WorldWideScience

Sample records for online sensor testing

  1. On-line testing of response time and calibration of temperature and pressure sensors in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    1995-01-01

    Periodic calibrations and response time measurements are necessary for temperature and pressure sensors in the safety systems of nuclear power plants. Conventional measurement methods require the test to be performed at the sensor location or involve removing the sensor from the process and performing the tests in a laboratory or on the bench. The conventional methods are time consuming and have the potential of causing wear and tear on the equipment, can expose the test personnel to radiation and other harsh environments, and increase the length of the plant outage. Also, the conventional methods do not account for the installation effects which may have an influence on sensor performance. On-line testing methods alleviate these problems by providing remote sensor response time and calibration capabilities. For temperature sensors such as Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) and thermocouples, an on-line test method called the Loop Current Step Response (LCSR) technique has been developed, and for pressure transmitters, an on-line method called noise analysis which was available for reactor diagnostics was validated for response time testing applications. Both the LCSR and noise analysis tests are performed periodically in U.S. nuclear power plants to meet the plant technical specification requirements for response time testing of safety-related sensors. Automated testing of the calibration of both temperature and pressure sensors can be accomplished through an on-line monitoring system installed in the plant. The system monitors the DC output of the sensors over the fuel cycle to determine if any calibration drift has occurred. Changes in calibration can be detected using signal averaging and intercomparison methods and analytical redundancy techniques. (author)

  2. On-line irradiation testing of a Giant Magneto-Resistive (GMR) sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olfert, J.; Luloff, B.; MacDonald, D.; Lumsden, R., E-mail: jeff.olfert@cnl.ca [Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada)

    2016-06-15

    Magneto-resistive sensors are rapidly gaining favour for magnetic field sensing applications owing to their high sensitivity, small size, and low cost. Their metallic, nonsemiconductor construction makes them excellent candidates for use in the harsh environments present in nuclear and space applications. In this work, a commercially available magneto-resistive sensor was irradiated up to a total gamma dose of 2 MGy (200 Mrad), and online testing was performed to monitor the sensor throughout the irradiation to detect any degradation. No significant evidence of degradation of the sensor characteristics was observed. A very small (< 1%) change in the bridge balance of the sensor as a function of accumulated dose was detected. (author)

  3. Online catalog of world-wide test sites for the post-launch characterization and calibration of optical sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chander, G.; Christopherson, J.B.; Stensaas, G.L.; Teillet, P.M.

    2007-01-01

    In an era when the number of Earth-observing satellites is rapidly growing and measurements from these sensors are used to answer increasingly urgent global issues, it is imperative that scientists and decision-makers can rely on the accuracy of Earth-observing data products. The characterization and calibration of these sensors are vital to achieve an integrated Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) for coordinated and sustained observations of Earth. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as a supporting member of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and GEOSS, is working with partners around the world to establish an online catalog of prime candidate test sites for the post-launch characterization and calibration of space-based optical imaging sensors. The online catalog provides easy public Web site access to this vital information for the global community. This paper describes the catalog, the test sites, and the methodologies to use the test sites. It also provides information regarding access to the online catalog and plans for further development of the catalog in cooperation with calibration specialists from agencies and organizations around the world. Through greater access to and understanding of these vital test sites and their use, the validity and utility of information gained from Earth remote sensing will continue to improve. Copyright IAF/IAA. All rights reserved.

  4. A conductive grating sensor for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Peiyuan; Cheng, Li; Yan, Xiaojun; Jiao, Shengbo; Li, Yakun

    2018-05-01

    Online quantitative monitoring of crack damage due to fatigue is a critical challenge for structural health monitoring systems assessing structural safety. To achieve online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack, a novel conductive grating sensor based on the principle of electrical potential difference is proposed. The sensor consists of equidistant grating channels to monitor the fatigue crack length and conductive bars to provide the circuit path. An online crack monitoring system is established to verify the sensor's capability. The experimental results prove that the sensor is suitable for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack. A finite element model for the sensor is also developed to optimize the sensitivity of crack monitoring, which is defined by the rate of sensor resistance change caused by the break of the first grating channel. Analysis of the model shows that the sensor sensitivity can be enhanced by reducing the number of grating channels and increasing their resistance and reducing the resistance of the conductive bar.

  5. ON-LINE MONITORING OF I&C TRANSMITTERS AND SENSORS FOR CALIBRATION VERIFICATION AND RESPONSE TIME TESTING WAS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED AT ATR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erickson, Phillip A.; O' Hagan, Ryan; Shumaker, Brent; Hashemian, H. M.

    2017-03-01

    The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) has always had a comprehensive procedure to verify the performance of its critical transmitters and sensors, including RTDs, and pressure, level, and flow transmitters. These transmitters and sensors have been periodically tested for response time and calibration verification to ensure accuracy. With implementation of online monitoring techniques at ATR, the calibration verification and response time testing of these transmitters and sensors are verified remotely, automatically, hands off, include more portions of the system, and can be performed at almost any time during process operations. The work was done under a DOE funded SBIR project carried out by AMS. As a result, ATR is now able to save the manpower that has been spent over the years on manual calibration verification and response time testing of its temperature and pressure sensors and refocus those resources towards more equipment reliability needs. More importantly, implementation of OLM will help enhance the overall availability, safety, and efficiency. Together with equipment reliability programs of ATR, the integration of OLM will also help with I&C aging management goals of the Department of Energy and long-time operation of ATR.

  6. On-line methanol sensor system development for recombinant ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    On-line methanol sensor system development for recombinant human serum ... of the methanol sensor system was done in a medium environment with yeast cells ... induction at a low temperature and a pH where protease does not function.

  7. Pilot-scale application of an online VFA sensor for monitoring and control of a manure digester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boe, Kanokwan; Angelidaki, Irini

    2012-01-01

    A volatile fatty acids (VFA) sensor based on headspace chromatography was tested for online monitoring and control of a pilot-scale manure digester. The sensor showed satisfying results in terms of sensitivity and reliability for monitoring of the digester. The online VFA and biogas production data...... parameter for optimization, it could not distinguish between the decreases of biogas production from inhibition and from lower organic content in the substrate, which resulted in undesired decreasing of the control gas setpoint when the substrate was diluted. It was necessary to adjust the yield parameter...

  8. On-line structural damage localization and quantification using wireless sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu, Ting-Yu; Huang, Shieh-Kung; Lu, Kung-Chung; Loh, Chin-Hsiung; Wang, Yang; Lynch, Jerome Peter

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a wireless sensing system is designed to realize on-line damage localization and quantification of a structure using a frequency response function change method (FRFCM). Data interrogation algorithms are embedded in the computational core of the wireless sensing units to extract the necessary structural features, i.e. the frequency spectrum segments around eigenfrequencies, automatically from measured structural response for the FRFCM. Instead of the raw time history of the structural response, the extracted compact structural features are transmitted to the host computer. As a result, with less data transmitted from the wireless sensors, the energy consumed by the wireless transmission is reduced. To validate the performance of the proposed wireless sensing system, a six-story steel building with replaceable bracings in each story is instrumented with the wireless sensors for on-line damage detection during shaking table tests. The accuracy of the damage detection results using the wireless sensing system is verified through comparison with the results calculated from data recorded of a traditional wired monitoring system. The results demonstrate that, by taking advantage of collocated computing resources in wireless sensors, the proposed wireless sensing system can locate and quantify damage with acceptable accuracy and moderate energy efficiency

  9. Online Resource for Earth-Observing Satellite Sensor Calibration

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCorkel, J.; Czapla-Myers, J.; Thome, K.; Wenny, B.

    2015-01-01

    The Radiometric Calibration Test Site (RadCaTS) at Railroad Valley Playa, Nevada is being developed by the University of Arizona to enable improved accuracy and consistency for airborne and satellite sensor calibration. Primary instrumentation at the site consists of ground-viewing radiometers, a sun photometer, and a meteorological station. Measurements made by these instruments are used to calculate surface reflectance, atmospheric properties and a prediction for top-of-atmosphere reflectance and radiance. This work will leverage research for RadCaTS, and describe the requirements for an online database, associated data formats and quality control, and processing levels.

  10. Neutron Irradiation Tests of Calibrated Cryogenic Sensors at Low Temperatures

    CERN Document Server

    Junquera, T; Thermeau, J P; Casas-Cubillos, J

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents the advancement of a program being carried out in view of selecting the cryogenic temperature sensors to be used in the LHC accelerator. About 10,000 sensors will be installed around the 26.6 km LHC ring, and most of them will be exposed to high radiation doses during the accelerator lifetime. The following thermometric sensors : carbon resistors, thin films, and platinum resistors, have been exposed to high neutron fluences (>10$^15$ n/cm$^2$) at the ISN (Grenoble, France) Cryogenic Irradiation Test Facility. A cryostat is placed in a shielded irradiation vault where a 20 MeV deuteron beam hits a Be target, resulting in a well collimated and intense neutron beam. The cryostat, the on-line acquisition system, the temperature references and the main characteristics of the irradiation facility are described. The main interest of this set-up is its ability to monitor online the evolution of the sensors by comparing its readout with temperature references that are in principle insensitive to t...

  11. Online Remote Recording and Monitoring of Sensor Data Using DTMF Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niladri Sekhar TRIPATHY

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Different wireless application platforms are available for remote monitoring and control of systems. In the present paper a system has been described for online remote recording and monitoring of sensor data using DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency technology where acoustic communication has been implemented. One DTMF transceiver in the sensing system has been used to generate and decode the DTMF tone corresponding to the sensor output which in turn is received from the mobile phone in the user side. A separate DTMF decoder has been used in the user side to decode the received DTMF tone corresponding to the sensor output from the sensor side. Microcontroller has been used to store the decoded data from the sensor and to control the whole operation sequentially. Thus online remote recording and monitoring of the sensor data have been possible at any where in the coverage area of the mobile network. Experimental result shows good linearity between data output taken directly from the sensor side and that remotely from user side.

  12. On-line chemical sensors for applications in fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayaraman, V.

    2015-01-01

    Hydrogen sensors are essential components of fast reactor sodium circuits. These sensors are needed in fast reactors for the immediate detection of any steam leak into sodium during reactor operation which can lead to failure of steam generator. Depending on the operating power of the reactor, sodium-water reaction results in either an increase in dissolved hydrogen level in sodium or an increase in hydrogen content of argon cover gas used above sodium coolant. Hence, on-line monitoring of hydrogen continuously in sodium and cover circuits helps in detection of any steam leak. In the event of accidental leak of high temperature sodium, it reacts with oxygen and moisture in air leading to sodium fires. These fires produce sodium aerosol containing oxides of sodium (Na 2 O and Na 2 O 2 ) and NaOH. For early detection of sodium fires, sensor systems based on sodium ionization detector, pH measurement and modulation of conductivity of graphite films are known in the literature. This presentation deals with the development of on-line sensors for these two applications. A diffusion based sensor using a thin walled nickel coil at 773 K and a sensitive thermal conductivity detector (TCD) has been developed for monitoring hydrogen levels in argon cover gas. This sensor has a lower detection limit of 30 ppm of hydrogen in argon. To extend the detection limit of the sensor, a surface conductivity based sensor has been developed which makes use of a thin film of semi-conducting tin oxide. Integration of this sensor with the TCD, can extend the lower detection limit to 2 ppm of hydrogen in cover gas. Electrochemical sensor based on sodium-beta-alumina has been designed, fabricated and its performance in laboratory and industrial environment was evaluated. This paper presents the logical development of these sensors highlighting their merits and limitations

  13. Pixel sensor evaluation and online event selection for the Mu3e experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruch, Dorothea vom

    2017-10-27

    Despite having survived numerous experimental tests, the standard model of particle physics is not a complete description of nature. The Mu3e experiment tests theories beyond the standard model by searching for the lepton flavour violating decay μ→e{sup +}e{sup -}e{sup +}, aiming at a branching ratio sensitivity of 2.10{sup -15} in a first phase of the experiment. A high precision magnetic spectrometer combined with scintillation detectors will measure the momenta, vertices and timing of the decay products of 1.10{sup 8} μ/s stopped on a target. In this work, a prototype of the high voltage monolithic active pixel sensor envisaged for the spectrometer was characterised. With an efficiency >99% and a time resolution of 14 ns, it meets the requirements imposed on the final sensor. Furthermore, an online signal selection process was developed and implemented on a graphics processing unit (GPU), keeping 98% of signal decays, while reducing the data rate of 80 Gbit/s by a factor of 140; resulting in a rate that can be stored to disk. With the computing performance achieved on the GPU, the selection process can run on the hardware planned for the experiment. Both the online selection and the silicon sensor are key aspects for the success of Mu3e.

  14. Evaluation of different types of sensors and their positioning for on-line PD detection and localisation in distribution cables

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wielen, van der P.C.J.M.; Veen, J.; Wouters, P.A.A.F.

    2003-01-01

    Different types of sensors can be used for on-line detection and localisation of PDs in medium voltage cables. These sensors can be placed on different locations in the substa-tions where the cable under test is terminated. Both aspects have a significant influence on the measured signals. In this

  15. Microfluidic electrochemical sensor for on-line monitoring of aerosol oxidative activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sameenoi, Yupaporn; Koehler, Kirsten; Shapiro, Jeff; Boonsong, Kanokporn; Sun, Yele; Collett, Jeffrey; Volckens, John; Henry, Charles S

    2012-06-27

    Particulate matter (PM) air pollution has a significant impact on human morbidity and mortality; however, the mechanisms of PM-induced toxicity are poorly defined. A leading hypothesis states that airborne PM induces harm by generating reactive oxygen species in and around human tissues, leading to oxidative stress. We report here a system employing a microfluidic electrochemical sensor coupled directly to a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) system to measure aerosol oxidative activity in an on-line format. The oxidative activity measurement is based on the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay, where, after being oxidized by PM, the remaining reduced DTT is analyzed by the microfluidic sensor. The sensor consists of an array of working, reference, and auxiliary electrodes fabricated in a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic device. Cobalt(II) phthalocyanine-modified carbon paste was used as the working electrode material, allowing selective detection of reduced DTT. The electrochemical sensor was validated off-line against the traditional DTT assay using filter samples taken from urban environments and biomass burning events. After off-line characterization, the sensor was coupled to a PILS to enable on-line sampling/analysis of aerosol oxidative activity. Urban dust and industrial incinerator ash samples were aerosolized in an aerosol chamber and analyzed for their oxidative activity. The on-line sensor reported DTT consumption rates (oxidative activity) in good correlation with aerosol concentration (R(2) from 0.86 to 0.97) with a time resolution of approximately 3 min.

  16. Online Sensor Calibration Assessment in Nuclear Power Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coble, Jamie B.; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Meyer, Ryan M.; Hashemian, Hash

    2013-01-01

    Safe, efficient, and economic operation of nuclear systems (nuclear power plants, fuel fabrication and storage, used fuel processing, etc.) relies on transmission of accurate and reliable measurements. During operation, sensors degrade due to age, environmental exposure, and maintenance interventions. Sensor degradation can affect the measured and transmitted signals, including sensor failure, signal drift, sensor response time, etc. Currently, periodic sensor recalibration is performed to avoid these problems. Sensor recalibration activities include both calibration assessment and adjustment (if necessary). In nuclear power plants, periodic recalibration of safety-related sensors is required by the plant technical specifications. Recalibration typically occurs during refueling outages (about every 18 to 24 months). Non-safety-related sensors also undergo recalibration, though not as frequently. However, this approach to maintaining sensor calibration and performance is time-consuming and expensive, leading to unnecessary maintenance, increased radiation exposure to maintenance personnel, and potential damage to sensors. Online monitoring (OLM) of sensor performance is a non-invasive approach to assess instrument calibration. OLM can mitigate many of the limitations of the current periodic recalibration practice by providing more frequent assessment of calibration and identifying those sensors that are operating outside of calibration tolerance limits without removing sensors or interrupting operation. This can support extended operating intervals for unfaulted sensors and target recalibration efforts to only degraded sensors

  17. Performance Tests of a Permeation Sensor for Test Blanket Modules Using Liquid Metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, B. G.; Lee, D. W.; Lee, E. H.; Yoon, J. S.; Kim, S. K.; Shin, K. I.; Jin, H. G.

    2013-01-01

    The tritium extraction from a breeder is one of the key technologies and its methods have been investigated. For developing the tritium extraction methods and evaluating the amount of tritium in the system, a reliable and correct sensor is required to measure the hydrogen concentration in liquid metal breeder. There are several researches for developing the sensors in the ITER participants and especially, EU has developed the permeation sensors trying to selecting materials with low Serviette's constant (solubility) and high hydrogen diffusivity coefficient. However, EU's response time is still too long time about tens of minutes to measure the tritium concentration in the online system. We have been performing the preliminary tests with designed and fabricated sensors to solve the late response of sensor. However, we could not continue the tests because of the membrane's oxidation (pure Fe) and the difficulty of welding nonferrous metals. In present study, a permeation sensor made of vacuum flanges with a porous plate inside is proposed not only to eliminate the difficulty of the fabrication but to optimize the performance of sensor. The permeation sensor to measure the hydrogen isotopes in liquid metal breeder has been proposed and evaluated to overcome the limitation of a long response time for various shapes and materials. We found that the previous sensors have limitation; the oxidation problems (pure Fe) and the difficulty in welding (nonferrous metals). Therefore we proposed a permeation sensor with the vacuum flanges filled with porous disks to eliminate the problems. By using the CF flanges, the problem caused by welding is removed. But the permeable response time of sensors took a long time to reach the pressure equivalent

  18. An Intelligent Sensor for the Ultra-High-Frequency Partial Discharge Online Monitoring of Power Transformers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Li

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-high-frequency (UHF partial discharge (PD online monitoring is an effective way to inspect potential faults and insulation defects in power transformers. The construction of UHF PD online monitoring system is a challenge because of the high-frequency and wide-frequency band of the UHF PD signal. This paper presents a novel, intelligent sensor for UHF PD online monitoring based on a new method, namely a level scanning method. The intelligent sensor can directly acquire the statistical characteristic quantities and is characterized by low cost, few data to output and transmit, Ethernet functionality, and small size for easy installation. The prototype of an intelligent sensor was made. Actual UHF PD experiments with three typical artificial defect models of power transformers were carried out in a laboratory, and the waveform recording method and intelligent sensor proposed were simultaneously used for UHF PD measurement for comparison. The results show that the proposed intelligent sensor is qualified for the UHF PD online monitoring of power transformers. Additionally, three methods to improve the performance of intelligent sensors were proposed according to the principle of the level scanning method.

  19. A Virtual Sensor for Online Fault Detection of Multitooth-Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andres Bustillo

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The installation of suitable sensors close to the tool tip on milling centres is not possible in industrial environments. It is therefore necessary to design virtual sensors for these machines to perform online fault detection in many industrial tasks. This paper presents a virtual sensor for online fault detection of multitooth tools based on a Bayesian classifier. The device that performs this task applies mathematical models that function in conjunction with physical sensors. Only two experimental variables are collected from the milling centre that performs the machining operations: the electrical power consumption of the feed drive and the time required for machining each workpiece. The task of achieving reliable signals from a milling process is especially complex when multitooth tools are used, because each kind of cutting insert in the milling centre only works on each workpiece during a certain time window. Great effort has gone into designing a robust virtual sensor that can avoid re-calibration due to, e.g., maintenance operations. The virtual sensor developed as a result of this research is successfully validated under real conditions on a milling centre used for the mass production of automobile engine crankshafts. Recognition accuracy, calculated with a k-fold cross validation, had on average 0.957 of true positives and 0.986 of true negatives. Moreover, measured accuracy was 98%, which suggests that the virtual sensor correctly identifies new cases.

  20. A Virtual Sensor for Online Fault Detection of Multitooth-Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustillo, Andres; Correa, Maritza; Reñones, Anibal

    2011-01-01

    The installation of suitable sensors close to the tool tip on milling centres is not possible in industrial environments. It is therefore necessary to design virtual sensors for these machines to perform online fault detection in many industrial tasks. This paper presents a virtual sensor for online fault detection of multitooth tools based on a Bayesian classifier. The device that performs this task applies mathematical models that function in conjunction with physical sensors. Only two experimental variables are collected from the milling centre that performs the machining operations: the electrical power consumption of the feed drive and the time required for machining each workpiece. The task of achieving reliable signals from a milling process is especially complex when multitooth tools are used, because each kind of cutting insert in the milling centre only works on each workpiece during a certain time window. Great effort has gone into designing a robust virtual sensor that can avoid re-calibration due to, e.g., maintenance operations. The virtual sensor developed as a result of this research is successfully validated under real conditions on a milling centre used for the mass production of automobile engine crankshafts. Recognition accuracy, calculated with a k-fold cross validation, had on average 0.957 of true positives and 0.986 of true negatives. Moreover, measured accuracy was 98%, which suggests that the virtual sensor correctly identifies new cases. PMID:22163766

  1. Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Roy

    2011-01-01

    Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation is based on the concept of smart sensor technology for testing with intelligence needed to perform sell-diagnosis of health, and to participate in a hierarchy of health determination at sensor, process, and system levels. A virtual sensor test instrumentation consists of five elements: (1) a common sensor interface, (2) microprocessor, (3) wireless interface, (4) signal conditioning and ADC/DAC (analog-to-digital conversion/ digital-to-analog conversion), and (5) onboard EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) for metadata storage and executable software to create powerful, scalable, reconfigurable, and reliable embedded and distributed test instruments. In order to maximize the efficient data conversion through the smart sensor node, plug-and-play functionality is required to interface with traditional sensors to enhance their identity and capabilities for data processing and communications. Virtual sensor test instrumentation can be accessible wirelessly via a Network Capable Application Processor (NCAP) or a Smart Transducer Interlace Module (STIM) that may be managed under real-time rule engines for mission-critical applications. The transducer senses the physical quantity being measured and converts it into an electrical signal. The signal is fed to an A/D converter, and is ready for use by the processor to execute functional transformation based on the sensor characteristics stored in a Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS). Virtual sensor test instrumentation is built upon an open-system architecture with standardized protocol modules/stacks to interface with industry standards and commonly used software. One major benefit for deploying the virtual sensor test instrumentation is the ability, through a plug-and-play common interface, to convert raw sensor data in either analog or digital form, to an IEEE 1451 standard-based smart sensor, which has instructions to program sensors for a wide variety of

  2. Quality control of mixtures consisting of engine oil and rapeseed oil by means of online oil sensors; Qualitaetsueberwachung von Motoroel-Rapsoelmischungen mit Online-Oelsensoren. Labortests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thuneke, Klaus; Schreiber, Katja [Technologie- und Foerderzentrum, Straubing (Germany)

    2013-10-01

    It was the goal of the work to investigate interactions between motor oils and rapeseed oil fuel and to test oil sensors for monitoring the quality of aged mixtures of motor oil and rapeseed oil. At first oil samples were aged in the laboratory, whereby motor oil type, share of rapeseed oil and aeration was varied. Depending on type of engine oil different ageing effects were noticed. Higher shares of rapeseed and aeration stimulate increase of viscosity and acid value. In a further step online oil sensors were tested in both, a model of a lubrication system and a test engine. The signals of the sensors plausibly described the oil ageing process by the indicators dynamic or acoustic viscosity, permittivity number, specific electric conductivity. In particular viscosity and permittivity are suitable for showing changes in different motor oil rapeseed oil mixtures during oil ageing. However, for a reliable control system detecting critical rapeseed oil enrichment in the motor oil onboard, further work has to be done. (orig.)

  3. Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewster, L.; Johnston, A.; Howard, R.; Mitchell, J.; Cryan, S.

    2007-01-01

    The Exploration Systems Architecture defines missions that require rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) of two spacecraft both in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). Uncrewed spacecraft must perform automated and/or autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking operations (commonly known as AR&D). The crewed missions may also perform rendezvous and docking operations and may require different levels of automation and/or autonomy, and must provide the crew with relative navigation information for manual piloting. The capabilities of the RPOD sensors are critical to the success of the Exploration Program. NASA has the responsibility to determine whether the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) contractor proposed relative navigation sensor suite will meet the requirements. The relatively low technology readiness level of AR&D relative navigation sensors has been carried as one of the CEV Project's top risks. The AR&D Sensor Technology Project seeks to reduce the risk by the testing and analysis of selected relative navigation sensor technologies through hardware-in-the-loop testing and simulation. These activities will provide the CEV Project information to assess the relative navigation sensors maturity as well as demonstrate test methods and capabilities. The first year of this project focused on a series of"pathfinder" testing tasks to develop the test plans, test facility requirements, trajectories, math model architecture, simulation platform, and processes that will be used to evaluate the Contractor-proposed sensors. Four candidate sensors were used in the first phase of the testing. The second phase of testing used four sensors simultaneously: two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Video Guidance Sensors (AVGS), a laser-based video sensor that uses retroreflectors attached to the target vehicle, and two commercial laser range finders. The multi-sensor testing was conducted at MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL

  4. Evaluation of software sensors for on-line estimation of culture conditions in an Escherichia coli cultivation expressing a recombinant protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warth, Benedikt; Rajkai, György; Mandenius, Carl-Fredrik

    2010-05-03

    Software sensors for monitoring and on-line estimation of critical bioprocess variables have mainly been used with standard bioreactor sensors, such as electrodes and gas analyzers, where algorithms in the software model have generated the desired state variables. In this article we propose that other on-line instruments, such as NIR probes and on-line HPLC, should be used to make more reliable and flexible software sensors. Five software sensor architectures were compared and evaluated: (1) biomass concentration from an on-line NIR probe, (2) biomass concentration from titrant addition, (3) specific growth rate from titrant addition, (4) specific growth rate from the NIR probe, and (5) specific substrate uptake rate and by-product rate from on-line HPLC and NIR probe signals. The software sensors were demonstrated on an Escherichia coli cultivation expressing a recombinant protein, green fluorescent protein (GFP), but the results could be extrapolated to other production organisms and product proteins. We conclude that well-maintained on-line instrumentation (hardware sensors) can increase the potential of software sensors. This would also strongly support the intentions with process analytical technology and quality-by-design concepts. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Lab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewster, Linda L.; Howard, Richard T.; Johnston, A. S.; Carrington, Connie; Mitchell, Jennifer D.; Cryan, Scott P.

    2008-01-01

    The Exploration Systems Architecture defines missions that require rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) of two spacecraft both in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). Uncrewed spacecraft must perform automated and/or autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking operations (commonly known as AR&D). The crewed missions may also perform rendezvous and docking operations and may require different levels of automation and/or autonomy, and must provide the crew with relative navigation information for manual piloting. The capabilities of the RPOD sensors are critical to the success ofthe Exploration Program. NASA has the responsibility to determine whether the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) contractor-proposed relative navigation sensor suite will meet the requirements. The relatively low technology readiness level of AR&D relative navigation sensors has been carried as one of the CEV Project's top risks. The AR&D Sensor Technology Project seeks to reduce the risk by the testing and analysis of selected relative navigation sensor technologies through hardware-in-the-Ioop testing and simulation. These activities will provide the CEV Project information to assess the relative navigation sensors maturity as well as demonstrate test methods and capabilities. The first year of this project focused on a series of "pathfinder" testing tasks to develop the test plans, test facility requirements, trajectories, math model architecture, simulation platform, and processes that will be used to evaluate the Contractor-proposed sensors. Four candidate sensors were used in the first phase of the testing. The second phase of testing used four sensors simultaneously: two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Video Guidance Sensors (AVGS), a laser-based video sensor that uses retroreflectors attached to the target vehicle, and two commercial laser range finders. The multi-sensor testing was conducted at MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL

  6. A novel, optical, on-line bacteria sensor for monitoring drinking water quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Højris, Bo; Christensen, Sarah Christine Boesgaard; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen; Smith, Christian; Dahlqvist, Mathis

    2016-04-04

    Today, microbial drinking water quality is monitored through either time-consuming laboratory methods or indirect on-line measurements. Results are thus either delayed or insufficient to support proactive action. A novel, optical, on-line bacteria sensor with a 10-minute time resolution has been developed. The sensor is based on 3D image recognition, and the obtained pictures are analyzed with algorithms considering 59 quantified image parameters. The sensor counts individual suspended particles and classifies them as either bacteria or abiotic particles. The technology is capable of distinguishing and quantifying bacteria and particles in pure and mixed suspensions, and the quantification correlates with total bacterial counts. Several field applications have demonstrated that the technology can monitor changes in the concentration of bacteria, and is thus well suited for rapid detection of critical conditions such as pollution events in drinking water.

  7. Integrated sensor array for on-line monitoring micro bioreactors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krommenhoek, E.E.

    2007-01-01

    The “Fed��?batch on a chip��?��?project, which was carried out in close cooperation with the Technical University of Delft, aims to miniaturize and parallelize micro bioreactors suitable for on-line screening of micro-organisms. This thesis describes an electrochemical sensor array which has been

  8. On-line sensor technology for food manufacturing industry. Shokuhin bun prime ya ni okeru on-line sensor gijutsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Komiya, K. (Ajinomoto Co. Inc., Tokyo (Japan))

    1990-08-05

    This paper introduced the sensor technology for food manufacturing industry. If sugar concentration in main raw material is too high in the amino acid fermentation, control of the concentration is required because fungi growth is inhibited. A controlling method for sugar concentration was developed by using the correlation between consumption of NH {sub 3} for pH adjustment and sugar consumption in place of conventional analyzing method and was introduced in the gulutamic acid fermantation. BOD sensor was developed to enable the selective measurement of organic substances which can be processed by organisms, and measuring time was shortened from previous five days to 30 minutes. Since many organics absorb infrared ray, near infrared analysis is suitable for food analysis and on-line analysis has high possibility. When this method is applied to measure moisture in fishes and meats, continuous measurement can be made nondestructively and without contacting, and further the precision is {plus minus} 0.1%. Simultaneous multi-composition analyses are carried out by continuous spectrum and near infrared method using higher rate scanning. Sensor development for taste and smell has started. 10 refs., 4 figs., 4 refs.

  9. Online cognition : Factors facilitating reliable online neuropsychological test results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, H.E.M.; Vermeulen, I.E.; Murre, J.M.J.; Schagen, S.B.

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Online neuropsychological test batteries could allow for large-scale cognitive data collection in clinical studies. However, the few online neuropsychological test batteries that are currently available often still require supervision or lack proper psychometric evaluation. In this paper,

  10. Online cognition : factors facilitating reliable online neuropsychological test results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, Heleen E M; Vermeulen, Ivar E; Murre, Jaap M J; Schagen, Sanne B

    OBJECTIVE: Online neuropsychological test batteries could allow for large-scale cognitive data collection in clinical studies. However, the few online neuropsychological test batteries that are currently available often still require supervision or lack proper psychometric evaluation. In this paper,

  11. Development of real-time on-line vibration testing system for seismic experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horiuchi, T.; Nakagawa, M.; Kametani, M.

    1993-01-01

    An on-line vibration testing method is being developed for seismic experiments. This method combines computer simulation and an actuator for vibration testing of structures. A real-time, on-line testing system was developed to improve the method. In the system, the timing of the vibration testing and the computer simulation are the same. This allows time-dependent reaction forces, such as damping force, to be immediately considered in the computer simulation. The real-time system has many requirements, such as complicated matrix calculations within a small time step, and communication with outer devices like sensors and actuators through A/D and D/A converters. These functions arc accomplished by using a newly-developed, real-time controller that employs a parallel processing technique. A small structural model is used to demonstrate the system. The reliability and applicability of the system for seismic experiments can be demonstrated by comparing the results of the system and a shaking table, which are in almost agreement. (author)

  12. Online Monitoring of Electrochemical Degradation of Paracetamol through a Biomimetic Sensor

    OpenAIRE

    Mariana Calora Quintino de Oliveira; Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza; José Luis Paz Jara; Maria Del Pilar Taboada Sotomayor

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports, for the first time, the online monitoring to the electrochemical degradation of the paracetamol using a biomimetic sensor coupled to a Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) system. The electrochemical degradation of the drug was carried out in aqueous medium using a flow-by reactor with a DSA anode. The process efficiency was monitored at real time by the biomimetic sensor constructed by modifying a glassy carbon electrode with a Nafion membrane doped with iron tetrapyridinoporphy...

  13. Integrated electrochemical sensor array for on-line monitoring of yeast fermentations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krommenhoek, E.E.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.; Bomer, Johan G.; Li, X.; Ottens, M.; van Dedem, G.W.K.; van Leeuwen, M.; van Gulik, W.M.; van der Wielen, L.A.M.; Heijnen, J.J.; van den Berg, Albert

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes the design, modeling, and experimental characterization of an electrochemical sensor array for on-line monitoring of fermentor conditions in both miniaturized cell assays and in industrial scale fertnentations. The viable biomass concentration is determined from impedance

  14. FluoRAS Sensor - Online organic matter for optimising recirculating aquaculture systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hambly, Adam; Stedmon, Colin

    2018-01-01

    FluorRAS will develop a sensor that can save recycled fish farms 30% per year in water and energy consumption for water treatment, as well as optimize nitrogen removal. The sensor will be developed in a partnership between engineers (Krüger A / S) and researchers (DTU), and the product will be made...... both the maintenance of necessary water quality and water treatment costs. Loss of production due to poor water quality is expensive and can be avoided with correct sensor systems. Accumulation of dissolved organic matter and nutrients in the water reduce the effectiveness of UV treatment, is a source...... of nutrition for opportunistic pathogens, and reduces the effectiveness of the biofilter's removing ammonia. Modern recycling systems are therefore dependent on a network of online sensors that monitor and respond to changes in water quality, but currently there is a need for a sensor to monitor...

  15. Online Sensor Drift Compensation for E-Nose Systems Using Domain Adaptation and Extreme Learning Machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Guangchun; Qin, Ke; Wang, Nan; Niu, Weina

    2018-01-01

    Sensor drift is a common issue in E-Nose systems and various drift compensation methods have received fruitful results in recent years. Although the accuracy for recognizing diverse gases under drift conditions has been largely enhanced, few of these methods considered online processing scenarios. In this paper, we focus on building online drift compensation model by transforming two domain adaptation based methods into their online learning versions, which allow the recognition models to adapt to the changes of sensor responses in a time-efficient manner without losing the high accuracy. Experimental results using three different settings confirm that the proposed methods save large processing time when compared with their offline versions, and outperform other drift compensation methods in recognition accuracy. PMID:29494543

  16. Online Sensor Drift Compensation for E-Nose Systems Using Domain Adaptation and Extreme Learning Machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiyuan Ma

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Sensor drift is a common issue in E-Nose systems and various drift compensation methods have received fruitful results in recent years. Although the accuracy for recognizing diverse gases under drift conditions has been largely enhanced, few of these methods considered online processing scenarios. In this paper, we focus on building online drift compensation model by transforming two domain adaptation based methods into their online learning versions, which allow the recognition models to adapt to the changes of sensor responses in a time-efficient manner without losing the high accuracy. Experimental results using three different settings confirm that the proposed methods save large processing time when compared with their offline versions, and outperform other drift compensation methods in recognition accuracy.

  17. Automated multivariate analysis of multi-sensor data submitted online: Real-time environmental monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eide, Ingvar; Westad, Frank

    2018-01-01

    A pilot study demonstrating real-time environmental monitoring with automated multivariate analysis of multi-sensor data submitted online has been performed at the cabled LoVe Ocean Observatory located at 258 m depth 20 km off the coast of Lofoten-Vesterålen, Norway. The major purpose was efficient monitoring of many variables simultaneously and early detection of changes and time-trends in the overall response pattern before changes were evident in individual variables. The pilot study was performed with 12 sensors from May 16 to August 31, 2015. The sensors provided data for chlorophyll, turbidity, conductivity, temperature (three sensors), salinity (calculated from temperature and conductivity), biomass at three different depth intervals (5-50, 50-120, 120-250 m), and current speed measured in two directions (east and north) using two sensors covering different depths with overlap. A total of 88 variables were monitored, 78 from the two current speed sensors. The time-resolution varied, thus the data had to be aligned to a common time resolution. After alignment, the data were interpreted using principal component analysis (PCA). Initially, a calibration model was established using data from May 16 to July 31. The data on current speed from two sensors were subject to two separate PCA models and the score vectors from these two models were combined with the other 10 variables in a multi-block PCA model. The observations from August were projected on the calibration model consecutively one at a time and the result was visualized in a score plot. Automated PCA of multi-sensor data submitted online is illustrated with an attached time-lapse video covering the relative short time period used in the pilot study. Methods for statistical validation, and warning and alarm limits are described. Redundant sensors enable sensor diagnostics and quality assurance. In a future perspective, the concept may be used in integrated environmental monitoring.

  18. Smart Sensor for Online Detection of Multiple-Combined Faults in VSD-Fed Induction Motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Ramirez, Armando G.; Osornio-Rios, Roque A.; Granados-Lieberman, David; Garcia-Perez, Arturo; Romero-Troncoso, Rene J.

    2012-01-01

    Induction motors fed through variable speed drives (VSD) are widely used in different industrial processes. Nowadays, the industry demands the integration of smart sensors to improve the fault detection in order to reduce cost, maintenance and power consumption. Induction motors can develop one or more faults at the same time that can be produce severe damages. The combined fault identification in induction motors is a demanding task, but it has been rarely considered in spite of being a common situation, because it is difficult to identify two or more faults simultaneously. This work presents a smart sensor for online detection of simple and multiple-combined faults in induction motors fed through a VSD in a wide frequency range covering low frequencies from 3 Hz and high frequencies up to 60 Hz based on a primary sensor being a commercially available current clamp or a hall-effect sensor. The proposed smart sensor implements a methodology based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT), RMS calculation and artificial neural networks (ANN), which are processed online using digital hardware signal processing based on field programmable gate array (FPGA).

  19. Nuclear Power Plant Thermocouple Sensor-Fault Detection and Classification Using Deep Learning and Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandal, Shyamapada; Santhi, B.; Sridhar, S.; Vinolia, K.; Swaminathan, P.

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, an online fault detection and classification method is proposed for thermocouples used in nuclear power plants. In the proposed method, the fault data are detected by the classification method, which classifies the fault data from the normal data. Deep belief network (DBN), a technique for deep learning, is applied to classify the fault data. The DBN has a multilayer feature extraction scheme, which is highly sensitive to a small variation of data. Since the classification method is unable to detect the faulty sensor; therefore, a technique is proposed to identify the faulty sensor from the fault data. Finally, the composite statistical hypothesis test, namely generalized likelihood ratio test, is applied to compute the fault pattern of the faulty sensor signal based on the magnitude of the fault. The performance of the proposed method is validated by field data obtained from thermocouple sensors of the fast breeder test reactor.

  20. Hybrid online sensor error detection and functional redundancy for systems with time-varying parameters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Jianyuan; Turksoy, Kamuran; Samadi, Sediqeh; Hajizadeh, Iman; Littlejohn, Elizabeth; Cinar, Ali

    2017-12-01

    Supervision and control systems rely on signals from sensors to receive information to monitor the operation of a system and adjust manipulated variables to achieve the control objective. However, sensor performance is often limited by their working conditions and sensors may also be subjected to interference by other devices. Many different types of sensor errors such as outliers, missing values, drifts and corruption with noise may occur during process operation. A hybrid online sensor error detection and functional redundancy system is developed to detect errors in online signals, and replace erroneous or missing values detected with model-based estimates. The proposed hybrid system relies on two techniques, an outlier-robust Kalman filter (ORKF) and a locally-weighted partial least squares (LW-PLS) regression model, which leverage the advantages of automatic measurement error elimination with ORKF and data-driven prediction with LW-PLS. The system includes a nominal angle analysis (NAA) method to distinguish between signal faults and large changes in sensor values caused by real dynamic changes in process operation. The performance of the system is illustrated with clinical data continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors from people with type 1 diabetes. More than 50,000 CGM sensor errors were added to original CGM signals from 25 clinical experiments, then the performance of error detection and functional redundancy algorithms were analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed system can successfully detect most of the erroneous signals and substitute them with reasonable estimated values computed by functional redundancy system.

  1. Development and Validation of an On-Line Water Toxicity Sensor with Immobilized Luminescent Bacteria for On-Line Surface Water Monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woutersen, Marjolijn; van der Gaag, Bram; Abrafi Boakye, Afua; Mink, Jan; Marks, Robert S; Wagenvoort, Arco J; Ketelaars, Henk A M; Brouwer, Bram; Heringa, Minne B

    2017-11-22

    Surface water used for drinking water production is frequently monitored in The Netherlands using whole organism biomonitors, with for example Daphnia magna or Dreissena mussels, which respond to changes in the water quality. However, not all human-relevant toxic compounds can be detected by these biomonitors. Therefore, a new on-line biosensor has been developed, containing immobilized genetically modified bacteria, which respond to genotoxicity in the water by emitting luminescence. The performance of this sensor was tested under laboratory conditions, as well as under field conditions at a monitoring station along the river Meuse in The Netherlands. The sensor was robust and easy to clean, with inert materials, temperature control and nutrient feed for the reporter organisms. The bacteria were immobilized in sol-gel on either an optical fiber or a glass slide and then continuously exposed to water. Since the glass slide was more sensitive and robust, only this setup was used in the field. The sensor responded to spikes of genotoxic compounds in the water with a minimal detectable concentration of 0.01 mg/L mitomycin C in the laboratory and 0.1 mg/L mitomycin C in the field. With further optimization, which should include a reduction in daily maintenance, the sensor has the potential to become a useful addition to the currently available biomonitors.

  2. Development and Validation of an On-Line Water Toxicity Sensor with Immobilized Luminescent Bacteria for On-Line Surface Water Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjolijn Woutersen

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Surface water used for drinking water production is frequently monitored in The Netherlands using whole organism biomonitors, with for example Daphnia magna or Dreissena mussels, which respond to changes in the water quality. However, not all human-relevant toxic compounds can be detected by these biomonitors. Therefore, a new on-line biosensor has been developed, containing immobilized genetically modified bacteria, which respond to genotoxicity in the water by emitting luminescence. The performance of this sensor was tested under laboratory conditions, as well as under field conditions at a monitoring station along the river Meuse in The Netherlands. The sensor was robust and easy to clean, with inert materials, temperature control and nutrient feed for the reporter organisms. The bacteria were immobilized in sol-gel on either an optical fiber or a glass slide and then continuously exposed to water. Since the glass slide was more sensitive and robust, only this setup was used in the field. The sensor responded to spikes of genotoxic compounds in the water with a minimal detectable concentration of 0.01 mg/L mitomycin C in the laboratory and 0.1 mg/L mitomycin C in the field. With further optimization, which should include a reduction in daily maintenance, the sensor has the potential to become a useful addition to the currently available biomonitors.

  3. Wireless Power Supply via Coupled Magnetic Resonance for on-line Monitoring Wireless Sensor of High-voltage Electrical Equipment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xingkui, Mao; Qisheng, Huang; Yudi, Xiao

    2016-01-01

    On-line monitoring of high-voltage electrical equipment (HV-EE) aiming to detect faults effectively has become crucial to avoid serious accidents. Moreover, highly reliable power supplies are the key component for the wireless sensors equipped in such on-line monitoring systems. Therefore......, in this paper, the wireless power supply via coupled magnetic resonance (MR-WPS) is proposed for powering the wireless sensor and the associated wireless sensor solution is also proposed. The key specifications of the MR-WPS working in switchgear cabinet with a harsh operation environment are analyzed...... power is able to be delivered to the wireless sensor through the designed MR-WPS, and therefore the theoretical analysis and design is verified....

  4. Strategies for online test security.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Leigh; Morgan, Lesley

    2009-01-01

    As online courses continue to increase, maintaining academic integrity in student evaluation is a challenge. The authors review several strategies, with varying degrees of cost and technology, to improve test security in the online classroom.

  5. Inexpensive on-line alcohol sensor for fermentation monitoring and control

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Birch, S W; Turner, A P.F.; Ashby, R E

    1987-01-01

    An inorganic electrochemical fuel cell sensor was interfaced to a microcomputer and used to measure on-line the alcohol concentration in the off-gas of a fermentor. A calibration curve was obtained for methanol (linear range 0-9 g/l) and ethanol (linear range 0-6 g/l) to relate the alcohol concentration in the fermentor liquid with that in the off-gas. The consumption of methanol in a batch fermentation of the methylotroph Ps.BB1 was monitored (sampling frequency of 5 minutes) and compared with samples taken for off-line analysis by GLC. On-line control of the methanol concentration in a fed-batch fermentation was achieved by proportional and integral control. 24 references.

  6. Automated multivariate analysis of multi-sensor data submitted online: Real-time environmental monitoring.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingvar Eide

    Full Text Available A pilot study demonstrating real-time environmental monitoring with automated multivariate analysis of multi-sensor data submitted online has been performed at the cabled LoVe Ocean Observatory located at 258 m depth 20 km off the coast of Lofoten-Vesterålen, Norway. The major purpose was efficient monitoring of many variables simultaneously and early detection of changes and time-trends in the overall response pattern before changes were evident in individual variables. The pilot study was performed with 12 sensors from May 16 to August 31, 2015. The sensors provided data for chlorophyll, turbidity, conductivity, temperature (three sensors, salinity (calculated from temperature and conductivity, biomass at three different depth intervals (5-50, 50-120, 120-250 m, and current speed measured in two directions (east and north using two sensors covering different depths with overlap. A total of 88 variables were monitored, 78 from the two current speed sensors. The time-resolution varied, thus the data had to be aligned to a common time resolution. After alignment, the data were interpreted using principal component analysis (PCA. Initially, a calibration model was established using data from May 16 to July 31. The data on current speed from two sensors were subject to two separate PCA models and the score vectors from these two models were combined with the other 10 variables in a multi-block PCA model. The observations from August were projected on the calibration model consecutively one at a time and the result was visualized in a score plot. Automated PCA of multi-sensor data submitted online is illustrated with an attached time-lapse video covering the relative short time period used in the pilot study. Methods for statistical validation, and warning and alarm limits are described. Redundant sensors enable sensor diagnostics and quality assurance. In a future perspective, the concept may be used in integrated environmental monitoring.

  7. Developing LED UV fluorescence sensors for online monitoring DOM and predicting DBPs formation potential during water treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wen-Tao; Jin, Jing; Li, Qiang; Wu, Chen-Fei; Lu, Hai; Zhou, Qing; Li, Ai-Min

    2016-04-15

    Online monitoring dissolved organic matter (DOM) is urgent for water treatment management. In this study, high performance size exclusion chromatography with multi-UV absorbance and multi-emission fluorescence scans were applied to spectrally characterize samples from 16 drinking water sources across Yangzi River and Huai River Watersheds. The UV absorbance indices at 254 nm and 280 nm referred to the same DOM components and concentration, and the 280 nm UV light could excite both protein-like and humic-like fluorescence. Hence a novel UV fluorescence sensor was developed out using only one UV280 light-emitting diode (LED) as light source. For all samples, enhanced coagulation was mainly effective for large molecular weight biopolymers; while anion exchange further substantially removed humic substances. During chlorination tests, UVA280 and UVA254 showed similar correlations with yields of disinfection byproducts (DBPs); the humic-like fluorescence obtained from LED sensors correlated well with both trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids yields, while the correlation between protein-like fluorescence and trihalomethanes was relatively poor. Anion exchange exhibited more reduction of DBPs yields as well as UV absorbance and fluorescence signals than enhanced coagulation. The results suggest that the LED UV fluorescence sensors are very promising for online monitoring DOM and predicting DBPs formation potential during water treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Aircraft engine sensor fault diagnostics using an on-line OBEM update method.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaofeng Liu

    Full Text Available This paper proposed a method to update the on-line health reference baseline of the On-Board Engine Model (OBEM to maintain the effectiveness of an in-flight aircraft sensor Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI system, in which a Hybrid Kalman Filter (HKF was incorporated. Generated from a rapid in-flight engine degradation, a large health condition mismatch between the engine and the OBEM can corrupt the performance of the FDI. Therefore, it is necessary to update the OBEM online when a rapid degradation occurs, but the FDI system will lose estimation accuracy if the estimation and update are running simultaneously. To solve this problem, the health reference baseline for a nonlinear OBEM was updated using the proposed channel controller method. Simulations based on the turbojet engine Linear-Parameter Varying (LPV model demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed FDI system in the presence of substantial degradation, and the channel controller can ensure that the update process finishes without interference from a single sensor fault.

  9. Online soft sensor for hybrid systems with mixed continuous and discrete measurements

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Suzdaleva, Evgenia; Nagy, Ivan

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 36, č. 10 (2012), s. 294-300 ISSN 0098-1354 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0572; GA TA ČR TA01030123 Grant - others:Skoda Auto, a.s.(CZ) ENS/2009/UTIA Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : online state prediction * hybrid filter * state-space model * mixed data Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory Impact factor: 2.091, year: 2012 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2011/AS/suzdaleva-online soft sensor for hybrid systems with mixed continuous and discrete measurements.pdf

  10. Virtual sensors for on-line wheel wear and part roughness measurement in the grinding process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arriandiaga, Ander; Portillo, Eva; Sánchez, Jose A; Cabanes, Itziar; Pombo, Iñigo

    2014-05-19

    Grinding is an advanced machining process for the manufacturing of valuable complex and accurate parts for high added value sectors such as aerospace, wind generation, etc. Due to the extremely severe conditions inside grinding machines, critical process variables such as part surface finish or grinding wheel wear cannot be easily and cheaply measured on-line. In this paper a virtual sensor for on-line monitoring of those variables is presented. The sensor is based on the modelling ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for stochastic and non-linear processes such as grinding; the selected architecture is the Layer-Recurrent neural network. The sensor makes use of the relation between the variables to be measured and power consumption in the wheel spindle, which can be easily measured. A sensor calibration methodology is presented, and the levels of error that can be expected are discussed. Validation of the new sensor is carried out by comparing the sensor's results with actual measurements carried out in an industrial grinding machine. Results show excellent estimation performance for both wheel wear and surface roughness. In the case of wheel wear, the absolute error is within the range of microns (average value 32 μm). In the case of surface finish, the absolute error is well below Ra 1 μm (average value 0.32 μm). The present approach can be easily generalized to other grinding operations.

  11. Online Monitoring of Bacterial Growth with an Electrical Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xuzhi; Jiang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Qianqian; Wang, Xiaochun; Zhang, Yan; Zhao, Jun; Qu, Keming; Zhao, Chuan

    2018-05-01

    Herein, we developed an automatic electrical bacterial growth sensor (EBGS) based on a multichannel capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (C 4 D). With the use of the EBGS, up to eight culture samples of E. coli in disposable tubes were online monitored simultaneously in a noninvasive manner. Growth curves with high resolution (on the order of a time scale of seconds) were generated by plotting normalized apparent conductivity value against incubation time. The characteristic data of E. coli growth (e.g., growth rate) obtained here were more accurate than those obtained with optical density and contact conductivity methods. And the correlation coefficient of the regression line ( r) for quantitative determination of viable bacteria was 0.9977. Moreover, it also could be used for other tasks, such as the investigation of toxic/stress effects from chemicals and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. All of these performances required neither auxiliary devices nor additional chemicals and biomaterials. Taken together, this strategy has the advantages of simplicity, accuracy, reproducibility, affordability, versatility, and miniaturization, liberating the users greatly from financial and labor costs.

  12. A novel, optical, on-line bacteria sensor for monitoring drinking water quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højris, Bo; Christensen, Sarah Christine Boesgaard; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen

    2016-01-01

    Today, microbial drinking water quality is monitored through either time-consuming laboratory methods or indirect on-line measurements. Results are thus either delayed or insufficient to support proactive action. A novel, optical, on-line bacteria sensor with a 10-minute time resolution has been...... and quantifying bacteria and particles in pure and mixed suspensions, and the quantification correlates with total bacterial counts. Several field applications have demonstrated that the technology can monitor changes in the concentration of bacteria, and is thus well suited for rapid detection of critical...... conditions such as pollution events in drinking water....

  13. Implementation of online volatile fatty acids sensor for control and optimization of anaerobic process for low cost biogas production from manure. Project report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boe, K.; Angelidaki, I.

    2010-10-15

    Proper monitoring and control can improve process stability and enhance process performance for better economy of the biogas plants. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) is the most widely recognized as a direct, relevant measure of stability. Classic on-line measurement of individual VFA is based on filtration, which suffers from fouling when applied with manure slurries. A VFA sensor developed at DTU Environment, based on headspace chromatography technique could avoid the problems from particulate matters. In this work, the sensor had been implemented for online monitoring of the lab-scale and the pilot-scale manure digester. The industrial prototype of the VFA sensor and sample acquisition system has been constructed and implemented at a pilot scale biogas plant, located at Lundtofte, DTU. The VFA sensor has shown very satisfying results in terms of sensitivity and reliability for monitoring the biogas process. Moreover, the online VFA and biogas registration data were used as process indicators for automatic control of the biogas reactor. The results from control experiments confirmed that the combination of biogas production, total VFA concentration and propionate concentration could effectively reflect the dynamic state of the process which was very crucial for automatic control. Due to the standardized analyzing condition (pH<2, temperature>70 deg. C), the sensor responses were not affected by the manure composition (TS, VS or the addition of extra organics), which made these results representative for implementing in the full-scale biogas plant where some industrial organic wastes were added to increase the biogas production. During the project period, the sensor design and construction had been modified and tested several times to improve the robustness. However, the implementation of the sensor in full-scale biogas plant would need some further development such as improvement of mechanical design and further up-scaling depending on the dry solid content in the

  14. Test on radiation-withstanding properties of sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagi, Hideyuki; Kakuta, Tsunemi; Ara, Katsuyuki

    1986-01-01

    In order to use for the remote operation system or in-line measuring system in the facilities handling radioactive substances, the development of the sensors having strengthened radiation-withstanding performance has been advanced. As a part of it, efforts have been exerted to phenomenologically grasp the radiation effect on various sensors and their materials, and to acquire the basic data. Irradiation test was carried out on solid image pick-up elements, optical parts eddy current sensors, pressure sensitive rubber, photo-electric proximity sensors and others, and the knowledge on their deterioration was obtained. Besides, the sensors and video-cameras having improved radiation-withstanding performance were made for trial, and the performance was tested. The interim report on these test results is made. By a series of the irradiation tests reported here, the basic data required for giving the guideline to the development of radiation withstanding sensors were able to be obtained. But in the present irradiation test, the number of specimens was too small to assure the radiation withstanding performance. In order to improve further the radiation withstanding performance of these sensors, it is necessary to carry out the irradiation test on such elements as condensers, diodes and ICs to accumulate the basic data. (Kako, I.)

  15. Continuous and recurrent testing of acoustic emission sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sause, Markus G.R.; Schmitt, Stefan; Potstada, Philipp

    2017-01-01

    In many fields of application of acoustic emission, the testing can lead to a lasting change in the sensor characteristics. This can be caused by mechanical damage, thermal stress or use under aggressive environmental conditions. Irrespective of visually testable damages of the sensors, a shift in the spectral sensitivity, a reduction in the absolute sensitivity or a reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio can occur. During the test, this requires a possibility to periodically check the sensors, including the coupling aids used. For recurring testing, recommendations are given in Directive SE 02 ''Verification of acoustic emission sensors and their coupling in the laboratory''. This paper discusses possibilities for continuous monitoring of the sensors during the test and presents an application example for the partly automated recurring testing of acoustic emission sensors using Directive SE 02. For this purpose, a test stand for the supply of the sensors to be tested was constructed and the signal recording and data reduction implemented in freely available software programs. The operating principle is demonstrated using selected case studies. [de

  16. A probe station for testing silicon sensors

    CERN Multimedia

    Ulysse, Fichet

    2017-01-01

    A probe station for testing silicon sensors. The probe station is located inside a dark box that can keep away light during the measurement. The set-up is located in the DSF (Department Silicon Facility). The golden plate is the "chuck" where the sensor is usually placed on. With the help of "manipulators", thin needles can be precisely positioned that can contact the sensor surface. Using these needles and the golden chuck, a high voltage can be applied to the sensor to test its behaviour under high voltage. We will use the silicon sensors that we test here for building prototypes of a highly granular sandwich calorimeter, the CMS HGC (Highly granular Calorimeter) upgrade for High-Luminosity LHC.

  17. Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin; Li Tong; Ma Qinghai

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

  18. Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin [Theory of Lubrication and Bearing Institute, Xi' an Jiaotong University Xi' an, 710049 (China); Li Tong; Ma Qinghai, E-mail: heroyoyu.2009@stu.xjtu.edu.cn [Xi' an Rail Bureau, Xi' an, 710054 (China)

    2011-07-19

    This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

  19. Modified parity space averaging approaches for online cross-calibration of redundant sensors in nuclear reactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moath Kassim

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available To maintain safety and reliability of reactors, redundant sensors are usually used to measure critical variables and estimate their averaged time-dependency. Nonhealthy sensors can badly influence the estimation result of the process variable. Since online condition monitoring was introduced, the online cross-calibration method has been widely used to detect any anomaly of sensor readings among the redundant group. The cross-calibration method has four main averaging techniques: simple averaging, band averaging, weighted averaging, and parity space averaging (PSA. PSA is used to weigh redundant signals based on their error bounds and their band consistency. Using the consistency weighting factor (C, PSA assigns more weight to consistent signals that have shared bands, based on how many bands they share, and gives inconsistent signals of very low weight. In this article, three approaches are introduced for improving the PSA technique: the first is to add another consistency factor, so called trend consistency (TC, to include a consideration of the preserving of any characteristic edge that reflects the behavior of equipment/component measured by the process parameter; the second approach proposes replacing the error bound/accuracy based weighting factor (Wa with a weighting factor based on the Euclidean distance (Wd, and the third approach proposes applying Wd,TC,andC, all together. Cold neutron source data sets of four redundant hydrogen pressure transmitters from a research reactor were used to perform the validation and verification. Results showed that the second and third modified approaches lead to reasonable improvement of the PSA technique. All approaches implemented in this study were similar in that they have the capability to (1 identify and isolate a drifted sensor that should undergo calibration, (2 identify a faulty sensor/s due to long and continuous missing data range, and (3 identify a healthy sensor. Keywords: Nuclear Reactors

  20. Online Monitoring of Electrochemical Degradation of Paracetamol through a Biomimetic Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Calora Quintino de Oliveira

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports, for the first time, the online monitoring to the electrochemical degradation of the paracetamol using a biomimetic sensor coupled to a Flow Injection Analysis (FIA system. The electrochemical degradation of the drug was carried out in aqueous medium using a flow-by reactor with a DSA anode. The process efficiency was monitored at real time by the biomimetic sensor constructed by modifying a glassy carbon electrode with a Nafion membrane doped with iron tetrapyridinoporphyrazine (FeTPyPz. Simultaneously, we carried out off-line analysis by liquid chromatography (HPLC during the experiments in order to validate the proposed system. In addition, to investigate the degradation products of the paracetamol electrolysis, we used the techniques of UPLC/MS and GC/MS.

  1. Continuous monitoring of bisulfide variation in microdialysis effluents by on-line droplet-based microfluidic fluorescent sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiaocui; Xu, Lei; Wu, Tongbo; Xu, Anqin; Zhao, Meiping; Liu, Shaorong

    2014-05-15

    We demonstrate a novel fluorescent sensor for real-time and continuous monitoring of the variation of bisulfide in microdialysis effluents by using a nanoparticle-glutathione-fluorescein isothiocyanate (AuNP-GSH-FITC) probe coupled with on-line droplet-based microfluidic chip. The AuNP-GSH-FITC fluorescent probe was firstly developed and used for bisulfide detection in bulk solution by quantitative real-time PCR, which achieved a linear working range from 0.1 μM to 5.0 μM and a limit of detection of ~50 nM. The response time was less than 2 min. With the aid of co-immobilized thiol-polyethylene glycol, the probe exhibited excellent stability and reproducibility in high salinity solutions, including artificial cerebrospinal fluids (aCSF). By adding 0.1% glyoxal to the probe solution, the assay allowed quantification of bisulfide in the presence of cysteine at the micro-molarity level. Using the AuNP-GSH-FITC probe, a droplet-based microfluidic fluorescent sensor was further constructed for online monitoring of bisulfide variation in the effluent of microdialysis. By using fluorescence microscope-charge-coupled device camera as the detector, the integrated microdialysis/microfluidic chip device achieved a detection limit of 2.0 μM and a linear response from 5.0 μM to 50 μM for bisulfide in the tested sample. The method was successfully applied for the on-line measurement of bisulfide variation in aCSF and serum samples. It will be a very useful tool for tracking the variation of bisulfide or hydrogen sulfide in extracellular fluids. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Design and Test of a Soil Profile Moisture Sensor Based on Sensitive Soil Layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Cheng; Qian, Hongzhou; Cao, Weixing; Ni, Jun

    2018-01-01

    To meet the demand of intelligent irrigation for accurate moisture sensing in the soil vertical profile, a soil profile moisture sensor was designed based on the principle of high-frequency capacitance. The sensor consists of five groups of sensing probes, a data processor, and some accessory components. Low-resistivity copper rings were used as components of the sensing probes. Composable simulation of the sensor’s sensing probes was carried out using a high-frequency structure simulator. According to the effective radiation range of electric field intensity, width and spacing of copper ring were set to 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. A parallel resonance circuit of voltage-controlled oscillator and high-frequency inductance-capacitance (LC) was designed for signal frequency division and conditioning. A data processor was used to process moisture-related frequency signals for soil profile moisture sensing. The sensor was able to detect real-time soil moisture at the depths of 20, 30, and 50 cm and conduct online inversion of moisture in the soil layer between 0–100 cm. According to the calibration results, the degree of fitting (R2) between the sensor’s measuring frequency and the volumetric moisture content of soil sample was 0.99 and the relative error of the sensor consistency test was 0–1.17%. Field tests in different loam soils showed that measured soil moisture from our sensor reproduced the observed soil moisture dynamic well, with an R2 of 0.96 and a root mean square error of 0.04. In a sensor accuracy test, the R2 between the measured value of the proposed sensor and that of the Diviner2000 portable soil moisture monitoring system was higher than 0.85, with a relative error smaller than 5%. The R2 between measured values and inversed soil moisture values for other soil layers were consistently higher than 0.8. According to calibration test and field test, this sensor, which features low cost, good operability, and high integration, is qualified for

  3. Online analysis of oxygen inside silicon-glass microreactors with integrated optical sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ehgartner, Josef; Sulzer, Philipp; Burger, Tobias

    2016-01-01

    A powerful online analysis set-up for oxygen measurements within microfluidic devices is presented. It features integration of optical oxygen sensors into microreactors, which enables contactless, accurate and inexpensive readout using commercially available oxygen meters via luminescent lifetime...... monitoring of enzyme transformations, including d-alanine or d-phenylalanine oxidation by d-amino acid oxidase, and glucose oxidation by glucose oxidase....

  4. Test Methodologies for Hydrogen Sensor Performance Assessment: Chamber vs. Flow Through Test Apparatus: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buttner, William J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hartmann, Kevin S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Schmidt, Kara [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cebolla, Rafeal O [Joint Research Centre, Petten, the Netherlands; Weidner, Eveline [Joint Research Centre, Petten, the Netherlands; Bonato, Christian [Joint Research Centre, Petten, the Netherlands

    2017-11-06

    Certification of hydrogen sensors to standards often prescribes using large-volume test chambers [1, 2]. However, feedback from stakeholders such as sensor manufacturers and end-users indicate that chamber test methods are often viewed as too slow and expensive for routine assessment. Flow through test methods potentially are an efficient, cost-effective alternative for sensor performance assessment. A large number of sensors can be simultaneously tested, in series or in parallel, with an appropriate flow through test fixture. The recent development of sensors with response times of less than 1s mandates improvements in equipment and methodology to properly capture the performance of this new generation of fast sensors; flow methods are a viable approach for accurate response and recovery time determinations, but there are potential drawbacks. According to ISO 26142 [1], flow through test methods may not properly simulate ambient applications. In chamber test methods, gas transport to the sensor can be dominated by diffusion which is viewed by some users as mimicking deployment in rooms and other confined spaces. Alternatively, in flow through methods, forced flow transports the gas to the sensing element. The advective flow dynamics may induce changes in the sensor behaviour relative to the quasi-quiescent condition that may prevail in chamber test methods. One goal of the current activity in the JRC and NREL sensor laboratories [3, 4] is to develop a validated flow through apparatus and methods for hydrogen sensor performance testing. In addition to minimizing the impact on sensor behaviour induced by differences in flow dynamics, challenges associated with flow through methods include the ability to control environmental parameters (humidity, pressure and temperature) during the test and changes in the test gas composition induced by chemical reactions with upstream sensors. Guidelines on flow through test apparatus design and protocols for the evaluation of

  5. Simple chloride sensors for continuous groundwater monitoring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorn, Paul; Mortensen, John

    2012-01-01

    The development of chloride sensors which can be used for continuous, on-line monitoring of groundwater could be very valuable in the management of our coastal water resources. However, sensor stability, drift, and durability all need to be addressed in order for the sensors to be used in continu......The development of chloride sensors which can be used for continuous, on-line monitoring of groundwater could be very valuable in the management of our coastal water resources. However, sensor stability, drift, and durability all need to be addressed in order for the sensors to be used...... in continuous application. This study looks at the development of a simple, inexpensive chloride electrode, and evaluates its performance under continuous use, both in the laboratory and in a field test in a monitoring well. The results from the study showed a consistent response to changing chloride...... concentrations over longer periods. The signal was seen to be stable, with regular drift in both laboratory and field test. In the field application, the sensor signal was corrected for drift, and errors were observed to be under 7% of that of conductivity measurements. The study also found that the chloride...

  6. A nuclear on-line sensor for continuous control of vanadium content in oil pipelines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rizk, R.A.M.

    1989-01-01

    Trace amounts of vanadium in crude oil and in heavy distillate fuels are very harmful due to their corrosive action. Thus the necessity arises for continuous control of the vanadium content in oil pipelines. Moreover, the development of a nuclear on-line sensor that can continuously analyze the vanadium content in oil pipelines may lead to a better control of processing operations. In this paper a feasibility study for on-line analysis of vanadium in crude oil by means of neutron activation analysis is presented. (author)

  7. A Novel Online Data-Driven Algorithm for Detecting UAV Navigation Sensor Faults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Rui; Cheng, Qi; Wang, Guanyu; Ochieng, Washington Yotto

    2017-09-29

    The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has increased significantly in recent years. On-board integrated navigation sensors are a key component of UAVs' flight control systems and are essential for flight safety. In order to ensure flight safety, timely and effective navigation sensor fault detection capability is required. In this paper, a novel data-driven Adaptive Neuron Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)-based approach is presented for the detection of on-board navigation sensor faults in UAVs. Contrary to the classic UAV sensor fault detection algorithms, based on predefined or modelled faults, the proposed algorithm combines an online data training mechanism with the ANFIS-based decision system. The main advantages of this algorithm are that it allows real-time model-free residual analysis from Kalman Filter (KF) estimates and the ANFIS to build a reliable fault detection system. In addition, it allows fast and accurate detection of faults, which makes it suitable for real-time applications. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed fault detection method in terms of accuracy and misdetection rate.

  8. A Novel Online Data-Driven Algorithm for Detecting UAV Navigation Sensor Faults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Sun

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs has increased significantly in recent years. On-board integrated navigation sensors are a key component of UAVs’ flight control systems and are essential for flight safety. In order to ensure flight safety, timely and effective navigation sensor fault detection capability is required. In this paper, a novel data-driven Adaptive Neuron Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS-based approach is presented for the detection of on-board navigation sensor faults in UAVs. Contrary to the classic UAV sensor fault detection algorithms, based on predefined or modelled faults, the proposed algorithm combines an online data training mechanism with the ANFIS-based decision system. The main advantages of this algorithm are that it allows real-time model-free residual analysis from Kalman Filter (KF estimates and the ANFIS to build a reliable fault detection system. In addition, it allows fast and accurate detection of faults, which makes it suitable for real-time applications. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed fault detection method in terms of accuracy and misdetection rate.

  9. Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor for On-Line Monitoring of Coal Gasifier Refractory Health

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Anbo [Center for Photonics Technology, Blacksburgh, VA (United States); Yu, Zhihao [Center for Photonics Technology, Blacksburgh, VA (United States)

    2015-11-30

    This report summarizes technical progress on the program “Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor for On-Line Monitoring of Coal Gasifier Refractory Health,” funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. The scope of work entails analyses of traveling grating generation technologies in an optical fiber, as well as the interrogation of the gratings to infer a distributed temperature along the fiber, for the purpose of developing a real-time refractory health condition monitoring technology for coal gasifiers. During the project period, which is from 2011-2015, three different sensing principles were studied, including four-wave mixing (FWM), coherent optical time-domain reflectometer (C-OTDR) and Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA). By comparing the three methods, the BOTDA was selected for further development into a complete bench-top sensing system for the proposed high-temperature sensing application. Based on the input from Eastman Chemical, the industrial collaborator on this project, a cylindrical furnace was designed and constructed to simulate typical gasifier refractory temperature conditions in the laboratory, and verify the sensor’s capability to fully monitor refractory conditions on the back-side at temperatures up to 1000°C. In the later stages of the project, the sensing system was tested in the simulated environment for its sensing performance and high-temperature survivability. Through theoretical analyses and experimental research on the different factors affecting the sensor performance, a sensor field deployment strategy was proposed for possible future sensor field implementations.

  10. Sensor integration and testing in an airborne environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricks, Timothy P.; Streling, Julie T.; Williams, Kirk W.

    2005-11-01

    The U.S. Army Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC) has been supporting captive flight testing of missile sensors and seekers since the 1980's. Successful integration and test of sensors in an airborne environment requires attention to a broad range of disciplines. Data collection requirements drive instrumentation and flight profile configurations, which along with cost and airframe performance factors influence the choice of test aircraft. Installation methods used for instrumentation must take into consideration environmental and airworthiness factors. In addition, integration of test equipment into the aircraft will require an airworthiness release; procedures vary between the government for military aircraft, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the use of private, commercial, or experimental aircraft. Sensor mounting methods will depend on the type of sensor being used, both for sensor performance and crew safety concerns. Pilots will require navigation input to permit the execution of accurate and repeatable flight profiles. Some tests may require profiles that are not supported by standard navigation displays, requiring the use of custom hardware/software. Test locations must also be considered in their effect on successful data collection. Restricted airspace may also be required, depending on sensor emissions and flight profiles.

  11. On-line Monitoring and Calibration Techniques in Nuclear Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    2011-01-01

    Years of research, testing and experience in the field of sensor diagnostics have yielded many technologies which offer financial as well as operational benefits to the nuclear industry. Among these technologies are On-Line Monitoring (OLM) and On-Line Calibration of critical process monitoring sensors such as resistance temperature detectors (RTD), thermocouples, and pressure transmitters to name a few. The remote access and verification of these sensors have been shown to limit the exposure of maintenance personnel to harsh environments while at the same time effectively and efficiently diagnosing the health and performance of these sensors. In addition to sensors, technologies exist in determining not only the health of instrumentation and control (I and C) cabling that carries the signals from these sensors, but also these same cable testing techniques can be used in the remote evaluation of many end devices used in safety related operations as well. Given these advances in sensor system monitoring techniques it would seem to follow that nuclear utilities from around the world would be applying these tried and true techniques to optimize up time and to provide additional confidence in the output of processing sensors. However, although several of the world's regulatory bodies have approved of the concept of these techniques, few utilities have undertaken to fully embrace on-line monitoring and on-line calibration of nuclear process sensors. In the United States efforts are now underway, with representatives of the U.S. nuclear industry and nuclear power plant vendors to obtain generic NRC licensing for the use of OLM in nuclear power plants. If approved, generic licensing will help pave the way toward greater implementation of OLM and its related calibration techniques. (author)

  12. Flight testing of a luminescent surface pressure sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mclachlan, B. G.; Bell, J. H.; Espina, J.; Gallery, J.; Gouterman, M.; Demandante, C. G. N.; Bjarke, L.

    1992-01-01

    NASA ARC has conducted flight tests of a new type of aerodynamic pressure sensor based on a luminescent surface coating. Flights were conducted at the NASA ARC-Dryden Flight Research Facility. The luminescent pressure sensor is based on a surface coating which, when illuminated with ultraviolet light, emits visible light with an intensity dependent on the local air pressure on the surface. This technique makes it possible to obtain pressure data over the entire surface of an aircraft, as opposed to conventional instrumentation, which can only make measurements at pre-selected points. The objective of the flight tests was to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of a luminescent pressure sensor in the actual flight environment. A luminescent pressure sensor was installed on a fin, the Flight Test Fixture (FTF), that is attached to the underside of an F-104 aircraft. The response of one particular surface coating was evaluated at low supersonic Mach numbers (M = 1.0-1.6) in order to provide an initial estimate of the sensor's capabilities. This memo describes the test approach, the techniques used, and the pressure sensor's behavior under flight conditions. A direct comparison between data provided by the luminescent pressure sensor and that produced by conventional pressure instrumentation shows that the luminescent sensor can provide quantitative data under flight conditions. However, the test results also show that the sensor has a number of limitations which must be addressed if this technique is to prove useful in the flight environment.

  13. Online identification algorithms for integrated dielectric electroactive polymer sensors and self-sensing concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffstadt, Thorben; Griese, Martin; Maas, Jürgen

    2014-01-01

    Transducers based on dielectric electroactive polymers (DEAP) use electrostatic pressure to convert electric energy into strain energy or vice versa. Besides this, they are also designed for sensor applications in monitoring the actual stretch state on the basis of the deformation dependent capacitive–resistive behavior of the DEAP. In order to enable an efficient and proper closed loop control operation of these transducers, e.g. in positioning or energy harvesting applications, on the one hand, sensors based on DEAP material can be integrated into the transducers and evaluated externally, and on the other hand, the transducer itself can be used as a sensor, also in terms of self-sensing. For this purpose the characteristic electrical behavior of the transducer has to be evaluated in order to determine the mechanical state. Also, adequate online identification algorithms with sufficient accuracy and dynamics are required, independent from the sensor concept utilized, in order to determine the electrical DEAP parameters in real time. Therefore, in this contribution, algorithms are developed in the frequency domain for identifications of the capacitance as well as the electrode and polymer resistance of a DEAP, which are validated by measurements. These algorithms are designed for self-sensing applications, especially if the power electronics utilized is operated at a constant switching frequency, and parasitic harmonic oscillations are induced besides the desired DC value. These oscillations can be used for the online identification, so an additional superimposed excitation is no longer necessary. For this purpose a dual active bridge (DAB) is introduced to drive the DEAP transducer. The capabilities of the real-time identification algorithm in combination with the DAB are presented in detail and discussed, finally. (paper)

  14. Online Testing of Real-time Systems Using Uppaal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Mikucionis, Marius; Nielsen, Brian

    2005-01-01

    We present T-Uppaal{} -- a new tool for online black-box testing of real-time embedded systems from non-deterministic timed automata specifications. We describe a sound and complete randomized online testing algorithm and how to implement it using symbolic state representation and manipulation te...

  15. Active self-testing noise measurement sensors for large-scale environmental sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domínguez, Federico; Cuong, Nguyen The; Reinoso, Felipe; Touhafi, Abdellah; Steenhaut, Kris

    2013-12-13

    Large-scale noise pollution sensor networks consist of hundreds of spatially distributed microphones that measure environmental noise. These networks provide historical and real-time environmental data to citizens and decision makers and are therefore a key technology to steer environmental policy. However, the high cost of certified environmental microphone sensors render large-scale environmental networks prohibitively expensive. Several environmental network projects have started using off-the-shelf low-cost microphone sensors to reduce their costs, but these sensors have higher failure rates and produce lower quality data. To offset this disadvantage, we developed a low-cost noise sensor that actively checks its condition and indirectly the integrity of the data it produces. The main design concept is to embed a 13 mm speaker in the noise sensor casing and, by regularly scheduling a frequency sweep, estimate the evolution of the microphone's frequency response over time. This paper presents our noise sensor's hardware and software design together with the results of a test deployment in a large-scale environmental network in Belgium. Our middle-range-value sensor (around €50) effectively detected all experienced malfunctions, in laboratory tests and outdoor deployments, with a few false positives. Future improvements could further lower the cost of our sensor below €10.

  16. A Low Cost/Low Power Open Source Sensor System for Automated Tuberculosis Drug Susceptibility Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyukwang Kim

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this research an open source, low power sensor node was developed to check the growth of mycobacteria in a culture bottle with a nitrate reductase assay method for a drug susceptibility test. The sensor system reports the temperature and color sensor output frequency change of the culture bottle when the device is triggered. After the culture process is finished, a nitrite ion detecting solution based on a commercial nitrite ion detection kit is injected into the culture bottle by a syringe pump to check bacterial growth by the formation of a pigment by the reaction between the solution and the color sensor. Sensor status and NRA results are broadcasted via a Bluetooth low energy beacon. An Android application was developed to collect the broadcasted data, classify the status of cultured samples from multiple devices, and visualize the data for the end users, circumventing the need to examine each culture bottle manually during a long culture period. The authors expect that usage of the developed sensor will decrease the cost and required labor for handling large amounts of patient samples in local health centers in developing countries. All 3D-printerable hardware parts, a circuit diagram, and software are available online.

  17. The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coppens, Leonora C; Verkoeijen, Peter P J L; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M J P

    2016-05-31

    The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs (mother-child) activates semantically related mediators (father) more than restudying. Hence, the mediator-target (father-child) association should be stronger for retrieved than restudied pairs. Indeed, Carpenter (2011) found a larger testing effect when participants received mediators (father) than when they received target-related words (birth) as final test cues. The present study started as an attempt to test an alternative account of Carpenter's results. However, it turned into a series of conceptual (Experiment 1) and direct (Experiment 2 and 3) replications conducted with online samples. The results of these online replications were compared with those of similar existing laboratory experiments through small-scale meta-analyses. The results showed that (1) the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is comparable for online and laboratory experiments, (2) in both online and laboratory experiments the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment, and (3) the testing effect for related cues varies considerably between online experiments. The variability in the testing effect for related cues in online experiments could point toward moderators of the related cue short-term testing effect. The raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment.

  18. Functional Testing of Wireless Sensor Node Designs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Virk, Kashif M.; Madsen, Jan

    2007-01-01

    Wireless sensor networks are networked embedded computer systems with stringent power, performance, cost and form-factor requirements along with numerous other constraints related to their pervasiveness and ubiquitousness. Therefore, only a systematic design methdology coupled with an efficient...... test approach can enable their conformance to design and deployment specifications. We discuss off-line, hierarchical, functional testing of complete wireless sensor nodes containing configurable logic through a combination of FPGA-based board test and Software-Based Self-Test (SBST) techniques...

  19. Non-Dispersive Infrared Sensor for Online Condition Monitoring of Gearbox Oil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus S. Rauscher

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The condition of lubricating oil used in automotive and industrial gearboxes must be controlled in order to guarantee optimum performance and prevent damage to machinery parts. In normal practice, this is done by regular oil change intervals and routine laboratory analysis, both of which involve considerable operating costs. In this paper, we present a compact and robust optical sensor that can be installed in the lubrication circuit to provide quasi-continuous information about the condition of the oil. The measuring principle is based on non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy. The implemented sensor setup consists of an optical measurement cell, two thin-film infrared emitters, and two four-channel pyroelectric detectors equipped with optical bandpass filters. We present a method based on multivariate partial least squares regression to select appropriate optical bandpass filters for monitoring the oxidation, water content, and acid number of the oil. We perform a ray tracing analysis to analyze and correct the influence of the light path in the optical setup on the optical parameters of the bandpass filters. The measurement values acquired with the sensor for three different gearbox oil types show high correlation with laboratory reference data for the oxidation, water content, and acid number. The presented sensor can thus be a useful supplementary tool for the online condition monitoring of lubricants when integrated into a gearbox oil circuit.

  20. On-line caloric value sensor and validation of dynamic models applied to municipal solid waste

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kessel, van L.B.M.; Leskens, M.; Brem, G.

    2002-01-01

    This paper deals with two aspects concerning the optimization of municipal solid waste combustion (MSWC) processes. First of all, an on-line calorific value sensor is discussed by means of which the calorific value of the waste can be estimated from actual process data. Experimental results on a

  1. Online variational Bayesian filtering-based mobile target tracking in wireless sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Bingpeng; Chen, Qingchun; Li, Tiffany Jing; Xiao, Pei

    2014-11-11

    The received signal strength (RSS)-based online tracking for a mobile node in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is investigated in this paper. Firstly, a multi-layer dynamic Bayesian network (MDBN) is introduced to characterize the target mobility with either directional or undirected movement. In particular, it is proposed to employ the Wishart distribution to approximate the time-varying RSS measurement precision's randomness due to the target movement. It is shown that the proposed MDBN offers a more general analysis model via incorporating the underlying statistical information of both the target movement and observations, which can be utilized to improve the online tracking capability by exploiting the Bayesian statistics. Secondly, based on the MDBN model, a mean-field variational Bayesian filtering (VBF) algorithm is developed to realize the online tracking of a mobile target in the presence of nonlinear observations and time-varying RSS precision, wherein the traditional Bayesian filtering scheme cannot be directly employed. Thirdly, a joint optimization between the real-time velocity and its prior expectation is proposed to enable online velocity tracking in the proposed online tacking scheme. Finally, the associated Bayesian Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (BCRLB) analysis and numerical simulations are conducted. Our analysis unveils that, by exploiting the potential state information via the general MDBN model, the proposed VBF algorithm provides a promising solution to the online tracking of a mobile node in WSNs. In addition, it is shown that the final tracking accuracy linearly scales with its expectation when the RSS measurement precision is time-varying.

  2. Testing the Usability of Two Online Research Guides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigina Vileno

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This article describes usability testing of two online research guides. One guide was in the area of applied human sciences and the other was geared toward the discipline of psychology. Six undergraduate students were given several tasks to complete by using the guides. The participants also completed two questionnaires. One described the participants’ demographics and how much time they spent on the Internet on a daily basis. On the other questionnaire, filled out after the usability test, the participants rated the online research guides. Overall, the online research guides were found to be difficult to use. By observing how the participants interacted with the online research guides, the author has identified several problem areas that need to be addressed.

  3. IR sensor for monitoring of burner flame; IR sensor foer oevervakning av braennarflamma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Svanberg, Marcus; Funkquist, Jonas; Clausen, Soennik; Wetterstroem, Jonas

    2007-12-15

    To obtain a smooth operation of the coal-fired power plants many power plant managers have installed online mass flow measurement of coal to all burners. This signal is used to monitor the coal mass flow to the individual burner and match it with appropriate amount of air and also to monitor the distribution of coal between the burners. The online mass flow measurement system is very expensive (approximately 150 kEUR for ten burners) and is not beneficial for smaller plants. The accuracy of the measurement and the sample frequency are also questionable. The idea in this project has been to evaluate a cheaper system that can present the same information and may also provide better accuracy and faster sample frequency. The infrared sensor is a cheap narrow banded light emission sensor that can be placed in a water cooed probe. The sensor was directed at the burner flame and the emitted light was monitored. Through calibration the mass flow of coal can be presented. Two measurement campaigns were performed. Both campaigns were carried out in Nordjyllandsverket in Denmark even though the second campaign was planned to be in Uppsala. Due to severe problems in the Uppsala plant the campaign was moved to Nordjyllandsverket. The pre-requisites for the test plant were that online measurement of coal flow was installed. In Nordjyllandsverket 4 out of 16 burners have the mass flow measurement installed. Risoe Laboratories has vast experiences in the IR technology and they provided the IR sensing equipment. One IR sensor was placed in the flame guard position just behind the flame directed towards the ignition zone. A second sensor was placed at the boiler wall directed towards the flame. The boiler wall position did not give any results and the location was not used during the second campaign. The flame-guard-positioned-sensor- signal was thoroughly evaluated and the results show that there is a clear correlation between the coal mass flow and the IR sensor signal. Tests were

  4. Compensation scheme for online neutron detection using a Gd-covered CdZnTe sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dumazert, Jonathan, E-mail: jonathan.dumazert@cea.fr; Coulon, Romain; Kondrasovs, Vladimir; Boudergui, Karim

    2017-06-11

    The development of portable and personal neutron dosimeters requires compact and efficient radiation sensors. Gd-157, Gd-155 and Cd-113 nuclei present the highest cross-sections for thermal neutron capture among natural isotopes. In order to allow for the exploitation of the low and medium-energy radiative signature of the said captures, the contribution of gamma background radiation, falling into the same energy range, needs to be cancelled out. This paper introduces a thermal neutron detector based on a twin-dense semiconductor scheme. The neutron-sensitive channel takes the form of a Gd-covered CdZnTe crystal, a high density and effective atomic number detection medium. The background compensation will be carried out by means of an identical CdZnTe sensor with a Tb cover. The setting of a hypothesis test aims at discriminating the signal generated by the signature of thermal neutron captures in Gd from statistical fluctuations over the compensation of both independent channels. The measurement campaign conducted with an integrated single-channel chain and two metal Gd and Tb covers, under Cs-137 and Cf-252 irradiations, provides first quantitative results on gamma-rejection and neutron sensitivity. The described study of concept gives grounds for a portable, online-compatible device, operable in conventional to controlled environments.

  5. Development and Testing of Prototype Commercial Gasifier Sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zelepouga, Serguei [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Moery, Nathan [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Wu, Mengbai [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Saveliev, Alexei [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States)

    2015-01-31

    This report presents the results of the sensor development and testing at the Wabash River gasifier. The project work was initiated with modification of the sensor software (Task 2) to enable real time temperature data acquisition, and to process and provide the obtained gasifier temperature information to the gasifier operators. The software modifications were conducted by the North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers. The modified software was tested at the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) combustion laboratory to assess the temperature recognition algorithm accuracy and repeatability. Task 3 was focused on the sensor hardware modifications needed to improve reliability of the sensor system. NCSU conducted numerical modeling of the sensor probe’s purging flow. Based on the modeling results the probe purging system was redesigned to prevent carbon particulates deposition on the probe’s sapphire window. The modified design was evaluated and approved by the Wabash representative. The modified gasifier sensor was built and installed at the Wabash River gasifier on May 1 2014. (Task 4) The sensor was tested from the startup of the gasifier on May 5, 2015 until the planned autumn gasifier outage starting in the beginning of October, 2015. (Task 5) The project team successfully demonstrated the Gasifier Sensor system’s ability to monitor gasifier temperature while maintaining unobstructed optical access for six months without any maintenance. The sensor examination upon completion of the trial revealed that the system did not sustain any damage.

  6. Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Mobitrum has started the development of virtual sensor test instrumentation in Phase I for characterization and measurement of ground testing of propulsion systems....

  7. New Electric Online Oil Condition Monitoring Sensor – an Innovation in Early Failure Detection of Industrial Gears

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manfred Mauntz

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available A new online diagnostics system for the continuous condition monitoring of lubricating oils in industrial gearboxes is presented. Characteristic features of emerging component damage, such as wear, contamination or chemical aging, are identified in an early stage. The OilQSens® sensor effectively controls the proper operation conditions of bearings and cogwheels in gears. Also, the condition of insulating oils in transformers can be monitored. The online diagnostics system measures components of the specific complex impedance of oils. For instance, metal abrasion due to wear debris, broken oil molecules, forming acids or oil soaps result in an increase of the electrical conductivity, which directly correlates with the degree of contamination in the oil. The dielectrical properties of the oils are particularly determined by the water content that becomes accessible via an additional accurate measurement of the dielectric constant. For additivated oils, statements on the degradation of additives can also be derived from changes in the dielectric constant. For an efficient machine utilization and targeted damage prevention, the new OilQSens® online condition monitoring sensor system allows for timely preventative maintenance on demand rather than in rigid inspection intervals. The determination of impurities or reduction in the quality of the oil and the quasi continuous evaluation of wear and chemical aging follow the holistic approach of a real-time monitoring of a change in the condition of the oil-machine system. Once the oil condition monitoring sensors are installed on the plants, the measuring data can be displayed and evaluated elsewhere. The measuring signals are transmitted to a web-based condition monitoring system via LAN, WLAN or serial interfaces of the sensor system. Monitoring of the damage mechanisms during proper operation below the tolerance limits of the components enables specific preventive maintenance independent of rigid

  8. Remote support services using condition monitoring and online sensor data for offshore oilfield

    OpenAIRE

    Du, Baoli

    2013-01-01

    Master's thesis in Offshore technology Based on advanced technology in condition monitoring and online sensor data, a new style of operation and maintenance management called remote operation and maintenance support services has been created to improve oil and gas E&P performance. This master thesis will look into how the remote support service is conducted including the concept, design, technology and management philosophies; the current implementation of remote support services in China,...

  9. Online Self-Tests: A Powerful Tool for Self-Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killedar, Manoj

    2002-01-01

    Examines vital design issues pertaining to the "Online Self-Test," a simple solution for dealing with concerns about lack of time and lack of motivation in distance education. Presents experiences gained during the implementation of the Online Self-Test Center for Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik, India, and…

  10. SOCIAL INTEGRATION: TESTING ANTECEDENTS OF TIME SPENT ONLINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lily Suriani Mohd Arif

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The literature on the relationship of social integration and time spent onlineprovides conflicting evidence of the relationship of social integration with timespent online. The study identifies and highlightsthe controversy and attempts toclarify the relationship of social integration withtime spent online bydecomposing the construct social integration into its affective and behavioraldimensions . Thestudy tests antecedents and effects of time spent online in arandom sample of senior level undergraduate students at a public university inMalaysia. The findings indicated that while self-report measures of behavioralsocial integration did not predict time spent online, and, the affective socialintegration had an inverse relationship with time spent online.

  11. Constructing an Online Test Framework, Using the Example of a Sign Language Receptive Skills Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haug, Tobias; Herman, Rosalind; Woll, Bencie

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents the features of an online test framework for a receptive skills test that has been adapted, based on a British template, into different sign languages. The online test includes features that meet the needs of the different sign language versions. Features such as usability of the test, automatic saving of scores, and score…

  12. Development and implementation of an automatic integration system for fibre optic sensors in the braiding process with the objective of online-monitoring of composite structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hufenbach, W.; Gude, M.; Czulak, A.; Kretschmann, Martin

    2014-04-01

    Increasing economic, political and ecological pressure leads to steadily rising percentage of modern processing and manufacturing processes for fibre reinforced polymers in industrial batch production. Component weights beneath a level achievable by classic construction materials, which lead to a reduced energy and cost balance during product lifetime, justify the higher fabrication costs. However, complex quality control and failure prediction slow down the substitution by composite materials. High-resolution fibre-optic sensors (FOS), due their low diameter, high measuring point density and simple handling, show a high applicability potential for an automated sensor-integration in manufacturing processes, and therefore the online monitoring of composite products manufactured in industrial scale. Integrated sensors can be used to monitor manufacturing processes, part tests as well as the component structure during product life cycle, which simplifies allows quality control during production and the optimization of single manufacturing processes.[1;2] Furthermore, detailed failure analyses lead to a enhanced understanding of failure processes appearing in composite materials. This leads to a lower wastrel number and products of a higher value and longer product life cycle, whereby costs, material and energy are saved. This work shows an automation approach for FOS-integration in the braiding process. For that purpose a braiding wheel has been supplemented with an appliance for automatic sensor application, which has been used to manufacture preforms of high-pressure composite vessels with FOS-networks integrated between the fibre layers. All following manufacturing processes (vacuum infiltration, curing) and component tests (quasi-static pressure test, programmed delamination) were monitored with the help of the integrated sensor networks. Keywords: SHM, high-pressure composite vessel, braiding, automated sensor integration, pressure test, quality control, optic

  13. GPU-based online track reconstruction for the MuPix-telescope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grzesik, Carsten [JGU, Mainz (Germany); Collaboration: Mu3e-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    The MuPix telescope is a beam telescope consisting of High Voltage Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (HV-MAPS). This type of sensor is going to be used for the Mu3e experiment, which is aiming to measure the lepton flavor violating decay μ→ eee with an ultimate sensitivity of 10{sup -16}. This sensitivity requires a high muon decay rate in the order of 1 GHz leading to a data rate of about 1 TBit/s for the whole detector. This needs to be reduced by a factor 1000 using online event selection algorithms on Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) before passing the data to the storage. A test setup for the MuPix sensors and parts of the Mu3e tracking detector readout is realized in a four plane telescope. The telescope can also be used to show the usability of an online track reconstruction using GPUs. As a result the telescope can provide online information about efficiencies of a device under test or the alignment of the telescope itself. This talk discusses the implementation of the GPU based track reconstruction and shows some results from recent testbeam campaigns.

  14. Quantile index for gradual and abrupt change detection from CFB boiler sensor data in online settings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maslov, A.; Pechenizkiy, M.; Kärkkäinen, T.; Tähtinen, M.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we consider the problem of online detection of gradual and abrupt changes in sensor data having high levels of noise and outliers. We propose a simple heuristic method based on the Quantile Index (QI) and study how robust this method is for detecting both gradual and abrupt changes

  15. Testing integrated sensors for cooperative remote monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filby, E.E.; Smith, T.E.; Albano, R.K.; Andersen, M.K.; Lucero, R.L.; Tolk, K.M.; Andrews, N.S.

    1996-01-01

    The Modular Integrated Monitoring System (MIMS) program, with Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) as the lead lab, was devised to furnish sensors and integrated multi-sensor systems for cooperative remote monitoring. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), via the Center for Integrated Monitoring and Control (CIMC), provides realistic field tests of the sensors and sensor-integration approach for the MIMS, and for other similar programs. This has two important goals: it helps insure that these systems are truly read for use, and provides a platform so they can be demonstrated for potential users. A remote monitoring test/demonstration has been initiated at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) to track the movement of spent nuclear fuel from one storage location to another, using a straddle carrier and shielded cask combination. Radiation monitors, motion sensors, videocameras, and other devices from several US Department of Energy (DOE) labs and commercial vendors were linked on the network. Currently, project personnel are collecting raw data from this large array of sensors, without trying to program any special network activities or other responses. These data will be used to determine which devices can actually provide useful information for a cooperative monitoring situation, versus those that may be redundant

  16. Sensor response time monitoring using noise analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.; Thie, J.A.; Upadhyaya, B.R.; Holbert, K.E.

    1988-01-01

    Random noise techniques in nuclear power plants have been developed for system surveillance and for analysis of reactor core dynamics. The noise signals also contain information about sensor dynamics, and this can be extracted using frequency, amplitude and time domain analyses. Even though noise analysis has been used for sensor response time testing in some nuclear power plants, an adequate validation of this method has never been carried out. This paper presents the results of limited work recently performed to examine the validity of the noise analysis for sensor response time testing in nuclear power plants. The conclusion is that noise analysis has the potential for detecting gross changes in sensor response but it cannot be used for reliable measurement of response time until more laboratory and field experience is accumulated. The method is more advantageous for testing pressure sensors than it is for temperature sensors. This is because: 1) for temperature sensors, a method called Loop Current Step Response test is available which is quantitatively more exact than noise analysis, 2) no method currently exists for on-line testing of pressure transmitters other than the Power-Interrupt test which is applicable only to force balance pressure transmitters, and 3) pressure sensor response time is affected by sensing line degradation which is inherently taken into account by testing with noise analysis. (author)

  17. Performance Evaluation of "Low-cost" Sensors for Measuring Gaseous and Particle Air Pollutants: Results from Two Years of Field and Laboratory Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feenstra, B. J.; Polidori, A.; Tisopulos, L.; Papapostolou, V.; Zhang, H.; Pathmanabhan, J.

    2016-12-01

    In recent years great progress has been made in development of low-cost miniature air quality sensing technologies. Such low-cost sensors offer a prospect of providing a real-time spatially dense information on pollutants, however, the quality of the data produced by these sensors is so far untested. In an effort to inform the general public about the actual performance of commercially available low-cost air quality sensors, in June 2014 the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has established the Air Quality Sensor Performance Evaluation Center (AQ-SPEC). This program performs a thorough characterization of low-cost sensors under ambient (in the field) and controlled (in the laboratory) conditions. During the field testing, air quality sensors are operated side-by-side with Federal Reference Methods and Federal Equivalent Methods (FRM and FEM, respectively), which are routinely used to measure the ambient concentration of gaseous or particle pollutants for regulatory purposes. Field testing is conducted at two of SCAQMD's existing air monitoring stations, one in Rubidoux and one near the I-710 freeway. Sensors that demonstrate an acceptable performance in the field are brought back to the lab where a "characterization chamber" is used to challenge these devices with known concentrations of different particle and gaseous pollutants under different temperature and relative humidity levels. Testing results for each sensor are then summarized in a technical report and, along with other relevant information, posted online on a dedicated website (www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec) to educate the public about the capabilities of commercially available sensors and their potential applications. During this presentation, the results from two years of field and laboratory testing will be presented. The major strengths and weaknesses of some of the most commonly available particle and gaseous sensors will be discussed.

  18. An Online Synchronous Test for Professional Interpreters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Nian-Shing; Ko, Leong

    2010-01-01

    This article is based on an experiment designed to conduct an interpreting test for multiple candidates online, using web-based synchronous cyber classrooms. The test model was based on the accreditation test for Professional Interpreters produced by the National Accreditation Authority of Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) in Australia.…

  19. On-line defect detection of aluminum coating using fiber optic sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Supriya S.; Shaligram, A. D.

    2015-03-01

    Aluminum metallization using the sprayed coating for exhaust mild steel (MS) pipes of tractors is a standard practice for avoiding rusting. Patches of thin metal coats are prone to rusting and are thus considered as defects in the surface coating. This paper reports a novel configuration of the fiber optic sensor for on-line checking the aluminum metallization uniformity and hence for defect detection. An optimally chosen high bright 440 nm BLUE LED (light-emitting diode) launches light into a transmitting fiber inclined at the angle of 60° to the surface under inspection placed adequately. The reflected light is transported by a receiving fiber to a blue enhanced photo detector. The metallization thickness on the coated surface results in visually observable variation in the gray shades. The coated pipe is spirally inspected by a combination of linear and rotary motions. The sensor output is the signal conditioned and monitored with RISHUBH DAS. Experimental results show the good repeatability in the defect detection and coating non-uniformity measurement.

  20. FPGA-Based Smart Sensor for Online Displacement Measurements Using a Heterodyne Interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera-Salas, Luis Alberto; Moreno-Tapia, Sandra Veronica; Garcia-Perez, Arturo; de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Rene; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Serroukh, Ibrahim; Cabal-Yepez, Eduardo

    2011-01-01

    The measurement of small displacements on the nanometric scale demands metrological systems of high accuracy and precision. In this context, interferometer-based displacement measurements have become the main tools used for traceable dimensional metrology. The different industrial applications in which small displacement measurements are employed requires the use of online measurements, high speed processes, open architecture control systems, as well as good adaptability to specific process conditions. The main contribution of this work is the development of a smart sensor for large displacement measurement based on phase measurement which achieves high accuracy and resolution, designed to be used with a commercial heterodyne interferometer. The system is based on a low-cost Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) allowing the integration of several functions in a single portable device. This system is optimal for high speed applications where online measurement is needed and the reconfigurability feature allows the addition of different modules for error compensation, as might be required by a specific application. PMID:22164040

  1. Fiber optic sensor applications in field testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perea, J.A.

    1984-01-01

    Fiber optic sensors (F.O.S.) are defined, and the application of this technology to measuring various phenomonon in diverse and hostile environments are discussed. F.O.S. advantages and disavantages both technically and operationally are summarized. Three sensor techniques - intensity, interferometric, and polarization - are then discussed in some detail. General environmental instrumentation and controls that support the Nuclear Weapons Test Program at the Nevada Test Site are discussed next to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the programmatic task. This will aid in recognizing the various difficulties of the traditional measurement techniques at the NTS and the potential advantages that fiber optic measurement systems can provide. An F.O.S. development program is then outlined, depicting a plan to design and fabricate a prototype sensor to be available for field testing by the end of FY84. We conclude with future plans for further development of F.O.S. to measure more of the desired physical parameters for the Test Program, and to eventually become an integral part of an overall measurement and control system

  2. Laboratory test of an APS-based sun sensor prototype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rufino, Giancarlo; Perrotta, Alessandro; Grassi, Michele

    2017-11-01

    This paper deals with design and prototype development of an Active Pixel Sensor - based miniature sun sensor and a laboratory facility for its indoor test and calibration. The miniature sun sensor is described and the laboratory test facility is presented in detail. The major focus of the paper is on tests and calibration of the sensor. Two different calibration functions have been adopted. They are based, respectively, on a geometrical model, which has required least-squares optimisation of system physical parameters estimates, and on neural networks. Calibration results are presented for the above solutions, showing that accuracy in the order of 0.01° has been achieved. Neural calibration functions have attained better performance thanks to their intrinsic auto-adaptive structure.

  3. In Situ Decommissioning Sensor Network, Meso-Scale Test Bed - Phase 3 Fluid Injection Test Summary Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serrato, M. G.

    2013-01-01

    The DOE Office of Environmental management (DOE EM) faces the challenge of decommissioning thousands of excess nuclear facilities, many of which are highly contaminated. A number of these excess facilities are massive and robust concrete structures that are suitable for isolating the contained contamination for hundreds of years, and a permanent decommissioning end state option for these facilities is in situ decommissioning (ISD). The ISD option is feasible for a limited, but meaningfull number of DOE contaminated facilities for which there is substantial incremental environmental, safety, and cost benefits versus alternate actions to demolish and excavate the entire facility and transport the rubble to a radioactive waste landfill. A general description of an ISD project encompasses an entombed facility; in some cases limited to the blow-grade portion of a facility. However, monitoring of the ISD structures is needed to demonstrate that the building retains its structural integrity and the contaminants remain entombed within the grout stabilization matrix. The DOE EM Office of Deactivation and Decommissioning and Facility Engineering (EM-13) Program Goal is to develop a monitoring system to demonstrate long-term performance of closed nuclear facilities using the ISD approach. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has designed and implemented the In Situ Decommissioning Sensor Network, Meso-Scale Test Bed (ISDSN-MSTB) to address the feasibility of deploying a long-term monitoring system into an ISD closed nuclear facility. The ISDSN-MSTB goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of installing and operating a remote sensor network to assess cementitious material durability, moisture-fluid flow through the cementitious material, and resulting transport potential for contaminate mobility in a decommissioned closed nuclear facility. The original ISDSN-MSTB installation and remote sensor network operation was demonstrated in FY 2011-12 at the ISDSN-MSTB test cube

  4. In Situ Decommissioning Sensor Network, Meso-Scale Test Bed - Phase 3 Fluid Injection Test Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serrato, M. G.

    2013-09-27

    The DOE Office of Environmental management (DOE EM) faces the challenge of decommissioning thousands of excess nuclear facilities, many of which are highly contaminated. A number of these excess facilities are massive and robust concrete structures that are suitable for isolating the contained contamination for hundreds of years, and a permanent decommissioning end state option for these facilities is in situ decommissioning (ISD). The ISD option is feasible for a limited, but meaningfull number of DOE contaminated facilities for which there is substantial incremental environmental, safety, and cost benefits versus alternate actions to demolish and excavate the entire facility and transport the rubble to a radioactive waste landfill. A general description of an ISD project encompasses an entombed facility; in some cases limited to the blow-grade portion of a facility. However, monitoring of the ISD structures is needed to demonstrate that the building retains its structural integrity and the contaminants remain entombed within the grout stabilization matrix. The DOE EM Office of Deactivation and Decommissioning and Facility Engineering (EM-13) Program Goal is to develop a monitoring system to demonstrate long-term performance of closed nuclear facilities using the ISD approach. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has designed and implemented the In Situ Decommissioning Sensor Network, Meso-Scale Test Bed (ISDSN-MSTB) to address the feasibility of deploying a long-term monitoring system into an ISD closed nuclear facility. The ISDSN-MSTB goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of installing and operating a remote sensor network to assess cementitious material durability, moisture-fluid flow through the cementitious material, and resulting transport potential for contaminate mobility in a decommissioned closed nuclear facility. The original ISDSN-MSTB installation and remote sensor network operation was demonstrated in FY 2011-12 at the ISDSN-MSTB test cube

  5. Online formative tests linked to microlectures improving academic achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouwmeester, Rianne A M; de Kleijn, Renske A M; Freriksen, Astrid W M; van Emst, Maarten G; Veeneklaas, Rob J; van Hoeij, Maggy J W; Spinder, Matty; Ritzen, Magda J; Ten Cate, Olle Th J; van Rijen, Harold V M

    2013-12-01

    Online formative tests (OFTs) are powerful tools to direct student learning behavior, especially when enriched with specific feedback. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of OFTs enriched with hyperlinks to microlectures on examination scores. OFTs, available one week preceding each midterm and the final exams, could be used voluntarily. The use of OFTs was related to scores on midterm and final exams using ANOVA, with prior academic achievement as a covariate. On average, 74% of all students used the online formative tests (OFT+) while preparing for the summative midterm exam. OFT+ students obtained significantly higher grades compared to OFT-students, both without and with correction for previous academic achievement. Two out of three final exam scores did not significantly improve. Students using online formative tests linked to microlectures receive higher grades especially in highly aligned summative tests.

  6. Sodium ionization detector and sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hrizo, J.; Bauerle, J.E.

    1979-01-01

    Work conducted on a basic technology development effort with the Westinghouse Sodium Ionization Detector (SID) sensor is reported. Included are results obtained for three task areas: (1) On-line operational response testing - in-situ calibration techniques; (2) Performance-reliability characteristics of aged filaments; and (3) Evaluation of chemical interference effects. The results showed that a calibrator filament coated with a sodium compound, when activated, does supply the necessary sodium atoms to provide a valid operational in-situ test. The life time of new Cr 2 0 3 -protected SID sensor filaments can be extended by operating at a reduced temperature. However, there also is a reduction in the sensitivity. Non-sodium species, such as products from a smoldering fire and organic aerosols, produce an interference response from the sensor comparable to a typical sodium response

  7. NPK NMR Sensor: Online Monitoring of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in Animal Slurry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sørensen, Morten K; Jensen, Ole; Bakharev, Oleg N; Nyord, Tavs; Nielsen, Niels Chr

    2015-07-07

    Knowledge of the actual content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) in animal slurry is highly important to optimize crop production and avoid environmental pollution when slurry is spread on agricultural fields. Here, we present a mobile, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensor suitable for online monitoring of the NPK content in animal slurry as an alternative to crude estimates or tedious nonspecific, off-site laboratory analysis. The sensor is based on (14)N, (17)O, (31)P, and (39)K NMR in a digital NMR instrument equipped with a 1.5 T Halbach magnet for direct detection of ammonium N, total P, and K and indirect evaluation of the organic N content, covering all practical components of NPK in animal slurry. In correlation studies, the obtained NMR measurements show good agreement with reference measurements from commercial laboratories.

  8. Online NIR diagnostic of laser welding processes and its potential for quality assuring sensor systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorsch, Friedhelm; Braun, Holger; Keβler, Steffen; Pfitzner, Dieter; Rominger, Volker

    2014-02-01

    We have integrated an imaging thermographic sensor into commercial welding optics for observation of the weld zone. Key element of the sensor is an InGaAs-camera that detects the thermal radiation of the welding process in the wavelength range of 1,200 to 1,700 nm. This is well suited to record images of the keyhole, the melt pool and the thermal trace. The sensor was integrated to the welding heads for on-axis observation to minimize the interfering contour to ensure easy adaption to industrial processes. The welding heads used were established industrial-grade TRUMPF optics: a BEO fixed optics with 280 mm focal length, or a TRUMPF PFO-3D scanner optics with 450 mm focal length. We used a TRUMPF TruDisk 16002 16kW-thin disk laser that transmits its power through a 200 μm core diameter light cable. The images were recorded and features of the various process zones were evaluated by image processing. It turns out that almost all weld faults can be clearly detected in the NIR images. Quantitative features like the dimension of the melt pool and the thermal trace can be derived from the captured images. They are correlated to process input parameters as well as to process results. In contrast to observation in the visible spectrum the NIR camera records the melt pool without auxiliary illumination. As an unrivaled attribute of the NIR sensor it supports an online heat flow thermography of the seam and allows identifying missing fusion ("false friends") of lap joints virtually during the welding process. Automated weld fault detection and documentation is possible by online image processing which sets the basis for comprehensive data documentation for quality assurance and traceability.

  9. UserTesting.com: A Tool for Usability Testing of Online Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koundinya, Vikram; Klink, Jenna; Widhalm, Melissa

    2017-01-01

    Extension educators are increasingly using online resources in their program design and delivery. Usability testing is essential for ensuring that these resources are relevant and useful to learners. On the basis of our experiences with iteratively developing products using a testing service called UserTesting, we promote the use of fee-based…

  10. Distributed Sensor Network Software Development Testing through Simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brennan, Sean M. [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2003-12-01

    The distributed sensor network (DSN) presents a novel and highly complex computing platform with dif culties and opportunities that are just beginning to be explored. The potential of sensor networks extends from monitoring for threat reduction, to conducting instant and remote inventories, to ecological surveys. Developing and testing for robust and scalable applications is currently practiced almost exclusively in hardware. The Distributed Sensors Simulator (DSS) is an infrastructure that allows the user to debug and test software for DSNs independent of hardware constraints. The exibility of DSS allows developers and researchers to investigate topological, phenomenological, networking, robustness and scaling issues, to explore arbitrary algorithms for distributed sensors, and to defeat those algorithms through simulated failure. The user speci es the topology, the environment, the application, and any number of arbitrary failures; DSS provides the virtual environmental embedding.

  11. Sensors for on-line monitoring of water chemistry parameters for NPP's

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alltonen, P.; Maekelae, K.

    1997-01-01

    The on-line monitoring of the water chemistry parameters of aqueous solutions in nuclear power plants is considered essential to control corrosion phenomena. New sensors and electrodes that can be used under plant operating conditions are key components to the application of this technology. The research and development programs are running to develop practical instruments. The experimental capabilities available to research high temperature and pressure phenomena is growing rapidly. It is now possible to experimentally measure all information needed to make estimations and predictions concerning reactions taking place in the coolant of an operating reactor. However, further development of devices and practical experiences are needed to meet the requirement of power stations. (author). 8 refs, 8 figs

  12. Fast and accurate determination of the detergent efficiency by optical fiber sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patitsa, Maria; Pfeiffer, Helge; Wevers, Martine

    2011-06-01

    An optical fiber sensor was developed to control the cleaning efficiency of surfactants. Prior to the measurements, the sensing part of the probe is covered with a uniform standardized soil layer (lipid multilayer), and a gold mirror is deposited at the end of the optical fiber. For the lipid multilayer deposition on the fiber, Langmuir-Blodgett technique was used and the progress of deposition was followed online by ultraviolet spectroscopy. The invention provides a miniaturized Surface Plasmon Resonance dip-sensor for automated on-line testing that can replace the cost and time consuming existing methods and develop a breakthrough in detergent testing in combining optical sensing, surface chemistry and automated data acquisition. The sensor is to be used to evaluate detergency of different cleaning products and also indicate how formulation, concentration, lipid nature and temperature affect the cleaning behavior of a surfactant.

  13. Online test application development using framework CodeIgniter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wibawa, S. C.; Wahyuningsih, Y.; Sulistyowati, R.; Abidin, R.; Lestari, Y.; Noviyanti; Maulana, D. A.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is developing application an online test for vocational students and to know the user acceptance testing on the application. The method used in this research is the Research and Development (R & D) only up to the pilot phase of the product. The stage of the procedure of the research namely: (1) Analyze the exam using paper compared to using web-based application test online. (2) Design the media in accordance with the design of the author. (3) To test the product by including a questionnaire instrument against the application that has been done. Researchers carried out tests on class X on the computer and network engineering Vocational High School (SMK) Darul Ma’wa Plumpang. It can be concluded that: (1) application online test was created gets the value of the validator with the percentage of lowest value and the highest value for the validation of products: 25% and 100%. With a total number of 14 questions, after validation of the products obtained from the three aspects of the assessment scale from 81.25 to 100 obtained from 2 different validators with the meaning of an application that has been developed and very suitable for use in school. (2) Based on User Acceptance Testing (UAT), applications can be very well received by the students and recommend to replay the final semester and others. With the successful acquisition of a category which means it’s ready and qualified.

  14. TMACS test procedure TP005: Sensor configuration, logging, and data conversion. Revision 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Washburn, S.J.

    1994-01-01

    The TMACS Software Project Test Procedures translate the project's acceptance criteria into test steps. Software releases are certified when the affected Test Procedures are successfully performed and the customers authorize installation of these changes. This Test Procedure addresses the sensor configuration, conversion and logging requirements of the TMACS. The features to be tested are as follows: sensor configuration data; conversion of continuous sensor data to engineering units; conversion of digital data to discrete states; discrete sensor data logging; and continuous sensor data logging

  15. Testing low cost OEM CO2 sensors for outdoor ecological studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macintyre, C. M.; Risk, D. A.

    2011-12-01

    IR (Infrared) gas sensors are used extensively in CO2 research but price and power requirement often limits low-cost distributed sensing. In the past three years, sensors have been introduced to the industrial market at prices as low as $100 US for air-handling and automotive application. These inexpensive sensors are small in size, and have low power demand making them potentially ideal for low-cost distributed deployments. However, the sensors are only tested and calibrated for indoor use and for industrial standards and may not show their true potential for outdoor ecological studies. This poster summarizes the results of a sensor inter-comparison test, to document functionality, response time, electrical noise, precision, and accuracy, under varying moistures and temperatures broadly representative of a wide range of outdoor settings. The three selected sensors were placed in a closed loop system with a valving system using a LiCor Li-7000 as reference, controlled by a CR1000 datalogger that controlled CO2 and moisture concentrations content within the cell on the basis of LiCor readings. To achieve different temperatures, the tests were repeated at room temperature, inside a freezer (-18°C) and incubator (40°C). The tests involved repeatedly stepping the sensors from 2000 ppm CO2 to 400 ppm CO2 in 200 ppm or 400 ppm increments, at various moisture contents, and under the various temperature regimes. Vaisala 222 and 343 sensors were also part of the test group as comparators, as both are used widely in ecological research. The OEM sensors displayed good linearity, fast response time, and results comparable to Vaisala probes. In most cases the sensors performed beyond our expectations with notably less electrical noise than the Vaisala sensors and excellent power thriftiness. Some sensors showed better response to extreme moisture and temperature conditions. Provided that suitable protective embodiments were built around them, and that they are deployed in an

  16. Rain Simulation for the Test of Automotive Surround Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasirlioglu, Sinan; Riener, Andreas; Doric, Igor

    2017-04-01

    The WHO Global Health Observatory data indicates that over 1.25 million people die in traffic accidents annually. To save lives, car manufacturers spend lot of efforts on the development of novel safety systems aiming to avoid or mitigate accidents and provide maximum protection for vehicle occupants as well as vulnerable road users. All the safety features mainly rely on data from surround sensors such as radar, lidar and camera and intelligent vehicles today use these environmental data for instant decision making and vehicle control. As already small errors in sensor data measurements could lead to catastrophes like major injuries or road traffic fatalities, it is of utmost importance to ensure high reliability and accuracy of sensors and safety systems. This work focuses on the influence of environmental factors such as rain conditions, as it is known that rain drops scatter the electromagnetic waves. The result is incorrect measurements with a direct negative impact on environment detection. To identify potential problems of sensors under varying environmental conditions, systems are today tested in real-world settings with two main problems: First, tests are time-consuming and second, environmental conditions are not reproducible. Our approach to test the influence of weather on automotive sensors is to use an indoor rain simulator. Our artificial rain maker, installed at CARISSMA (Center of Automotive Research on Integrated Safety Systems and Measurement Area), is parametrized with rain characteristics measured in the field using a standard disdrometer. System behavior on artificial rain is compared and validated with natural rainfall. With this simulator it is finally possible to test environmental influence at various levels and under reproducible conditions. This saves lot of efforts required for the test process itself and furthermore has a positive impact on the reliability of sensor systems due to the fact that test driven development is enabled.

  17. Stigma associated with sexually transmissible infection testing in an online testing environment: examining the perspectives of youth in Vancouver, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karamouzian, Mohammad; Knight, Rod; Davis, Wendy M; Gilbert, Mark; Shoveller, Jean

    2018-02-01

    Background Online sexually transmissible infection (STI) testing is increasingly available and has shown promising results across different settings. However, evidence on how stigma associated with STI testing may be experienced by youth in the context of these online services is limited. A convenience sample of 71 youth (aged 15-24 years) both male and female was engaged through online and offline recruitment strategies in Vancouver, Canada. Through semistructured and exploratory interviews, participants were asked about their perceptions of stigma associated with STI testing in an online testing environment. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Youth came from a diverse set of sociodemographic backgrounds and most (n=46, 65%) had previously accessed STI testing in clinic-based settings. Participants' perceptions pointed to the benefits of online testing for reducing the external stigma despite the potential persistence of internalised stigma. Notions of hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity were also present in the participants' descriptions of the role of gender in accessing online STI testing. Online STI testing could potentially ameliorate the experiences of participants in regards to the stigma associated with STI testing; however, participants' internalised feelings of shame and stigma around testing for STI may continue to persist. Our findings underscore the need to revisit and re-evaluate existing STI testing services to provide less anxiety-inducing testing environments for youth.

  18. Operation of remote mobile sensors for security of drinking water distribution systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perelman, By Lina; Ostfeld, Avi

    2013-09-01

    The deployment of fixed online water quality sensors in water distribution systems has been recognized as one of the key components of contamination warning systems for securing public health. This study proposes to explore how the inclusion of mobile sensors for inline monitoring of various water quality parameters (e.g., residual chlorine, pH) can enhance water distribution system security. Mobile sensors equipped with sampling, sensing, data acquisition, wireless transmission and power generation systems are being designed, fabricated, and tested, and prototypes are expected to be released in the very near future. This study initiates the development of a theoretical framework for modeling mobile sensor movement in water distribution systems and integrating the sensory data collected from stationary and non-stationary sensor nodes to increase system security. The methodology is applied and demonstrated on two benchmark networks. Performance of different sensor network designs are compared for fixed and combined fixed and mobile sensor networks. Results indicate that complementing online sensor networks with inline monitoring can increase detection likelihood and decrease mean time to detection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Microbial sensor for drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Z-T; Wang, D-B; Li, C-Y; Deng, J-Y; Zhang, J-B; Bi, L-J; Zhang, X-E

    2018-01-01

    Drug susceptibility testing (DST) of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is critical in treating tuberculosis. We demonstrate the possibility of using a microbial sensor to perform DST of M. tuberculosis and shorten the time required for DST. The sensor is made of an oxygen electrode with M. tuberculosis cells attached to its surface. This sensor monitors the residual oxygen consumption of M. tuberculosis cells after treatment with anti-TB drugs with glycerine as a carbon source. In principle, after drug pretreatment for 4-5 days, the response differences between the sensors made of drug-sensitive isolates are distinguishable from the sensors made of drug-resistant isolates. The susceptibility of the M. tuberculosis H37Ra strain, its mutants and 35 clinical isolates to six common anti-TB drugs: rifampicin, isoniazid, streptomycin, ethambutol, levofloxacin and para-aminosalicylic acid were tested using the proposed method. The results agreed well with the gold standard method (LJ) and were determined in significantly less time. The whole procedure takes approximately 11 days and therefore has the potential to inform clinical decisions. To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates the possible application of a dissolved oxygen electrode-based microbial sensor in M. tuberculosis drug resistance testing. This study used the microbial sensor to perform DST of M. tuberculosis and shorten the time required for DST. The overall detection result of the microbial sensor agreed well with that of the conventional LJ proportion method and takes less time than the existing phenotypic methods. In future studies, we will build an O 2 electrode array microbial sensor reactor to enable a high-throughput drug resistance analysis. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  20. Fiber Fabry-Perot sensors for detection of partial discharges in power transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Bing; Kim, Dae Woong; Deng, Jiangdong; Xiao, Hai; Wang, Anbo

    2003-06-01

    A diaphragm-based interferometric fiberoptic sensor that uses a low-coherence light source was designed and tested for on-line detection of the acoustic waves generated by partial discharges inside high-voltage power transformers. The sensor uses a fused-silica diaphragm and a single-mode optical fiber encapsulated in a fused-silica glass tube to form an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is interrogated by low-coherence light. Test results indicate that these fiber optic acoustic sensors are capable of faithfully detecting acoustic signals propagating inside transformer oil with high sensitivity and wide bandwidth.

  1. Development of laboratory and process sensors to monitor particle size distribution of industrial slurries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pendse, H.P.

    1992-10-01

    In this paper we present a novel measurement technique for monitoring particle size distributions of industrial colloidal slurries based on ultrasonic spectroscopy and mathematical deconvolution. An on-line sensor prototype has been developed and tested extensively in laboratory and production settings using mineral pigment slurries. Evaluation to date shows that the sensor is capable of providing particle size distributions, without any assumptions regarding their functional form, over diameters ranging from 0.1 to 100 micrometers in slurries with particle concentrations of 10 to 50 volume percents. The newly developed on-line sensor allows one to obtain particle size distributions of commonly encountered inorganic pigment slurries under industrial processing conditions without dilution.

  2. Routes for GMR-Sensor Design in Non-Destructive Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Schütze

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available GMR sensors are widely used in many industrial segments such as information technology, automotive, automation and production, and safety applications. Each area requires an adaption of the sensor arrangement in terms of size adaption and alignment with respect to the field source involved. This paper deals with an analysis of geometric sensor parameters and the arrangement of GMR sensors providing a design roadmap for non-destructive testing (NDT applications. For this purpose we use an analytical model simulating the magnetic flux leakage (MFL distribution of surface breaking defects and investigate the flux leakage signal as a function of various sensor parameters. Our calculations show both the influence of sensor length and height and that when detecting the magnetic flux leakage of µm sized defects a gradiometer base line of 250 µm leads to a signal strength loss of less than 10% in comparison with a magnetometer response. To validate the simulation results we finally performed measurements with a GMR magnetometer sensor on a test plate with artificial µm-range cracks. The differences between simulation and measurement are below 6%. We report on the routes for a GMR gradiometer design as a basis for the fabrication of NDT-adapted sensor arrays. The results are also helpful for the use of GMR in other application when it comes to measure positions, lengths, angles or electrical currents.

  3. On-line measurements of response time of temperature and pressure sensors in PWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    2004-01-01

    A review of modern techniques for in-situ response time testing of resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), and pressure, level and flow transmitters is presented. These techniques have been developed and validated for use in pressurized and boiling water reactors. The significance of the modern techniques is that they permit testing of installed sensors at process operating conditions and thereby provide the actual in-service response times of the sensors. (author)

  4. Development of a magnetic resonance sensor for on-line monitoring of 99Tc and 23Na in tank waste cleanup processes: Final report and implementation plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dieckman, S. L.; Jendrzejczyk, J. A.; Raptis, A. C.

    2000-01-01

    In response to US Department of Energy (DOE) requirements for advanced cross-cutting technologies, Argonne National Laboratory is developing an on-line sensor system for the real-time monitoring of 99 Tc and 23 Na in various locations throughout radioactive-waste processing facilities. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the highly automated sensor system can provide near-real-time response with minimal sampling. The technology, in the form of a flow-through nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based on-line process sensing and control system, can rapidly monitor 99 Tc speciation and concentration (from 0.1 molar to 10 micro molar) in the feedstocks and eluents of radioactive-waste treatment processes. The system is nonintrusive, capable of withstanding harsh plant environments, and reasonably immune to contaminants. Furthermore, the system is capable of operating over large variations in pH, conductivity, and salinity. This document describes design parameters, results from sensitivity studies, and initial results obtained from oxidation-reduction studies that were conducted on technetium standards and waste specimens obtained from DOE's Hanford site. A cursory investigation of the system's capabilities to monitor 23 Na at high concentrations are also reported, as are descriptions of site requirements, implementation recommendations, and testing techniques

  5. First tests of CHERWELL, a Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor: A CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) using 180 nm technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mylroie-Smith, James, E-mail: j.mylroie-smith@qmul.ac.uk [Queen Mary, University of London (United Kingdom); Kolya, Scott; Velthuis, Jaap [University of Bristol (United Kingdom); Bevan, Adrian; Inguglia, Gianluca [Queen Mary, University of London (United Kingdom); Headspith, Jon; Lazarus, Ian; Lemon, Roy [Daresbury Laboratory, STFC (United Kingdom); Crooks, Jamie; Turchetta, Renato; Wilson, Fergus [Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC (United Kingdom)

    2013-12-11

    The Cherwell is a 4T CMOS sensor in 180 nm technology developed for the detection of charged particles. Here, the different test structures on the sensor will be described and first results from tests on the reference pixel variant are shown. The sensors were shown to have a noise of 12 e{sup −} and a signal to noise up to 150 in {sup 55}Fe.

  6. Design and Evaluation of a Wireless Sensor Network Based Aircraft Strength Testing System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

    2009-01-01

    The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system. PMID:22408521

  7. Design and evaluation of a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

    2009-01-01

    The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system.

  8. Woven electrochemical fabric-based test sensors (WEFTS): a new class of multiplexed electrochemical sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, Tripurari; Rajamanickam, G P; Dendukuri, Dhananjaya

    2015-05-07

    We present textile weaving as a new technique for the manufacture of miniature electrochemical sensors with significant advantages over current fabrication techniques. Biocompatible silk yarn is used as the material for fabrication instead of plastics and ceramics used in commercial sensors. Silk yarns are coated with conducting inks and reagents before being handloom-woven as electrodes into patches of fabric to create arrays of sensors, which are then laminated, cut and packaged into individual sensors. Unlike the conventionally used screen-printing, which results in wastage of reagents, yarn coating uses only as much reagent and ink as required. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic yarns are used for patterning so that sample flow is restricted to a small area of the sensor. This simple fluidic control is achieved with readily available materials. We have fabricated and validated individual sensors for glucose and hemoglobin and a multiplexed sensor, which can detect both analytes. Chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were used to detect glucose and hemoglobin, respectively. Industrial quantities of these sensors can be fabricated at distributed locations in the developing world using existing skills and manufacturing facilities. We believe such sensors could find applications in the emerging area of wearable sensors for chemical testing.

  9. SALT segmented primary mirror: laboratory test results for FOGALE inductive edge sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menzies, John; Gajjar, Hitesh; Buous, Sébastien; Buckley, David; Gillingham, Peter

    2010-07-01

    At the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), in collaboration with FOGALE Nanotech, we have been testing the recently-developed new generation inductive edge sensors. The Fogale inductive sensor is one technology being evaluated as a possible replacement for the now defunct capacitance-based edge sensing system. We present the results of exhaustive environmental testing of two variants of the inductive sensor. In addition to the environmental testing including RH and temperature cycles, the sensor was tested for sensitivity to dust and metals. We also consider long-term sensor stability, as well as that of the electronics and of the glue used to bond the sensor to its supporting structure. A prototype design for an adjustable mount is presented which will allow for in-plane gap and shear variations present in the primary mirror configuration without adversely disturbing the figure of the individual mirror segments or the measurement accuracy.

  10. Testing and Analysis of Sensor Ports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, M.; Frendi, A.; Thompson, W.; Casiano, M. J.

    2016-01-01

    This Technical Publication summarizes the work focused on the testing and analysis of sensor ports. The tasks under this contract were divided into three areas: (1) Development of an Analytical Model, (2) Conducting a Set of Experiments, and (3) Obtaining Computational Solutions. Results from the experiment using both short and long sensor ports were obtained using harmonic, random, and frequency sweep plane acoustic waves. An amplification factor of the pressure signal between the port inlet and the back of the port is obtained and compared to models. Comparisons of model and experimental results showed very good agreement.

  11. Sensors for on-line monitoring of water chemistry parameters for NPP`s

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alltonen, P; Maekelae, K [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

    1997-02-01

    The on-line monitoring of the water chemistry parameters of aqueous solutions in nuclear power plants is considered essential to control corrosion phenomena. New sensors and electrodes that can be used under plant operating conditions are key components to the application of this technology. The research and development programs are running to develop practical instruments. The experimental capabilities available to research high temperature and pressure phenomena is growing rapidly. It is now possible to experimentally measure all information needed to make estimations and predictions concerning reactions taking place in the coolant of an operating reactor. However, further development of devices and practical experiences are needed to meet the requirement of power stations. (author). 8 refs, 8 figs.

  12. Online Learning Algorithm for Time Series Forecasting Suitable for Low Cost Wireless Sensor Networks Nodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Pardo

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Time series forecasting is an important predictive methodology which can be applied to a wide range of problems. Particularly, forecasting the indoor temperature permits an improved utilization of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning systems in a home and thus a better energy efficiency. With such purpose the paper describes how to implement an Artificial Neural Network (ANN algorithm in a low cost system-on-chip to develop an autonomous intelligent wireless sensor network. The present paper uses a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN to monitor and forecast the indoor temperature in a smart home, based on low resources and cost microcontroller technology as the 8051MCU. An on-line learning approach, based on Back-Propagation (BP algorithm for ANNs, has been developed for real-time time series learning. It performs the model training with every new data that arrive to the system, without saving enormous quantities of data to create a historical database as usual, i.e., without previous knowledge. Consequently to validate the approach a simulation study through a Bayesian baseline model have been tested in order to compare with a database of a real application aiming to see the performance and accuracy. The core of the paper is a new algorithm, based on the BP one, which has been described in detail, and the challenge was how to implement a computational demanding algorithm in a simple architecture with very few hardware resources.

  13. Online Learning Algorithm for Time Series Forecasting Suitable for Low Cost Wireless Sensor Networks Nodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardo, Juan; Zamora-Martínez, Francisco; Botella-Rocamora, Paloma

    2015-01-01

    Time series forecasting is an important predictive methodology which can be applied to a wide range of problems. Particularly, forecasting the indoor temperature permits an improved utilization of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) systems in a home and thus a better energy efficiency. With such purpose the paper describes how to implement an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm in a low cost system-on-chip to develop an autonomous intelligent wireless sensor network. The present paper uses a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) to monitor and forecast the indoor temperature in a smart home, based on low resources and cost microcontroller technology as the 8051MCU. An on-line learning approach, based on Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm for ANNs, has been developed for real-time time series learning. It performs the model training with every new data that arrive to the system, without saving enormous quantities of data to create a historical database as usual, i.e., without previous knowledge. Consequently to validate the approach a simulation study through a Bayesian baseline model have been tested in order to compare with a database of a real application aiming to see the performance and accuracy. The core of the paper is a new algorithm, based on the BP one, which has been described in detail, and the challenge was how to implement a computational demanding algorithm in a simple architecture with very few hardware resources. PMID:25905698

  14. Online learning algorithm for time series forecasting suitable for low cost wireless sensor networks nodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardo, Juan; Zamora-Martínez, Francisco; Botella-Rocamora, Paloma

    2015-04-21

    Time series forecasting is an important predictive methodology which can be applied to a wide range of problems. Particularly, forecasting the indoor temperature permits an improved utilization of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) systems in a home and thus a better energy efficiency. With such purpose the paper describes how to implement an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm in a low cost system-on-chip to develop an autonomous intelligent wireless sensor network. The present paper uses a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) to monitor and forecast the indoor temperature in a smart home, based on low resources and cost microcontroller technology as the 8051MCU. An on-line learning approach, based on Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm for ANNs, has been developed for real-time time series learning. It performs the model training with every new data that arrive to the system, without saving enormous quantities of data to create a historical database as usual, i.e., without previous knowledge. Consequently to validate the approach a simulation study through a Bayesian baseline model have been tested in order to compare with a database of a real application aiming to see the performance and accuracy. The core of the paper is a new algorithm, based on the BP one, which has been described in detail, and the challenge was how to implement a computational demanding algorithm in a simple architecture with very few hardware resources.

  15. Sensor combination and chemometric variable selection for online monitoring of Streptomyces coelicolor fed-batch cultivations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ödman, Peter; Johansen, C.L.; Olsson, L.

    2010-01-01

    of biomass and substrate (casamino acids) concentrations, respectively. The effect of combination of fluorescence and gas analyzer data as well as of different variable selection methods was investigated. Improved prediction models were obtained by combination of data from the two sensors and by variable......Fed-batch cultivations of Streptomyces coelicolor, producing the antibiotic actinorhodin, were monitored online by multiwavelength fluorescence spectroscopy and off-gas analysis. Partial least squares (PLS), locally weighted regression, and multilinear PLS (N-PLS) models were built for prediction...

  16. Tank Monitor and Control System sensor acceptance test procedure. Revision 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scaief, C.C. III.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this acceptance test procedure (ATP) is to verify the correct reading of sensor elements connected to the Tank Monitor and Control System (TMACS). This ATP is intended to be used for testing of the connection of existing temperature sensors, new temperature sensors, pressure sensing equipment, new Engraf level gauges, sensors that generate a current output, and discrete (on/off) inputs. It is intended that this ATP will be used each time sensors are added to the system. As a result, the data sheets have been designed to be generic. The TMACS has been designed in response to recommendations from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board primarily for improved monitoring of waste tank temperatures. The system has been designed with the capability to monitor other types of sensor input as well

  17. Electrochemical Impedance Sensors for Monitoring Trace Amounts of NO3 in Selected Growing Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaffari, Seyed Alireza; Caron, William-O; Loubier, Mathilde; Normandeau, Charles-O; Viens, Jeff; Lamhamedi, Mohammed S; Gosselin, Benoit; Messaddeq, Younes

    2015-07-21

    With the advent of smart cities and big data, precision agriculture allows the feeding of sensor data into online databases for continuous crop monitoring, production optimization, and data storage. This paper describes a low-cost, compact, and scalable nitrate sensor based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for monitoring trace amounts of NO3- in selected growing media. The nitrate sensor can be integrated to conventional microelectronics to perform online nitrate sensing continuously over a wide concentration range from 0.1 ppm to 100 ppm, with a response time of about 1 min, and feed data into a database for storage and analysis. The paper describes the structural design, the Nyquist impedance response, the measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and the field testing of the nitrate sensor performed within tree nursery settings under ISO/IEC 17025 certifications.

  18. Plan for Demonstration of Online Monitoring for the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Online Monitoring Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magdy S. Tawfik; Vivek Agarwal; Nancy J. Lybeck

    2011-09-01

    Condition based online monitoring technologies and development of diagnostic and prognostic methodologies have drawn tremendous interest in the nuclear industry. It has become important to identify and resolve problems with structures, systems, and components (SSCs) to ensure plant safety, efficiency, and immunity to accidents in the aging fleet of reactors. The Machine Condition Monitoring (MCM) test bed at INL will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness to advancement in online monitoring, sensors, diagnostic and prognostic technologies on a pilot-scale plant that mimics the hydraulics of a nuclear plant. As part of this research project, INL will research available prognostics architectures and their suitability for deployment in a nuclear power plant. In addition, INL will provide recommendation to improve the existing diagnostic and prognostic architectures based on the experimental analysis performed on the MCM test bed.

  19. Fabry-Perot Diaphragm Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS for Acoustic Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan SUN

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available A diaphragm fiber optic sensor (DFOS solely based on Fabry-Perot multiple beam interference has been designed and fabricated with micro-electric mechanical system (MEMS technology. The silicon diaphragm with an embossed center was designed with an interference gap width kept accurately. The DFOS was verified to be a truly and purely Fabry-Perot device via a critical test. Parallel testing with a Piezoelectric (PZT sensor showed that the DFOS had high sensitivity. The Fabry-Perot DFOS also demonstrated excellent performance in on-line monitoring of Partial Discharge (PD in power transformers.

  20. QUEST : Eliminating online supervised learning for efficient classification algorithms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwartjes, Ardjan; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Smit, Gerard J.M.; Hurink, Johann L.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we introduce QUEST (QUantile Estimation after Supervised Training), an adaptive classification algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) that eliminates the necessity for online supervised learning. Online processing is important for many sensor network applications. Transmitting

  1. QUEST: Eliminating Online Supervised Learning for Efficient Classification Algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwartjes, Ardjan; Havinga, Paul J M; Smit, Gerard J M; Hurink, Johann L

    2016-10-01

    In this work, we introduce QUEST (QUantile Estimation after Supervised Training), an adaptive classification algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) that eliminates the necessity for online supervised learning. Online processing is important for many sensor network applications. Transmitting raw sensor data puts high demands on the battery, reducing network life time. By merely transmitting partial results or classifications based on the sampled data, the amount of traffic on the network can be significantly reduced. Such classifications can be made by learning based algorithms using sampled data. An important issue, however, is the training phase of these learning based algorithms. Training a deployed sensor network requires a lot of communication and an impractical amount of human involvement. QUEST is a hybrid algorithm that combines supervised learning in a controlled environment with unsupervised learning on the location of deployment. Using the SITEX02 dataset, we demonstrate that the presented solution works with a performance penalty of less than 10% in 90% of the tests. Under some circumstances, it even outperforms a network of classifiers completely trained with supervised learning. As a result, the need for on-site supervised learning and communication for training is completely eliminated by our solution.

  2. C-Scan Performance Test of Under-Sodium ultrasonic Waveguide Sensor in Sodium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joo, Young Sang; Bae, Jin Ho; Kim, Jong Bum

    2011-01-01

    Reactor core and in-vessel structures of a sodium-cooled fast (SFR) are submerged in opaque liquid sodium in the reactor vessel. The ultrasonic inspection techniques should be applied for observing the in-vessel structures under hot liquid sodium. Ultrasonic sensors such as immersion sensors and rod-type waveguide sensors have developed in order to apply under-sodium viewing of the in-vessel structures of SFR. Recently the novel plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been developed for the versatile application of under-sodium viewing in SFR. In previous studies, the ultrasonic waveguide sensor module was designed and manufactured, and the feasibility study of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor was performed. To improve the performance of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor in the under-sodium application, a new concept of ultrasonic waveguide sensors with a Be coated SS304 plate is suggested for the effective generation of a leaky wave in liquid sodium and the non-dispersive propagation of A 0 -mode Lamb wave in an ultrasonic waveguide sensor. In this study, the C-scan performance of the under-sodium ultrasonic waveguide sensor in sodium has been investigated by the experimental test in sodium. The under-sodium ultrasonic waveguide sensor and the sodium test facility with a glove box system and a sodium tank are designed and manufactured to carry out the performance test of under-sodium ultrasonic waveguide sensor in sodium environment condition

  3. Integrating Multiple On-line Knowledge Bases for Disease-Lab Test Relation Extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yaoyun; Soysal, Ergin; Moon, Sungrim; Wang, Jingqi; Tao, Cui; Xu, Hua

    2015-01-01

    A computable knowledge base containing relations between diseases and lab tests would be a great resource for many biomedical informatics applications. This paper describes our initial step towards establishing a comprehensive knowledge base of disease and lab tests relations utilizing three public on-line resources. LabTestsOnline, MedlinePlus and Wikipedia are integrated to create a freely available, computable disease-lab test knowledgebase. Disease and lab test concepts are identified using MetaMap and relations between diseases and lab tests are determined based on source-specific rules. Experimental results demonstrate a high precision for relation extraction, with Wikipedia achieving the highest precision of 87%. Combining the three sources reached a recall of 51.40%, when compared with a subset of disease-lab test relations extracted from a reference book. Moreover, we found additional disease-lab test relations from on-line resources, indicating they are complementary to existing reference books for building a comprehensive disease and lab test relation knowledge base.

  4. Large scale and performance tests of the ATLAS online software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexandrov; Kotov, V.; Mineev, M.; Roumiantsev, V.; Wolters, H.; Amorim, A.; Pedro, L.; Ribeiro, A.; Badescu, E.; Caprini, M.; Burckhart-Chromek, D.; Dobson, M.; Jones, R.; Kazarov, A.; Kolos, S.; Liko, D.; Lucio, L.; Mapelli, L.; Nassiakou, M.; Schweiger, D.; Soloviev, I.; Hart, R.; Ryabov, Y.; Moneta, L.

    2001-01-01

    One of the sub-systems of the Trigger/DAQ system of the future ATLAS experiment is the Online Software system. It encompasses the functionality needed to configure, control and monitor the DAQ. Its architecture is based on a component structure described in the ATLAS Trigger/DAQ technical proposal. Regular integration tests ensure its smooth operation in test beam setups during its evolutionary development towards the final ATLAS online system. Feedback is received and returned into the development process. Studies of the system behavior have been performed on a set of up to 111 PCs on a configuration which is getting closer to the final size. Large scale and performance test of the integrated system were performed on this setup with emphasis on investigating the aspects of the inter-dependence of the components and the performance of the communication software. Of particular interest were the run control state transitions in various configurations of the run control hierarchy. For the purpose of the tests, the software from other Trigger/DAQ sub-systems has been emulated. The author presents a brief overview of the online system structure, its components and the large scale integration tests and their results

  5. Tank Monitor and Control System sensor acceptance test procedure. Revision 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scaief, C.C. III.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) is to verify the correct reading of sensor elements connected to the Tank Monitor and Control System (TMACS). The system functional requirements are contained in WHC-SD-WM-RD-013, Rev. 1 (WHC 1992a). This ATP is intended to be used for testing of the connection of existing temperature sensors, new temperature sensors, pressure sensing equipment, new Enraf level gauges, sensors that generate a current output, and discrete (on/off) inputs. The TMACS operation was verified by the original ATP (WHC 1991 c). It is intended that this ATP will be used each time sensors are added to the system. As a result, the data sheets have been designed to be generic

  6. Tests Of Array Of Flush Pressure Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Larry J.; Moes, Timothy R.; Siemers, Paul M., III

    1992-01-01

    Report describes tests of array of pressure sensors connected to small orifices flush with surface of 1/7-scale model of F-14 airplane in wind tunnel. Part of effort to determine whether pressure parameters consisting of various sums, differences, and ratios of measured pressures used to compute accurately free-stream values of stagnation pressure, static pressure, angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and mach number. Such arrays of sensors and associated processing circuitry integrated into advanced aircraft as parts of flight-monitoring and -controlling systems.

  7. Development of Electrical Capacitance Sensors for Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) Testing at the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Maolong; Ryals, Matthew; Ali, Amir; Blandford, Edward; Jensen, Colby; Condie, Keith; Svoboda, John; O' Brien, Robert

    2016-08-01

    A variety of instruments are being developed and qualified to support the Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) program and future transient irradiations at the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The University of New Mexico (UNM) is working with INL to develop capacitance-based void sensors for determining the timing of critical boiling phenomena in static capsule fuel testing and the volume-averaged void fraction in flow-boiling in-pile water loop fuel testing. The static capsule sensor developed at INL is a plate-type configuration, while UNM is utilizing a ring-type capacitance sensor. Each sensor design has been theoretically and experimentally investigated at INL and UNM. Experiments are being performed at INL in an autoclave to investigate the performance of these sensors under representative Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) conditions in a static capsule. Experiments have been performed at UNM using air-water two-phase flow to determine the sensitivity and time response of the capacitance sensor under a flow boiling configuration. Initial measurements from the capacitance sensor have demonstrated the validity of the concept to enable real-time measurement of void fraction. The next steps include designing the cabling interface with the flow loop at UNM for Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) ATF testing at TREAT and further characterization of the measurement response for each sensor under varying conditions by experiments and modeling.

  8. ID-Check: Online Concealed Information Test Reveals True Identity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verschuere, Bruno; Kleinberg, Bennett

    2016-01-01

    The Internet has already changed people's lives considerably and is likely to drastically change forensic research. We developed a web-based test to reveal concealed autobiographical information. Initial studies identified a number of conditions that affect diagnostic efficiency. By combining these moderators, this study investigated the full potential of the online ID-check. Participants (n = 101) tried to hide their identity and claimed a false identity in a reaction time-based Concealed Information Test. Half of the participants were presented with personal details (e.g., first name, last name, birthday), whereas the others only saw irrelevant details. Results showed that participants' true identity could be detected with high accuracy (AUC = 0.98; overall accuracy: 86-94%). Online memory detection can reliably and validly detect whether someone is hiding their true identity. This suggests that online memory detection might become a valuable tool for forensic applications. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  9. Laboratory and field tests of the Sutron RLR-0003-1 water level sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulford, Janice M.; Bryars, R. Scott

    2015-01-01

    Three Sutron RLR-0003-1 water level sensors were tested in laboratory conditions to evaluate the accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer’s specified operating temperature and distance-to-water ranges. The sensor was also tested for compliance to SDI-12 communication protocol and in field conditions at a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgaging site. Laboratory results were compared to the manufacturer’s accuracy specification for water level and to the USGS Office of Surface Water (OSW) policy requirement that water level sensors have a measurement uncertainty of no more than 0.01 foot or 0.20 percent of the indicated reading. Except for one sensor, the differences for the temperature testing were within 0.05 foot and the average measurements for the sensors were within the manufacturer’s accuracy specification. Two of the three sensors were within the manufacturer’s specified accuracy and met the USGS accuracy requirements for the laboratory distance to water testing. Three units passed a basic SDI-12 communication compliance test. Water level measurements made by the Sutron RLR-0003-1 during field testing agreed well with those made by the bubbler system and a Design Analysis Associates (DAA) H3613 radar, and they met the USGS accuracy requirements when compared to the wire-weight gage readings.

  10. Integrated online condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, Hashem M.

    2010-01-01

    Online condition monitoring or online monitoring (OLM) uses data acquired while a nuclear power is operating to continuously assess the health of the plant's sensors, processes, and equipment; to measure the dynamic performance of the plant's process instrumentation; to verify in-situ the calibration of the process instrumentation; to detect blockages, voids, and leaks in the pressure sensing lines; to identify core flow anomalies; to extend the life of neutron detectors and other sensors; and to measure the vibration of reactor internals. Both the steady-state or DC output of plant sensors and their AC signal or noise output can be used to assess sensor health, depending on whether the application is monitoring a rapidly changing (e.g., core barrel motion) or a slowly changing (e.g., sensor calibration) process. The author has designed, developed, installed, and tested OLM systems (comprised of software/hardware-based data acquisition and data processing modules) that integrate low-frequency (1 mHz to 1 Hz) techniques such as RTD cross-calibration, pressure transmitter calibration monitoring, and equipment condition monitoring and high-frequency (1 Hz to 1 kHz) techniques such as the noise analysis technique. The author has demonstrated the noise analysis technique's effectiveness for measuring the dynamic response-time of pressure transmitters and their sensing lines; for performing predictive maintenance on reactor internals; for detecting core flow anomalies; and for extending neutron detector life. Integrated online condition monitoring systems can combine AC and DC data acquisition and signal processing techniques, can use data from existing process sensors during all modes of plant operation, including startup, normal operation, and shutdown; can be retrofitted into existing PWRs, BWRs, and other reactor types and will be integrated into next-generation plants. (orig.)

  11. Integrated online condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hashemian, Hashem M. [Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation, Knoxville, TN (United States). AMS Technology Center

    2010-09-15

    Online condition monitoring or online monitoring (OLM) uses data acquired while a nuclear power is operating to continuously assess the health of the plant's sensors, processes, and equipment; to measure the dynamic performance of the plant's process instrumentation; to verify in-situ the calibration of the process instrumentation; to detect blockages, voids, and leaks in the pressure sensing lines; to identify core flow anomalies; to extend the life of neutron detectors and other sensors; and to measure the vibration of reactor internals. Both the steady-state or DC output of plant sensors and their AC signal or noise output can be used to assess sensor health, depending on whether the application is monitoring a rapidly changing (e.g., core barrel motion) or a slowly changing (e.g., sensor calibration) process. The author has designed, developed, installed, and tested OLM systems (comprised of software/hardware-based data acquisition and data processing modules) that integrate low-frequency (1 mHz to 1 Hz) techniques such as RTD cross-calibration, pressure transmitter calibration monitoring, and equipment condition monitoring and high-frequency (1 Hz to 1 kHz) techniques such as the noise analysis technique. The author has demonstrated the noise analysis technique's effectiveness for measuring the dynamic response-time of pressure transmitters and their sensing lines; for performing predictive maintenance on reactor internals; for detecting core flow anomalies; and for extending neutron detector life. Integrated online condition monitoring systems can combine AC and DC data acquisition and signal processing techniques, can use data from existing process sensors during all modes of plant operation, including startup, normal operation, and shutdown; can be retrofitted into existing PWRs, BWRs, and other reactor types and will be integrated into next-generation plants. (orig.)

  12. Assessment of online monitoring strategies for measuring N2O emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marques, Ricardo; Rodriguez-Caballero, A; Oehmen, Adrian; Pijuan, Maite

    2016-08-01

    Clark-Type nitrous oxide (N2O) sensors are routinely used to measure dissolved N2O concentrations in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but have never before been applied to assess gas-phase N2O emissions in full-scale WWTPs. In this study, a full-scale N2O gas sensor was tested and validated for online gas measurements, and assessed with respect to its linearity, temperature dependence, signal saturation and drift prior to full-scale application. The sensor was linear at the concentrations tested (0-422.3, 0-50 and 0-10 ppmv N2O) and had a linear response up to 2750 ppmv N2O. An exponential correlation between temperature and sensor signal was described and predicted using a double exponential equation while the drift did not have a significant influence on the signal. The N2O gas sensor was used for online N2O monitoring in a full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating domestic wastewater and results were compared with those obtained by a commercial online gas analyser. Emissions were successfully described by the sensor, being even more accurate than the values given by the commercial analyser at N2O concentrations above 500 ppmv. Data from this gas N2O sensor was also used to validate two models to predict N2O emissions from dissolved N2O measurements, one based on oxygen transfer rate and the other based on superficial velocity of the gas bubble. Using the first model, predictions for N2O emissions agreed by 98.7% with the measured by the gas sensor, while 87.0% similarity was obtained with the second model. This is the first study showing a reliable estimation of gas emissions based on dissolved N2O online data in a full-scale wastewater treatment facility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Multi-parameter fibre Bragg grating sensor-array for thermal vacuum cycling test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, L.; Ahlers, B.; Toet, P.; Casarosa, G.; Appolloni, M.

    2017-11-01

    Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor systems based on optical fibres are gaining interest in space applications. Studies on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of the reusable launchers using FBG sensors have been carried out in the Future European Space Transportation Investigations Programme (FESTIP). Increasing investment in the development on FBG sensor applications is foreseen for the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP). TNO has performed different SHM measurements with FBGs including on the VEGA interstage [1, 2] in 2006. Within the current project, a multi-parameter FBG sensor array demonstrator system for temperature and strain measurements is designed, fabricated and tested under ambient as well as Thermal Vacuum (TV) conditions in a TV chamber of the European Space Agency (ESA), ESTEC site. The aim is the development of a multi-parameters measuring system based on FBG technology for space applications. During the TV tests of a Space Craft (S/C) or its subsystems, thermal measurements, as well as strain measurements are needed by the engineers in order to verify their prediction and to validate their models. Because of the dimensions of the test specimen and the accuracy requested to the measurement, a large number of observation/measuring points are needed. Conventional sensor systems require a complex routing of the cables connecting the sensors to their acquisition unit. This will add extra weight to the construction under test. FBG sensors are potentially light-weight and can easily be multiplexed in an array configuration. The different tasks comply of a demonstrator system design; its component selection, procurement, manufacturing and finally its assembly. The temperature FBG sensor is calibrated in a dedicated laboratory setup down to liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperature at TNO. A temperature-wavelength calibration curve is generated. After a test programme definition a setup in thermal vacuum is realised at ESA premises including a mechanical

  14. Decentralized Hypothesis Testing in Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarighati, Alla; Gross, James; Jalden, Joakim

    2017-09-01

    We consider the problem of decentralized hypothesis testing in a network of energy harvesting sensors, where sensors make noisy observations of a phenomenon and send quantized information about the phenomenon towards a fusion center. The fusion center makes a decision about the present hypothesis using the aggregate received data during a time interval. We explicitly consider a scenario under which the messages are sent through parallel access channels towards the fusion center. To avoid limited lifetime issues, we assume each sensor is capable of harvesting all the energy it needs for the communication from the environment. Each sensor has an energy buffer (battery) to save its harvested energy for use in other time intervals. Our key contribution is to formulate the problem of decentralized detection in a sensor network with energy harvesting devices. Our analysis is based on a queuing-theoretic model for the battery and we propose a sensor decision design method by considering long term energy management at the sensors. We show how the performance of the system changes for different battery capacities. We then numerically show how our findings can be used in the design of sensor networks with energy harvesting sensors.

  15. Electrochemical Impedance Sensors for Monitoring Trace Amounts of NO3 in Selected Growing Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Alireza Ghaffari

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available With the advent of smart cities and big data, precision agriculture allows the feeding of sensor data into online databases for continuous crop monitoring, production optimization, and data storage. This paper describes a low-cost, compact, and scalable nitrate sensor based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for monitoring trace amounts of NO3− in selected growing media. The nitrate sensor can be integrated to conventional microelectronics to perform online nitrate sensing continuously over a wide concentration range from 0.1 ppm to 100 ppm, with a response time of about 1 min, and feed data into a database for storage and analysis. The paper describes the structural design, the Nyquist impedance response, the measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and the field testing of the nitrate sensor performed within tree nursery settings under ISO/IEC 17025 certifications.

  16. Sweat test for cystic fibrosis: Wearable sweat sensor vs. standard laboratory test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Dong-Hoon; Thaxton, Abigail; Jeong, In Cheol; Kim, Kain; Sosnay, Patrick R; Cutting, Garry R; Searson, Peter C

    2018-03-23

    Sweat chloride testing for diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) involves sweat induction, collection and handling, and measurement in an analytical lab. We have developed a wearable sensor with an integrated salt bridge for real-time measurement of sweat chloride concentration. Here, in a proof-of-concept study, we compare the performance of the sensor to current clinical practice in CF patients and healthy subjects. Sweat was induced on both forearms of 10 individuals with CF and 10 healthy subjects using pilocarpine iontophoresis. A Macroduct sweat collection device was attached to one arm and sweat was collected for 30 min and then sent for laboratory analysis. A sensor was attached to the other arm and the chloride ion concentration monitored in real time for 30 min using a Bluetooth transceiver and smart phone app. Stable sweat chloride measurements were obtained within 15 min following sweat induction using the wearable sensor. We define the detection time as the time at which the standard deviation of the real-time chloride ion concentration remained below 2 mEq/L for 5 min. The sweat volume for sensor measurements at the detection time was 13.1 ± 11.4 μL (SD), in many cases lower than the minimum sweat volume of 15 μL for conventional testing. The mean difference between sweat chloride concentrations measured by the sensor and the conventional laboratory practice was 6.2 ± 9.5 mEq/L (SD), close to the arm-to-arm variation of about 3 mEq/L. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the two measurements was 0.97 highlighting the excellent agreement between the two methods. A wearable sensor can be used to make real-time measurements of sweat chloride within 15 min following sweat induction, requiring a small sweat volume, and with excellent agreement to standard methods. Copyright © 2018 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Evaluating Two Models of Collaborative Tests in an Online Introductory Statistics Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Björnsdóttir, Auðbjörg; Garfield, Joan; Everson, Michelle

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the use of two different types of collaborative tests in an online introductory statistics course. A study was designed and carried out to investigate three research questions: (1) What is the difference in students' learning between using consensus and non-consensus collaborative tests in the online environment?, (2) What is…

  18. Online monitoring of Accessories for Underground Electrical Installations through Acoustics Emissions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casals-Torrens P.

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The acoustic waves caused by Partial Discharges inside the dielectric materials, can be detected by acoustic emission (AE sensors and analyzed in the time domain. The experimental results presented, show the online detection capability of these sensors in the environment near a cable accessory, such as a splice or terminal. The AE sensors are immune to electromagnetic interference and constitute a detection method non-intrusive and non-destructive, which ensures a galvanic decoupling with respect to electric networks, this technique of partial discharge detection can be applied as a test method for preventive or predictive maintenance (condition-based maintenance to equipments or facilities of medium and high voltage in service and represents an alternative method to electrical detection systems, conventional or not, that continue to rely on the detection of current pulses. This paper presents characterization tests of the sensors AE through comparative tests of partial discharge on accessories for underground power cables.

  19. On-line Flagging of Anomalies and Adaptive Sequential Hypothesis Testing for Fine-feature Characterization of Geosynchronous Satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhary, A.; Payne, T.; Kinateder, K.; Dao, P.; Beecher, E.; Boone, D.; Elliott, B.

    The objective of on-line flagging in this paper is to perform interactive assessment of geosynchronous satellites anomalies such as cross-tagging of a satellites in a cluster, solar panel offset change, etc. This assessment will utilize a Bayesian belief propagation procedure and will include automated update of baseline signature data for the satellite, while accounting for the seasonal changes. Its purpose is to enable an ongoing, automated assessment of satellite behavior through its life cycle using the photometry data collected during the synoptic search performed by a ground or space-based sensor as a part of its metrics mission. The change in the satellite features will be reported along with the probabilities of Type I and Type II errors. The objective of adaptive sequential hypothesis testing in this paper is to define future sensor tasking for the purpose of characterization of fine features of the satellite. The tasking will be designed in order to maximize new information with the least number of photometry data points to be collected during the synoptic search by a ground or space-based sensor. Its calculation is based on the utilization of information entropy techniques. The tasking is defined by considering a sequence of hypotheses in regard to the fine features of the satellite. The optimal observation conditions are then ordered in order to maximize new information about a chosen fine feature. The combined objective of on-line flagging and adaptive sequential hypothesis testing is to progressively discover new information about the features of a geosynchronous satellites by leveraging the regular but sparse cadence of data collection during the synoptic search performed by a ground or space-based sensor. Automated Algorithm to Detect Changes in Geostationary Satellite's Configuration and Cross-Tagging Phan Dao, Air Force Research Laboratory/RVB By characterizing geostationary satellites based on photometry and color photometry, analysts can

  20. A Discrete Event System Approach to Online Testing of Speed Independent Circuits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. K. Biswal

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With the increase in soft failures in deep submicron ICs, online testing is becoming an integral part of design for testability. Some techniques for online testing of asynchronous circuits are proposed in the literature, which involves development of a checker that verifies the correctness of the protocol. This checker involves Mutex blocks making its area overhead quite high. In this paper, we have adapted the Theory of Fault Detection and Diagnosis available in the literature on Discrete Event Systems to online testing of speed independent asynchronous circuits. The scheme involves development of a state based model of the circuit, under normal and various stuck-at fault conditions, and finally designing state estimators termed as detectors. The detectors monitor the circuit online and determine whether it is functioning in normal/failure mode. The main advantages are nonintrusiveness and low area overheads compared to similar schemes reported in the literature.

  1. Photo-acoustic sensor for detection of oil contamination in compressed air systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lassen, Mikael; Harder, David Baslev; Brusch, Anders; Nielsen, Ole Stender; Heikens, Dita; Persijn, Stefan; Petersen, Jan C

    2017-02-06

    We demonstrate an online (in-situ) sensor for continuous detection of oil contamination in compressed air systems complying with the ISO-8573 standard. The sensor is based on the photo-acoustic (PA) effect. The online and real-time PA sensor system has the potential to benefit a wide range of users that require high purity compressed air. Among these are hospitals, pharmaceutical industries, electronics manufacturers, and clean room facilities. The sensor was tested for sensitivity, repeatability, robustness to molecular cross-interference, and stability of calibration. Explicit measurements of hexane (C6H14) and decane (C10H22) vapors via excitation of molecular C-H vibrations at approx. 2950 cm-1 (3.38 μm) were conducted with a custom made interband cascade laser (ICL). For the decane measurements a (1 σ) standard deviation (STD) of 0.3 ppb was demonstrated, which corresponds to a normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficient for the prototype PA sensor of 2.8×10-9 W cm-1 Hz1/2.

  2. Improved Fuzzy Logic System to Evaluate Milk Electrical Conductivity Signals from On-Line Sensors to Monitor Dairy Goat Mastitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro Zaninelli

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop and test a new fuzzy logic model for monitoring the udder health status (HS of goats. The model evaluated, as input variables, the milk electrical conductivity (EC signal, acquired on-line for each gland by a dedicated sensor, the bandwidth length and the frequency and amplitude of the first main peak of the Fourier frequency spectrum of the recorded milk EC signal. Two foremilk gland samples were collected from eight Saanen goats for six months at morning milking (lactation stages (LS: 0–60 Days In Milking (DIM; 61–120 DIM; 121–180 DIM, for a total of 5592 samples. Bacteriological analyses and somatic cell counts (SCC were used to define the HS of the glands. With negative bacteriological analyses and SCC < 1,000,000 cells/mL, glands were classified as healthy. When bacteriological analyses were positive or showed a SCC > 1,000,000 cells/mL, glands were classified as not healthy (NH. For each EC signal, an estimated EC value was calculated and a relative deviation was obtained. Furthermore, the Fourier frequency spectrum was evaluated and bandwidth length, frequency and amplitude of the first main peak were identified. Before using these indexes as input variables of the fuzzy logic model a linear mixed-effects model was developed to evaluate the acquired data considering the HS, LS and LS × HS as explanatory variables. Results showed that performance of a fuzzy logic model, in the monitoring of mammary gland HS, could be improved by the use of EC indexes derived from the Fourier frequency spectra of gland milk EC signals recorded by on-line EC sensors.

  3. Sensing System for Salinity Testing Using Laser-induced Graphene Sensors

    KAUST Repository

    Nag, Anindya

    2017-08-05

    The paper presents the development and implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system. Commercial polymer films were laser ablated at specific conditions to form graphene-based sensors on flexible Kapton substrates. Sodium chloride was considered as the primary constituent for testing due to its prominent presence in water bodies. The sensor was characterized by testing different concentrations of sodium chloride. A standard curve was developed to perform real-time testing with a sample taken from sea water of unknown concentration. The sensitivity and resolution of these graphene sensors for the experimental solutions were 1.07Ω/ppm and 1ppm respectively. The developed system was validated by testing it with a real sample and cross checking it on the calibration curve. The signal conditioning circuit was further enhanced by embedding a microcontroller to the designed system. The obtained results did provide a platform for implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system that could be used in marine applications.

  4. Sensing System for Salinity Testing Using Laser-induced Graphene Sensors

    KAUST Repository

    Nag, Anindya; Mukhopadhyay, Subhas Chandra; Kosel, Jü rgen

    2017-01-01

    The paper presents the development and implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system. Commercial polymer films were laser ablated at specific conditions to form graphene-based sensors on flexible Kapton substrates. Sodium chloride was considered as the primary constituent for testing due to its prominent presence in water bodies. The sensor was characterized by testing different concentrations of sodium chloride. A standard curve was developed to perform real-time testing with a sample taken from sea water of unknown concentration. The sensitivity and resolution of these graphene sensors for the experimental solutions were 1.07Ω/ppm and 1ppm respectively. The developed system was validated by testing it with a real sample and cross checking it on the calibration curve. The signal conditioning circuit was further enhanced by embedding a microcontroller to the designed system. The obtained results did provide a platform for implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system that could be used in marine applications.

  5. High temperature sensors for exhaust diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Svenningstorp, Henrik

    2000-07-01

    One of the largest problems that we will have to deal with on this planet this millennium is to stop the pollution of our environment. In many of the ongoing works to reduce toxic emissions, gas sensors capable of enduring rough environments and high temperatures, would be a great tool. The different applications where sensors like this would be useful vary between everything from online measurement in the paper industry and food industry to measurement in the exhaust pipe of a car. In my project we have tested Schottky diodes and MlSiCFET sensor as gas sensors operating at high temperatures. The measurement condition in the exhaust pipe of a car is extremely tough, not only is the temperature high and the different gases quite harmful, there are also a lot of particles that can affect the sensors in an undesirable way. In my project we have been testing Schottky diodes and MlSiCFET sensors based on SiC as high temperature sensors, both in the laboratory with simulated exhaust and after a real engine. In this thesis we conclude that these sensors can work in the hostile environment of an engines exhaust. It is shown that when measuring in a gas mixture with a fixed I below one, where the I-value is controlled by the O{sub 2} concentration, a sensor with a catalytic gate metal as sensitive material respond more to the increased O{sub 2} concentration than the increased HC concentration when varying the two correspondingly. A number of different sensors have been tested in simulated exhaust towards NO{sub x}. It was shown that resistivity changes in the thin gate metal influenced the gas response. Tests have been performed where sensors were a part of a SCR system with promising results concerning NH{sub 3} sensitivity. With a working temperature of 300 deg C there is no contamination of the metal surface.

  6. On-line testing of calibration of process instrumentation channels in nuclear power plants. Phase 2, Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    1995-11-01

    The nuclear industry is interested in automating the calibration of process instrumentation channels; this report provides key results of one of the sponsored projects to determine the validity of automated calibrations. Conclusion is that the normal outputs of instrument channels in nuclear plants can be monitored over a fuel cycle while the plant is operating to determine calibration drift in the field sensors and associated signal conversion and signal conditioning equipment. The procedure for on-line calibration tests involving calculating the deviation of each instrument channel from the best estimate of the process parameter that the instrument is measuring. Methods were evaluated for determining the best estimate. Deviation of each signal from the best estimate is updated frequently while the plant is operating and plotted vs time for entire fuel cycle, thereby providing time history plots that can reveal channel drift and other anomalies. Any instrument channel that exceeds allowable drift or channel accuracy band is then scheduled for calibration during a refueling outage or sooner. This provides calibration test results at the process operating point, one of the most critical points of the channel operation. This should suffice for most narrow-range instruments, although the calibration of some instruments can be verified at other points throughout their range. It should be pointed out that the calibration of some process signals such as the high pressure coolant injection flow in BWRs, which are normally off- scale during plant operation, can not be tested on-line

  7. Optimal Channel Selection Based on Online Decision and Offline Learning in Multichannel Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mu Qiao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a channel selection strategy with hybrid architecture, which combines the centralized method and the distributed method to alleviate the overhead of access point and at the same time provide more flexibility in network deployment. By this architecture, we make use of game theory and reinforcement learning to fulfill the optimal channel selection under different communication scenarios. Particularly, when the network can satisfy the requirements of energy and computational costs, the online decision algorithm based on noncooperative game can help each individual sensor node immediately select the optimal channel. Alternatively, when the network cannot satisfy the requirements of energy and computational costs, the offline learning algorithm based on reinforcement learning can help each individual sensor node to learn from its experience and iteratively adjust its behavior toward the expected target. Extensive simulation results validate the effectiveness of our proposal and also prove that higher system throughput can be achieved by our channel selection strategy over the conventional off-policy channel selection approaches.

  8. Design and Simulation Test of an Open D-Dot Voltage Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunjie Bai

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, sensor development focuses on miniaturization and non-contact measurement. According to the D-dot principle, a D-dot voltage sensor with a new structure was designed based on the differential D-dot sensor with a symmetrical structure, called an asymmetric open D-dot voltage sensor. It is easier to install. The electric field distribution of the sensor was analyzed through Ansoft Maxwell and an open D-dot voltage sensor was designed. This open D-voltage sensor is characteristic of accessible insulating strength and small electric field distortion. The steady and transient performance test under 10 kV-voltage reported satisfying performances of the designed open D-dot voltage sensor. It conforms to requirements for a smart grid measuring sensor in intelligence, miniaturization and facilitation.

  9. QUEST: Eliminating Online Supervised Learning for Efficient Classification Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ardjan Zwartjes

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we introduce QUEST (QUantile Estimation after Supervised Training, an adaptive classification algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs that eliminates the necessity for online supervised learning. Online processing is important for many sensor network applications. Transmitting raw sensor data puts high demands on the battery, reducing network life time. By merely transmitting partial results or classifications based on the sampled data, the amount of traffic on the network can be significantly reduced. Such classifications can be made by learning based algorithms using sampled data. An important issue, however, is the training phase of these learning based algorithms. Training a deployed sensor network requires a lot of communication and an impractical amount of human involvement. QUEST is a hybrid algorithm that combines supervised learning in a controlled environment with unsupervised learning on the location of deployment. Using the SITEX02 dataset, we demonstrate that the presented solution works with a performance penalty of less than 10% in 90% of the tests. Under some circumstances, it even outperforms a network of classifiers completely trained with supervised learning. As a result, the need for on-site supervised learning and communication for training is completely eliminated by our solution.

  10. Design and testing of a multi-sensor pedestrian location and navigation platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Aiden; Renaudin, Valérie; Bancroft, Jared B; Lachapelle, Gérard

    2012-01-01

    Navigation and location technologies are continually advancing, allowing ever higher accuracies and operation under ever more challenging conditions. The development of such technologies requires the rapid evaluation of a large number of sensors and related utilization strategies. The integration of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) with accelerometers, gyros, barometers, magnetometers and other sensors is allowing for novel applications, but is hindered by the difficulties to test and compare integrated solutions using multiple sensor sets. In order to achieve compatibility and flexibility in terms of multiple sensors, an advanced adaptable platform is required. This paper describes the design and testing of the NavCube, a multi-sensor navigation, location and timing platform. The system provides a research tool for pedestrian navigation, location and body motion analysis in an unobtrusive form factor that enables in situ data collections with minimal gait and posture impact. Testing and examples of applications of the NavCube are provided.

  11. Actuation stability test of the LISA pathfinder inertial sensor front-end electronics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mance, Davor; Gan, Li; Weber, Bill; Weber, Franz; Zweifel, Peter

    In order to limit the residual stray forces on the inertial sensor test mass in LISA pathfinder, √ it is required that the fluctuation of the test mass actuation voltage is within 2ppm/ Hz. The actuation voltage stability test on the flight hardware of the inertial sensor front-end electronics (IS FEE) is presented in this paper. This test is completed during the inertial sensor integration at EADS Astrium Friedrichshafen, Germany. The standard measurement method using voltmeter is not sufficient for verification, since the instrument low frequency √ fluctuation is higher than the 2ppm/ Hz requirement. In this test, by using the differential measurement method and the lock-in amplifier, the actuation stability performance is verified and the quality of the IS FEE hardware is confirmed by the test results.

  12. Implementation of an integrated on-line process surveillance and diagnostic system at the Halden reactor project: MOAS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.S.; Grini, R.-E.; Nilsen, S.

    2001-01-01

    MOAS is an integrated on-line process surveillance and diagnostic system that uses several different models for knowledge acquisition and diagnostic reasoning, such as goal-tree success-tree model, process monitor trees, and sensor failure diagnosis trees. Within these models, the knowledge of the process and its operation, including deep knowledge, like mass balance or controller algorithm, is incorporated. During an extensive review, made as part of the integrated diagnosis system project of the Halden reactor project, MOAS (Maryland Operator Advisory System) was identified as one of the most thorough systems developed thus far. MOAS encompasses diverse functional aspects that are required for an effective process disturbance management: (1) intelligent process monitoring and alarming, (2) on-line sensor data validation and sensor failure diagnosis, (3) on-line hardware (besides sensors) failure diagnosis, and (4) real-time corrective measure synthesis. The MOAS methodology was used for the NORS (Nokia Research Simulator) process at the Halden man-machine laboratory HAMMLAB of the OECD Halden reactor project. The performance tests of MOAS, implemented in G2 real-time expert system shell, show that MOAS successfully carries out its intended functions, i.e. quickly recognizing an occurring disturbance, correctly diagnosing its cause, and presenting advice on its control to the operator. The lessons learned and insights gained during the implementation and performance tests also are discussed

  13. On-line soft sensing in upstream bioprocessing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randek, Judit; Mandenius, Carl-Fredrik

    2018-02-01

    This review provides an overview and a critical discussion of novel possibilities of applying soft sensors for on-line monitoring and control of industrial bioprocesses. Focus is on bio-product formation in the upstream process but also the integration with other parts of the process is addressed. The term soft sensor is used for the combination of analytical hardware data (from sensors, analytical devices, instruments and actuators) with mathematical models that create new real-time information about the process. In particular, the review assesses these possibilities from an industrial perspective, including sensor performance, information value and production economy. The capabilities of existing analytical on-line techniques are scrutinized in view of their usefulness in soft sensor setups and in relation to typical needs in bioprocessing in general. The review concludes with specific recommendations for further development of soft sensors for the monitoring and control of upstream bioprocessing.

  14. Giant Magnetoresistance Sensors: A Review on Structures and Non-Destructive Eddy Current Testing Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damhuji Rifai

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Non-destructive eddy current testing (ECT is widely used to examine structural defects in ferromagnetic pipe in the oil and gas industry. Implementation of giant magnetoresistance (GMR sensors as magnetic field sensors to detect the changes of magnetic field continuity have increased the sensitivity of eddy current techniques in detecting the material defect profile. However, not many researchers have described in detail the structure and issues of GMR sensors and their application in eddy current techniques for nondestructive testing. This paper will describe the implementation of GMR sensors in non-destructive testing eddy current testing. The first part of this paper will describe the structure and principles of GMR sensors. The second part outlines the principles and types of eddy current testing probe that have been studied and developed by previous researchers. The influence of various parameters on the GMR measurement and a factor affecting in eddy current testing will be described in detail in the third part of this paper. Finally, this paper will discuss the limitations of coil probe and compensation techniques that researchers have applied in eddy current testing probes. A comprehensive review of previous studies on the application of GMR sensors in non-destructive eddy current testing also be given at the end of this paper.

  15. Giant Magnetoresistance Sensors: A Review on Structures and Non-Destructive Eddy Current Testing Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rifai, Damhuji; Abdalla, Ahmed N.; Ali, Kharudin; Razali, Ramdan

    2016-01-01

    Non-destructive eddy current testing (ECT) is widely used to examine structural defects in ferromagnetic pipe in the oil and gas industry. Implementation of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensors as magnetic field sensors to detect the changes of magnetic field continuity have increased the sensitivity of eddy current techniques in detecting the material defect profile. However, not many researchers have described in detail the structure and issues of GMR sensors and their application in eddy current techniques for nondestructive testing. This paper will describe the implementation of GMR sensors in non-destructive testing eddy current testing. The first part of this paper will describe the structure and principles of GMR sensors. The second part outlines the principles and types of eddy current testing probe that have been studied and developed by previous researchers. The influence of various parameters on the GMR measurement and a factor affecting in eddy current testing will be described in detail in the third part of this paper. Finally, this paper will discuss the limitations of coil probe and compensation techniques that researchers have applied in eddy current testing probes. A comprehensive review of previous studies on the application of GMR sensors in non-destructive eddy current testing also be given at the end of this paper. PMID:26927123

  16. Using a Comprehensive Model to Test and Predict the Factors of Online Learning Effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Minyan

    2013-01-01

    As online learning is an important part of higher education, the effectiveness of online learning has been tested with different methods. Although the literature regarding online learning effectiveness has been related to various factors, a more comprehensive review of the factors may result in broader understanding of online learning…

  17. Sensor design for outdoor racing bicycle field testing for human vibration comfort evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vanwalleghem, Joachim; De Baere, Ives; Van Paepegem, Wim; Loccufier, Mia

    2013-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the vibrational comfort evaluation of the cyclist when cycling a rough surface. Outdoor comfort tests have so far only been done through instrumenting the bicycle with accelerometers. This work instruments a racing bicycle with custom-made contact force sensors and velocity sensors to acquire human comfort through the absorbed power method. Comfort evaluation is assessed at the hand–arm and seat interface of the cyclist with the bicycle. By means of careful finite-element analysis for designing the force gauges at the handlebar and the seat combined with precise calibration of both force and velocity sensors, all sensors have proven to work properly. Initial field tests are focused on the proper functioning of the designed sensors and their suitability for vibration comfort measurements. Tests on a cobblestone road reveal that the outcome of the absorbed power values is within the same range as those from laboratory tests found in the literature. This sensor design approach for outdoor testing with racing bicycles may give a new interpretation on evaluating the cyclist's comfort since the vibrational load is not only quantified in terms of acceleration but also in terms of force and velocity at the bicycle–cyclist contact points. (paper)

  18. A New User Interface for On-Demand Customizable Data Products for Sensors in a SensorWeb

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandl, Daniel; Cappelaere, Pat; Frye, Stuart; Sohlberg, Rob; Ly, Vuong; Chien, Steve; Sullivan, Don

    2011-01-01

    A SensorWeb is a set of sensors, which can consist of ground, airborne and space-based sensors interoperating in an automated or autonomous collaborative manner. The NASA SensorWeb toolbox, developed at NASA/GSFC in collaboration with NASA/JPL, NASA/Ames and other partners, is a set of software and standards that (1) enables users to create virtual private networks of sensors over open networks; (2) provides the capability to orchestrate their actions; (3) provides the capability to customize the output data products and (4) enables automated delivery of the data products to the users desktop. A recent addition to the SensorWeb Toolbox is a new user interface, together with web services co-resident with the sensors, to enable rapid creation, loading and execution of new algorithms for processing sensor data. The web service along with the user interface follows the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard called Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS). This presentation will detail the prototype that was built and how the WCPS was tested against a HyspIRI flight testbed and an elastic computation cloud on the ground with EO-1 data. HyspIRI is a future NASA decadal mission. The elastic computation cloud stores EO-1 data and runs software similar to Amazon online shopping.

  19. A Wireless Monitoring Sub-nA Resolution Test Platform for Nanostructure Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Chi Woong; Byun, Young Tae; Lee, Taikjin; Woo, Deok Ha; Lee, Seok; Jhon, Young Min

    2013-01-01

    We have constructed a wireless monitoring test platform with a sub-nA resolution signal amplification/processing circuit (SAPC) and a wireless communication network to test the real-time remote monitoring of the signals from carbon nanotube (CNT) sensors. The operation characteristics of the CNT sensors can also be measured by the ISD-VSD curve with the SAPC. The SAPC signals are transmitted to a personal computer by Bluetooth communication and the signals from the computer are transmitted to smart phones by Wi-Fi communication, in such a way that the signals from the sensors can be remotely monitored through a web browser. Successful remote monitoring of signals from a CNT sensor was achieved with the wireless monitoring test platform for detection of 0.15% methanol vapor with 0.5 nA resolution and 7 Hz sampling rate. PMID:23783735

  20. A Wireless Monitoring Sub-nA Resolution Test Platform for Nanostructure Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Min Jhon

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available We have constructed a wireless monitoring test platform with a sub-nA resolution signal amplification/processing circuit (SAPC and a wireless communication network to test the real-time remote monitoring of the signals from carbon nanotube (CNT sensors. The operation characteristics of the CNT sensors can also be measured by the ISD-VSD curve with the SAPC. The SAPC signals are transmitted to a personal computer by Bluetooth communication and the signals from the computer are transmitted to smart phones by Wi-Fi communication, in such a way that the signals from the sensors can be remotely monitored through a web browser. Successful remote monitoring of signals from a CNT sensor was achieved with the wireless monitoring test platform for detection of 0.15% methanol vapor with 0.5 nA resolution and 7 Hz sampling rate.

  1. Justification of response time testing requirements for pressure and differential pressure sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weiss, J.M.; Mayo, C.; Swisher, V.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on response time testing (RTT) requirements that were imposed on pressure, differential pressure sensors as a conservative approach to insure that assumptions in the plant safety analyses were met. The purpose of this project has been to identify the need for response time testing using the bases identified in IEEE Standard 338. A combination of plant data analyses, failure modes, and effects analyses (FMEAs) was performed. Eighteen currently qualified sensor models were utilized. The results of these analyses indicate that there are only two failure modes that affect response time, not sensor output concurrently. For these failure modes, appropriate plant actions and testing techniques were identified. Safety system RTT requirements were established by IEEE Standard 338-1975. Criteria for the Periodic Testing of Class IE Power, Protection Systems, presuming the need existed for this testing. This standard established guidelines for periodic testing to verify that loop response times of installed nuclear safety-related equipment were within the limits presumed by the design basis plant transient, accident analyses. The requirements covered all passive, active components in an instrument loop, including sensors. Individual components could be tested either in groups or separately to determine the overall loop response time

  2. Secure equality and greater-than tests with sublinear online complexity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lipmaa, Helger; Toft, Tomas

    2013-01-01

    Secure multiparty computation (MPC) allows multiple parties to evaluate functions without disclosing the private inputs. Secure comparisons (testing equality and greater-than) are important primitives required by many MPC applications. We propose two equality tests for ℓ-bit values with O(1) online...

  3. PageFocus: Using paradata to detect and prevent cheating on online achievement tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diedenhofen, Birk; Musch, Jochen

    2017-08-01

    Cheating threatens the validity of unproctored online achievement tests. To address this problem, we developed PageFocus, a JavaScript that detects when participants abandon test pages by switching to another window or browser tab. In a first study, we aimed at testing whether PageFocus could detect and prevent cheating. We asked 115 lab and 186 online participants to complete a knowledge test comprising items that were difficult to answer but easy to look up on the Internet. Half of the participants were invited to look up the solutions, which significantly increased their test scores. The PageFocus script detected test takers who abandoned the test page with very high sensitivity and specificity, and successfully reduced cheating by generating a popup message that asked participants not to cheat. In a second study, 510 online participants completed a knowledge test comprising items that could easily be looked up and a reasoning task involving matrices that were impossible to look up. In a first group, a performance-related monetary reward was promised to the top scorers; in a second group, participants took part in a lottery that provided performance-unrelated rewards; and in a third group, no incentive was offered. PageFocus revealed that participants cheated more when performance-related incentives were offered. As expected, however, this effect was limited to items that could easily be looked up. We recommend that PageFocus be routinely employed to detect and prevent cheating on online achievement tests.

  4. Passive alcohol sensors tested in 3 states for youth alcohol enforcement

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-05-01

    Passive alcohol sensors were tested in three states to determine their effectiveness in enforcing zero tolerance or low BAC laws for under 21 age drivers. The passive alcohol sensor was designed to sample the air immediately around the suspect for si...

  5. Testing of a Wireless Sensor System for Instrumented Thermal Protection Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kummer, Allen T.; Weir, Erik D.; Morris, Trey J.; Friedenberger, Corey W.; Singh, Aseem; Capuro, Robert M.; Bilen, Sven G.; Fu, Johnny; Swanson, Gregory T.; Hash, David B.

    2011-01-01

    Funded by NASA's Constellation Universities Institutes Project (CUIP), we have been developing and testing a system to wirelessly power and collect data from sensors on space platforms in general and, in particular, the harsh environment of spacecraft re-entry. The elimination of wires and associated failures such as chafing, sparking, ageing, and connector issues can increase reliability and design flexibility while reducing costs. These factors present an appealing case for the pursuit of wireless solutions for harsh environments, particularly for their use in space and on spacecraft. We have designed and built a prototype wireless sensor system. The system, with capabilities similar to that of a wired sensor system, was tested in NASA Ames Research Center s Aerodynamic Heating Facility and Interaction Heating Facility. This paper discusses the overall development effort, testing results, as well as future directions.

  6. Instrumental intelligent test of food sensory quality as mimic of human panel test combining multiple cross-perception sensors and data fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouyang, Qin; Zhao, Jiewen; Chen, Quansheng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • To develop a novel instrumental intelligent test methodology for food sensory analysis. • A novel data fusion was used in instrumental intelligent test methodology. • Linear and nonlinear tools were comparatively used for modeling. • The instrumental test methodology can be imitative of human test behavior. - Abstract: Instrumental test of food quality using perception sensors instead of human panel test is attracting massive attention recently. A novel cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion imitating multiple mammal perception was proposed for the instrumental test in this work. First, three mimic sensors of electronic eye, electronic nose and electronic tongue were used in sequence for data acquisition of rice wine samples. Then all data from the three different sensors were preprocessed and merged. Next, three cross-perception variables i.e., color, aroma and taste, were constructed using principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) which were used as the input of models. MLR, back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) and support vector machine (SVM) were comparatively used for modeling, and the instrumental test was achieved for the comprehensive quality of samples. Results showed the proposed cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion presented obvious superiority to the traditional data fusion methodologies, also achieved a high correlation coefficient (>90%) with the human panel test results. This work demonstrated that the instrumental test based on the cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion can actually mimic the human test behavior, therefore is of great significance to ensure the quality of products and decrease the loss of the manufacturers

  7. Instrumental intelligent test of food sensory quality as mimic of human panel test combining multiple cross-perception sensors and data fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ouyang, Qin; Zhao, Jiewen; Chen, Quansheng, E-mail: qschen@ujs.edu.cn

    2014-09-02

    Highlights: • To develop a novel instrumental intelligent test methodology for food sensory analysis. • A novel data fusion was used in instrumental intelligent test methodology. • Linear and nonlinear tools were comparatively used for modeling. • The instrumental test methodology can be imitative of human test behavior. - Abstract: Instrumental test of food quality using perception sensors instead of human panel test is attracting massive attention recently. A novel cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion imitating multiple mammal perception was proposed for the instrumental test in this work. First, three mimic sensors of electronic eye, electronic nose and electronic tongue were used in sequence for data acquisition of rice wine samples. Then all data from the three different sensors were preprocessed and merged. Next, three cross-perception variables i.e., color, aroma and taste, were constructed using principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) which were used as the input of models. MLR, back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) and support vector machine (SVM) were comparatively used for modeling, and the instrumental test was achieved for the comprehensive quality of samples. Results showed the proposed cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion presented obvious superiority to the traditional data fusion methodologies, also achieved a high correlation coefficient (>90%) with the human panel test results. This work demonstrated that the instrumental test based on the cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion can actually mimic the human test behavior, therefore is of great significance to ensure the quality of products and decrease the loss of the manufacturers.

  8. PHEBUS on-line aerosol monitor development test program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sprenger, M.H.; Pentecost, C.G.

    1992-03-01

    EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc. developed an on-line aerosol monitor (OLAM) for the French PHEBUS Fission Product Project. Part of the development was to manufacture and test an OLAM prototype. This report presents the results of the testing which determined the mechanical integrity of the monitor at operating temperature and pressure and performed a preliminary test of the optical system. A series of twenty different tests was conducted during the prototype testing sequence. Since no leaks were detected, the OLAM demonstrated that it could provide a pressure boundary at required test conditions. The optical and electrical system also proved its integrity by exceeding the design requirement of less than 105 optical signal drift during an actual two-hour test sequence

  9. Using Unsupervised Learning to Improve the Naive Bayes Classifier for Wireless Sensor Networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwartjes, G.J.; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Hurink, Johann L.

    2012-01-01

    Online processing is essential for many sensor network applications. Sensor nodes can sample far more data than what can practically be transmitted using state of the art sensor network radios. Online processing, however, is complicated due to limited resources of individual nodes. The naive Bayes

  10. Instrumental intelligent test of food sensory quality as mimic of human panel test combining multiple cross-perception sensors and data fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouyang, Qin; Zhao, Jiewen; Chen, Quansheng

    2014-09-02

    Instrumental test of food quality using perception sensors instead of human panel test is attracting massive attention recently. A novel cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion imitating multiple mammal perception was proposed for the instrumental test in this work. First, three mimic sensors of electronic eye, electronic nose and electronic tongue were used in sequence for data acquisition of rice wine samples. Then all data from the three different sensors were preprocessed and merged. Next, three cross-perception variables i.e., color, aroma and taste, were constructed using principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) which were used as the input of models. MLR, back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) and support vector machine (SVM) were comparatively used for modeling, and the instrumental test was achieved for the comprehensive quality of samples. Results showed the proposed cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion presented obvious superiority to the traditional data fusion methodologies, also achieved a high correlation coefficient (>90%) with the human panel test results. This work demonstrated that the instrumental test based on the cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion can actually mimic the human test behavior, therefore is of great significance to ensure the quality of products and decrease the loss of the manufacturers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Online listening tests on sound insulation of walls

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Torben Holm; Antunes, Sonia; Rasmussen, Birgit

    2012-01-01

    As part of the COST Action TU0901 WG 2 activities a listening test was made on the annoyance potential of airborne noise from neighbours heard through walls. 22 assessors from 11 countries rated six simulated walls with four types of neighbour noise online at the assessor’s premises using the ISO...

  12. Sensors Fusion based Online Mapping and Features Extraction of Mobile Robot in the Road Following and Roundabout

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, Mohammed A H; Yussof, Wan Azhar B.; Hamedon, Zamzuri B; Yussof, Zulkifli B.; Majeed, Anwar P P; Mailah, Musa

    2016-01-01

    A road feature extraction based mapping system using a sensor fusion technique for mobile robot navigation in road environments is presented in this paper. The online mapping of mobile robot is performed continuously in the road environments to find the road properties that enable the robot to move from a certain start position to pre-determined goal while discovering and detecting the roundabout. The sensors fusion involving laser range finder, camera and odometry which are installed in a new platform, are used to find the path of the robot and localize it within its environments. The local maps are developed using camera and laser range finder to recognize the roads borders parameters such as road width, curbs and roundabout. Results show the capability of the robot with the proposed algorithms to effectively identify the road environments and build a local mapping for road following and roundabout. (paper)

  13. Neutron irradiation characteristic tests of oxygen sensors using zirconia solid electrolyte

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiura, Nobuo; Endou, Yasuichi; Yamaura, Takayuki; Niimi, Motoji; Hoshiya, Taiji; Saito, Junichi; Souzawa, Shizuo; Ooka, Norikazu; Kobiyama, Mamoru.

    1997-03-01

    In the Department of JMTR of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the in-situ measuring technique of oxygen potential has been being developed to study the chemical behavior of high burn-up fuel base-irradiated in the Light Water Reactor. In this test for development of the technique, oxygen sensors using zirconia solid electrolyte stabilized by MgO, CaO and Y 2 O 3 , named MSZ, CSZ and YSZ, respectively, were irradiated by neutrons in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) of JAERI and the characteristics of electromotive force of these sensors under and after irradiation were discussed. From the experimental results, the electromotive force of YSZ sample under irradiation decreased with an increase in irradiation fluence within a range of neutron fluence (E>1 MeV) up to 1 x 10 23 m -2 . The electromotive force of MSZ sensor irradiated with neutron fluences (E>1 MeV) up to 9 x 10 21 m -2 was almost equal to the theoretical value of the electromotive force. It was shown that after irradiation, a decrease in the electromotive force of CSZ sensor was smaller than those of MSZ and YSZ sensors, although the electromotive forces of MSZ, CSZ and YSZ sensors were smaller than the theoretical value. (author)

  14. Development of an In-Situ Decommissioning Sensor Network Test Bed for Structural Condition Monitoring - 12156

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeigler, Kristine E.; Ferguson, Blythe A. [Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina 29808 (United States)

    2012-07-01

    The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has established an In Situ Decommissioning (ISD) Sensor Network Test Bed, a unique, small scale, configurable environment, for the assessment of prospective sensors on actual ISD system material, at minimal cost. The Department of Energy (DOE) is presently implementing permanent entombment of contaminated, large nuclear structures via ISD. The ISD end state consists of a grout-filled concrete civil structure within the concrete frame of the original building. Validation of ISD system performance models and verification of actual system conditions can be achieved through the development a system of sensors to monitor the materials and condition of the structure. The ISD Sensor Network Test Bed has been designed and deployed to addresses the DOE-Environmental Management Technology Need to develop a remote monitoring system to determine and verify ISD system performance. Commercial off-the-shelf sensors have been installed on concrete blocks taken from walls of the P Reactor Building at the Savannah River Site. Deployment of this low-cost structural monitoring system provides hands-on experience with sensor networks. The initial sensor system consists of groutable thermistors for temperature and moisture monitoring, strain gauges for crack growth monitoring, tilt-meters for settlement monitoring, and a communication system for data collection. Baseline data and lessons learned from system design and installation and initial field testing will be utilized for future ISD sensor network development and deployment. The Sensor Network Test Bed at SRNL uses COTS sensors on concrete blocks from the outer wall of the P Reactor Building to measure conditions expected to occur in ISD structures. Knowledge and lessons learned gained from installation, testing, and monitoring of the equipment will be applied to sensor installation in a meso-scale test bed at FIU and in future ISD structures. The initial data collected from the sensors

  15. The design and implementation of BESIII online test farm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Zhixu; Liu Feng; Zhu Kejun; Li Fei

    2004-01-01

    Computing Farms are used widely in the field of high-energy physics. As the increase of performance and the relative lower price, with the open source operating system Linux and many other free software available, PC is playing a more and more important role in the computing farms. In this letter, the design and implementation of the BESIII online data acquisition system test farm with PC, Linux and other free software are presented. This system can be ported to the real online system easily. It can be applied to other purpose farm, such as a physics analysis farm, too. (authors)

  16. Optical Fibres Contactless Sensor for Dynamic Testing of Lightweight Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Bregant

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available With dynamic testing, engineers describe activities focused on the identification of some properties of vibrating structures. This step requires for the measurements of excitations and responses signals, applying appropriate sensors directly on the test article. These instruments modify the system's mass and stiffness distributions and eventually the eigen-properties of the structure. These errors become unacceptable especially when testing lightweight structures. This paper shows the results of some tests performed on a small compressor with the purpose of identifying the blades’ natural frequencies and modes. It compares the acquisitions performed with standard accelerometers and two different contact-less systems using as exciters either a micro-hammer or a micro inertial shaker. The paper shows how the contact-less sensors provide good quality data and consistent results in the mode identification phase.

  17. Design of online testing system of material radiation resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Junsheng; He Shengping; Gao Xinjun

    2014-01-01

    The capability of radiation resistance is important for some material used in some specifically engineering fields. It is the same principal applied in all existing test system that compares the performance parameter after radiation to evaluate material radiation resistance. A kind of new technique on test system of material radiation resistance is put forward in this paper. Experimentation shows that the online test system for material radiation resistance works well and has an extending application outlook. (authors)

  18. Analysis of unbalanced sensor in eddy current method of non destructive testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chegodaev, V.V.

    2001-01-01

    Different types of sensors are used in eddy current method of non-destructive testing. The choosing of sensor type depends on control object. Different types of sensors can have the same schemes of cut-in in device for formation of information signal. The most common scheme of sensor cut-in is presented. The calculation of output voltage when the sensor is on a segment of the control object, which has not defect is made. The conditions of balancing are adduced and it was shown that the balancing of sensor is very difficult. The methods of compensation or account of voltage of an imbalance are indicated. (author)

  19. Sensors for online determination of CNG gas quality; Sensorer foer onlinebestaemnning av fordonsgaskvalitet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stenlaaaas, Ola; Roedjegaard, Henrik

    2012-07-01

    Swedish automotive gas has until now been a very uniform, high quality automotive fuel. Elsewhere in Europe the quality of automotive gas varies significantly. Gas from different sources with different flammability require engine settings adjusted to the chosen gas' unique composition. The prospects for a vehicle-mounted sensor based on infrared technology for gas quality measurement has been studied and solutions are presented with questions that must be answered in a possible future work. The proposed vehicle mounted sensor is based on two channels, one of which measures the partial pressure of methane and the other measures the partial pressure of heavier hydrocarbons in 'equivalents of butane'. Ethane produces a signal of about 0.6 equivalents of butane and propane about 0.8 equivalents. The sensor can be accommodated in a cube with 5 cm side and should be equipped with nipple connections to the existing system. The sensor is expected to work throughout their entire lifetime without manual calibration, through continuous automatic calibration, so-called ABC (Automatic Baseline Compensation). The sensor will have to meet tough quality and environmental standards in which primarily contact ring, vibration and prevention of leakage are identified as extra difficult. Working temperatures and the electrical conditions of power supply and communication interface is considered less challenging. In one million volumes, the cost per sensor could be 200 to 300 SEK.

  20. Development of a hydrogen permeation sensor for future tritium applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Llivina, L.; Colominas, S.; Abellà, J., E-mail: sergi.colominas@iqs.es

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Designing and testing of a hydrogen permeation sensor. • Palladium and α-iron have been used as a hydrogen permeation materials in the sensor. • The experiments performed using both membranes showed that the operation of the sensors in the equilibrium mode required at least several hours to reach the hydrogen equilibrium pressure. - Abstract: Tritium monitoring in lithium–lead eutectic is of great importance for the performance of liquid blankets in fusion reactors. In addition, tritium measurements will be required in order to proof tritium self-sufficiency in liquid metal breeding systems. On-line hydrogen (isotopes) sensors must be design and tested in order to accomplish these goals. In this work, an experimental set up was designed in order to test the permeation hydrogen sensors at 500 °C. This experimental set-up allowed working with controlled environments (different hydrogen partial pressures) and the temperature was measured using a thermocouple connected to a temperature controller that regulated an electrical heater. In a first set of experiments, a hydrogen sensor was constructed using an α-iron capsule as an active hydrogen area. The sensor was mounted and tested in the experimental set up. In a second set of experiments the α-iron capsule was replaced by a welded thin palladium disk in order to minimize the death volume. The experiments performed using both membranes (α-iron and palladium) showed that the operation of the sensors in the equilibrium mode required at least several hours to reach the hydrogen equilibrium pressure.

  1. Description and testing of three moisture sensors for measuring surface wetness on carbonate building stones

    Science.gov (United States)

    See, R.B.; Reddy, M.M.; Martin, R.G.

    1988-01-01

    Three moisture sensors were tested as a means for determining the surface wetness on carbonate building stones exposed to conditions that produce deposition of moisture. A relative-humidity probe, a gypsum-coated circuit grid, and a limestone-block resistor were tested as sensors for determining surface wetness. Sensors were tested under laboratory conditions of constant relative humidity and temperature and also under on-site conditions of variable relative humidity and temperature for eight weeks at Newcomb, NY. Laboratory tests indicated that relative humidity alone did not cause sensors to become saturated with water. However, the rates of drying indicated by the sensors after an initial saturation were inversely related to the relative humidity. On-site testing of the relative-humidity probe and the gypsum-coated ciruit grid indicated that they respond to a diurnal wetting and drying cycle; the limestone-block resistor responded only to rainfall.

  2. Sensors and Automated Analyzers for Radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grate, Jay W.; Egorov, Oleg B.

    2003-01-01

    The production of nuclear weapons materials has generated large quantities of nuclear waste and significant environmental contamination. We have developed new, rapid, automated methods for determination of radionuclides using sequential injection methodologies to automate extraction chromatographic separations, with on-line flow-through scintillation counting for real time detection. This work has progressed in two main areas: radionuclide sensors for water monitoring and automated radiochemical analyzers for monitoring nuclear waste processing operations. Radionuclide sensors have been developed that collect and concentrate radionuclides in preconcentrating minicolumns with dual functionality: chemical selectivity for radionuclide capture and scintillation for signal output. These sensors can detect pertechnetate to below regulatory levels and have been engineered into a prototype for field testing. A fully automated process monitor has been developed for total technetium in nuclear waste streams. This instrument performs sample acidification, speciation adjustment, separation and detection in fifteen minutes or less

  3. On-line monitoring of methane in sewer air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yiwen; Sharma, Keshab R; Murthy, Sudhir; Johnson, Ian; Evans, Ted; Yuan, Zhiguo

    2014-10-16

    Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas and contributes significantly to climate change. Recent studies have shown significant methane production in sewers. The studies conducted so far have relied on manual sampling followed by off-line laboratory-based chromatography analysis. These methods are labor-intensive when measuring methane emissions from a large number of sewers, and do not capture the dynamic variations in methane production. In this study, we investigated the suitability of infrared spectroscopy-based on-line methane sensors for measuring methane in humid and condensing sewer air. Two such sensors were comprehensively tested in the laboratory. Both sensors displayed high linearity (R(2) > 0.999), with a detection limit of 0.023% and 0.110% by volume, respectively. Both sensors were robust against ambient temperature variations in the range of 5 to 35°C. While one sensor was robust against humidity variations, the other was found to be significantly affected by humidity. However, the problem was solved by equipping the sensor with a heating unit to increase the sensor surface temperature to 35°C. Field studies at three sites confirmed the performance and accuracy of the sensors when applied to actual sewer conditions, and revealed substantial and highly dynamic methane concentrations in sewer air.

  4. GamTest: Psychometric Evaluation and the Role of Emotions in an Online Self-Test for Gambling Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonsson, Jakob; Munck, Ingrid; Volberg, Rachel; Carlbring, Per

    2017-06-01

    Recent increases in the number of online gambling sites have made gambling more available, which may contribute to an increase in gambling problems. At the same time, online gambling provides opportunities to introduce measures intended to prevent problem gambling. GamTest is an online test of gambling behavior that provides information that can be used to give players individualized feedback and recommendations for action. The aim of this study is to explore the dimensionality of GamTest and validate it against the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the gambler's own perceived problems. A recent psychometric approach, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) is used. Well-defined constructs are identified in a two-step procedure fitting a traditional exploratory factor analysis model as well as a so-called bifactor model. Using data collected at four Nordic gambling sites in the autumn of 2009 (n = 10,402), the GamTest ESEM analyses indicate high correspondence with the players' own understanding of their problems and with the PGSI, a validated measure of problem gambling. We conclude that GamTest captures five dimensions of problematic gambling (i.e., overconsumption of money and time, and monetary, social and emotional negative consequences) with high reliability, and that the bifactor approach, composed of a general factor and specific residual factors, reproduces all these factors except one, the negative consequences emotional factor, which contributes to the dominant part of the general factor. The results underscore the importance of tailoring feedback and support to online gamblers with a particular focus on how to handle emotions in relation to their gambling behavior.

  5. Sensor Placement Optimization using Chama

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klise, Katherine A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Geotechnology and Engineering Dept.; Nicholson, Bethany L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Discrete Math and Optimization Dept.; Laird, Carl Damon [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Discrete Math and Optimization Dept.

    2017-10-01

    Continuous or regularly scheduled monitoring has the potential to quickly identify changes in the environment. However, even with low - cost sensors, only a limited number of sensors can be deployed. The physical placement of these sensors, along with the sensor technology and operating conditions, can have a large impact on the performance of a monitoring strategy. Chama is an open source Python package which includes mixed - integer, stochastic programming formulations to determine sensor locations and technology that maximize monitoring effectiveness. The methods in Chama are general and can be applied to a wide range of applications. Chama is currently being used to design sensor networks to monitor airborne pollutants and to monitor water quality in water distribution systems. The following documentation includes installation instructions and examples, description of software features, and software license. The software is intended to be used by regulatory agencies, industry, and the research community. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the Python Programming Language. References are included for addit ional background on software components. Online documentation, hosted at http://chama.readthedocs.io/, will be updated as new features are added. The online version includes API documentation .

  6. Test-bench for characterization of steady state magnetic sensors parameters in wide temperature range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovařík, Karel; Ďuran, Ivan; Sentkerestiová, Jana; Šesták, David

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Prepared test bench for calibration of steady state magnetic sensors. •Test-bench design optimized for calibration up to 300 °C. •Test-bench is remotely controllable and allows long term measurements. •Construction allows easy manipulation with even irradiated samples. -- Abstract: Magnetic sensors in ITER tokamak and in other future fusion devices will face an environment with temperature often elevated well above 200 °C. Dedicated test benches are needed to allow characterization of performance of magnetic sensors at such elevated temperatures. This contribution describes realization of test bench for calibration of steady state magnetic sensors based on Hall effect. The core of the set-up is the coil providing DC calibration magnetic field. Optimization of coils design to ensure its compatibility with elevated temperature up to 300 °C is described. Optimized coil was manufactured, and calibrated both at room temperature and at temperature of 250 °C. Measured calibration magnetic field of the coil biased by a 30 A commercial laboratory power supplies is 224 mT. The coil is supplemented by PID regulated air cooling system for fine control of sensors temperature during measurements. Data acquisition system is composed from PC A/D converter boards with resolution below 1 μV. The key parameters of the test bench are remotely controllable and the system allows long term continuous measurements including tests of irradiated samples. The performance of the test bench is demonstrated on recent measurements with metal Hall sensors based on thin copper sensing layers

  7. Self-Test Procedures for Gas Sensors Embedded in Microreactor Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helwig, Andreas; Hackner, Angelika; Zappa, Dario; Sberveglieri, Giorgio

    2018-01-01

    Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors sensitively respond to a wide variety of combustible, explosive and poisonous gases. However, due to the lack of a built-in self-test capability, MOX gas sensors have not yet been able to penetrate safety-critical applications. In the present work we report on gas sensing experiments performed on MOX gas sensors embedded in ceramic micro-reaction chambers. With the help of an external micro-pump, such systems can be operated in a periodic manner alternating between flow and no-flow conditions, thus allowing repetitive measurements of the sensor resistances under clean air, R0, and under gas exposure, Rgas, to be obtained, even under field conditions. With these pairs of resistance values, eventual drifts in the sensor baseline resistance can be detected and drift-corrected values of the relative resistance response Resp=(R0−Rgas)/R0 can be determined. Residual poisoning-induced changes in the relative resistance response can be detected by reference to humidity measurements taken with room-temperature-operated capacitive humidity sensors which are insensitive to the poisoning processes operative on heated MOX gas sensors. PMID:29401673

  8. Self-Test Procedures for Gas Sensors Embedded in Microreactor Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helwig, Andreas; Hackner, Angelika; Müller, Gerhard; Zappa, Dario; Sberveglieri, Giorgio

    2018-02-03

    Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors sensitively respond to a wide variety of combustible, explosive and poisonous gases. However, due to the lack of a built-in self-test capability, MOX gas sensors have not yet been able to penetrate safety-critical applications. In the present work we report on gas sensing experiments performed on MOX gas sensors embedded in ceramic micro-reaction chambers. With the help of an external micro-pump, such systems can be operated in a periodic manner alternating between flow and no-flow conditions, thus allowing repetitive measurements of the sensor resistances under clean air, R 0 , and under gas exposure, R g a s , to be obtained, even under field conditions. With these pairs of resistance values, eventual drifts in the sensor baseline resistance can be detected and drift-corrected values of the relative resistance response R e s p = ( R 0 - R g a s ) / R 0 can be determined. Residual poisoning-induced changes in the relative resistance response can be detected by reference to humidity measurements taken with room-temperature-operated capacitive humidity sensors which are insensitive to the poisoning processes operative on heated MOX gas sensors.

  9. Acoustic sensor for in-pile fuel rod fission gas release measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fourmentel, D.; Villard, J. F.; Ferrandis, J. Y.; Augereau, F.; Rosenkrantz, E.; Dierckx, M.

    2009-01-01

    We have developed a specific acoustic sensor to improve the knowledge of fission gas release in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel rods when irradiated in materials testing reactors. In order to perform experimental programs related to the study of the fission gas release kinetics, the CEA (French Nuclear Energy Commission) acquired the ability to equip a pre-irradiated PWR fuel rod with three sensors, allowing the simultaneous on-line measurements of the following parameters: - fuel temperature with a centre-line thermocouple type C, - internal pressure with a specific counter-pressure sensor, - fraction of fission gas released in the fuel rod with an innovative acoustic sensor. The third detector is the subject of this paper. This original acoustic sensor has been designed to measure the molar mass and pressure of the gas contained in the fuel rod plenum. For in-pile instrumentation, the fraction of fission gas, such as Krypton and Xenon, in Helium, can be deduced online from this measurement. The principle of this acoustical sensor is the following: a piezoelectric transducer generates acoustic waves in a cavity connected to the fuel rod plenum. The acoustic waves are propagated and reflected in this cavity and then detected by the transducer. The data processing of the signal gives the velocity of the acoustic waves and their amplitude, which can be related respectively to the molar mass and to the pressure of the gas. The piezoelectric material of this sensor has been qualified in nuclear conditions (gamma and neutron radiations). The complete sensor has also been specifically designed to be implemented in materials testing reactors conditions. For this purpose some technical points have been studied in details: - fixing of the piezoelectric sample in a reliable way with a suitable signal transmission, - size of the gas cavity to avoid any perturbation of the acoustic waves, - miniaturization of the sensor because of narrow in-pile experimental devices

  10. Online pre-race education improves test scores for volunteers at a marathon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maxwell, Shane; Renier, Colleen; Sikka, Robby; Widstrom, Luke; Paulson, William; Christensen, Trent; Olson, David; Nelson, Benjamin

    2017-09-01

    This study examined whether an online course would lead to increased knowledge about the medical issues volunteers encounter during a marathon. Health care professionals who volunteered to provide medical coverage for an annual marathon were eligible for the study. Demographic information about medical volunteers including profession, specialty, education level and number of marathons they had volunteered for was collected. A 15-question test about the most commonly encountered medical issues was created by the authors and administered before and after the volunteers took the online educational course and compared to a pilot study the previous year. Seventy-four subjects completed the pre-test. Those who participated in the pilot study last year (N = 15) had pre-test scores that were an average of 2.4 points higher than those who did not (mean ranks: pilot study = 51.6 vs. non-pilot = 33.9, p = 0.004). Of the 74 subjects who completed the pre-test, 54 also completed the post-test. The overall post-pre mean score difference was 3.8 ± 2.7 (t = 10.5 df = 53 p online education demonstrated a long-term (one-year) increase in test scores. Testing also continued to show short-term improvement in post-course test scores, compared to pre-course test scores. In general, marathon medical volunteers who had no volunteer experience demonstrated greater improvement than those who had prior volunteer experience.

  11. Contributions to large scale and performance tests of the ATLAS online software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badescu, E.; Caprini, M.

    2003-01-01

    One of the sub-system of the Trigger/DAQ system of the future ATLAS experiment is the Online Software system. It encompasses the functionality needed to configure, control and monitor the DAQ. Its architecture is based on a component structure described in the ATLAS Trigger/DAQ technical proposal. Online Software is responsible for control, supervision and internal communication, excluding the event data flow. For the final ATLAS experiment in 2006 it is expected that it will have to control up to 1000 processors. The core components are the run control, process manager, configuration database, inter process communication, message reporting system and information exchange system. The auxiliary components, namely resource manager, online bookkeeper and the integrated graphical user interface were in use for tests. All the components are unit tested for functionality, fault tolerance, performance and scalability. Extended functionality tests are performed at CERN and remote institutes before each official release. The test objective was the verification of the scalability of the system to a configuration containing a large number of nodes. The aim was to study the interaction between the components, to identify critical areas and to investigate the variation and optimization of online system parameters. The timing of the data acquisition transition phases were recorded and analysed. The information on all processes and their relationships, the run control hierarchy in the online system as well as startup and shutdown dependencies are defined in the configuration database data file. Timing measurements were performed for the transitions shown in the paper and defined as follows: Setup: start online server infrastructure; Close: remove online infrastructure; Boot: start all supervised processes; Shutdown: stop all supervised processes; Cold start: start the supervised processes and go to the Running state; Cold stop: reverse of the cold start phase; Luke warm start

  12. Resistance temperature sensor aging degradation identification using LCSR (Loop Current Step Response) test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Roberto Carlos dos; Goncalves, Iraci Martine Pereira

    2013-01-01

    Most critical process temperatures in nuclear power plants are measured using RTD (Resistance Temperature Detector) and thermocouples. In a PWR (Pressure Water Reactor) plant, the primary coolant temperature and feedwater temperature are measured using RTDs, and the temperature of the water that exits the reactor core is measured using thermocouples. These thermocouples are mainly used for temperature monitoring purposes and are therefore not generally subject to very stringent requirements for accuracy and response-time performance. In contrast, primary coolant RTDs typically feed the plant's control and safety systems and must, therefore, be very accurate and have good dynamic performance. The response time of RTDs and thermocouples has been characterized by a single parameter called the Plunge Time Constant. This is defined as the time it takes the sensor output to achieve 63.2 percent of its final value after a step change in temperature is impressed on its surface. This step change is typically achieved by suddenly immersing the sensor in a rotating tank of water, called Plunge Test. In nuclear reactors, however, plunge testing is inconvenient because the sensor must be removed from the reactor coolant piping and taken to a laboratory for testing. Nuclear reactor service conditions of 150 bar and 300°C are difficult to reproduce in the laboratory. Therefore, all laboratory tests are performed at much milder conditions, and the results are extrapolated to service conditions. This leads to significant errors in the measurement of sensor response times and an insitu test method called LCSR - Loop Current Step Response test was developed in the mid-1970s to measure remotely the response time of RTDs. In the LCSR method, the sensing element is heated by an electric current; the current causes Joule heating in the sensor and results in a temperature transient inside the sensor. The temperature transient in the element is recorded, and from this transient, the

  13. On-line test of power distribution prediction system for boiling water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishizawa, Y.; Kiguchi, T.; Kobayashi, S.; Takumi, K.; Tanaka, H.; Tsutsumi, R.; Yokomi, M.

    1982-01-01

    A power distribution prediction system for boiling water reactors has been developed and its on-line performance test has proceeded at an operating commercial reactor. This system predicts the power distribution or thermal margin in advance of control rod operations and core flow rate change. This system consists of an on-line computer system, an operator's console with a color cathode-ray tube, and plant data input devices. The main functions of this system are present power distribution monitoring, power distribution prediction, and power-up trajectory prediction. The calculation method is based on a simplified nuclear thermal-hydraulic calculation, which is combined with a method of model identification to the actual reactor core state. It has been ascertained by the on-line test that the predicted power distribution (readings of traversing in-core probe) agrees with the measured data within 6% root-mean-square. The computing time required for one prediction calculation step is less than or equal to 1.5 min by an HIDIC-80 on-line computer

  14. Flat-Cladding Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Large Strain Amplitude Fatigue Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xijia Gu

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available We have successfully developed a flat-cladding fiber Bragg grating sensor for large cyclic strain amplitude tests of up to ±8,000 με. The increased contact area between the flat-cladding fiber and substrate, together with the application of a new bonding process, has significantly increased the bonding strength. In the push-pull fatigue tests of an aluminum alloy, the plastic strain amplitudes measured by three optical fiber sensors differ only by 0.43% at a cyclic strain amplitude of ±7,000 με and 1.9% at a cyclic strain amplitude of ±8,000 με. We also applied the sensor on an extruded magnesium alloy for evaluating the peculiar asymmetric hysteresis loops. The results obtained were in good agreement with those measured from the extensometer, a further validation of the sensor.

  15. Investigation into the use of microwave sensors to monitor particulate manufacturing processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Austin, John Samuel, III

    Knowledge of a material's properties in-line during manufacture is of critical importance to many industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, and can be used for either process or quality control. Different microwave sensor configurations were tested to determine both the moisture content and the bulk density in pharmaceutical powders during processing on-line. Although these parameters can significantly affect a material's flowability, compressibility, and cohesivity, in the presence of blends, the picture is incomplete. Due to the ease with which particulate blends tend to segregate, blend uniformity and chemical composition are two critical parameters in nearly all solids manufacturing industries. The prevailing wisdom has been that microwave sensors are not capable of or sensitive enough to measure the relative concentrations of components in a blend. Consequently, it is common to turn to near infrared sensing to determine material composition on-line. In this study, a novel microwave sensor was designed and utilized to determine, separately, the concentrations of different components in a blend of pharmaceutical powders. This custom microwave sensor was shown to have comparable accuracy to the state-of-the-art for both chemical composition and moisture content determination.

  16. Test-retest reliability of sensor-based sit-to-stand measures in young and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regterschot, G Ruben H; Zhang, Wei; Baldus, Heribert; Stevens, Martin; Zijlstra, Wiebren

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated test-retest reliability of sensor-based sit-to-stand (STS) peak power and other STS measures in young and older adults. In addition, test-retest reliability of the sensor method was compared to test-retest reliability of the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) in older adults. Ten healthy young female adults (20-23 years) and 31 older adults (21 females; 73-94 years) participated in two assessment sessions separated by 3-8 days. Vertical peak power was assessed during three (young adults) and five (older adults) normal and fast STS trials with a hybrid motion sensor worn on the hip. Older adults also performed the FTSST and TUGT. The average sensor-based STS peak power of the normal STS trials and the average sensor-based STS peak power of the fast STS trials showed excellent test-retest reliability in young adults (intra-class correlation (ICC)≥0.90; zero in 95% confidence interval of mean difference between test and retest (95%CI of D); standard error of measurement (SEM)≤6.7% of mean peak power) and older adults (ICC≥0.91; zero in 95%CI of D; SEM≤9.9%). Test-retest reliability of sensor-based STS peak power and TUGT (ICC=0.98; zero in 95%CI of D; SEM=8.5%) was comparable in older adults, test-retest reliability of the FTSST was lower (ICC=0.73; zero outside 95%CI of D; SEM=14.4%). Sensor-based STS peak power demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability and may therefore be useful for clinical assessment of functional status and fall risk. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Note: An online testing method for lifetime projection of high power light-emitting diode under accelerated reliability test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qi; Chen, Quan; Luo, Xiaobing

    2014-09-01

    In recent years, due to the fast development of high power light-emitting diode (LED), its lifetime prediction and assessment have become a crucial issue. Although the in situ measurement has been widely used for reliability testing in laser diode community, it has not been applied commonly in LED community. In this paper, an online testing method for LED life projection under accelerated reliability test was proposed and the prototype was built. The optical parametric data were collected. The systematic error and the measuring uncertainty were calculated to be within 0.2% and within 2%, respectively. With this online testing method, experimental data can be acquired continuously and sufficient amount of data can be gathered. Thus, the projection fitting accuracy can be improved (r(2) = 0.954) and testing duration can be shortened.

  18. An Intuitive Dominant Test Algorithm of CP-nets Applied on Wireless Sensor Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Zhaowei

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available A wireless sensor network is of spatially distributed with autonomous sensors, just like a multi-Agent system with single Agent. Conditional Preference networks is a qualitative tool for representing ceteris paribus (all other things being equal preference statements, it has been a research hotspot in artificial intelligence recently. But the algorithm and complexity of strong dominant test with respect to binary-valued structure CP-nets have not been solved, and few researchers address the application to other domain. In this paper, strong dominant test and application of CP-nets are studied in detail. Firstly, by constructing induced graph of CP-nets and studying its properties, we make a conclusion that the problem of strong dominant test on binary-valued CP-nets is single source shortest path problem essentially, so strong dominant test problem can be solved by improved Dijkstra’s algorithm. Secondly, we apply the algorithm above mentioned to the completeness of wireless sensor network, and design a completeness judging algorithm based on strong dominant test. Thirdly, we apply the algorithm on wireless sensor network to solve routing problem. In the end, we point out some interesting work in the future.

  19. Online Fabric Defect Inspection Using Smart Visual Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changqing Sun

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Fabric defect inspection is necessary and essential for quality control in the textile industry. Traditionally, fabric inspection to assure textile quality is done by humans, however, in the past years, researchers have paid attention to PC-based automatic inspection systems to improve the detection efficiency. This paper proposes a novel automatic inspection scheme for the warp knitting machine using smart visual sensors. The proposed system consists of multiple smart visual sensors and a controller. Each sensor can scan 800 mm width of web, and can work independently. The following are considered in dealing with broken-end defects caused by a single yarn: first, a smart visual sensor is composed of a powerful DSP processor and a 2-megapixel high definition image sensor. Second, a wavelet transform is used to decompose fabric images, and an improved direct thresholding method based on high frequency coefficients is proposed. Third, a proper template is chosen in a mathematical morphology filter to remove noise. Fourth, a defect detection algorithm is optimized to meet real-time demands. The proposed scheme has been running for six months on a warp knitting machine in a textile factory. The actual operation shows that the system is effective, and its detection rate reaches 98%.

  20. Performance Evaluation of Fabry-Perot Temperature Sensors in Nuclear Power Plant Measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Hanying; Miller, Don W.; Talnagi, Joseph W.

    2003-01-01

    sensor was tested in a mixed neutron/gamma environment, in which the total neutron fluence was 2.6 x 10 16 neutrons/cm 2 and the total gamma dose was 1.09 x 10 8 rads. During the initial calibration following completion of the test, the sensor exhibited a fixed offset of 18.9 deg. C (34 deg. F offset) but responded linearly to change in temperature. An annealing phenomenon was observed as the temperature increased, which reduced the offset by ∼63%. This observed phenomenon will be very valuable in the model building for on-line maintenance and calibration of the Fiso temperature sensor in a mixed neutron/gamma irradiation field. Fiso Technologies in Canada has suggested that the temperature offset may also be reduced by improved welding methods. If these shifts can be compensated in the on-line sensing or calibration model of the Fiso sensor, then this type of fiber optic sensor will be competitive in nuclear power plant applications

  1. Irradiation tests of ITER candidate Hall sensors using two types of neutron spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duran, I.; Bolshakova, I.; Holyaka, R.; Viererbl, L.; Lahodova, Z.; Sentkerestiova, J.; Bem, P.

    2010-01-01

    We report on irradiation tests of InSb based Hall sensors at two irradiation facilities with two distinct types of neutron spectra. One was a fission reactor neutron spectrum with a significant presence of thermal neutrons, while another one was purely fast neutron field. Total neutron fluence of the order of 10 16 cm -2 was accumulated in both cases, leading to significant drop of Hall sensor sensitivity in case of fission reactor spectrum, while stable performance was observed at purely fast neutron spectrum. This finding suggests that performance of this particular type of Hall sensors is governed dominantly by transmutation. Additionally, it further stresses the need to test ITER candidate Hall sensors under neutron flux with ITER relevant spectrum.

  2. Development and Testing of a Post-Installable Deepwater Monitoring System Using Fiber-Optic Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seaman, Calvin H.; Brower, David V.; Le, Suy Q.; Tang, Henry H.

    2015-01-01

    This paper addresses the design and development of a fiber-optic monitoring system that can be deployed on existing deepwater risers and flowlines; and provides a summary of test article fabrication and the subsequent laboratory testing performed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC). A major challenge of a post-installed instrumentation system is to ensure adequate coupling between the instruments and the riser or flowline of interest. This work investigates the sensor coupling for pipelines that are suspended in a water column (from topside platform to seabed) using a fiber-optic sensor clamp and subsea bonding adhesive. The study involved the design, fabrication, and test of several prototype clamps that contained fiber-optic sensors. A mold was produced by NASA using 3-D printing methods that allowed the casting of polyurethane clamp test articles to accommodate 4-inch and 8-inch diameter pipes. The prototype clamps were installed with a subsea adhesive in a "wet" environment and then tested in the NASA Structures Test Laboratory (STL). The tension, compression, and bending test data showed that the prototype sensor clamps achieved good structural coupling, and could provide high quality strain measurement for active monitoring.

  3. Wearable computing from modeling to implementation of wearable systems based on body sensor networks

    CERN Document Server

    Fortino, Giancarlo; Galzarano, Stefano

    2018-01-01

    This book provides the most up-to-date research and development on wearable computing, wireless body sensor networks, wearable systems integrated with mobile computing, wireless networking and cloud computing. This book has a specific focus on advanced methods for programming Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) based on the reference SPINE project. It features an on-line website (http://spine.deis.unical.it) to support readers in developing their own BSN application/systems and covers new emerging topics on BSNs such as collaborative BSNs, BSN design methods, autonomic BSNs, integration of BSNs and pervasive environments, and integration of BSNs with cloud computing. The book provides a description of real BSN prototypes with the possibility to see on-line demos and download the software to test them on specific sensor platforms and includes case studies for more practical applications. * Provides a future roadmap by learning advanced technology and open research issues * Gathers the background knowledge to tackl...

  4. A Review of Sensor Calibration Monitoring for Calibration Interval Extension in Nuclear Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coble, Jamie B.; Meyer, Ryan M.; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Bond, Leonard J.; Hashemian, Hash; Shumaker, Brent; Cummins, Dara

    2012-08-31

    Currently in the United States, periodic sensor recalibration is required for all safety-related sensors, typically occurring at every refueling outage, and it has emerged as a critical path item for shortening outage duration in some plants. Online monitoring can be employed to identify those sensors that require calibration, allowing for calibration of only those sensors that need it. International application of calibration monitoring, such as at the Sizewell B plant in United Kingdom, has shown that sensors may operate for eight years, or longer, within calibration tolerances. This issue is expected to also be important as the United States looks to the next generation of reactor designs (such as small modular reactors and advanced concepts), given the anticipated longer refueling cycles, proposed advanced sensors, and digital instrumentation and control systems. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted the general concept of online monitoring for sensor calibration monitoring in 2000, but no U.S. plants have been granted the necessary license amendment to apply it. This report presents a state-of-the-art assessment of online calibration monitoring in the nuclear power industry, including sensors, calibration practice, and online monitoring algorithms. This assessment identifies key research needs and gaps that prohibit integration of the NRC-approved online calibration monitoring system in the U.S. nuclear industry. Several needs are identified, including the quantification of uncertainty in online calibration assessment; accurate determination of calibration acceptance criteria and quantification of the effect of acceptance criteria variability on system performance; and assessment of the feasibility of using virtual sensor estimates to replace identified faulty sensors in order to extend operation to the next convenient maintenance opportunity. Understanding the degradation of sensors and the impact of this degradation on signals is key to

  5. Phototype design and testing of two fiber-optic spectrochemical emission sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsen, K.B.; Nelson, D.A.; Griffin, J.W.; Matson, B.S.; Eschbach, P.A.

    1988-09-01

    A unique radio frequency-induced helium plasma (RFIHP) sensor and a spark discharge (SD) sensor were designed, and prototype units were developed and tested. Both sensors use an atomic excitation source coupled to a fiber-optic cable and optical spectrometer to monitor in situ the emission intensity of selected elements of interest in the ambient air. Potential applications include vadose zone monitoring of volatile species. The RFIHP sensor was designed to measure the total chlorine concentration from carbon tetrachloride (and other volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons), and the SD sensor was designed to measure in situ concentrations of chlorine-containing compounds. The results of this research demonstrate proof of concept of the theory, but suggest further refinements are necessary to achieve detection sensitivities sufficiently low to be useful for monitoring concentrations of selected elements in vadose zone air. 9 refs., 10 figs

  6. Inspection method of cable-stayed bridge using magnetic flux leakage detection: principle, sensor design, and signal processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Fengyu; Wang, Xingsong; Wu, Hongtao

    2012-01-01

    A nondestructive testing technique based on magnetic flux leakage is presented to inspect automatically the stay cables with large diameters of a cable-stayed bridge. Using the proposed inspection method, an online nondestructive testing (NDT) modular sensor is developed. The wreath-like sensor is composed of several sensor units that embrace the cable at equal angles. Each sensor unit consists of two permanent magnets and a hall sensor to detect the magnetic flux density. The modular sensor can be installed conveniently on cables with various diameters by increasing the number of sensor units and adjusting the relative distances between adjacent sensor units. Results of the experiments performed on a man-made cable with faults prove that the proposed sensor can inspect the status signals of the inner wires of the cables. To filter the interfering signals, three processing algorithms are discussed, including the moving average method, improved detrending algorithm, and signal processing based on a digital filter. Results show that the developed NDT sensor carried by a cable inspection robot can move along the cable and monitor the state of the stay cables

  7. Evaluation of the Radar Stage Sensor manufactured by Forest Technology Systems—Results of laboratory and field testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunkle, Gerald A.

    2018-01-31

    Two identical Radar Stage Sensors from Forest Technology Systems were evaluated to determine if they are suitable for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic data collection. The sensors were evaluated in laboratory conditions to evaluate the distance accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer’s specified operating temperatures and distance to water ranges. Laboratory results were compared to the manufacturer’s accuracy specification of ±0.007 foot (ft) and the USGS Office of Surface Water (OSW) policy requirement that water-level sensors have a measurement uncertainty of no more than 0.01 ft or 0.20 percent of the indicated reading. Both of the sensors tested were within the OSW policy requirement in both laboratory tests and within the manufacturer’s specification in the distance to water test over tested distances from 3 to 15 ft. In the temperature chamber test, both sensors were within the manufacturer’s specification for more than 90 percent of the data points collected over a temperature range of –40 to +60 degrees Celsius at a fixed distance of 8 ft. One sensor was subjected to an SDI-12 communication test, which it passed. A field test was conducted on one sensor at a USGS field site near Landon, Mississippi, from February 5 to March 29, 2016. Water-level measurements made by the radar during the field test were in agreement with those made by the Sutron Accubar Constant Flow Bubble Gauge.Upon the manufacturer’s release of updated firmware version 1.09, additional SDI-12 and temperature testing was performed to evaluate added SDI-12 functions and verify that performance was unaffected by the update. At this time, an Axiom data logger is required to perform a firmware update on this sensor. The data confirmed the results of the original test. Based on the test results, the Radar Stage Sensor is a suitable choice for USGS hydrologic data collection.

  8. Sensor for measurement of fuel rod gas pressure during loss-of-fluid-tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billeter, T.R.

    1979-05-01

    Qualification tests have been conducted of a measurement system for determining the pressure of certain fuel rods in the loss-of-fluid-test (LOFT) reactor. Because of physical size (0.35-in. OD by 5.5-in length) and operational characteristics, an eddy current device was selected as the most promising measurement transducer for the application. The sensor must operate at pressure up to 17.2 MPa (2500 psig) and at temperatures up to 800 0 F. During the reactor transient caused by loss of coolant flow, sensor temperature and applied pressure will vary rapidly and significantly. Consequently, qualification tests included subjection of the sensor to rapid depressurization, temperature transients, and blowdowns in an autoclave, as well as to calibrations and various slow temperature cycles

  9. Continuous and recurrent testing of acoustic emission sensors; Kontinuierliche und wiederkehrende Pruefung von Schallemissionssensoren

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sause, Markus G.R.; Schmitt, Stefan; Potstada, Philipp [Augsburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Materials Resource Management, Mechanical Engineering

    2017-08-01

    In many fields of application of acoustic emission, the testing can lead to a lasting change in the sensor characteristics. This can be caused by mechanical damage, thermal stress or use under aggressive environmental conditions. Irrespective of visually testable damages of the sensors, a shift in the spectral sensitivity, a reduction in the absolute sensitivity or a reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio can occur. During the test, this requires a possibility to periodically check the sensors, including the coupling aids used. For recurring testing, recommendations are given in Directive SE 02 ''Verification of acoustic emission sensors and their coupling in the laboratory''. This paper discusses possibilities for continuous monitoring of the sensors during the test and presents an application example for the partly automated recurring testing of acoustic emission sensors using Directive SE 02. For this purpose, a test stand for the supply of the sensors to be tested was constructed and the signal recording and data reduction implemented in freely available software programs. The operating principle is demonstrated using selected case studies. [German] In vielen Anwendungsbereichen der Schallemission kann es bei der Pruefung zu einer nachhaltigen Veraenderung der Sensorcharakteristik kommen. Dies kann durch mechanische Beschaedigung, thermische Belastung oder Verwendung unter aggressiven Umweltbedingungen geschehen. Unabhaengig von visuell pruefbaren Beschaedigungen der Sensoren kann es dabei zu einer Verschiebung der spektralen Empfindlichkeit, einer Verringerung der absoluten Empfindlichkeit oder einer Erniedrigung des Signal-Rausch Verhaeltnis kommen. Bei der Pruefung erfordert dies eine Moeglichkeit zur periodischen Ueberpruefung der Sensoren inklusive der verwendeten Koppelhilfsmittel. Fuer die wiederkehrende Pruefung finden sich entsprechende Handlungsempfehlungen in der Richtlinie SE 02 ''Verifizierung von

  10. Adaptive sensor fusion using genetic algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzgerald, D.S.; Adams, D.G.

    1994-01-01

    Past attempts at sensor fusion have used some form of Boolean logic to combine the sensor information. As an alteniative, an adaptive ''fuzzy'' sensor fusion technique is described in this paper. This technique exploits the robust capabilities of fuzzy logic in the decision process as well as the optimization features of the genetic algorithm. This paper presents a brief background on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms and how they are used in an online implementation of adaptive sensor fusion

  11. Sensors i estratègies de test de circuits digitals CMOS per vigilància del consum

    OpenAIRE

    Rius Vázquez, Josep

    1997-01-01

    El objetivo de la tesis es realizar aportaciones en el campo de las estrategias de test basadas en la vigilancia del consumo quiescente de los circuitos integrados CMOS y de los sensores utilizados para dicho fin (test de corriente o test iddq). Para ello se analiza en primer lugar el estado del arte en el diseño de sensores para el test IDDQ y se extraen criterios para la evaluacion de la calidad de dichos sensores. En la tesis se propone un nuevo tipo de sensor integrado (proportional built...

  12. Static and dynamic pile testing of reinforced concrete piles with structure integrated fibre optic strain sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilder, Constanze; Kohlhoff, Harald; Hofmann, Detlef; Basedau, Frank; Habel, Wolfgang R.; Baeßler, Matthias; Niederleithinger, Ernst; Georgi, Steven; Herten, Markus

    2013-05-01

    Static and dynamic pile tests are carried out to determine the load bearing capacity and the quality of reinforced concrete piles. As part of a round robin test to evaluate dynamic load tests, structure integrated fibre optic strain sensors were used to receive more detailed information about the strains along the pile length compared to conventional measurements at the pile head. This paper shows the instrumentation of the pile with extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers sensors and fibre Bragg gratings sensors together with the results of the conducted static load test as well as the dynamic load tests and pile integrity tests.

  13. Evaluating the evidence: direct-to-consumer screening tests advertised online.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lovett, Kimberly M; Mackey, Timothy K; Liang, Bryan A

    2012-09-01

    Unsupervised online direct-to-consumer (DTC) access to medical services has rapidly expanded to medical screening tests, which have not been critically evaluated for their evidence basis. The objective of this study is to identify the scope of online-advertised DTC screening tests, outline the evidence for use of available DTC testing and suggest regulatory reform to address the relevant issues. An observational study of website advertisements, testing services and counselling/follow-up services for DTC testing was conducted. Data were collected from websites between 4 April and 1 June 2011. Each website was assessed for tests offered, advertised indications and availability of counselling/follow-up services. Advertised testing indications were compared with US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations and/or specialty guidelines and categorized as Supported, Against, Insufficient Evidence or No Guidance. Of 20 companies identified as offering DTC screening tests, 95% (19/20) do not clearly offer pretest counselling, post-test counselling and/or test follow-up. One hundred and twenty-seven different tests were identified. Only 19/127 (15%) could be Supported for screening in a target group selected for testing; 38/127 (30%) were given recommendations to avoid use in specific target group(s) selected for testing ('Against recommendations'); 29/127 (23%) had Insufficient Evidence of value, and for 64/127 (50%) No Guidance could be given. Only 4/127 (3%) tests were Supported for general screening use. Virtually all identified medical tests advertised and offered DTC are not recommended for use in screening by evidence-based guidelines. Limited oversight may lead to inaccurate self-diagnosis, treatment and wasted health resources.

  14. A beam monitor using silicon pixel sensors for hadron therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Zhen, E-mail: zwang@mails.ccnu.edu.cn; Zou, Shuguang; Fan, Yan; Liu, Jun; Sun, Xiangming, E-mail: sphy2007@126.com; Wang, Dong; Kang, Huili; Sun, Daming; Yang, Ping; Pei, Hua; Huang, Guangming; Xu, Nu; Gao, Chaosong; Xiao, Le

    2017-03-21

    We report the design and test results of a beam monitor developed for online monitoring in hadron therapy. The beam monitor uses eight silicon pixel sensors, Topmetal-II{sup -}, as the anode array. Topmetal-II{sup -} is a charge sensor designed in a CMOS 0.35 µm technology. Each Topmetal-II{sup -} sensor has 72×72 pixels and the pixel size is 83×83 µm{sup 2}. In our design, the beam passes through the beam monitor without hitting the electrodes, making the beam monitor especially suitable for monitoring heavy ion beams. This design also reduces radiation damage to the beam monitor itself. The beam monitor is tested with a carbon ion beam at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). Results indicate that the beam monitor can measure position, incidence angle and intensity of the beam with a position resolution better than 20 µm, angular resolution about 0.5° and intensity statistical accuracy better than 2%.

  15. Probing and irradiation tests of ALICE pixel chip wafers and sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Cinausero, M; Antinori, F; Chochula, P; Dinapoli, R; Dima, R; Fabris, D; Galet, G; Lunardon, M; Manea, C; Marchini, S; Martini, S; Moretto, S; Pepato, Adriano; Prete, G; Riedler, P; Scarlassara, F; Segato, G F; Soramel, F; Stefanini, G; Turrisi, R; Vannucci, L; Viesti, G

    2004-01-01

    In the framework of the ALICE Silicon Pixel Detector (SPD) project a system dedicated to the tests of the ALICE1LHCb chip wafers has been assembled and is now in use for the selection of pixel chips to be bump-bonded to sensor ladders. In parallel, radiation hardness tests of the SPD silicon sensors have been carried out using the 27 MeV proton beam delivered by the XTU TANDEM accelerator at the SIRAD facility in LNL. In this paper we describe the wafer probing and irradiation set-ups and we report the obtained results. (6 refs).

  16. Data for a pre-performance test of self-developed electronic tongue sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Isabell Immohr

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article presents data, which can be applied for a pre-performance test of self-developed electronic tongue sensors. Contained data is related to the research article “Impact of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in oral liquids on E-Tongue Measurements” (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.10.045; (L.I. Immohr, R. Turner, M. Pein-Hackelbusch, 2016 [1]. Sensor responses were obtained from 10 subsequent measurements and four different concentrations of quinine hydrochloride by electronic tongue (TS-5000Z, Insent Inc., Atsugi-Shi, Japan measurements. Based on the data for the pre-performance testing, which were calculated based on the fluctuation range of the sensor responses around the median, stability criteria and required preconditions cycles were defined.

  17. Method of online cleanliness control for upward-facing transport mirrors in integration test bed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Longbiao; Qin Lang; Zhou Guorui; Ye Yayun; Zhang Chuanchao; Miao Xinxiang; Wang Hongbin; Yuan Xiaodong; Wang Xiaohong; Cheng Xiaofeng

    2013-01-01

    An online cleanliness control method based on the online monitoring system was developed for controlling the particle pollution and damage of upward-facing transport mirrors in the integration test bed. By building up gas knife system, the online cleanliness processing was effectively achieved for the particle pollution on the mirror surface. By using the gas screen, the cleanliness of the mirror surface was effectively online maintained. The image processing system was applied to assessing the effect of online cleanliness processing. The experimental results indicate that the particle pollution was reduced by the gas knife and the gas screen was useful to avoid the settlement of particle pollution. (authors)

  18. Weighted Domain Transfer Extreme Learning Machine and Its Online Version for Gas Sensor Drift Compensation in E-Nose Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiyuan Ma

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Machine learning approaches have been widely used to tackle the problem of sensor array drift in E-Nose systems. However, labeled data are rare in practice, which makes supervised learning methods hard to be applied. Meanwhile, current solutions require updating the analytical model in an offline manner, which hampers their uses for online scenarios. In this paper, we extended Target Domain Adaptation Extreme Learning Machine (DAELM_T to achieve high accuracy with less labeled samples by proposing a Weighted Domain Transfer Extreme Learning Machine, which uses clustering information as prior knowledge to help select proper labeled samples and calculate sensitive matrix for weighted learning. Furthermore, we converted DAELM_T and the proposed method into their online learning versions under which scenario the labeled data are selected beforehand. Experimental results show that, for batch learning version, the proposed method uses around 20% less labeled samples while achieving approximately equivalent or better accuracy. As for the online versions, the methods maintain almost the same accuracies as their offline counterparts do, but the time cost remains around a constant value while that of offline versions grows with the number of samples.

  19. Fuzzy modeling of analytical redundancy for sensor failure detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, T.M.; Chou, H.P.

    1991-01-01

    Failure detection and isolation (FDI) in dynamic systems may be accomplished by testing the consistency of the system via analytically redundant relations. The redundant relation is basically a mathematical model relating system inputs and dissimilar sensor outputs from which information is extracted and subsequently examined for the presence of failure signatures. Performance of the approach is often jeopardized by inherent modeling error and noise interference. To mitigate such effects, techniques such as Kalman filtering, auto-regression-moving-average (ARMA) modeling in conjunction with probability tests are often employed. These conventional techniques treat the stochastic nature of uncertainties in a deterministic manner to generate best-estimated model and sensor outputs by minimizing uncertainties. In this paper, the authors present a different approach by treating the effect of uncertainties with fuzzy numbers. Coefficients in redundant relations derived from first-principle physical models are considered as fuzzy parameters and on-line updated according to system behaviors. Failure detection is accomplished by examining the possibility that a sensor signal occurred in an estimated fuzzy domain. To facilitate failure isolation, individual FDI monitors are designed for each interested sensor

  20. Online monitoring of steam/water chemistry of a fast breeder test reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subramanian, K.G.; Suriyanarayanan, A.; Thirunavukarasu, N.; Naganathan, V.R.; Panigrahi, B.S.; Jambunathan, D.

    2005-01-01

    Operating experience with the once-through steam generator of a fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) has shown that an efficient water chemistry control played a major role in minimizing corrosion related failures of steam generator tubes and ensuring steam generator tube integrity. In order to meet the stringent feedwater and steam quality specifications, use of fast and sensitive online monitors to detect impurity levels is highly desirable. Online monitoring techniques have helped in achieving feedwater of an exceptional degree of purity. Experience in operating the online monitors in the steam/water system of a FBTR is discussed in detail in this paper. In addition, the effect of excess hydrazine in the feedwater on the steam generator leak detection system and the need for a hydrazine online meter are also discussed. (orig.)

  1. A Simple Test to Evaluate the Calibration Stability and Accuracy of Infrared Thermocouple Sensors

    OpenAIRE

    Pinnock, Derek R.; Bugbee, Bruce

    2002-01-01

    Accurately measuring surface temperature is not difficult when the surface, the sensor, and air temperatures are similar, but it is challenging when the surface temperature is significantly different than air and sensor temperatures. We tested three Infrared Thermocouple sensors (IRT’s) that had been used for two years in a greenhouse environment. The importance of the correction for sensor body temperature was also examined.

  2. Sensor-based supporting mobile system Parkinson disease clinical tests utilising biomedical and RFID technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chmielewski Mariusz

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses method and tool for assisting clinical tests of pharmaceutical drugs utilising sensors and mobile technologies. Emerging sensor and mobile technologies deliver new opportunities to gather and process medical data. Presented analytical approach implements such observations and delivers new, convenient means for remote patient monitoring. Clinical tests are highly specialised process requiring methodology and tools to support such research. Currently available methods rely mostly on analogue approach (booklets, requiring the clinical test participant to fill in health state daily. Such approach often can be biased by unpunctual, not precise reporting. The mobile device can support this process by automatic scheduling and recording an actual time of reports and most of all it can record the inertial and biometric sensor data during the survey process. Presented analytical method (tremors recognition and mobile tool offers consistent approach to clinical test assistance transforming and Android smartphone into remote reporting and notification tool. The tool offers additionally features for sensor based diagnostics support for PD tremor recognition as well as specific clonic and tonic symptoms (dedicated for further system extensions towards epilepsy. Capabilities of the system delivers also RFID mechanisms for efficient on-site clinical test authorisation and configuration. This feature simplifies application installation and automatic set-up considering the participant, clinical test configuration, schedule, smartphone and sensor data. Such a composition delivers convenient and reliable tool which can assist patients and medical staff during the process objectifying the clinical tests results and helping to ensure good quality of the data, quickly available and easily accessible.

  3. In core instrumentation for online nuclear heating measurements of material testing reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reynard, C.; Andre, J.; Brun, J.; Carette, M.; Janulyte, A.; Merroun, O.; Zerega, Y.; Lyoussi, A.; Bignan, G.; Chauvin, J-P.; Fourmentel, D.; Glayse, W.; Gonnier, C.; Guimbal, P.; Iracane, D.; Villard, J.-F.

    2010-01-01

    The present work focuses on nuclear heating. This work belongs to a new advanced research program called IN-CORE which means 'Instrumentation for Nuclear radiations and Calorimetry Online in REactor' between the LCP (University of Provence-CNRS) and the CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission) - Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR) program. This program started in September 2009 and is dedicated to the conception and the design of an innovative mobile experimental device coupling several sensors and ray detectors for on line measurements of relevant physical parameters (photonic heating, neutronic flux ...) and for an accurate parametric mapping of experimental channels in the JHR Core. The work presented below is the first step of this program and concerns a brief state of the art related to measurement methods of nuclear heating phenomena in research reactor in general and MTR in particular. A special care is given to gamma heating measurements. A first part deals with numerical codes and models. The second one presents instrumentation divided into various kinds of sensor such as calorimeter measurements and gamma ionization chamber measurements. Their basic principles, characteristics such as metrological parameters, operating mode, disadvantages/advantages, ... are discussed. (author)

  4. Development of on-line monitoring system for flow accelerated corrosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, N.Y.; Lee, S.G.; Hwang, I.S.; Kim, J.T.; Luk, V.K.

    2005-01-01

    Aged nuclear piping has been reported to undergo corrosion-induced accelerated failures, often without giving signatures to current inspection campaigns. Therefore, we need diverse sensors which can cover wide area in the on-line application. We suggested integrated approach to monitor the FAC-susceptible piping. Since FAC is a combined phenomenon, we need to monitor as many parameters as possible, and that cover wide area, since we don't know where the FAC occurs. For this purpose, we introduced wearing rate model, which concentrates on the electrochemical parameters. By the model, we can predict the wearing rate and then can compare the testing result. After we identified feasibility by analytical way, we developed electrochemical sensors for high temperature application, and introduced mechanical monitoring system, which is still under development. To support the validation of the monitored results, we adopted high temperature UT, which shows good resolution in the testing environment. By this way, all the monitored results can be compared in terms of thickness. Validation test shows the feasibility of sensors. To support direct thickness measurement for wide-area, Direct Current Potential Drop method will be researched to integrate to the developed framework. (authors)

  5. Towards the development of a hybrid-integrated chip interferometer for online surface profile measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, P.; Martin, H.; Jiang, X.

    2016-01-01

    Non-destructive testing and online measurement of surface features are pressing demands in manufacturing. Thus optical techniques are gaining importance for characterization of complex engineering surfaces. Harnessing integrated optics for miniaturization of interferometry systems onto a silicon wafer and incorporating a compact optical probe would enable the development of a handheld sensor for embedded metrology applications. In this work, we present the progress in the development of a hybrid photonics based metrology sensor device for online surface profile measurements. The measurement principle along with test and measurement results of individual components has been presented. For non-contact measurement, a spectrally encoded lateral scanning probe based on the laser scanning microscopy has been developed to provide fast measurement with lateral resolution limited to the diffraction limit. The probe demonstrates a lateral resolution of ∼3.6 μm while high axial resolution (sub-nanometre) is inherently achieved by interferometry. Further the performance of the hybrid tuneable laser and the scanning probe was evaluated by measuring a standard step height sample of 100 nm.

  6. Towards the development of a hybrid-integrated chip interferometer for online surface profile measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, P.; Martin, H.; Jiang, X. [EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (United Kingdom)

    2016-06-15

    Non-destructive testing and online measurement of surface features are pressing demands in manufacturing. Thus optical techniques are gaining importance for characterization of complex engineering surfaces. Harnessing integrated optics for miniaturization of interferometry systems onto a silicon wafer and incorporating a compact optical probe would enable the development of a handheld sensor for embedded metrology applications. In this work, we present the progress in the development of a hybrid photonics based metrology sensor device for online surface profile measurements. The measurement principle along with test and measurement results of individual components has been presented. For non-contact measurement, a spectrally encoded lateral scanning probe based on the laser scanning microscopy has been developed to provide fast measurement with lateral resolution limited to the diffraction limit. The probe demonstrates a lateral resolution of ∼3.6 μm while high axial resolution (sub-nanometre) is inherently achieved by interferometry. Further the performance of the hybrid tuneable laser and the scanning probe was evaluated by measuring a standard step height sample of 100 nm.

  7. Development Of A Sensor Network Test Bed For ISD Materials And Structural Condition Monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeigler, K.; Ferguson, B.; Karapatakis, D.; Herbst, C.; Stripling, C.

    2011-01-01

    The P Reactor at the Savannah River Site is one of the first reactor facilities in the US DOE complex that has been placed in its end state through in situ decommissioning (ISD). The ISD end state consists of a grout-filled concrete civil structure within the concrete frame of the original building. To evaluate the feasibility and utility of remote sensors to provide verification of ISD system conditions and performance characteristics, an ISD Sensor Network Test Bed has been designed and deployed at the Savannah River National Laboratory. The test bed addresses the DOE-EM Technology Need to develop a remote monitoring system to determine and verify ISD system performance. Commercial off-the-shelf sensors have been installed on concrete blocks taken from walls of the P Reactor Building. Deployment of this low-cost structural monitoring system provides hands-on experience with sensor networks. The initial sensor system consists of: (1) Groutable thermistors for temperature and moisture monitoring; (2) Strain gauges for crack growth monitoring; (3) Tiltmeters for settlement monitoring; and (4) A communication system for data collection. Preliminary baseline data and lessons learned from system design and installation and initial field testing will be utilized for future ISD sensor network development and deployment.

  8. DEVELOPMENT OF A SENSOR NETWORK TEST BED FOR ISD MATERIALS AND STRUCUTRAL CONDITION MONITORING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeigler, K.; Ferguson, B.; Karapatakis, D.; Herbst, C.; Stripling, C.

    2011-07-06

    The P Reactor at the Savannah River Site is one of the first reactor facilities in the US DOE complex that has been placed in its end state through in situ decommissioning (ISD). The ISD end state consists of a grout-filled concrete civil structure within the concrete frame of the original building. To evaluate the feasibility and utility of remote sensors to provide verification of ISD system conditions and performance characteristics, an ISD Sensor Network Test Bed has been designed and deployed at the Savannah River National Laboratory. The test bed addresses the DOE-EM Technology Need to develop a remote monitoring system to determine and verify ISD system performance. Commercial off-the-shelf sensors have been installed on concrete blocks taken from walls of the P Reactor Building. Deployment of this low-cost structural monitoring system provides hands-on experience with sensor networks. The initial sensor system consists of: (1) Groutable thermistors for temperature and moisture monitoring; (2) Strain gauges for crack growth monitoring; (3) Tiltmeters for settlement monitoring; and (4) A communication system for data collection. Preliminary baseline data and lessons learned from system design and installation and initial field testing will be utilized for future ISD sensor network development and deployment.

  9. Online Expansion Technology for Dynamic Topology Changing ZigBee Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Emdadul Haque

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available In ZigBee, the router capable devices have restriction to accept a number of devices as children devices. A router capable device can not allow any new device to join as a child device if it reaches to the maximum capacity of children or depth limit. According to ZigBee specification each device has a permanent 64-bit MAC address. If a device joins a ZigBee network, it receives a short 16-bit MAC address from the parent device. If a device can not join a network, it isolates from the network and becomes an orphan node even though address spaces are available in the network. The orphan problem becomes worse when the topology of the network changes dynamically. In this paper we propose an online expansion technology to connect the maximum number of devices specially for dynamic topology changing ZigBee wireless sensor networks. The proposed technology shares available address spaces of the router devices to reduce the number of orphan nodes in the network.

  10. A Novel Two-Axis Load Sensor Designed for in Situ Scratch Testing inside Scanning Electron Microscopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengli Shi

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Because of a lack of available miniaturized multiaxial load sensors to measure the normal load and the lateral load simultaneously, quantitative in situ scratch devices inside scanning electron microscopes and the transmission electron microscopes have barely been developed up to now. A novel two-axis load sensor was designed in this paper. With an I-shaped structure, the sensor has the function of measuring the lateral load and the normal load simultaneously, and at the same time it has compact dimensions. Finite element simulations were carried out to evaluate stiffness and modal characteristics. A decoupling algorithm was proposed to resolve the cross-coupling between the two-axis loads. Natural frequency of the sensor was tested. Linearity and decoupling parameters were obtained from the calibration experiments, which indicate that the sensor has good linearity and the cross-coupling between the two axes is not strong. Via the decoupling algorithm and the corresponding decoupling parameters, simultaneous measurement of the lateral load and the normal load can be realized via the developed two-axis load sensor. Preliminary applications of the load sensor for scratch testing indicate that the load sensor can work well during the scratch testing. Taking advantage of the compact structure, it has the potential ability for applications in quantitative in situ scratch testing inside SEMs.

  11. A model-based approach to on-line process disturbance management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.S.

    1988-01-01

    The methodology developed can be applied to the design of a real-time expert system to aid control-room operators in coping with process abnormalities. The approach encompasses diverse functional aspects required for an effective on-line process disturbance management: (1) intelligent process monitoring and alarming, (2) on-line sensor data validation, (3) on-line sensor and hardware (except sensors) fault diagnosis, and (4) real-time corrective measure synthesis. Accomplishment of these functions is made possible through the application of various models, goal-tree success-tree, process monitor-tree, sensor failure diagnosis, and hardware failure diagnosis models. The models used in the methodology facilitate not only the knowledge-acquisition process - a bottleneck in the development of an expert system - but also the reasoning process of the knowledge-based system. These transparent models and model-based reasoning significantly enhance the maintainability of the real-time expert systems. The proposed approach was applied to the feedwater control system of a nuclear power plant, and implemented into a real-time expert system, MOAS II, using the expert system shell, PICON, on the LMI machine

  12. Bradykinesia-akinesia incoordination test: validating an online keyboard test of upper limb function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noyce, Alastair J; Nagy, Anna; Acharya, Shami; Hadavi, Shahrzad; Bestwick, Jonathan P; Fearnley, Julian; Lees, Andrew J; Giovannoni, Gavin

    2014-01-01

    The Bradykinesia Akinesia Incoordination (BRAIN) test is a computer keyboard-tapping task that was developed for use in assessing the effect of symptomatic treatment on motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). An online version has now been designed for use in a wider clinical context and the research setting. Validation of the online BRAIN test was undertaken in 58 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 93 age-matched, non-neurological controls. Kinesia scores (KS30, number of key taps in 30 seconds), akinesia times (AT30, mean dwell time on each key in milliseconds), incoordination scores (IS30, variance of travelling time between key presses) and dysmetria scores (DS30, accuracy of key presses) were compared between groups. These parameters were correlated against total motor scores and sub-scores from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Mean KS30, AT30 and IS30 were significantly different between PD patients and controls (p≤0.0001). Sensitivity for 85% specificity was 50% for KS30, 40% for AT30 and 29% for IS30. KS30, AT30 and IS30 correlated significantly with UPDRS total motor scores (r = -0.53, r = 0.27 and r = 0.28 respectively) and motor UPDRS sub-scores. The reliability of KS30, AT30 and DS30 was good on repeated testing. The BRAIN test is a reliable, convenient test of upper limb motor function that can be used routinely in the outpatient clinic, at home and in clinical trials. In addition, it can be used as an objective longitudinal measurement of emerging motor dysfunction for the prediction of PD in at-risk cohorts.

  13. Bradykinesia-akinesia incoordination test: validating an online keyboard test of upper limb function.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alastair J Noyce

    Full Text Available The Bradykinesia Akinesia Incoordination (BRAIN test is a computer keyboard-tapping task that was developed for use in assessing the effect of symptomatic treatment on motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD. An online version has now been designed for use in a wider clinical context and the research setting.Validation of the online BRAIN test was undertaken in 58 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD and 93 age-matched, non-neurological controls. Kinesia scores (KS30, number of key taps in 30 seconds, akinesia times (AT30, mean dwell time on each key in milliseconds, incoordination scores (IS30, variance of travelling time between key presses and dysmetria scores (DS30, accuracy of key presses were compared between groups. These parameters were correlated against total motor scores and sub-scores from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS.Mean KS30, AT30 and IS30 were significantly different between PD patients and controls (p≤0.0001. Sensitivity for 85% specificity was 50% for KS30, 40% for AT30 and 29% for IS30. KS30, AT30 and IS30 correlated significantly with UPDRS total motor scores (r = -0.53, r = 0.27 and r = 0.28 respectively and motor UPDRS sub-scores. The reliability of KS30, AT30 and DS30 was good on repeated testing.The BRAIN test is a reliable, convenient test of upper limb motor function that can be used routinely in the outpatient clinic, at home and in clinical trials. In addition, it can be used as an objective longitudinal measurement of emerging motor dysfunction for the prediction of PD in at-risk cohorts.

  14. Design and tests of the silicon sensors for the ZEUS micro vertex detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dannheim, D.; Koetz, U.; Coldewey, C.; Fretwurst, E.; Garfagnini, A.; Klanner, R.; Martens, J.; Koffeman, E.; Tiecke, H.; Carlin, R.

    2003-01-01

    To fully exploit the HERA-II upgrade, the ZEUS experiment has installed a Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) using n-type, single-sided, silicon μ-strip sensors with capacitive charge division. The sensors have a readout pitch of 120 μm, with five intermediate strips (20 μm strip pitch). The designs of the silicon sensors and of the test structures used to verify the technological parameters, are presented. Results on the electrical measurements are discussed. A total of 1123 sensors with three different geometries have been produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. Irradiation tests with reactor neutrons and 60 Co photons have been performed for a small sample of sensors. The results on neutron irradiation (with a fluence of 1x10 13 1 MeV equivalent neutrons/cm 2 ) are well described by empirical formulae for bulk damage. The 60 Co photons (with doses up to 2.9 kGy) show the presence of generation currents in the SiO 2 -Si interface, a large shift of the flatband voltage and a decrease of the hole mobility

  15. Large scale access tests and online interfaces to ATLAS conditions databases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amorim, A; Lopes, L; Pereira, P; Simoes, J; Soloviev, I; Burckhart, D; Schmitt, J V D; Caprini, M; Kolos, S

    2008-01-01

    The access of the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system to the ATLAS Conditions Databases sets strong reliability and performance requirements on the database storage and access infrastructures. Several applications were developed to support the integration of Conditions database access with the online services in TDAQ, including the interface to the Information Services (IS) and to the TDAQ Configuration Databases. The information storage requirements were the motivation for the ONline A Synchronous Interface to COOL (ONASIC) from the Information Service (IS) to LCG/COOL databases. ONASIC avoids the possible backpressure from Online Database servers by managing a local cache. In parallel, OKS2COOL was developed to store Configuration Databases into an Offline Database with history record. The DBStressor application was developed to test and stress the access to the Conditions database using the LCG/COOL interface while operating in an integrated way as a TDAQ application. The performance scaling of simultaneous Conditions database read accesses was studied in the context of the ATLAS High Level Trigger large computing farms. A large set of tests were performed involving up to 1000 computing nodes that simultaneously accessed the LCG central database server infrastructure at CERN

  16. Dynamical Capillary Rise Photonic Sensor for Testing of Diesel and Biodiesel Fuel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michal BORECKI

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available There are many fuel quality standards introduced by national organizations and fuel producers. Usual techniques for measuring fuel parameters like cetane number, cetane index, fraction composition, viscosity, density, and flash point, require relatively complex and expensive laboratory equipment. On the fuel user side, fast and low cost sensing of useful state of biodiesel fuel is important. The main parameters of diesel fuel compatibility are: density, viscosity and surface tension. These three parameters define indirectly the quality of the fuel atomization process and the injected portion of energy that affect the quality of the fuel. In the presented paper the purposefulness of fuel testing using measurements of separable parameters is discussed. On this base, a sensor which enables the examination of relation of the mentioned parameters in one arrangement is proposed, analyzed and tested. The sensor uses the dynamic capillary rise method with photonic multichannel data reading in an inclined capillary. The principle of the sensor’s operation, the construction of the sensor head, and the experimental results are presented. The capillary is a disposable element. The sensor testing was performed with freshly prepared biodiesel fuels, and fuels stored for 2 years. We conclude that the proposed construction may be in future the base of low cost commercially marketable instruments for basic fuel classification: fit for use or not. That classification includes initial fuel composition and fuel parameters change during storage. Therefore, the proposed sensor is intended to use in fuel buying/selling point rather than used as part of a diesel engine automated system.

  17. First tests of a novel radiation hard CMOS sensor process for Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernegger, H.; Bates, R.; Buttar, C.; Dalla, M.; van Hoorne, J. W.; Kugathasan, T.; Maneuski, D.; Musa, L.; Riedler, P.; Riegel, C.; Sbarra, C.; Schaefer, D.; Schioppa, E. J.; Snoeys, W.

    2017-06-01

    The upgrade of the ATLAS [1] tracking detector for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN requires novel radiation hard silicon sensor technologies. Significant effort has been put into the development of monolithic CMOS sensors but it has been a challenge to combine a low capacitance of the sensing node with full depletion of the sensitive layer. Low capacitance brings low analog power. Depletion of the sensitive layer causes the signal charge to be collected by drift sufficiently fast to separate hits from consecutive bunch crossings (25 ns at the LHC) and to avoid losing the charge by trapping. This paper focuses on the characterization of charge collection properties and detection efficiency of prototype sensors originally designed in the framework of the ALICE Inner Tracking System (ITS) upgrade [2]. The prototypes are fabricated both in the standard TowerJazz 180nm CMOS imager process [3] and in an innovative modification of this process developed in collaboration with the foundry, aimed to fully deplete the sensitive epitaxial layer and enhance the tolerance to non-ionizing energy loss. Sensors fabricated in standard and modified process variants were characterized using radioactive sources, focused X-ray beam and test beams before and after irradiation. Contrary to sensors manufactured in the standard process, sensors from the modified process remain fully functional even after a dose of 1015neq/cm2, which is the the expected NIEL radiation fluence for the outer pixel layers in the future ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) [4].

  18. First tests of a novel radiation hard CMOS sensor process for Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pernegger, H.; Hoorne, J.W. van; Kugathasan, T.; Musa, L.; Riedler, P.; Riegel, C.; Schaefer, D.; Schioppa, E.J.; Snoeys, W.; Bates, R.; Buttar, C.; Maneuski, D.; Dalla, M.; Sbarra, C.

    2017-01-01

    The upgrade of the ATLAS [1] tracking detector for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN requires novel radiation hard silicon sensor technologies. Significant effort has been put into the development of monolithic CMOS sensors but it has been a challenge to combine a low capacitance of the sensing node with full depletion of the sensitive layer. Low capacitance brings low analog power. Depletion of the sensitive layer causes the signal charge to be collected by drift sufficiently fast to separate hits from consecutive bunch crossings (25 ns at the LHC) and to avoid losing the charge by trapping. This paper focuses on the characterization of charge collection properties and detection efficiency of prototype sensors originally designed in the framework of the ALICE Inner Tracking System (ITS) upgrade [2]. The prototypes are fabricated both in the standard TowerJazz 180nm CMOS imager process [3] and in an innovative modification of this process developed in collaboration with the foundry, aimed to fully deplete the sensitive epitaxial layer and enhance the tolerance to non-ionizing energy loss. Sensors fabricated in standard and modified process variants were characterized using radioactive sources, focused X-ray beam and test beams before and after irradiation. Contrary to sensors manufactured in the standard process, sensors from the modified process remain fully functional even after a dose of 10"1"5 n _e_q/cm"2, which is the the expected NIEL radiation fluence for the outer pixel layers in the future ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) [4].

  19. On-Line Self-Calibrating Single Crystal Sapphire Optical Sensor Instrumentation for Accurate and Reliable Coal Gasifier Temperature Measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kristie Cooper; Gary Pickrell; Anbo Wang

    2005-11-01

    This report summarizes technical progress April-September 2005 on the Phase II program ''On-Line Self-Calibrating Single Crystal Sapphire Optical Sensor Instrumentation for Accurate and Reliable Coal Gasifier Temperature Measurement'', funded by the Federal Energy Technology Center of the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. The outcome of the first phase of this program was the selection of broadband polarimetric differential interferometry (BPDI) for further prototype instrumentation development. This approach is based on the measurement of the optical path difference (OPD) between two orthogonally polarized light beams in a single-crystal sapphire disk. The objective of this program is to bring the sensor technology, which has already been demonstrated in the laboratory, to a level where the sensor can be deployed in the harsh industrial environments and will become commercially viable. Due to the difficulties described on the last report, field testing of the BPDI system has not continued to date. However, we have developed an alternative high temperature sensing solution, which is described in this report. The sensing system will be installed and tested at TECO's Polk Power Station. Following a site visit in June 2005, our efforts have been focused on preparing for that field test, including he design of the sensor mechanical packaging, sensor electronics, the data transfer module, and the necessary software codes to accommodate this application.. We are currently ready to start sensor fabrication.

  20. Monitoring on-line system for the lactic fermentation measurement using the integration enzyme sensor; Shusekika koso sensa wo mochiita nyusan hakko keisokuyo onrain monitringu shisutemu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Masayasu; Kumagaya, Tsuyoshi; Nakajima, Yoichi [Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka (Japan)

    1999-04-05

    The monitoring on-line system for the lactic fermentation measurement in which the simultaneous measurement of the substrate. Generation was possible was constructed without consuming the culture medium by using soliciting small enzyme sensor and flow injection analysis system integrate. There was the linearity that anyway was also range of concentration of 70mM or less and that it is good on the calibration curve of minute glucose, lactose, and lactic acid sensor. It became clear that it proved that all range of concentration of the substrate of these three which combining with the micro diary system, breaks in the lactic fermentation measurement with the necessity can be measured and not observe the interference by medium components, etc. either. Constructed monitoring on-line system is Lactobacillus delbrueckii and, it was applied to the lactic fermentation process of Lactobacillus lactis. Through the fermentation process for 24 hours, simultaneous measurement of glucose (or lactose) and lactic acid is possible. The measured value agreed well with the result of colorimetric method using the enzyme. (translated by NEDO)

  1. Experimental study on performance verification tests for coordinate measuring systems with optical distance sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmignato, Simone

    2009-01-01

    Optical sensors are increasingly used for dimensional and geometrical metrology. However, the lack of international standards for testing optical coordinate measuring systems is currently limiting the traceability of measurements and the easy comparison of different optical systems. This paper presents an experimental investigation on artefacts and procedures for testing coordinate measuring systems equipped with optical distance sensors. The work is aimed at contributing to the standardization of testing methods. The VDI/VDE 2617-6.2:2005 guideline, which is probably the most complete document available at the state of the art for testing systems with optical distance sensors, is examined with specific experiments. Results from the experiments are discussed, with particular reference to the tests used for determining the following characteristics: error of indication for size measurement, probing error and structural resolution. Particular attention is given to the use of artefacts alternative to gauge blocks for determining the error of indication for size measurement.

  2. Thermometer testing with ion thermometric sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jakes, D.; Rosenkranz, J.; Strnad, M.

    1986-01-01

    The operation is described of standardization system KP-4 which uses five temperature points consisting of ion thermometric sensors. The system is used for in-service inspection of temperature sensors. Temperature is controlled using the slope of the dependence of electric conductivity of the ion thermometric sensors on temperature. Measurement error is less than 0.3 degC. (M.D.)

  3. Metal Hall sensors for the new generation fusion reactors of DEMO scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolshakova, I.; Bulavin, M.; Kargin, N.; Kost, Ya.; Kuech, T.; Kulikov, S.; Radishevskiy, M.; Shurygin, F.; Strikhanov, M.; Vasil'evskii, I.; Vasyliev, A.

    2017-11-01

    For the first time, the results of on-line testing of metal Hall sensors based on nano-thickness (50-70) nm gold films, which was conducted under irradiation by high-energy neutrons up to the high fluences of 1 · 1024 n · m-2, are presented. The testing has been carried out in the IBR-2 fast pulsed reactor in the neutron flux with the intensity of 1.5 · 1017 n · m-2 · s-1 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The energy spectrum of neutron flux was very close to that expected for the ex-vessel sensors locations in the ITER experimental reactor. The magnetic field sensitivity of the gold sensors was stable within the whole fluence range under research. Also, sensitivity values at the start and at the end of irradiation session were equal within the measurement error (<1%). The results obtained make it possible to recommend gold sensors for magnetic diagnostics in the new generation fusion reactors of DEMO scale.

  4. Development of Micro-welding Technology of Cladding Tube with Temperature Sensor for Nuclear Fuel Irradiation Test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Soo Sung; Lee, C. Y.; Kim, W. K.; Lee, J. W.; Lee, D. Y

    2006-01-15

    Laser welding technology is widely used to fabricate some products of nuclear fuel in the nuclear industry. Especially, micro-laser welding is one of the key technology to be developed to fabricate precise products of fuel irradiation test. We have to secure laser welding technology to perform various instrumentations for fuel irradiation test. The instrumented fuel irradiation test at a research reactor is needed to evaluate the performance of the developed nuclear fuel. The fuel elements can be designed to measure the center line temperature of fuel pellets during the irradiation test by using temperature sensor. The thermal sensor was composed of thermocouple and sensor sheath. Micro-laser welding technology was adopted to seal between seal tube and sensor sheath with thickness of 0.15mm. The soundness of weld area has to be confirmed to prevent fission gas of the fuel from leaking out of the element during the fuel irradiation test. In this study, fundamental data for micro-laser welding technology was proposed to seal temperature sensor sheath of the instrumented fuel element. And, micro-laser welding for dissimilar metals between sensor sheath and seal tube was characterized by investigating welding conditions. Moreover, the micro-laser welding technology is closely related to advanced industry. It is expected that the laser material processing technology will be adopted to various applications in the industry.

  5. Evaluation of a Microbial Sensor as a Tool for Antimicrobial Activity Test of Cosmetic Preservatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomyo, Hideyuki; Ookawa, Masaki; Oshibuchi, Kota; Sugamura, Yuriko; Hosokawa, Masahito; Shionoiri, Nozomi; Maeda, Yoshiaki; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi

    2015-01-01

    For high-throughput screening of novel cosmetic preservatives, a rapid and simple assay to evaluate the antimicrobial activities should be developed because the conventional agar dilution method is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To address this issue, we evaluated a microbial sensor as a tool for rapid antimicrobial activity testing. The sensor consists of an oxygen electrode and a filter membrane that holds the test microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activity of the tested cosmetic preservative was evaluated by measuring the current increases corresponding to the decreases in oxygen consumption in the microbial respiration. The current increases detected by the sensor showed positive correlation to the concentrations of two commercially used preservatives, chlorphenesin and 2-phenoxyethanol. The same tendency was also observed when a model cosmetic product was used as a preservative solvent, indicating the feasibility in practical use. Furthermore, the microbial sensor and microfluidic flow-cell was assembled to achieve sequential measurements. The sensor system presented in this study could be useful in large-scale screening experiments.

  6. Passive wireless antenna sensor for strain and crack sensing—electromagnetic modeling, simulation, and testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Xiaohua; Cho, Chunhee; Wang, Yang; Cooper, James; Tentzeris, Manos M; Leon, Roberto T

    2013-01-01

    This research investigates a passive wireless antenna sensor designed for strain and crack sensing. When the antenna experiences deformation, the antenna shape changes, causing a shift in the electromagnetic resonance frequency of the antenna. A radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is adopted for antenna signal modulation, so that a wireless reader can easily distinguish the backscattered sensor signal from unwanted environmental reflections. The RFID chip captures its operating power from an interrogation electromagnetic wave emitted by the reader, which allows the antenna sensor to be passive (battery-free). This paper first reports the latest simulation results on radiation patterns, surface current density, and electromagnetic field distribution. The simulation results are followed with experimental results on the strain and crack sensing performance of the antenna sensor. Tensile tests show that the wireless antenna sensor can detect small strain changes lower than 20 με, and can perform well at large strains higher than 10 000 με. With a high-gain reader antenna, the wireless interrogation distance can be increased up to 2.1 m. Furthermore, an array of antenna sensors is capable of measuring the strain distribution in close proximity. During emulated crack and fatigue crack tests, the antenna sensor is able to detect the growth of a small crack. (paper)

  7. Design and Tests of the Silicon Sensors for the ZEUS Micro Vertex Detector

    OpenAIRE

    Dannheim, D.; Koetz, U.; Coldewey, C.; Fretwurst, E.; Garfagnini, A.; Klanner, R.; Martens, J.; Koffeman, E.; Tiecke, H.; Carlin, R.

    2002-01-01

    To fully exploit the HERA-II upgrade,the ZEUS experiment has installed a Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) using n-type, single-sided, silicon micro-strip sensors with capacitive charge division. The sensors have a readout pitch of 120 micrometers, with five intermediate strips (20 micrometer strip pitch). The designs of the silicon sensors and of the test structures used to verify the technological parameters, are presented. Results on the electrical measurements are discussed. A total of 1123 sen...

  8. Adaptive inferential sensors based on evolving fuzzy models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelov, Plamen; Kordon, Arthur

    2010-04-01

    A new technique to the design and use of inferential sensors in the process industry is proposed in this paper, which is based on the recently introduced concept of evolving fuzzy models (EFMs). They address the challenge that the modern process industry faces today, namely, to develop such adaptive and self-calibrating online inferential sensors that reduce the maintenance costs while keeping the high precision and interpretability/transparency. The proposed new methodology makes possible inferential sensors to recalibrate automatically, which reduces significantly the life-cycle efforts for their maintenance. This is achieved by the adaptive and flexible open-structure EFM used. The novelty of this paper lies in the following: (1) the overall concept of inferential sensors with evolving and self-developing structure from the data streams; (2) the new methodology for online automatic selection of input variables that are most relevant for the prediction; (3) the technique to detect automatically a shift in the data pattern using the age of the clusters (and fuzzy rules); (4) the online standardization technique used by the learning procedure of the evolving model; and (5) the application of this innovative approach to several real-life industrial processes from the chemical industry (evolving inferential sensors, namely, eSensors, were used for predicting the chemical properties of different products in The Dow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX). It should be noted, however, that the methodology and conclusions of this paper are valid for the broader area of chemical and process industries in general. The results demonstrate that well-interpretable and with-simple-structure inferential sensors can automatically be designed from the data stream in real time, which predict various process variables of interest. The proposed approach can be used as a basis for the development of a new generation of adaptive and evolving inferential sensors that can address the

  9. Initial development and testing of a novel foam-based pressure sensor for wearable sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smyth Barry

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper provides an overview of initial research conducted in the development of pressure-sensitive foam and its application in wearable sensing. The foam sensor is composed of polypyrrole-coated polyurethane foam, which exhibits a piezo-resistive reaction when exposed to electrical current. The use of this polymer-coated foam is attractive for wearable sensing due to the sensor's retention of desirable mechanical properties similar to those exhibited by textile structures. Methods The development of the foam sensor is described, as well as the development of a prototype sensing garment with sensors in several areas on the torso to measure breathing, shoulder movement, neck movement, and scapula pressure. Sensor properties were characterized, and data from pilot tests was examined visually. Results The foam exhibits a positive linear conductance response to increased pressure. Torso tests show that it responds in a predictable and measurable manner to breathing, shoulder movement, neck movement, and scapula pressure. Conclusion The polypyrrole foam shows considerable promise as a sensor for medical, wearable, and ubiquitous computing applications. Further investigation of the foam's consistency of response, durability over time, and specificity of response is necessary.

  10. Using an On-Line Test To Assess Reading Skills and Predict the Ability To Successfully Pass a Reading SOL Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Katherine P.

    Designing a remediation program to meet students' needs involves finding out what a student knows and needs to know. An online testing program, such as eduTest, may provide the answers. This test is a versatile instrument that offers benchmark tests, grade specific tests, and strand tests in the four content areas for grades K through 8. The…

  11. Cryogenic test facility instrumentation with fiber optic and fiber optic sensors for testing superconducting accelerator magnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiuchiolo, A.; Bajas, H.; Bajko, M.; Castaldo, B.; Consales, M.; Cusano, A.; Giordano, M.; Giloux, C.; Perez, J. C.; Sansone, L.; Viret, P.

    2017-12-01

    The magnets for the next steps in accelerator physics, such as the High Luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL- LHC) and the Future Circular Collider (FCC), require the development of new technologies for manufacturing and monitoring. To meet the HL-LHC new requirements, a large upgrade of the CERN SM18 cryogenic test facilities is ongoing with the implementation of new cryostats and cryogenic instrumentation. The paper deals with the advances in the development and the calibration of fiber optic sensors in the range 300 - 4 K using a dedicated closed-cycle refrigerator system composed of a pulse tube and a cryogen-free cryostat. The calibrated fiber optic sensors (FOS) have been installed in three vertical cryostats used for testing superconducting magnets down to 1.9 K or 4.2 K and in the variable temperature test bench (100 - 4.2 K). Some examples of FOS measurements of cryostat temperature evolution are presented as well as measurements of strain performed on a subscale of High Temperature Superconducting magnet during its powering tests.

  12. Software sensor for primary metabolite production case of alcoholic fermentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roux, G.; Dahhou, B.; Queinnec, I. [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 31 - Toulouse (France)]|[Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), 31 - Toulouse (France); Goma, G. [Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), 31 - Toulouse (France)

    1995-12-31

    This paper investigate the application of an observer for state and parameter estimation to batch, continuous and fed batch fermentations for alcohol production taken as model for a primary metabolite production. This observer is provided to palliate the lack of suitable sensors for on-line biomass and ethanol concentrations measurements and to estimate the time varying specific growth rate. Estimates are obtained from an interlaced structure filter based on a `modified extended Kalman filter` by using on-line measurements of carbon dioxide outflow rate and substrate concentration. The filter algorithm was tested during batch, continuous and fed batch fermentation processes. The filter behaviour observed in the experiments gives good results with an agreement theory/practice. (authors) 18 refs.

  13. Electrostatic sensors for SPIDER experiment: Design, manufacture of prototypes, and first tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brombin, M.; Spolaore, M.; Serianni, G.; Barzon, A.; Franchin, L.; Pasqualotto, R.; Pomaro, N.; Taliercio, C.; Trevisan, L.; Schiesko, L.

    2014-01-01

    A system of electrostatic sensors has been designed for the SPIDER (Source for the production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from RF plasma) experiment, prototype RF source of the ITER NBI (neutral beam injection). A prototype of the sensor system was manufactured and tested at the BATMAN (BAvarian Test MAchine for Negative ions) facility, where the plasma environment is similar to that of SPIDER. Different aspects concerning the mechanical manufacturing and the signal conditioning are presented, among them the RF compensation adopted to reduce the RF effects which could lead to overestimated values of the electron temperature. The first commissioning tests provided ion saturation current values in the range assumed for the design, so the deduced plasma density estimate is consistent with the expected values

  14. Electrostatic sensors for SPIDER experiment: Design, manufacture of prototypes, and first tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brombin, M.; Spolaore, M.; Serianni, G.; Barzon, A.; Franchin, L.; Pasqualotto, R.; Pomaro, N.; Schiesko, L.; Taliercio, C.; Trevisan, L.

    2014-02-01

    A system of electrostatic sensors has been designed for the SPIDER (Source for the production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from RF plasma) experiment, prototype RF source of the ITER NBI (neutral beam injection). A prototype of the sensor system was manufactured and tested at the BATMAN (BAvarian Test MAchine for Negative ions) facility, where the plasma environment is similar to that of SPIDER. Different aspects concerning the mechanical manufacturing and the signal conditioning are presented, among them the RF compensation adopted to reduce the RF effects which could lead to overestimated values of the electron temperature. The first commissioning tests provided ion saturation current values in the range assumed for the design, so the deduced plasma density estimate is consistent with the expected values.

  15. Electrostatic sensors for SPIDER experiment: design, manufacture of prototypes, and first tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brombin, M; Spolaore, M; Serianni, G; Barzon, A; Franchin, L; Pasqualotto, R; Pomaro, N; Schiesko, L; Taliercio, C; Trevisan, L

    2014-02-01

    A system of electrostatic sensors has been designed for the SPIDER (Source for the production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from RF plasma) experiment, prototype RF source of the ITER NBI (neutral beam injection). A prototype of the sensor system was manufactured and tested at the BATMAN (BAvarian Test MAchine for Negative ions) facility, where the plasma environment is similar to that of SPIDER. Different aspects concerning the mechanical manufacturing and the signal conditioning are presented, among them the RF compensation adopted to reduce the RF effects which could lead to overestimated values of the electron temperature. The first commissioning tests provided ion saturation current values in the range assumed for the design, so the deduced plasma density estimate is consistent with the expected values.

  16. A Survey of Online Activity Recognition Using Mobile Phones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Shoaib

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Physical activity recognition using embedded sensors has enabled many context-aware applications in different areas, such as healthcare. Initially, one or more dedicated wearable sensors were used for such applications. However, recently, many researchers started using mobile phones for this purpose, since these ubiquitous devices are equipped with various sensors, ranging from accelerometers to magnetic field sensors. In most of the current studies, sensor data collected for activity recognition are analyzed offline using machine learning tools. However, there is now a trend towards implementing activity recognition systems on these devices in an online manner, since modern mobile phones have become more powerful in terms of available resources, such as CPU, memory and battery. The research on offline activity recognition has been reviewed in several earlier studies in detail. However, work done on online activity recognition is still in its infancy and is yet to be reviewed. In this paper, we review the studies done so far that implement activity recognition systems on mobile phones and use only their on-board sensors. We discuss various aspects of these studies. Moreover, we discuss their limitations and present various recommendations for future research.

  17. A Survey of Online Activity Recognition Using Mobile Phones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoaib, Muhammad; Bosch, Stephan; Incel, Ozlem Durmaz; Scholten, Hans; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    2015-01-01

    Physical activity recognition using embedded sensors has enabled many context-aware applications in different areas, such as healthcare. Initially, one or more dedicated wearable sensors were used for such applications. However, recently, many researchers started using mobile phones for this purpose, since these ubiquitous devices are equipped with various sensors, ranging from accelerometers to magnetic field sensors. In most of the current studies, sensor data collected for activity recognition are analyzed offline using machine learning tools. However, there is now a trend towards implementing activity recognition systems on these devices in an online manner, since modern mobile phones have become more powerful in terms of available resources, such as CPU, memory and battery. The research on offline activity recognition has been reviewed in several earlier studies in detail. However, work done on online activity recognition is still in its infancy and is yet to be reviewed. In this paper, we review the studies done so far that implement activity recognition systems on mobile phones and use only their on-board sensors. We discuss various aspects of these studies. Moreover, we discuss their limitations and present various recommendations for future research. PMID:25608213

  18. Water Pollution Detection Based on Hypothesis Testing in Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Luo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Water pollution detection is of great importance in water conservation. In this paper, the water pollution detection problems of the network and of the node in sensor networks are discussed. The detection problems in both cases of the distribution of the monitoring noise being normal and nonnormal are considered. The pollution detection problems are analyzed based on hypothesis testing theory firstly; then, the specific detection algorithms are given. Finally, two implementation examples are given to illustrate how the proposed detection methods are used in the water pollution detection in sensor networks and prove the effectiveness of the proposed detection methods.

  19. Test and Evaluation of Fiber Optic Sensors for High-Radiation Space Nuclear Power Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klemer, Daniel; Fielder, Robert S.; Stinson-Bagby, Kelly L.

    2004-01-01

    Fiber optic sensors can be used to measure a number of parameters, including temperature, strain, pressure and flow, for instrumentation and control of space nuclear power systems. In the past, this technology has often been rejected for use in such a high-radiation environment based on early experiments that revealed a number of degradation phenomena, including radiation-induced fiber attenuation, or 'graying', and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) fading and wavelength shift. However, this paper reports the results of recent experimental testing that demonstrates readability of fiber optic sensors to extremely high levels of neutron and gamma radiation. Both distributed Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors and single-point Extrinsic Fabry Perot Interferometer (EFPI) sensors were continuously monitored over a 2-month period, during which they were exposed to combined neutron and gamma radiation in both in-core and ex-core positions within a nuclear reactor. Total exposure reached approximately 2 x 10 19 cm -2 fast neutron (E > 1 MeV) fluence and 8.7 x 10 8 Gy gamma for in-core sensors. FBG sensors were interrogated using a standard Luna Innovations FBG measurement system, which is based on optical frequency-domain reflectometer (OFDR) technology. Approximately 74% of the 19 FBG sensors located at the core centerline in the in-core position exhibited sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to remain readable even after receiving the maximum dose. EFPI sensors were spectrally interrogated using a broadband probe source operating in the 830 nm wavelength region. While these single-point sensors failed early in the test, important additional fiber spectral transmission data was collected, which indicates that interrogation of EFPI sensors in alternate wavelength regions may allow significant improvement in sensor longevity for operation in high-radiation environments. This work was funded through a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract with the Nasa Glenn Research

  20. Results from a beam test of silicon strip sensors manufactured by Infineon Technologies AG

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dragicevic, M., E-mail: marko.dragicevic@oeaw.ac.at [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria); Auzinger, G. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria); CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Bartl, U. [Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria); Bergauer, T. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria); Gamerith, S.; Hacker, J. [Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria); König, A. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria); Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria); Kröner, F.; Kucher, E.; Moser, J.; Neidhart, T. [Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria); Schulze, H.-J. [Infineon Technologies AG, Munich (Germany); Schustereder, W. [Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria); Treberspurg, W. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria); Wübben, T. [Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Villach (Austria)

    2014-11-21

    Most modern particle physics experiments use silicon based sensors for their tracking systems. These sensors are able to detect particles generated in high energy collisions with high spatial resolution and therefore allow the precise reconstruction of particle tracks. So far only a few vendors were capable of producing silicon strip sensors with the quality needed in particle physics experiments. Together with the European-based semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies AG (Infineon) the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (HEPHY) developed planar silicon strip sensors in p-on-n technology. This work presents the first results from a beam test of strip sensors manufactured by Infineon.

  1. Optimal sensor placement for modal testing on wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulze, Andreas; Zierath, János; Rosenow, Sven-Erik; Bockhahn, Reik; Rachholz, Roman; Woernle, Christoph

    2016-09-01

    The mechanical design of wind turbines requires a profound understanding of the dynamic behaviour. Even though highly detailed simulation models are already in use to support wind turbine design, modal testing on a real prototype is irreplaceable to identify site-specific conditions such as the stiffness of the tower foundation. Correct identification of the mode shapes of a complex mechanical structure much depends on the placement of the sensors. For operational modal analysis of a 3 MW wind turbine with a 120 m rotor on a 100 m tower developed by W2E Wind to Energy, algorithms for optimal placement of acceleration sensors are applied. The mode shapes used for the optimisation are calculated by means of a detailed flexible multibody model of the wind turbine. Among the three algorithms in this study, the genetic algorithm with weighted off-diagonal criterion yields the sensor configuration with the highest quality. The ongoing measurements on the prototype will be the basis for the development of optimised wind turbine designs.

  2. Prototype of a fiber optic sensor for online measurement of coating thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Emilia, Giulio

    1999-09-01

    In this paper the experimental characterization of a transducer for on line measurement of coating thickness in food industry applications is described, which is composed by a fiber optic probe and by an eddy-current proximity one. The method is based on measuring reflectance by a fiber optic probe of the coating plated on thin steel sheets. The eddy current proximity probe should be used to measure the substrate position. In order to evaluate the feasibility of this approach, a particular attention has been paid to the accuracy of the method, since an accuracy in the order of plus or minus 1 micrometer should be achieved for practical interest. With this aim, the effect of the main interfering and modifying quantities of geometrical (sensor size, probe head angle of incidence, working distance, ...) and optical (light source and photo-detector behavior stability, ...) type has been evaluated both theoretically and experimentally by using a calibration test bench in stationary working conditions. Furthermore, a calibration test bench has been built, where a translating and vibrating steel plate is realized, in order to evaluate the effect of translation velocity of the plate and also of cross vibrations. Results of dynamic calibration are also described and discussed, in order to get information about the final sensor configuration.

  3. Progress in sensor performance testing, modeling and range prediction using the TOD method: an overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bijl, Piet; Hogervorst, Maarten A.; Toet, Alexander

    2017-05-01

    The Triangle Orientation Discrimination (TOD) methodology includes i) a widely applicable, accurate end-to-end EO/IR sensor test, ii) an image-based sensor system model and iii) a Target Acquisition (TA) range model. The method has been extensively validated against TA field performance for a wide variety of well- and under-sampled imagers, systems with advanced image processing techniques such as dynamic super resolution and local adaptive contrast enhancement, and sensors showing smear or noise drift, for both static and dynamic test stimuli and as a function of target contrast. Recently, significant progress has been made in various directions. Dedicated visual and NIR test charts for lab and field testing are available and thermal test benches are on the market. Automated sensor testing using an objective synthetic human observer is within reach. Both an analytical and an image-based TOD model have recently been developed and are being implemented in the European Target Acquisition model ECOMOS and in the EOSTAR TDA. Further, the methodology is being applied for design optimization of high-end security camera systems. Finally, results from a recent perception study suggest that DRI ranges for real targets can be predicted by replacing the relevant distinctive target features by TOD test patterns of the same characteristic size and contrast, enabling a new TA modeling approach. This paper provides an overview.

  4. Online fault diagnostics and testing of area gamma radiation monitor using wireless network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, Padi Srinivas; Kumar, R. Amudhu Ramesh; Mathews, M. Geo; Amarendra, G.

    2017-07-01

    Periodical surveillance, checking, testing, and calibration of the installed Area Gamma Radiation Monitors (AGRM) in the nuclear plants are mandatory. The functionality of AGRM counting electronics and Geiger-Muller (GM) tube is to be monitored periodically. The present paper describes the development of online electronic calibration and testing of the GM tube from the control room. Two electronic circuits were developed, one for AGRM electronic test and another for AGRM detector test. A dedicated radiation data acquisition system was developed using an open platform communication server and data acquisition software. The Modbus RTU protocol on ZigBee based wireless communication was used for online monitoring and testing. The AGRM electronic test helps to carry out the three-point electronic calibration and verification of accuracy. The AGRM detector test is used to verify the GM threshold voltage and the plateau slope of the GM tube in-situ. The real-time trend graphs generated during these tests clearly identified the state of health of AGRM electronics and GM tube on go/no-go basis. This method reduces the radiation exposures received by the maintenance crew and facilitates quick testing with minimum downtime of the instrument.

  5. An overview of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Sensor Information Testbed for Collaborative Research Environment (SITCORE) and Automated Online Data Repository (AODR) capabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Dennis W.; Bennett, Kelly W.

    2017-05-01

    The Sensor Information Testbed COllaberative Research Environment (SITCORE) and the Automated Online Data Repository (AODR) are significant enablers of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL)'s Open Campus Initiative and together create a highly-collaborative research laboratory and testbed environment focused on sensor data and information fusion. SITCORE creates a virtual research development environment allowing collaboration from other locations, including DoD, industry, academia, and collation facilities. SITCORE combined with AODR provides end-toend algorithm development, experimentation, demonstration, and validation. The AODR enterprise allows the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), as well as other government organizations, industry, and academia to store and disseminate multiple intelligence (Multi-INT) datasets collected at field exercises and demonstrations, and to facilitate research and development (R and D), and advancement of analytical tools and algorithms supporting the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) community. The AODR provides a potential central repository for standards compliant datasets to serve as the "go-to" location for lessons-learned and reference products. Many of the AODR datasets have associated ground truth and other metadata which provides a rich and robust data suite for researchers to develop, test, and refine their algorithms. Researchers download the test data to their own environments using a sophisticated web interface. The AODR allows researchers to request copies of stored datasets and for the government to process the requests and approvals in an automated fashion. Access to the AODR requires two-factor authentication in the form of a Common Access Card (CAC) or External Certificate Authority (ECA)

  6. Field test of wireless sensor network in the nuclear environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, L.; Wang, Q.; Bari, A.; Deng, C.; Chen, D.; Jiang, J.; Alexander, Q.; Sur, B.

    2014-01-01

    Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are appealing options for the health monitoring of nuclear power plants due to their low cost and flexibility. Before they can be used in highly regulated nuclear environments, their reliability in the nuclear environment and compatibility with existing devices have to be assessed. In situ electromagnetic interference tests, wireless signal propagation tests, and nuclear radiation hardness tests conducted on candidate WSN systems at AECL Chalk River Labs are presented. The results are favourable to WSN in nuclear applications. (author)

  7. Field test of wireless sensor network in the nuclear environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, L., E-mail: lil@aecl.ca [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada); Wang, Q.; Bari, A. [Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Canada); Deng, C.; Chen, D. [Univ. of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Jiang, J. [Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Canada); Alexander, Q.; Sur, B. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada)

    2014-06-15

    Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are appealing options for the health monitoring of nuclear power plants due to their low cost and flexibility. Before they can be used in highly regulated nuclear environments, their reliability in the nuclear environment and compatibility with existing devices have to be assessed. In situ electromagnetic interference tests, wireless signal propagation tests, and nuclear radiation hardness tests conducted on candidate WSN systems at AECL Chalk River Labs are presented. The results are favourable to WSN in nuclear applications. (author)

  8. Hardware test program for evaluation of baseline range/range rate sensor concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernic, E.

    1985-01-01

    The test program Phase II effort provides additional design information in terms of range and range rate (R/R) sensor performance when observing and tracking a typical spacecraft target. The target used in the test program was a one-third scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) available at the MSFC test site where the tests were performed. A modified Bendix millimeter wave radar served as the R/R sensor test bed for evaluation of range and range rate tracking performance, and generation of radar signature characteristics of the spacecraft target. A summary of program test results and conclusions are presented along with detailed description of the Bendix test bed radar with accompaning instrumentation. The MSFC test site and facilities are described. The test procedures used to establish background levels, and the calibration procedures used in the range accuracy tests and RCS (radar cross section) signature measurements, are presented and a condensed version of the daily log kept during the 5 September through 17 September test period is also presented. The test program results are given starting with the RCS signature measurements, then continuing with range measurement accuracy test results and finally the range and range rate tracking accuracy test results.

  9. A Field Programmable Gate Array-Based Reconfigurable Smart-Sensor Network for Wireless Monitoring of New Generation Computer Numerically Controlled Machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion Stiharu

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Computer numerically controlled (CNC machines have evolved to adapt to increasing technological and industrial requirements. To cover these needs, new generation machines have to perform monitoring strategies by incorporating multiple sensors. Since in most of applications the online Processing of the variables is essential, the use of smart sensors is necessary. The contribution of this work is the development of a wireless network platform of reconfigurable smart sensors for CNC machine applications complying with the measurement requirements of new generation CNC machines. Four different smart sensors are put under test in the network and their corresponding signal processing techniques are implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA-based sensor node.

  10. A Field Programmable Gate Array-Based Reconfigurable Smart-Sensor Network for Wireless Monitoring of New Generation Computer Numerically Controlled Machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Tapia, Sandra Veronica; Vera-Salas, Luis Alberto; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Dominguez-Gonzalez, Aurelio; Stiharu, Ion; de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Rene

    2010-01-01

    Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines have evolved to adapt to increasing technological and industrial requirements. To cover these needs, new generation machines have to perform monitoring strategies by incorporating multiple sensors. Since in most of applications the online Processing of the variables is essential, the use of smart sensors is necessary. The contribution of this work is the development of a wireless network platform of reconfigurable smart sensors for CNC machine applications complying with the measurement requirements of new generation CNC machines. Four different smart sensors are put under test in the network and their corresponding signal processing techniques are implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based sensor node. PMID:22163602

  11. Beam test of novel n-in-p strip sensors for high radiation environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubota, T.; Kishida, T.; Jinnouchi, O.; Ikegami, Y.; Unno, Y.; Terada, S.; Mitsui, S.; Tamii, A.; Aoi, T.; Hanagaki, K.; Hara, K.; Kimura, N.; Takashima, R.; Takubo, Y.; Tojo, J.; Nagai, K.; Nakano, I.; Yorita, K.

    2013-12-01

    Highly radiation tolerant n-in-p strip sensors have been developed for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). This paper reports the results of measurements with 392 MeV kinetic energy proton beam at RCNP in December 2011. The data was taken with a new DAQ system consisting of an universal read-out board ‘SEABAS’ and beam tracking telescopes whose spacial resolution is better than 5 μm. The aim of this beam test is to evaluate the new 1 cm×1 cm n-in-p miniature sensors before and after 1015 neq cm-2 irradiation. The median charge of un-irradiated sensor is 6.2 fC at full depletion voltage, while the median charge after 1015 neq cm-2 irradiation of the sensor is 4.2 fC. The novel Punch-Through-Protection (PTP) has been implemented in these sensors. The length of active region of the sensor around PTP is observed to be decreased by 12 μm in the irradiated sensors at 1015 neq cm-2.

  12. Design and testing of miniaturized plasma sensor for measuring hypervelocity impact plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goel, A., E-mail: ashish09@stanford.edu; Tarantino, P. M.; Lauben, D. S.; Close, S. [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

    2015-04-15

    An increasingly notable component of the space environment pertains to the impact of meteoroids and orbital debris on spacecraft and the resulting mechanical and electrical damages. Traveling at speeds of tens of km/s, when these particles, collectively referred to as hypervelocity particles, impact a satellite, they vaporize, ionize, and produce a radially expanding plasma that can generate electrically harmful radio frequency emission or serve as a trigger for electrostatic discharge. In order to measure the flux, composition, energy distribution, and temperature of ions and electrons in this plasma, a miniaturized plasma sensor has been developed for carrying out in-situ measurements in space. The sensor comprises an array of electrostatic analyzer wells split into 16 different channels, catering to different species and energy ranges in the plasma. We present results from numerical simulation based optimization of sensor geometry. A novel approach of fabricating the sensor using printed circuit boards is implemented. We also describe the test setup used for calibrating the sensor and show results demonstrating the energy band pass characteristics of the sensor. In addition to the hypervelocity impact plasmas, the plasma sensor developed can also be used to carry out measurements of ionospheric plasma, diagnostics of plasma propulsion systems, and in other space physics experiments.

  13. Laboratory tests of three Z‐Land Fairfield Nodal 5‐Hz, three‐component sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ringler, Adam; Anthony, Robert E.; Karplus, M.S; Holland, Austin; Wilson, David

    2018-01-01

    We conduct a number of laboratory tests at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory to verify the self‐noise and fidelity in which 3 three‐component Fairfield Nodal Z‐Land, Generation 2, 5‐Hz sensors are able to record seismic signals. In addition to the incoherent self‐noise of the sensors, we estimate the sensitivity of the units in digital volts/m/s, the damping, and the free period. These three parameters allow us to completely characterize the response of the instruments. We find that the responses of all components match a mean‐derived response to within 5% of amplitude and 0.03 radians in phase. This close agreement suggests that for most applications a nominal response is suitable. We also checked the timing of the units as compared to a Quanterra Q330HR and found good agreement up to 200samples/s . Finally, we compared the results of our noise tests on these sensors to a couple of nodal sensors recently deployed at the Community Wavefield Demonstration Experiment in north‐central Oklahoma and found that local site noise and not the sensor self‐noise is a fundamental limiter in the resolution of these deployed sensors at frequencies above ∼0.1Hz .

  14. A novel noncontact electromagnetic field-based sensor for the monitoring of resonant fatigue tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, Si-Byung; Yun, Gun Jin; Binienda, Wieslaw; Carletta, Joan; Kim, Dong-Han

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a prototype of an electromagnetic field-based (EFB) vibration sensor that uses a novel sensing technique to monitor the resonant fatigue testing of a conductive and/or ferromagnetic target specimen is presented. The distance from the target to a coil within the sensor affects the impedance of the coil. The electronic circuitry for the sensor consists of a relaxation oscillator, an embedded microprocessor module and a high-speed digital-to-analog converter. The impedance of the coil determines the frequency of oscillation of the relaxation oscillator's output, so that vibration of the target causes changes in the oscillation frequency. A timer in the embedded microprocessor module is used to count the oscillations, producing a digital signal that indicates the coil-to-target distance. The digital signal is instantaneously converted to an analog signal to produce the sensor's output. The key technologies proposed include: (1) a novel timer counting method using the input capture functionality and timer of the embedded microprocessor module and (2) significant simplification of the analog electronic circuitry. The performance of the proposed sensor has been verified using AISI 1095 carbon steel and Al6061–T6 aluminum alloy specimens during resonant fatigue tests. The sensor shows a good linearity between displacement amplitudes and output voltages

  15. On-line detection of small radioactive ions by capillary electrophoresis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klunder, G.L.; Andrews, J.E. Jr.; Russo, R.E.

    1994-01-01

    Worldwide environmental interests have placed a great demand on developing techniques for rapid characterization of contaminated soil and groundwater. Detection of radioactive contaminants is necessary for monitoring effluents from nuclear processes or to assure proper long term storage of radioactive waste. The authors have been investigating the chemistry required to separate representative radioactive small cations and anions by capillary electrophoresis. In order to evaluate the separation chemistry, detection of stable isotopes of the representative ions was achieved by indirect absorption for cations and direct absorption for anions. Several buffer systems which have been considered in the optimization of the separations will be discussed. The authors have designed and tested two on-line radioactivity detectors for capillary electrophoresis. An on-line solid state CdTe detector was constructed for this study and a scintillation detector has been designed using a high gain photodiode light sensor. Different scintillation materials have been tested. Comparison of the detectors, design considerations, efficiency and limits of detection will be presented

  16. A Self-Reconstructing Algorithm for Single and Multiple-Sensor Fault Isolation Based on Auto-Associative Neural Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidreza Mousavi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently different approaches have been developed in the field of sensor fault diagnostics based on Auto-Associative Neural Network (AANN. In this paper we present a novel algorithm called Self reconstructing Auto-Associative Neural Network (S-AANN which is able to detect and isolate single faulty sensor via reconstruction. We have also extended the algorithm to be applicable in multiple fault conditions. The algorithm uses a calibration model based on AANN. AANN can reconstruct the faulty sensor using non-faulty sensors due to correlation between the process variables, and mean of the difference between reconstructed and original data determines which sensors are faulty. The algorithms are tested on a Dimerization process. The simulation results show that the S-AANN can isolate multiple faulty sensors with low computational time that make the algorithm appropriate candidate for online applications.

  17. On-road anomaly detection by multimodal sensor analysis and multimedia processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orhan, Fatih; Eren, P. E.

    2014-03-01

    The use of smartphones in Intelligent Transportation Systems is gaining popularity, yet many challenges exist in developing functional applications. Due to the dynamic nature of transportation, vehicular social applications face complexities such as developing robust sensor management, performing signal and image processing tasks, and sharing information among users. This study utilizes a multimodal sensor analysis framework which enables the analysis of sensors in multimodal aspect. It also provides plugin-based analyzing interfaces to develop sensor and image processing based applications, and connects its users via a centralized application as well as to social networks to facilitate communication and socialization. With the usage of this framework, an on-road anomaly detector is being developed and tested. The detector utilizes the sensors of a mobile device and is able to identify anomalies such as hard brake, pothole crossing, and speed bump crossing. Upon such detection, the video portion containing the anomaly is automatically extracted in order to enable further image processing analysis. The detection results are shared on a central portal application for online traffic condition monitoring.

  18. Wireless sensors for predictive maintenance of rotating equipment in research reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    2011-01-01

    In 2008-2009, the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) tested the potential of predictive or condition-based maintenance techniques to reduce maintenance costs, minimize the risk of catastrophic failures, and maximize system availability by attaching wireless-based sensors to selected rotating equipment at HFIR. Rotating equipment is an ideal 'test case' for the viability of integrated, online predictive maintenance strategies because motors, bearings, and shafts are ubiquitous in nuclear power plants and because the maintenance methods typically performed on rotating equipment today (such as portable or handheld vibration data collection equipment) are highly labor-intensive. The HFIR project achieved all five of its objectives: (1) to identify rotating machinery of the types used in research reactors and determine their operational characteristics, degradation mechanisms, and failure modes, (2) to establish a predictive maintenance program for rotating equipment in research reactors, (3) to identify wireless sensors that are suitable for predictive maintenance of rotating machinery and test them in a laboratory setting, (4) to establish the requirements and procedures to be followed when implementing wireless sensors for predictive maintenance in research reactors, and (5) to develop a conceptual design for a predictive maintenance system for research reactors based on wireless sensors. The project demonstrated that wireless sensors offer an effective method for monitoring key process conditions continuously and remotely, thereby enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the aging research reactor fleet.

  19. Verification test for on-line diagnosis algorithm based on noise analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamaoki, T.; Naito, N.; Tsunoda, T.; Sato, M.; Kameda, A.

    1980-01-01

    An on-line diagnosis algorithm was developed and its verification test was performed using a minicomputer. This algorithm identifies the plant state by analyzing various system noise patterns, such as power spectral densities, coherence functions etc., in three procedure steps. Each obtained noise pattern is examined by using the distances from its reference patterns prepared for various plant states. Then, the plant state is identified by synthesizing each result with an evaluation weight. This weight is determined automatically from the reference noise patterns prior to on-line diagnosis. The test was performed with 50 MW (th) Steam Generator noise data recorded under various controller parameter values. The algorithm performance was evaluated based on a newly devised index. The results obtained with one kind of weight showed the algorithm efficiency under the proper selection of noise patterns. Results for another kind of weight showed the robustness of the algorithm to this selection. (orig.)

  20. Applying neural networks as software sensors for enzyme engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linko, S; Zhu, Y H; Linko, P

    1999-04-01

    The on-line control of enzyme-production processes is difficult, owing to the uncertainties typical of biological systems and to the lack of suitable on-line sensors for key process variables. For example, intelligent methods to predict the end point of fermentation could be of great economic value. Computer-assisted control based on artificial-neural-network models offers a novel solution in such situations. Well-trained feedforward-backpropagation neural networks can be used as software sensors in enzyme-process control; their performance can be affected by a number of factors.

  1. Spectroscopic On-Line Monitoring of Cu/W Contacts Erosion in HVCBs Using Optical-Fibre Based Sensor and Chromatic Methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhixiang; Jones, Gordon R; Spencer, Joseph W; Wang, Xiaohua; Rong, Mingzhe

    2017-03-06

    Contact erosion is one of the most crucial factors affecting the electrical service lifetime of high-voltage circuit breakers (HVCBs). On-line monitoring the contacts' erosion degree is increasingly in demand for the sake of condition based maintenance to guarantee the functional operation of HVCBs. A spectroscopic monitoring system has been designed based upon a commercial 245 kV/40 kA S F 6 live tank circuit breaker with copper-tungsten (28 wt % and 72 wt %) arcing contacts at atmospheric S F 6 pressure. Three optical-fibre based sensors are used to capture the time-resolved spectra of arcs. A novel approach using chromatic methods to process the time-resolved spectral signal has been proposed. The processed chromatic parameters have been interpreted to show that the time variation of spectral emission from the contact material and quenching gas are closely correlated to the mass loss and surface degradation of the plug arcing contact. The feasibility of applying this method to online monitoring of contact erosion is indicated.

  2. Spectroscopic On-Line Monitoring of Cu/W Contacts Erosion in HVCBs Using Optical-Fibre Based Sensor and Chromatic Methodology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhixiang Wang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Contact erosion is one of the most crucial factors affecting the electrical service lifetime of high-voltage circuit breakers (HVCBs. On-line monitoring the contacts’ erosion degree is increasingly in demand for the sake of condition based maintenance to guarantee the functional operation of HVCBs. A spectroscopic monitoring system has been designed based upon a commercial 245 kV/40 kA S F 6 live tank circuit breaker with copper–tungsten (28 wt % and 72 wt % arcing contacts at atmospheric S F 6 pressure. Three optical-fibre based sensors are used to capture the time-resolved spectra of arcs. A novel approach using chromatic methods to process the time-resolved spectral signal has been proposed. The processed chromatic parameters have been interpreted to show that the time variation of spectral emission from the contact material and quenching gas are closely correlated to the mass loss and surface degradation of the plug arcing contact. The feasibility of applying this method to online monitoring of contact erosion is indicated.

  3. Accelerated degeneration testing for flowmeter sensors. Evaluation and constancy against measuring; Beschleunigte Abnutzungspruefung fuer Durchflusssensoren. Abschaetzung der Messbestaendigkeit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rose, Juergen; Fenske, Helmut; Gerdes, Oda [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin (Germany). Fachbereich Waerme

    2009-01-15

    Test specifications for flow sensors state that a fatigue test should be carried out for 2400 h. The PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt), in cooperation with industrial organisations, developed a faster fatigue test for mechanical and static sensors which requires only 600 h. (orig.)

  4. The Sandia MEMS Passive Shock Sensor : FY08 testing for functionality, model validation, and technology readiness.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walraven, Jeremy Allen; Blecke, Jill; Baker, Michael Sean; Clemens, Rebecca C.; Mitchell, John Anthony; Brake, Matthew Robert; Epp, David S.; Wittwer, Jonathan W.

    2008-10-01

    This report summarizes the functional, model validation, and technology readiness testing of the Sandia MEMS Passive Shock Sensor in FY08. Functional testing of a large number of revision 4 parts showed robust and consistent performance. Model validation testing helped tune the models to match data well and identified several areas for future investigation related to high frequency sensitivity and thermal effects. Finally, technology readiness testing demonstrated the integrated elements of the sensor under realistic environments.

  5. Effect of Using an Indoor Air Quality Sensor on Perceptions of and Behaviors Toward Air Pollution (Pittsburgh Empowerment Library Study): Online Survey and Interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Dias, M Beatrice; Taylor, Michael

    2018-03-08

    Air quality affects us all and is a rapidly growing concern in the 21st century. We spend the majority of our lives indoors and can be exposed to a number of pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns (particulate matter, PM 2.5 ) resulting in detrimental health effects. Indoor air quality sensors have the potential to provide people with the information they need to understand their risk and take steps to reduce their exposure. One such sensor is the Speck sensor developed at the Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. This sensor provides users with continuous real-time and historical PM 2.5 information, a Web-based platform where people can track their PM 2.5 levels over time and learn about ways to reduce their exposure, and a venue (blog post) for the user community to exchange information. Little is known about how the use of such monitors affects people's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to indoor air pollution. The aim of this study was to assess whether using the sensor changes what people know and do about indoor air pollution. We conducted 2 studies. In the first study, we recruited 276 Pittsburgh residents online and through local branches of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where the Speck sensor was made available by the researchers in the library catalog. Participants completed a 10- to 15-min survey on air pollution knowledge (its health impact, sources, and mitigation options), perceptions of indoor air quality, confidence in mitigation, current behaviors toward air quality, and personal empowerment and creativity in the spring and summer of 2016. In our second study, we surveyed 26 Pittsburgh residents in summer 2016 who checked out the Speck sensor for 3 weeks on the same measures assessed in the first study, with additional questions about the perception and use of the sensor. Follow-up interviews were conducted with a subset of those who used the Speck sensor. A series of paired t

  6. Sensor set-up for wireless measurement of automotive rim and wheel parameters in laboratory conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borecki, M.; Prus, P.; Korwin-Pawlowski, M. L.; Rychlik, A.; Kozubel, W.

    2017-08-01

    Modern rims and wheels are tested at the design and production stages. Tests can be performed in laboratory conditions and on the ride. In the laboratory, complex and costly equipment is used, as for example wheel balancers and impact testers. Modern wheel balancers are equipped with electronic and electro-mechanical units that enable touch-less measurement of dimensions, including precision measurement of radial and lateral wheel run-out, automatic positioning and application of the counterweights, and vehicle wheel set monitoring - tread wear, drift angles and run-out unbalance. Those tests are performed by on-wheel axis measurements with laser distance meters. The impact tester enables dropping of weights from a defined height onto a wheel. Test criteria are the loss of pressure of the tire and generation of cracks in the wheel without direct impact of the falling weights. In the present paper, a set up composed of three accelerometers, a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor is examined as the base of a wheel tester. The sensor set-up configuration, on-line diagnostic and signal transmission are discussed.

  7. Aging management of instrumentation and control sensors in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    2010-01-01

    Pressure to improve plant efficiency and maximize safety and the increasing age of existing NPPs are forcing the global nuclear power industry to confront the challenges of aging - caused by stressors such as temperature, humidity, radiation, electricity, and vibration - in key instrument and control (I and C) components like pressure transmitters, temperature sensors, neutron detectors, and cables. Traditional aging management methods, such as equipment replacement, required the process to be shut down. Recent aging management technologies, collectively known as online monitoring (OLM), enable plants to monitor the condition and aging of their installed I and C while the plant is operating. Developed through R and D initiatives worldwide, such OLM techniques include low- and high-frequency methods that use existing sensors, such as noise analysis; methods based on test or diagnostic sensors, such as for vibration-measuring accelerometers; and methods, such as the power interrupt (PI) test, based on active measurements made by injecting a test signal into the component under test. A review of these aging management methods, their effectiveness, and their interrelation provides a foundation for understanding the next stage in the evolution of OLM: truly integrated hybrid OLM systems capable of robust condition monitoring in both novel and familiar operating conditions.

  8. Exploring dispositional tendencies to seek online information about direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paquin, Ryan S; Richards, Adam S; Koehly, Laura M; McBride, Colleen M

    2012-12-01

    Varying perspectives exist regarding the implications of genetic susceptibility testing for common disease, with some anticipating adverse effects and others expecting positive outcomes; however, little is known about the characteristics of people who are most likely to be interested in direct-to-consumer genetic testing. To that end, this study examines the association of individual dispositional differences with health risk perceptions and online information seeking related to a free genetic susceptibility test. Healthy adults enrolled in a large health maintenance organization were surveyed by telephone. Eligible participants (N = 1,959) were given access to a secure website that provided risk and benefit information about a genetic susceptibility test and given the option to be tested. Neuroticism was associated with increased perceptions of disease risk but not with logging on. Those scoring high in conscientiousness were more likely to log on. We found no evidence that neuroticism, a dispositional characteristic commonly linked to adverse emotional response, was predictive of online genetic information seeking in this sample of healthy adults.

  9. On-line monitoring system development for single-phase flow accelerated corrosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Na Young; Lee, Seung Gi; Ryu, Kyung Ha; Hwang, Il Soon

    2007-01-01

    Aged nuclear piping has been reported to undergo corrosion-induced accelerated failures, often without giving signatures to current inspection campaigns. Therefore, we need diverse sensors which can cover a wide area in an on-line application. We suggest an integrated approach to monitor the flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) susceptible piping. Since FAC is a combined phenomenon, we need to monitor as many parameters as possible and that cover wide area, since we do not know where the FAC occurs. For this purpose, we introduce the wearing rate model which focuses on the electrochemical parameters. Using this model, we can predict the wearing rate and then compare testing results. Through analysis we identified feasibility and then developed electrochemical sensors for high temperature application; we also introduced a mechanical monitoring system which is still under development. To support the validation of the monitored results, we adopted high temperature ultrasonic transducer (UT), which shows good resolution in the testing environment. As such, all the monitored results can be compared in terms of thickness. Our validation tests demonstrated the feasibility of sensors. To support direct thickness measurement for a wide-area, the direct current potential drop (DCPD) method will be researched to integrate into the developed framework

  10. Frontside-micromachined planar piezoresistive vibration sensor: Evaluating performance in the low frequency test range

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lan Zhang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Using a surface piezoresistor diffusion method and front-side only micromachining process, a planar piezoresistive vibration sensor was successfully developed with a simple structure, lower processing cost and fewer packaging difficulties. The vibration sensor had a large sector proof mass attached to a narrow flexure. Optimization of the boron diffusion piezoresistor placed on the edge of the narrow flexure greatly improved the sensitivity. Planar vibration sensors were fabricated and measured in order to analyze the effects of the sensor dimensions on performance, including the values of flexure width and the included angle of the sector. Sensitivities of fabricated planar sensors of 0.09–0.46 mV/V/g were measured up to a test frequency of 60 Hz. The sensor functioned at low voltages (<3 V and currents (<1 mA with a high sensitivity and low drift. At low background noise levels, the sensor had performance comparable to a commercial device.

  11. Frontside-micromachined planar piezoresistive vibration sensor: Evaluating performance in the low frequency test range

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Lan; Lu, Jian, E-mail: jian-lu@aist.go.jp; Takagi, Hideki; Maeda, Ryutaro [Research Center for Ubiquitous MEMS and Micro Engineering (UMEMSME), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8564 (Japan)

    2014-01-15

    Using a surface piezoresistor diffusion method and front-side only micromachining process, a planar piezoresistive vibration sensor was successfully developed with a simple structure, lower processing cost and fewer packaging difficulties. The vibration sensor had a large sector proof mass attached to a narrow flexure. Optimization of the boron diffusion piezoresistor placed on the edge of the narrow flexure greatly improved the sensitivity. Planar vibration sensors were fabricated and measured in order to analyze the effects of the sensor dimensions on performance, including the values of flexure width and the included angle of the sector. Sensitivities of fabricated planar sensors of 0.09–0.46 mV/V/g were measured up to a test frequency of 60 Hz. The sensor functioned at low voltages (<3 V) and currents (<1 mA) with a high sensitivity and low drift. At low background noise levels, the sensor had performance comparable to a commercial device.

  12. Model Based Optimal Sensor Network Design for Condition Monitoring in an IGCC Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Rajeeva; Kumar, Aditya; Dai, Dan; Seenumani, Gayathri; Down, John; Lopez, Rodrigo

    2012-12-31

    these two formulations were developed and validated. For a given OSP problem the computation efficiency largely depends on the “size” of the problem. Initially a simplified 1-D gasifier model assuming axial and azimuthal symmetry was used to test out various OSP algorithms. Finally these algorithms were used to design the optimal sensor network for condition monitoring of IGCC gasifier refractory wear and RSC fouling. The sensors type and locations obtained as solution to the OSP problem were validated using model based sensing approach. The OSP algorithm has been developed in a modular form and has been packaged as a software tool for OSP design where a designer can explore various OSP design algorithm is a user friendly way. The OSP software tool is implemented in Matlab/Simulink© in-house. The tool also uses few optimization routines that are freely available on World Wide Web. In addition a modular Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) block has also been developed in Matlab/Simulink© which can be utilized for model based sensing of important process variables that are not directly measured through combining the online sensors with model based estimation once the hardware sensor and their locations has been finalized. The OSP algorithm details and the results of applying these algorithms to obtain optimal sensor location for condition monitoring of gasifier refractory wear and RSC fouling profile are summarized in this final report.

  13. Post-Graduate Student Performance in "Supervised In-Class" vs. "Unsupervised Online" Multiple Choice Tests: Implications for Cheating and Test Security

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladyshewsky, Richard K.

    2015-01-01

    This research explores differences in multiple choice test (MCT) scores in a cohort of post-graduate students enrolled in a management and leadership course. A total of 250 students completed the MCT in either a supervised in-class paper and pencil test or an unsupervised online test. The only statistically significant difference between the nine…

  14. A novel capacitance sensor for fireside corrosion measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Heng; Li, Zuoping

    2009-11-01

    Fireside corrosion in coal-fired power plants is a leading mechanism for boiler tube failures. Online monitoring of fireside corrosion can provide timely data to plant operators for mitigation implementation. This paper presents a novel sensor concept for measuring metal loss based on electrical capacitance. Laboratory-scale experiments demonstrated the feasibility of design, fabrication, and operation of the sensor. The fabrication of the prototype sensor involved sputtering deposition of a thin metal coating with varying thickness on a ceramic substrate. Corrosion metal loss resulted in a proportional decrease in electrical capacitance of the sensor. Laboratory experiments using a muffle furnace with an oxidation environment demonstrated that low carbon steel coatings on ceramic substrate survived cyclic temperatures over 500 °C. Measured corrosion rates of sputtered coating in air had an Arrhenius exponential dependence on temperature, with metal thickness loss ranging from 2.0 nm/h at 200 °C to 2.0 μm/h at 400 °C. Uncertainty analysis indicated that the overall measurement uncertainty was within 4%. The experimental system showed high signal-to-noise ratio, and the sensor could measure submicrometer metal thickness changes. The laboratory experiments demonstrated that the sensor concept and measurement system are capable of short term, online monitoring of metal loss, indicating the potential for the sensor to be used for fireside corrosion monitoring and other metal loss measurement.

  15. Perancangan Jaringan Sensor Terdistribusi untuk Pengaturan Suhu, Kelembaban dan Intensitas Cahaya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bimo Ananto Pamungkas

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper contains distributed sensor system design for temperature, air humidity, and light intensity monitoring in greenhouse based Arduino Uno board. System contains 2 sensor-actuator nodes, and 1 controller node connected to Ethernet network through Ethernet Shield board. Sensor-actuator node with DHT 11 sensor works for taking environment informations such as temperature, air humidity, and light intensity, runs actuation in the form of emulating LED lights; and communicates with controller node which will process data using serial wire as a communication tool between nodes. Monitoring datas and user control interface is provided by controller node which can be accessed online in web browser. The system ability for monitoring environment in greenhouse and online access of environmental data generates controllable and automatic monitoring and management of plants.

  16. Magnetic Resonance Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert H. Morris

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic Resonance finds countless applications, from spectroscopy to imaging, routinely in almost all research and medical institutions across the globe. It is also becoming more frequently used for specific applications in which the whole instrument and system is designed for a dedicated application. With beginnings in borehole logging for the petro-chemical industry Magnetic Resonance sensors have been applied to fields as varied as online process monitoring for food manufacture and medical point of care diagnostics. This great diversity is seeing exciting developments in magnetic resonance sensing technology published in application specific journals where they are often not seen by the wider sensor community. It is clear that there is enormous interest in magnetic resonance sensors which represents a significant growth area. The aim of this special edition of Sensors was to address the wide distribution of relevant articles by providing a forum to disseminate cutting edge research in this field in a single open source publication.[...

  17. An Innovative Optical Sensor for the Online Monitoring and Control of Biomass Concentration in a Membrane Bioreactor System for Lactic Acid Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong Fan

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Accurate real-time process control is necessary to increase process efficiency, and optical sensors offer a competitive solution because they provide diverse system information in a noninvasive manner. We used an innovative scattered light sensor for the online monitoring of biomass during lactic acid production in a membrane bioreactor system because biomass determines productivity in this type of process. The upper limit of the measurement range in fermentation broth containing Bacillus coagulans was ~2.2 g·L−1. The specific cell growth rate (µ during the exponential phase was calculated using data representing the linear range (cell density ≤ 0.5 g·L−1. The results were consistently and reproducibly more accurate than offline measurements of optical density and cell dry weight, because more data were gathered in real-time over a shorter duration. Furthermore, µmax was measured under different filtration conditions (transmembrane pressure 0.3–1.2 bar, crossflow velocity 0.5–1.5 m·s−1, showing that energy input had no significant impact on cell growth. Cell density was monitored using the sensor during filtration and was maintained at a constant level by feeding with glucose according to the fermentation kinetics. Our novel sensor is therefore suitable for integration into control strategies for continuous fermentation in membrane bioreactor systems.

  18. Component design and testing for a miniaturised autonomous sensor based on a nanowire materials platform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajesh Ramaneti; Francois Krummenacher; Fritz Falk; Naser Khosropour; Björn Eisenhawer; Cees van Rijn; Giorgos Fagas; Ran Yu; Adrian M. Ionescu; Ing. Erik Puik; Montserrat Fernández-Bolaños Badia; Nikolay Petkov; Hien Duy Tong; Rik Lafeber; John C De Mello; Olan Lotty; Adrian M. Nightingale; Yordan M. Georgiev; Elizabeth Buitrago; Frank van der Bent; Michael Nolan; Justin D. Holmes; Annett Gawlik; Maher Kayal; Guobin Jia

    2014-01-01

    From Springer description: "We present the design considerations of an autonomous wireless sensor and discuss the fabrication and testing of the various components including the energy harvester, the active sensing devices and the power management and sensor interface circuits. A common materials

  19. A flowing liquid test system for assessing the linearity and time-response of rapid fibre optic oxygen partial pressure sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, R; Hahn, C E W; Farmery, A D

    2012-08-15

    The development of a methodology for testing the time response, linearity and performance characteristics of ultra fast fibre optic oxygen sensors in the liquid phase is presented. Two standard medical paediatric oxygenators are arranged to provide two independent extracorporeal circuits. Flow from either circuit can be diverted over the sensor under test by means of a system of rapid cross-over solenoid valves exposing the sensor to an abrupt change in oxygen partial pressure, P O2. The system is also capable of testing the oxygen sensor responses to changes in temperature, carbon dioxide partial pressure P CO2 and pH in situ. Results are presented for a miniature fibre optic oxygen sensor constructed in-house with a response time ≈ 50 ms and a commercial fibre optic sensor (Ocean Optics Foxy), when tested in flowing saline and stored blood. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Detection of sensor failures in nuclear plants using analytic redundancy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitamura, M.

    1980-01-01

    A method for on-line, nonperturbative detection and identification of sensor failures in nuclear power plants was studied to determine its feasibility. This method is called analytic redundancy, or functional redundancy. Sensor failure has traditionally been detected by comparing multiple signals from redundant sensors, such as in two-out-of-three logic. In analytic redundancy, with the help of an assumed model of the physical system, the signals from a set of sensors are processed to reproduce the signals from all system sensors

  1. 3D-FBK Pixel sensors: recent beam tests results with irradiated devices

    CERN Document Server

    Micelli, A; Sandaker, H; Stugu, B; Barbero, M; Hugging, F; Karagounis, M; Kostyukhin, V; Kruger, H; Tsung, J W; Wermes, N; Capua, M; Fazio, S; Mastroberardino, A; Susinno, G; Gallrapp, C; Di Girolamo, B; Dobos, D; La Rosa, A; Pernegger, H; Roe, S; Slavicek, T; Pospisil, S; Jakobs, K; Kohler, M; Parzefall, U; Darbo, G; Gariano, G; Gemme, C; Rovani, A; Ruscino, E; Butter, C; Bates, R; Oshea, V; Parker, S; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Grinstein, S; Korokolov, I; Pradilla, C; Einsweiler, K; Garcia-Sciveres, M; Borri, M; Da Via, C; Freestone, J; Kolya, S; Lai, C H; Nellist, C; Pater, J; Thompson, R; Watts, S J; Hoeferkamp, M; Seidel, S; Bolle, E; Gjersdal, H; Sjobaek, K N; Stapnes, S; Rohne, O; Su, D; Young, C; Hansson, P; Grenier, P; Hasi, J; Kenney, C; Kocian, M; Jackson, P; Silverstein, D; Davetak, H; DeWilde, B; Tsybychev, D; Dalla Betta, G F; Gabos, P; Povoli, M; Cobal, M; Giordani, M P; Selmi, L; Cristofoli, A; Esseni, D; Palestri, P; Fleta, C; Lozano, M; Pellegrini, G; Boscardin, M; Bagolini, A; Piemonte, C; Ronchin, S; Zorzi, N; Hansen, T E; Hansen, T; Kok, A; Lietaer, N; Kalliopuska, J; Oja, A

    2011-01-01

    The Pixel detector is the innermost part of the ATLAS experiment tracking device at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and plays a key role in the reconstruction of the primary and secondary vertices of short-lived particles. To cope with the high level of radiation produced during the collider operation, it is planned to add to the present three layers of silicon pixel sensors which constitute the Pixel Detector, an additional layer (Insertable B-Layer, or IBL) of sensors. 3D silicon sensors are one of the technologies which are under study for the IBL. 3D silicon technology is an innovative combination of very-large-scale integration (VLSI) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) where electrodes are fabricated inside the silicon bulk instead of being implanted on the wafer surfaces. 3D sensors, with electrodes fully or partially penetrating the silicon substrate, are currently fabricated at different processing facilities in Europe and USA. This paper reports on the 2010 June beam test results for irradi...

  2. Field monitoring of static, dynamic, and statnamic pile loading tests using fibre Bragg grating strain sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jin; Correia, Ricardo P.; Chehura, Edmon; Staines, Stephen; James, Stephen W.; Tatam, Ralph; Butcher, Antony P.; Fuentes, Raul

    2009-10-01

    Pile loading test plays an important role in the field of piling engineering. In order to gain further insight into the load transfer mechanism, strain gauges are often used to measure local strains along the piles. This paper reports a case whereby FBG strain sensors was employed in a field trial conducted on three different types of pile loading tests in a glacial till. The instrumentation systems were configured to suit the specific characteristic of each type of test. Typical test results are presented. The great potential of using FBG sensors for pile testing is shown.

  3. On-line plutonium measurement by alpha counting using a silica glass sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edeline, J.C.; Furgolle, B.

    1980-01-01

    Some cerium activated high purity silica glasses are good sensors for ionising particles counting. These sensors may be used for measuring plutonium concentrations in corrosive solutions which are typical in reprocessing operations. The thickness of the sensor has been reduced to minimize beta sensitivity. The thin sensor is hold by molecular adhesion to a thick glass mount which is soldered to the stainless steel sample cell [fr

  4. Development of dielectric sensor to monitor the engine lubricating oil degradation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balashanmugam Vasanthan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Present day practice of following fixed schedules of oil change intervals could result in loss for the equipment owner, as the oil is not utilized up-to its maximum useful life. Similarly, the extended use of engine oil beyond maximum useful life is of high risk, which could lead irreversible and catastrophic damages to engine parts. Engine oil condition indicates the condition of engine parts, in any application. Therefore, monitoring the condition of the oil in real time is of paramount importance. Researchers had established that the engine oil degradation correlates with change in dielectric property of the engine oil. The important factor to realize the on-line real time monitoring of the changes in dielectric property of the engine oil is, the cost of dielectric sensor within affordable limit for an operator. Current work aims at developing such a low cost affordable dielectric sensor and engine oil samples (SAE 15W40 grade were collected from durability test engines used in engine test rig and on-road vehicles. These samples were tested for physical and chemical properties. Any changes in the properties, of engine oil monitored, indicate that it undergoes degradation due to usage. A prototype of capacitive type sensor was developed and validated with reference fluids. The dielectric values measured using proto type sensor in the used oil samples show a correlation with change in physical properties. This trend and thresholds of dielectric provides effective plat form to monitor the engine oil degradation. The sensor could be coupled to a suitable warning device by incorporating specific algorithms.

  5. Structure and yarn sensor for fabric

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mee, D.K.; Allgood, G.O.; Mooney, L.R.; Duncan, M.G.; Turner, J.C.; Treece, D.A.

    1998-10-20

    A structure and yarn sensor for fabric directly determines pick density in a fabric thereby allowing fabric length and velocity to be calculated from a count of the picks made by the sensor over known time intervals. The structure and yarn sensor is also capable of detecting full length woven defects and fabric. As a result, an inexpensive on-line pick (or course) density measurement can be performed which allows a loom or knitting machine to be adjusted by either manual or automatic means to maintain closer fiber density tolerances. Such a sensor apparatus dramatically reduces fabric production costs and significantly improves fabric consistency and quality for woven or knitted fabric. 13 figs.

  6. High Neutron Fluence Survivability Testing of Advanced Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fielder, Robert S.; Klemer, Daniel; Stinson-Bagby, Kelly L.

    2004-01-01

    The motivation for the reported research was to support NASA space nuclear power initiatives through the development of advanced fiber optic sensors for space-based nuclear power applications. The purpose of the high-neutron fluence testing was to demonstrate the survivability of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in a fission reactor environment. 520 FBGs were installed in the Ford reactor at the University of Michigan. The reactor was operated for 1012 effective full power hours resulting in a maximum neutron fluence of approximately 5x1019 n/cm2, and a maximum gamma dose of 2x103 MGy gamma. This work is significant in that, to the knowledge of the authors, the exposure levels obtained are approximately 1000 times higher than for any previously published experiment. Four different fiber compositions were evaluated. An 87% survival rate was observed for fiber Bragg gratings located at the fuel centerline. Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR), originally developed at the NASA Langley Research Center, can be used to interrogate several thousand low-reflectivity FBG strain and/or temperature sensors along a single optical fiber. A key advantage of the OFDR sensor technology for space nuclear power is the extremely low mass of the sensor, which consists of only a silica fiber 125μm in diameter. The sensors produced using this technology will fill applications in nuclear power for current reactor plants, emerging Generation-IV reactors, and for space nuclear power. The reported research was conducted by Luna Innovations and was funded through a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract with the NASA Glenn Research Center

  7. Obstacle avoidance test using a sensor-based autonomous robotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Yoshio; Suzuki, Katsuo

    1998-12-01

    From a viewpoint of reducing personnel radiation exposure of plant staffs working in the high radiation area of nuclear facilities, it is often said to be necessary to develop remote robotic systems, which have great potential of performing various tasks in nuclear facilities. Hence, we developed an advanced remote robotic system, consisting of redundant manipulator and environment-sensing systems, which can be applied to complicated handling tasks under unstructured environment. In the robotic system, various types of sensors for environment-sensing are mounted on the redundant manipulator and sensor-based autonomous capabilities are incorporated. This report describes the results of autonomous obstacle avoidance test which was carried out as follows: manipulating valves at the rear-side of wall, through a narrow window of the wall, with the redundant manipulator mounted on an x-axis driving mechanism. From this test, it is confirmed that the developed robotic system can autonomously achieve handling tasks in limited space as avoiding obstacles, which is supposed to be difficult by a non-redundant manipulator. (author)

  8. Rapid drug susceptibility test of mycobacterium tuberculosis by bioluminescence sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Bin; Xu, Shunqing; Chen, Zifei; Zhou, Yikai

    2001-09-01

    With the persisting increase of drug-resistant stains of M. Tuberculosis around the world, rapid and sensitive detection of antibiotic of M. Tuberculosis is becoming more and more important. In the present study, drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis were detected by recombination mycobacteriophage combined with bioluminescence sensor. It is based on the use of recombination mycobacteriophage which can express firefly luciferase when it infects viable mycobacteria, and can effectively produce quantifiable photon. Meanwhile, in mycobacterium cells treated with active antibiotic, no light is observed. The emitted light is recorded by a bioluminscence sensor, so the result of drug-resistant test can be determined by the naked eye. 159 stains of M. tuberculosis were applied to this test on their resistant to rifampin, streptomycin and isoniazid. It is found that the agreement of this assay with Liewenstein- Jensen slat is: rifampin 95.60 percent, isoniazid 91.82 percent, streptomycin 88.68 percent, which showed that it is a fast and practical method to scene and detect drug resistant of mycobacterium stains.

  9. A Passive Testing Approach for Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoping Che

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Smart systems are today increasingly developed with the number of wireless sensor devices drastically increasing. They are implemented within several contexts throughout our environment. Thus, sensed data transported in ubiquitous systems are important, and the way to carry them must be efficient and reliable. For that purpose, several routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks (WSN. However, one stage that is often neglected before their deployment is the conformance testing process, a crucial and challenging step. Compared to active testing techniques commonly used in wired networks, passive approaches are more suitable to the WSN environment. While some works propose to specify the protocol with state models or to analyze them with simulators and emulators, we here propose a logic-based approach for formally specifying some functional requirements of a novel WSN routing protocol. We provide an algorithm to evaluate these properties on collected protocol execution traces. Further, we demonstrate the efficiency and suitability of our approach by its application into common WSN functional properties, as well as specific ones designed from our own routing protocol. We provide relevant testing verdicts through a real indoor testbed and the implementation of our protocol. Furthermore, the flexibility, genericity and practicability of our approach have been proven by the experimental results.

  10. Strip defect recognition in electrical tests of silicon microstrip sensors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valentan, Manfred, E-mail: valentan@mpp.mpg.de

    2017-02-11

    This contribution describes the measurement procedure and data analysis of AC-coupled double-sided silicon microstrip sensors with polysilicon resistor biasing. The most thorough test of a strip sensor is an electrical measurement of all strips of the sensor; the measured observables include e.g. the strip's current and the coupling capacitance. These measurements are performed to find defective strips, e.g. broken capacitors (pinholes) or implant shorts between two adjacent strips. When a strip has a defect, its observables will show a deviation from the “typical value”. To recognize and quantify certain defects, it is necessary to determine these typical values, i.e. the values the observables would have without the defect. As a novel approach, local least-median-of-squares linear fits are applied to determine these “would-be” values of the observables. A least-median-of-squares fit is robust against outliers, i.e. it ignores the observable values of defective strips. Knowing the typical values allows to recognize, distinguish and quantify a whole range of strip defects. This contribution explains how the various defects appear in the data and in which order the defects can be recognized. The method has been used to find strip defects on 30 double-sided trapezoidal microstrip sensors for the Belle II Silicon Vertex Detector, which have been measured at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Vienna (Austria).

  11. Field experience with advanced methods of on-line monitoring of water chemistry and corrosion degradation in nuclear power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stellwag, B.; Aaltonen, P.; Hickling, J.

    1997-01-01

    Advanced methods for on-line, in-situ water chemistry and corrosion monitoring in nuclear power stations have been developed during the past decade. The terms ''on-line'' and ''in-situ'' characterize approaches involving continuous measurement of relevant parameters in high temperature water, preferably directly in the systems and components and not in removed samples at room temperature. This paper describes the field experience to-date with such methods in terms of three examples: (1) On-line chemistry monitoring of the primary coolant during shutdown of a Type WWER-440 PWR. (2) Redox and corrosion potential measurements in final feedwater preheaters and steam generators of two large KWU PWRs over several cycles of plant operation. (3) Real-time, in-situ corrosion surveillance inside the calundia vault of a CANDU reactor. The way in which water chemistry sensors and corrosion monitoring sensors complement each other is outlined: on-line, in-situ measurement of pH, conductivity and redox potential gives information about the possible corrosivity of the environment. Electrochemical noise techniques display signals of corrosion activity under the actual environmental conditions. A common experience gained from separate use of these different types of sensors has been that new and additional information about plants and their actual process conditions is obtained. Moreover, they reveal the intimate relationship between the operational situation and its consequences for the quality of the working fluid and the corrosion behaviour of the plant materials. On this basis, the efficiency of the existing chemistry sampling and control system can be checked and corrosion degradation can be minimized. Furthermore, activity buildup in the primary circuit can be studied. Further significant advantages can be expected from an integration of these various types of sensors into a common water chemistry and corrosion surveillance system. For confirmation, a complete set of sensors

  12. A Novel Hybrid Error Criterion-Based Active Control Method for on-Line Milling Vibration Suppression with Piezoelectric Actuators and Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingwu Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Milling vibration is one of the most serious factors affecting machining quality and precision. In this paper a novel hybrid error criterion-based frequency-domain LMS active control method is constructed and used for vibration suppression of milling processes by piezoelectric actuators and sensors, in which only one Fast Fourier Transform (FFT is used and no Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT is involved. The correction formulas are derived by a steepest descent procedure and the control parameters are analyzed and optimized. Then, a novel hybrid error criterion is constructed to improve the adaptability, reliability and anti-interference ability of the constructed control algorithm. Finally, based on piezoelectric actuators and acceleration sensors, a simulation of a spindle and a milling process experiment are presented to verify the proposed method. Besides, a protection program is added in the control flow to enhance the reliability of the control method in applications. The simulation and experiment results indicate that the proposed method is an effective and reliable way for on-line vibration suppression, and the machining quality can be obviously improved.

  13. Low-Cost Wireless Temperature Measurement: Design, Manufacture, and Testing of a PCB-Based Wireless Passive Temperature Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Dan; Yang, Yong; Hong, Yingping; Liang, Ting; Yao, Zong; Chen, Xiaoyong; Xiong, Jijun

    2018-02-10

    Low-cost wireless temperature measurement has significant value in the food industry, logistics, agriculture, portable medical equipment, intelligent wireless health monitoring, and many areas in everyday life. A wireless passive temperature sensor based on PCB (Printed Circuit Board) materials is reported in this paper. The advantages of the sensor include simple mechanical structure, convenient processing, low-cost, and easiness in integration. The temperature-sensitive structure of the sensor is a dielectric-loaded resonant cavity, consisting of the PCB substrate. The sensitive structure also integrates a patch antenna for the transmission of temperature signals. The temperature sensing mechanism of the sensor is the dielectric constant of the PCB substrate changes with temperature, which causes the resonant frequency variation of the resonator. Then the temperature can be measured by detecting the changes in the sensor's working frequency. The PCB-based wireless passive temperature sensor prototype is prepared through theoretical design, parameter analysis, software simulation, and experimental testing. The high- and low-temperature sensing performance of the sensor is tested, respectively. The resonant frequency decreases from 2.434 GHz to 2.379 GHz as the temperature increases from -40 °C to 125 °C. The fitting curve proves that the experimental data have good linearity. Three repetitive tests proved that the sensor possess well repeatability. The average sensitivity is 347.45 KHz / ℃ from repetitive measurements conducted three times. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the PCB-based wireless passive sensor, which provides a low-cost temperature sensing solution for everyday life, modern agriculture, thriving intelligent health devices, and so on, and also enriches PCB product lines and applications.

  14. Field tests of a chemiresistor sensor for in-situ monitoring of vapor-phase contaminants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, C.; McGrath, L.; Wright, J.

    2003-04-01

    An in-situ chemiresistor sensor has been developed that can detect volatile organic compounds in subsurface environmental applications. Several field tests were conducted in 2001 and 2002 to test the reliability, operation, and performance of the in-situ chemiresistor sensor system. The chemiresistor consists of a carbon-loaded polymer deposited onto a microfabricated circuit. The polymer swells reversibly in the presence of volatile organic compounds as vapor-phase molecules absorb into the polymer, causing a change in the electrical resistance of the circuit. The change in resistance can be calibrated to known concentrations of analytes, and arrays of chemiresistors can be used on a single chip to aid in discrimination. A waterproof housing was constructed to allow the chemiresistor to be used in a variety of media including air, soil, and water. The integrated unit, which can be buried in soils or emplaced in wells, is connected via cable to a surface-based solar-powered data logger. A cell-phone modem is used to automatically download the data from the data logger on a periodic basis. The field tests were performed at three locations: (1) Edwards Air Force Base, CA; (2) Nevada Test Site; and (3) Sandia's Chemical Waste Landfill near Albuquerque, NM. The objectives of the tests were to evaluate the ruggedness, longevity, operation, performance, and engineering requirements of these sensors in actual field settings. Results showed that the sensors could be operated continuously for long periods of time (greater than a year) using remote solar-powered data-logging stations with wireless telemetry. The sensor housing, which was constructed of 304 stainless steel, showed some signs of corrosion when placed in contaminated water for several months, but the overall integrity was maintained. The detection limits of the chemiresistors were generally found to be near 0.1% of the saturated vapor pressure of the target analyte in controlled laboratory conditions (e

  15. Design, Development and Testing of a Semicircular Type Capacitive Angular Position Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikhil GAURAV

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available A low cost semicircular type capacitive angular position sensor has been designed, developed and tested. It is made of two semicircular parallel plates where one plate is fixed and another plate is connected with the rotor whose angular position is to be measured. When the angular position of the rotor changes with respect to the fixed plate, the overlapping area between the two plates of the capacitor is varied causing a change in capacitance value. Capacitance variation obtained due to the change in angular position is in the nano farad range. For signal conditioning, series R-L-C resonating circuit instead of conventional bridge circuit has been used to convert the sensor capacitance variation in to voltage. Experimental result shows that the capacitance for change in angular position 0º-180º increases linearly and for 180º-360º it decreases linearly. To get a linearly increasing response of same slope for the full scale of 0º-360º, a suitable linearising circuit has been designed, developed and tested. Sensor output along with the signal conditioning shows good linearity and repeatability.

  16. Software sensors based on the grey-box modelling approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, J.; Harremoës, P.; Strube, Rune

    1996-01-01

    In recent years the grey-box modelling approach has been applied to wastewater transportation and treatment Grey-box models are characterized by the combination of deterministic and stochastic terms to form a model where all the parameters are statistically identifiable from the on......-box model for the specific dynamics is identified. Similarly, an on-line software sensor for detecting the occurrence of backwater phenomena can be developed by comparing the dynamics of a flow measurement with a nearby level measurement. For treatment plants it is found that grey-box models applied to on......-line measurements. With respect to the development of software sensors, the grey-box models possess two important features. Firstly, the on-line measurements can be filtered according to the grey-box model in order to remove noise deriving from the measuring equipment and controlling devices. Secondly, the grey...

  17. Remote Automatic Material On-Line Sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnuson, Erik

    2005-12-20

    Low cost NMR sensor for measuring moisture content of forest products. The Department of Energy (DOE) Industries of the Future (IOF) program seeks development and implementation of technologies that make industry more efficient--in particular, more energy-efficient. Quantum Magnetics, Inc. (QM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of GE Security, received an award under the program to investigate roles for low-cost Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology in furtherance of these goals. Most NMR systems are designed for high-resolution spectroscopy applications. These systems use intense magnetic fields produced by superconducting magnets that drive price and operating cost to levels beyond industry tolerance. At low magnetic fields, achievable at low cost, one loses the ability to obtain spectroscopic information. However, measuring the time constants associated with the NMR signal, called NMR relaxometry, gives indications of chemical and physical states of interest to process control and optimization. It was the purpose of this effort to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of using such low-field, low-cost NMR to monitor parameters enabling greater process efficiencies. The primary target industry identified in the Cooperative Development Agreement was the wood industry, where the moisture content of wood is a key process parameter from the time the cut tree enters a mill until the time it is delivered as pieces of lumber. Extracting the moisture is energy consuming, and improvements in drying efficiency stand to reduce costs and emissions substantially. QM designed and developed a new, low-cost NMR instrument suitable for inspecting lumber up to 3 inches by 12 inches in cross section, and other materials of similar size. Low cost is achieved via an inexpensive, permanent magnet and low-cost NMR spectrometer electronics. Laboratory testing demonstrated that the NMR system is capable of accurate ({+-} 0.5%) measurements of the moisture content of wood for

  18. Face-to-face or face-to-screen? Undergraduates' opinions and test performance in classroom vs. online learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemp, Nenagh; Grieve, Rachel

    2014-01-01

    As electronic communication becomes increasingly common, and as students juggle study, work, and family life, many universities are offering their students more flexible learning opportunities. Classes once delivered face-to-face are often replaced by online activities and discussions. However, there is little research comparing students' experience and learning in these two modalities. The aim of this study was to compare undergraduates' preference for, and academic performance on, class material and assessment presented online vs. in traditional classrooms. Psychology students (N = 67) at an Australian university completed written exercises, a class discussion, and a written test on two academic topics. The activities for one topic were conducted face-to-face, and the other online, with topics counterbalanced across two groups. The results showed that students preferred to complete activities face-to-face rather than online, but there was no significant difference in their test performance in the two modalities. In their written responses, students expressed a strong preference for class discussions to be conducted face-to-face, reporting that they felt more engaged, and received more immediate feedback, than in online discussion. A follow-up study with a separate group (N = 37) confirmed that although students appreciated the convenience of completing written activities online in their own time, they also strongly preferred to discuss course content with peers in the classroom rather than online. It is concluded that online and face-to-face activities can lead to similar levels of academic performance, but that students would rather do written activities online but engage in discussion in person. Course developers could aim to structure classes so that students can benefit from both the flexibility of online learning, and the greater engagement experienced in face-to-face discussion. PMID:25429276

  19. Face-to-face or face-to-screen? Undergraduates' opinions and test performance in classroom vs. online learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemp, Nenagh; Grieve, Rachel

    2014-01-01

    As electronic communication becomes increasingly common, and as students juggle study, work, and family life, many universities are offering their students more flexible learning opportunities. Classes once delivered face-to-face are often replaced by online activities and discussions. However, there is little research comparing students' experience and learning in these two modalities. The aim of this study was to compare undergraduates' preference for, and academic performance on, class material and assessment presented online vs. in traditional classrooms. Psychology students (N = 67) at an Australian university completed written exercises, a class discussion, and a written test on two academic topics. The activities for one topic were conducted face-to-face, and the other online, with topics counterbalanced across two groups. The results showed that students preferred to complete activities face-to-face rather than online, but there was no significant difference in their test performance in the two modalities. In their written responses, students expressed a strong preference for class discussions to be conducted face-to-face, reporting that they felt more engaged, and received more immediate feedback, than in online discussion. A follow-up study with a separate group (N = 37) confirmed that although students appreciated the convenience of completing written activities online in their own time, they also strongly preferred to discuss course content with peers in the classroom rather than online. It is concluded that online and face-to-face activities can lead to similar levels of academic performance, but that students would rather do written activities online but engage in discussion in person. Course developers could aim to structure classes so that students can benefit from both the flexibility of online learning, and the greater engagement experienced in face-to-face discussion.

  20. PENGEMBANGAN TES BAKAT TERPADU ONLINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Made Candiasa

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstrak Pengembangan tes bakat online didasari ide untuk memperluas otomasi layanan pendidikan, melengkapi e-learning yang sudah berkembang dengan baik untuk otomasi pembelajaran. Kelebihan tes bakat online yang dikembangkan adalah dapat digunakan setiap saat, dan tidak terlalu terikat tempat, serta tidak memerlukan petugas yang memahami evaluasi. Selain itu, tes bakat online dapat menyajikan variasi tes yang berbeda setiap kali diakses, serta dapat memberikan informasi hasil tes secara otomatis langsung setelah peserta tes memvalidasi jawabannya. Kata kunci: tes bakat online, otomasi layanan pendidikan Abstract Development of online aptitude test based on idea of widening automation on educational service, completing existing various e-learning model for instructional automation. There are some advantages of online aptitude test. It can be used anytime and anywhere by everyone. Furthermore, it can present various package of test every time it is accessed and automatically gives score and feedback immediately after tester finish answer the test. Keywords: online aptitude test, automation of educational service

  1. Development of a Torque Sensor-Based Test Bed for Attitude Control System Verification and Validation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-30

    AFRL-RV-PS- AFRL-RV-PS- TR-2018-0008 TR-2018-0008 DEVELOPMENT OF A TORQUE SENSOR- BASED TEST BED FOR ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM VERIFICATION AND...Sensor-Based Test Bed for Attitude Control System Verification & Validation 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA9453-15-1-0315 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...NUMBER 62601F 6. AUTHOR(S) Norman Fitz-Coy 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 4846 5e. TASK NUMBER PPM00015968 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER EF125135 7. PERFORMING

  2. Prediction of the ledge thickness inside a high-temperature metallurgical reactor using a virtual sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LeBreux, Marc; Désilets, Martin; Lacroix, Marcel

    2012-01-01

    A non-intrusive inverse heat transfer procedure for predicting the time-varying thickness of the phase-change ledge on the inner surface of the walls of a high-temperature metallurgical reactor is presented. An extended Kalman filter with augmented state is coupled with a nonlinear state-space model of the reactor in order to estimate on-line the position of the phase front. The data are collected by a heat flux sensor located inside or outside of the reactor wall. This non-intrusive method can be seen as a virtual sensor which is defined as the combination of an estimation algorithm with measurements for the estimation of 'hard to measure' on-line process variables. The inverse prediction of the ledge thickness with the virtual sensor is thoroughly tested for typical operating conditions that prevail inside an industrial facility. Due to the fact that the melting/solidification process inside the reactor is highly nonlinear, results show that the accuracy of the state-space identification and the virtual sensor estimation is far superior when a nonlinear state-space model and the extended Kalman filter are employed, as opposed to a linear state-space model and the classic Kalman filter. In the former, it is shown that the discrepancy between the exact and the estimated ledge thickness remains smaller than 10% at all times.

  3. Influence of different open circuit voltage tests on state of charge online estimation for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Fangdan; Xing, Yinjiao; Jiang, Jiuchun; Sun, Bingxiang; Kim, Jonghoon; Pecht, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Two common tests for observing battery open circuit voltage performance are compared. • The temperature dependency of the OCV-SOC relationship is investigated. • Two estimators are evaluated in terms of accuracy and robustness for estimating battery SOC. • The incremental OCV test is better to predetermine the OCV-SOCs for SOC online estimation. - Abstract: Battery state of charge (SOC) estimation is a crucial function of battery management systems (BMSs), since accurate estimated SOC is critical to ensure the safety and reliability of electric vehicles. A widely used technique for SOC estimation is based on online inference of battery open circuit voltage (OCV). Low-current OCV and incremental OCV tests are two common methods to observe the OCV-SOC relationship, which is an important element of the SOC estimation technique. In this paper, two OCV tests are run at three different temperatures and based on which, two SOC estimators are compared and evaluated in terms of tracking accuracy, convergence time, and robustness for online estimating battery SOC. The temperature dependency of the OCV-SOC relationship is investigated and its influence on SOC estimation results is discussed. In addition, four dynamic tests are presented, one for estimator parameter identification and the other three for estimator performance evaluation. The comparison results show that estimator 2 (based on the incremental OCV test) has higher tracking accuracy and is more robust against varied loading conditions and different initial values of SOC than estimator 1 (based on the low-current OCV test) with regard to ambient temperature. Therefore, the incremental OCV test is recommended for predetermining the OCV-SOCs for battery SOC online estimation in BMSs.

  4. Global Environmental Micro Sensors Test Operations in the Natural Environment (GEMSTONE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark ADAMS

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available ENSCO, Inc. is developing an innovative atmospheric observing system known as Global Environmental Micro Sensors (GEMS. The GEMS concept features an integrated system of miniaturized in situ, airborne probes measuring temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and vector wind velocity. In order for the probes to remain airborne for long periods of time, their design is based on a helium-filled super-pressure balloon. The GEMS probes are neutrally buoyant and carried passively by the wind at predetermined levels. Each probe contains on-board satellite communication, power generation, processing, and geolocation capabilities. ENSCO has partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC Weather Office for a project called GEMS Test Operations in the Natural Environment (GEMSTONE. The goal of the GEMSTONE project was to build and field-test a small system of prototype probes in the Earth’s atmosphere. This paper summarizes the 9-month GEMSTONE project (Sep 2006 – May 2007 including probe and system engineering as well as experiment design and data analysis from laboratory and field tests. These tests revealed issues with reliability, sensor accuracy, electronics miniaturization, and sub-system optimization. Nevertheless, the success of the third and final free flight test provides a solid foundation to move forward in follow on projects addressing these issues as highlighted in the technology roadmap for future GEMS development.

  5. Development of basic system for sensor calibration support in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kusumi, Naohiro; Ohga, Yukiharu; Fukuda, Mitsuko; Ishizaki, Yuuichi; Koyama, Mikio; Maeda, Akihiko

    2004-01-01

    It is strongly desirable to reduce maintenance costs and shorten the time of periodic inspections in nuclear power plants. Therefore, it is important to reduce the amount of maintenance work during the inspection. In Japan, sensor calibration is usually performed at every periodic inspection, and the sensor calibration requires a large amount of work. A system for sensor calibration support has been developed to reduce sensor calibration work. The system is composed of two subsystems: a statistical analysis subsystem and a drift detection subsystem, as well as a human-machine interface, which offers support information. The statistical analysis subsystem supports the decision of the sensor calibration intervals based on the statistical analysis of sensor calibration data. There is the possibility that sensor drift increases beyond an allowance value before the sensor calibration intervals determined by the statistical analysis subsystem because of malfunctions, etc. To cope with this, the drift detection subsystem detects the sensor drift online during the plant operation. By combining the statistical analysis subsystem and the drift detection subsystem, a reliable sensor calibration support system is realized. The basic system composed of two subsystems was developed and evaluated using real plant data. The results showed that the sensor calibration intervals can be extended beyond current intervals and that the system is capable of detecting the sensor drift online. (author)

  6. FO-SPR based dextrose sensor using Ag/ZnO nanorods/GOx for insulinoma detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usha, Sruthi P; Shrivastav, Anand M; Gupta, Banshi D

    2016-11-15

    In this piece of work, a fiber optic sensor has been fabricated and characterized using surface plasmon resonance for dextrose sensing. The concentration range used in this study is for diagnosing the cases of hypoglycaemia especially in suppression tests of insulinoma. Insulinoma is a medical case in which the person is recognized being hypoglycaemic with the blood dextrose level falling down to 2.2mM or less. Thus, the sensor has been characterized for the dextrose concentration range of 0 mM-10mM including the cases of normal blood dextrose range. Coatings of silver layer and zinc oxide nanorods have been carried out on the bare core fiber with a dual role of zinc oxide followed by immobilization of glucose oxidase. A three stage optimization procedure has been adopted for the best performance of the sensor. Absorbance spectra have been plotted and peak absorbance wavelengths have been extracted for each concentration chosen along with the sensitivities. The results have been made conclusive with control experiments. The probe has also been tested on sample having blood serum to check the reliability of the sensor. The sensor shows better selectivity and response time along with its real time applications, online monitoring, remote sensing and reusability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Optical Inspection In Hostile Industrial Environments: Single-Sensor VS. Imaging Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cielo, P.; Dufour, M.; Sokalski, A.

    1988-11-01

    On-line and unsupervised industrial inspection for quality control and process monitoring is increasingly required in the modern automated factory. Optical techniques are particularly well suited to industrial inspection in hostile environments because of their noncontact nature, fast response time and imaging capabilities. Optical sensors can be used for remote inspection of high temperature products or otherwise inaccessible parts, provided they are in a line-of-sight relation with the sensor. Moreover, optical sensors are much easier to adapt to a variety of part shapes, position or orientation and conveyor speeds as compared to contact-based sensors. This is an important requirement in a flexible automation environment. A number of choices are possible in the design of optical inspection systems. General-purpose two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) imaging techniques have advanced very rapidly in the last years thanks to a substantial research effort as well as to the availability of increasingly powerful and affordable hardware and software. Imaging can be realized using 2-D arrays or simpler one-dimensional (1-D) line-array detectors. Alternatively, dedicated single-spot sensors require a smaller amount of data processing and often lead to robust sensors which are particularly appropriate to on-line operation in hostile industrial environments. Many specialists now feel that dedicated sensors or clusters of sensors are often more effective for specific industrial automation and control tasks, at least in the short run. This paper will discuss optomechanical and electro-optical choices with reference to the design of a number of on-line inspection sensors which have been recently developed at our institute. Case studies will include real-time surface roughness evaluation on polymer cables extruded at high speed, surface characterization of hot-rolled or galvanized-steel sheets, temperature evaluation and pinhole detection in aluminum foil, multi

  8. Online visual inspection of self-piercing riveting to determine the quality of the mechanical interlock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, P; Cullen, J D; Al-Shamma'a, A I; Shaw, A

    2007-01-01

    Self-piercing riveting (SPR) has become a significant joining technique for the automotive applications of aluminium sheets. Quality control in this locale has progressed at an altogether more leisurely rate than other areas of mechanical joining (e.g. spotweld) and is underdeveloped. Testing the quality mechanical interlock is often achieved by destructive testing, which results in material and time wastage. The solution is online monitoring of the self-piercing riveting process to provide non-destructive testing of the mechanical interlock. Introducing sensors into the process facilitates real time data acquisition, which can be used to determine the quality of the joint

  9. Radiation hardness tests of double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalla Betta, Gian-Franco, E-mail: gianfranco.dallabetta@unitn.it [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); INFN TIFPA, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Betancourt, Christopher [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Boscardin, Maurizio; Giacomini, Gabriele [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Jakobs, Karl; Kühn, Susanne [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Lecini, Besnik [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Mendicino, Roberto [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); INFN TIFPA, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Mori, Riccardo; Parzefall, Ulrich [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Povoli, Marco [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Thomas, Maira [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Zorzi, Nicola [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy)

    2014-11-21

    This paper deals with a radiation hardness study performed on double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns. Selected results from the characterization of the irradiated sensors with a beta source and a laser setup are reported and compared to pre-irradiation results and to TCAD simulations. The sensor performance in terms of signal efficiency is found to be in good agreement with that of other 3D sensors irradiated at the same fluences and tested under similar experimental conditions. - Highlights: • We report results from 3D silicon strip detectors irradiated up to HL-LHC fluences. • I–V curves, noise, charge collection measurements and laser scans are shown. • In all sensors, signals are distinguished from the noise already at low voltage. • Signal efficiency is in agreement with values expected from the electrode geometry. • Efficiency and spatial uniformity would benefit from higher operation voltages.

  10. Radiation hardness tests of double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalla Betta, Gian-Franco; Betancourt, Christopher; Boscardin, Maurizio; Giacomini, Gabriele; Jakobs, Karl; Kühn, Susanne; Lecini, Besnik; Mendicino, Roberto; Mori, Riccardo; Parzefall, Ulrich; Povoli, Marco; Thomas, Maira; Zorzi, Nicola

    2014-01-01

    This paper deals with a radiation hardness study performed on double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns. Selected results from the characterization of the irradiated sensors with a beta source and a laser setup are reported and compared to pre-irradiation results and to TCAD simulations. The sensor performance in terms of signal efficiency is found to be in good agreement with that of other 3D sensors irradiated at the same fluences and tested under similar experimental conditions. - Highlights: • We report results from 3D silicon strip detectors irradiated up to HL-LHC fluences. • I–V curves, noise, charge collection measurements and laser scans are shown. • In all sensors, signals are distinguished from the noise already at low voltage. • Signal efficiency is in agreement with values expected from the electrode geometry. • Efficiency and spatial uniformity would benefit from higher operation voltages

  11. Distributed temperature sensor testing in liquid sodium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerardi, Craig, E-mail: cgerardi@anl.gov; Bremer, Nathan; Lisowski, Darius; Lomperski, Stephen

    2017-02-15

    Highlights: • Distributed temperature sensors measured high-resolution liquid-sodium temperatures. • DTSs worked well up to 400 °C. • A single DTS simultaneously detected sodium level and temperature. - Abstract: Rayleigh-backscatter-based distributed fiber optic sensors were immersed in sodium to obtain high-resolution liquid-sodium temperature measurements. Distributed temperature sensors (DTSs) functioned well up to 400 °C in a liquid sodium environment. The DTSs measured sodium column temperature and the temperature of a complex geometrical pattern that leveraged the flexibility of fiber optics. A single Ø 360 μm OD sensor registered dozens of temperatures along a length of over one meter at 100 Hz. We also demonstrated the capability to use a single DTS to simultaneously detect thermal interfaces (e.g. sodium level) and measure temperature.

  12. Trajectory control sensor engineering model detailed test objective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dekome, Kent; Barr, Joseph Martin

    1991-01-01

    The concept employed in an existing Trajectory Control Sensor (TCS) breadboard is being developed into an engineering model to be considered for flight on the Shuttle as a Detailed Test Objective (DTO). The sensor design addresses the needs of Shuttle/SSF docking/berthing by providing relative range and range rate to 1500 meters as well as the perceived needs of AR&C by relative attitude measurement over the last 100 meters. Range measurement is determined using a four-tone ranging technique. The Doppler shift on the highest frequency tone will be used to provide direct measurement of range rate. Bearing rate and attitude rates will be determined through back differencing of bearing and attitude, respectively. The target consists of an isosceles triangle configuration of three optical retroreflectors, roughly one meter and one-half meter in size. After target acquisition, the sensor continually updates the positions of the three retros at a rate of about one hertz. The engineering model is expected to weigh about 25 pounds, consume 25-30 watts, and have an envelope of about 1.25 cubic feet. The following concerns were addressed during the presentation: are there any concerns with differentiating attitude and bearing to get attitude and bearing rates? Since the docking scenario has low data bandwidth, back differencing is a sufficient approximation of a perfect differentiator for this application. Could range data be obtained if there were no retroreflectors on the target vehicle? Possibly, but only at close range. It would be dependent on target characteristics.

  13. POIS, a Low Cost Tilt and Position Sensor: Design and First Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe Artese

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available An integrated sensor for the measurement and monitoring of position and inclination, characterized by low cost, small size and low weight, has been designed, realized and calibrated at the Geomatics Lab of the University of Calabria. The design of the prototype, devoted to the monitoring of landslides and structures, was aiming at realizing a fully automated monitoring instrument, able to send the data acquired periodically or upon request by a control center through a bidirectional transmission protocol. The sensor can be released with different accuracy and range of measurement, by choosing bubble vials with different characteristics. The instrument is provided with a computer, which can be programmed so as to independently perform the processing of the data collected by a single sensor or a by a sensor network, and to transmit, consequently, alert signals if the thresholds determined by the monitoring center are exceeded. The bidirectional transmission also allows the users to vary the set of the monitoring parameters (time of acquisition, duration of satellite acquisitions, thresholds for the observed data. In the paper, hardware and software of the sensor are described, along with the calibration, the results of laboratory tests and of the first in field acquisitions.

  14. A Self-Learning Sensor Fault Detection Framework for Industry Monitoring IoT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Liu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Many applications based on Internet of Things (IoT technology have recently founded in industry monitoring area. Thousands of sensors with different types work together in an industry monitoring system. Sensors at different locations can generate streaming data, which can be analyzed in the data center. In this paper, we propose a framework for online sensor fault detection. We motivate our technique in the context of the problem of the data value fault detection and event detection. We use the Statistics Sliding Windows (SSW to contain the recent sensor data and regress each window by Gaussian distribution. The regression result can be used to detect the data value fault. Devices on a production line may work in different workloads and the associate sensors will have different status. We divide the sensors into several status groups according to different part of production flow chat. In this way, the status of a sensor is associated with others in the same group. We fit the values in the Status Transform Window (STW to get the slope and generate a group trend vector. By comparing the current trend vector with history ones, we can detect a rational or irrational event. In order to determine parameters for each status group we build a self-learning worker thread in our framework which can edit the corresponding parameter according to the user feedback. Group-based fault detection (GbFD algorithm is proposed in this paper. We test the framework with a simulation dataset extracted from real data of an oil field. Test result shows that GbFD detects 95% sensor fault successfully.

  15. Analytical Redundancy Design for Aeroengine Sensor Fault Diagnostics Based on SROS-ELM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Zhou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Analytical redundancy technique is of great importance to guarantee the reliability and safety of aircraft engine system. In this paper, a machine learning based aeroengine sensor analytical redundancy technique is developed and verified through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL simulation. The modified online sequential extreme learning machine, selective updating regularized online sequential extreme learning machine (SROS-ELM, is employed to train the model online and estimate sensor measurements. It selectively updates the output weights of neural networks according to the prediction accuracy and the norm of output weight vector, tackles the problems of singularity and ill-posedness by regularization, and adopts a dual activation function in the hidden nodes combing neural and wavelet theory to enhance prediction capability. The experimental results verify the good generalization performance of SROS-ELM and show that the developed analytical redundancy technique for aeroengine sensor fault diagnosis based on SROS-ELM is effective and feasible.

  16. On-line methanol sensor system development for recombinant ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PANCHIGA

    2016-10-19

    Oct 19, 2016 ... Calibration of the methanol sensor system was done in a medium environment with ... by taking protein induction at a low temperature and a pH where protease ... molecular weight of 66.5 kDa, HSA comprises about one-.

  17. A New Method of On-line Grid Impedance Estimation for PV Inverter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teodorescu, Remus; Asiminoaei, Lucian; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2004-01-01

    for on-line measuring the grid impedance is presented. The presented method requires no extra hardware being accommodated by typical PV inverters, sensors and CPU, to provide a fast and low cost approach of on-line impedance measurement. By injecting a non-characteristic harmonic current and measuring...

  18. Development of a superconducting position sensor for the Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clavier, Odile Helene

    The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP) is a joint NASA/ESA mission that proposes to measure the differential acceleration of two cylindrical test masses orbiting the earth in a drag-free satellite to a precision of 10-18 g. Such an experiment would conceptually reproduce Galileo's tower of Pisa experiment with a much longer time of fall and greatly reduced disturbances. The superconducting test masses are constrained in all degrees of freedom except their axial direction (the sensitive axis) using superconducting bearings. The STEP accelerometer measures the differential position of the masses in their sensitive direction using superconducting inductive pickup coils coupled to an extremely sensitive magnetometer called a DC-SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device). Position sensor development involves the design, manufacture and calibration of pickup coils that will meet the acceleration sensitivity requirement. Acceleration sensitivity depends on both the displacement sensitivity and stiffness of the position sensor. The stiffness must kept small while maintaining stability of the accelerometer. Using a model for the inductance of the pickup coils versus displacement of the test masses, a computer simulation calculates the sensitivity and stiffness of the accelerometer in its axial direction. This simulation produced a design of pickup coils for the four STEP accelerometers. Manufacture of the pickup coils involves standard photolithography techniques modified for superconducting thin-films. A single-turn pickup coil was manufactured and produced a successful superconducting coil using thin-film Niobium. A low-temperature apparatus was developed with a precision position sensor to measure the displacement of a superconducting plate (acting as a mock test mass) facing the coil. The position sensor was designed to detect five degrees of freedom so that coupling could be taken into account when measuring the translation of the plate

  19. Fused Smart Sensor Network for Multi-Axis Forward Kinematics Estimation in Industrial Robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rene de Jesus Romero-Troncoso

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint’s angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot.

  20. Fused smart sensor network for multi-axis forward kinematics estimation in industrial robots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Donate, Carlos; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Rivera-Guillen, Jesus Rooney; Romero-Troncoso, Rene de Jesus

    2011-01-01

    Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint's angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot.

  1. Development of oxygen sensing technology in an irradiated fuel rod. Characteristic test of oxygen sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saito, Junichi; Hoshiya, Taiji; Sakurai, Fumio; Sakai, Haruyuki

    1996-03-01

    At the Department of JMTR (Japan Materials Test Reactor), the re-instrumentation technologies to a high burnup fuel rod irradiated in an LWR have been developed to study irradiation behavior of the fuel during power transient. It has been progressed developing a chemical sensor as one of the re-instrumentation technologies. This report summarizes the results of characteristic tests of an oxygen sensor made of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) as a solid electrolyte. Several kinds of experiments were carried out to evaluate the electromotive force (emf) performance, stability and lifetime of the oxygen sensor with Ni/NiO, Cr/Cr 2 O 3 and Fe/FeO, respectively as a reference electrode. From the experimental data, it is suggested that the reference electrode of Ni/NiO reveals the most appropriate characteristic of the sensor to measure the partial oxygen pressure in a fuel rod. It is the final goal of this development to clarify the change of oxygen chemical potential in a fuel rod during power transient. (author)

  2. Testing of a Fiber Optic Wear, Erosion and Regression Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korman, Valentin; Polzin, Kurt A.

    2011-01-01

    The nature of the physical processes and harsh environments associated with erosion and wear in propulsion environments makes their measurement and real-time rate quantification difficult. A fiber optic sensor capable of determining the wear (regression, erosion, ablation) associated with these environments has been developed and tested in a number of different applications to validate the technique. The sensor consists of two fiber optics that have differing attenuation coefficients and transmit light to detectors. The ratio of the two measured intensities can be correlated to the lengths of the fiber optic lines, and if the fibers and the host parent material in which they are embedded wear at the same rate the remaining length of fiber provides a real-time measure of the wear process. Testing in several disparate situations has been performed, with the data exhibiting excellent qualitative agreement with the theoretical description of the process and when a separate calibrated regression measurement is available good quantitative agreement is obtained as well. The light collected by the fibers can also be used to optically obtain the spectra and measure the internal temperature of the wear layer.

  3. Instrument calibration reduction through on-line monitoring in the USA. Annex IV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashemian, H.M.

    2008-01-01

    Nuclear power plants are required to calibrate important instruments once every fuel cycle. This requirement dates back more than 30 years, when commercial nuclear power plants began to operate. Based on calibration data accumulated over this period, it has been determined that the calibration of some instruments, such as pressure transmitters, do not drift enough to warrant calibration as often as once every fuel cycle. This fact, combined with human resources limitations and reduced maintenance budgets, has provided the motivation for the nuclear industry to develop new technologies for identifying drifting instruments during plant operation. Implementing these technologies allows calibration efforts to be focused on the instruments that have drifted out of tolerance, as opposed to current practice, which calls for calibration verification of almost all instruments every fuel cycle. To date, an array of technologies, referred to collectively as 'on-line calibration monitoring', has been developed to meet this objective. These technologies are based on identifying outlier sensors using techniques that compare a particular sensor's output to a calculated estimate of the actual process the sensor is measuring. If on-line monitoring data are collected during plant startup and/or shutdown periods as well as normal operation, the on-line monitoring approach can help verify the calibration of instruments over their entire operating range. Although on-line calibration monitoring is applicable to most sensors and can cover an entire instrument channel, the main application of this approach in nuclear power plants is currently for pressure transmitters (including level and flow transmitters). (author)

  4. SensorWeb Evolution Using the Earth Observing One (EO-1) Satellite as a Test Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandl, Daniel; Frye, Stuart; Cappelaere, Pat; Ly, Vuong; Handy, Matthew; Chien, Steve; Grossman, Robert; Tran, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    The Earth Observing One (EO-1) satellite was launched in November 2000 as a one year technology demonstration mission for a variety of space technologies. After the first year, in addition to collecting science data from its instruments, the EO-1 mission has been used as a testbed for a variety of technologies which provide various automation capabilities and which have been used as a pathfinder for the creation of SensorWebs. A SensorWeb is the integration of variety of space, airborne and ground sensors into a loosely coupled collaborative sensor system that automatically provides useful data products. Typically, a SensorWeb is comprised of heterogeneous sensors tied together with a messaging architecture and web services. This paper provides an overview of the various technologies that were tested and eventually folded into normal operations. As these technologies were folded in, the nature of operations transformed. The SensorWeb software enables easy connectivity for collaboration with sensors, but the side benefit is that it improved the EO-1 operational efficiency. This paper presents the various phases of EO-1 operation over the past 12 years and also presents operational efficiency gains demonstrated by some metrics.

  5. Application of artificial intelligence to motor operated valve testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bogard, T.; Bednar, F.; Matty, T.; Kent, R.

    1989-01-01

    Improper valve maintenance can be a significant roadblock to successful power plant operation. There have been events during which motor operated valves failed on demand due to improper switch settings. For nuclear electric generating stations, these events have led to regulatory requirements such as NRC Bulletin 85-03 and NRC Bulletin 89-10 Safety Related Motor Operated Valve Testing and Surveillance which imposes strict testing and programmatic requirements on motor operated valves (MOV). Part of the requirements include performing diagnostic testing to verify stem thrust loads and switch settings. Diagnostic equipment must be non-intrusive, minimize valve disassembly, and reduce plant refueling critical path time for testing. In this paper an on-line diagnostic system using sensors to measure stem forces, motor current, and valve position, and a portable system employing these same sensor inputs in addition to torque, limit and torque bypass switch inputs is described. Sophisticated graphic software is employed to display data or trace information. A rule based artificial intelligence (AI) system is used to analyze sensor outputs. Objectives for valve diagnostics, sample AI rules, results of actual field testing, and system software/hardware architecture are presented

  6. Distributed temperature sensor testing in liquid sodium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerardi, Craig; Bremer, Nathan; Lisowski, Darius; Lomperski, Stephen

    2017-02-01

    Rayleigh-backscatter-based distributed fiber optic sensors were immersed in sodium to obtain high-resolution liquid-sodium temperature measurements. Distributed temperature sensors (DTSs) functioned well up to 400°C in a liquid sodium environment. The DTSs measured sodium column temperature and the temperature of a complex geometrical pattern that leveraged the flexibility of fiber optics. A single Ø 360 lm OD sensor registered dozens of temperatures along a length of over one meter at 100 Hz. We also demonstrated the capability to use a single DTS to simultaneously detect thermal interfaces (e.g. sodium level) and measure temperature.

  7. Online Quizzes Promote Inconsistent Improvements on In-Class Test Performance in Introductory Anatomy and Physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Gregory A.; Bice, Matthew R.; Shaw, Brandon S.; Shaw, Ina

    2015-01-01

    Review quizzes can provide students with feedback and assist in the preparation for in-class tests, but students often do not voluntarily use self-testing resources. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate if taking a mandatory online review quiz alters performance on subsequent in-class tests. During two semesters of a single-semester…

  8. Design and theoretical analysis of a resonant sensor for liquid density measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Shi, Jiying; Fan, Shangchun

    2012-01-01

    In order to increase the accuracy of on-line liquid density measurements, a sensor equipped with a tuning fork as the resonant sensitive component is designed in this paper. It is a quasi-digital sensor with simple structure and high precision. The sensor is based on resonance theory and composed of a sensitive unit and a closed-loop control unit, where the sensitive unit consists of the actuator, the resonant tuning fork and the detector and the closed-loop control unit comprises precondition circuit, digital signal processing and control unit, analog-to-digital converter and digital-to-analog converter. An approximate parameters model of the tuning fork is established and the impact of liquid density, position of the tuning fork, temperature and structural parameters on the natural frequency of the tuning fork are also analyzed. On this basis, a tuning fork liquid density measurement sensor is developed. In addition, experimental testing on the sensor has been carried out on standard calibration facilities under constant 20 °C, and the sensor coefficients are calibrated. The experimental results show that the repeatability error is about 0.03% and the accuracy is about 0.4 kg/m(3). The results also confirm that the method to increase the accuracy of liquid density measurement is feasible.

  9. MIR-ATR sensor for process monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geörg, Daniel; Schalk, Robert; Beuermann, Thomas; Methner, Frank-Jürgen

    2015-01-01

    A mid-infrared attenuated total reflectance (MIR-ATR) sensor has been developed for chemical reaction monitoring. The optical setup of the compact and low-priced sensor consists of an IR emitter as light source, a zinc selenide (ZnSe) ATR prism as boundary to the process, and four thermopile detectors, each equipped with an optical bandpass filter. The practical applicability was tested during esterification of ethanol and formic acid to ethyl formate and water as a model reaction with subsequent distillation. For reference analysis, a Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectrometer with diamond ATR module was applied. On-line measurements using the MIR-ATR sensor and the FT-MIR spectrometer were performed in a bypass loop. The sensor was calibrated by multiple linear regression in order to link the measured absorbance in the four optical channels to the analyte concentrations. The analytical potential of the MIR-ATR sensor was demonstrated by simultaneous real-time monitoring of all four chemical substances involved in the esterification and distillation process. The temporal courses of the sensor signals are in accordance with the concentration values achieved by the commercial FT-MIR spectrometer. The standard error of prediction for ethanol, formic acid, ethyl formate, and water were 0.38 mol L   −  1 , 0.48 mol L   −  1 , 0.38 mol L   −  1 , and 1.12 mol L   −  1 , respectively. A procedure based on MIR spectra is presented to simulate the response characteristics of the sensor if the transmission ranges of the filters are varied. Using this tool analyte specific bandpass filters for a particular chemical reaction can be identified. By exchanging the optical filters, the sensor can be adapted to a wide range of processes in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and beverage industries. (paper)

  10. Improved Thermal-Vacuum Compatible Flat Plate Radiometric Source For System-Level Testing Of Optical Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, Mark A.; Kent, Craig J.; Bousquet, Robert; Brown, Steven W.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we describe an improved thermal-vacuum compatible flat plate radiometric source which has been developed and utilized for the characterization and calibration of remote optical sensors. This source is unique in that it can be used in situ, in both ambient and thermal-vacuum environments, allowing it to follow the sensor throughout its testing cycle. The performance of the original flat plate radiometric source was presented at the 2009 SPIE1. Following the original efforts, design upgrades were incorporated into the source to improve both radiometric throughput and uniformity. The pre-thermal-vacuum (pre-TVAC) testing results of a spacecraft-level optical sensor with the improved flat plate illumination source, both in ambient and vacuum environments, are presented. We also briefly discuss potential FPI configuration changes in order to improve its radiometric performance.

  11. Online Support Vector Regression with Varying Parameters for Time-Dependent Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Omitaomu, Olufemi A.; Jeong, Myong K.; Badiru, Adedeji B.

    2011-01-01

    Support vector regression (SVR) is a machine learning technique that continues to receive interest in several domains including manufacturing, engineering, and medicine. In order to extend its application to problems in which datasets arrive constantly and in which batch processing of the datasets is infeasible or expensive, an accurate online support vector regression (AOSVR) technique was proposed. The AOSVR technique efficiently updates a trained SVR function whenever a sample is added to or removed from the training set without retraining the entire training data. However, the AOSVR technique assumes that the new samples and the training samples are of the same characteristics; hence, the same value of SVR parameters is used for training and prediction. This assumption is not applicable to data samples that are inherently noisy and non-stationary such as sensor data. As a result, we propose Accurate On-line Support Vector Regression with Varying Parameters (AOSVR-VP) that uses varying SVR parameters rather than fixed SVR parameters, and hence accounts for the variability that may exist in the samples. To accomplish this objective, we also propose a generalized weight function to automatically update the weights of SVR parameters in on-line monitoring applications. The proposed function allows for lower and upper bounds for SVR parameters. We tested our proposed approach and compared results with the conventional AOSVR approach using two benchmark time series data and sensor data from nuclear power plant. The results show that using varying SVR parameters is more applicable to time dependent data.

  12. A framework for an on-line diagnostic expert system with intelligent sensor validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Jin

    1997-01-01

    This paper outlines a framework for performing two different but inter-related functions in diagnosis, i.e. sensor validation and reasoning under uncertainty. Sensor validation plays a vital role in the ability of the overall system to correctly determine the state of a plant monitored by imperfect sensors (Sopocy, 1990). Two subsystems, Algorithmic(ASV) and Heuristic(HSV) Sensor Validation, separate activities according to the degree of plant knowledge required and represent Sensor Validation Expert System when combined. Uncertain information in sensory values is represented through probability assignments on three discrete states, High, Normal, and Low, and additional sensor confidence measures in ASV. HSV exploits deeper knowledge about parameter interaction within the plant to cull sensor faults from the data stream. Finally the modified probability distributions and validated data are used as input to the reasoning scheme which is the run-time version of the influence diagram. The influence diagram represents the backbone of reasoning under uncertainty in Influence Diagram Knowledge Base. (author)

  13. On-line monitoring of H2 generation and the HTF degradation in parabolic trough solar thermal power plants: Development of an optical sensor based on an innovative approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagola, Iñigo; Funcia, Ibai; Sánchez, Marcelino; Gil, Javier; González-Vallejo, Victoria; Bedoya, Maxi; Orellana, Guillermo

    2017-06-01

    The work presented in this paper offers a robust, effective and economically competitive method for online detection and monitoring of the presence of molecular hydrogen in the heat transfer fluids of parabolic trough collector plants. The novel method is based on a specific fluorescent sensor according to the ES2425002 patent ("Method for the detection and quantification of hydrogen in a heat transfer fluid").

  14. Modelling Machine Tools using Structure Integrated Sensors for Fast Calibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Montavon

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Monitoring of the relative deviation between commanded and actual tool tip position, which limits the volumetric performance of the machine tool, enables the use of contemporary methods of compensation to reduce tolerance mismatch and the uncertainties of on-machine measurements. The development of a primarily optical sensor setup capable of being integrated into the machine structure without limiting its operating range is presented. The use of a frequency-modulating interferometer and photosensitive arrays in combination with a Gaussian laser beam allows for fast and automated online measurements of the axes’ motion errors and thermal conditions with comparable accuracy, lower cost, and smaller dimensions as compared to state-of-the-art optical measuring instruments for offline machine tool calibration. The development is tested through simulation of the sensor setup based on raytracing and Monte-Carlo techniques.

  15. High Resolution Eddy-Current Wire Testing Based on a Gmr Sensor-Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreutzbruck, Marc; Allweins, Kai; Strackbein, Chris; Bernau, Hendrick

    2009-03-01

    Increasing demands in materials quality and cost effectiveness have led to advanced standards in manufacturing technology. Especially when dealing with high quality standards in conjunction with high throughput quantitative NDE techniques are vital to provide reliable and fast quality control systems. In this work we illuminate a modern electromagnetic NDE approach using a small GMR sensor array for testing superconducting wires. Four GMR sensors are positioned around the wire. Each GMR sensor provides a field sensitivity of 200 pT/√Hz and a spatial resolution of about 100 μm. This enables us to detect under surface defects of 100 μm in size in a depth of 200 μm with a signal-to-noise ratio of better than 400. Surface defects could be detected with a SNR of up to 10,000. Besides this remarkably SNR the small extent of GMR sensors results in a spatial resolution which offers new visualisation techniques for defect localisation, defect characterization and tomography-like mapping techniques. We also report on inverse algorithms based on either a Finite Element Method or an analytical approach. These allow for accurate defect localization on the urn scale and an estimation of the defect size.

  16. Low knowledge and anecdotal use of unauthorized online HIV self-test kits among attendees at a street-based HIV rapid testing programme in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belza, M José; Figueroa, Carmen; Rosales-Statkus, M Elena; Ruiz, Mónica; Vallejo, Fernando; de la Fuente, Luis

    2014-08-01

    The objectives of this study were to estimate the percentage of potential users who know that unauthorized HIV self-tests can be purchased online and the percentage of those who have already used them, and to determine socio-demographic and behavioural correlates. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data from attendees at a street-based HIV testing programme. Logistic regression for rare events was performed. Of the 3340 participants, 5.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.5-6.0%) had knowledge of self-tests being sold online and 7.5% (95% CI 6.6-8.5%) thought they existed but had never seen them; only 0.6% (95% CI 0.3-0.9%) had ever used one. Knowing that self-tests are sold online (odds ratio (OR) 3.6, 95% CI 2.4-5.4) and using them (OR 7.3, 95% CI 2.2-23.8) were associated with having undergone more than two previous HIV tests. Use was also associated with being neither Spanish nor Latin American (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-12.0) and with having a university degree (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.7). At the time of the study, the impact on the population of issues related to the use of unauthorized tests was very low. However, media coverage following the approval of self-testing in the USA might have changed the situation. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  17. On-line monitoring system of lactic acid fermentation by using integrated enzyme sons ors; Shusekika koso sensa wo mochiita nyusan hakko keisokuyo onrain monitaringu shisutemu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Masayasu; Kumagi, Takeshi; Nakashima, Yuuichi [Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan). Dept. of Biochemical Engineering and Science

    1999-03-10

    An on-line monitoring system for lactic acid fermentation is developed by using integrated micro enzyme sensors, a flow injection analysis system, and a micro dialysis system. The calibration curves of micro glucose, lactose and lactate sensors show good linearity in the concentration range below 70 mM. By combination with the micro dialysis system, the enzyme sensors can measure the whole concentration range of lactic acid fermentation, and interference by the medium can not be observed. The on-line sensor system is then applied to lactic acid fermentation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii. The sensor system can monitor the glucose and lactate concentrations simultaneously during 24-h fermentation, and the measurements show good agreement with those of the conventional colorimetric method. The sensor system can also be applied to on-line monitoring of lactose and lactate during Lactobacillus lactis fermentation. (author)

  18. An improved single sensor parity space algorithm for sequential probability ratio test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Racz, A. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Atomic Energy Research Inst.

    1995-12-01

    In our paper we propose a modification of the single sensor parity algorithm in order to make the statistical properties of the generated residual determinable in advance. The algorithm is tested via computer simulated ramp failure at the temperature readings of the pressurizer. (author).

  19. A novel pH optical sensor using methyl orange based on triacetylcellulose membranes as support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseini, Mohammad; Heydari, Rouhollah; Alimoradi, Mohammad

    2014-07-15

    A novel pH optical sensor based on triacetylcellulose membrane as solid support was developed by using immobilization of methyl orange indicator. The prepared optical sensor was fixed into a flow cell for on-line pH monitoring. Variables affecting sensor performance, such as pH of dye bonding to triacetylcellulose membrane and dye concentration have been fully evaluated and optimized. The calibration curve showed good behavior and precision (RSDpH range of 4.0-12.0. No significant variation was observed on sensor response with increasing the ionic strength in the range of 0.0-0.5M of sodium chloride. Determination of pH by using the proposed optical sensor is on-line, quick, inexpensive, selective and sensitive in the pH range of 4.0-12.0. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Image-based environmental monitoring sensor application using an embedded wireless sensor network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paek, Jeongyeup; Hicks, John; Coe, Sharon; Govindan, Ramesh

    2014-08-28

    This article discusses the experiences from the development and deployment of two image-based environmental monitoring sensor applications using an embedded wireless sensor network. Our system uses low-power image sensors and the Tenet general purpose sensing system for tiered embedded wireless sensor networks. It leverages Tenet's built-in support for reliable delivery of high rate sensing data, scalability and its flexible scripting language, which enables mote-side image compression and the ease of deployment. Our first deployment of a pitfall trap monitoring application at the James San Cannot Mountain Reserve provided us with insights and lessons learned into the deployment of and compression schemes for these embedded wireless imaging systems. Our three month-long deployment of a bird nest monitoring application resulted in over 100,000 images collected from a 19-camera node network deployed over an area of 0.05 square miles, despite highly variable environmental conditions. Our biologists found the on-line, near-real-time access to images to be useful for obtaining data on answering their biological questions.

  1. Image-Based Environmental Monitoring Sensor Application Using an Embedded Wireless Sensor Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeongyeup Paek

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the experiences from the development and deployment of two image-based environmental monitoring sensor applications using an embedded wireless sensor network. Our system uses low-power image sensors and the Tenet general purpose sensing system for tiered embedded wireless sensor networks. It leverages Tenet’s built-in support for reliable delivery of high rate sensing data, scalability and its flexible scripting language, which enables mote-side image compression and the ease of deployment. Our first deployment of a pitfall trap monitoring application at the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve provided us with insights and lessons learned into the deployment of and compression schemes for these embedded wireless imaging systems. Our three month-long deployment of a bird nest monitoring application resulted in over 100,000 images collected from a 19-camera node network deployed over an area of 0.05 square miles, despite highly variable environmental conditions. Our biologists found the on-line, near-real-time access to images to be useful for obtaining data on answering their biological questions.

  2. A soft sensor for bioprocess control based on sequential filtering of metabolic heat signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulsson, Dan; Gustavsson, Robert; Mandenius, Carl-Fredrik

    2014-09-26

    Soft sensors are the combination of robust on-line sensor signals with mathematical models for deriving additional process information. Here, we apply this principle to a microbial recombinant protein production process in a bioreactor by exploiting bio-calorimetric methodology. Temperature sensor signals from the cooling system of the bioreactor were used for estimating the metabolic heat of the microbial culture and from that the specific growth rate and active biomass concentration were derived. By applying sequential digital signal filtering, the soft sensor was made more robust for industrial practice with cultures generating low metabolic heat in environments with high noise level. The estimated specific growth rate signal obtained from the three stage sequential filter allowed controlled feeding of substrate during the fed-batch phase of the production process. The biomass and growth rate estimates from the soft sensor were also compared with an alternative sensor probe and a capacitance on-line sensor, for the same variables. The comparison showed similar or better sensitivity and lower variability for the metabolic heat soft sensor suggesting that using permanent temperature sensors of a bioreactor is a realistic and inexpensive alternative for monitoring and control. However, both alternatives are easy to implement in a soft sensor, alone or in parallel.

  3. A Soft Sensor for Bioprocess Control Based on Sequential Filtering of Metabolic Heat Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Paulsson

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Soft sensors are the combination of robust on-line sensor signals with mathematical models for deriving additional process information. Here, we apply this principle to a microbial recombinant protein production process in a bioreactor by exploiting bio-calorimetric methodology. Temperature sensor signals from the cooling system of the bioreactor were used for estimating the metabolic heat of the microbial culture and from that the specific growth rate and active biomass concentration were derived. By applying sequential digital signal filtering, the soft sensor was made more robust for industrial practice with cultures generating low metabolic heat in environments with high noise level. The estimated specific growth rate signal obtained from the three stage sequential filter allowed controlled feeding of substrate during the fed-batch phase of the production process. The biomass and growth rate estimates from the soft sensor were also compared with an alternative sensor probe and a capacitance on-line sensor, for the same variables. The comparison showed similar or better sensitivity and lower variability for the metabolic heat soft sensor suggesting that using permanent temperature sensors of a bioreactor is a realistic and inexpensive alternative for monitoring and control. However, both alternatives are easy to implement in a soft sensor, alone or in parallel.

  4. SensorDB: a virtual laboratory for the integration, visualization and analysis of varied biological sensor data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salehi, Ali; Jimenez-Berni, Jose; Deery, David M; Palmer, Doug; Holland, Edward; Rozas-Larraondo, Pablo; Chapman, Scott C; Georgakopoulos, Dimitrios; Furbank, Robert T

    2015-01-01

    To our knowledge, there is no software or database solution that supports large volumes of biological time series sensor data efficiently and enables data visualization and analysis in real time. Existing solutions for managing data typically use unstructured file systems or relational databases. These systems are not designed to provide instantaneous response to user queries. Furthermore, they do not support rapid data analysis and visualization to enable interactive experiments. In large scale experiments, this behaviour slows research discovery, discourages the widespread sharing and reuse of data that could otherwise inform critical decisions in a timely manner and encourage effective collaboration between groups. In this paper we present SensorDB, a web based virtual laboratory that can manage large volumes of biological time series sensor data while supporting rapid data queries and real-time user interaction. SensorDB is sensor agnostic and uses web-based, state-of-the-art cloud and storage technologies to efficiently gather, analyse and visualize data. Collaboration and data sharing between different agencies and groups is thereby facilitated. SensorDB is available online at http://sensordb.csiro.au.

  5. A Novel Online Data-Driven Algorithm for Detecting UAV Navigation Sensor Faults

    OpenAIRE

    Rui Sun; Qi Cheng; Guanyu Wang; Washington Yotto Ochieng

    2017-01-01

    The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has increased significantly in recent years. On-board integrated navigation sensors are a key component of UAVs’ flight control systems and are essential for flight safety. In order to ensure flight safety, timely and effective navigation sensor fault detection capability is required. In this paper, a novel data-driven Adaptive Neuron Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)-based approach is presented for the detection of on-board navigation sensor faults in ...

  6. Visualization of heavy ion-induced charge production in a CMOS image sensor

    CERN Document Server

    Végh, J; Klamra, W; Molnár, J; Norlin, LO; Novák, D; Sánchez-Crespo, A; Van der Marel, J; Fenyvesi, A; Valastyan, I; Sipos, A

    2004-01-01

    A commercial CMOS image sensor was irradiated with heavy ion beams in the several MeV energy range. The image sensor is equipped with a standard video output. The data were collected on-line through frame grabbing and analysed off-line after digitisation. It was shown that the response of the image sensor to the heavy ion bombardment varied with the type and energy of the projectiles. The sensor will be used for the CMS Barrel Muon Alignment system.

  7. Image sensor for testing refractive error of eyes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiangning; Chen, Jiabi; Xu, Longyun

    2000-05-01

    It is difficult to detect ametropia and anisometropia for children. Image sensor for testing refractive error of eyes does not need the cooperation of children and can be used to do the general survey of ametropia and anisometropia for children. In our study, photographs are recorded by a CCD element in a digital form which can be directly processed by a computer. In order to process the image accurately by digital technique, formula considering the effect of extended light source and the size of lens aperture has been deduced, which is more reliable in practice. Computer simulation of the image sensing is made to verify the fineness of the results.

  8. Evaluation of testing strategies for the radiation tolerant ATLAS n **+-in-n pixel sensor

    CERN Document Server

    Klaiber Lodewigs, Jonas M

    2003-01-01

    The development of particle tracker systems for high fluence environments in new high-energy physics experiments raises new challenges for the development, manufacturing and reliable testing of radiation tolerant components. The ATLAS pixel detector for use at the LHC, CERN, is designed to cover an active sensor area of 1.8 m**2 with 1.1 multiplied by 10 **8 read-out channels usable for a particle fluence up to 10 **1**5 cm**-**2 (1 MeV neutron equivalent) and an ionization dose up to 500 kGy of mainly charged hadron radiation. To cope with such a harsh environment the ATLAS Pixel Collaboration has developed a radiation hard n **+-in-n silicon pixel cell design with a standard cell size of 50 multiplied by 400 mum**2. Using this design on an oxygenated silicon substrate, sensor production has started in 2001. This contribution describes results gained during the development of testing procedures of the ATLAS pixel sensor and evaluates quality assurance procedures regarding their relevance for detector operati...

  9. Completion of an Online Library Module Improves Engineering Student Performance on Information Literacy Skills Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel E. Scott

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A Review of: Zhang, Q., Goodman, M., & Xie, S. (2015. Integrating library instruction into the Course Management System for a first-year engineering class: An evidence-based study measuring the effectiveness of blended learning on students’ information literacy levels. College & Research Libraries, 76(7, 934-958. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.7.934 Objective – To assess the efficacy of an online library module and of blended learning methods on students’ information literacy skills. Design – Multi-modal, pre- and posttests, survey questionnaire, and focus groups. Setting – Public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. Subjects – First-year engineering students. Methods – Of 413 students enrolled in Engineering Science (ES 1050, 252 volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete the online module, a pretest, a posttest, an online follow-up survey, and to take part in a focus group. Researchers generated a pretest and a posttest, each comprised of 15 questions:; multiple choice, true or false, and matching questions which tested students’ general and engineering-specific information literacy skills. The pretest and posttest had different, but similarly challenging, questions to ensure that students involved in the study would not have an advantage over those who had opted out. While all components of the study were voluntary, the posttest was a graded course assignment. In-person tutorials were offered on 4 occasions, with only 15 students participating. Both tutorial and module content were designed to cover all questions and competencies tested in the pretest and the posttest, including Boolean operators, peer review, identifying plagiarism, engineering standards, engineering handbooks, search strategies, patents, article citations, identifying reliable sources, and how to read journal articles. The posttest survey was delivered in the CMS immediately after the posttest was completed. It

  10. The Short French Internet Addiction Test Adapted to Online Sexual Activities: Validation and Links With Online Sexual Preferences and Addiction Symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wéry, Aline; Burnay, Jonathan; Karila, Laurent; Billieux, Joël

    2016-01-01

    The goal of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a French version of the short Internet Addiction Test adapted to online sexual activities (s-IAT-sex). The French version of the s-IAT-sex was administered to a sample of 401 men. The participants also completed a questionnaire that screened for sexual addiction (PATHOS). The relationships of s-IAT-sex scores with time spent online for online sexual activities (OSAs) and the types of OSAs favored were also considered. Confirmatory analyses supported a two-factor model of s-IAT-sex, corresponding to the factorial structure found in earlier studies that used the short IAT. The first factor regroups loss of control and time management, whereas the second factor regroups craving and social problems. Internal consistency for each factor was evaluated with Cronbach's α coefficient, resulting in .87 for Factor 1, .76 for Factor 2, and .88 for the global scale. Concurrent validity was supported by relationships with symptoms of sexual addiction, types of OSAs practiced, and time spent online for OSAs. The prevalence of sexual addiction (measured by PATHOS) was 28.1% in the current sample of self-selected male OSA users. The French version of the s-IAT-sex presents good psychometric properties and constitutes a useful tool for researchers and practitioners.

  11. A Smart Multi-parameter Sensor with Online Monitoring for the Aquaculture in China

    OpenAIRE

    Peng , Fa; Wang , Jinxing; Liu , Shuangxi; Li , Daoliang; Xu , Dan; Wang , Yang

    2013-01-01

    International audience; PH, DO,ORP, EC and water-level are important parameters of the aquaculture monitoring. But the high cost of foreign sensors and high-energy consumption of Chinese sensors make it impossible for wide use in China. This paper uses MCU STM8L152 to realize the ultralow power design. With simple hardware structure design, the cost of the multi-parameter sensor can be reduced .The experiment data of the multi-parameter sensor contrasting with the results obtained by Hach mul...

  12. The Non-Destructive Test of Steel Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Bridges Using a Micro-Magnetic Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Zhang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a non-destructive test method for steel corrosion in reinforced concrete bridges by using a 3-dimensional digital micro-magnetic sensor to detect and analyze the self-magnetic field leakage from corroded reinforced concrete. The setup of the magnetic scanning device and the measurement mode of the micro-magnetic sensor are introduced. The numerical analysis model is also built based on the linear magnetic charge theory. Compared to the self-magnetic field leakage data obtained from magnetic sensor-based measurement and numerical calculation, it is shown that the curves of tangential magnetic field at different lift-off height all intersect near the edge of the steel corrosion zone. The result indicates that the intersection of magnetic field curves can be used to detect and evaluate the range of the inner steel corrosion in engineering structures. The findings of this work propose a new and effective non-destructive test method for steel corrosion, and therefore enlarge the application of the micro-magnetic sensor.

  13. A Preliminary Test for Skin Gas Assessment Using a Porphyrin Based Evanescent Wave Optical Fiber Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roman SELYANCHYN

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available An evanescent-wave optical fibre sensor modified with tetrakis-(4-sulfophenyl porphine (TSPP and poly(allylamine hydrochloride (PAH bilayers using layer-by-layer (LbL electrostatic self-assembly was tested to measure the gas emitted from human skin. Optical intensity changes at different wavelengths in the transmission spectrum of the porphyrin-based film were induced by the human skin gas and measured as sensor response. Influence of relative humidity, which can be a major interference to sensor response, was thoroughly studied and shown to be significantly different when compared to the influence of skin emanations. Responses of the current optical sensor system could be considered as composite sensor array, where different optical wavelengths act as channels that have selective response to specific volatile compounds. Data obtained from the sensor system was analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA. This approach enabled to distinguish skin odors of different people and their altered physiological conditions after alcohol consumption.

  14. Fuzzy Logic Based Anomaly Detection for Embedded Network Security Cyber Sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ondrej Linda; Todd Vollmer; Jason Wright; Milos Manic

    2011-04-01

    Resiliency and security in critical infrastructure control systems in the modern world of cyber terrorism constitute a relevant concern. Developing a network security system specifically tailored to the requirements of such critical assets is of a primary importance. This paper proposes a novel learning algorithm for anomaly based network security cyber sensor together with its hardware implementation. The presented learning algorithm constructs a fuzzy logic rule based model of normal network behavior. Individual fuzzy rules are extracted directly from the stream of incoming packets using an online clustering algorithm. This learning algorithm was specifically developed to comply with the constrained computational requirements of low-cost embedded network security cyber sensors. The performance of the system was evaluated on a set of network data recorded from an experimental test-bed mimicking the environment of a critical infrastructure control system.

  15. Construction and test of the first Belle II SVD ladder implementing the origami chip-on-sensor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irmler, C.; Bauer, A.; Bergauer, T.; Adamczyk, K.; Bacher, S.; Aihara, H.; Angelini, C.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Bosi, F.; Aziz, T.; Babu, V.; Bahinipati, S.; Barberio, E.; Baroncelli, Ti.; Baroncelli, To.; Basith, A.K.; Behera, P.K.; Bhuyan, B.; Bilka, T.

    2016-01-01

    The Belle II Silicon Vertex Detector comprises four layers of double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSDs), consisting of ladders with two to five sensors each. All sensors are individually read out by APV25 chips with the Origami chip-on-sensor concept for the central DSSDs of the ladders. The chips sit on flexible circuits that are glued on the top of the sensors. This concept allows a low material budget and an efficient cooling of the chips by a single pipe per ladder. We present the construction of the first SVD ladders and results from precision measurements and electrical tests

  16. Swab2know: An HIV-Testing Strategy Using Oral Fluid Samples and Online Communication of Test Results for Men Who Have Sex With Men in Belgium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Platteau, Tom; Fransen, Katrien; Apers, Ludwig; Kenyon, Chris; Albers, Laura; Vermoesen, Tine; Loos, Jasna; Florence, Eric

    2015-09-01

    As HIV remains a public health concern, increased testing among those at risk for HIV acquisition is important. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are the most important group for targeted HIV testing in Europe. Several new strategies have been developed and implemented to increase HIV-testing uptake in this group, among them the Swab2know project. In this project, we aim to assess the acceptability and feasibility of outreach and online HIV testing using oral fluid samples as well as Web-based delivery of test results. Sample collection happened between December 2012 and April 2014 via outreach and online sampling among MSM. Test results were communicated through a secured website. HIV tests were executed in the laboratory. Each reactive sample needed to be confirmed using state-of-the-art confirmation procedures on a blood sample. Close follow-up of participants who did not pick up their results, and those with reactive results, was included in the protocol. Participants were asked to provide feedback on the methodology using a short survey. During 17 months, 1071 tests were conducted on samples collected from 898 men. Over half of the samples (553/1071, 51.63%) were collected during 23 outreach sessions. During an 8-month period, 430 samples out of 1071 (40.15%) were collected from online sampling. Additionally, 88 samples out of 1071 (8.22%) were collected by two partner organizations during face-to-face consultations with MSM and male sex workers. Results of 983 out of 1071 tests (91.78%) had been collected from the website. The pickup rate was higher among participants who ordered their kit online (421/430, 97.9%) compared to those participating during outreach activities (559/641, 87.2%; Ponline participants were more likely to have never been tested before (17.3% vs 10.0%; P=.001) and reported more sexual partners in the 6 months prior to participation in the project (mean 7.18 vs 3.23; Ponline counseling tool), and in studying the cost effectiveness of the

  17. NDE Technology Development Program for Non-Visual Volumetric Inspection Technology; Sensor Effectiveness Testing Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moran, Traci L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Larche, Michael R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Denslow, Kayte M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Glass, Samuel W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2017-08-31

    The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) located in Richland, Washington, hosted and administered Sensor Effectiveness Testing that allowed four different participants to demonstrate the NDE volumetric inspection technologies that were previously demonstrated during the Technology Screening session. This document provides a Sensor Effectiveness Testing report for the final part of Phase I of a three-phase NDE Technology Development Program designed to identify and mature a system or set of non-visual volumetric NDE technologies for Hanford DST primary liner bottom inspection. Phase I of the program will baseline the performance of current or emerging non-visual volumetric NDE technologies for their ability to detect and characterize primary liner bottom flaws, and identify candidate technologies for adaptation and maturation for Phase II of the program.

  18. Closed-loop System Identification with New Sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendtsen, Jan Dimon; Trangbæk, K; Stoustrup, Jakob

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with system identification of new system dynamics revealed by online introduction of new sensors in existing multi-variable linear control systems. The so-called "Hansen Scheme" utilises the dual Youla-Kucera parameterisation of all systems stabilised by a given linear controller...... to transform closed-loop system identification problems into open-loop-like problems. We show that this scheme can be formally extended to accomodate extra sensors in a nice way. The approach is illustrated on a simple simulation example....

  19. What factors influence online brand trust: evidence from online tickets buyers in Malaysia

    OpenAIRE

    Shah Alam, Syed; Mohd Yasin, Norjaya

    2010-01-01

    This study examines online brand trust and its influencing factors in the specific context of online air ticket buyers in Malaysia. Summarizing academic literature on online brand trust drivers, it was found that there is a need to conduct research on online brand trust. Accordingly our hypotheses is that word-of-mouth, online experience, security/privacy, perceived risk, brand reputation and quality information have significant influence on online brand trust. Our hypothesis is being tested ...

  20. Design, Development and Testing of a Semi Cylindrical Capacitive Sensor for Liquid Level Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sagarika PAL

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper a low cost noncontact semi cylindrical capacitive type liquid level sensor has been designed, developed and tested. The semi cylindrical capacitive sensor consisting of two thin semi cylindrical metal plates separated by a gap distance and mounted around a non conducting storage tank, has been used to measure the liquid level in the tank. The measured capacitance variation with variation of liquid level is linear and obtained in the nano farad range which again has been converted into voltage variation by using proper signal conditioning circuit. Since the sensor is noncontact type it can be used for both conducting and non conducting type of liquid contained within a non conducting tank. For converting the capacitance variation in to voltage variation a series R-L-C resonating circuit has been used instead of conventional bridge circuit. Experimental results confirm the satisfactory performance of the sensor for liquid level measurement.

  1. Penetrometer compatible, fiber-optic sensor for continuous monitoring of chlorinated hydrocarbons -- field test results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milanovich, F.P.; Brown, S.B.; Colston, B.W. Jr.

    1993-04-01

    We have developed and field tested a fiber optic chemical sensor for use in environmental monitoring and remediation. The principle of detection is colorimetric and is based on an irreversible chemical reaction between a specific reagent and the target compound. The formation of reaction products are monitored remotely with optical fibers. Successive or on-demand measurements are made possible with a reagent reservoir and a miniature pumping system. The sensor has been evaluated against gas chromatography standards and has demonstrated accuracy and sensitivity (>5ppb w/w) sufficient for the environmental monitoring of the contaminants triceoroethlyene (TCE) and chloroform. The sensor system can be used for bench-top analyses or for in-situ measurements such as groundwater and vadose monitoring wells or in Penetrometry mediated placements

  2. Design and Development of a Magneto-Optic Sensor for Magnetic Field Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarbani CHAKRABORTY

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A magneto-optic sensor is developed using a Terbium Doped Glass (TDG element as a Faraday rotation sensor and optical fiber as light transmitting and receiving medium. Online LabView based application software is developed to process the sensor output. The system is used to sense the magnetic field of a DC motor field winding in industrial environment. The sensor output is compared with the magnetic flux density variation obtained with a calibrated Hall Magnetic sensor (Gauss Meter. A linear variation of sensor output over wide range of current passing through the field winding is obtained. Further the results show an improved sensitivity of magneto-optic sensor over the Hall sensor.

  3. Monitoring water content in Opalinus Clay within the FE-Experiment: Test application of dielectric water content sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakaki, T.; Vogt, T.; Komatsu, M.; Müller, H. R.

    2013-12-01

    The spatiotemporal variation of water content in the near field rock around repository tunnels for radioactive waste in clay formations is one of the essential quantities to be monitored for safety assessment in many waste disposal programs. Reliable measurements of water content are important not only for the understanding and prediction of coupled hydraulic-mechanic processes that occur during tunnel construction and ventilation phase, but also for the understanding of coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) processes that take place in the host rock during the post closure phase of a repository tunnel for spent fuel and high level radioactive waste (SF/HLW). The host rock of the Swiss disposal concept for SF/HLW is the Opalinus Clay formation (age of approx. 175 Million years). To better understand the THM effects in a full-scale heater-engineered barrier-rock system in Opalinus Clay, a full-scale heater test, namely the Full-Scale Emplacement (FE) experiment, was initiated in 2010 at the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory in north-western Switzerland. The experiment is designed to simulate the THM evolution of a SF/HLW repository tunnel based on the Swiss disposal concept in a realistic manner during the construction, emplacement, backfilling, and post-closure phases. The entire experiment implementation (in a 50 m long gallery with approx. 3 m diameter) as well as the post-closure THM evolution will be monitored using a network of several hundred sensors. The sensors will be distributed in the host rock, the tunnel lining, the engineered barrier, which consists of bentonite pellets and blocks, and on the heaters. The excavation is completed and the tunnel is currently being ventilated. Measuring water content in partially saturated clay-rich high-salinity rock with a deformable grain skeleton is challenging. Therefore, we use the ventilation phase (before backfilling and heating) to examine the applicability of commercial water content sensors and to

  4. Testing the Effectiveness of Online Assignments in Theory of Finance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batu, Michael; Bower, Nancy; Lun, Esmond; Sadanand, Asha

    2018-01-01

    The authors investigated the effectiveness of online versus paper assignments using final examination scores in three cohorts of theory of finance. In particular, two cohorts were exposed to online assignments while another cohort was exposed to traditional assignments. The central result is that exposure to online assignments robustly leads to…

  5. Choosing CPUs in an Open Market: System Performance Testing for the BaBar Online Farm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavel, Tomas J

    1998-01-01

    BABAR is a high-rate experiment to study CP violation in asymmetric e + e - collisions. The BABAR Online Farm is a pool of workstations responsible for the last layer of event selection, as well as for full reconstruction of selected events and for monitoring functions. A large number of machine architectures were evaluated for use in this Online Farm. We present an overview of the results of this evaluation, which include tests of low-level OS primitives, tests of memory architecture, and tests of application-specific CPU performance. Factors of general interest to others making hardware decisions are highlighted. Performance of current BABAR reconstruction (written in C++) is found to scale fairly well with SPECint95, but with some noticeable deviations. Even for machines with similar SPEC CPU ratings, large variations in memory system performance exist. No single operating system has an overall edge in the performance of its primitives. In particular, freeware operating systems perform no worse overall than the commercial offerings

  6. Evolving RBF neural networks for adaptive soft-sensor design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandridis, Alex

    2013-12-01

    This work presents an adaptive framework for building soft-sensors based on radial basis function (RBF) neural network models. The adaptive fuzzy means algorithm is utilized in order to evolve an RBF network, which approximates the unknown system based on input-output data from it. The methodology gradually builds the RBF network model, based on two separate levels of adaptation: On the first level, the structure of the hidden layer is modified by adding or deleting RBF centers, while on the second level, the synaptic weights are adjusted with the recursive least squares with exponential forgetting algorithm. The proposed approach is tested on two different systems, namely a simulated nonlinear DC Motor and a real industrial reactor. The results show that the produced soft-sensors can be successfully applied to model the two nonlinear systems. A comparison with two different adaptive modeling techniques, namely a dynamic evolving neural-fuzzy inference system (DENFIS) and neural networks trained with online backpropagation, highlights the advantages of the proposed methodology.

  7. Incremental Support Vector Machine Framework for Visual Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuichi Motai

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Motivated by the emerging requirements of surveillance networks, we present in this paper an incremental multiclassification support vector machine (SVM technique as a new framework for action classification based on real-time multivideo collected by homogeneous sites. The technique is based on an adaptation of least square SVM (LS-SVM formulation but extends beyond the static image-based learning of current SVM methodologies. In applying the technique, an initial supervised offline learning phase is followed by a visual behavior data acquisition and an online learning phase during which the cluster head performs an ensemble of model aggregations based on the sensor nodes inputs. The cluster head then selectively switches on designated sensor nodes for future incremental learning. Combining sensor data offers an improvement over single camera sensing especially when the latter has an occluded view of the target object. The optimization involved alleviates the burdens of power consumption and communication bandwidth requirements. The resulting misclassification error rate, the iterative error reduction rate of the proposed incremental learning, and the decision fusion technique prove its validity when applied to visual sensor networks. Furthermore, the enabled online learning allows an adaptive domain knowledge insertion and offers the advantage of reducing both the model training time and the information storage requirements of the overall system which makes it even more attractive for distributed sensor networks communication.

  8. Software Sensors Design for a Class of Aerobic Fermentation Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trayana Patarinska

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The problem of on-line state and parameter estimation (software sensors design of a class of aerobic fermentation processes for metabolite product formation is considered. The class is characterized by: two limiting substrates one of which, growth factor, is practically depleted during the biomass growth where the product formation is negligible; corresponding general reaction scheme – a qualitative description of the main metabolic reactions between the main components in the liquid phase (biomass, substrates, product and dissolved oxygen concentrations. Two separate sensors – state and parameter estimators – are designed. The state estimator is developed based on knowledge of only one on-line measurable variable, the dissolved oxygen, and the yield factors assumed as constant coefficients. Parameter estimator of the specific reaction rates is developed under the assumption that all the process variables are known on-line by measurements or estimates. The yield factors are estimated also as non-stationary parameters, thus creating a basis for comparison with the specified constant values used for the state estimator design. As a case study industrial Lysine fermentation in fed-batch mode of operation is considered. Simulation investigations under different operating conditions are done in order to highlight the performances of the proposed sensors.

  9. On-Line Radiation Test Facility for Industrial Equipment needed for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN

    CERN Document Server

    Rausch, R

    1999-01-01

    The future Large Hadron Collider to be built at CERN will use superconducting magnets cooled down to 1.2 K. To preserve the superconductivity, the energy deposition dose levels in equipment located outside the cryostat, in the LHC tunnel, are calculated to be of the order of 1 to 10 Gy per year. At such dose levels, no major radiation-damage problems are to be expected, and the possibility of installing Commercial Of The Shelf (COTS) electronic equipment in the LHC tunnel along the accelerator is considered. To this purpose, industrial electronic equipment and circuits have to be qualified and tested against radiation to insure their long term stability and reliability. An on-line radiation test facility has been setup at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and a program of on-line tests for electronic equipment is ongoing. Equipment tested includes Industrial Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) from several manufacturers, standard VME modules, Fieldbuses like Profibus, WorldFIP and CAN, various electro...

  10. Online recruitment and testing of infants with Mechanical Turk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Michelle; Cabral, Laura; Patel, Ronak; Cusack, Rhodri

    2017-04-01

    Testing infants in the laboratory is expensive in time and money; consequently, many studies are underpowered, reducing their reproducibility. We investigated whether the online platform, Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), could be used as a resource to more easily recruit and measure the behavior of infant populations. Using a looking time paradigm, with users' webcams we recorded how long infants aged 5 to 8months attended while viewing children's television programs. We found that infants (N=57) were more reliably engaged by some movies than by others and that the most engaging movies could maintain attention for approximately 70% of a 10- to 13-min period. We then identified the cinematic features within the movies. Faces, singing-and-rhyming, and camera zooms were found to increase infant attention. Together, we established that MTurk can be used as a rapid tool for effectively recruiting and testing infants. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Applying computer adaptive testing to optimize online assessment of suicidal behavior: a simulation study.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Beurs, D.P.; de Vries, A.L.M.; de Groot, M.H.; de Keijser, J.; Kerkhof, A.J.F.M.

    2014-01-01

    Background: The Internet is used increasingly for both suicide research and prevention. To optimize online assessment of suicidal patients, there is a need for short, good-quality tools to assess elevated risk of future suicidal behavior. Computer adaptive testing (CAT) can be used to reduce

  12. Enhancing the accuracy of subcutaneous glucose sensors: a real-time deconvolution-based approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra, Stefania; Facchinetti, Andrea; Sparacino, Giovanni; Nicolao, Giuseppe De; Cobelli, Claudio

    2012-06-01

    Minimally invasive continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors can greatly help diabetes management. Most of these sensors consist of a needle electrode, placed in the subcutaneous tissue, which measures an electrical current exploiting the glucose-oxidase principle. This current is then transformed to glucose levels after calibrating the sensor on the basis of one, or more, self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) samples. In this study, we design and test a real-time signal-enhancement module that, cascaded to the CGM device, improves the quality of its output by a proper postprocessing of the CGM signal. In fact, CGM sensors measure glucose in the interstitium rather than in the blood compartment. We show that this distortion can be compensated by means of a regularized deconvolution procedure relying on a linear regression model that can be updated whenever a pair of suitably sampled SMBG references is collected. Tests performed both on simulated and real data demonstrate a significant accuracy improvement of the CGM signal. Simulation studies also demonstrate the robustness of the method against departures from nominal conditions, such as temporal misplacement of the SMBG samples and uncertainty in the blood-to-interstitium glucose kinetic model. Thanks to its online capabilities, the proposed signal-enhancement algorithm can be used to improve the performance of CGM-based real-time systems such as the hypo/hyper glycemic alert generators or the artificial pancreas.

  13. Status self-validation of a multifunctional sensor using a multivariate relevance vector machine and predictive filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, Zhengguang; Wang, Qi

    2013-01-01

    A novel strategy by using a multivariable relevance vector machine coupled with predictive filters for status self-validation of a multifunctional sensor is proposed. The working principle and online updating algorithm of predictive filters are emphasized for multiple fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR), and the incorrect sensor measurements are validated online. The multivariable relevance vector machine is then employed for the signal reconstruction of the multifunctional sensor to generate the final validated measurement values (VMV) of multiple measured components, in which its advantages of sparse models and multivariable simultaneous outputs are fully used. With all likely uncertainty sources of the multifunctional self-validating sensor taken into account, the uncertainty propagation model is deduced in detail to evaluate the online validated uncertainty (VU) under a fault-free situation while a qualitative uncertainty component is appended to indicate the accuracy changes of VMV under different types of fault. A real experimental system of a multifunctional self-validating sensor is designed to verify the performance of the proposed strategy. From the real-time capacity and fault recovery accuracy of FDIR, and runtime of signal reconstruction under small samples, a performance comparison among different methods is made. Results demonstrate that the proposed scheme provides a better solution to the status self-validation of a multifunctional self-validating sensor under both normal and abnormal situations. (paper)

  14. Development and Test of a Contactless Position and Angular Sensor Device for the Application in Synchronous Micro Motors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas WALDSCHIK

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we present a contactless micro position and angular sensor system which consists of fixed commercial magnetic sensor elements, such as hall sensors and a movable part with integrated micro structured polymer magnets. This system serves particularly for linear and rotatory synchronous micro motors which we have developed and successfully tested. In order to achieve high precision and control of these motors an integration of the special micro position and angular sensors is pursued to increase the resolution and accuracy of the devices.

  15. Ecodriver. D23.1: Report on test scenarios for val-idation of on-line vehicle algorithms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Seewald, P.; Ivens, T.W.T.; Spronkmans, S.

    2014-01-01

    This deliverable provides a description of test scenarios that will be used for validation of WP22’s on-line vehicle algorithms. These algorithms consist of the two modules VE³ (Vehicle Energy and Environment Estimator) and RSG (Reference Signal Genera-tor) and will be tested using the

  16. Structural Stability Monitoring of a Physical Model Test on an Underground Cavern Group during Deep Excavations Using FBG Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Li

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG sensors are comprehensively recognized as a structural stability monitoring device for all kinds of geo-materials by either embedding into or bonding onto the structural entities. The physical model in geotechnical engineering, which could accurately simulate the construction processes and the effects on the stability of underground caverns on the basis of satisfying the similarity principles, is an actual physical entity. Using a physical model test of underground caverns in Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station, FBG sensors were used to determine how to model the small displacements of some key monitoring points in the large-scale physical model during excavation. In the process of building the test specimen, it is most successful to embed FBG sensors in the physical model through making an opening and adding some quick-set silicon. The experimental results show that the FBG sensor has higher measuring accuracy than other conventional sensors like electrical resistance strain gages and extensometers. The experimental results are also in good agreement with the numerical simulation results. In conclusion, FBG sensors could effectively measure small displacements of monitoring points in the whole process of the physical model test. The experimental results reveal the deformation and failure characteristics of the surrounding rock mass and make some guidance for the in situ engineering construction.

  17. On-line monitoring of fermentation processes using multi-wavelength fluorescence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Odman, Peter; Petersen, Nanna; Johansen, Claus Lindvald

    2007-01-01

    . The model system considered in this work is the antibiotic production by Streptomyces coelicolor, a filamentous bacterium. In addition to predicting concentrations of biomass in the fermentation broth, the data allowed detection of different physiological states, i.e. growth phase and phosphate limitation......Fermentation processes often suffer from a lack of real-time methods for on-line determination of variables like the concentrations of nutrients and products. This work aims at investigating the possibilities of implementing an on-line fermentation monitoring system based on multi......-wavelength fluorescence (MWF). This type of sensor has previously showed promising accuracy and selectivity for in situ monitoring of cell mass and certain metabolites in bioreactors (Lantz et al., 2006). The sensor generates multivariate data outputs, which necessitate chemometric modeling for signal interpretation...

  18. Hardware test program for evaluation of baseline range-range rate sensor concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-01-01

    The baseline range/range rate sensor concept was evaluated. The Interrupted CW (ICW) mode of operation continued with emphasis on establishing the sensitivity of the video portion of the receiver was 7 dB less than the theoretical value. This departs from test results of previous implementations in which achieved sensitivity was within 1.5 to 2 dB of the theoretical value. Several potential causes of this discrepancy in performance were identified and are scheduled for further investigation. Results indicate that a cost savings in both per unit and program costs are realizable by eliminating one of the modes of operation. An acquisition (total program) cost savings of approximately 10% is projected by eliminating the CW mode of operation. The modified R/R sensor would operate in the ICW mode only and would provide coverage from initial acquisition at 12 nmi to within a few hundred feet of the OMV. If the ICW mode only were selected, then an accompanying sensor would be required to provide coverage from a few hundred feet to docking.

  19. Lung toxicity determination by in vitro exposure at the air liquid interface with an integrated online dose measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muelhopt, Sonja; Paur, H-R; Diabate, S; Weiss, C; Krebs, T

    2009-01-01

    Epidemiological studies show an association between the concentration of ultrafine particles in the atmosphere and the rate of mortality or morbidity due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. For the quantitative assessment of the toxicity of airborne nanoparticles the dose-response relationship is tested in in vitro test systems using bioassays of cell cultures as sensor. For the air-liquid interface exposure of cell cultures towards aerosols the Karlsruhe exposure system was developed. The human lung cell cultures are exposed in VITROCELL (registered) system modules with a constant flow of the conditioned aerosol. After exposure the cells are analyzed to measure the biological responses such as viability, inflammatory or oxidative stress. For the determination of the dose response relationship the accurate knowledge of the deposited particle mass is essential. A new online method is developed in the Karlsruhe exposure system: the sensor of a quartz crystal microbalance is placed in an exposure chamber instead of the membrane insert and exposed to the aerosol in the same way as the cell cultures. The deposited mass per area unit is monitored as a function of exposure time showing a linear relationship for a constant aerosol flow with defined particle concentration. A comparison of this new dose signal to a dosimetry method using fluorescein sodium particles shows a very good correlation between the sensor signal of the quartz crystal microbalance and the deposited mass on the membranes shown by spectroscopy. This system for the first time provides an online dose measurement for in vitro experiments with nanoparticles.

  20. INQUIRE: a case study in evaluating the potential of online MCQ tests in a discursive subject

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Clarke

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available There has been a wealth of investigation into the use of online multiple-choice questions as a means of summative assessment, however the research into the use of formative MCQs by the same mode of delivery still remains patchy. Similarly, research and implementation has been largely concentrated within the Sciences and Medicine rather than the more discursive subjects within the Humanities and Social Sciences. The INQUIRE (Interactive Questions Reinforcing Education Evaluation Project was jointly conducted by two groups at the University of Oxford–the Saïd Business School and the Academic Computing Development Team to evaluate the use of online MCQs as a mechanism to reinforce and extend student learning. This initial study used a small set of highly focused MCQ tests that were designed to complement an introductory series of first-year undergraduate management lectures. MCQ is a simple and well-established technology, and hence the emphasis was very much on situating the tests within the student experience. The paper will cover how the online MCQs are intended to fit into the Oxford Undergraduate study agenda, and how a simple evaluation was executed and planned to investigate their usage and impact. The chosen method of evaluation was to combine focus groups with automated online methods of tracking, and the paper discusses the findings of both of these.

  1. Online dating in Japan: a test of social information processing theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrer, James; Gavin, Jeff

    2009-08-01

    This study examines the experiences of past and present members of a popular Japanese online dating site in order to explore the extent to which Western-based theories of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and the development of online relationships are relevant to the Japanese online dating experience. Specifically, it examines whether social information processing theory (SIPT) is applicable to Japanese online dating interactions, and how and to what extent Japanese daters overcome the limitations of CMC through the use of contextual and other cues. Thirty-six current members and 27 former members of Match.com Japan completed an online survey. Using issue-based procedures for grounded theory analysis, we found strong support for SIPT. Japanese online daters adapt their efforts to present and acquire social information using the cues that the online dating platform provides, although many of these cues are specific to Japanese social context.

  2. Development of a versatile readout and test system and characterization of a capacitively coupled active pixel sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janssen, Jens; Gonella, Laura; Hemperek, Tomasz; Hirono, Toko; Huegging, Fabian; Krueger, Hans; Wermes, Norbert [Institute of Physics, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany); Peric, Ivan [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Karlsruhe (Germany); Collaboration: ATLAS-Collaboration

    2015-07-01

    With the availability of high voltage and high resistivity CMOS processes, active pixel sensors are becoming increasingly interesting for radiation detection in high energy physics experiments. Although the pixel signal-to-noise ratio and the sensor radiation tolerance were improved, active pixel sensors cannot yet compete with state-of-the-art hybrid pixel detector in a high radiation environment. Hence, active pixel sensors are possible candidates for the outer tracking detector in HEP experiments where production cost plays a role. The investigation of numerous prototyping steps and different technologies is still ongoing and requires a versatile test and readout system, which will be presented in this talk. A capacitively coupled active pixel sensor fabricated in AMS 180 nm high voltage CMOS process is investigated. The sensor is designed to be glued to existing front-end pixel readout chips. Results from the characterization are presented in this talk.

  3. Joint Navy and Air Force Infrared Sensor Stimulator (IRSS) Program for Installed Systems Test Facilities (ISTFs)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Joyner, Tom

    1998-01-01

    ...) sensors undergoing integrated developmental and operational testing. IRSS generates digital IR scenes in real time to provide a realistic portrayal of IR scene radiance as viewed by and IR system under test in a threat engagement scenario...

  4. Test Structures for Rapid Prototyping of Gas and Pressure Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buehler, M.; Cheng, L. J.; Martin, D.

    1996-01-01

    A multi-project ceramic substrate was used in developing a gas sensor and pressure sensor. The ceramic substrate cantained 36 chips with six variants including sensors, process control monitors, and an interconnect ship. Tha gas sensor is being developed as an air quality monitor and the pressure gauge as a barometer.

  5. Determination of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Water Using Highly Sensitive Mid-Infrared Sensor Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Rui; Mizaikoff, Boris; Li, Wen-Wei; Qian, Chen; Katzir, Abraham; Raichlin, Yosef; Sheng, Guo-Ping; Yu, Han-Qing

    2013-08-01

    Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (CHCs) are toxic and carcinogenic contaminants commonly found in environmental samples, and efficient online detection of these contaminants is still challenging at the present stage. Here, we report an advanced Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) sensor for in-situ and simultaneous detection of multiple CHCs, including monochlorobenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, and chloroform. The polycrystalline silver halide sensor fiber had a unique integrated planar-cylindric geometry, and was coated with an ethylene/propylene copolymer membrane to act as a solid phase extractor, which greatly amplified the analytical signal and contributed to a higher detection sensitivity compared to the previously reported sensors. This system exhibited a high detection sensitivity towards the CHCs mixture at a wide concentration range of 5~700 ppb. The FTIR-ATR sensor described in this study has a high potential to be utilized as a trace-sensitive on-line device for water contamination monitoring.

  6. Propagation of measurement accuracy to biomass soft-sensor estimation and control quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinwandter, Valentin; Zahel, Thomas; Sagmeister, Patrick; Herwig, Christoph

    2017-01-01

    In biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing, the online measurement of biomass and derived specific turnover rates is a central task to physiologically monitor and control the process. However, hard-type sensors such as dielectric spectroscopy, broth fluorescence, or permittivity measurement harbor various disadvantages. Therefore, soft-sensors, which use measurements of the off-gas stream and substrate feed to reconcile turnover rates and provide an online estimate of the biomass formation, are smart alternatives. For the reconciliation procedure, mass and energy balances are used together with accuracy estimations of measured conversion rates, which were so far arbitrarily chosen and static over the entire process. In this contribution, we present a novel strategy within the soft-sensor framework (named adaptive soft-sensor) to propagate uncertainties from measurements to conversion rates and demonstrate the benefits: For industrially relevant conditions, hereby the error of the resulting estimated biomass formation rate and specific substrate consumption rate could be decreased by 43 and 64 %, respectively, compared to traditional soft-sensor approaches. Moreover, we present a generic workflow to determine the required raw signal accuracy to obtain predefined accuracies of soft-sensor estimations. Thereby, appropriate measurement devices and maintenance intervals can be selected. Furthermore, using this workflow, we demonstrate that the estimation accuracy of the soft-sensor can be additionally and substantially increased.

  7. Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Smart sensor combining with embedded metadata and wireless technology presents real opportunities for significant improvements in reliability, cost-benefits, and...

  8. Autonomous Integrated Navigation for Indoor Robots Utilizing On-Line Iterated Extended Rauch-Tung-Striebel Smoothing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Xu

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In order to reduce the estimated errors of the inertial navigation system (INS/Wireless sensor network (WSN-integrated navigation for mobile robots indoors, this work proposes an on-line iterated extended Rauch-Tung-Striebel smoothing (IERTSS utilizing inertial measuring units (IMUs and an ultrasonic positioning system. In this mode, an iterated Extended Kalman filter (IEKF is used in forward data processing of the Extended Rauch-Tung-Striebel smoothing (ERTSS to improve the accuracy of the filtering output for the smoother. Furthermore, in order to achieve the on-line smoothing, IERTSS is embedded into the average filter. For verification, a real indoor test has been done to assess the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is effective in reducing the errors compared with the conventional schemes.

  9. Study of the Sensor for On-line Lubricating Oil Debris Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiqin Zhan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Mechanical parts such as gears and bearings used in mechanical equipment have a finite lifetime because of corrosion and wear. If the parts are in abnormal operation and is not detected, it may cause catastrophic component failure during operation. One effective approach to detect signs of potential failure of the mechanical equipment is to examine the debris particles in its lubricating oil. This article presented an inductive debris sensor which is designed on the basis of the principle of inductance balance. The structure design and the principle of it are studied. The intensity distribution of its magnetic induction is simulated by the use of simulation software Ansoft Maxwell. The mathematical model when there is a debris particle passing through the sensor is analyzed and the characteristics of the sensor’s induction signal is gotten. Experiments have shown that debris particles can be detected by this sensor.

  10. Magnetic Test Facility - Sensor and Coil Calibrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    amplitude of signals induced into the sensor. 2.1.1.2 Fluxgate magnetometers Fluxgate sensors consist of a ferromagnetic core, around which drive and sense...kHz range to be measured. Fluxgate magnetometers do not have a lower limit to their fre- quency response, and hence can be used to measure...placed within a larger triaxial coil which is used in conjunction with a fluxgate magnetometer to cancel earth’s field at the cen- tre of the coil. A

  11. Embedding piezoresistive pressure sensors to obtain online pressure profiles inside fiber composite laminates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moghaddam, Maryam Kahali; Breede, Arne; Brauner, Christian; Lang, Walter

    2015-03-27

    The production of large and complex parts using fiber composite materials is costly due to the frequent formation of voids, porosity and waste products. By embedding different types of sensors and monitoring the process in real time, the amount of wastage can be significantly reduced. This work focuses on developing a knowledge-based method to improve and ensure complete impregnation of the fibers before initiation of the resin cure. Piezoresistive and capacitive pressure sensors were embedded in fiber composite laminates to measure the real-time the pressure values inside the laminate. A change of pressure indicates resin infusion. The sensors were placed in the laminate and the resin was infused by vacuum. The embedded piezoresistive pressure sensors were able to track the vacuum pressure in the fiber composite laminate setup, as well as the arrival of the resin at the sensor. The pressure increase due to closing the resin inlet was also measured. In contrast, the capacitive type of sensor was found to be inappropriate for measuring these quantities. The following study demonstrates real-time monitoring of pressure changes inside the fiber composite laminate, which validate the use of Darcy's law in porous media to control the resin flow during infusion.

  12. An H₂S Sensor Based on Electrochemistry for Chicken Coops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Lihua; He, Mei; Yu, Huihui; Li, Daoliang

    2016-08-31

    The recent modernization of the livestock industry lags behind the scale of the livestock industry, particularly in indoor environmental monitoring. In particular, the H₂S gas concentration in chicken coops affects the growth and reproductive capacity of the chickens and threatens their health. Therefore, the research and development of a low-cost, environmentally friendly sensor that can achieve on-line monitoring of H₂S gas has a notably important practical significance. This paper reports the design of an H₂S gas sensor, with selection of an electrochemical probe with high accuracy and wide measurement range using the relatively mature technology of electrochemical sensors. Although the probe of the sensor is the main factor that affects the sensor accuracy, the probe must be combined with a specifically designed signal condition circuit that can overcome the lack of an electrode to satisfy the requirements for the interconnection and matching between the output signal and the test instrument. Because the output current of the electrochemical electrode is small and likely to be disturbed by noise, we designed signal-conditioning modules. Through the signal-conditioning circuit, the output signal of the current electrode can be converted into a voltage and amplified. In addition, we designed a power control module because a bias voltage is necessary for the electrode. Finally, after the calibration experiment, the accurate concentration of H₂S gas can be measured. Based on the experimental analysis, the sensor shows good linearity and selectivity, comparatively high sensitivity, perfect stability and an extremely long operating life of up to two years.

  13. Use of NMR as an online sensor in industrial processes; Uso da RMN como um sensor online em processos industriais

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrade, Fabiana Diuk de [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IQSC/USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica; Colnago, Luiz Alberto, E-mail: colnago@cnpdia.embrapa.br [Embrapa Instrumentacao, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the most versatile analytical techniques for chemical, biochemical and medical applications. Despite this great success, NMR is seldom used as a tool in industrial applications. The first application of NMR in flowing samples was published in 1951. However, only in the last ten years Flow NMR has gained momentum and new and potential applications have been proposed. In this review we present the historical evolution of flow or online NMR spectroscopy and imaging, and current developments for use in the automation of industrial processes. (author)

  14. Sustained operation of sensor nodes with energy harvesters and supercapacitors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Renner, Bernd-Christian

    2013-06-01

    Sensor nodes powered by energy harvesters and supercapacitors open the door to unlimited and uninterrupted operation. This dissertation closes the persistent gap of system integration w.r.t. holistic online energy assessment, develops a new concept for harvest forecasting while assessing the behavior and quality of known approaches, and proposes a novel load adaptation scheme to achieve sustained and uniform sensor node operation with low complexity and computational overhead. For this purpose, a prototype of an energy harvester with a supercapacitor for off-the-shelf sensor nodes is developed and used for practical evaluation.

  15. A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Efficacy of Promoting a Home-Based HIV Self-Testing with Online Counseling on Increasing HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zixin; Lau, Joseph T F; Ip, Mary; Ho, Shara P Y; Mo, Phoenix K H; Latkin, Carl; Ma, Yee Ling; Kim, Yoona

    2018-01-01

    We developed an innovative home-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) service that included mailing of a free HIVST kit, and providing online real-time instructions and pre-test/post-test counseling (HIVST-OIC). The present parallel-group and non-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of promoting HIVST-OIC in increasing HIV testing rate among 430 men who have sex with men (MSM), with access to online live-chat applications in Hong Kong. At month 6, as compared to the control group, the intervention group reported significantly higher prevalence of HIV testing of any type (89.8 vs. 50.7%; relative risk (RR): 1.77; p strong potential in increasing prevalence of HIV testing and reducing sexual risk behaviors. Implementation research is warranted.

  16. Development of gait segmentation methods for wearable foot pressure sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crea, S; De Rossi, S M M; Donati, M; Reberšek, P; Novak, D; Vitiello, N; Lenzi, T; Podobnik, J; Munih, M; Carrozza, M C

    2012-01-01

    We present an automated segmentation method based on the analysis of plantar pressure signals recorded from two synchronized wireless foot insoles. Given the strict limits on computational power and power consumption typical of wearable electronic components, our aim is to investigate the capability of a Hidden Markov Model machine-learning method, to detect gait phases with different levels of complexity in the processing of the wearable pressure sensors signals. Therefore three different datasets are developed: raw voltage values, calibrated sensor signals and a calibrated estimation of total ground reaction force and position of the plantar center of pressure. The method is tested on a pool of 5 healthy subjects, through a leave-one-out cross validation. The results show high classification performances achieved using estimated biomechanical variables, being on average the 96%. Calibrated signals and raw voltage values show higher delays and dispersions in phase transition detection, suggesting a lower reliability for online applications.

  17. An Opto-Electronic Sensor for Detecting Soil Microarthropods and Estimating Their Size in Field Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Csongor I. Gedeon

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Methods to estimate density of soil-dwelling arthropods efficiently, accurately and continuously are critical for investigating soil biological activity and evaluating soil management practices. Soil-dwelling arthropods are currently monitored manually. This method is invasive, and time- and labor-consuming. Here we describe an infrared opto-electronic sensor for detection of soil microarthropods in the size range of 0.4–10 mm. The sensor is built in a novel microarthropod trap designed for field conditions. It allows automated, on-line, in situ detection and body length estimation of soil microarthropods. In the opto-electronic sensor the light source is an infrared LED. Two plano-convex optical lenses are placed along the virtual optical axis. One lens on the receiver side is placed between the observation space at 0.5–1 times its focal length from the sensor, and another emitter side lens is placed between the observation space and the light source in the same way. This paper describes the setup and operating mechanism of the sensor and the control unit, and through basic tests it demonstrates its potential in automated detection of soil microarthropods. The sensor may be used for monitoring activities, especially for remote observation activities in soil and insect ecology or pest control.

  18. Design, building and test of one prototype and four final position sensor assemblies: Hall effect position sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    1976-01-01

    This report covers the development of a three channel Hall effect position sensing system for the commutation of a three phase dc torquer motor. The effort consisted of the evaluation, modification and re-packaging of a commercial position sensor and the design of a target configuration unique to this application. The resulting design meets the contract requirements and, furthermore, the test results indicate not only the practicality and versatility of the design, but also that there may be higher limits of resolution and accuracy achievable.

  19. Study on on-Line Measurement and Controlling System of the Foundation Trench-Leveling Machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, J G; Jiang, H Y; Xing, Y Z; Chen, J; Liu, J T

    2006-01-01

    Research the system software and hardware composing, the control mode, the online measurement and control principle based on the laser receiver and the inclination sensor as the signal source. After the laser receiver accepts the laser signal, the laser signal is carried through the light filter treatment so as to reduce the sunlight interference, and then amplified and modulated, last transmitted to the control unit. The inclination sensor adapts XWQJ02-01S, measure the slope angle the x and y verticality direction. The error adjusting range is ±0.05 0 . The separate time treatment avoids simultaneously adjusting the laser and inclination signal to each other interfere. The on-line measurement and control system realizes the parts to work on the plane that parallels with the datum plane of the laser beam scan. The trench-leveling machine must retain ±0.05 0 with the datum plane. Adapting the least square method to fit the linear curve, the movement trend of the work parts on the work plane is judged through the slope number. The test result shows that thought the combination measurement and control of the laser and slope angle the leveling precision are ±5mm/100. Its can satisfy with the construction criterion request

  20. Uncertainty Quantification Techniques for Sensor Calibration Monitoring in Nuclear Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Lin, Guang; Crawford, Susan L.; Konomi, Bledar A.; Coble, Jamie B.; Shumaker, Brent; Hashemian, Hash

    2014-04-30

    This report describes research towards the development of advanced algorithms for online calibration monitoring. The objective of this research is to develop the next generation of online monitoring technologies for sensor calibration interval extension and signal validation in operating and new reactors. These advances are expected to improve the safety and reliability of current and planned nuclear power systems as a result of higher accuracies and increased reliability of sensors used to monitor key parameters. The focus of this report is on documenting the outcomes of the first phase of R&D under this project, which addressed approaches to uncertainty quantification (UQ) in online monitoring that are data-driven, and can therefore adjust estimates of uncertainty as measurement conditions change. Such data-driven approaches to UQ are necessary to address changing plant conditions, for example, as nuclear power plants experience transients, or as next-generation small modular reactors (SMR) operate in load-following conditions.

  1. Uncertainty Quantification Techniques for Sensor Calibration Monitoring in Nuclear Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Lin, Guang; Crawford, Susan L.; Konomi, Bledar A.; Braatz, Brett G.; Coble, Jamie B.; Shumaker, Brent; Hashemian, Hash

    2013-09-01

    This report describes the status of ongoing research towards the development of advanced algorithms for online calibration monitoring. The objective of this research is to develop the next generation of online monitoring technologies for sensor calibration interval extension and signal validation in operating and new reactors. These advances are expected to improve the safety and reliability of current and planned nuclear power systems as a result of higher accuracies and increased reliability of sensors used to monitor key parameters. The focus of this report is on documenting the outcomes of the first phase of R&D under this project, which addressed approaches to uncertainty quantification (UQ) in online monitoring that are data-driven, and can therefore adjust estimates of uncertainty as measurement conditions change. Such data-driven approaches to UQ are necessary to address changing plant conditions, for example, as nuclear power plants experience transients, or as next-generation small modular reactors (SMR) operate in load-following conditions.

  2. Designing and testing a laser-based vibratory sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nath, G.

    2018-04-01

    Sensor technology has proved its importance, not only in the range of few-meter applications in different fields, but in micro, nano, atomic and sub-atomic-sized objects. The present work describes the designing of a laser-based vibratory sensor using a He-Ne laser as the signal source. The received characteristics of the signal are mainly the frequency and amplitude of the vibration from which the physical parameters such as energy, power and absorption coefficients of the material are determined, which enables us to provide information of the hidden target or object. This laboratory-designed sensor finds application in different local phenomena as well as laboratory practical activity for students.

  3. Dimensional Measurements under High Radiation with Optical Fibre Sensors based on White Light Interferometry - Report on Irradiation Tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheymol, G.; Caron, N.; Gusarov, A.; Gaillot, S.; Destouches, C.

    2013-06-01

    Abstract-Optical fibre sensors (OFS) can bring substantial advantages over conventional sensing approaches for in-situ measurement in fission Material Testing Reactors (MTRs) and other nuclear research or industrial facilities: easy remote sensing, possibilities of multiplexing, passive operation, low sensitivity to electromagnetic interference, compact size, high resolution and accuracy even under high radiation dose and high temperature, once necessary adaptations have been achieved. In this paper firstly we remind the three undesired effects of high level of irradiation on OFS: radiation induced attenuation, radio luminescence and compaction due to fast neutrons. Then we present two types of sensor that we develop: elongation Fabry Perot sensor - jointly with SCK.CEN - and Michelson type displacement sensor; they both rely on white light interferometry to retrieve the desired measurement. We report the results of irradiation of Fabry-Perot sensors in the core of BR2 material testing reactor in Mol (Belgium), under intense neutron-gamma flux and at high temperature. Six Fabry Perot fibre optics sensors are mounted on a support insensitive to radiation. The objective is to test the survival and the drift of the sensors. The temperature is maintained steady at 200 deg. C during 22 days then the temperature is increased up to 390 deg. C. Among five sensors built according to nominal scheme, four are still alive at the end of the cycle and three show a low drift of 1 to 4 μm. These results show a clear progress compared to the previous irradiation and make it possible to consider the use of these sensors in real tests of material in MTR reactor. However, improvement in the robustness of the interfaces is still necessary. The next part is devoted to the measurement of displacements perpendicular to the direction of the lead-in fibre, of interest for small room environments where the fibre cannot make a 90 deg. turn. The optical scheme is based on the Michelson

  4. Palladium coated fibre Bragg grating based hydrogen sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasinathan, M.; Sosamma, S.; Kishore, S.; Elumalai, V.; Krishnan, R.; Babu Rao, C.; Dash, Sitaram; Murali, N.; Jayakumar, T.

    2011-01-01

    Detection of steam generator leaks in fast nuclear reactors is carried out by monitoring hydrogen in argon cover-gas. Hydrogen released during sodium cleaning of fast reactor components is required to be monitored. Hydrogen sensors with good sensitivity, stability and response time are required for all the above applications. We report a new type of hydrogen sensor with a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) coated with palladium thin film which is used to detect the leak of hydrogen gas in the Steam Generator (SG) module of the Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR). If water leaks into sodium, it results in sodium-water reaction. In this reaction hydrogen and sodium hydroxide are formed. Due to the explosive risk of hydrogen system, hydrogen sensors are of great interest in this case. It is known that hydrogen forms an explosive mixture with air once its concentration exceeds beyond the explosion limit of four percent. The advantages of FBG based hydrogen sensor over the other hydrogen sensors are its inherent property of safety from sparking, immunity to ambient electromagnetic interference. The sensing mechanism in this device is based on mechanical strain that is induced in the palladium coating when it absorbs hydrogen. This process physically stretches the grating and causes the grating period and grating's refractive index, to change. The Bragg wavelength shift is directly proportional to the strain induced and can be directly related to the percentage of hydrogen exposure. The online monitoring of palladium thin film coating on FBG is carried out and recorded the wavelength change and strain induced on the FBG. A hydrogen sensor set up have been fabricated which consists of SS vessel of capacity 10 litres, provided with pressure gauge, Argon filling line with a valve, Hydrogen injection line with flange, a vent line with valve and Hydrogen sensor fixing point. The Palladium coated FBG based Hydrogen sensor is tested in this experimental facility in the exposure of hydrogen in

  5. Online monitoring of dynamic tip clearance of turbine blades in high temperature environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yu; Zhong, Chong; Zhu, Xiaoliang; Zhe, Jiang

    2018-04-01

    Minimized tip clearance reduces the gas leakage over turbine blade tips and improves the thrust and efficiency of turbomachinery. An accurate tip clearance sensor, measuring the dynamic clearances between blade tips and the turbine case, is a critical component for tip clearance control. This paper presents a robust inductive tip clearance sensor capable of monitoring dynamic tip clearances of turbine machines in high-temperature environments and at high rotational speeds. The sensor can also self-sense the temperature at a blade tip in situ such that temperature effect on tip clearance measurement can be estimated and compensated. To evaluate the sensor’s performance, the sensor was tested for measuring the tip clearances of turbine blades under various working temperatures ranging from 700 K to 1300 K and at turbine rotational speeds ranging from 3000 to 10 000 rpm. The blade tip clearance was varied from 50 to 2000 µm. The experiment results proved that the sensor can accurately measure the blade tip clearances with a temporal resolution of 10 µm. The capability of accurately measuring the tip clearances at high temperatures (~1300 K) and high turbine rotation speeds (~30 000 rpm), along with its compact size, makes it promising for online monitoring and active control of blade tip clearances of high-temperature turbomachinery.

  6. Time-domain fiber loop ringdown sensor and sensor network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaya, Malik

    Optical fibers have been mostly used in fiber optic communications, imaging optics, sensing technology, etc. Fiber optic sensors have gained increasing attention for scientific and structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. In this study, fiber loop ringdown (FLRD) sensors were fabricated for scientific, SHM, and sensor networking applications. FLRD biosensors were fabricated for both bulk refractive index (RI)- and surface RI-based DNA sensing and one type of bacteria sensing. Furthermore, the effect of glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilization at the sensor head on sensor performance was evaluated for both glucose and synthetic urine solutions with glucose concentration between 0.1% and 10%. Detection sensitivities of the glucose sensors were achieved as low as 0.05%. For chemical sensing, heavy water, ranging from 97% to 10%, and several elemental solutions were monitored by using the FLRD chemical sensors. Bulk index-based FLRD sensing showed that trace elements can be detected in deionized water. For physical sensing, water and cracking sensors were fabricated and embedded into concrete. A partially-etched single-mode fiber (SMF) was embedded into a concrete bar for water monitoring while a bare SMF without any treatment was directly embedded into another concrete bar for monitoring cracks. Furthermore, detection sensitivities of water and crack sensors were investigated as 10 ml water and 0.5 mm surface crack width, respectively. Additionally fiber loop ringdown-fiber Bragg grating temperature sensors were developed in the laboratory; two sensor units for water, crack, and temperature sensing were deployed into a concrete cube in a US Department of Energy test bed (Miami, FL). Multi-sensor applications in a real concrete structure were accomplished by testing the six FLRD sensors. As a final stage, a sensor network was assembled by multiplexing two or three FLRD sensors in series and parallel. Additionally, two FLRD sensors were combined in series and

  7. Design and performance testing of the 5 degree of freedom formation flying sensor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verlaan, A.L.; Cuylle, S.H.

    2008-01-01

    Formation flying of spacecraft nowadays is acknowledged to be an important technology for many future space missions. TNO underlines the importance and has therefore designed and tested a general use sensor system that is modular and can be used and adapted to the specific needs of a variety of

  8. Results from a first production of enhanced Silicon Sensor Test Structures produced by ITE Warsaw

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergauer, T.; Dragicevic, M.; Frey, M.; Grabiec, P.; Grodner, M.; Hänsel, S.; Hartmann, F.; Hoffmann, K.-H.; Hrubec, J.; Krammer, M.; Kucharski, K.; Macchiolo, A.; Marczewski, J.

    2009-01-01

    Monitoring the manufacturing process of silicon sensors is essential to ensure stable quality of the produced detectors. During the CMS silicon sensor production we were utilising small Test Structures (TS) incorporated on the cut-away of the wafers to measure certain process-relevant parameters. Experience from the CMS production and quality assurance led to enhancements of these TS. Another important application of TS is the commissioning of new vendors. The measurements provide us with a good understanding of the capabilities of a vendor's process. A first batch of the new TS was produced at the Institute of Electron Technology in Warsaw Poland. We will first review the improvements to the original CMS test structures and then discuss a selection of important measurements performed on this first batch.

  9. Novel microelectrode-based online system for monitoring N2O gas emissions during wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marques, Ricardo; Oehmen, Adrian; Pijuan, Maite

    2014-11-04

    Clark-type nitrous oxide (N2O) microelectrodes are commonly used for measuring dissolved N2O levels, but have not previously been tested for gas-phase applications, where the N2O emitted from wastewater systems can be directly quantified. In this study, N2O microelectrodes were tested and validated for online gas measurements, and assessed with respect to their temperature, gas flow, composition dependence, gas pressure, and humidity. An exponential correlation between temperature and sensor signal was found, whereas gas flow, composition, pressure, and humidity did not have any influence on the signal. Two of the sensors were tested at different N2O concentration ranges (0-422.3, 0-50, 0-10, and 0-2 ppmv N2O) and exhibited a linear response over each range. The N2O emission dynamics from two laboratory scale sequencing batch reactors performing ammonia or nitrite oxidation were also monitored using one of the microsensors and results were compared with two other analytical methods. Results show that N2O emissions were accurately described with these microelectrodes and support their application for assessing gaseous N2O emissions from wastewater treatment systems. Advantages of the sensors as compared to conventional measurement techniques include a wider quantification range of N2O fluxes, and a single measurement system that can assess both liquid and gas-phase N2O dynamics.

  10. Test beam results of a depleted monolithic active pixel sensor (DMAPS) prototype

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Obermann, Theresa; Hemperek, Tomasz; Huegging, Fabian; Krueger, Hans; Wermes, Norbert [Bonn Univ. (Germany); Schwenker, Benjamin [Goettingen Univ. (Germany); Collaboration: ATLAS Pixel-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    New monolithic detector concepts are currently being explored for future particle physics experiments, in particular for the upgrade of the ATLAS detector. Common to monolithic pixel detectors is the integration of the front-end circuitry and the sensor on the same silicon substrate. The DMAPS concept makes use of high resistive silicon as substrate. It enables the application of a high bias voltage to create a drift field for the charge collection in the sensor part as well as the full usage of CMOS logic in the same piece of silicon. DMAPS prototypes from several foundries are available since three years and have been extensively characterized in the lab. In this talk, results of test beam campaigns, with neutron irradiated prototypes implemented in the ESPROS process, are presented.

  11. Robust on-line monitoring of biogas processes; Robusta maettekniker on-line foer optimerad biogasproduktion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nordberg, Aake; Hansson, Mikael; Kanerot, Mija; Krozer, Anatol; Loefving, Bjoern; Sahlin, Eskil

    2010-03-15

    Although demand for biomethane in Sweden is higher than ever, many Swedish codigestion plants are presently operated below their designed capacity. Efforts must be taken to increase the loading rate and guarantee stable operation and high availability of the plants. There are currently no commercial systems for on-line monitoring, and due to the characteristics of the material, including corrosion and tearing, robust applications have to be developed. The objective of this project was to identify and study different monitoring technologies with potential for on-line monitoring of both substrate mixtures and anaerobic digester content. Based on the prerequisites and demands at Boraas Energi och Miljoe AB's (BEMAB, the municipal energy and waste utility in the city of Boraas, Sweden) biogas plant, the extent of the problems, measurement variables and possible ways of managing these issues have been identified and prioritized. The substrate mixtures in question have a high viscosity and are inhomogeneous with variation in composition, which calls for further homogenization, dilution and filtration to achieve high precision in the necessary analyses. Studies of using different mixers and mills showed that the particle size (800 mum) needed for on-line COD measurement could not be achieved. The problem of homogenization can be avoided if indirect measurement methods are used. Laboratory tests with NIR (near-infra red spectroscopy) showed that VS can be predicted (R2=0,78) in the interval of 2-9% VS. Furthermore, impedance can give a measurement of soluble components. However, impedance is not sensitive enough to give a good measurement of total TS. Microwave technology was installed at the production plant and showed a faster response to changes in TS than the existing TS-sensor. However, due to technical problems, the evaluation only could be done during a limited period of ten days. BEMAB will continue the measurements and evaluation of the instrument. The

  12. Calibration and testing of a polarographic sensor for the measurement of oxygen in seawater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boniforti, R; Dell' Amico, F; Marri, P

    1987-04-01

    The procedures for the calibration and testing of a polarographic oxygen sensor, mounted on a CTD probe, are reported. As an example of in-field use, oxygen and temperature profiles obtained in Fossa del Pomo (Central Adriatic Sea), are given.

  13. Tried and tested: The impact of online hotels on consumer consideration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vermeulen, I.E.; Seegers, D.

    2008-01-01

    Many consumers consult online reviews before making (online) travel arrangements. Yet, little is known about the impact of these reviews on consumer decision making. This research applies consideration set theory to model the impact of online hotel reviews on consumer choice. An experimental study

  14. Development and application of bio-sensor. Production of ammonia sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Totsuka, Yoshiyuki; Matsumoto, Yutaka; Sakata, Tadashi; Nakatsugawa, Shuuji; Nishina, Tokuhiro; Shiozawa, Kanji [Shizuoka Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, Shizuoka, (Japan)

    1989-08-01

    The objectives of this study are to make a biosensor on a trial basis which can instantaneously measure the nitrogen in wastewater, and to develop a wastewater treatment system which is capable of on-line measurement and controlling. The system provides easier operational control relating to such a high efficient treatment as the removal of nitrogen content in wastewater, serving as a solution to the eutrophication problem. It can be applied also to the analysis of fertilizer components for agriculture. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria were immobilized with cellulose acetate film, which is mounted on a diaphragm type oxygen electrode to make a sensor, and its responsibility was studied. The gradient is slow in high concentration but sharp in low concentration, and it seems possible to use it for the measurement for less than 20 ppm nitrogen concentration. The dependence of the sensor including electrodes and activity of bacteria on temperature is large, and the measurement should be made at a constant temperature. The responsibility was best at the pH of 9. The sensor could be used repeatedly for about a month. 7 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.

  15. Young people's perceptions of smartphone-enabled self-testing and online care for sexually transmitted infections: qualitative interview study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aicken, Catherine R H; Fuller, Sebastian S; Sutcliffe, Lorna J; Estcourt, Claudia S; Gkatzidou, Voula; Oakeshott, Pippa; Hone, Kate; Sadiq, S Tariq; Sonnenberg, Pam; Shahmanesh, Maryam

    2016-09-13

    Control of sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a global public health priority. Despite the UK's free, confidential sexual health clinical services, those at greatest risk of STIs, including young people, report barriers to use. These include: embarrassment regarding face-to-face consultations; the time-commitment needed to attend clinic; privacy concerns (e.g. being seen attending clinic); and issues related to confidentiality. A smartphone-enabled STI self-testing device, linked with online clinical care pathways for treatment, partner notification, and disease surveillance, is being developed by the eSTI(2) consortium. It is intended to benefit public health, and could do so by increasing testing among populations which underutilise existing services and/or by enabling rapid provision of effective treatment. We explored its acceptability among potential users. In-depth interviews were conducted in 2012 with 25 sexually-experienced 16-24 year olds, recruited from Further Education colleges in an urban, high STI prevalence area. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Nine females and 16 males participated. 21 self-defined as Black; three, mixed ethnicity; and one, Muslim/Asian. 22 reported experience of STI testing, two reported previous STI diagnoses, and all had owned smartphones. Participants expressed enthusiasm about the proposed service, and suggested that they and their peers would use it and test more often if it were available. Utilizing sexual healthcare was perceived to be easier and faster with STI self-testing and online clinical care, which facilitated concealment of STI testing from peers/family, and avoided embarrassing face-to-face consultations. Despite these perceived advantages to privacy, new privacy concerns arose regarding communications technology: principally the risk inherent in having evidence of STI testing or diagnosis visible or retrievable on their phone. Some concerns arose regarding the proposed self-test's accuracy, related to

  16. A novel Online-to-Offline (O2O) model for pre-exposure prophylaxis and HIV testing scale up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anand, Tarandeep; Nitpolprasert, Chattiya; Trachunthong, Deondara; Kerr, Stephen J; Janyam, Surang; Linjongrat, Danai; Hightow-Weidman, Lisa B; Phanuphak, Praphan; Ananworanich, Jintanat; Phanuphak, Nittaya

    2017-03-13

    PrEP awareness and uptake among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TG) in Thailand remains low. Finding ways to increase HIV testing and PrEP uptake among high-risk groups is a critical priority. This study evaluates the effect of a novel Adam's Love Online-to-Offline (O2O) model on PrEP and HIV testing uptake among Thai MSM and TG and identifies factors associated with PrEP uptake. The O2O model was piloted by Adam's Love (www.adamslove.org) HIV educational and counselling website. MSM and TG reached online by PrEP promotions and interested in free PrEP and/or HIV testing services contacted Adam's Love online staff, received real-time PrEP eCounseling, and completed online bookings for receiving services at one of the four sites in Bangkok based on their preference. Auto-generated site- and service-specific e-tickets and Quick Response (QR) codes were sent to their mobile devices enabling monitoring and check-in by offline site staff. Service uptake and participant's socio-demographic and risk behaviour characteristics were analyzed. Factors associated with PrEP uptake were assessed using multiple logistic regression. Between January 10th and April 11th, 2016, Adam's Love reached 272,568 people online via the PrEP O2O promotions. 425 MSM and TG received eCounseling and e-tickets. There were 325 (76.5%) MSM and TG who checked-in at clinics and received HIV testing. Nine (2.8%) were diagnosed with HIV infection. Median (IQR) time between receiving the e-ticket and checking-in was 3 (0-7) days. Of 316 HIV-negative MSM and TG, 168 (53.2%) started PrEP. In a multivariate model, higher education (OR 2.30, 95%CI 1.14-4.66; p  = 0.02), seeking sex partners online (OR 2.05, 95%CI 1.19-3.54; p  = 0.009), being aware of sexual partners' HIV status (OR 2.37, 95%CI 1.29-4.35; p  = 0.008), ever previously using post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) (OR 2.46, 95%CI 1.19-5.09; p  = 0.01), and enrolment at Adam's Love clinic compared to the other three sites

  17. Multi-Sensor Distributive On-line Processing, Visualization, and Analysis Infrastructure for an Agricultural Information System at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, W.; Berrick, S.; Leptoukh, G.; Liu, Z.; Rui, H.; Pham, L.; Shen, S.; Zhu, T.

    2004-12-01

    The Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) is developing an Agricultural Information System (AIS), evolved from an existing TRMM Online Visualization and Analysis System (TOVAS), which will operationally provide precipitation and other satellite data products and services. AIS outputs will be integrated into existing operational decision support systems for global crop monitoring, such as that of the U.N. World Food Program. The ability to use the raw data stored in the GES DAAC archives is highly dependent on having a detailed understanding of the data's internal structure and physical implementation. To gain this understanding is a time-consuming process and not a productive investment of the user's time. This is an especially difficult challenge when users need to deal with multi-sensor data that usually are of different structures and resolutions. The AIS has taken a major step towards meeting this challenge by incorporating an underlying infrastructure, called the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure or "Giovanni," that integrates various components to support web interfaces that allow users to perform interactive analysis on-line without downloading any data. Several instances of the Giovanni-based interface have been or are being created to serve users of TRMM precipitation, MODIS aerosol, and SeaWiFS ocean color data, as well as agricultural applications users. Giovanni-based interfaces are simple to use but powerful. The user selects geophysical parameters, area of interest, and time period; and the system generates an output on screen in a matter of seconds. The currently available output options are (1) area plot - averaged or accumulated over any available data period for any rectangular area; (2) time plot - time series averaged over any rectangular area; (3) Hovmoller plots - longitude-time and latitude-time plots; (4) ASCII

  18. Intrusion detection sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, J.D.

    1978-07-01

    Intrusion detection sensors are an integral part of most physical security systems. Under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Safeguards and Security, Sandia Laboratories has conducted a survey of available intrusion detection sensors and has tested a number of different sensors. An overview of these sensors is provided. This overview includes (1) the operating principles of each type of sensor, (2) unique sensor characteristics, (3) desired sensor improvements which must be considered in planning an intrusion detection system, and (4) the site characteristics which affect the performance of both exterior and interior sensors. Techniques which have been developed to evaluate various intrusion detection sensors are also discussed

  19. Characterization of Parylene as a Water Barrier via Buried-in Pentacene Moisture Sensors for Soaking Tests

    OpenAIRE

    Lo, Hsi-wen; Tai, Yu-Chong

    2007-01-01

    We present a simple method to characterize parylene as a water barrier for soaking tests. The key component is the buried-in pentacene moisture sensor, which is a thin-film transistor sandwiched between two layers of parylene C. This pentacene thin-film transistor takes bottom contact configuration and uses parylene C as the gate dielectric material. Parylene films containing pentacene moisture sensors are soaked in saline at room temperature and the saturation drain curr...

  20. Micro-machinable polymer-derived ceramic sensors for high-temperature applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jian; Xu, Chengying; An, Linan

    2010-04-01

    Micro-sensors are highly desired for on-line temperature/pressure monitoring in turbine engines to improve their efficiency and reduce pollution. The biggest challenge for developing this type of sensors is that the sensors have to sustain at extreme environments in turbine engine environments, such as high-temperatures (>800 °C), fluctuated pressure and oxidation/corrosion surroundings. In this paper, we describe a class of sensors made of polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) for such applications. PDCs have the following advantages over conventional ceramics, making them particularly suitable for these applications: (i) micromachining capability, (ii) tunable electric properties, and (iii) hightemperature capability. Here, we will discuss the materials and their properties in terms of their applications for hightemperature micro-sensors, and microfabrication technologies. In addition, we will also discuss the design of a heat-flux sensor based on polymer-derived ceramics.

  1. Process-Hardened, Multi-Analyte Sensor for Characterizing Rocket Plum Constituents Under Test Environment, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of the Phase II STTR project is to develop a prototype multi-analyte sensor system to detect gaseous analytes present in the test stands during...

  2. Preliminary test of an ultrasonic liquid film sensor for high-temperature steam-water two-phase flow experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aoyama, Goro; Nagayoshi, Takuji; Baba, Atsushi

    2014-01-01

    A prototype liquid film sensor for high-temperature steam-water experiments has been developed. The sensor shape simulates a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel rod. The pulse-echo method can be utilized to measure the thickness of the liquid film covering the sensor surface. A piezoelectric element is soldered onto the inside of the sensor casing which consists of two curved casing pieces. After the piezoelectric element is attached, the two casing pieces are laser welded together. It is confirmed that the temperature rise at the time of the laser welding does not influence soldering of the piezoelectric element. The pressure proof test shows that the sensor can be used at a high-pressure condition of 7 MPa. Simple air-water experiments are done at atmospheric pressure to confirm the liquid film thickness can be measured with the sensor. The fluctuation of the liquid film thickness is satisfactorily captured with the sensor. The minimum and maximum thicknesses are 0.084 and 0.180 mm, respectively. The amplitude of the waveform at 286°C is predicted by the calculation based on the acoustic impedance. It is expected that the sensor is able to measure the liquid film thickness even at BWR operating conditions. (author)

  3. New instrument for on-line viscosity measurement of fermentation media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picque, D; Corrieu, G

    1988-01-01

    In an attempt to resolve the difficult problem of on-line determination of the viscosity of non-Newtonian fermentation media, the authors have used a vibrating rod sensor mounted on a bioreactor. The sensor signal decreases nonlinearly with increased apparent viscosity. Electronic filtering of the signal damps the interfering effect of aeration and mechanical agitation. Sensor drift is very low (0.03% of measured value per hour). On the rheological level the sensor is primarily an empirical tool that must be specifically calibrated for each fermentation process. Once this is accomplished, it becomes possible to establish linear or second-degree correlations between the electrical signal from the sensor and the essential parameters of the fermentation process in question (pH of a fermented milk during acidification, concentration of extra cellular polysaccharide). In addition, by applying the power law to describe the rheological behavior of fermentation media, we observe a second-order polynomial correlation between the sensor signal and the behavior index (n).

  4. Recent progress in online ultrasonic process monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Szu-Sheng L.; Chen, Tzu-Fang; Ramos-Franca, Demartonne; Nguyen, Ky T.; Jen, Cheng-Kuei; Ihara, Ikuo; Derdouri, A.; Garcia-Rejon, Andres

    1998-03-01

    On-line ultrasonic monitoring of polymer co-extrusion and gas-assisted injection molding are presented. During the co- extrusion of high density polyethylene and Santoprene ultrasonic sensors consisting of piezoelectric transducers and clad ultrasonic buffer rods are used to detect the interface between these two polymers and the stability of the extrusion. The same ultrasonic sensor also measures the surface temperature of the extruded polymer. The results indicate that temperature measurements using ultrasound have a faster response time than those obtained by conventional thermocouple. In gas-assisted injection molding the polymer and gas flow front positions are monitored simultaneously. This information may be used to control the plunger movement.

  5. Development and testing of bio-inspired microelectromechanical pressure sensor arrays for increased situational awareness for marine vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dusek, J; Triantafyllou, M S; Kottapalli, A G P; Asadnia, M; Miao, J; Woo, M E; Lang, J H

    2013-01-01

    The lateral line found on most species of fish is a sensory organ without analog in humans. Using sensory feedback from the lateral line, fish are able to track prey, school, avoid obstacles, and detect vortical flow structures. Composed of both a superficial component, and a component contained within canals beneath the fish’s skin, the lateral line acts in a similar fashion to an array of differential pressure sensors. In an effort to enhance the situational and environmental awareness of marine vehicles, lateral-line-inspired pressure sensor arrays were developed to mimic the enhanced sensory capabilities observed in fish. Three flexible and waterproof pressure sensor arrays were fabricated for use as a surface-mounted ‘smart skin’ on marine vehicles. Two of the sensor arrays were based around the use of commercially available piezoresistive sensor dies, with innovative packaging schemes to allow for flexibility and underwater operation. The sensor arrays employed liquid crystal polymer and flexible printed circuit board substrates with metallic circuits and silicone encapsulation. The third sensor array employed a novel nanocomposite material set that allowed for the fabrication of a completely flexible sensor array. All three sensors were surface mounted on the curved hull of an autonomous kayak vehicle, and tested in both pool and reservoir environments. Results demonstrated that all three sensors were operational while deployed on the autonomous vehicle, and provided an accurate means for monitoring the vehicle dynamics. (paper)

  6. Comparison between constant methanol feed and on-line ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Two methanol feeding methods, namely constant methanol feed and on-line monitoring feed control by methanol sensor were investigated to improve the production of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in high cell density cultivation of Pichia pastoris KM71 in 2 L bioreactor. The yeast utilized glycerol as a carbon ...

  7. Wireless Sensor Networks TestBed: ASNTbed

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Dludla, AG

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been used in different types of applications and deployed within various environments. Simulation tools are essential for studying WSNs, especially for exploring large-scale networks. However, WSN testbeds...

  8. An H2S Sensor Based on Electrochemistry for Chicken Coops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Lihua; He, Mei; Yu, Huihui; Li, Daoliang

    2016-01-01

    The recent modernization of the livestock industry lags behind the scale of the livestock industry, particularly in indoor environmental monitoring. In particular, the H2S gas concentration in chicken coops affects the growth and reproductive capacity of the chickens and threatens their health. Therefore, the research and development of a low-cost, environmentally friendly sensor that can achieve on-line monitoring of H2S gas has a notably important practical significance. This paper reports the design of an H2S gas sensor, with selection of an electrochemical probe with high accuracy and wide measurement range using the relatively mature technology of electrochemical sensors. Although the probe of the sensor is the main factor that affects the sensor accuracy, the probe must be combined with a specifically designed signal condition circuit that can overcome the lack of an electrode to satisfy the requirements for the interconnection and matching between the output signal and the test instrument. Because the output current of the electrochemical electrode is small and likely to be disturbed by noise, we designed signal-conditioning modules. Through the signal-conditioning circuit, the output signal of the current electrode can be converted into a voltage and amplified. In addition, we designed a power control module because a bias voltage is necessary for the electrode. Finally, after the calibration experiment, the accurate concentration of H2S gas can be measured. Based on the experimental analysis, the sensor shows good linearity and selectivity, comparatively high sensitivity, perfect stability and an extremely long operating life of up to two years. PMID:27589757

  9. Results from a first production of enhanced Silicon Sensor Test Structures produced by ITE Warsaw

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergauer, T. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Nikolsdorfergasse 18, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Dragicevic, M. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Nikolsdorfergasse 18, 1050 Vienna (Austria)], E-mail: dragicevic@oeaw.ac.at; Frey, M. [Institut fuer Experimentelle Kernphysik (IEKP), Universitaet Karlsruhe (Thailand) (Germany); Grabiec, P.; Grodner, M. [Institute of Electron Technology (ITE), Warsaw (Poland); Haensel, S. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Nikolsdorfergasse 18, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Hartmann, F.; Hoffmann, K.-H. [Institut fuer Experimentelle Kernphysik (IEKP), Universitaet Karlsruhe (Thailand) (Germany); Hrubec, J.; Krammer, M. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Nikolsdorfergasse 18, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Kucharski, K. [Institute of Electron Technology (ITE), Warsaw (Poland); Macchiolo, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik (MPI), Munich (Germany); Marczewski, J. [Institute of Electron Technology (ITE), Warsaw (Poland)

    2009-01-01

    Monitoring the manufacturing process of silicon sensors is essential to ensure stable quality of the produced detectors. During the CMS silicon sensor production we were utilising small Test Structures (TS) incorporated on the cut-away of the wafers to measure certain process-relevant parameters. Experience from the CMS production and quality assurance led to enhancements of these TS. Another important application of TS is the commissioning of new vendors. The measurements provide us with a good understanding of the capabilities of a vendor's process. A first batch of the new TS was produced at the Institute of Electron Technology in Warsaw Poland. We will first review the improvements to the original CMS test structures and then discuss a selection of important measurements performed on this first batch.

  10. Experimental testing of a self-sensing FRP-concrete composite beam using FBG sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanlei; Hao, Qingduo; Ou, Jinping

    2009-03-01

    A new kind of self-sensing fiber reinforced polymer (FRP)-concrete composite beam, which consists of a FRP box beam combined with a thin layer of concrete in the compression zone, was developed by using two embedded FBG sensors in the top and bottom flanges of FRP box beam at mid-span section along longitudinal direction, respectively. The flexural behavior of the proposed self-sensing FRP-concrete composite beam was experimentally studied in four-point bending. The longitudinal strains of the composite beam were recorded using the embedded FBG sensors as well as the surfacebonded electric resistance strain gauges. Test results indicate that the FBG sensors can faithfully record the longitudinal strain of the composite beam in tension at bottom flange of the FRP box beam or in compression at top flange over the entire load range, as compared with the surface-bonded strain gauges. The proposed self-sensing FRP-concrete composite beam can monitor its longitudinal strains in serviceability limit state as well as in strength limit state, and will has wide applications for long-term monitoring in civil engineering.

  11. High Temperature Transducers for Online Monitoring of Microstructure Evolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lissenden, Cliff [Pennsylvania State Univ., State College, PA (United States); Tittmann, Bernhard [Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2015-03-30

    A critical technology gap exists relative to online condition monitoring (CM) of advanced nuclear plant components for damage accumulation; there are not capable sensors and infrastructure available for the high temperature environment. The sensory system, monitoring methodology, data acquisition, and damage characterization algorithm that comprise a CM system are investigated here. Thus this work supports the DOE mission to develop a fundamental understanding of advanced sensors to improve physical measurement accuracy and reduce uncertainty. The research involves a concept viability assessment, a detailed technology gap analysis, and a technology development roadmap.

  12. Test of the Practicality and Feasibility of EDoF-Empowered Image Sensors for Long-Range Biometrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Sheng-Hsun; Li, Yung-Hui; Tien, Chung-Hao

    2016-11-25

    For many practical applications of image sensors, how to extend the depth-of-field (DoF) is an important research topic; if successfully implemented, it could be beneficial in various applications, from photography to biometrics. In this work, we want to examine the feasibility and practicability of a well-known "extended DoF" (EDoF) technique, or "wavefront coding," by building real-time long-range iris recognition and performing large-scale iris recognition. The key to the success of long-range iris recognition includes long DoF and image quality invariance toward various object distance, which is strict and harsh enough to test the practicality and feasibility of EDoF-empowered image sensors. Besides image sensor modification, we also explored the possibility of varying enrollment/testing pairs. With 512 iris images from 32 Asian people as the database, 400-mm focal length and F/6.3 optics over 3 m working distance, our results prove that a sophisticated coding design scheme plus homogeneous enrollment/testing setups can effectively overcome the blurring caused by phase modulation and omit Wiener-based restoration. In our experiments, which are based on 3328 iris images in total, the EDoF factor can achieve a result 3.71 times better than the original system without a loss of recognition accuracy.

  13. The online sealing performance test of the primary circuit pressure boundary check valve in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Yunfei; Huang Huimin

    2013-01-01

    The primary circuit pressure boundary check valves of 320 MW pressurized water reactor is a nuclear grade I key equipment. The sealing demand is very high, which is directly related to the internal leakage rate of the primary circuit system. After the welding check valve is repaired, the sealing performance is judged by color printing checks. If there is water or humid vapor in the pipe, it will affect the accuracy of the color printing checks. For the particularity of the online check valve tightness test, online detecting device is designed by the hydraulic pressure drop method in other nuclear power plants, but the method has some shortcomings and restrictions. In this paper, we design a reliable and portable test equipment by the low-pressure gas seal test flow measurement, which make accurate and quantitative judgment of sealing property after the pressure boundary check valves are repaired. (authors)

  14. Built-in current sensor for ΔIDDQ testing of deep submicron digital CMOS ICs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vazquez, J.R.; Pineda de Gyvez, J.

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents the implementation of a built-in current sensor that includes two recently reported new techniques for IDDQ testing to take into account the increased background current of defect-free circuits and its increased variance due to process variations. These techniques are the

  15. Flexible Sensors for Pressure Therapy: Effect of Substrate Curvature and Stiffness on Sensor Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khodasevych, Iryna; Parmar, Suresh; Troynikov, Olga

    2017-10-20

    Flexible pressure sensors are increasingly being used in medical and non-medical applications, and particularly in innovative health monitoring. Their efficacy in medical applications such as compression therapy depends on the accuracy and repeatability of their output, which in turn depend on factors such as sensor type, shape, pressure range, and conformability of the sensor to the body surface. Numerous researchers have examined the effects of sensor type and shape, but little information is available on the effect of human body parameters such as support surfaces' curvature and the stiffness of soft tissues on pressure sensing performance. We investigated the effects of body parameters on the performance of pressure sensors using a custom-made human-leg-like test setup. Pressure sensing parameters such as accuracy, drift and repeatability were determined in both static (eight hours continuous pressure) and dynamic (10 cycles of pressure application of 30 s duration) testing conditions. The testing was performed with a focus on compression therapy application for venous leg ulcer treatments, and was conducted in a low-pressure range of 20-70 mmHg. Commercially available sensors manufactured by Peratech and Sensitronics were used under various loading conditions to determine the influence of stiffness and curvature. Flat rigid, flat soft silicone and three cylindrical silicone surfaces of radii of curvature of 3.5 cm, 5.5 cm and 6.5 cm were used as substrates under the sensors. The Peratech sensor averaged 94% accuracy for both static and dynamic measurements on all substrates; the Sensitronics sensor averaged 88% accuracy. The Peratech sensor displayed moderate variations and the Sensitronics sensor large variations in output pressure readings depending on the underlying test surface, both of which were reduced markedly by individual pressure calibration for surface type. Sensor choice and need for calibration to surface type are important considerations for

  16. A test plan for an on-line whole building energy calculator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Purdy, J.; Ferguson, A.; Mombourquette, S.; Haddad, K.; Lopez, P.; Wyndham-Wheeler, P.; Henry, S. [CANMET Energy Technology Centre, Natural Resources, Ottawa, Ont. (Canada)

    2008-04-15

    This paper presents the testing of a dynamic on-line whole-building energy calculator. The tool consists of a web-based interface for user inputs; an application to create the simulation input files from these user inputs; a simulation engine; and an application for passing the simulation engine output back to the interface and user. A detailed test protocol, composed of three parts, was developed as part of the software development process for quality assurance purposes. This paper will present the tasks specific to the development of the simulation engine, including, the definition of the required user inputs, the creation of default house archetypes, and the definition of the results to be presented to the user. It will also investigate the three parts of the test plan as well as the task automation tools developed to facilitate the testing. The use of these tools proved very useful given the large number of combinations of user inputs at the web interface and input files to the simulation engine. The findings show the importance of having a detailed and comprehensive test protocol during the software development phase. (author)

  17. Temperature Sensors Integrated into a CMOS Image Sensor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abarca Prouza, A.N.; Xie, S.; Markenhof, Jules; Theuwissen, A.J.P.

    2017-01-01

    In this work, a novel approach is presented for measuring relative temperature variations inside the pixel array of a CMOS image sensor itself. This approach can give important information when compensation for dark (current) fixed pattern noise (FPN) is needed. The test image sensor consists of

  18. Design and Test of an Oscillation-based System Architecture for DNA Sensor Arrays

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Hongyuan; Kerkhoff, Hans G.; Richardson, Andrew; Zhang, X.; Nouet, Pascal; Azais, Florence

    2005-01-01

    A DfT strategy for MEMS-based DNA sensors is investigated in this paper. Based on a fault-free and defect model developed for a single sensing element and the VHDL-AMS simulation results, it is implied that an oscillation-based interface might be a potential solution for both testing and read out of

  19. Imaging Sensor Flight and Test Equipment Software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freestone, Kathleen; Simeone, Louis; Robertson, Byran; Frankford, Maytha; Trice, David; Wallace, Kevin; Wilkerson, DeLisa

    2007-01-01

    The Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) is one of the components onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and was designed to detect and locate lightning over the tropics. The LIS flight code was developed to run on a single onboard digital signal processor, and has operated the LIS instrument since 1997 when the TRMM satellite was launched. The software provides controller functions to the LIS Real-Time Event Processor (RTEP) and onboard heaters, collects the lightning event data from the RTEP, compresses and formats the data for downlink to the satellite, collects housekeeping data and formats the data for downlink to the satellite, provides command processing and interface to the spacecraft communications and data bus, and provides watchdog functions for error detection. The Special Test Equipment (STE) software was designed to operate specific test equipment used to support the LIS hardware through development, calibration, qualification, and integration with the TRMM spacecraft. The STE software provides the capability to control instrument activation, commanding (including both data formatting and user interfacing), data collection, decompression, and display and image simulation. The LIS STE code was developed for the DOS operating system in the C programming language. Because of the many unique data formats implemented by the flight instrument, the STE software was required to comprehend the same formats, and translate them for the test operator. The hardware interfaces to the LIS instrument using both commercial and custom computer boards, requiring that the STE code integrate this variety into a working system. In addition, the requirement to provide RTEP test capability dictated the need to provide simulations of background image data with short-duration lightning transients superimposed. This led to the development of unique code used to control the location, intensity, and variation above background for simulated lightning strikes

  20. Three-Dimensional Sensor Common Operating Picture (3-D Sensor COP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    DEMs that have been computed from the point clouds . Additionally, Fusion3D can also display 3-D data created using photogrammetry software...Picture (3-D Sensor COP). To test the 3-D Sensor COP, we took advantage of a sensor network that had been deployed for the Enterprise Challenge 2016 at...took advantage of a sensor network that had been deployed for the Enterprise Challenge 2016 (EC16) at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The

  1. On-Line Temperature Estimation for Noisy Thermal Sensors Using a Smoothing Filter-Based Kalman Predictor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Li

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic thermal management (DTM mechanisms utilize embedded thermal sensors to collect fine-grained temperature information for monitoring the real-time thermal behavior of multi-core processors. However, embedded thermal sensors are very susceptible to a variety of sources of noise, including environmental uncertainty and process variation. This causes the discrepancies between actual temperatures and those observed by on-chip thermal sensors, which seriously affect the efficiency of DTM. In this paper, a smoothing filter-based Kalman prediction technique is proposed to accurately estimate the temperatures from noisy sensor readings. For the multi-sensor estimation scenario, the spatial correlations among different sensor locations are exploited. On this basis, a multi-sensor synergistic calibration algorithm (known as MSSCA is proposed to improve the simultaneous prediction accuracy of multiple sensors. Moreover, an infrared imaging-based temperature measurement technique is also proposed to capture the thermal traces of an advanced micro devices (AMD quad-core processor in real time. The acquired real temperature data are used to evaluate our prediction performance. Simulation shows that the proposed synergistic calibration scheme can reduce the root-mean-square error (RMSE by 1.2 ∘ C and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR by 15.8 dB (with a very small average runtime overhead compared with assuming the thermal sensor readings to be ideal. Additionally, the average false alarm rate (FAR of the corrected sensor temperature readings can be reduced by 28.6%. These results clearly demonstrate that if our approach is used to perform temperature estimation, the response mechanisms of DTM can be triggered to adjust the voltages, frequencies, and cooling fan speeds at more appropriate times.

  2. On-Line Temperature Estimation for Noisy Thermal Sensors Using a Smoothing Filter-Based Kalman Predictor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Ou, Xingtao; Li, Zhi; Wei, Henglu; Zhou, Wei; Duan, Zhemin

    2018-02-02

    Dynamic thermal management (DTM) mechanisms utilize embedded thermal sensors to collect fine-grained temperature information for monitoring the real-time thermal behavior of multi-core processors. However, embedded thermal sensors are very susceptible to a variety of sources of noise, including environmental uncertainty and process variation. This causes the discrepancies between actual temperatures and those observed by on-chip thermal sensors, which seriously affect the efficiency of DTM. In this paper, a smoothing filter-based Kalman prediction technique is proposed to accurately estimate the temperatures from noisy sensor readings. For the multi-sensor estimation scenario, the spatial correlations among different sensor locations are exploited. On this basis, a multi-sensor synergistic calibration algorithm (known as MSSCA) is proposed to improve the simultaneous prediction accuracy of multiple sensors. Moreover, an infrared imaging-based temperature measurement technique is also proposed to capture the thermal traces of an advanced micro devices (AMD) quad-core processor in real time. The acquired real temperature data are used to evaluate our prediction performance. Simulation shows that the proposed synergistic calibration scheme can reduce the root-mean-square error (RMSE) by 1.2 ∘ C and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 15.8 dB (with a very small average runtime overhead) compared with assuming the thermal sensor readings to be ideal. Additionally, the average false alarm rate (FAR) of the corrected sensor temperature readings can be reduced by 28.6%. These results clearly demonstrate that if our approach is used to perform temperature estimation, the response mechanisms of DTM can be triggered to adjust the voltages, frequencies, and cooling fan speeds at more appropriate times.

  3. Disaster Loss and Social Media: Can Online Information Increase Flood Resilience?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allaire, M.

    2016-12-01

    When confronted with natural disasters, individuals around the world increasingly use online resources to become informed of forecasted conditions and advisable actions. This study tests the effectiveness of online information and social media in enabling households to reduce disaster losses. The 2011 Bangkok flood is utilized as a case study since it was one of the first major disasters to affect a substantial population connected to social media. The role of online information is investigated with a mixed methods approach. Both quantitative (propensity score matching) and qualitative (in-depth interviews) techniques are employed. The study relies on two data sources - survey responses from 469 Bangkok households and in-depth interviews with twenty-three internet users who are a subset of the survey participants. Propensity score matching indicates that social media enabled households to reduce flood losses by an average of 37% (USD 3,708), using a nearest neighbor estimator. This reduction is massive when considering that total flood losses for the full sample averaged USD 4,903. Social media offered information not available from other sources, such as localized and nearly real-time updates of flood location and depth. With this knowledge, households could move belongings to higher ground before floodwaters arrived. These findings suggest that utilizing social media users as sensors could better inform populations during disasters. Overall, the study reveals that online information can enable effective disaster preparedness and reduce losses.

  4. Test and evaluation of multiple lambda-sensors for use in combustion gases; Multi {lambda}-sond - Utveckling och test av enkel teknik foer O{sub 2}-maetning oever tvaersnitt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kallner, Per; Gaardman, Lennart; Engel, Erik [Vattenfall Utveckling AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2001-03-01

    Fluctuations and zones with fuel rich conditions are the main causes of CO-emissions and abnormal deposit formation. This project was initiated to try and trace such disturbances. 'Multi-sensor-probes' is a quick and easy way of mapping fluctuations in many points along an axis simultaneously. This project is concentrated on such measurement systems, based on lambda({lambda})-sensor technology. The project was run in a few steps: - The use of {lambda}-sensors for O{sub 2} measurements in hot flue gases (>800 deg C), - Development and testing of probe-constructions for multi-point measurements, and - Performing measurement series in Vaermeforsk-related boilers, to identify fluctuations and fuel rich zones. This project shows how standard {lambda}-sensors can be utilised also in hot flue gases. In-situ measurements with a single-sensor probe is demonstrated in CFB, PF and grate boilers. It is a water-cooled probe, with the {lambda}-sensor mounted inside the tip of the probe. To perform multi-point measurements with the standard {lambda}-sensors, an extractive probe design had to be developed. With the standard {lambda}-sensors no sensible design for multi-point in-situ measurements could be found. A way to achieve such designs would be development of {lambda}-sensors where the zirconium oxide measurement cell is separated from the electrical wiring. This would give much smaller pieces to include in the probe and especially solve the problem of low temperature demand for the parts just behind the measurement cell in standard {lambda}-sensors. This could mean a multi-probe cooled to just 500-600 deg C. The construction of the extractive multi-probe tested in this project suffered from leakage in the suction lines when exposed inside the PF boiler. A proposed design with better function in this aspect is presented in this report. The results show that by combining a cooled probe-design with standard {lambda}-sensor components a tool for measurements of O{sub 2

  5. ADAPTIVE MONITORING TO ENHANCE WATER SENSOR CAPABILITIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANT DETECTION IN DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Optoelectronic and other conventional water quality sensors offer a potential for real-time online detection of chemical and biological contaminants in a drinking water supply and distribution system. The nature of the application requires sensors of detection capabilities at lo...

  6. Test-bed for the remote health monitoring system for bridge structures using FBG sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chin-Hyung; Park, Ki-Tae; Joo, Bong-Chul; Hwang, Yoon-Koog

    2009-05-01

    This paper reports on test-bed for the long-term health monitoring system for bridge structures employing fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which is remotely accessible via the web, to provide real-time quantitative information on a bridge's response to live loading and environmental changes, and fast prediction of the structure's integrity. The sensors are attached on several locations of the structure and connected to a data acquisition system permanently installed onsite. The system can be accessed through remote communication using an optical cable network, through which the evaluation of the bridge behavior under live loading can be allowed at place far away from the field. Live structural data are transmitted continuously to the server computer at the central office. The server computer is connected securely to the internet, where data can be retrieved, processed and stored for the remote web-based health monitoring. Test-bed revealed that the remote health monitoring technology will enable practical, cost-effective, and reliable condition assessment and maintenance of bridge structures.

  7. Evaluation of the Fourier Frequency Spectrum Peaks of Milk Electrical Conductivity Signals as Indexes to Monitor the Dairy Goats’ Health Status by On-Line Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaninelli, Mauro; Agazzi, Alessandro; Costa, Annamaria; Tangorra, Francesco Maria; Rossi, Luciana; Savoini, Giovanni

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is a further characterization of the electrical conductivity (EC) signal of goat milk, acquired on-line by EC sensors, to identify new indexes representative of the EC variations that can be observed during milking, when considering not healthy (NH) glands. Two foremilk gland samples from 42 Saanen goats, were collected for three consecutive weeks and for three different lactation stages (LS: 0–60 Days In Milking (DIM); 61–120 DIM; 121–180 DIM), for a total amount of 1512 samples. Bacteriological analyses and somatic cells counts (SCC) were used to define the health status of the glands. With negative bacteriological analyses and SCC 1,000,000 cells/mL, glands were classified as NH. For each milk EC signal, acquired on-line and for each gland considered, the Fourier frequency spectrum of the signal was calculated and three representative frequency peaks were identified. To evaluate data acquired a MIXED procedure was used considering the HS, LS and LS × HS as explanatory variables in the statistical model.Results showed that the studied frequency peaks had a significant relationship with the gland’s health status. Results also explained how the milk EC signals’ pattern change in case of NH glands. In fact, it is characterized by slower fluctuations (due to the lower frequencies of the peaks) and by an irregular trend (due to the higher amplitudes of all the main frequency peaks). Therefore, these frequency peaks could be used as new indexes to improve the performances of algorithms based on multivariate models which evaluate the health status of dairy goats through the use of gland milk EC sensors. PMID:26307993

  8. Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing in a microfluidic pH sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yanyan; Zhen, Li; Liu, Jingqing; Wu, Jianmin

    2013-03-05

    For appropriate selection of antibiotics in the treatment of pathogen infection, rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is urgently needed in clinical practice. This study reports the utilization of a microfluidic pH sensor for monitoring bacterial growth rate in culture media spiked with different kinds of antibiotics. The microfluidic pH sensor was fabricated by integration of pH-sensitive chitosan hydrogel with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic channels. For facilitating the reflectometric interference spectroscopic measurements, the chitosan hydrogel was coated on an electrochemically etched porous silicon chip, which was used as the substrate of the microfluidic channel. Real-time observation of the pH change in the microchannel can be realized by Fourier transform reflectometric interference spectroscopy (FT-RIFS), in which the effective optical thickness (EOT) was selected as the optical signal for indicating the reversible swelling process of chitosan hydrogel stimulated by pH change. With this microfluidic pH sensor, we demonstrate that confinement of bacterial cells in a nanoliter size channel allows rapid accumulation of metabolic products and eliminates the need for long-time preincubation, thus reducing the whole detection time. On the basis of this technology, the whole bacterial growth curve can be obtained in less than 2 h, and consequently rapid AST can be realized. Compared with conventional methods, the AST data acquired from the bacterial growth curve can provide more detailed information for studying the antimicrobial behavior of antibiotics during different stages. Furthermore, the new technology also provides a convenient method for rapid minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) determination of individual antibiotics or the combinations of antibiotics against human pathogens that will find application in clinical and point-of-care medicine.

  9. Characterisation and application of radiation hard sensors for LHC and ILC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Novgorodova, Olga

    2013-11-01

    sides of the interaction region. They monitor the beam conditions to protect the inner CMS detectors from adverse beam conditions and ensure high quality data for CMS. In this thesis, BCM1F data is evaluated for its intrinsic time resolution and performance under harsh radiation conditions. Furthermore, it is investigated if it can be used for a bunch by bunch on-line luminosity measurement. The second type of sensor, made of GaAs:Cr, was produced in Tomsk State University and tested as a candidate for the BeamCal for future ILC and CLIC detectors. Several GaAs:Cr sensors were characterized in the laboratory for leakage current and capacitances and used for the test beam investigations. Two sensors were assembled with a fan-out, front-end and ADC ASICs to build a fully functional prototype of a sensor plane. Several test beam campaigns were done to measure the performance of the system.

  10. Characterisation and application of radiation hard sensors for LHC and ILC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Novgorodova, Olga

    2013-11-15

    sides of the interaction region. They monitor the beam conditions to protect the inner CMS detectors from adverse beam conditions and ensure high quality data for CMS. In this thesis, BCM1F data is evaluated for its intrinsic time resolution and performance under harsh radiation conditions. Furthermore, it is investigated if it can be used for a bunch by bunch on-line luminosity measurement. The second type of sensor, made of GaAs:Cr, was produced in Tomsk State University and tested as a candidate for the BeamCal for future ILC and CLIC detectors. Several GaAs:Cr sensors were characterized in the laboratory for leakage current and capacitances and used for the test beam investigations. Two sensors were assembled with a fan-out, front-end and ADC ASICs to build a fully functional prototype of a sensor plane. Several test beam campaigns were done to measure the performance of the system.

  11. Reliability and validity of a self-administered tool for online neuropsychological testing : The Amsterdam Cognition Scan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, H.E.M.; Murre, J.M.J.; Vermeulen, I. E.; Kieffer, J.M.; Schagen, S.B.

    2018-01-01

    Introduction : To facilitate large-scale assessment of a variety of cognitive abilities in clinical studies, we developed a self-administered online neuropsychological test battery: the Amsterdam Cognition Scan (ACS). The current studies evaluate in a group of adult cancer patients: test–retest

  12. Reliability and validity of a self-administered tool for online neuropsychological testing : The Amsterdam Cognition Scan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, Heleen E.M.; Murre, Jaap M.J.; Vermeulen, Ivar E.; Kieffer, Jacobien M.; Schagen, Sanne B.

    2018-01-01

    Introduction: To facilitate large-scale assessment of a variety of cognitive abilities in clinical studies, we developed a self-administered online neuropsychological test battery: the Amsterdam Cognition Scan (ACS). The current studies evaluate in a group of adult cancer patients: test–retest

  13. Proof-testing and probabilistic lifetime estimation of glass fibers for sensor applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komachiya, M; Minamitani, R; Fumino, T; Sakaguchi, T; Watanabe, S

    1999-05-01

    The mechanical reliability of sensing glass fiber is one of the important problems in the practical use of fiber-optic sensors. To ensure long-term reliability on a mass-production level, a method of proof-testing is applied to a sensing glass fiber that will be subjected to mechanical deformation in its service situation. We propose to employ a higher strain level (screening level) in the proof-testing with a fiber-recoating technique that can suppress excessive damage during the testing. We consider a standard lifetime of 15 years of automotive applications and ensure a practical level of failure probability by a model calculation by using the strength data of a prototype fiber with the method of fracture-mechanics theory.

  14. Single-Crystal Sapphire Optical Fiber Sensor Instrumentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pickrell, Gary [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States); Scott, Brian [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States); Wang, Anbo [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States); Yu, Zhihao [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States)

    2013-12-31

    This report summarizes technical progress on the program “Single-Crystal Sapphire Optical Fiber Sensor Instrumentation,” funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. This project was completed in three phases, each with a separate focus. Phase I of the program, from October 1999 to April 2002, was devoted to development of sensing schema for use in high temperature, harsh environments. Different sensing designs were proposed and tested in the laboratory. Phase II of the program, from April 2002 to April 2009, focused on bringing the sensor technologies, which had already been successfully demonstrated in the laboratory, to a level where the sensors could be deployed in harsh industrial environments and eventually become commercially viable through a series of field tests. Also, a new sensing scheme was developed and tested with numerous advantages over all previous ones in Phase II. Phase III of the program, September 2009 to December 2013, focused on development of the new sensing scheme for field testing in conjunction with materials engineering of the improved sensor packaging lifetimes. In Phase I, three different sensing principles were studied: sapphire air-gap extrinsic Fabry-Perot sensors; intensity-based polarimetric sensors; and broadband polarimetric sensors. Black body radiation tests and corrosion tests were also performed in this phase. The outcome of the first phase of this program was the selection of broadband polarimetric differential interferometry (BPDI) for further prototype instrumentation development. This approach is based on the measurement of the optical path difference (OPD) between two orthogonally polarized light beams in a single-crystal sapphire disk. At the beginning of Phase II, in June 2004, the BPDI sensor was tested at the Wabash River coal gasifier

  15. An Ensemble Successive Project Algorithm for Liquor Detection Using Near Infrared Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Fangfang; Ren, Dong; Wang, Jihua; Zhang, Zhong; Lu, Na; Meng, Lei

    2016-01-11

    Spectral analysis technique based on near infrared (NIR) sensor is a powerful tool for complex information processing and high precision recognition, and it has been widely applied to quality analysis and online inspection of agricultural products. This paper proposes a new method to address the instability of small sample sizes in the successive projections algorithm (SPA) as well as the lack of association between selected variables and the analyte. The proposed method is an evaluated bootstrap ensemble SPA method (EBSPA) based on a variable evaluation index (EI) for variable selection, and is applied to the quantitative prediction of alcohol concentrations in liquor using NIR sensor. In the experiment, the proposed EBSPA with three kinds of modeling methods are established to test their performance. In addition, the proposed EBSPA combined with partial least square is compared with other state-of-the-art variable selection methods. The results show that the proposed method can solve the defects of SPA and it has the best generalization performance and stability. Furthermore, the physical meaning of the selected variables from the near infrared sensor data is clear, which can effectively reduce the variables and improve their prediction accuracy.

  16. An Ensemble Successive Project Algorithm for Liquor Detection Using Near Infrared Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fangfang Qu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Spectral analysis technique based on near infrared (NIR sensor is a powerful tool for complex information processing and high precision recognition, and it has been widely applied to quality analysis and online inspection of agricultural products. This paper proposes a new method to address the instability of small sample sizes in the successive projections algorithm (SPA as well as the lack of association between selected variables and the analyte. The proposed method is an evaluated bootstrap ensemble SPA method (EBSPA based on a variable evaluation index (EI for variable selection, and is applied to the quantitative prediction of alcohol concentrations in liquor using NIR sensor. In the experiment, the proposed EBSPA with three kinds of modeling methods are established to test their performance. In addition, the proposed EBSPA combined with partial least square is compared with other state-of-the-art variable selection methods. The results show that the proposed method can solve the defects of SPA and it has the best generalization performance and stability. Furthermore, the physical meaning of the selected variables from the near infrared sensor data is clear, which can effectively reduce the variables and improve their prediction accuracy.

  17. A Study on the Performance of Low Cost MEMS Sensors in Strong Motion Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanırcan, Gulum; Alçık, Hakan; Kaya, Yavuz; Beyen, Kemal

    2017-04-01

    Recent advances in sensors have helped the growth of local networks. In recent years, many Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS)-based accelerometers have been successfully used in seismology and earthquake engineering projects. This is basically due to the increased precision obtained in these downsized instruments. Moreover, they are cheaper alternatives to force-balance type accelerometers. In Turkey, though MEMS-based accelerometers have been used in various individual applications such as magnitude and location determination of earthquakes, structural health monitoring, earthquake early warning systems, MEMS-based strong motion networks are not currently available in other populated areas of the country. Motivation of this study comes from the fact that, if MEMS sensors are qualified to record strong motion parameters of large earthquakes, a dense network can be formed in an affordable price at highly populated areas. The goals of this study are 1) to test the performance of MEMS sensors, which are available in the inventory of the Institute through shake table tests, and 2) to setup a small scale network for observing online data transfer speed to a trusted in-house routine. In order to evaluate the suitability of sensors in strong motion related studies, MEMS sensors and a reference sensor are tested under excitations of sweeping waves as well as scaled earthquake recordings. Amplitude response and correlation coefficients versus frequencies are compared. As for earthquake recordings, comparisons are carried out in terms of strong motion(SM) parameters (PGA, PGV, AI, CAV) and elastic response of structures (Sa). Furthermore, this paper also focuses on sensitivity and selectivity for sensor performances in time-frequency domain to compare different sensing characteristics and analyzes the basic strong motion parameters that influence the design majors. Results show that the cheapest MEMS sensors under investigation are able to record the mid

  18. Testing and use of radar water level sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulford, Janice M.

    2016-01-01

    The United States Geological Survey uses water-level (or stage) measurements to compute streamflow at over 8000 stream gaging stations located throughout the United States (waterwatch.usgs.gov, 2016). Streamflow (or discharge) is computed at five minute to hourly intervals from a relationship between water level and discharge that is uniquely determined for each station. The discharges are posted hourly to WaterWatch (waterwatch. usgs.gov) and are used by water managers to issue flood warnings and manage water supply and by other users of water information to make decisions. The accuracy of the water-level measurement is vital to the accuracy of the computed discharge. Because of the importance of water-level measurements, USGS has an accuracy policy of 0.02 ft or 0.2 percent of reading (whichever is larger) (Sauer and Turnipseed, 2010). Older technologies, such as float and shaft-encoder systems, bubbler systems and submersible pressure sensors, provide the needed accuracy but often require extensive construction to install and are prone to malfunctioning and damage from floating debris and sediment. No stilling wells or orifice lines need to be constructed for radar installations. During the last decade testing by the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility(HIF) found that radar water-level sensors can provide the needed accuracy for water-level measurements and because the sensor can be easily attached to bridges, reduce the construction required for installation. Additionally, the non-contact sensing of water level minimizes or eliminates damage and fouling from floating debris and sediment. This article is a brief summary of the testing efforts by the USGS HIF and field experiences with models of radar water-level sensors in streamflow measurement applications. Any use of trade names in this article is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  19. Activity Recognition Invariant to Sensor Orientation with Wearable Motion Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurtman, Aras; Barshan, Billur

    2017-08-09

    Most activity recognition studies that employ wearable sensors assume that the sensors are attached at pre-determined positions and orientations that do not change over time. Since this is not the case in practice, it is of interest to develop wearable systems that operate invariantly to sensor position and orientation. We focus on invariance to sensor orientation and develop two alternative transformations to remove the effect of absolute sensor orientation from the raw sensor data. We test the proposed methodology in activity recognition with four state-of-the-art classifiers using five publicly available datasets containing various types of human activities acquired by different sensor configurations. While the ordinary activity recognition system cannot handle incorrectly oriented sensors, the proposed transformations allow the sensors to be worn at any orientation at a given position on the body, and achieve nearly the same activity recognition performance as the ordinary system for which the sensor units are not rotatable. The proposed techniques can be applied to existing wearable systems without much effort, by simply transforming the time-domain sensor data at the pre-processing stage.

  20. Nuclear Power Plant Prestressed Concrete Containment Vessel Structure Monitoring during Integrated Leakage Rate Testing Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinke Li

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available As the last barrier of nuclear reactor, prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs play an important role in nuclear power plants (NPPs. To test the mechanical property of PCCV during the integrated leakage rate testing (ILRT, a fiber Bragg grating (FBG sensor was used to monitor concrete strain. In addition, a finite element method (FEM model was built to simulate the progress of the ILRT. The results showed that the strain monitored by FBG had the same trend compared to the inner pressure variation. The calculation results showed a similar trend compared with the monitoring results and provided much information about the locations in which the strain sensors should be installed. Therefore, it is confirmed that FBG sensors and FEM simulation are very useful in PCCV structure monitoring.