstetter, J.; Lyons, J.K. [and others

1993-06-01

Interest in alternative motor vehicle fuels has grown tremendously over the last few years. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the California Clean Air Act are primarily responsible for this resurgence and have spurred both the motor fuels and vehicle manufacturing industries into action. For the first time, all three U.S. auto manufacturers are offering alternative fuel vehicles to the motoring public. At the same time, a small but growing alternative fuels refueling infrastructure is beginning to develop across the country. Although the recent growth in alternative motor fuels use is impressive, their market niche is still being defined. Environmental regulations, a key driver behind alternative fuel use, is forcing both car makers and the petroleum industry to clean up their products. As a result, alternative fuels no longer have a lock on the clean air market and will have to compete with conventional vehicles in meeting stringent future vehicle emission standards. The development of cleaner burning gasoline powered vehicles has signaled a shift in the marketing of alternative fuels. While they will continue to play a major part in the clean vehicle market, alternative fuels are increasingly recognized as a means to reduce oil imports. This new role is clearly defined in the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. The Act identifies alternative fuels as a key strategy for reducing imports of foreign oil and mandates their use for federal and state fleets, while reserving the right to require private and municipal fleet use as well.

Towards a meaningful metric for the quantification of GHG emissions of electric vehicles (EVs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manjunath, Archana; Gross, George

2017-01-01

A key motivator for wider deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) – vehicles that are fully powered by battery charged from grid electricity – is to bring about environmental cleanliness. This goal is based on the fact that EVs produce zero tailpipe emissioon the associated carbon emissins. However, the generation and transmission of the charge electricity produce emissions that are not explicitly accounted by current measurement metrics for EV greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and as such, the notion of environmental cleanliness of EVs becomes questionable. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive metric to quantify the actual environmental impacts of EVs. The new metric that we call the electric vehicle emissions index (EVEI) captures CO_2 emissions in the electricity production to consumption stages. Our metric is the first that provides transparency in the comparison of total emissions among various EV models, as well as in the side-by-side comparison of an EV with a gasoline vehicle (GV). Illustrative results indicate that the actual environmental impacts of an EV may show wide spatial variations and in some case, these impacts may be even greater than that of GV. Such insights that the EVEI provides may be useful in a wide range of applications, particularly in policy and incentive formulation. - Highlights: • We propose the Electric Vehicle Emission Index (EVEI) metric. • EVEI indicates the EV environmental impacts w.r.t gasoline vehicles (GVs). • Fuel economy and resource mix are the major contributors to emissions. • Results indicate EVs may prove to be dirtier than GVs in certain areas of usage. • Insights may prove to be valuable to policy and incentive formulation.

Concerning the debate on electric-powered-vehicle emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sporckmann, B.

1994-01-01

The fact that electric-powered vehicles do not emit pollutants locally is obvious and must be considered as the main motive for their use. The global air pollution situation can only be of secondary importance because within the foreseeable future emissions linked to the use of electric-powered vehicles will remain within the variation width of power generation emissions that is not to be influenced. All the same, it is indispensable to consider the global situation. The author compares electric-powered vehicles with conventional ones by referring to the power generation of all federal German states. (orig.) [de

Local and Global Path Generation for Autonomous Vehicles Using SplinesGeneración Local y Global de Trayectorias para Vehículo Autónomos Usando Splines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Randerson Lemos

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Context: Before autonomous vehicles being a reality in daily situations, outstanding issues regarding the techniques of autonomous mobility must be solved. Hence, relevant aspects of a path planning for terrestrial vehicles are shown. Method: The approached path planning technique uses splines to generate the global route. For this goal, waypoints obtained from online map services are used. With the global route parametrized in the arc-length, candidate local paths are computed and the optimal one is selected by cost functions. Results: Different routes are used to show that the number and distribution of waypoints are highly correlated to a satisfactory arc-length parameterization of the global route, which is essential to the proper behavior of the path planning technique. Conclusions: The cubic splines approach to the path planning problem successfully generates the global and local paths. Nevertheless, the use of raw data from the online map services showed to be unfeasible due the consistency of the data. Hence, a preprocessing stage of the raw data is proposed to guarantee the well behavior and robustness of the technique.

Introduction: Aims and Requirements of Future Aerospace Vehicles. Chapter 1

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Pedro I.; Smeltzer, Stanley S., III; McConnaughey, Paul (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The goals and system-level requirements for the next generation aerospace vehicles emphasize safety, reliability, low-cost, and robustness rather than performance. Technologies, including new materials, design and analysis approaches, manufacturing and testing methods, operations and maintenance, and multidisciplinary systems-level vehicle development are key to increasing the safety and reducing the cost of aerospace launch systems. This chapter identifies the goals and needs of the next generation or advanced aerospace vehicle systems.

Vehicle-pedestrian collisions - Aspects regarding pedestrian kinematics, dynamics and biomechanics

Science.gov (United States)

Petrescu, L.; Petrescu, Al

2017-10-01

Vehicle-pedestrian collisions result in a substantial number of pedestrian fatalities and injuries worldwide. Concern continues to limit and reduce the tragic consequences suffered by pedestrians involved in road accidents, caused the vehicle-pedestrian accident reconstruction become an important area and distinctly outlined in the reconstruction of road incidents involving vehicle. This paper analyzes the dynamics of vehicle-pedestrian impact influence over pedestrian biomechanics, which is directly connected with the severity of injury after contact with the vehicle profile and with the place where the pedestrian is projected. The main goal of this paper is to highlight some features of reconstruction of road accidents involving pedestrian, looking at the kinematics and dynamics of pedestrian impact for a better understanding of the phenomena that occur. The study on the dynamics and biomechanics of the pedestrian hit by the vehicle is useful in order to understand how the injuries, including the lethal ones, are generated in the collision, what is essential in road accidents reconstruction.

Modelling the impact of EVs on electricity generation, costs and CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calnan, P.; Deane, J.P.; Ó Gallachóir, B.P.

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on the impact of electric vehicles on electricity generation in Ireland in 2025 based on five alternative generation portfolios. The year 2025 was selected for assessment due to the information on the composition of the five generation portfolios from Eirgrid the system operator in Ireland being provided. Detailed market simulations were undertaken on the five possible generation portfolios to assess the impact of the Government targets for electric vehicles on the generation costs, emissions, generation stack and the cost to load of this additional demand. This paper also studied the impact between a standard and least cost electric vehicle loading regime to ascertain the benefits that could be achieved. The results show that gas will be the dominant source of electricity generation to load electric vehicles and that wind as an electricity source will experience a minor reduction in curtailment, with the least cost charging profile showing a more pronounced reduction. The capital benefits of the Standard and Least Cost EV load are found to be negligible. The portfolios studied generated CO 2 emissions per kilometre between 52 and 70 gCO 2 /km. All portfolios with the exception of coal were found to comply with EU regulation 443/2009. - Highlights: • This paper focuses on the impact of electric vehicles on electricity generation in Ireland in 2025. • It uses the PLEXOS software package by Energy Exemplar to model the Irish electricity market. • Government targets for electric vehicle penetration have a limited impact on the power system. • Electric vehicles will meet EU requirements in terms of emissions created per kilometre

Acceptance of Driverless Vehicles: Results from a Large Cross-National Questionnaire Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sina Nordhoff

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Shuttles that operate without an onboard driver are currently being developed and tested in various projects worldwide. However, there is a paucity of knowledge on the determinants of acceptance of driverless shuttles in large cross-national samples. In the present study, we surveyed 10,000 respondents on the acceptance of driverless vehicles and sociodemographic characteristics, using a 94-item online questionnaire. After data filtering, data of 7,755 respondents from 116 countries were retained. Respondents reported that they would enjoy taking a ride in a driverless vehicle (mean = 4.90 on a scale from 1 = disagree strongly to 6 = agree strongly. We further found that the scores on the questionnaire items were most appropriately explained through a general acceptance component, which had loadings of about 0.7 for items pertaining to the usefulness of driverless vehicles and loadings between 0.5 and 0.6 for items concerning the intention to use, ease of use, pleasure, and trust in driverless vehicles, as well as knowledge of mobility-related developments. Additional components were identified as thrill seeking, wanting to be in control manually, supporting a car-free environment, and being comfortable with technology. Correlations between sociodemographic characteristics and general acceptance scores were small (<0.20, yet interpretable (e.g., people who reported difficulty with finding a parking space were more accepting towards driverless vehicles. Finally, we found that the GDP per capita of the respondents’ country was predictive of countries’ mean general acceptance score (ρ=-0.48 across 43 countries with 25 or more respondents. In conclusion, self-reported acceptance of driverless vehicles is more strongly determined by domain-specific attitudes than by sociodemographic characteristics. We recommend further research, using objective measures, into the hypothesis that national characteristics are a predictor of the acceptance of

Life Science on the International Space Station Using the Next Generation of Cargo Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, J. A.; Phillion, J. P.; Hart, A. T.; Comella, J.; Edeen, M.; Ruttley, T. M.

2011-01-01

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the transition of the International Space Station (ISS) from assembly to full laboratory capabilities, the opportunity to perform life science research in space has increased dramatically, while the operational considerations associated with transportation of the experiments has changed dramatically. US researchers have allocations on the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). In addition, the International Space Station (ISS) Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) contract will provide consumables and payloads to and from the ISS via the unmanned SpaceX (offers launch and return capabilities) and Orbital (offers only launch capabilities) resupply vehicles. Early requirements drove the capabilities of the vehicle providers; however, many other engineering considerations affect the actual design and operations plans. To better enable the use of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory, ground and on-orbit facility development can augment the vehicle capabilities to better support needs for cell biology, animal research, and conditioned sample return. NASA Life scientists with experience launching research on the space shuttle can find the trades between the capabilities of the many different vehicles to be confusing. In this presentation we will summarize vehicle and associated ground processing capabilities as well as key concepts of operations for different types of life sciences research being launched in the cargo vehicles. We will provide the latest status of vehicle capabilities and support hardware and facilities development being made to enable the broadest implementation of life sciences research on the ISS.

The Menger sponge : a first exploration into 3D generated form

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kennedy, R.W.R.

2016-01-01

In this article I describe programming a three-dimensional fractal structure as a first venture into formulaically generated forms, and the physical realisations of those structures with tereolithographic 3D printing. A Menger Sponge is generated and the implementation of the algorithm is discussed

Reactive Planning of Autonomous Vehicles for Traffic Scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahul Kala

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Autonomous vehicles operate in real time traffic scenarios and aim to reach their destination from their source in the most efficient manner possible. Research in mobile robotics provides a variety of sophisticated means with which to plan the path of these vehicles. Conversely professional human drivers usually drive using instinctive means, which enables them to reach their goal almost optimally whilst still obeying all traffic laws. In this paper we propose the use of fuzzy logic for novel motion planning. The planner is generated using an evolutionary algorithm which resembles the learning stage of professional drivers. Whether to overtake or not, is a decision which affects one’s driving and the decision is made using some deliberation. We further extend the approach to perform decision making regarding overtaking for all vehicles. Further we coordinate the motion of the vehicles at a traffic crossing to avoid any potential jam or collision. Experimental results prove that by using this approach we have been able to make the vehicles move in an optimal manner in a variety of scenarios.

Energy management and vehicle synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Czysz, P.; Murthy, S. N. B.

The major drivers in the development of launch vehicles for the twenty-first century are reduction in cost of vehicles and operations, continuous reusability, mission abort capability with vehicle recovery, and readiness. One approach to the design of such vehicles is to emphasize energy management and propulsion as being the principal means of improvements given the available industrial capability and the required freedom in selecting configuration concept geometries. A methodology has been developed for the rational synthesis of vehicles based on the setting up and utilization of available data and projections, and a reference vehicle. The application of the methodology is illustrated for a single stage to orbit (SSTO) with various limits for the use of airbreathing propulsion.

First half 2005 financial results; Resultats du 1. semestre 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, AREVA offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets. This document presents the first half 2005 financial results of the group: 1 - overall performance: sales revenue, operating income, consolidated net income, operating cash flow, balance sheet; 2 - outlook; 3 - performance by business division: front-end division, reactors and services division, back end division, transmission and distribution division, connectors division.

First results from MAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sykes, A.

2001-01-01

MAST is one of the new generation of large, purpose-built Spherical Tokamaks now becoming operational, designed to investigate the properties of the ST in large, collisionless plasmas. The first 6 months of MAST operations have been remarkably successful. Operationally, both merging-compression and the more usual solenoid induction schemes have been demonstrated, the former providing over 400kA of plasma current with no demand on solenoid flux. Good vacuum conditions and operational conditions, particularly after boronization in trymethylated boron, have provided plasma current of over 1MA with central plasma temperatures (Ohmic) of order 1keV. The Hugill and Greenwald limits can be exceeded, and H-mode achieved at modest additional NBI power. Moreover, particle and energy confinement show an immediate increase at the L-H transition, unlike START where this only became apparent at the highest plasma currents. Halo currents are small, with low toroidal peaking factors, in accordance with theoretical predictions, and there is evidence of a resilience to the major disruption. (author)

Vehicle Speed Determination in Case of Road Accident by Software Method and Comparing of Results with the Mathematical Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoxha Gezim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the problem to vehicle speed calculation at road accidents. To determine the speed are used the PC Crash software and Virtual Crash. With both methods are analysed concrete cases of road accidents. Calculation methods and comparing results are present for analyse. These methods consider several factors such are: the front part of the vehicle, the technical feature of the vehicle, car angle, remote relocation after the crash, road conditions etc. Expected results with PC Crash software and Virtual Crash are shown in tabular graphics and compared in mathematical methods.

Feasible Initial Population with Genetic Diversity for a Population-Based Algorithm Applied to the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antonio Cruz-Chávez

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A stochastic algorithm for obtaining feasible initial populations to the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows is presented. The theoretical formulation for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows is explained. The proposed method is primarily divided into a clustering algorithm and a two-phase algorithm. The first step is the application of a modified k-means clustering algorithm which is proposed in this paper. The two-phase algorithm evaluates a partial solution to transform it into a feasible individual. The two-phase algorithm consists of a hybridization of four kinds of insertions which interact randomly to obtain feasible individuals. It has been proven that different kinds of insertions impact the diversity among individuals in initial populations, which is crucial for population-based algorithm behavior. A modification to the Hamming distance method is applied to the populations generated for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows to evaluate their diversity. Experimental tests were performed based on the Solomon benchmarking. Experimental results show that the proposed method facilitates generation of highly diverse populations, which vary according to the type and distribution of the instances.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates of diesel vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kadijk, G.; Ligterink, N.E.; Mensch, P. van; Spreen, J.S.; Vermeulen, R.J.; Vonk, W.A.

2015-01-01

In real-world conditions, modern Euro VI heavy-duty vehicles produce an average of ten times less nitrogen oxide (NOx)emissions than previous generations of Euro IV and Euro V heavy-duty vehicles. However, Euro 6 passenger cars and light commercial vehicles present an entirely different picture

Real-world NOx emissions of Euro V and Euro VI heavy duty vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vermeulen, R.; Dekker, H.; Vonk, W.

2012-04-15

TNO regularly performs measurements to determine the in-service performance and durability with respect to the pollutant emissions of heavy-duty vehicles under representative driving conditions. The 2011 measurement programme yields new insights regarding the emission performance of the upcoming Euro VI technology for heavy-duty vehicles, mandatory as of 31 December 2013 and, together with the results from earlier performed programmes, leads to conclusions on the emission performance of past and present generations of heavy-duty vehicles (Euro V, EEV)

Influence of an Optimized Thermoelectric Generator on the Back Pressure of the Subsequent Exhaust Gas System of a Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, Roland; Koeppen, Olaf; Kitte, Jens

2014-06-01

Numerous research projects in automotive engineering focus on the industrialization of the thermoelectric generator (TEG). The development and the implementation of thermoelectric systems into the vehicle environment are commonly supported by virtual design activities. In this paper a customized simulation architecture is presented that includes almost all vehicle parts which are influenced by the TEG (overall system simulation) but is nevertheless capable of real-time use. Moreover, an optimized planar TEG with minimum nominal power output of about 580 W and pressure loss at nominal conditions of 10 mbar, synthesized using the overall system simulation, and the overall system simulation itself are used to answer a generally neglected question: What influence does the position of a TEG have on the back pressure of the subsequent exhaust gas system of the vehicle? It is found that the influence of the TEG on the muffler is low, but the catalytic converter is strongly influenced. It is shown that the TEG can reduce the back pressure of an exhaust gas system so much that its overall back pressure is less than the back pressure of a standard exhaust gas system.

Impact of plug-in electric vehicles on voltage unbalance in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) will soon be connected to residential distribution networks. ... generation units which transfer the energy stored in their battery into grid. ... electric vehicles on voltage imbalance in distribution system is presented. ... and other types of distribution generator such as solar photovoltaic and wind ...

Trust in vehicle technology

OpenAIRE

Walker, Guy, H.; Stanton, Neville, A.; Salmon, Paul

2016-01-01

Driver trust has potentially important implications for how vehicle technology is used and interacted with. In this paper it will be seen how driver trust functions and how it can be understood and manipulated by insightful vehicle design. It will review the theoretical literature to define steps that can be taken establish trust in vehicle technology in the first place, maintain trust in the long term, and even re-establish trust that has been lost along the way. The implication throughout i...

"First generation" automated DNA sequencing technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Slatko, Barton E; Kieleczawa, Jan; Ju, Jingyue; Gardner, Andrew F; Hendrickson, Cynthia L; Ausubel, Frederick M

2011-10-01

Beginning in the 1980s, automation of DNA sequencing has greatly increased throughput, reduced costs, and enabled large projects to be completed more easily. The development of automation technology paralleled the development of other aspects of DNA sequencing: better enzymes and chemistry, separation and imaging technology, sequencing protocols, robotics, and computational advancements (including base-calling algorithms with quality scores, database developments, and sequence analysis programs). Despite the emergence of high-throughput sequencing platforms, automated Sanger sequencing technology remains useful for many applications. This unit provides background and a description of the "First-Generation" automated DNA sequencing technology. It also includes protocols for using the current Applied Biosystems (ABI) automated DNA sequencing machines. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Testicular cancer risk in first- and second-generation immigrants to Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Myrup, Charlotte; Westergaard, Tine; Schnack, Tine; Oudin, Anna; Ritz, Christian; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Melbye, Mads

2008-01-02

Immigrant studies offer insights into the relative importance of environment and genes in disease etiology. There is considerable variation in testicular cancer incidence worldwide. We investigated testicular cancer risk in first- and second-generation immigrants to Denmark, a high-incidence country, to evaluate the relative influence of genes and environment and the potential timing of action of environmental factor(s). A cohort of 2.1 million men who were born since 1930 and lived in Denmark between 1968 and 2003 was established based on information in the Danish Civil Registration System, which included their immigration histories. Cancer histories were obtained from the Danish Cancer Registry. Testicular cancer risk was estimated as rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on log-linear Poisson regression. Overall, 4216 testicular cancer cases occurred during 43 million person-years of follow-up in 2.1 million men. These included 166 cases among 344,444 direct immigrants to Denmark and 13 cases among 56,189 men born in Denmark to immigrant parents. These first- and second-generation immigrants had RRs of testicular cancer of 0.37 (95% CI = 0.31 to 0.43) and 0.88 (95% CI = 0.51 to 1.53), respectively, compared with men born in Denmark of parents born in Denmark. The rate in first-generation immigrants was not modified by age at immigration or duration of stay and reflected that in the country of origin. The testicular cancer risk in first-generation immigrants was lower than that in native-born Danes and reflected that in the countries of origin, whereas the risk in second-generation immigrants was similar to that in natives of Denmark. Together these findings argue for a substantial influence of environmental factors limited to the period early in life, most probably to the period in utero.

Instability of a vehicle moving on an elastic structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veritchev, S.N.

2002-01-01

Vibrations of a vehicle that moves on a long elastic structure can become unstable because of elastic waves that the vehicle generates in the structure. A typical example of the vehicle that can experience such instability is a high-speed train. Moving with a sufficiently high speed, this train

Different Control Algorithms for a Platoon of Autonomous Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Gacovski

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a concept of platoon movement of autonomous vehicles (smart cars. These vehicles have Adaptive or Advanced cruise control (ACC system also called Intelligent cruise control (ICC or Adaptive Intelligent cruise control (AICC system. The vehicles are suitable to follow other vehicles on desired distance and to be organized in platoons. To perform a research on the control and stability of an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles string, we have developed a car-following model. To do this, first a single vehicle is modeled and since all cars in the platoon have the same dynamics, the single vehicle model is copied ten times to form model of platoon (string with ten vehicles. To control this string, we have applied equal PID controllers to all vehicles, except the leading vehicle. These controllers try to keep the headway distance as constant as possible and the velocity error between subsequent vehicles - small. For control of vehicle with nonlinear dynamics combi­nation of feedforward control and feedback control approach is used. Feedforward control is based on the inverse model of nominal dynamics of the vehicle, and feedback PID control is designed based on the linearized model of the vehicle. For simulation and analysis of vehicle and platoon of vehicles – we have developed Matlab/Simulink models. Simulation results, discussions and conclusions are given at the end of the paper.

Developing a Blended Type Course of Introduction to Hybrid Vehicles

OpenAIRE

Na Zhu

2016-01-01

An innovative course of introduction to hybrid vehicles is developed for both associate and bachelor degree programs for engineering technology with automotive/mechanical concentration. The hybrid vehicle course content includes several topics, such as the rational of pure electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle, hybrid vehicle propulsion systems, fundamentals of motor/generator systems, fundamentals of battery and energy management system, and introduction to various configurations of hybrid veh...

Method of converting an existing vehicle powertrain to a hybrid powertrain system

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Jr., Richard G.; Boberg, Evan S.; Lawrie, Robert E.; Castaing, Francois J.

2001-12-25

A method of converting an existing vehicle powertrain including a manual transmission to a hybrid powertrain system with an automated powertrain transmission. The first step in the method of attaching a gear train housing to a housing of said manual transmission, said gear train housing receiving as end of drive shaft of said transmission and rotatably supporting a gear train assembly. Secondly, mounting an electric motor/generator to said gear train housing and attaching a motor/generator drive shaft of said electric motor/generator to said gear train assembly. Lastly, connecting an electro-mechanical clutch actuator to a friction clutch mechanism of said manual transmission.

Vehicle Maximum Weight Limitation Based on Intelligent Weight Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Raihan, W.; Tessar, R. M.; Ernest, C. O. S.; E Byan, W. R.; Winda, A.

2017-03-01

Vehicle weight is an important factor to be maintained for transportation safety. A weight limitation system is proposed to make sure the vehicle weight is always below its designation prior the vehicle is being used by the driver. The proposed system is divided into two systems, namely vehicle weight confirmation system and weight warning system. In vehicle weight confirmation system, the weight sensor work for the first time after the ignition switch is turned on. When the weight is under the weight limit, the starter engine can be switched on to start the engine system, otherwise it will be locked. The seconds system, will operated after checking all the door at close position, once the door of the car is closed, the weight warning system will check once again the weight during runing engine condition. The results of these two systems, vehicle weight confirmation system and weight warning system have 100 % accuracy, respectively. These show that the proposed vehicle weight limitation system operate well.

Synergies between the first-generation JHF-SK and NuMI superbeam experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, P.; Lindner, M.; Winter, W.

2003-01-01

We discuss synergies in the combination of the first-generation JHF to Super-Kamiokande and NuMI off-axis superbeam experiments. With synergies we mean effects which go beyond simply adding the statistics of the two experiments. As a first important result, we do not observe interesting synergy effects in the combination of the two experiments as they are planned right now. However, we find that with minor modifications, such as a different NuMI baseline or a partial antineutrino running, one could do much richer physics with both experiments combined. Specifically, we demonstrate that one could, depending on the value of the solar mass squared difference, either measure the sign of the atmospheric mass squared difference or CP violation already with the initial stage experiments. Our main results are presented in a way that can be easily interpreted in terms of the forthcoming KamLAND result

Ares I-X: First Flight of a New Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Stephan R.; Askins, Bruce R.

2010-01-01

The Ares I-X suborbital development flight test demonstrated NASA s ability to design, develop, launch and control a new human-rated launch vehicle (Figure 14). This hands-on missions experience will provide the agency with necessary skills and insights regardless of the future direction of space exploration. The Ares I-X team, having executed a successful launch, will now focus on analyzing the flight data and extracting lessons learned that will be used to support the development of future vehicles.

Developing a Blended Type Course of Introduction to Hybrid Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Na Zhu

2016-02-01

Full Text Available An innovative course of introduction to hybrid vehicles is developed for both associate and bachelor degree programs for engineering technology with automotive/mechanical concentration. The hybrid vehicle course content includes several topics, such as the rational of pure electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle, hybrid vehicle propulsion systems, fundamentals of motor/generator systems, fundamentals of battery and energy management system, and introduction to various configurations of hybrid vehicle systems available in market and under development. Hybrid vehicle technology is a new area and developed rapidly in the field of automotive and mechanical engineering. Students need not only the fundamentals and concepts from college, but also the ability to keep up with the latest technology after their graduation. Therefore, a blended course type is employed to help students have a better understanding of the fundamentals of hybrid vehicle and developing their self-studying ability. Topics in the course have three steps of learning. Firstly, on-ground lecture is given in class, where the instructor explains basic knowledge, such as principles, equations, and design rules.  In this way, the students will have enough background knowledge and be able to conduct further self-reading and research work. Secondly, students are required to go to university’s desire to learn (D2L online system and finish the online part of the topic. In the D2L system, students will find a quiz and its supporting materials. Thirdly, students come back to the on-ground lecture and discuss the quiz in groups with instructor. After the discussion, the instructor gives students a conclusion of the topic and moves forward to the next topic. A computer simulation class is also given to help student better understand the operation strategies of the hybrid vehicle systems and have a trial of design of hybrid vehicle.

Characterization of wastewaters from vehicle washing companies and environmental impacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valderi Duarte Leite

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The car wash business has developed rapidly in recent years due to the increased number of cars, thus, it can cause serious environmental problems considering its potential source of pollution. The aim of this study was to characterize the wastewater from car washing companies in the city of Campina Grande, in Paraiba state, and to analyze the environmental impacts generated. A survey was conducted from November 2009 to July 2010. The first step we present a survey of car wash businesses in the city, and identified 20 licensed companies in which we evaluated the number of vehicles washed per week, the existence of a system of pre-treatment of wastewater generated and infrastructure that would allow the realization of the collection of samples of the effluent, the second step was carried out chemical and physical characterization of wastewater from five 20 companies surveyed in the previous step, and third stage were measured pollution loads of wastewater from washing of vehicles in the city, from the results obtained in previous steps. The characterization parameters were analyzed: oil and grease, COD, heavy metals, TS, TSS, turbidity, TKN, total P, pH and color. The results demonstrated that the wastewater from the car wash establishments shows high concentrations of organic matter, oils and grease, heavy metals and solids, and as such did not conform with the specific environmental legislation. Evaluation of pollutant loads demonstrated that if releases without proper treatment, it can cause serious environmental problems. It is therefore essential that these establishments are properly monitored.

Super Boiler: First Generation, Ultra-High Efficiency Firetube Boiler

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2006-06-01

This factsheet describes a research project whose goal is to develop and demonstrate a first-generation ultra-high-efficiency, ultra-low emissions, compact gas-fired package boiler (Super Boiler), and formulate a long-range RD&D plan for advanced boiler technology out to the year 2020.

The effects of in utero bisphenol A exposure on reproductive capacity in several generations of mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziv-Gal, Ayelet; Wang, Wei; Zhou, Changqing; Flaws, Jodi A.

2015-01-01

In utero bisphenol A (BPA) exposure affects reproductive function in the first generation (F1) of mice; however, not many studies have examined the reproductive effects of BPA exposure on subsequent generations. In this study, pregnant mice (F0) were orally dosed with vehicle, BPA (0.5, 20, and 50 μg/kg/day) or diethylstilbestrol (DES; 0.05 μg/kg/day) daily from gestation day 11 until birth. F1 females were used to generate the F2 generation, and F2 females were used to generate the F3 generation. Breeding studies at the ages of 3, 6, and 9 months were conducted to evaluate reproductive capacity over time. Further, studies were conducted to evaluate pubertal onset, litter size, and percentage of dead pups; and to calculate pregnancy rate, and mating, fertility, and gestational indices. The results indicate that BPA exposure (0.5 and 50 μg/kg/day) significantly delayed the age at vaginal opening in the F3 generation compared to vehicle control. Both DES (0.05 μg/kg/day) and BPA (50 μg/kg/day) significantly delayed the age at first estrus in the F3 generation compared to vehicle control. BPA exposure reduced gestational index in the F1 and F2 generations compared to control. Further, BPA exposure (0.5 μg/kg/day) compromised the fertility index in the F3 generation compared to control. Finally, in utero BPA exposure reduced the ability of female mice to maintain pregnancies as they aged. Collectively, these data suggest that BPA exposure affects reproductive function in female mice and that some effects may be transgenerational in nature. - Highlights: • In utero BPA delayed vaginal opening in the F3 generation compared to control. • In utero BPA delayed estrus in the F3 generation compared to control. • In utero BPA reduced the ability of F1 and F2 female mice to maintain pregnancies. • In utero BPA compromised the ability of F3 female mice to become pregnant. • Some effects of in utero BPA may be transgenerational in nature

The effects of in utero bisphenol A exposure on reproductive capacity in several generations of mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ziv-Gal, Ayelet, E-mail: zivgal1@illinois.edu; Wang, Wei, E-mail: weiwang2@illinois.edu; Zhou, Changqing, E-mail: czhou27@illinois.edu; Flaws, Jodi A., E-mail: jflaws@illinois.edu

2015-05-01

In utero bisphenol A (BPA) exposure affects reproductive function in the first generation (F1) of mice; however, not many studies have examined the reproductive effects of BPA exposure on subsequent generations. In this study, pregnant mice (F0) were orally dosed with vehicle, BPA (0.5, 20, and 50 μg/kg/day) or diethylstilbestrol (DES; 0.05 μg/kg/day) daily from gestation day 11 until birth. F1 females were used to generate the F2 generation, and F2 females were used to generate the F3 generation. Breeding studies at the ages of 3, 6, and 9 months were conducted to evaluate reproductive capacity over time. Further, studies were conducted to evaluate pubertal onset, litter size, and percentage of dead pups; and to calculate pregnancy rate, and mating, fertility, and gestational indices. The results indicate that BPA exposure (0.5 and 50 μg/kg/day) significantly delayed the age at vaginal opening in the F3 generation compared to vehicle control. Both DES (0.05 μg/kg/day) and BPA (50 μg/kg/day) significantly delayed the age at first estrus in the F3 generation compared to vehicle control. BPA exposure reduced gestational index in the F1 and F2 generations compared to control. Further, BPA exposure (0.5 μg/kg/day) compromised the fertility index in the F3 generation compared to control. Finally, in utero BPA exposure reduced the ability of female mice to maintain pregnancies as they aged. Collectively, these data suggest that BPA exposure affects reproductive function in female mice and that some effects may be transgenerational in nature. - Highlights: • In utero BPA delayed vaginal opening in the F3 generation compared to control. • In utero BPA delayed estrus in the F3 generation compared to control. • In utero BPA reduced the ability of F1 and F2 female mice to maintain pregnancies. • In utero BPA compromised the ability of F3 female mice to become pregnant. • Some effects of in utero BPA may be transgenerational in nature.

Simulation and Design of Vehicle Exhaust Power Generation Systems: The Interaction Between the Heat Exchanger and the Thermoelectric Modules

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Cong; Chen, Gang; Mu, Yu; Liu, Lisheng; Zhai, Pengcheng

2015-06-01

Vehicle exhaust power generation systems (VEPGS), mainly consisting of a heat exchanger, cooling system, thermoelectric modules (TEMs), and clamping device, have attracted wide interest and attention for power generation from waste heat. In this work, systematical research was conducted to investigate the thermal performance, power output, and thermal stress of a VEPGS by using the multifield coupling method. Different from previous research, this work simulates a model that integrates the heat exchanger and TEMs, focusing on the effect of the TEMs on the thermal performance of the heat exchanger. It is found that the TEMs have a significant effect on the thermal performance of the heat exchanger. When not considering the effects of the TEMs, the hot-end temperature of the TEMs would be seriously underestimated, which would result in underestimation of the power output of the VEPGS and the level of thermal stress of the TEMs. Meanwhile, when considering the effect of the TEMs, the hot-end temperature distribution exhibits significant changes, and its temperature uniformity is significantly improved. The results suggest that, in VEPGS design and optimization, the interaction between the heat exchanger and TEMs should be considered. This study also contributes to a more accurate assessment method for VEPGS design and simulation.

Results of the secondary side chemical cleaning of the steam generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doma, A.; Patek, G.

2001-01-01

A significant amount of deposit has developed on the secondary side of the heat transfer tubes of the steam generators (SG) of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant units in course of the years. More than 99.5% of the deposit is made up of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) generated in the secondary circuit of the power plant. Those deposits lead to the decrease of the heat transfer. Even more important is its role from the point of view of operational reliability of the steam generators, leak tightness between the primary and secondary sides. The first series of cleaning took place following 8-9 years of operation of the units. Following the first cleaning cycle the transport of the corrosion products into the steam generators did not change, and thus obviously new cleaning was required. Periodical cleaning of the steam generators shall be assured. (R.P.)

Descendants of the first stars: the distinct chemical signature of second generation stars

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwig, Tilman; Yoshida, Naoki; Magg, Mattis; Frebel, Anna; Glover, Simon C. O.; Gómez, Facundo A.; Griffen, Brendan; Ishigaki, Miho N.; Ji, Alexander P.; Klessen, Ralf S.; O'Shea, Brian W.; Tominaga, Nozomu

2018-05-01

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Milky Way (MW) allow us to infer the properties of their progenitors by comparing their chemical composition to the metal yields of the first supernovae. This method is most powerful when applied to mono-enriched stars, i.e. stars that formed from gas that was enriched by only one previous supernova. We present a novel diagnostic to identify this subclass of EMP stars. We model the first generations of star formation semi-analytically, based on dark matter halo merger trees that yield MW-like halos at the present day. Radiative and chemical feedback are included self-consistently and we trace all elements up to zinc. Mono-enriched stars account for only ˜1% of second generation stars in our fiducial model and we provide an analytical formula for this probability. We also present a novel analytical diagnostic to identify mono-enriched stars, based on the metal yields of the first supernovae. This new diagnostic allows us to derive our main results independently from the specific assumptions made regarding Pop III star formation, and we apply it to a set of observed EMP stars to demonstrate its strengths and limitations. Our results may provide selection criteria for current and future surveys and therefore contribute to a deeper understanding of EMP stars and their progenitors.

First-Generation College Student Dissertation Abstracts: Research Strategies, Topical Analysis, and Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Banning, James H.

2014-01-01

First-generation college students are students whose parents or guardians did not obtain a four year college degree (Davis, 2012). As a group these students make up a large part of the college student population and are often reported to encounter difficulties in their campus experience. While the topic of first-generation student has received…

A Hydraulic Motor-Alternator System for Ocean-Submersible Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Aintablian, Harry O.; Valdez, Thomas I.; Jones, Jack A.

2012-01-01

An ocean-submersible vehicle has been developed at JPL that moves back and forth between sea level and a depth of a few hundred meters. A liquid volumetric change at a pressure of 70 bars is created by means of thermal phase change. During vehicle ascent, the phase-change material (PCM) is melted by the circulation of warm water and thus pressure is increased. During vehicle descent, the PCM is cooled resulting in reduced pressure. This pressure change is used to generate electric power by means of a hydraulic pump that drives a permanent magnet (PM) alternator. The output energy of the alternator is stored in a rechargeable battery that powers an on-board computer, instrumentation and other peripherals.The focus of this paper is the performance evaluation of a specific hydraulic motor-alternator system. Experimental and theoretical efficiency data of the hydraulic motor and the alternator are presented. The results are used to evaluate the optimization of the hydraulic motor-alternator system. The integrated submersible vehicle was successfully operated in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. A brief overview of the actual test results is presented.

Thermoelectric generator performance analysis: Influence of pin tapering on the first and second law efficiencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yilbas, B.S.; Ali, H.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Double tapering of thermoelectric elements improves first and second law efficiency. • Pin geometric feature maximizing device output work does not maximize thermal efficiency. • Pin geometric feature maximizing first law efficiency slight alters for maximum second law efficiency. • External resistance and operating temperature ratios influence design configuration of thermoelectric generator. - Abstract: Thermoelectric generators are the important candidates for clean energy conversion from the waste heat; however, their low efficiency limits the practical applications of the devices. Tailoring the geometric configuration of the device in line with the operating conditions can improve the device performance. Consequently; in the present study, the influence of the pin geometric configuration on the thermoelectric generator performance is investigated. The dimensionless tapering parameter is introduced and its effect on the first and second law efficiencies is examined for various operating conditions including the external load resistance and the temperature ratio. It is found that the first and second law efficiencies are significantly influenced by the pin geometry. The dimensionless tapering parameter (a), increasing tapering of the thermoelectric pins, within the range of 2 ⩽ a ⩽ 4 results in improved first and second law efficiencies. However, the dimensionless tapering parameter maximizing the first and second law efficiencies does not maximize the device output power. This behavior is associated with the external load resistance which has a considerable influence on the device output power such that increasing external load resistance lowers the device output power

Ground-based gravitational wave interferometric detectors of the first and second generation: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Losurdo, Giovanni

2012-01-01

The era of first-generation gravitational wave interferometric detectors is ending. No signals have been detected so far. However, remarkable results have been achieved: the design sensitivity has been approached (and in some cases even exceeded) together with the achievement of robustness and reliability; a world-wide network of detectors has been established; the data collected so far has allowed upper limits to be put on several types of sources; some second-generation technologies have been tested on these detectors. The scenario for the next few years is very exciting. The projects to upgrade LIGO and Virgo to second-generation interferometers, capable of increasing the detection rate by a factor of ∼1000, have been funded. The construction of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has started. GEO600 has started the upgrade to GEO HF, introducing light squeezing for the first time on a large detector. LCGT has been partly funded and the construction of the vacuum system is underway. There is a possibility that the third Advanced LIGO interferometer will be constructed in India. So, a powerful worldwide network could be in operation by the end of the decade. In this paper, we review the results achieved so far and the perspectives for the advanced detectors. (paper)

Energy Efficiency Comparison between Hydraulic Hybrid and Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia-Shiun Chen

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Conventional vehicles tend to consume considerable amounts of fuel, which generates exhaust gases and environmental pollution during intermittent driving cycles. Therefore, prospective vehicle designs favor improved exhaust emissions and energy consumption without compromising vehicle performance. Although pure electric vehicles feature high performance and low pollution characteristics, their limitations are their short driving range and high battery costs. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs are comparatively environmentally friendly and energy efficient, but cost substantially more compared with conventional vehicles. Hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs are mainly operated using engines, or using alternate combinations of engine and hydraulic power sources while vehicles accelerate. When the hydraulic system accumulator is depleted, the conventional engine reengages; concurrently, brake-regenerated power is recycled and reused by employing hydraulic motor–pump modules in circulation patterns to conserve fuel and recycle brake energy. This study adopted MATLAB Simulink to construct complete HHV and HEV models for backward simulations. New European Driving Cycles were used to determine the changes in fuel economy. The output of power components and the state-of-charge of energy could be retrieved. Varying power component models, energy storage component models, and series or parallel configurations were combined into seven different vehicle configurations: the conventional manual transmission vehicle, series hybrid electric vehicle, series hydraulic hybrid vehicle, parallel hybrid electric vehicle, parallel hydraulic hybrid vehicle, purely electric vehicle, and hydraulic-electric hybrid vehicle. The simulation results show that fuel consumption was 21.80% lower in the series hydraulic hybrid vehicle compared to the series hybrid electric vehicle; additionally, fuel consumption was 3.80% lower in the parallel hybrid electric vehicle compared to the

Vehicle choice in aging population: Some insights from a stated preference survey for California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kavalec, C.

1999-07-01

This paper investigates the potential effects that an aging baby boomer generation will have on gasoline use through their vehicle choice decisions. The study uses stated preference data for both conventional and alternative fuel vehicles, and measures the impact of age of survey respondent on the perceived value of vehicle characteristics such as fuel economy, performance, and body style (e.g., car vs. truck). The results suggest the possibility that average fleet fuel economy may improve in the next few years, if survey preferences translate to actual purchase behavior. No clear implications can be drawn regarding the demand for alternative fuel vehicles.

Code Generation for a Simple First-Order Prover

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villadsen, Jørgen; Schlichtkrull, Anders; Halkjær From, Andreas

2016-01-01

We present Standard ML code generation in Isabelle/HOL of a sound and complete prover for first-order logic, taking formalizations by Tom Ridge and others as the starting point. We also define a set of so-called unfolding rules and show how to use these as a simple prover, with the aim of using t...... the approach for teaching logic and verification to computer science students at the bachelor level....

Parking Space Detection and Trajectory Tracking Control for Vehicle Auto-Parking

OpenAIRE

Shiuh-Jer Huang; Yu-Sheng Hsu

2017-01-01

On-board available parking space detecting system, parking trajectory planning and tracking control mechanism are the key components of vehicle backward auto-parking system. Firstly, pair of ultrasonic sensors is installed on each side of vehicle body surface to detect the relative distance between ego-car and surrounding obstacle. The dimension of a found empty space can be calculated based on vehicle speed and the time history of ultrasonic sensor detecting information. This result can be u...

Thermoelectric Waste Heat Recovery Program for Passenger Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jovovic, Vladimir [Gentherm Incorporated, Azusa, CA (United States)

2015-12-31

Gentherm began work in October 2011 to develop a Thermoelectric Waste Energy Recovery System for passenger vehicle applications. Partners in this program were BMW and Tenneco. Tenneco, in the role of TIER 1 supplier, developed the system-level packaging of the thermoelectric power generator. As the OEM, BMW Group demonstrated the TEG system in their vehicle in the final program phase. Gentherm demonstrated the performance of the TEG in medium duty and heavy duty vehicles. Technology developed and demonstrated in this program showed potential to reduce fuel consumption in medium and heavy duty vehicles. In light duty vehicles it showed more modest potential.

Performance and Economics of Catalytic Glow Plugs and Shields in Direct Injection Natural Gas Engines for the Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle Program: Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mello, J. P.; Bezaire, D.; Sriramulu, S.; Weber, R.

2003-08-01

Subcontractor report details work done by TIAX and Westport to test and perform cost analysis for catalytic glow plugs and shields for direct-injection natural gas engines for the Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle Program.

Emissions from US waste collection vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maimoun, Mousa A.; Reinhart, Debra R.; Gammoh, Fatina T.; McCauley Bush, Pamela

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Life-cycle emissions for alternative fuel technologies. ► Fuel consumption of alternative fuels for waste collection vehicles. ► Actual driving cycle of waste collection vehicles. ► Diesel-fueled waste collection vehicle emissions. - Abstract: This research is an in-depth environmental analysis of potential alternative fuel technologies for waste collection vehicles. Life-cycle emissions, cost, fuel and energy consumption were evaluated for a wide range of fossil and bio-fuel technologies. Emission factors were calculated for a typical waste collection driving cycle as well as constant speed. In brief, natural gas waste collection vehicles (compressed and liquid) fueled with North-American natural gas had 6–10% higher well-to-wheel (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to diesel-fueled vehicles; however the pump-to-wheel (PTW) GHG emissions of natural gas waste collection vehicles averaged 6% less than diesel-fueled vehicles. Landfill gas had about 80% lower WTW GHG emissions relative to diesel. Biodiesel waste collection vehicles had between 12% and 75% lower WTW GHG emissions relative to diesel depending on the fuel source and the blend. In 2011, natural gas waste collection vehicles had the lowest fuel cost per collection vehicle kilometer travel. Finally, the actual driving cycle of waste collection vehicles consists of repetitive stops and starts during waste collection; this generates more emissions than constant speed driving

First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the galaxy colour bimodality

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Dylan; Pillepich, Annalisa; Springel, Volker; Weinberger, Rainer; Hernquist, Lars; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Genel, Shy; Torrey, Paul; Vogelsberger, Mark; Kauffmann, Guinevere; Marinacci, Federico; Naiman, Jill

2018-03-01

We introduce the first two simulations of the IllustrisTNG project, a next generation of cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations, focusing on the optical colours of galaxies. We explore TNG100, a rerun of the original Illustris box, and TNG300, which includes 2 × 25003 resolution elements in a volume 20 times larger. Here, we present first results on the galaxy colour bimodality at low redshift. Accounting for the attenuation of stellar light by dust, we compare the simulated (g - r) colours of 109 1011 M⊙ which redden at z z = 0 mass post-reddening; at the same time, ˜18 per cent of such massive galaxies acquire half or more of their final stellar mass while on the red sequence.

CFD based aerodynamic modeling to study flight dynamics of a flapping wing micro air vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Rege, Alok Ashok

The demand for small unmanned air vehicles, commonly termed micro air vehicles or MAV's, is rapidly increasing. Driven by applications ranging from civil search-and-rescue missions to military surveillance missions, there is a rising level of interest and investment in better vehicle designs, and miniaturized components are enabling many rapid advances. The need to better understand fundamental aspects of flight for small vehicles has spawned a surge in high quality research in the area of micro air vehicles. These aircraft have a set of constraints which are, in many ways, considerably different from that of traditional aircraft and are often best addressed by a multidisciplinary approach. Fast-response non-linear controls, nano-structures, integrated propulsion and lift mechanisms, highly flexible structures, and low Reynolds aerodynamics are just a few of the important considerations which may be combined in the execution of MAV research. The main objective of this thesis is to derive a consistent nonlinear dynamic model to study the flight dynamics of micro air vehicles with a reasonably accurate representation of aerodynamic forces and moments. The research is divided into two sections. In the first section, derivation of the nonlinear dynamics of flapping wing micro air vehicles is presented. The flapping wing micro air vehicle (MAV) used in this research is modeled as a system of three rigid bodies: a body and two wings. The design is based on an insect called Drosophila Melanogaster, commonly known as fruit-fly. The mass and inertial effects of the wing on the body are neglected for the present work. The nonlinear dynamics is simulated with the aerodynamic data published in the open literature. The flapping frequency is used as the control input. Simulations are run for different cases of wing positions and the chosen parameters are studied for boundedness. Results show a qualitative inconsistency in boundedness for some cases, and demand a better

Application of subharmonics for active sound design of electric vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwak, Doo Young; Yoon, Kiseop; Seong, Yeolwan; Lee, Soogab

2014-12-01

The powertrain of electric vehicles generates an unfamiliar acoustical environment for customers. This paper seeks optimal interior sound for electric vehicles based on psychoacoustic knowledge and musical harmonic theory. The concept of inserting a virtual sound, which consists of the subharmonics of an existing high-frequency component, is suggested to improve sound quality. Subjective evaluation results indicate that the impression of interior sound can be enhanced in this manner. Increased appeal is achieved through two designed stimuli, which proves the effectiveness of the method proposed.

First-Generation Undergraduate Students and the Impacts of the First Year of College: Additional Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Padgett, Ryan D.; Johnson, Megan P.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

2012-01-01

Using longitudinal data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, our findings suggest that first-generation students are at a significant disadvantage across cognitive and psychosocial outcomes compared to students whose parents have at least some postsecondary education. Furthermore, we tested for the conditional effects of good…

Costs of lithium-ion batteries for vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaines, L.; Cuenca, R.

2000-08-21

One of the most promising battery types under development for use in both pure electric and hybrid electric vehicles is the lithium-ion battery. These batteries are well on their way to meeting the challenging technical goals that have been set for vehicle batteries. However, they are still far from achieving the current cost goals. The Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory undertook a project for the US Department of Energy to estimate the costs of lithium-ion batteries and to project how these costs might change over time, with the aid of research and development. Cost reductions could be expected as the result of material substitution, economies of scale in production, design improvements, and/or development of new material supplies. The most significant contributions to costs are found to be associated with battery materials. For the pure electric vehicle, the battery cost exceeds the cost goal of the US Advanced Battery Consortium by about $3,500, which is certainly enough to significantly affect the marketability of the vehicle. For the hybrid, however, the total cost of the battery is much smaller, exceeding the cost goal of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles by only about $800, perhaps not enough to deter a potential buyer from purchasing the power-assist hybrid.

Vehicle dynamics theory and application

CERN Document Server

Jazar, Reza N

2017-01-01

This intermediate textbook is appropriate for students in vehicle dynamics courses, in their last year of undergraduate study or their first year of graduate study. It is also appropriate for mechanical engineers, automotive engineers, and researchers in the area of vehicle dynamics for continuing education or as a reference. It addresses fundamental and advanced topics, and a basic knowledge of kinematics and dynamics, as well as numerical methods, is expected. The contents are kept at a theoretical-practical level, with a strong emphasis on application. This third edition has been reduced by 25%, to allow for coverage over one semester, as opposed to the previous edition that needed two semesters for coverage. The textbook is composed of four parts: Vehicle Motion: covers tire dynamics, forward vehicle dynamics, and driveline dynamics Vehicle Kinematics: covers applied kinematics, applied mechanisms, steering dynamics, and suspension mechanisms Vehicle Dynamics: covers applied dynamics, vehicle planar dynam...

How Am I Going to Pay for That?!: First-Generation University Students and Their Financial Concerns

Science.gov (United States)

Shultz, Judith J. Andrews

2013-01-01

This study examines first-generation research-university students in relation to their financial considerations. It is driven by the question, What is the relationship between first-generation college-student status and financial considerations among research-university students? It explores the impact of such variables as first-generation student…

A hybrid positioning strategy for vehicles in a tunnel based on RFID and in-vehicle sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Xiang; Li, Xu; Tang, Wencheng; Zhang, Weigong; Li, Bin

2014-12-05

Many intelligent transportation system applications require accurate, reliable, and continuous vehicle positioning. How to achieve such positioning performance in extended GPS-denied environments such as tunnels is the main challenge for land vehicles. This paper proposes a hybrid multi-sensor fusion strategy for vehicle positioning in tunnels. First, the preliminary positioning algorithm is developed. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is introduced to achieve preliminary positioning in the tunnel. The received signal strength (RSS) is used as an indicator to calculate the distances between the RFID tags and reader, and then a Least Mean Square (LMS) federated filter is designed to provide the preliminary position information for subsequent global fusion. Further, to improve the positioning performance in the tunnel, an interactive multiple model (IMM)-based global fusion algorithm is developed to fuse the data from preliminary positioning results and low-cost in-vehicle sensors, such as electronic compasses and wheel speed sensors. In the actual implementation of IMM, the strong tracking extended Kalman filter (STEKF) algorithm is designed to replace the conventional extended Kalman filter (EKF) to achieve model individual filtering. Finally, the proposed strategy is evaluated through experiments. The results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

A Hybrid Positioning Strategy for Vehicles in a Tunnel Based on RFID and In-Vehicle Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Song

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Many intelligent transportation system applications require accurate, reliable, and continuous vehicle positioning. How to achieve such positioning performance in extended GPS-denied environments such as tunnels is the main challenge for land vehicles. This paper proposes a hybrid multi-sensor fusion strategy for vehicle positioning in tunnels. First, the preliminary positioning algorithm is developed. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID technology is introduced to achieve preliminary positioning in the tunnel. The received signal strength (RSS is used as an indicator to calculate the distances between the RFID tags and reader, and then a Least Mean Square (LMS federated filter is designed to provide the preliminary position information for subsequent global fusion. Further, to improve the positioning performance in the tunnel, an interactive multiple model (IMM-based global fusion algorithm is developed to fuse the data from preliminary positioning results and low-cost in-vehicle sensors, such as electronic compasses and wheel speed sensors. In the actual implementation of IMM, the strong tracking extended Kalman filter (STEKF algorithm is designed to replace the conventional extended Kalman filter (EKF to achieve model individual filtering. Finally, the proposed strategy is evaluated through experiments. The results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

The Estimation of Externalities Resulting from the Electricity Generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Jong Tae; Ha, Jae Joo

2003-03-15

The methodology, program, and the representative results for the estimation of externalities was reviewed. The review of them are based on the ExternE Project which is a representative research project for the estimation of externalities resulting from the various energy generating systems. The results for the study will be used as basic data for the comparative study on the integrated risk estimation for various energy generating systems including nuclear power plants. Also, these results will be used as comparative data in the establishment of a integrated comparative risk assessment tool and in the comparative study of the impacts resulting from the various electricity generating systems. These studies make it possible to compare the environmental impacts of nuclear power generation and other electricity generation systems. Therefore, this will of use in the enhancement of public acceptance of nuclear power generation.

The Estimation of Externalities Resulting from the Electricity Generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Jong Tae; Ha, Jae Joo

2003-03-01

The methodology, program, and the representative results for the estimation of externalities was reviewed. The review of them are based on the ExternE Project which is a representative research project for the estimation of externalities resulting from the various energy generating systems. The results for the study will be used as basic data for the comparative study on the integrated risk estimation for various energy generating systems including nuclear power plants. Also, these results will be used as comparative data in the establishment of a integrated comparative risk assessment tool and in the comparative study of the impacts resulting from the various electricity generating systems. These studies make it possible to compare the environmental impacts of nuclear power generation and other electricity generation systems. Therefore, this will of use in the enhancement of public acceptance of nuclear power generation

Dynamic performances analysis of a real vehicle driving

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, M. A.; Jamil, J. F.; Salim, M. A.

2015-12-01

Vehicle dynamic is the effects of movement of a vehicle generated from the acceleration, braking, ride and handling activities. The dynamic behaviours are determined by the forces from tire, gravity and aerodynamic which acting on the vehicle. This paper emphasizes the analysis of vehicle dynamic performance of a real vehicle. Real driving experiment on the vehicle is conducted to determine the effect of vehicle based on roll, pitch, and yaw, longitudinal, lateral and vertical acceleration. The experiment is done using the accelerometer to record the reading of the vehicle dynamic performance when the vehicle is driven on the road. The experiment starts with weighing a car model to get the center of gravity (COG) to place the accelerometer sensor for data acquisition (DAQ). The COG of the vehicle is determined by using the weight of the vehicle. A rural route is set to launch the experiment and the road conditions are determined for the test. The dynamic performance of the vehicle are depends on the road conditions and driving maneuver. The stability of a vehicle can be controlled by the dynamic performance analysis.

Automated procedures for sizing aerospace vehicle structures /SAVES/

Science.gov (United States)

Giles, G. L.; Blackburn, C. L.; Dixon, S. C.

1972-01-01

Results from a continuing effort to develop automated methods for structural design are described. A system of computer programs presently under development called SAVES is intended to automate the preliminary structural design of a complete aerospace vehicle. Each step in the automated design process of the SAVES system of programs is discussed, with emphasis placed on use of automated routines for generation of finite-element models. The versatility of these routines is demonstrated by structural models generated for a space shuttle orbiter, an advanced technology transport,n hydrogen fueled Mach 3 transport. Illustrative numerical results are presented for the Mach 3 transport wing.

From cooperative to autonomous vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Sande, T.P.J.; Nijmeijer, H.; Fossen, T.I.; Pettersen, K.Y.; Nijmeijer, H.

2017-01-01

What defines an autonomous vehicle? In this chapter the authors will try to answer this question and formulate the limitations of driver assistance systems as well as for—conditionally—autonomous vehicles . First a short summary of the levels of automation as provided by the society of automotive

Stability Simulation of a Vehicle with Wheel Active Steering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brabec Pavel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the possibility of increasing the vehicle driving stability at a higher speed. One of the ways how to achieve higher stability is using the 4WS system. Mathematical description of vehicle general movement is a very complex task. For simulation, models which are aptly simplified are used. For the first approach, so-called single-truck vehicle model (often linear is usually used. For the simulation, we have chosen to extend the model into a two-truck one, which includes the possibility to input more vehicle parameters. Considering the 4WS system, it is possible to use a number of potential regulations. In our simulation model, the regulation system with compound coupling was used. This type of regulation turns the rear wheels depending on the input parameters of the system (steering angle of the front wheels and depending on the output moving quantities of the vehicle, most frequently the yaw rate. Criterion for compensation of lateral deflection centre of gravity angle is its zero value, or more precisely the zero value of its first-order derivative. Parameters and set-up of the simulation model were done in conjunction with the dSAPACE software. Reference performances of the vehicle simulation model were made through the defined manoeuvres. But the simulation results indicate that the rear-wheels steering can have a positive effect on the vehicle movement stability, especially when changing the driving direction at high speed.

Hybrid adaptive ascent flight control for a flexible launch vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Lefevre, Brian D.

For the purpose of maintaining dynamic stability and improving guidance command tracking performance under off-nominal flight conditions, a hybrid adaptive control scheme is selected and modified for use as a launch vehicle flight controller. This architecture merges a model reference adaptive approach, which utilizes both direct and indirect adaptive elements, with a classical dynamic inversion controller. This structure is chosen for a number of reasons: the properties of the reference model can be easily adjusted to tune the desired handling qualities of the spacecraft, the indirect adaptive element (which consists of an online parameter identification algorithm) continually refines the estimates of the evolving characteristic parameters utilized in the dynamic inversion, and the direct adaptive element (which consists of a neural network) augments the linear feedback signal to compensate for any nonlinearities in the vehicle dynamics. The combination of these elements enables the control system to retain the nonlinear capabilities of an adaptive network while relying heavily on the linear portion of the feedback signal to dictate the dynamic response under most operating conditions. To begin the analysis, the ascent dynamics of a launch vehicle with a single 1st stage rocket motor (typical of the Ares 1 spacecraft) are characterized. The dynamics are then linearized with assumptions that are appropriate for a launch vehicle, so that the resulting equations may be inverted by the flight controller in order to compute the control signals necessary to generate the desired response from the vehicle. Next, the development of the hybrid adaptive launch vehicle ascent flight control architecture is discussed in detail. Alterations of the generic hybrid adaptive control architecture include the incorporation of a command conversion operation which transforms guidance input from quaternion form (as provided by NASA) to the body-fixed angular rate commands needed by the

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the 3rd millenniums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahmy, F.H.

2006-01-01

As the world population increases, so does the demand for transportation. Automobiles, being the most common means of transportation are on of the main sources pollution. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of society and to protect the environment, scientists began looking for a new solution to this problem. Before they suggested any answers, the scientists first looked at all aspects surrounding the issue. Fuel cell can be promoted energy diversity and a transition to renewable energy sources. This paper presents a new friendly environmental vehicles. The fuel of this vehicles is a renewable sources, solar radiation, PV arrays, electrolyzer, hydrogen and fuel cell. All the results show the capability of vehicle's design with all the details of each main component for several varieties of vehicles for transportation. This new idea realizes clean and healthy environment vehicles

Ansaldo programs on fuel cell vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcenaro, B.G.; Federici, F. [Ansaldo Ricerche Srl, Genova (Italy)

1996-12-31

The growth in traffic and the importance of maintaining a stable ecology at the global scale, particularly with regard to atmospheric pollution, raises the necessity to realize a new generation of vehicles which are more efficient, more economical and compatible with the environment. At European level, the Car of Tomorrow task force has identified fuel cells as a promising alternative propulsion system. Ansaldo Ricerche has been involved in the development of fuel cell vehicles since the early nineties. Current ongoing programs relates to: (1) Fuel cell bus demonstrator (EQHEPP BUS) Test in 1996 (2) Fuel cell boat demonstrator (EQHHPP BOAT) Test in 1997 (3) Fuel cell passenger car prototype (FEVER) Test in 1997 (4) 2nd generation Fuel cell bus (FCBUS) 1996-1999 (5) 2nd generation Fuel cell passenger car (HYDRO-GEN) 1996-1999.

Electric vehicle energy impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

The objective of this research project was to evaluate the impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) and : renewable wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation on reducing petroleum imports : and greenhouse gas emissions to Hawaii. In 2015, the state...

Fuel cell mining vehicles: design, performance and advantages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betournay, M.C.; Miller, A.R.; Barnes, D.L.

2003-01-01

The potential for using fuel cell technology in underground mining equipment was discussed with reference to the risks associated with the operation of hydrogen vehicles, hydrogen production and hydrogen delivery systems. This paper presented some of the initiatives for mine locomotives and fuel cell stacks for underground environments. In particular, it presents the test results of the first applied industrial fuel cell vehicle in the world, a mining and tunneling locomotive. This study was part of an international initiative managed by the Fuel Cell Propulsion Institute which consists of several mining companies, mining equipment manufacturers, and fuel cell technology developers. Some of the obvious benefits of fuel cells for underground mining operations include no exhaust gases, lower electrical costs, significantly reduced maintenance, and lower ventilation costs. Another advantage is that the technology can be readily automated and computer-based for tele-remote operations. This study also quantified the cost and operational benefits associated with fuel cell vehicles compared to diesel vehicles. It is expected that higher vehicle productivity could render fuel cell underground vehicles cost-competitive. 6 refs., 1 tab

Vehicle-use intensity in China: Current status and future trend

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huo Hong; Zhang Qiang; He Kebin; Yao Zhiliang; Wang, Michael

2012-01-01

Vehicle-use intensity (kilometers traveled per vehicle per year or VKT) is important because it directly affects simulation results for vehicle fuel use and emissions, but the poor understanding of VKT in China could significantly affect the accuracy of estimation of total fuel use and CO 2 emissions, and thus impair precise evaluation of the effects of associated energy and environmental policies. As an important component of our work on the Fuel Economy and Environmental Impacts (FEEI) model, we collected VKT survey data in China from available sources and conducted additional surveys during 2004 and 2010, from which we derived VKT values and VKT-age functions by vehicle type for China. We also projected the future VKT for China by examining the relationship of vehicle use to per-capita GDP in 20 other countries worldwide. The purpose of this work is to achieve a better understanding of vehicle-use intensity in China and to generate reliable VKT input (current and future VKT levels) for the FEEI model. The VKT results obtained from this work could also benefit other work in the field associated with vehicle energy use and emissions. - Highlights: ► VKT is key in estimating fuel use and emissions, but its knowledge is poor in China. ► We determined VKT in China from available survey data and the surveys we conducted. ► VKT-age functions by vehicle type were derived from the surveys we conducted. ► Future VKT was projected based on vehicle use to per-capita GDP in 20 countries.

Robust Vehicle and Traffic Information Extraction for Highway Surveillance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeh Chia-Hung

2005-01-01

Full Text Available A robust vision-based traffic monitoring system for vehicle and traffic information extraction is developed in this research. It is challenging to maintain detection robustness at all time for a highway surveillance system. There are three major problems in detecting and tracking a vehicle: (1 the moving cast shadow effect, (2 the occlusion effect, and (3 nighttime detection. For moving cast shadow elimination, a 2D joint vehicle-shadow model is employed. For occlusion detection, a multiple-camera system is used to detect occlusion so as to extract the exact location of each vehicle. For vehicle nighttime detection, a rear-view monitoring technique is proposed to maintain tracking and detection accuracy. Furthermore, we propose a method to improve the accuracy of background extraction, which usually serves as the first step in any vehicle detection processing. Experimental results are given to demonstrate that the proposed techniques are effective and efficient for vision-based highway surveillance.

Model Predictive Control for Connected Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaijiang Yu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new model predictive control system for connected hybrid electric vehicles to improve fuel economy. The new features of this study are as follows. First, the battery charge and discharge profile and the driving velocity profile are simultaneously optimized. One is energy management for HEV for Pbatt; the other is for the energy consumption minimizing problem of acc control of two vehicles. Second, a system for connected hybrid electric vehicles has been developed considering varying drag coefficients and the road gradients. Third, the fuel model of a typical hybrid electric vehicle is developed using the maps of the engine efficiency characteristics. Fourth, simulations and analysis (under different parameters, i.e., road conditions, vehicle state of charge, etc. are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the method to achieve higher fuel efficiency. The model predictive control problem is solved using numerical computation method: continuation and generalized minimum residual method. Computer simulation results reveal improvements in fuel economy using the proposed control method.

Large-scale deployment of electric vehicles in Germany by 2030: An analysis of grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loisel, Rodica; Pasaoglu, Guzay; Thiel, Christian

2014-01-01

This study analyses battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the future German power system and makes projections of the BEVs hourly load profile by car size (‘mini’, ‘small’, ‘compact’ and ‘large’). By means of a power plant dispatching optimisation model, the study assesses the optimal BEV charging/discharging strategies in grid-to-vehicle (G2V) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) schemes. The results show that the 2% rise in power demand required to power these BEVs does not hamper system stability provided an optimal G2V scheme is applied. Moreover, such BEV deployment can contribute to further integrating wind and solar power generation. Applying a V2G scheme would increase the capacity factors of base and mid-load power plants, leading to a higher integration of intermittent renewables and resulting in a decrease in system costs. However, the evaluation of the profitability of BEVs shows that applying a V2G scheme is not a viable economic option due to the high cost of investing in batteries. Some BEV owners would make modest profits (€6 a year), but a higher number would sustain losses, for reasons of scale. For BEVs to become part of the power system, further incentives are necessary to make the business model attractive to car owners. - Highlights: • Optimal strategies for charging/discharging battery electric vehicles are assessed. • G2V scheme improves the stability of the future German power system. • V2G scheme would increase the capacity factors of base and mid-load power plants. • V2G scheme is not a viable economic option due to high batteries investment cost. • Further incentives are necessary to make the business model attractive to car owners

Tanadgusix Foundation Hydrogen / Plug In Electric Vehicle Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, Martin [TDX Power Inc., Anchorage, AK (United States)

2013-09-27

TDX Foundation undertook this project in an effort to evaluate alternative transportation options and their application in the community of Saint Paul, Alaska an isolated island community in the Bering Sea. Both hydrogen and electric vehicle technology was evaluated for technical and economic feasibility. Hydrogen technology was found to be cost prohibitive. TDX demonstrated the implementation of various types of electric vehicles on St. Paul Island, including side-by-side all terrain vehicles, a Chevrolet Volt (sedan), and a Ford Transit Connect (small van). Results show that electric vehicles are a promising solution for transportation needs on St. Paul Island. Limited battery range and high charging time requirements result in decreased usability, even on a small, isolated island. These limitations were minimized by the installation of enhanced charging stations for the car and van. In collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), TDX was able to identify suitable technologies and demonstrate their applicability in the rural Alaskan environment. TDX and UAF partnered to engage and educate the entire community of Saint Paul – fom school children to elders – through presentation of research, findings, demonstrations, first hand operation of alternative fuel vehicles.

Redundant manipulator techniques for partially decentralized path planning and control of a platoon of autonomous vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Stilwell, Daniel J; Bishop, Bradley E; Sylvester, Caleb A

2005-08-01

An approach to real-time trajectory generation for platoons of autonomous vehicles is developed from well-known control techniques for redundant robotic manipulators. The partially decentralized structure of this approach permits each vehicle to independently compute its trajectory in real-time using only locally generated information and low-bandwidth feedback generated by a system exogenous to the platoon. Our work is motivated by applications for which communications bandwidth is severely limited, such for platoons of autonomous underwater vehicles. The communication requirements for our trajectory generation approach are independent of the number of vehicles in the platoon, enabling platoons composed of a large number of vehicles to be coordinated despite limited communication bandwidth.

First microwave generation in the FOM free-electron maser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verhoeven, A.G.A.; Bongers, W.A.; Geer, C.A.J. van der; Manintveld, P.; Poelman, A.J.; Pluygers, J.; Smeets, P.H.M.; Sterk, A.B.; Urbanus, W.H.; Bratman, V.L.; Denisov, G.G.; Shmelyov, M.Yu.; Caplan, M.

1998-01-01

A free-electron maser (FEM) has been built as a pilot experiment for a millimetre-wave source for applications on future fusion research devices such as ITER, the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor. A unique feature of the Dutch fusion FEM is the possibility to tune the frequency over the entire range from 130 to 260 GHz at an output power exceeding 1 MW. In the first phase of the project, the so-called inverse set-up is used. The electron gun is mounted inside the high-voltage terminal. The entire beam line was tested successfully with extremely low loss current, lower than 0.05%. The first generation of millimetre waves was achieved in October 1997. The highest peak power measured so far is 700 kW at 200 GHz. This was achieved with a beam current of 8 A and an acceleration voltage of 1.77 MV. The output power, start-up time and frequency correspond well with the simulation results. The parameter scans for the longitudinal undulator gap, acceleration voltage and reflection coefficient have given a wide range of interesting data of which a few highlights are given. (author)

Analyzing The Impacts of the Biogas-to-Electricity Purchase Incentives on Electric Vehicle Deployment with the MA3T Vehicle Choice Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Podkaminer, Kara [U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); Xie, Fei [ORNL; Lin, Zhenhong [ORNL

2017-01-01

scenario 2025 also represents the last year in which biogas-derived electricity is able to fully supply the transportation electricity demand in the model. After 2025, the credit value declines on a per vehicle basis. At the same time a larger fraction of the credit may shift towards biogas producers in order to incent additional biogas production. The expanded 41 TWh/year biogas availability scenarios represent an increase beyond today s generation capacity and allow greater eRIN generation. With a 5.24kWh/RIN equivalence value, when all of the credit is directed towards reducing vehicle purchase prices, the 41 TWh/year biogas scenario results in 4.1 million additional PHEVs and 12.2 million additional BEVs on the road in 2030 beyond the baseline of 2.5 million PHEVs and 6.1 million BEVs. Under this expanded biogas capacity, biogas-derived electricity generation is able to fully supply electricity for a fleet of over 21 million EVs (15.6 million BEVs and 5.8 million PHEVs) on a yearly basis. In addition to assessing the full value credit scenarios described above, multiple scenarios were analyzed to determine the impact if only a fraction of the credit value was passed on to the consumer. In all of these cases, the EV deployment was scaled back as the fraction of the credit that was passed on to the consumer was reduced. These scenarios can be used to estimate the impact if the credit value is reduced in other ways as well, as demonstrated by the scenarios where the current (22.6 kWh/RIN) equivalence value was used. The EV deployment that results from an equivalence value of 22.6 kWh/RIN equivalence value is roughly equivalent to the EV deployment observed in the 25% case using the 5.24 kWh/RIN equivalence value. A higher equivalence value means that a smaller number of credits, and therefore value, is created for each kWh, and therefore the impact on EV deployment is reduced. This analysis shows several of the drivers that will impact eRIN generation and credit value

Training waste generators: The first responder in proper waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, E.

1989-01-01

Dealing with waste effectively requires a ''cradle to grave'' approach to waste management. The first step in that chain of custody is the waste generator. The waste generator plays the key role in the correct identification, packaging, and disposal of waste. The Technical Resources and Training Section at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed several short training programs for waste generators. This training presents a consistent approach to proper handling of waste within the ORNL waste management system. This training has been developed for generators of solid low-level radioactive waste, hazardous and mixed waste, and transuranic waste. In addition to the above, a Waste Minimization training program has been developed for use by all organizations at ORNL who generate any type of hazardous waste. These training programs represent a combined effort of the training staff and the technical staff to assure that all ORNL staff accept their responsibility for handling all types of radioactive and hazardous wastes correctly from its generation to its disposal. 4 refs

Control system and method for a hybrid electric vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Tamor, Michael Alan

2001-03-06

Several control methods are presented for application in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain including in various embodiments an engine, a motor/generator, a transmission coupled at an input thereof to receive torque from the engine and the motor generator coupled to augment torque provided by the engine, an energy storage device coupled to receive energy from and provide energy to the motor/generator, an engine controller (EEC) coupled to control the engine, a transmission controller (TCM) coupled to control the transmission and a vehicle system controller (VSC) adapted to control the powertrain.

Detection of greenhouse gas precursors from ethanol powered vehicles in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavares, Juliana R.; Sthel, Marcelo S.; Rocha, Mila V. da; Lima, Guilherme R.; Silva, Marcelo G. da; Vargas, Helion

2014-01-01

The use of fossil fuels on the transport sector has caused the emission of various air pollutants, which can cause numerous damages to the atmosphere and to human health. In order to minimize pollutant emission, Brazilian government has encouraged the use of alternatives fuels, such as ethanol. Ethanol can be a great ally in global warming mitigation due to its potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in its renewable cycle. Otherwise, other pollutant gases emitted during ethanol combustion can contribute directly or indirectly to intensify global warming. In this study, Photoacoustic and Electrochemical sensors were used to detect greenhouse precursor gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and especially ethylene, a primary pollutant in the generation of tropospheric ozone, in the exhaust of ethanol powered vehicles, in the range of ppmv. - Highlights: • Using CO 2 and Quantum Cascade Laser Photoacoustic Spectrometer, we could prove the presence of ethylene in the exhaust of ethanol vehicles for the first time. • Photoacoustic technique has proven excellent requirements, such as selectivity, sensitivity, and portability for ethylene detection in the vehicles exhaust. • Using electrochemical sensors, we could detect CO and NO x in ethanol powered vehicles in ppmV range

Improving power grid transient stability by plug-in electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajduk, Andrej; Kocarev, Ljupco; Todorovski, Mirko; Kurths, Juergen

2014-01-01

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can serve in discharge mode as distributed energy and power resources operating as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) devices and in charge mode as loads or grid-to-vehicle devices. It has been documented that PEVs serving as V2G systems can offer possible backup for renewable power sources, can provide reactive power support, active power regulation, load balancing, peak load shaving, can reduce utility operating costs and can generate revenue. Here we show that PEVs can even improve power grid transient stability, that is, stability when the power grid is subjected to large disturbances, including bus faults, generator and branch tripping, and sudden large load changes. A control strategy that regulates the power output of a fleet of PEVs based on the speed of generator turbines is proposed and tested on the New England 10-unit 39-bus power system. By regulating the power output of the PEVs we show that (1) speed and voltage fluctuations resulting from large disturbances can be significantly reduced up to five times, and (2) the critical clearing time can be extended by 20–40%. Overall, the PEVs control strategy makes the power grid more robust. (paper)

First- and second-generation total synthesis of ciguatoxin CTX3C.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Masayuki; Miyazaki, Keisuke; Uehara, Hisatoshi; Maruyama, Megumi; Hirama, Masahiro

2004-08-17

More than 20,000 people suffer annually from ciguatera seafood poisoning in subtropical and tropical regions. The extremely low content of the causative neurotoxins, designated as ciguatoxins, in fish has hampered isolation, detailed biological studies, and preparation of anti-ciguatoxin antibodies for detecting these toxins. Furthermore, the large (3 nm in length) and complex molecular structure of ciguatoxins has impeded chemists from completing their total synthesis. In this article, the full details of studies leading to the total synthesis of ciguatoxin CTX3C are provided. The key elements of the first-generation approach include O,O-acetal formation from the right and left wing fragments, conversion from O,O-acetal to O,S-acetal, a radical reaction to cyclize the G ring, a ring-closing metathesis reaction to close the F ring, and final removal of the 2-naphtylmethyl protective groups. Subsequent studies provided a second-generation total synthesis, which is more concise and results in a higher yield. Second-generation synthesis was accomplished by using a direct method of constructing the key intermediate O,S-acetal from alpha-chlorosulfide and a secondary alcohol. These syntheses ensure a practical supply of ciguatoxin for biological applications.

Estimation of CO2 reduction by parallel hard-type power hybridization for gasoline and diesel vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Yunjung; Park, Junhong; Lee, Jong Tae; Seo, Jigu; Park, Sungwook

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate possible improvements in ICEVs by implementing fuzzy logic-based parallel hard-type power hybrid systems. Two types of conventional ICEVs (gasoline and diesel) and two types of HEVs (gasoline-electric, diesel electric) were generated using vehicle and powertrain simulation tools and a Matlab-Simulink application programming interface. For gasoline and gasoline-electric HEV vehicles, the prediction accuracy for four types of LDV models was validated by conducting comparative analysis with the chassis dynamometer and OBD test data. The predicted results show strong correlation with the test data. The operating points of internal combustion engines and electric motors are well controlled in the high efficiency region and battery SOC was well controlled within ±1.6%. However, for diesel vehicles, we generated virtual diesel-electric HEV vehicle because there is no available vehicles with similar engine and vehicle specifications with ICE vehicle. Using a fuzzy logic-based parallel hybrid system in conventional ICEVs demonstrated that HEVs showed superior performance in terms of fuel consumption and CO 2 emission in most driving modes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The mental health and wellbeing of first generation migrants: a systematic-narrative review of reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Close, Ciara; Kouvonen, Anne; Bosqui, Tania; Patel, Kishan; O'Reilly, Dermot; Donnelly, Michael

2016-08-25

First generation migrants are reportedly at higher risk of mental ill-health compared to the settled population. This paper systematically reviews and synthesizes all reviews on the mental health of first generation migrants in order to appraise the risk factors for, and explain differences in, the mental health of this population. Scientific databases were searched for systematic reviews (inception-November 2015) which provided quantitative data on the mental ill-health of first generation migrants and associated risk factors. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full text papers for their suitability against pre-specified criteria, methodological quality was assessed. One thousand eight hundred twenty articles were identified, eight met inclusion criteria, which were all moderate or low quality. Depression was mostly higher in first generation migrants in general, and in refugees/asylum seekers when analysed separately. However, for both groups there was wide variation in prevalence rates, from 5 to 44 % compared with prevalence rates of 8-12 % in the general population. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence was higher for both first generation migrants in general and for refugees/asylum seekers compared with the settled majority. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence in first generation migrants in general and refugees/ asylum seekers ranged from 9 to 36 % compared with reported prevalence rates of 1-2 % in the general population. Few studies presented anxiety prevalence rates in first generation migrants and there was wide variation in those that did. Prevalence ranged from 4 to 40 % compared with reported prevalence of 5 % in the general population. Two reviews assessed the psychotic disorder risk, reporting this was two to three times more likely in adult first generation migrants. However, one review on the risk of schizophrenia in refugees reported similar prevalence rates (2 %) to estimates of prevalence among the settled majority (3

Fuel cell powered vehicles using supercapacitors-device characteristics, control strategies, and simulation results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, H.; Burke, A.F. [Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California (United States)

2010-10-15

The fuel cell powered vehicle is one of the most attractive candidates for the future due to its high efficiency and capability to use hydrogen as the fuel. However, its relatively poor dynamic response, high cost and limited life time have impeded its widespread adoption. With the emergence of large supercapacitors (also know as ultracapacitors, UCs) with high power density and the shift to hybridisation in the vehicle technology, fuel cell/supercapacitor hybrid fuel cell vehicles are gaining more attention. Fuel cells in conjunction with supercapacitors can create high power with fast dynamic response, which makes it well suitable for automotive applications. Hybrid fuel cell vehicles with different powertrain configurations have been evaluated based on simulations performed at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California-Davis. The following powertrain configurations have been considered: (a)Direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) without energy storage (b)FCVs with supercapacitors directly connected in parallel with fuel cells (c)FCVs with supercapacitors coupled in parallel with fuel cells through a DC/DC converter (d)FCVs with fuel cells connected to supercapacitors via a DC/DC converter. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Natural gas for vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauveron, S. de

1996-01-01

This article presents compressed natural gas for vehicles (CNG), which can provide considerable advantages both as an alternative fuel and as a clean fuel. These assets are not only economic but also technical. The first part deals with what is at stake in developing natural gas as a motor fuel. The first countries to use CNG were those with natural gas resources in their subsoil. Today, with a large number of countries having to cope with growing concern about increasing urban pollution, natural gas is also seen as a clean fuel that can help cut vehicle pollutant emissions dramatically. In the second part a brief technical descriptions is given of CNG stations and vehicles, with the aim of acquainting the reader with some of CNG's specific technical features as compared to gasoline and diesel oil. Here CNG technologies are seen to be very close to the more conventional ones. (author)

Validation of Essential Acoustic Parameters for Highly Urgent In-Vehicle Collision Warnings.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Bridget A; Eisert, Jesse L; Baldwin, Carryl L

2018-03-01

Objective The aim of this study was to validate the importance of key acoustic criteria for use as in-vehicle forward collision warning (FCW) systems. Background Despite recent advances in vehicle safety, automobile crashes remain one of the leading causes of death. As automation allows for more control of noncritical functions by the vehicle, the potential for disengagement and distraction from the driving task also increases. It is, therefore, as important as ever that in-vehicle safety-critical interfaces are intuitive and unambiguous, promoting effective collision avoidance responses upon first exposure even under divided-attention conditions. Method The current study used a driving simulator to assess the effectiveness of two warnings, one that met all essential acoustic parameters, one that met only some essential parameters, and a no-warning control in the context of a lead vehicle-following task in conjunction with a cognitive distractor task and collision event. Results Participants receiving an FCW comprising five essential acoustic components had improved collision avoidance responses relative to a no-warning condition and an FCW missing essential elements on their first exposure. Responses to a consistently good warning (GMU Prime) improved with subsequent exposures, whereas continued exposure to the less optimal FCW (GMU Sub-Prime) resulted in poorer performance even relative to receiving no warning at all. Conclusions This study provides support for previous warning design studies and for the validity of five key acoustic parameters essential for the design of effective in-vehicle FCWs. Application Results from this study have implications for the design of auditory FCWs and in-vehicle display design.

The present status of the high temperature superconducting Maglev vehicle in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)