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Sample records for response speed variability

  1. Within-person variability in response speed as an indicator of cognitive impairment in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauss, Esther; Bielak, Allison A M; Bunce, David; Hunter, Michael A; Hultsch, David F

    2007-11-01

    Within-person variability may be an important indicator of central nervous system compromise. In this study, within-person variability in response speed was examined in community-dwelling older adults, ages 64-92 years, using a new framework that takes into account both the extent (single versus multiple domains affected) and nature (amnestic versus non-amnestic) of the cognitive impairment. Those with multiple domains of impairment were more variable than those who showed an isolated area of impairment, regardless of whether memory was one of the domains affected. Further, for those with difficulties in two or more non-memory domains, increased variability was most evident in more cognitively demanding situations, when individuals had to manipulate information held briefly in mind, switch cognitive set or inhibit an automatic response. Finally, group differentiation was better achieved when within-person variability as opposed to mean speed of performance was considered.

  2. Utilization technique on variable speed device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-12-01

    This reports of workshop on power technology describes using technique on variable speed device, which deals with alternating current situation and prospect of current variable speed device, technical trend and prospect of electronics, reduce expenses by variable speed device, control technique, measurement technology, high voltage variable speed device, recent trend of inverter technology, low voltage and high voltage variable speed device control device, operating variable speed device in cooling fan, FDF application and defect case of variable speed device, cooling pump application of water variable transformer, inverter application and energy effect of ventilation equipment, application of variable speed device and analysis of the result of operation and study for application of variable speed technology.

  3. Variable Speed Limit (VSL) - Best Management Practice [Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    In variable speed limit (VSL) zones, the speed : limit changes in response to traffic congestion, : adverse weather, or road conditions. VSL zones are : often highly automated and have been employed : successfully in several U.S. and European : locat...

  4. Speed control variable rate irrigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speed control variable rate irrigation (VRI) is used to address within field variability by controlling a moving sprinkler’s travel speed to vary the application depth. Changes in speed are commonly practiced over areas that slope, pond or where soil texture is predominantly different. Dynamic presc...

  5. Pitch link loads reduction of variable speed rotors by variable tuning frequency fluidlastic isolators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han Dong

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available To reduce the pitch link loads of variable speed rotors, variable tuning frequency fluidlastic isolators are proposed. This isolator utilizes the variation of centrifugal force due to the change of rotor speed to change the tuning port area ratio, which can change the tuning frequency of the isolator. A rotor model including the model of fluidlastic isolator is coupled with a fuselage model to predict the steady responses of the rotor system in forward flight. The aeroelastic analyses indicate that distinct performance improvement in pitch link load control can be achieved by the utilization of variable frequency isolators compared with the constant tuning frequency isolators. The 4/rev (per revolution pitch link load is observed to be reduced by 87.6% compared with the increase of 56.3% by the constant frequency isolator, when the rotor speed is reduced by 16.7%. The isolation ability at different rotor speeds in different flight states is investigated. To achieve overall load reduction within the whole range of rotor speed, the strategy of the variation of tuning frequency is adjusted. The results indicate that the 4/rev pitch link load within the whole rotor speed range is decreased.

  6. Constant versus variable response signal delays in speed accuracy trade-offs : Effects of advance preparation for processing time

    OpenAIRE

    Miller, Jeff; Sproesser, Gudrun; Ulrich, Rolf

    2008-01-01

    In two experiments, we used response signals (RSs) to control processing time and trace out speed accuracy trade-off (SAT) functions in a difficult perceptual discrimination task. Each experiment compared performance in blocks of trials with constant and, hence, temporally predictable RS lags against performance in blocks with variable, unpredictable RS lags. In both experiments, essentially equivalent SAT functions were observed with constant and variable RS lags. We conclude that there is l...

  7. Speed control at low wind speeds for a variable speed fixed pitch wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosmin, N.; Watson, S.J.; Tompson, M. [Loughborough Univ., Loughborough, Leicestershire (United Kingdom)

    2010-03-09

    The maximum power regulation below rated wind speed is regulated by changing the rotor/generator speed at large frequency range in a fixed pitch, variable speed, stall-regulated wind turbine. In order to capture the power at a maximum value the power coefficient is kept at maximum peak point by maintaining the tip speed ratio at its optimum value. The wind industry is moving from stall regulated fixed speed wind turbines to newer improved innovative versions with better reliability. While a stall regulated fixed pitch wind turbine is among the most cost-effective wind turbine on the market, its problems include noise, severe vibrations, high thrust loads and low power efficiency. Therefore, in order to improve such drawbacks, the rotation of the generator speed is made flexible where the rotation can be controlled in variable speed. This paper discussed the development of a simulation model which represented the behaviour of a stall regulated variable speed wind turbine at low wind speed control region by using the closed loop scalar control with adjustable speed drive. The paper provided a description of each sub-model in the wind turbine system and described the scalar control of the induction machine. It was concluded that by using a constant voltage/frequency ratio of the generator's stator side control, the generator speed could be regulated and the generator torque could be controlled to ensure the power coefficient could be maintained close to its maximum value. 38 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs.

  8. The economics of a variable speed wind-diesel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moll, W.

    1992-01-01

    A remote community power supply system generating over 1,000 kWH/d will have at least one diesel generator running all the time. If one or more wind turbine generators are added to such a system, the diesel generator will produce less power when wind speeds are adequate, but its fuel efficiency will gradually decrease as load decreases. In the variable speed wind/diesel concept, the diesel rpm is reduced with decreasing load and a high fuel efficiency is maintained over virtually the full power range. The outputs of the diesel and wind turbine generators are fed into an inverter which synthesizes a desired voltage wave-shape with controlled magnitude and frequency. The variable speed wind/diesel concept may make vertical axis wind turbines suitable for remote community power supply because the inverter effectively isolates the power ripple of the wind turbine. A possible wind/diesel system configuration using the variable speed concept is illustrated. The economics of a 50-kW variable speed diesel and a 80-kW variable speed wind turbine generator was analyzed. Going from a constant speed diesel generator to a variable speed generator operating at 55% capacity factor, a 6% fuel saving was achieved. Adding one 80-kW wind turbine increased fuel savings to 32% at 5 m/s wind speed, but the unit energy cost rose 8.5%. At 7 m/s wind speed, fuel savings were 59% and energy savings were 7.8%. Economics are better for a peaking variable speed 50-kW wind/diesel system added to an existing diesel system to extend the installed capacity. At 7 m/s wind speed the fuel savings translate into ca $40,000 over 10 y and purchase of a $150,000 diesel generator is postponed. 7 figs., 1 tab

  9. Critical Speed Control for a Fixed Blade Variable Speed Wind Turbine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morgan Rossander

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A critical speed controller for avoiding a certain rotational speed is presented. The controller is useful for variable speed wind turbines with a natural frequency in the operating range. The controller has been simulated, implemented and tested on an open site 12 kW vertical axis wind turbine prototype. The controller is based on an adaptation of the optimum torque control. Two lookup tables and a simple state machine provide the control logic of the controller. The controller requires low computational resources, and no wind speed measurement is needed. The results suggest that the controller is a feasible method for critical speed control. The skipping behavior can be adjusted using only two parameters. While tested on a vertical axis wind turbine, it may be used on any variable speed turbine with the control of generator power.

  10. Variable Speed Rotor System, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Variable speed rotors will give helicopters several advantages: higher top speed, greater fuel efficiency, momentary emergency over-power, resonance detuning...

  11. Variable-speed, portable routing skate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pesch, W. A.

    1967-01-01

    Lightweight, portable, variable-speed routing skate is used on heavy metal subassemblies which are impractical to move to a stationary machine. The assembly, consisting of the housing with rollers, router, and driving mechanism with transmission, weighs about forty pounds. Both speed and depth of cut are adjustable.

  12. Variable speed generators

    CERN Document Server

    Boldea, Ion

    2005-01-01

    With the deregulation of electrical energy production and distribution, says Boldea (Polytechnical Institute, Timisoara, Romania) producers are looking for ways to tailor their electricity for different markets. Variable-speed electric generators are serving that purpose, up to the 400 megavolt ampere unit size, in Japan since 1996 and Germany sinc

  13. Maximizing Energy Capture of Fixed-Pitch Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pierce, K.; Migliore, P.

    2000-08-01

    Field tests of a variable-speed, stall-regulated wind turbine were conducted at a US Department of Energy Laboratory. A variable-speed generating system, comprising a doubly-fed generator and series-resonant power converter, was installed on a 275-kW, downwind, two-blade wind turbine. Gearbox, generator, and converter efficiency were measured in the laboratory so that rotor aerodynamic efficiency could be determined from field measurement of generator power. The turbine was operated at several discrete rotational speeds to develop power curves for use in formulating variable-speed control strategies. Test results for fixed-speed and variable-speed operation are presented along with discussion and comparison of the variable-speed control methodologies. Where possible, comparisons between fixed-speed and variable-speed operation are shown.

  14. Intelligent control for large-scale variable speed variable pitch wind turbines

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xinfang ZHANG; Daping XU; Yibing LIU

    2004-01-01

    Large-scale wind turbine generator systems have strong nonlinear multivariable characteristics with many uncertain factors and disturbances.Automatic control is crucial for the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines.On the basis of simplified and proper model of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines,the effective wind speed is estimated using extended Kalman filter.Intelligent control schemes proposed in the paper include two loops which operate in synchronism with each other.At below-rated wind speed,the inner loop adopts adaptive fuzzy control based on variable universe for generator torque regulation to realize maximum wind energy capture.At above-rated wind speed, a controller based on least square support vector machine is proposed to adjust pitch angle and keep rated output power.The simulation shows the effectiveness of the intelligent control.

  15. Constant versus variable response signal delays in speed--accuracy trade-offs: effects of advance preparation for processing time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Jeff; Sproesser, Gudrun; Ulrich, Rolf

    2008-07-01

    In two experiments, we used response signals (RSs) to control processing time and trace out speed--accuracy trade-off(SAT) functions in a difficult perceptual discrimination task. Each experiment compared performance in blocks of trials with constant and, hence, temporally predictable RS lags against performance in blocks with variable, unpredictable RS lags. In both experiments, essentially equivalent SAT functions were observed with constant and variable RS lags. We conclude that there is little effect of advance preparation for a given processing time, suggesting that the discrimination mechanisms underlying SAT functions are driven solely by bottom-up information processing in perceptual discrimination tasks.

  16. Survey of variable speed operation of wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carlson, Ola; Hylander, J.; Thorborg, K. [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Electric Power Engineering

    1996-12-01

    During the last five years the production and operation of variable-speed wind turbines have advanced from a few experimental machines to a serial production of at least 10 MW of installed capacity of variable speed machines per week. The rated power of serial wind turbines is today around 600 kW and for the prototypes up to 3000 kW. Variable speed operation of wind turbines can be obtained with several different types of electrical generating systems, such as synchronous generators with diode rectifiers and thyristor inverters or induction generators with IGBT-converters, for the wide speed range. For the narrow speed range the wound motor induction generator with a rotor cascade or a controlled rotor resistance is preferable. The development of permanent magnetic material and the reduction of costs of the power electronic components have opened a possibility of designing cost-effective wind turbines with a directly driven generator. Pitch control together with variable speed will make it possible to limit the power variation within a few percent, 2 to 5 %, of the rated power. 7 refs, 4 figs, 2 tabs

  17. Variable speed control for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galinos, Christos; Larsen, Torben J.

    A robust variable speed control for vertical axis wind turbine applications is implemented. It is a PI rotor speed controller based on an induction generator model operated at variable frequency. The generator dynamics are approximated by a first order differential equation with a prescribed slip....... In order to allow variability in the rotor speed an inverter is assumed which changes the nominal generator speed. Below rated power the optimum tip speed ratio is tracked, while above the power is constrained to rated. The wind speed which is needed in the control it is considered as a known signal...... the Inflow project. The investigation of the VAWT performance under different control parameters such as the PI gains has been performed by Christos Galinos. Deterministic and turbulent wind speed steps of 2 m/s from 6 m/s to 24 m/s and back to 12 m/s are applied. The controller gives smooth transient...

  18. Step-by-step variability of swing phase trajectory area during steady state walking at a range of speeds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurt, Christopher P.; Brown, David A.

    2018-01-01

    Background Step kinematic variability has been characterized during gait using spatial and temporal kinematic characteristics. However, people can adopt different trajectory paths both between individuals and even within individuals at different speeds. Single point measures such as minimum toe clearance (MTC) and step length (SL) do not necessarily account for the multiple paths that the foot may take during the swing phase to reach the same foot fall endpoint. The purpose of this study was to test a step-by-step foot trajectory area (SBS-FTA) variability measure that is able to characterize sagittal plane foot trajectories of varying areas, and compare this measure against MTC and SL variability at different speeds. We hypothesize that the SBS-FTA variability would demonstrate increased variability with speed. Second, we hypothesize that SBS-FTA would have a stronger curvilinear fit compared with the CV and SD of SL and MTC. Third, we hypothesize SBS-FTA would be more responsive to change in the foot trajectory at a given speed compared to SL and MTC. Fourth, SBS-FTA variability would not strongly co-vary with SL and MTC variability measures since it represents a different construct related to foot trajectory area variability. Methods We studied 15 nonimpaired individuals during walking at progressively faster speeds. We calculated SL, MTC, and SBS-FTA area. Results SBS-FTA variability increased with speed, had a stronger curvilinear fit compared with the CV and SD of SL and MTC, was more responsive at a given speed, and did not strongly co-vary with SL and MTC variability measures. Conclusion SBS foot trajectory area variability was sensitive to change with faster speeds, captured a relationship that the majority of the other measures did not demonstrate, and did not co-vary strongly with other measures that are also components of the trajectory. PMID:29370202

  19. Flicker Mitigation by Speed Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanting Hu

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Grid-connected wind turbines are fluctuating power sources that may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbine with a full-scale back-to-back power converter and permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG developed in the simulation tool of PSCAD/EMTDC. Flicker emission of this system is investigated. The 3p (three times per revolution power oscillation due to wind shear and tower shadow effects is the significant part in the flicker emission of variable speed wind turbines with PMSG during continuous operation. A new method of flicker mitigation by controlling the rotational speed is proposed. It smoothes the 3p active power oscillations from wind shear and tower shadow effects of the wind turbine by varying the rotational speed of the PMSG. Simulation results show that damping the 3p active power oscillation by using the flicker mitigation speed controller is an effective means for flicker mitigation of variable speed wind turbines with full-scale back-to-back power converters and PMSG during continuous operation.

  20. Walking speed-related changes in stride time variability: effects of decreased speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dubost Veronique

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Conflicting results have been reported regarding the relationship between stride time variability (STV and walking speed. While some studies failed to establish any relationship, others reported either a linear or a non-linear relationship. We therefore sought to determine the extent to which decrease in self-selected walking speed influenced STV among healthy young adults. Methods The mean value, the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of stride time, as well as the mean value of stride velocity were recorded while steady-state walking using the GAITRite® system in 29 healthy young adults who walked consecutively at 88%, 79%, 71%, 64%, 58%, 53%, 46% and 39% of their preferred walking speed. Results The decrease in stride velocity increased significantly mean values, SD and CoV of stride time (p Conclusion The results support the assumption that gait variability increases while walking speed decreases and, thus, gait might be more unstable when healthy subjects walk slower compared with their preferred walking speed. Furthermore, these results highlight that a decrease in walking speed can be a potential confounder while evaluating STV.

  1. Investigation of load reduction for a variable speed, variable pitch, and variable coning wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pierce, K. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

    1997-12-31

    A two bladed, variable speed and variable pitch wind turbine was modeled using ADAMS{reg_sign} to evaluate load reduction abilities of a variable coning configuration as compared to a teetered rotor, and also to evaluate control methods. The basic dynamic behavior of the variable coning turbine was investigated and compared to the teetered rotor under constant wind conditions as well as turbulent wind conditions. Results indicate the variable coning rotor has larger flap oscillation amplitudes and much lower root flap bending moments than the teetered rotor. Three methods of control were evaluated for turbulent wind simulations. These were a standard IPD control method, a generalized predictive control method, and a bias estimate control method. Each control method was evaluated for both the variable coning configuration and the teetered configuration. The ability of the different control methods to maintain the rotor speed near the desired set point is evaluated from the RMS error of rotor speed. The activity of the control system is evaluated from cycles per second of the blade pitch angle. All three of the methods were found to produce similar results for the variable coning rotor and the teetered rotor, as well as similar results to each other.

  2. Variable Speed Limit (VSL) - Best Management Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-01

    The Variable Speed Limit (VSL) system on the I-4 corridor in Orlando was implemented by Florida Department of Transportation in 2008, and since its deployment, it was revealed that the majority of traffic exceeds the speed limit by more mph when the ...

  3. Variable-Speed Power-Turbine Research at Glenn Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Gerard E.; McVetta, Ashlie B.; Stevens, Mark A.; Howard, Samuel A.; Giel, Paul W.; Ameri, Ali, A.; To, Waiming; Skoch, Gary J.; Thurman, Douglas R.

    2012-01-01

    The main rotors of the NASA Large Civil Tilt-Rotor (LCTR) notional vehicle operate over a wide speed-range, from 100 percent at takeoff to 54 percent at cruise. The variable-speed power turbine (VSPT) offers one approach by which to effect this speed variation. VSPT aerodynamics challenges include high work factors at cruise, wide (40 to 60 ) incidence-angle variations in blade and vane rows over the speed range, and operation at low Reynolds numbers. Rotordynamics challenges include potential responsiveness to shaft modes within the 50 percent VSPT speed-range. A research effort underway at NASA Glenn Research Center, intended to address these key aerodynamic and rotordynamic challenges, is described. Conceptual design and 3-D multistage RANS and URANS analyses, conducted internally and under contract, provide expected VSPT sizing, stage-count, performance and operability information, and maps for system studies. Initial steps toward experimental testing of incidence-tolerant blading in a transonic linear cascade are described, and progress toward development/improvement of a simulation capability for multistage turbines with low Reynolds number transitional flow is summarized. Preliminary rotordynamics analyses indicate that viable concept engines with 50 percent VSPT shaft-speed range. Assessments of potential paths toward VSPT component-level testing are summarized.

  4. Small variable speed hermetic reciprocating compressors for domestic refrigerators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Bjarne D.

    1996-01-01

    This paper contains both a theoretical and experimental investigation of some of the fundamental characteristics of a smal variable speed hermetic reciprocating compressor intended for application in domestic refrigeration. The results of a previously published simulation model for variable speed...

  5. Integration of Variable Speed Pumped Hydro Storage in Automatic Generation Control Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulgêncio, N.; Moreira, C.; Silva, B.

    2017-04-01

    Pumped storage power (PSP) plants are expected to be an important player in modern electrical power systems when dealing with increasing shares of new renewable energies (NRE) such as solar or wind power. The massive penetration of NRE and consequent replacement of conventional synchronous units will significantly affect the controllability of the system. In order to evaluate the capability of variable speed PSP plants participation in the frequency restoration reserve (FRR) provision, taking into account the expected performance in terms of improved ramp response capability, a comparison with conventional hydro units is presented. In order to address this issue, a three area test network was considered, as well as the corresponding automatic generation control (AGC) systems, being responsible for re-dispatching the generation units to re-establish power interchange between areas as well as the system nominal frequency. The main issue under analysis in this paper is related to the benefits of the fast response of variable speed PSP with respect to its capability of providing fast power balancing in a control area.

  6. Flicker Mitigation by Speed Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Weihao; Zhang, Yunqian; Chen, Zhe

    2013-01-01

    operation. A new method of flicker mitigation by controlling the rotational speed is proposed. It smoothes the 3p active power oscillations from wind shear and tower shadow effects of the wind turbine by varying the rotational speed of the PMSG. Simulation results show that damping the 3p active power...... oscillation by using the flicker mitigation speed controller is an effective means for flicker mitigation of variable speed wind turbines with full-scale back-to-back power converters and PMSG during continuous operation.......Grid-connected wind turbines are fluctuating power sources that may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbine with a full-scale back-to-back power converter and permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG...

  7. Overview of Variable-Speed Power-Turbine Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Gerard E.

    2011-01-01

    The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and high-speed cruise capability of the NASA Large Civil Tilt-Rotor (LCTR) notional vehicle is envisaged to enable increased throughput in the national airspace. A key challenge of the LCTR is the requirement to vary the main rotor speeds from 100% at take-off to near 50% at cruise as required to minimize mission fuel burn. The variable-speed power-turbine (VSPT), driving a fixed gear-ratio transmission, provides one approach for effecting this wide speed variation. The key aerodynamic and rotordynamic challenges of the VSPT were described in the FAP Conference presentation. The challenges include maintaining high turbine efficiency at high work factor, wide (60 deg.) of incidence variation in all blade rows due to the speed variation, and operation at low Reynolds numbers (with transitional flow). The PT -shaft of the VSPT must be designed for safe operation in the wide speed range required, and therefore poses challenges associated with rotordynamics. The technical challenges drive research activities underway at NASA. An overview of the NASA SRW VSPT research activities was provided. These activities included conceptual and preliminary aero and mechanical (rotordynamics) design of the VSPT for the LCTR application, experimental and computational research supporting the development of incidence tolerant blading, and steps toward component-level testing of a variable-speed power-turbine of relevance to the LCTR application.

  8. Pitch Angle Control for Variable Speed Wind Turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Zhe; Zhang, Jianzhong; Cheng, M

    2008-01-01

    Pitch angle control is the most common means for adjusting the aerodynamic torque of the wind turbine when wind speed is above rated speed and various controlling variables may be chosen, such as wind speed, generator speed and generator power. As conventional pitch control usually use PI...... controller, the mathematical model of the system should be known well. A fuzzy logic pitch angle controller is developed in this paper, in which it does not need well known about the system and the mean wind speed is used to compensate the non-linear sensitivity. The fuzzy logic control strategy may have...... the potential when the system contains strong non-linearity, such as wind turbulence is strong, or the control objectives include fatigue loads. The design of the fuzzy logic controller and the comparisons with conversional pitch angle control strategies with various controlling variables are carried out...

  9. Intra-individual variability in information processing speed reflects white matter microstructure in multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Erin L; Wojtowicz, Magdalena A; Omisade, Antonina; Fisk, John D

    2013-01-01

    Slowed information processing speed is commonly reported in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and is typically investigated using clinical neuropsychological tests, which provide sensitive indices of mean-level information processing speed. However, recent studies have demonstrated that within-person variability or intra-individual variability (IIV) in information processing speed may be a more sensitive indicator of neurologic status than mean-level performance on clinical tests. We evaluated the neural basis of increased IIV in mildly affected relapsing-remitting MS patients by characterizing the relation between IIV (controlling for mean-level performance) and white matter integrity using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Twenty women with relapsing-remitting MS and 20 matched control participants completed the Computerized Test of Information Processing (CTIP), from which both mean response time and IIV were calculated. Other clinical measures of information processing speed were also collected. Relations between IIV on the CTIP and DTI metrics of white matter microstructure were evaluated using tract-based spatial statistics. We observed slower and more variable responses on the CTIP in MS patients relative to controls. Significant relations between white matter microstructure and IIV were observed for MS patients. Increased IIV was associated with reduced integrity in more white matter tracts than was slowed information processing speed as measured by either mean CTIP response time or other neuropsychological test scores. Thus, despite the common use of mean-level performance as an index of cognitive dysfunction in MS, IIV may be more sensitive to the overall burden of white matter disease at the microstructural level. Furthermore, our study highlights the potential value of considering within-person fluctuations, in addition to mean-level performance, for uncovering brain-behavior relationships in neurologic disorders with widespread white matter pathology.

  10. Using Variable Speed Control on Pump Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr.Sc. Aida Spahiu

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Pumps are one of the most common variable speed drive (VSD system applications and special interest has focused on improving their energy efficiency by using variable speed control instead of throttling or other less efficient flow control methods. Pumps are the single largest user of electricity in industry in the European Union, consuming 160 TWh per annum of electricity and accounting for 79 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2 emissions [1]. Centrifugal pumps are the most likely pump style to provide a favorable return based on energy savings when applied with a variable speed drive. To help illustrate this, are conducted benchmark testing to document various head and flow scenarios and their corresponding effect on energy savings. Paper shows the relationship of static and friction head in the energy efficiency equation and the effect of motor, pump and VSD efficiencies. The received results are good reference points for engineers and managers of water sector in Albania to select the best prospects for maximizing efficiency and energy savings.

  11. Comparison between OpenFOAM CFD & BEM theory for variable speedvariable pitch HAWT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ElQatary Islam

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available OpenFoam is used to compare computational fluid dynamics (CFD with blade element momentum theory (BEM for a variable speed - variable pitch HAWT (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine. The wind turbine is first designed using the BEM to determine the blade chord, twist and operating conditions. The wind turbine blade has an outer diameter of 14 m, uses a NACA 63–415 profile for the entire blade and root to tip twist distribution of 15deg (Figure 3. The RPM varies from 20–75 for freestream velocities varying between 3–10.5 m/s (variable speed and a constant RPM of 78.78 for velocities ranging between 11–25 m/s (variable pitch. OpenFOAM is used to investigate the wind turbine performance at several operating points including cut-in wind speed (3 m/s, rated wind speed (10.5 m/s and in the variable pitch zone. Simulation results show that in the variable-speed operating range, both CFD and BEM compare reasonably well. This agreement can be attributed to the fact that the complex three-dimensional flow around the turbine blades can be split into two radial segments. For radii less than the mid-span, the flow is three-dimensional, whereas for radii greater than the mid-span, the flow is approximately two-dimensional. Since the majority of the power is produced from sections beyond the mid-span, the agreement between CFD and BEM is reasonable. For the variable-pitch operating range the CFD results and BEM deviate considerably. In this case the majority of the power is produced from the inner sections in which the flow is three-dimensional and can no longer be predicted by the BEM. The results show that differences in pitch angles up to 10deg can result to regulate the power for high wind speeds in the variable-pitch operation zone.

  12. Efficiency improvement of variable speed electrical drives for HVAC applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abrahamsen, F.; Blaabjerg, F.; Pedersen, J.K. [Aalborg Univ., Inst. of Energy Technology, Aalborg East (Denmark)

    2000-07-01

    A large part of the produced electrical energy is consumed by ventilators, pumps and compressors, the so-called HVAC applications. A lot of this energy can be saved by speed control, but even with the large saving obtained alone by introduction of variable speed, it is still essential to optimise the control of the variable speed drive and to optimise the electrical machine with respect to efficiency. Experiments are made with energy optimal induction motor control on a 2.2 kW variable speed pump system. It is demonstrated that 10% of the consumed energy can typically be saved by energy optimal motor control compared with constant V/Hz control. In a comparison of induction motors and permanent magnet synchronous motors for a variable speed pump application it is shown that for 2.2 kW motors an investment in high-efficiency or PM motors are typically paid back within 2.5 years and 7 years respectively. For a 90 kW PM motor the pay-back time would be 24 years. It is today not profitable to use PM motors for variable speed HVAC applications above 2 kW rated motor power. A further study is required to determine this limit in power rating more precisely. (orig.)

  13. Comprehensive Modeling and Analysis of Rotorcraft Variable Speed Propulsion System With Coupled Engine/Transmission/Rotor Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeSmidt, Hans A.; Smith, Edward C.; Bill, Robert C.; Wang, Kon-Well

    2013-01-01

    This project develops comprehensive modeling and simulation tools for analysis of variable rotor speed helicopter propulsion system dynamics. The Comprehensive Variable-Speed Rotorcraft Propulsion Modeling (CVSRPM) tool developed in this research is used to investigate coupled rotor/engine/fuel control/gearbox/shaft/clutch/flight control system dynamic interactions for several variable rotor speed mission scenarios. In this investigation, a prototypical two-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) is proposed and designed to achieve 50 percent rotor speed variation. The comprehensive modeling tool developed in this study is utilized to analyze the two-speed shift response of both a conventional single rotor helicopter and a tiltrotor drive system. In the tiltrotor system, both a Parallel Shift Control (PSC) strategy and a Sequential Shift Control (SSC) strategy for constant and variable forward speed mission profiles are analyzed. Under the PSC strategy, selecting clutch shift-rate results in a design tradeoff between transient engine surge margins and clutch frictional power dissipation. In the case of SSC, clutch power dissipation is drastically reduced in exchange for the necessity to disengage one engine at a time which requires a multi-DCT drive system topology. In addition to comprehensive simulations, several sections are dedicated to detailed analysis of driveline subsystem components under variable speed operation. In particular an aeroelastic simulation of a stiff in-plane rotor using nonlinear quasi-steady blade element theory was conducted to investigate variable speed rotor dynamics. It was found that 2/rev and 4/rev flap and lag vibrations were significant during resonance crossings with 4/rev lagwise loads being directly transferred into drive-system torque disturbances. To capture the clutch engagement dynamics, a nonlinear stick-slip clutch torque model is developed. Also, a transient gas-turbine engine model based on first principles mean

  14. Rural variable speed limits : phase II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-01

    The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) installed its first variable speed limit (VSL) corridor along : Interstate 80 in the Elk Mountain Corridor in the Spring of 2009 in an effort to improve safety and reduce road closures, : particularly ...

  15. A conceptual framework for evaluating variable speed generator options for wind energy applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddoch, T. W.; Lipo, T. A.; Hinrichsen, E. N.; Hudson, T. L.; Thomas, R. J.

    1995-01-01

    Interest in variable speed generating technology has accelerated as greater emphasis on overall efficiency and superior dynamic and control properties in wind-electric generating systems are sought. This paper reviews variable speed technology options providing advantages and disadvantages of each. Furthermore, the dynamic properties of variable speed systems are contrasted with synchronous operation. Finally, control properties of variable speed systems are examined.

  16. High-Speed Photo-Polarimetry of Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. B. Potter

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available I review recent highlights of the SAAO High-speed Photo-POlarimeter (HIPPO on the study of magnetic Cataclysmic Variables. Its high-speed capabilities are demonstrated with example observations made of the intermediate polar NY Lup and the polar IGRJ14536-5522.

  17. Active surge control for variable speed axial compressors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shu; Yang, Chunjie; Wu, Ping; Song, Zhihuan

    2014-09-01

    This paper discusses active surge control in variable speed axial compressors. A compression system equipped with a variable area throttle is investigated. Based on a given compressor model, a fuzzy logic controller is designed for surge control and a proportional speed controller is used for speed control. The fuzzy controller uses measurements of the change of pressure rise as well as the change of mass flow to determine the throttle opening. The presented approach does not require the knowledge of system equilibrium or the surge line. Numerical simulations show promising results. The proposed fuzzy logic controller performs better than a backstepping controller and is capable to suppress surge at different operating points. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Level of recall, retrieval speed, and variability on the Cued-Recall Retrieval Speed Task (CRRST) in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramratan, Wendy S; Rabin, Laura A; Wang, Cuiling; Zimmerman, Molly E; Katz, Mindy J; Lipton, Richard B; Buschke, Herman

    2012-03-01

    Individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) show deficits on traditional episodic memory tasks and reductions in speed of performance on reaction time tasks. We present results on a novel task, the Cued-Recall Retrieval Speed Task (CRRST), designed to simultaneously measure level and speed of retrieval. A total of 390 older adults (mean age, 80.2 years), learned 16 words based on corresponding categorical cues. In the retrieval phase, we measured accuracy (% correct) and retrieval speed/reaction time (RT; time from cue presentation to voice onset of a correct response) across 6 trials. Compared to healthy elderly adults (HEA, n = 303), those with aMCI (n = 87) exhibited poorer performance in retrieval speed (difference = -0.13; p cued-learning and processing speed variability may facilitate early detection of dementia in at-risk older adults.

  19. Fixed-speed and Variable-speed Pumped Storage Dispatch Model in Power Systems with High Renewable Penetration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Bo; Zong, Jin; Xu, Zhicheng

    2018-06-01

    According to different operating characteristics of pumped storage fixed speed unit and variable speed unit, a joint dispatching model of pumped storage unit and other types of units based on mixed integer linear optimization is constructed. The model takes into account the operating conditions, reservoir capacity, cycle type and other pumped storage unit constraints, but also consider the frequent start and stop and the stability of the operation of the unit caused by the loss. Using the Cplex solver to solve the model, the empirical example of the provincial power grid shows that the model can effectively arrange the pumping storage speed and the dispatching operation of the variable speed unit under the precondition of economic life of the unit, and give full play to the function of peak shaving and accommodating new energy. Because of its more flexible regulation characteristics of power generation and pumping conditions, the variable speed unit can better improve the operating conditions of other units in the system and promote the new energy dissipation.

  20. Fixed-speed and Variable-speed Pumped Storage Dispatch Model in Power Systems with High Renewable Penetration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Bo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available According to different operating characteristics of pumped storage fixed speed unit and variable speed unit, a joint dispatching model of pumped storage unit and other types of units based on mixed integer linear optimization is constructed. The model takes into account the operating conditions, reservoir capacity, cycle type and other pumped storage unit constraints, but also consider the frequent start and stop and the stability of the operation of the unit caused by the loss. Using the Cplex solver to solve the model, the empirical example of the provincial power grid shows that the model can effectively arrange the pumping storage speed and the dispatching operation of the variable speed unit under the precondition of economic life of the unit, and give full play to the function of peak shaving and accommodating new energy. Because of its more flexible regulation characteristics of power generation and pumping conditions, the variable speed unit can better improve the operating conditions of other units in the system and promote the new energy dissipation.

  1. Assessment of Japanese variable speed heat pump technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ushimaru, Kenji

    1988-01-01

    An analysis of critical component technologies and design methodologies for Japanese variable speed heat pumps are presented. The market for variable speed heat pumps in Japan is predominantly residential split-type, between the fractional to 2.5 ton capacity range. Approximately 1.1 million residential inverter-driven heat pumps were sold in 1987. Based on the market trends, component technology and several advanced features are described. Similarities and differences between Japanese and US system design methodologies are discussed. Finally, the outlook for future technology trends is briefly described. 8 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

  2. Handbook of asynchronous machines with variable speed

    CERN Document Server

    Razik, Hubert

    2013-01-01

    This handbook deals with the asynchronous machine in its close environment. It was born from a reflection on this electromagnetic converter whose integration in industrial environments takes a wide part. Previously this type of motor operated at fixed speed, from now on it has been integrated more and more in processes at variable speed. For this reason it seemed useful, or necessary, to write a handbook on the various aspects from the motor in itself, via the control and while finishing by the diagnosis aspect. Indeed, an asynchronous motor is used nowadays in industry where variation speed a

  3. Transient analysis of variable-speed wind turbines at wind speed disturbances and a pitch control malfunction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melicio, R.; Mendes, V.M.F.; Catalao, J.P.S.

    2011-01-01

    As wind power generation undergoes rapid growth, new technical challenges emerge: dynamic stability and power quality. The influence of wind speed disturbances and a pitch control malfunction on the quality of the energy injected into the electric grid is studied for variable-speed wind turbines with different power-electronic converter topologies. Additionally, a new control strategy is proposed for the variable-speed operation of wind turbines with permanent magnet synchronous generators. The performance of disturbance attenuation and system robustness is ascertained. Simulation results are presented and conclusions are duly drawn.

  4. Transient analysis of variable-speed wind turbines at wind speed disturbances and a pitch control malfunction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Melicio, R. [Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, R. Fonte do Lameiro, 6201-001 Covilha (Portugal); Mendes, V.M.F. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, R. Conselheiro Emidio Navarro, 1950-062 Lisbon (Portugal); Catalao, J.P.S. [Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, R. Fonte do Lameiro, 6201-001 Covilha (Portugal); Center for Innovation in Electrical and Energy Engineering, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon (Portugal)

    2011-04-15

    As wind power generation undergoes rapid growth, new technical challenges emerge: dynamic stability and power quality. The influence of wind speed disturbances and a pitch control malfunction on the quality of the energy injected into the electric grid is studied for variable-speed wind turbines with different power-electronic converter topologies. Additionally, a new control strategy is proposed for the variable-speed operation of wind turbines with permanent magnet synchronous generators. The performance of disturbance attenuation and system robustness is ascertained. Simulation results are presented and conclusions are duly drawn. (author)

  5. Improving transition between power optimization and power limitation of variable speed/variable pitch wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, A D; Bindner, H [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Rebsdorf, A [Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Lem (Denmark)

    1999-03-01

    The paper summarises and describes the main results of a recently performed study of improving the transition between power optimization and power limitation for variable speed/variable pitch wind turbines. The results show that the capability of varying the generator speed also can be exploited in the transition stage to improve the quality of the generated power. (au)

  6. Variable current speed controller for eddy current motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerth, H.L.; Bailey, J.M.; Casstevens, J.M.; Dixon, J.H.; Griffith, B.O.; Igou, R.E.

    1982-03-12

    A speed control system for eddy current motors is provided in which the current to the motor from a constant frequency power source is varied by comparing the actual motor speed signal with a setpoint speed signal to control the motor speed according to the selected setpoint speed. A three-phase variable voltage autotransformer is provided for controlling the voltage from a three-phase power supply. A corresponding plurality of current control resistors is provided in series with each phase of the autotransformer output connected to inputs of a three-phase motor. Each resistor is connected in parallel with a set of normally closed contacts of plurality of relays which are operated by control logic. A logic circuit compares the selected speed with the actual motor speed obtained from a digital tachometer monitoring the motor spindle speed and operated the relays to add or substract resistance equally in each phase of the motor input to vary the motor current to control the motor at the selected speed.

  7. Measure Guideline: Replacing Single-Speed Pool Pumps with Variable Speed Pumps for Energy Savings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunt, A.; Easley, S.

    2012-05-01

    The report evaluates potential energy savings by replacing traditional single-speed pool pumps with variable speed pool pumps, and provide a basic cost comparison between continued uses of traditional pumps verses new pumps. A simple step-by-step process for inspecting the pool area and installing a new pool pump follows.

  8. Control of variable speed variable pitch wind turbine based on a disturbance observer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Haijun; Lei, Xin

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, a novel sliding mode controller based on disturbance observer (DOB) to optimize the efficiency of variable speed variable pitch (VSVP) wind turbine is developed and analyzed. Due to the highly nonlinearity of the VSVP system, the model is linearly processed to obtain the state space model of the system. Then, a conventional sliding mode controller is designed and a DOB is added to estimate wind speed. The proposed control strategy can successfully deal with the random nature of wind speed, the nonlinearity of VSVP system, the uncertainty of parameters and external disturbance. Via adding the observer to the sliding mode controller, it can greatly reduce the chattering produced by the sliding mode switching gain. The simulation results show that the proposed control system has the effectiveness and robustness.

  9. Measure Guideline. Replacing Single-Speed Pool Pumps with Variable Speed Pumps for Energy Savings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunt, A. [Building Media and the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA), Wilmington, DE (United States); Easley, S. [Building Media and the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA), Wilmington, DE (United States)

    2012-05-01

    This measure guideline evaluates potential energy savings by replacing traditional single-speed pool pumps with variable speed pool pumps, and provides a basic cost comparison between continued uses of traditional pumps verses new pumps. A simple step-by-step process for inspecting the pool area and installing a new pool pump follows.

  10. Evaluation of variable advisory speed limits in work zones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    Variable advisory speed limit (VASL) systems could be effective at both urban and rural work zones, at both uncongested and congested sites. At uncongested urban work zones, the average speeds with VASL were lower than without VASL. But the standard ...

  11. Overall control strategy of variable speed doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, Anca D.; Soerensen, Poul [Risoe National Laboratory, Roskilde (Denmark). Wind Energy Dept.; Iov, Florin; Blaabjerg, Frede [Aalborg Univ. (Denmark). Inst. of Energy Technology

    2004-07-01

    The variable speed doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine is today the most widely used concept. The paper presents an overall control system of the variable speed DFIG wind turbine, with focus on the control strategies and algorithms applied at each hierarchical control level of the wind turbine. The present control method is designed for normal continuous operations. The strongest feature of the implemented control method is that it allows the turbine to operate with the optimum power efficiency over a wider range of wind speeds. The variable speed/variable pitch wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator is implemented in the dynamic power system simulation tool DIgSILENT. Simulation results are performed and analyzed in different normal operating conditions.

  12. Using variable speed drives technology to reap rewards of efficient HVAC design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1999-01-01

    Electric motors are continuously running at full speed with vanes and throttles used to modulate the output, in most HVAC applications. This results in an excessive wastage of electrical energy, and the solution is the variable speed drive, which can save vast amounts of energy in fans, pumps and compressors across the HVAC system. Users of traditional control methods will not benefit from the energy savings that are possible through variable speed drives because the motor speed remains the same, with the result that some, and in some cases most, of the energy drawn will be wasted. Variable speed drives are more efficient because they control output by regulating the motor speed, rather than run the motor at full speed and use restrictions to reduce the flow. Recently, small so-called micro-drives have been launched, cutting the cost for most variable speed operation. Variable speed motors can also introduce new features to the HVAC system. An example of how drives can save money and improve the indoor climate is cited for Heathrow airport. There, the gateroom was earlier controlled by modulating valves in both heater and cooler coils, with two fans that operated continuously at rated speed. This system was very inefficient because the occupancy of the gateroom varied between zero and maximum several times daily. A new system was installed using two AC drives, in which one drive controls the supply air fan and the other the return air fan. The energy savings amounted to 89% during two tests and 77% in a third. A pump installation in the district heating system of Strasbourg, Germany, showed the savings that are possible in pump applications

  13. Observer Backstepping Control for Variable Speed Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galeazzi, Roberto; Gryning, Mikkel Peter Sidoroff; Blanke, Mogens

    2013-01-01

    . The nonlinear controller aims at regulating the generator torque such that an optimal tip-speed ratio can be obtained. Simply relying on the measured rotor angular velocity the proposed observer backstepping controller guarantees global asymptotic tracking of the desired trajectory while maintaining a globally......This paper presents an observer backstepping controller as feasible solution to variable speed control of wind turbines to maximize wind power capture when operating between cut-in and rated wind speeds. The wind turbine is modeled as a two-mass drive-train system controlled by the generator torque...

  14. A novel technology for control of variable speed pumped storage power plant

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Seyed Mohammad Hassan Hosseini; Mohammad Reza Semsar

    2016-01-01

    Variable speed pumped storage machines are used extensively in wind power plant and pumped storage power plant. This paper presents direct torque and flux control (DTFC) of a variable speed pumped storage power plant (VSPSP). By this method both torque and flux have been applied to control the VSPSP. The comparison between VSPSP’s control strategies is studied. At the first, a wind turbine with the capacity 2.2 kW and DTFC control strategies simulated then a 250 MW VSPSP is simulated with all of its parts (including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and its control system) by MATLAB software. In all of simulations, both converters including two-level voltage source converter (2LVSC) and three-level voltage source converter (3LVSC) are applied. The results of applying 2LVSC and 3LVSC are the rapid dynamic responses with better efficiency, reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) and ripple of rotor torque and flux.

  15. Flicker study on variable speed wind turbines with doubly fed induction generators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Tao; Chen, Zhe; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2005-01-01

    to a conclusion that the factors mentioned above have different influences on flicker emission compared with that in the case of the fixed speed wind turbine. Flicker mitigation is realized by output reactive power control of the variable speed wind turbine with doubly fed induction generator. Simulation results...... show the wind turbine output reactive power control provides an effective means for flicker mitigation regardless of mean wind speed, turbulence intensity and short circuit capacity ratio.......Grid connected wind turbines may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbine with a doubly fed induction generator developed in the simulation tool of PSCAD/EMTDC. Flicker emission of variable speed wind turbines...

  16. Considering Variable Road Geometry in Adaptive Vehicle Speed Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xinping Yan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Adaptive vehicle speed control is critical for developing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS. Vehicle speed control considering variable road geometry has become a hotspot in ADAS research. In this paper, first, an exploration of intrinsic relationship between vehicle operation and road geometry is made. Secondly, a collaborative vehicle coupling model, a road geometry model, and an AVSC, which can respond to variable road geometry in advance, are developed. Then, based on H∞ control method and the minimum energy principle, a performance index is specified by a cost function for the proposed AVSC, which can explicitly consider variable road geometry in its optimization process. The proposed AVSC is designed by the Hamilton-Jacobi Inequality (HJI. Finally, simulations are carried out by combining the vehicle model with the road geometry model, in an aim of minimizing the performance index of the AVSC. Analyses of the simulation results indicate that the proposed AVSC can automatically and effectively regulate speed according to variable road geometry. It is believed that the proposed AVSC can be used to improve the economy, comfort, and safety effects of current ADAS.

  17. AC-DC integrated load flow calculation for variable speed offshore wind farms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhao, Menghua; Chen, Zhe; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2005-01-01

    This paper proposes a sequential AC-DC integrated load flow algorithm for variable speed offshore wind farms. In this algorithm, the variable frequency and the control strategy of variable speed wind turbine systems are considered. In addition, the losses of wind turbine systems and the losses...... of converters are also integrated into the load flow algorithm. As a general algorithm, it can be applied to different types of wind farm configurations, and the load flow is related to the wind speed....

  18. The Benefit of Variable-Speed Turbine Operation for Low Temperature Thermal Energy Power Recovery

    OpenAIRE

    Brasz, Joost J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper analyzes, given the large variation in turbine discharge pressure with changing ambient temperatures, whether variable-speed radial-inflow turbine operation has a similar benefit for Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power recovery systems as variable-speed centrifugal compression has for chiller applications. The benefit of variable-speed centrifugal compression over fixed-speed operation is a reduction in annual electricity consumption of almost 40 %. Air-conditioning systems are by ne...

  19. On the Profitability of Variable Speed Pump-Storage-Power in Frequency Restoration Reserve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipe, Jorge; Bessa, Ricardo; Moreira, Carlos; Silva, Bernardo

    2017-04-01

    The increase penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) into the European power system has introduced a significant amount of variability and uncertainty in the generation profiles raising the needs for ancillary services as well as other tools like demand response, improved generation forecasting techniques and changes to the market design. While RES is able to replace energy produced by the traditional centralized generation, it cannot displace its capacity in terms of ancillary services provided. Therefore, centralized generation capacity must be retained to perform this function leading to over-capacity issues and underutilisation of the assets. Large-scale reversible hydro power plants represent the majority of the storage solution installed in the power system. This technology comes with high investments costs, hence the constant search for methods to increase and diversify the sources of revenue. Traditional fixed speed pump storage units typically operate in the day-ahead market to perform price arbitrage and, in some specific cases, provide downward replacement reserve (RR). Variable speed pump storage can not only participate in RR but also contribute to FRR, given their ability to control its operating point in pumping mode. This work does an extended analysis of a complete bidding strategy for Pumped Storage Power, enhancing the economic advantages of variable speed pump units in comparison with fixed ones.

  20. Transient analysis of a variable speed rotary compressor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Youn Cheol

    2010-01-01

    A transient simulation model of a rolling piston type rotary compressor is developed to predict the dynamic characteristics of a variable speed compressor. The model is based on the principles of conservation, real gas equations, kinematics of the crankshaft and roller, mass flow loss due to leakage, and heat transfer. For the computer simulation of the compressor, the experimental data were obtained from motor performance tests at various operating frequencies. Using the developed model, re-expansion loss, friction loss, mass flow loss and heat transfer loss is estimated as a function of the crankshaft speed in a variable speed compressor. In addition, the compressor efficiency and energy losses are predicted at various compressor-operating frequencies. Since the transient state of the compressor strongly depends on the system, the developed model is combined with a transient system simulation program to get transient variations of the compression process in the system. Motor efficiency, mechanical efficiency, motor torque and volumetric efficiency are calculated with respect to variation of the driving frequency in a rotary compressor.

  1. Modelling and control of variable speed wind turbines for power system studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Michalke, Gabriele; Hansen, Anca Daniela

    2010-01-01

    and implemented in the power system simulation tool DIgSILENT. Important issues like the fault ride-through and grid support capabilities of these wind turbine concepts are addressed. The paper reveals that advanced control of variable speed wind turbines can improve power system stability. Finally......, it will be shown in the paper that wind parks consisting of variable speed wind turbines can help nearby connected fixed speed wind turbines to ride-through grid faults. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.......Modern wind turbines are predominantly variable speed wind turbines with power electronic interface. Emphasis in this paper is therefore on the modelling and control issues of these wind turbine concepts and especially on their impact on the power system. The models and control are developed...

  2. Grid impact of variable-speed wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larsson, Aa [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Dept. of Electric Power Engineering, Goeteborg (Sweden); Soerensen, P [Risoe National Lab., Roskilde (Denmark); Santjer, F [German Wind Energy Inst., DEWI, Wilhelmshaven (Germany)

    1999-03-01

    In this paper the power quality of variable-speed wind turbines equipped with forced-commutated inverters is investigated. Measurements have been taken on the same type of variable-speed wind turbines in Germany and Sweden. The measurements have been analysed according to existing IEC standards. Special attention has been paid to the aggregation of several wind turbines on flicker emission and harmonics. The aggregation has been compared with the summation laws used in the draft IEC 61400-21 `Power Quality Requirements for Grid Connected wind turbines`. The methods for calculating and summing flicker proposed by IEC Standards are reliable. Harmonics and inter-harmonics are treated in IEC 61000-4-7 and IEC 61000-3-6. The methods for summing harmonics and inter-harmonics in IEC 61000-3-6 are applicable to wind turbines. In order to obtain a correct magnitude of the frequency components, the use of a well-defined window width, according to IEC 61000-4-7 Amendment 1 is of a great importance. (au)

  3. UDE-based control of variable-speed wind turbine systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Beibei; Wang, Yeqin; Zhong, Qing-Chang

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, the control of a PMSG (permanent magnet synchronous generator)-based variable-speed wind turbine system with a back-to-back converter is considered. The uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based control approach is applied to the regulation of the DC-link voltage and the control of the RSC (rotor-side converter) and the GSC (grid-side converter). For the rotor-side controller, the UDE-based vector control is developed for the RSC with PMSG control to facilitate the application of the MPPT (maximum power point tracking) algorithm for the maximum wind energy capture. For the grid-side controller, the UDE-based vector control is developed to control the GSC with the power reference generated by a UDE-based DC-link voltage controller. Compared with the conventional vector control, the UDE-based vector control can achieve reliable current decoupling control with fast response. Moreover, the UDE-based DC-link voltage regulation can achieve stable DC-link voltage under model uncertainties and external disturbances, e.g. wind speed variations. The effectiveness of the proposed UDE-based control approach is demonstrated through extensive simulation studies in the presence of coupled dynamics, model uncertainties and external disturbances under varying wind speeds. The UDE-based control is able to generate more energy, e.g. by 5% for the wind profile tested.

  4. Feasibility of a Simple Small Wind Turbine with Variable-Speed Regulation Made of Commercial Components

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús Peláez Vara

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to propose and evaluate a very small wind turbine (VSWT that competes with commercial grid-connected VSWTs in terms of simplicity, robustness and price. Its main components are a squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG driven by a frequency converter. The system has a direct-drive shaft, and may be constructed with commercial equipment. Simulation of the wind turbine effect is done with a motor. A control program regulates the variable-speed of rotation through three operational modes: (i to drive the turbine to its optimum operation point; (ii to limit its maximum rotational speed; and (iii to limit the maximum power it generates. Two tests were performed, in order to evaluate the dynamic response of this system under variable wind speeds. The tests demonstrate that the system operates at the optimum operational point of the turbine, and within the set limits of maximum rotational speed and maximum generated power. The drop in performance in relation to its nominal value is about 75%, when operating at 50% of the nominal power. In summary, this VSWT with its proposed control program is feasible and reliable for operating direct-shaft grid-connected VSWTs.

  5. An Analysis of Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Power-Control Methods with Fluctuating Wind Speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung-Il Moon

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Variable-speed wind turbines (VSWTs typically use a maximum power-point tracking (MPPT method to optimize wind-energy acquisition. MPPT can be implemented by regulating the rotor speed or by adjusting the active power. The former, termed speed-control mode (SCM, employs a speed controller to regulate the rotor, while the latter, termed power-control mode (PCM, uses an active power controller to optimize the power. They are fundamentally equivalent; however, since they use a different controller at the outer control loop of the machine-side converter (MSC controller, the time dependence of the control system differs depending on whether SCM or PCM is used. We have compared and analyzed the power quality and the power coefficient when these two different control modes were used in fluctuating wind speeds through computer simulations. The contrast between the two methods was larger when the wind-speed fluctuations were greater. Furthermore, we found that SCM was preferable to PCM in terms of the power coefficient, but PCM was superior in terms of power quality and system stability.

  6. Control of variable speed wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, A.D.; Soerensen, P. [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Iov, F.; Blaabjerg, F. [Aalborg Univ., Inst. of Energy Technology, Aalborg (Denmark)

    2004-07-01

    draIn this paper, a Control method suitable for a variable speed grid connected pitch-controlled wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) is developed. The targets of the Control system are: 1) to Control the power drawn from the wind turbine in order to track the wind turbine optimum operation point 2) to limit the power in case of high wind speeds and 3) to Control the reactive power interchanged between the wind turbine generator and the grid. The considered configuration of DFIG is an induction generator with a wound rotor connected to the grid through a back-to-back power converter and a stator directly connected to the grid. The paper presents the overall Control system of the variable speed DFIG wind turbine, with focus on the Control strategies and algorithms applied at each hierarchical Control level of the wind turbine. There are two Control levels: a DFIG Control level and wind turbine Control level. The DFIG Control level contains a fast Control of the power converter and of the doubly-fed induction generator and it has as goal to Control the active and reactive power of the wind turbine independently. The wind turbine Control level supervises with Control signals both the DFIG Control level and the hydraulic pitch Control system of the wind turbine. The present Control method is designed for normal continuous operations. The variable speed/variable pitch wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator is implemented in the dynamic power system simulation tool DIgSILENT, which makes possible to investigate the dynamic performance of gid-connected wind turbines as a part of realistic electrical grid models. Several significant simulation results are performed With the overall Control-implemented algorithm applied on a variable speed, variable pitch wind turbine model. (au)

  7. Variable speed hermetic reciprocating compressors for domestic refrigerators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Bjarne D.

    1998-01-01

    This article describes the results of a both theoretical and experimental investigation of the performance of variable speed hermetic reciprocating compressors for domestic refrigerators. The investigation was performed as a part of a larger research project with the objective of reducing...

  8. Variable speed drives boost air handler benefits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Twenty-four separate roof-top air handlers, controlled by variable speed ac motor drives, provide comfort and ventilation for employees at a 500,000 sq. ft. sportswear distribution center in southern Virginia. They were chosen over optional packaged HVAC units because of their flexibility, efficiency, and short payback advantages. The operation of the units is described.

  9. Vertical dynamics of a single-span beam subjected to moving mass-suspended payload system with variable speeds

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Wei

    2018-03-01

    This paper presents the vertical dynamics of a simply supported Euler-Bernoulli beam subjected to a moving mass-suspended payload system of variable velocities. A planar theoretical model of the moving mass-suspended payload system of variable speeds is developed based on several assumptions: the rope is massless and rigid, and its length keeps constant; the stiffness of the gantry beam is much greater than the supporting beam, and the gantry beam can be treated as a mass particle traveling along the supporting beam; the supporting beam is assumed as a simply supported Bernoulli-Euler beam. The model can be degenerated to consider two classical cases-the moving mass case and the moving payload case. The proposed model is verified using both numerical and experimental methods. To further investigate the effect of possible influential factors, numerical examples are conducted covering a range of parameters, such as variable speeds (acceleration or deceleration), mass ratios of the payload to the total moving load, and the pendulum lengths. The effect of beam flexibility on swing response of the payload is also investigated. It is shown that the effect of a variable speed is significant for the deflections of the beam. The accelerating movement tends to induce larger beam deflections, while the decelerating movement smaller ones. For accelerating or decelerating movements, the moving mass model may underestimate the deflections of the beam compared with the presented model; while for uniform motion, both the moving mass model and the moving mass-payload model lead to same beam responses. Furthermore, it is observed that the swing response of the payload is not sensitive to the stiffness of the beam for operational cases of a moving crane, thus a simple moving payload model can be employed in the swing control of the payload.

  10. Control design for a pitch-regulated, variable speed wind turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, M.H.; Hansen, Anca Daniela; Larsen, Torben J.

    2005-01-01

    The three different controller designs presented herein are similar and all based on PI-regulation of rotor speed and power through the collective blade pitch angle and generator moment. The aeroelastic and electrical modelling used for the time-domainanalysis of these controllers are however...... different, which makes a directly quantitative comparison difficult. But there are some observations of similar behaviours should be mentioned: • Very similar step responses in rotor speed, pitch angle, and powerare seen for simulations with steps in wind speed. • All controllers show a peak in power...... for wind speed step-up over rated wind speed, which can be almost removed by changing the parameters of the frequency converter. • Responses of rotor speed, pitchangle, and power for different simulations with turbulent inflow are similar for all three controllers. Again, there seems to be an advantage...

  11. Virtual Refrigerant Mass Flow and Power Sensors for Variable-Speed Compressors

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Woohyun; Braun, James E.

    2012-01-01

    The use of variable-speed compressors in heat pumps and air conditioners has increased in recent years in order to improve comfort and energy efficiency. At the same time, there is a trend towards embedding more sensors in this type of equipment to facilitate real-time energy monitoring and diagnostics. Although compressor mass flow rate and power consumption are useful indices for performance monitoring and diagnostics, they are expensive to measure. The virtual variable-speed compressor sen...

  12. Work zone variable speed limit systems: Effectiveness and system design issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    Variable speed limit (VSL) systems have been used in a number of countries, particularly in Europe, as a method to improve flow and increase safety. VSLs use detectors to collect data on current traffic and/or weather conditions. Posted speed limits ...

  13. Control of variable speed wind turbines with doubly-fed induction generators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, A.D.; Soerensen, P.; Iov, F.; Blaabjerg, F.

    2005-07-01

    The paper presents an overall control method for variable speed pitch controlled wind turbines with doubly-fed induction generators (DFIG). Emphasis is on control strategies and algorithms applied at each hierarchical control level of the wind turbine. The objectives of the control system are: 1) to control the power drawn from the wind turbine in order to track the wind turbine maximum power operation point, 2) to limit the power in case of large wind speeds, and 3) to control the reactive power interchanged between the wind turbine generator and the grid. The present control method is designed for normal continuous operations. The strongest feature of the implemented control method is that it allows the turbine to operate with the optimum power efficiency over a wide range of wind speeds. The model of the variable speed, variable pitch wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator is implemented in the dynamic power system simulation tool DlgSILENT PowerFactory which allows investigation of the dynamic performance of grid-connected wind turbines within realistic electrical grid models. Simulation results are presented and analysed in different normal operating conditions. (author)

  14. Intraindividual variability in executive functions but not speed of processing or conflict resolution predicts performance differences in gait speed in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holtzer, Roee; Mahoney, Jeannette; Verghese, Joe

    2014-08-01

    The relationship between executive functions (EF) and gait speed is well established. However, with the exception of dual tasking, the key components of EF that predict differences in gait performance have not been determined. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine whether processing speed, conflict resolution, and intraindividual variability in EF predicted variance in gait performance in single- and dual-task conditions. Participants were 234 nondemented older adults (mean age 76.48 years; 55% women) enrolled in a community-based cohort study. Gait speed was assessed using an instrumented walkway during single- and dual-task conditions. The flanker task was used to assess EF. Results from the linear mixed effects model showed that (a) dual-task interference caused a significant dual-task cost in gait speed (estimate = 35.99; 95% CI = 33.19-38.80) and (b) of the cognitive predictors, only intraindividual variability was associated with gait speed (estimate = -.606; 95% CI = -1.11 to -.10). In unadjusted analyses, the three EF measures were related to gait speed in single- and dual-task conditions. However, in fully adjusted linear regression analysis, only intraindividual variability predicted performance differences in gait speed during dual tasking (B = -.901; 95% CI = -1.557 to -.245). Among the three EF measures assessed, intraindividual variability but not speed of processing or conflict resolution predicted performance differences in gait speed. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Time series analysis of wind speed using VAR and the generalized impulse response technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ewing, Bradley T. [Area of Information Systems and Quantitative Sciences, Rawls College of Business and Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2101 (United States); Kruse, Jamie Brown [Center for Natural Hazard Research, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Schroeder, John L. [Department of Geosciences and Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (United States); Smith, Douglas A. [Department of Civil Engineering and Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (United States)

    2007-03-15

    This research examines the interdependence in time series wind speed data measured in the same location at four different heights. A multiple-equation system known as a vector autoregression is proposed for characterizing the time series dynamics of wind. Additionally, the recently developed method of generalized impulse response analysis provides insight into the cross-effects of the wind series and their responses to shocks. Findings are based on analysis of contemporaneous wind speed time histories taken at 13, 33, 70 and 160 ft above ground level with a sampling rate of 10 Hz. The results indicate that wind speeds measured at 70 ft was the most variable. Further, the turbulence persisted longer at the 70-ft measurement than at the other heights. The greatest interdependence is observed at 13 ft. Gusts at 160 ft led to the greatest persistence to an 'own' shock and led to greatest persistence in the responses of the other wind series. (author)

  16. Examining Impulse-Variability Theory and the Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off in Children's Overarm Throwing Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Sergio L; Stodden, David F

    2018-04-01

    This study examined variability in throwing speed and spatial error to test the prediction of an inverted-U function (i.e., impulse-variability [IV] theory) and the speed-accuracy trade-off. Forty-five 9- to 11-year-old children were instructed to throw at a specified percentage of maximum speed (45%, 65%, 85%, and 100%) and hit the wall target. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in variable error across the target conditions (p = .72), failing to support the inverted-U hypothesis. Spatial accuracy results indicated no statistically significant differences with mean radial error (p = .18), centroid radial error (p = .13), and bivariate variable error (p = .08) also failing to support the speed-accuracy trade-off in overarm throwing. As neither throwing performance variability nor accuracy changed across percentages of maximum speed in this sample of children as well as in a previous adult sample, current policy and practices of practitioners may need to be reevaluated.

  17. Variable population exposure and distributed travel speeds in least-cost tsunami evacuation modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraser, Stuart A.; Wood, Nathan J.; Johnston, David A.; Leonard, Graham S.; Greening, Paul D.; Rossetto, Tiziana

    2014-01-01

    Evacuation of the population from a tsunami hazard zone is vital to reduce life-loss due to inundation. Geospatial least-cost distance modelling provides one approach to assessing tsunami evacuation potential. Previous models have generally used two static exposure scenarios and fixed travel speeds to represent population movement. Some analyses have assumed immediate departure or a common evacuation departure time for all exposed population. Here, a method is proposed to incorporate time-variable exposure, distributed travel speeds, and uncertain evacuation departure time into an existing anisotropic least-cost path distance framework. The method is demonstrated for hypothetical local-source tsunami evacuation in Napier City, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. There is significant diurnal variation in pedestrian evacuation potential at the suburb level, although the total number of people unable to evacuate is stable across all scenarios. Whilst some fixed travel speeds approximate a distributed speed approach, others may overestimate evacuation potential. The impact of evacuation departure time is a significant contributor to total evacuation time. This method improves least-cost modelling of evacuation dynamics for evacuation planning, casualty modelling, and development of emergency response training scenarios. However, it requires detailed exposure data, which may preclude its use in many situations.

  18. Dynamic sensorimotor planning during long-term sequence learning: the role of variability, response chunking and planning errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verstynen, Timothy; Phillips, Jeff; Braun, Emily; Workman, Brett; Schunn, Christian; Schneider, Walter

    2012-01-01

    Many everyday skills are learned by binding otherwise independent actions into a unified sequence of responses across days or weeks of practice. Here we looked at how the dynamics of action planning and response binding change across such long timescales. Subjects (N = 23) were trained on a bimanual version of the serial reaction time task (32-item sequence) for two weeks (10 days total). Response times and accuracy both showed improvement with time, but appeared to be learned at different rates. Changes in response speed across training were associated with dynamic changes in response time variability, with faster learners expanding their variability during the early training days and then contracting response variability late in training. Using a novel measure of response chunking, we found that individual responses became temporally correlated across trials and asymptoted to set sizes of approximately 7 bound responses at the end of the first week of training. Finally, we used a state-space model of the response planning process to look at how predictive (i.e., response anticipation) and error-corrective (i.e., post-error slowing) processes correlated with learning rates for speed, accuracy and chunking. This analysis yielded non-monotonic association patterns between the state-space model parameters and learning rates, suggesting that different parts of the response planning process are relevant at different stages of long-term learning. These findings highlight the dynamic modulation of response speed, variability, accuracy and chunking as multiple movements become bound together into a larger set of responses during sequence learning.

  19. Variable speed wind turbine generator system with current controlled voltage source inverter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muyeen, S.M.; Al-Durra, Ahmed; Tamura, J.

    2011-01-01

    highlights: → Current controlled voltage source inverter scheme for wind power application. → Low voltage ride through of wind farm. → Variable speed wind turbine driven permanent magnet synchronous generator-operation and control. -- Abstract: The present popular trend of wind power generation is to use variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) driving a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), wound field synchronous generator (WFSG) or permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). Among them, stability analyses of DFIG type of VSWT have already been reported in many literatures. However, transient stability and low voltage ride through (LVRT) characteristics analyses for synchronous generator type of VSWT is not sufficient enough. This paper focuses on detailed LVRT characteristic analysis of variable speed wind turbine driving a PMSG (VSWT-PMSG) with current controlled voltage source inverter (CC-VSI). Modeling and suitable control strategies for overall system are developed to augment the low voltage ride through capability of variable speed wind generator, considering recent wind farm grid code. Both symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults are analyzed as network disturbances in this paper. The permanent fault due to unsuccessful reclosing of circuit breakers is taken into consideration, which is a salient feature of this study. Moreover, the dynamic characteristic is analyzed using real wind speed data measured in Hokkaido Island, Japan. The proposed control scheme is simulated by using the standard power system simulation package PSCAD/EMTDC and results are verified by comparing that of voltage controlled voltage source inverter scheme available in power system literature.

  20. Variable speed wind turbine generator system with current controlled voltage source inverter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muyeen, S.M., E-mail: muyeen0809@yahoo.co [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); Al-Durra, Ahmed [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); Tamura, J. [Dept. of EEE, Kitami Institute of Technology, 165 Koen-cho, Kitami 090-8507 (Japan)

    2011-07-15

    highlights: {yields} Current controlled voltage source inverter scheme for wind power application. {yields} Low voltage ride through of wind farm. {yields} Variable speed wind turbine driven permanent magnet synchronous generator-operation and control. -- Abstract: The present popular trend of wind power generation is to use variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) driving a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), wound field synchronous generator (WFSG) or permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). Among them, stability analyses of DFIG type of VSWT have already been reported in many literatures. However, transient stability and low voltage ride through (LVRT) characteristics analyses for synchronous generator type of VSWT is not sufficient enough. This paper focuses on detailed LVRT characteristic analysis of variable speed wind turbine driving a PMSG (VSWT-PMSG) with current controlled voltage source inverter (CC-VSI). Modeling and suitable control strategies for overall system are developed to augment the low voltage ride through capability of variable speed wind generator, considering recent wind farm grid code. Both symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults are analyzed as network disturbances in this paper. The permanent fault due to unsuccessful reclosing of circuit breakers is taken into consideration, which is a salient feature of this study. Moreover, the dynamic characteristic is analyzed using real wind speed data measured in Hokkaido Island, Japan. The proposed control scheme is simulated by using the standard power system simulation package PSCAD/EMTDC and results are verified by comparing that of voltage controlled voltage source inverter scheme available in power system literature.

  1. Exterior rotor permanent magnet generator in variable speed applications

    OpenAIRE

    Sattar, Rauf

    2016-01-01

    This thesis explores approaches for converting rotational mechanical power from diesel engines into electrical power of fixed frequency and voltage. Advances in high energy permanent magnets and power electronics are enabling technologies that provide opportunities for electrical machines with increased efficiency and compact size for variable speed power generation. The overall objective was to design a permanent magnet machine with concentrated winding that could be used in variable spe...

  2. Overall control strategy of variable speed doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, A.D.; Iov, F.; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar

    2004-01-01

    The variable speed doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine is today the most widely used concept. The paper presents an overall control system of the variable speed DFIG wind turbine, with focus on the control strategies and algorithms applied at each hierarchical control level of the wind tu......-fed induction generator is implemented in the dynamic power system simulation tool DIgSILENT. Simulation results are performed and analyzed in different normal operating conditions....

  3. Variable sound speed in interacting dark energy models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linton, Mark S.; Pourtsidou, Alkistis; Crittenden, Robert; Maartens, Roy

    2018-04-01

    We consider a self-consistent and physical approach to interacting dark energy models described by a Lagrangian, and identify a new class of models with variable dark energy sound speed. We show that if the interaction between dark energy in the form of quintessence and cold dark matter is purely momentum exchange this generally leads to a dark energy sound speed that deviates from unity. Choosing a specific sub-case, we study its phenomenology by investigating the effects of the interaction on the cosmic microwave background and linear matter power spectrum. We also perform a global fitting of cosmological parameters using CMB data, and compare our findings to ΛCDM.

  4. Load flow analysis for variable speed offshore wind farms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Zhe; Zhao, Menghua; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2009-01-01

    factors such as the different wind farm configurations, the control of wind turbines and the power losses of pulse width modulation converters are considered. The DC/DC converter model is proposed and integrated into load flow algorithm by modifying the Jacobian matrix. Two iterative methods are proposed...... and integrated into the load flow algorithm: one takes into account the control strategy of converters and the other considers the power losses of converters. In addition, different types of variable speed wind turbine systems with different control methods are investigated. Finally, the method is demonstrated......A serial AC-DC integrated load flow algorithm for variable speed offshore wind farms is proposed. It divides the electrical system of a wind farm into several local networks, and different load flow methods are used for these local networks sequentially. This method is fast, more accurate, and many...

  5. SPEED COMPLIANCE IN FREEWAY VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT SYSTEM – CASE STUDY OF THE PRAGUE CITY RING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał MATOWICKI

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Many previous studies have confirmed the strong relationship between speed compliance and the frequency and severity of traffic accidents. Variable speed limit (VSL system as a measure to improve traffic safety enables the freeway system to change its posted speed limit based on various traffic and environmental conditions. Such system helps drivers to recognize the upcoming events, to adjust their driving style and in such way to address speed variation of the traffic flow. This is called speed harmonization. Although many studies researching the effect of VSL system on the traffic stream can be found, there are only few addressing its influence on the drivers behavior, particularly focusing on their tolerance limit and compliance, which has crucial meaning for future design of controlling algorithms. This study was prepared to inspect this grey area by studying the data from the VSL system at Prague city ring, describing the influence of the highway management system and its influence on drivers.

  6. Variable load failure mechanism for high-speed load sensing electro-hydrostatic actuator pump of aircraft

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cun SHI

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel transient lubrication model for the analysis of the variable load failure mechanism of high-speed pump used in Load Sensing Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator (LS-EHA. Focusing on the slipper/swashplate pair partial abrasion, which is considered as the dominant failure mode in the high-speed condition, slipper dynamic models are established. A forth sliding motion of the slipper on the swashplate surface is presented under the fact that the slipper center of mass will rotate around the center of piston ball when the swashplate angle is dynamically adjusted. Besides, extra inertial tilting moments will be produced for the slipper based on the theorem on translation of force, which will increase rapidly when LS-EHA pump operates under high-speed condition. Then, a dynamic lubricating model coupling with fluid film thickness field, temperature field and pressure field is proposed. The deformation effects caused by thermal deflection and hydrostatic pressure are considered. A numerical simulation model is established to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed model. Finally, based on the load spectrum of aircraft flight profile, the variable load conditions and the oil film characteristics are analyzed, and series of variable load rules of oil film thickness with variable speed/variable pressure/variable displacement are concluded. Keywords: Coupling lubrication model, Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator (EHA, High-speed pump, Partial abrasion, Slipper pair, Variable load

  7. Modeling and Design Optimization of Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulas Eminoglu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available As a result of the increase in energy demand and government subsidies, the usage of wind turbine system (WTS has increased dramatically. Due to the higher energy production of a variable-speed WTS as compared to a fixed-speed WTS, the demand for this type of WTS has increased. In this study, a new method for the calculation of the power output of variable-speed WTSs is proposed. The proposed model is developed from the S-type curve used for population growth, and is only a function of the rated power and rated (nominal wind speed. It has the advantage of enabling the user to calculate power output without using the rotor power coefficient. Additionally, by using the developed model, a mathematical method to calculate the value of rated wind speed in terms of turbine capacity factor and the scale parameter of the Weibull distribution for a given wind site is also proposed. Design optimization studies are performed by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO and artificial bee colony (ABC algorithms, which are applied into this type of problem for the first time. Different sites such as Northern and Mediterranean sites of Europe have been studied. Analyses for various parameters are also presented in order to evaluate the effect of rated wind speed on the design parameters and produced energy cost. Results show that proposed models are reliable and very useful for modeling and optimization of WTSs design by taking into account the wind potential of the region. Results also show that the PSO algorithm has better performance than the ABC algorithm for this type of problem.

  8. Energy Implications of Retrofitting Retail Sector Rooftop Units with Stepped-Speed and Variable-Speed Functionality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Studer, D.; Romero, R.; Herrmann, L.; Benne, K.

    2012-04-01

    Commercial retailers understand that retrofitting constant-speed RTU fan motors with stepped- or variable-speed alternatives could save significant energy in most U.S. climate zones. However, they lack supporting data, both real-world and simulation based, on the cost effectiveness and climate zone-specific energy savings associated with this measure. Thus, building managers and engineers have been unable to present a compelling business case for fan motor upgrades to upper management. This study uses whole-building energy simulation to estimate the energy impact of this type of measure so retailers can determine its economic feasibility.

  9. Flicker Study on Variable Speed Wind Turbines with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Weihao; Chen, Zhe; Wang, Yue

    2008-01-01

    capacity, grid impedance angle) are analyzed. Flicker mitigation is realized by output reactive power control of the variable speed wind turbines with PMSG. Simulation results show the output reactive power control is an effective measure to mitigate the flicker during continuous operation of grid......Grid connected wind turbines are fluctuating power sources that may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbines with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and a full-scale converter developed...... in the simulation tool of PSCAD/EMTDC. Flicker emission of this system is investigated during continuous operation. The dependence of flicker emission on wind characteristics (mean speed, turbulence intensity), 3p torque oscillations due to wind shear and tower shadow effects and grid conditions (short circuit...

  10. A heteroscedastic generalized linear model with a non-normal speed factor for responses and response times.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molenaar, Dylan; Bolsinova, Maria

    2017-05-01

    In generalized linear modelling of responses and response times, the observed response time variables are commonly transformed to make their distribution approximately normal. A normal distribution for the transformed response times is desirable as it justifies the linearity and homoscedasticity assumptions in the underlying linear model. Past research has, however, shown that the transformed response times are not always normal. Models have been developed to accommodate this violation. In the present study, we propose a modelling approach for responses and response times to test and model non-normality in the transformed response times. Most importantly, we distinguish between non-normality due to heteroscedastic residual variances, and non-normality due to a skewed speed factor. In a simulation study, we establish parameter recovery and the power to separate both effects. In addition, we apply the model to a real data set. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

  11. Flicker Mitigation by Individual Pitch Control of Variable Speed Wind Turbines With DFIG

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yunqian; Chen, Zhe; Hu, Weihao

    2014-01-01

    generatorto investigate the flicker emission and mitigation issues. An individual pitch control (IPC) strategy is proposed to reduce the flicker emission at different wind speed conditions. The IPC scheme is proposed and the individual pitch controller is designed according to the generator active power...... and the azimuth angle of the wind turbine. The simulations are performed on the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) 1.5-MW upwind reference wind turbine model. Simulation results show that damping the generator active power by IPC is an effective means for flicker mitigation of variable speed wind......Due to the wind speed variation, wind shear and tower shadow effects, grid connected wind turbines are the sources of power fluctuations which may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a model of an MW-level variable-speed wind turbine with a doubly fed induction...

  12. Energy saving opportunity with variable speed drive in primary air-handling unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, J.S.M.

    2007-01-01

    Air conditioners used in the court buildings in Kowloon City, Hong Kong were retrofitted with variable speed drives in the primary air handling unit (PAU) in an effort to reduce energy consumption. The initial effect of this retrofit was investigated along with the feasibility of using a carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) based demand control ventilation to reduce energy consumption while optimizing indoor air quality. The air flow in most air conditioning fans is either constant or controlled by motorized inlet guide vanes. Although this controls the flow and may reduce the load on the fan, this constriction adds an energy loss, resulting in inefficient operation. Variable speed drives should be used on the PAU in order to maintain system efficiency. As the speed of the fans are reduced, the flow will decrease proportionally, while the power required by the fan will reduce the cube of the speed. Therefore, if the fresh air supply can be controlled by reducing the speed of the fan motor, then flow control would be more efficient. The energy saving associated with variable fresh air supply flow rate was evaluated along with the cost to building owners. This paper presented the results of the potential energy and cost savings associated with this retrofit, and included implementation cost and pay back period. It was estimated that about 20 per cent of power consumption and electricity costs can be saved per year, with a simple payback period of 2 years. 7 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs

  13. Adaptive Torque Control of Variable Speed Wind Turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, K. E.

    2004-08-01

    The primary focus of this work is a new adaptive controller that is designed to resemble the standard non-adaptive controller used by the wind industry for variable speed wind turbines below rated power. This adaptive controller uses a simple, highly intuitive gain adaptation law designed to seek out the optimal gain for maximizing the turbine's energy capture. It is designed to work even in real, time-varying winds.

  14. Tip Speed Ratio Based Maximum Power Tracking Control of Variable Speed Wind Turbines; A Comprehensive Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat Karabacak

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The most primitive control method of wind turbines used to generate electric energy from wind is the fixed speed control method. With this method, it is not possible that turbine input power is transferred to grid at maximum rate. For this reason, Maximum Power Tracking (MPT schemes are proposed. In order to implement MPT, the propeller has to rotate at a different speed for every different wind speed. This situation has led MPT based systems to be called Variable Speed Wind Turbine (VSWT systems. In VSWT systems, turbine input power can be transferred to grid at rates close to maximum power. When MPT based control of VSWT systems is the case, two important processes come into prominence. These are instantaneously determination and tracking of MPT point. In this study, using a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT method based on tip speed ratio, power available in wind is transferred into grid over a back to back converter at maximum rate via a VSWT system with permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG. Besides a physical wind turbine simulator is modelled and simulated. Results show that a time varying MPPT point is tracked with a high performance.

  15. Wind Turbine Generator Modeling and Simulation Where Rotational Speed is the Controlled Variable

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mihet-Popa, Lucian; Blaabjerg, Frede; Boldea, Ion

    2004-01-01

    the interaction between a wind turbine and the power system. The model is intended to simulate the behaviour of the wind turbine using induction generators both during normal operation. Sample simulation results for two induction generators (2/0.5 MW) validate the fundamental issues.......To optimise the power produced in a wind turbine, the speed of the turbine should vary with the wind speed. A simple control method is proposed that will allow an induction machine to run a turbine at its maximum power coefficient. Various types of power control strategies have been suggested...... for application in variable speed wind turbines. The usual strategy is to control the power or the torque acting on the wind turbine shafts. This paper presents an alternative control strategy, where the rotational speed is the controlled variable. The paper describes a model, which is being developed to simulate...

  16. A new hydraulic regulation method on district heating system with distributed variable-speed pumps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hai; Wang, Haiying; Zhu, Tong

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A hydraulic regulation method was presented for district heating with distributed variable speed pumps. • Information and automation technologies were utilized to support the proposed method. • A new hydraulic model was developed for distributed variable speed pumps. • A new optimization model was developed based on genetic algorithm. • Two scenarios of a multi-source looped system was illustrated to validate the method. - Abstract: Compared with the hydraulic configuration based on the conventional central circulating pump, a district heating system with distributed variable-speed-pumps configuration can often save 30–50% power consumption on circulating pumps with frequency inverters. However, the hydraulic regulations on distributed variable-speed-pumps configuration could be more complicated than ever while all distributed pumps need to be adjusted to their designated flow rates. Especially in a multi-source looped structure heating network where the distributed pumps have strongly coupled and severe non-linear hydraulic connections with each other, it would be rather difficult to maintain the hydraulic balance during the regulations. In this paper, with the help of the advanced automation and information technologies, a new hydraulic regulation method was proposed to achieve on-site hydraulic balance for the district heating systems with distributed variable-speed-pumps configuration. The proposed method was comprised of a new hydraulic model, which was developed to adapt the distributed variable-speed-pumps configuration, and a calibration model with genetic algorithm. By carrying out the proposed method step by step, the flow rates of all distributed pumps can be progressively adjusted to their designated values. A hypothetic district heating system with 2 heat sources and 10 substations was taken as a case study to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method. Two scenarios were investigated respectively. In Scenario I, the

  17. Match-to-match variability in high-speed running activity in a professional soccer team.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carling, Christopher; Bradley, Paul; McCall, Alan; Dupont, Gregory

    2016-12-01

    This study investigated variability in competitive high-speed running performance in an elite soccer team. A semi-automated tracking system quantified running performance in 12 players over a season (median 17 matches per player, 207 observations). Variability [coefficient of variation (CV)] was compared for total sprint distance (TSD, >25.2 km/h), high-speed running (HSR, 19.8-25.2 km/h), total high-speed running (THSR, ≥19.8 km/h); THSR when the team was in and out of ball possession, in individual ball possession, in the peak 5 min activity period; and distance run according to individual maximal aerobic speed (MAS). Variability for % declines in THSR and distance covered at ≥80% MAS across halves, at the end of play (final 15 min vs. mean for all 15 min periods) and transiently (5 min period following peak 5 min activity period), was analysed. Collectively, variability was higher for TSD versus HSR and THSR and lowest for distance run at ≥80% MAS (CVs: 37.1%, 18.1%, 19.8% and 11.8%). THSR CVs when the team was in/out of ball possession, in individual ball possession and during the peak 5 min period were 31.5%, 26.1%, 60.1% and 23.9%. Variability in THSR declines across halves, at the end of play and transiently, ranged from 37.1% to 142.6%, while lower CVs were observed in these metrics for running at ≥80% MAS (20.9-53.3%).These results cast doubt on the appropriateness of general measures of high-speed activity for determining variability in an elite soccer team, although individualisation of HSR thresholds according to fitness characteristics might provide more stable indicators of running performance and fatigue occurrence.

  18. Energy and economic analysis of an ICE-based variable speed-operated micro-cogenerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caresana, Flavio; Bartolini, Carlo Maria [Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Energetica, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona (AN) 60100 (Italy); Brandoni, Caterina [Universita Telematica e-Campus, Ingegneria Energetica, Via Isimbardi 10, Novedrate (CO) 22060 (Italy); Feliciotti, Petro [Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Gestionale e dell' Automazione, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona (AN) 60100 (Italy)

    2011-03-15

    Micro-combined heat and power (CHP) systems are a key resource to meet the EUCO{sub 2} reduction agreed in the Kyoto Protocol. In the near future they are likely to spread significantly through applications in the residential and service sectors, since they can provide considerably higher primary energy efficiencies than plants generating electricity and heat separately. A 28 kW{sub e} natural gas, automotive-derived internal combustion engine CHP system was modeled with a view to comparing constant and variable speed operation modes. Besides their energy performances, the paper addresses the major factors involved in their economic evaluation and describes a method to assess their economic feasibility. Typical residential and service sector applications were chosen as test cases and the results discussed in terms of energy performances and of profitability. They showed that interesting savings can be obtained with respect to separate generation, and that they are higher for the household application in variable speed operating conditions. In fact the plant's energy performance is greatly enhanced by the possibility, for any given power, to regulate the engine's rotational speed. From the economic viewpoint, despite the higher initial cost of the variable speed concept, the system involves a shorter pay-back period and ensures greater profit. (author)

  19. Energy and economic analysis of an ICE-based variable speed-operated micro-cogenerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caresana, Flavio; Brandoni, Caterina; Feliciotti, Petro; Bartolini, Carlo Maria

    2011-01-01

    Micro-combined heat and power (CHP) systems are a key resource to meet the EUCO 2 reduction agreed in the Kyoto Protocol. In the near future they are likely to spread significantly through applications in the residential and service sectors, since they can provide considerably higher primary energy efficiencies than plants generating electricity and heat separately. A 28 kW e natural gas, automotive-derived internal combustion engine CHP system was modeled with a view to comparing constant and variable speed operation modes. Besides their energy performances, the paper addresses the major factors involved in their economic evaluation and describes a method to assess their economic feasibility. Typical residential and service sector applications were chosen as test cases and the results discussed in terms of energy performances and of profitability. They showed that interesting savings can be obtained with respect to separate generation, and that they are higher for the household application in variable speed operating conditions. In fact the plant's energy performance is greatly enhanced by the possibility, for any given power, to regulate the engine's rotational speed. From the economic viewpoint, despite the higher initial cost of the variable speed concept, the system involves a shorter pay-back period and ensures greater profit.

  20. LQG Controller Design for Pitch Regulated Variable Speed Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Imran, Raja Muhammed; Hussain, Dil Muhammad Akbar; Chen, Zhe

    2014-01-01

    Variable speed wind turbine is a complex and nonlinear system, a sophisticated control is required to meet the challenges posed by these systems. This paper is presenting a pitch regulation strategy based on LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian) to regulate turbine at its rated power and to reject...

  1. Applications of variable speed control for contending with recurrent highway congestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-01

    This research project developed vital operational guidelines for design of a variable speed limit (VSL) system and its integrated operations with ramp metering control in contending with recurrent highway congestion. The developed guidelines can serv...

  2. High-speed LWR transients simulation for optimizing emergency response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wulff, W.; Cheng, H.S.; Lekach, S.V.; Mallen, A.N.; Stritar, A.

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of computer-assisted emergency response in nuclear power plants, and the requirements for achieving such a response, are presented. An important requirement is the attainment of realistic high-speed plant simulations at the reactor site. Currently pursued development programs for plant simulations are reviewed. Five modeling principles are established and a criterion is presented for selecting numerical procedures and efficient computer hardware to achieve high-speed simulations. A newly developed technology for high-speed power plant simulation is described and results are presented. It is shown that simulation speeds ten times greater than real-time process-speeds are possible, and that plant instrumentation can be made part of the computational loop in a small, on-site minicomputer. Additional technical issues are presented which must still be resolved before the newly developed technology can be implemented in a nuclear power plant

  3. Variability in the Speed of the Brewer-Dobson Circulation as Observed by Aura/MLS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flury, Thomas; Wu, Dong L.; Read, W. G.

    2013-01-01

    We use Aura/MLS stratospheric water vapour (H2O) measurements as tracer for dynamics and infer interannual variations in the speed of the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) from 2004 to 2011. We correlate one-year time series of H2O in the lower stratosphere at two subsequent pressure levels (68 hPa, approx.18.8 km and 56 hPa, approx 19.9 km at the Equator) and determine the time lag for best correlation. The same calculation is made on the horizontal on the 100 hPa (approx 16.6 km) level by correlating the H2O time series at the Equator with the ones at 40 N and 40 S. From these lag coefficients we derive the vertical and horizontal speeds of the BDC in the tropics and extra-tropics, respectively. We observe a clear interannual variability of the vertical and horizontal branch. The variability reflects signatures of the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO). Our measurements confirm the QBO meridional circulation anomalies and show that the speed variations in the two branches of the BDC are out of phase and fairly well anti-correlated. Maximum ascent rates are found during the QBO easterly phase. We also find that transport of H2O towards the Northern Hemisphere (NH) is on the average two times faster than to the Southern Hemisphere (SH) with a mean speed of 1.15m/s at 100 hPa. Furthermore, the speed towards the NH shows much more interannual variability with an amplitude of about 21% whilst the speed towards the SH varies by only 10 %. An amplitude of 21% is also observed in the variability of the ascent rate at the Equator which is on the average 0.2mm/s.

  4. Variable speed control in wells turbine-based oscillating water column devices: optimum rotational speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lekube, J.; Garrido, A. J.; Garrido, I.

    2018-03-01

    The effects of climate change and global warming reveal the need to find alternative sources of clean energy. In this sense, wave energy power plants, and in particular Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices, offer a huge potential of energy harnessing. Nevertheless, the conversion systems have not reached a commercially mature stage yet so as to compete with conventional power plants. At this point, the use of new control methods over the existing technology arises as a doable way to improve the efficiency of the system. Due to the non-uniform response that the turbine shows to the rotational speed variation, the speed control of the turbo-generator may offer a feasible solution for efficiency improvement during the energy conversion. In this context, a novel speed control approach for OWC systems is presented in this paper, demonstrating its goodness and affording promising results when particularized to the Mutriku’s wave power plant.

  5. Flicker Mitigation by Speed Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

    OpenAIRE

    Weihao Hu; Yunqian Zhang; Zhe Chen; Yanting Hu

    2013-01-01

    Grid-connected wind turbines are fluctuating power sources that may produce flicker during continuous operation. This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbine with a full-scale back-to-back power converter and permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) developed in the simulation tool of PSCAD/EMTDC. Flicker emission of this system is investigated. The 3p (three times per revolution) power oscillation due to wind shear and tower shadow effects is the sign...

  6. Evaluation of different inertial control methods for variable-speed wind turbines simulated by fatigue, aerodynamic, structures and turbulence (FAST)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xiao; Gao, Wenzhong; Scholbrock, Andrew; Muljadi, Eduard; Gevorgian, Vahan; Wang, Jianhui; Yan, Weihang; Zhang, Huaguang

    2017-10-18

    To mitigate the degraded power system inertia and undesirable primary frequency response caused by large-scale wind power integration, the frequency support capabilities of variable-speed wind turbines is studied in this work. This is made possible by controlled inertial response, which is demonstrated on a research turbine - controls advanced research turbine, 3-bladed (CART3). Two distinct inertial control (IC) methods are analysed in terms of their impacts on the grids and the response of the turbine itself. The released kinetic energy in the IC methods are determined by the frequency measurement or shaped active power reference in the turbine speed-power plane. The wind turbine model is based on the high-fidelity turbine simulator fatigue, aerodynamic, structures and turbulence, which constitutes the aggregated wind power plant model with the simplified power converter model. The IC methods are implemented over the baseline CART3 controller, evaluated in the modified 9-bus and 14-bus testing power grids considering different wind speeds and different wind power penetration levels. The simulation results provide various insights on designing such kinds of ICs. The authors calculate the short-term dynamic equivalent loads and give a discussion about the turbine structural loadings related to the inertial response.

  7. Integrated Variable Speed Limits Control and Ramp Metering for Bottleneck Regions on Freeway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-hui Ma

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available To enhance the efficiency of the existing freeway system and therefore to mitigate traffic congestion and related problems on the freeway mainline lane-drop bottleneck region, the advanced strategy for bottleneck control is essential. This paper proposes a method that integrates variable speed limits and ramp metering for freeway bottleneck region control to relieve the chaos in bottleneck region. To this end, based on the analyses of spatial-temporal patterns of traffic flow, a macroscopic traffic flow model is extended to describe the traffic flow operating characteristic by considering the impacts of variable speed limits in mainstream bottleneck region. In addition, to achieve the goal of balancing the priority of the vehicles on mainline and on-ramp, increasing capacity, and reducing travel delay on bottleneck region, an improved control model, as well as an advanced control strategy that integrates variable speed limits and ramp metering, is developed. The proposed method is tested in simulation for a real freeway infrastructure feed and calibrates real traffic variables. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can substantially improve the traffic flow efficiency of mainline and on-ramp and enhance the quality of traffic flow at the investigated freeway mainline bottleneck.

  8. Differential effects of absent visual feedback control on gait variability during different locomotion speeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuehr, M; Schniepp, R; Pradhan, C; Ilmberger, J; Strupp, M; Brandt, T; Jahn, K

    2013-01-01

    Healthy persons exhibit relatively small temporal and spatial gait variability when walking unimpeded. In contrast, patients with a sensory deficit (e.g., polyneuropathy) show an increased gait variability that depends on speed and is associated with an increased fall risk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of vision in gait stabilization by determining the effects of withdrawing visual information (eyes closed) on gait variability at different locomotion speeds. Ten healthy subjects (32.2 ± 7.9 years, 5 women) walked on a treadmill for 5-min periods at their preferred walking speed and at 20, 40, 70, and 80 % of maximal walking speed during the conditions of walking with eyes open (EO) and with eyes closed (EC). The coefficient of variation (CV) and fractal dimension (α) of the fluctuations in stride time, stride length, and base width were computed and analyzed. Withdrawing visual information increased the base width CV for all walking velocities (p < 0.001). The effects of absent visual information on CV and α of stride time and stride length were most pronounced during slow locomotion (p < 0.001) and declined during fast walking speeds. The results indicate that visual feedback control is used to stabilize the medio-lateral (i.e., base width) gait parameters at all speed sections. In contrast, sensory feedback control in the fore-aft direction (i.e., stride time and stride length) depends on speed. Sensory feedback contributes most to fore-aft gait stabilization during slow locomotion, whereas passive biomechanical mechanisms and an automated central pattern generation appear to control fast locomotion.

  9. Frequency Inertia Response Control of SCESS-DFIG under Fluctuating Wind Speeds Based on Extended State Observers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongyang Sun

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Insufficient frequency regulation capability and system inertia reduction are common problems encountered in a power grid with high wind power penetration, mainly due to the reason that the rotor energy in doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs is isolated by the grid side converters (GSCs, and also due to the randomness and intermittence of wind power which are not as stable as traditional thermal power sources. In this paper, the frequency inertia response control of a DFIG system under variable wind speeds was investigated. First, a DFIG system topology with rotor-side supercapacitor energy storage system (SCESS-DFIG was introduced. Then a control strategy for frequency inertia response of SCESS-DFIG power grid under fluctuating wind speed was designed, with two extended state observers (ESOs which estimate the mechanical power captured by the DFIG and the required inertia response power at the grid frequency drops, respectively. Based on one inconstant wind speed model and the SCESS-DFIG system model adopting the control strategy established, one power grid system consisting of three SCESS-DFIGs with different wind speed trends and a synchronous generator was simulated. The simulation results verified the effectiveness of the SCESS-DFIG system structure and the control strategy proposed.

  10. Variable Speed Wind Turbine Based on Multiple Generators Drive-Train Configuration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Fujin; Chen, Zhe

    2010-01-01

    A variable speed wind turbine is presented in this paper, where multiple permanent magnet synchronous generators (MPMSGs) drive-train configuration is employed in the wind turbine. A cascaded multilevel converter interface based on the MPMSGs is developed to synthesize a desired high ac sinusoidal...... output voltage, which could be directly connected to the grids. What is more, such arrangement has been made so that the output ac voltage having a selected phase angle difference among the stator windings of multiple generators. A phase angle shift strategy is proposed in this paper, which effectively...... reduce the fluctuation of the electromagnetic torque sum and results in a good performance for the MPMSGs structure. The simulation study is conducted using PSCAD/EMTDC, and the results verify the feasibility of this variable speed wind turbine based on multiple generators drive-train configuration....

  11. Frequency Response Studies using Receptance Coupling Approach in High Speed Spindles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaik, Jakeer Hussain; Ramakotaiah, K.; Srinivas, J.

    2018-01-01

    In order to assess the stability of high speed machining, estimate the frequency response at the end of tool tip is of great importance. Evaluating dynamic response of several combinations of integrated spindle-tool holder-tool will consume a lot of time. This paper presents coupled field dynamic response at tool tip for the entire integrated spindle tool unit. The spindle unit is assumed to be relying over the front and rear bearings and investigated using the Timoshenko beam theory to arrive the receptances at different locations of the spindle-tool unit. The responses are further validated with conventional finite element model as well as with the experiments. This approach permits quick outputs without losing accuracy of solution and further these methods are utilized to analyze the various design variables on system dynamics. The results obtained through this analysis are needed to design the better spindle unit in an attempt to reduce the frequency amplitudes at the tool tip to improvise the milling stability during cutting process.

  12. Use of an expert system for the choice of variable speed drives; Application des techniques d`intelligence artificielle pour le choix des systemes d`entrainement a vitesse variable

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chetate, B.; Khaldi, T.; Boudjennah, B.; Kara, C. [Institut National des Hydrocarbures et de la Chimie de Boumerdes (Algeria). Laboratoire des Economies d`Energie Electrique

    1998-06-01

    The electrical motors variable speed is a factor of energy saving. The interest of variable speed is justified by the fact that the investment is quickly redeemable. In this study, the authors present an expert system for the rational choice of variable speed drives (IES/VSD). This system allows to take into account the varieties of electrical motors, electronics converters and complex control systems. (authors) 12 refs.

  13. Using Random Forests to Select Optimal Input Variables for Short-Term Wind Speed Forecasting Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Wang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Achieving relatively high-accuracy short-term wind speed forecasting estimates is a precondition for the construction and grid-connected operation of wind power forecasting systems for wind farms. Currently, most research is focused on the structure of forecasting models and does not consider the selection of input variables, which can have significant impacts on forecasting performance. This paper presents an input variable selection method for wind speed forecasting models. The candidate input variables for various leading periods are selected and random forests (RF is employed to evaluate the importance of all variable as features. The feature subset with the best evaluation performance is selected as the optimal feature set. Then, kernel-based extreme learning machine is constructed to evaluate the performance of input variables selection based on RF. The results of the case study show that by removing the uncorrelated and redundant features, RF effectively extracts the most strongly correlated set of features from the candidate input variables. By finding the optimal feature combination to represent the original information, RF simplifies the structure of the wind speed forecasting model, shortens the training time required, and substantially improves the model’s accuracy and generalization ability, demonstrating that the input variables selected by RF are effective.

  14. Evaluation of the Inertial Response of Variable-Speed Wind Turbines Using Advanced Simulation: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scholbrock, Andrew K [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Muljadi, Eduard [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gevorgian, Vahan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Scholbrock, Andrew K [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wang, Xiao [Northeastern University; Gao, Wenzhong [University of Denver; Yan, Weihang [University of Denver; Wang, Jianhui [Northeastern University

    2017-08-09

    In this paper, we focus on the temporary frequency support effect provided by wind turbine generators (WTGs) through the inertial response. With the implemented inertial control methods, the WTG is capable of increasing its active power output by releasing parts of the stored kinetic energy when the frequency excursion occurs. The active power can be boosted temporarily above the maximum power points, but the rotor speed deceleration follows and an active power output deficiency occurs during the restoration of rotor kinetic energy. In this paper, we evaluate and compare the inertial response induced by two distinct inertial control methods using advanced simulation. In the first stage, the proposed inertial control methods are analyzed in offline simulation. Using an advanced wind turbine simulation program, FAST with TurbSim, the response of the researched wind turbine is comprehensively evaluated under turbulent wind conditions, and the impact on the turbine mechanical components are assessed. In the second stage, the inertial control is deployed on a real 600-kW wind turbine, the three-bladed Controls Advanced Research Turbine, which further verifies the inertial control through a hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Various inertial control methods can be effectively evaluated based on the proposed two-stage simulation platform, which combines the offline simulation and real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation. The simulation results also provide insights in designing inertial control for WTGs.

  15. The experimental studies of operating modes of a diesel-generator set at variable speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obukhov, S. G.; Plotnikov, I. A.; Surkov, M. A.; Sumarokova, L. P.

    2017-02-01

    A diesel generator set working at variable speed to save fuel is studied. The results of experimental studies of the operating modes of an autonomous diesel generator set are presented. Areas for regulating operating modes are determined. It is demonstrated that the transfer of the diesel generator set to variable speed of the diesel engine makes it possible to improve the energy efficiency of the autonomous generator source, as well as the environmental and ergonomic performance of the equipment as compared with general industrial analogues.

  16. 75 FR 2159 - In the Matter of Certain Variable Speed Wind Turbines and Components Thereof; Termination of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-14

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-641] In the Matter of Certain Variable Speed Wind Turbines and Components Thereof; Termination of Investigation With Final Determination of No..., and the sale within the United States after importation of certain variable speed wind turbines and...

  17. Power Control of Permanent Magnet Generator Based Variable Speed Wind Turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Fujin; Chen, Zhe

    2009-01-01

    When the wind power accounts for a large portion of the grid, it will be required to regulate the active power and reactive power. This paper investigates a MWlevel variable speed wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The power control capabilities of two kinds...... of control schemes conducted respectively on this wind turbine under two conditions, including rapid wind speed change and grids faults, are compared. The simulation study of the wind turbine system is conducted using PSCAD/EMTDC, and the results show the different power control capabilities of the two...

  18. Variable speed electrical driving systems; Entrainements electriques a vitesse variable

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonal, J. [ESE, Promethee, Groupe Schneider (France)

    1997-12-31

    This book is the first of a series of 3 volumes which synthesize the most recent knowledge on variable speed electrical driving systems. It is devoted to electronic and electromechanical engineers and technicians and to manufacturers of electrical equipments involving such systems. after a recall of basic electrotechnical and mechanical notions, this book focusses on the functionalities and criteria of definition of driving systems, and shows the interactions between the different parts of these equipments. It develops a methodological approach of the choice for the most suitable technology with respect to the application under consideration. Various industrial sectors are concerned and a particular attention is paid to the driving of receptive turbo-machineries which play a major role in the energy balance sheet of the industrial electrical power force. (J.S.) 28 refs.

  19. Models for Numerical Evaluation of Variable Speed Different Wind Generator Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Hui; Chen, Zhe; Polinder, H.

    2007-01-01

    of different wind generator systems, the other presents the optimization results and evaluation of variable speed wind generator systems. In this report, firstly, it gives an overview of various wind generator topologies, including their advantages and disadvantages, market status and developing trends. Next...

  20. A disturbance decoupling nonlinear control law for variable speed wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Sven Creutz; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes a nonlinear control law for controlling variable speed wind turbines using feedback linearization. The novel aspect of the control law is its ability to decouple the effect of wind fluctuations. Furthermore, the transformation to feedback linearizable coordinates is chosen...

  1. DC Motor Parameter Identification Using Speed Step Responses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Wu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Based on the DC motor speed response measurement under a step voltage input, important motor parameters such as the electrical time constant, the mechanical time constant, and the friction can be estimated. A power series expansion of the motor speed response is presented, whose coefficients are related to the motor parameters. These coefficients can be easily computed using existing curve fitting methods. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the application of this approach. In these experiments, the approach was readily implemented and gave more accurate estimates than conventional methods.

  2. Potential electricity savings by variable speed control of compressor for air conditioning systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nasution, Henry [Bung Hatta University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Padang, West Sumatera (Indonesia); Wan Hassan, Mat Nawi [Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Skudai, Johor Bahru-Darul Ta' zim (Malaysia)

    2006-05-15

    The potential of a variable-speed compressor running on a controller to provide enhanced load-matching capability, energy saving and thermal comfort for application in air-conditioning system is demonstrated. An air-conditioning system, originally operated on a constant speed mode, is retrofitted with an inverter and a PID controller. The system was installed to a thermal environmental room together with a data acquisition system to monitor energy consumption and temperature of the room. Measurements were taken 2 h daily at a time interval of 5 min for an on/off and an inverter variable-speed conditions. The results indicate that thermal comfort of the room together with energy saving can be obtained through a proper selection of K for the controller. At a temperature setting of 22 C, the energy saving for the system is estimated to reach 25.3% for PID controllers. (orig.)

  3. Very-low-speed variable-structure control of sensorless induction machine drives without signal injection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lascu, Christian; Boldea, Ion; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2005-01-01

    A sensorless induction machine drive is presented, in which the principles of variable-structure control and direct torque control (DTC) are combined to ensure high-performance operation in the steady state and under transient conditions. The drive employs a new torque and flux controller......, the "linear and variable-structure control", which realizes accurate and robust control in a wide speed range. Conventional DTC transient merits are preserved, while the steady-state behavior is significantly improved. The full-order state observer is a sliding-mode one, which does not require the rotor speed...

  4. Assessing intraindividual variability in sustained attention: reliability, relation to speed and accuracy, and practice effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HAGEN C. FLEHMIG

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the psychometric properties of competing measures of sustained attention. 179 subjects were assessed twice within seven day's time with a test designed to measure sustained attention, or concentration, respectively. In addition to traditional performance indices [i.e., speed (MRT and accuracy (E%], we evaluated two intraindividual response time (RT variability measures: standard deviation (SDRT and coefficient of variation (CVRT. For the overall test, both indices were reliable. SDRT showed good to acceptable retest reliability for all subtests. For CVRT, retest reliability coefficients ranged from very good to not satisfactory. While the reversed-word recognition test proved highly reliable, the mental calculation test and the arrows test were not sufficiently reliable. CVRT was only slightly correlated but SDRT was highly correlated with MRT. In contrast to substantial practice gains for MRT, SDRT and E%, only CVRT proved to be stable. In conclusion, CVRT appears to be a potential index for assessing performance variability: it is reliable for the overall test, only moderately correlated with speed, and virtually not affected by practice. However, before applying CVRT in practical assessment settings, additional research is required to elucidate the impact of task-specific factors on the reliability of this performance measure.

  5. Modeling, Simulation and Control of Matrix Convert for Variable Speed Wind Turbine System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Alizadeh Moghadam

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents modeling, simulation and control of matrix converter (MC for variable speed wind turbine (VSWT system including permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG. At a given wind velocity, the power available from a wind turbine is a function of its shaft speed. In order to track maximum power, the MC adjusts the PMSG shaft speed.The proposed control system allowing independent control maximum power point tracking (MPPT of generator side and regulate reactive power of grid side for the operation of the VSWT system. The MPPT is implemented by a new control system. This control system is based on control of zero d-axis current (ZDC. The ZDC control can be realized by transfer the three-phase stator current in the stationary reference frame into d-and q-axis components in the synchronous reference frame. Also this paper is presented, a novel control strategy to regulate the reactive power supplied by a variable speed wind energy conversion system. This control strategy is based on voltage oriented control (VOC. The simulation results based on Simulink/Matlab software show that the controllers can extract maximum power and regulate reactive power under varying wind velocities.

  6. A New Turbo-shaft Engine Control Law during Variable Rotor Speed Transient Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hua, Wei; Miao, Lizhen; Zhang, Haibo; Huang, Jinquan

    2015-12-01

    A closed-loop control law employing compressor guided vanes is firstly investigated to solve unacceptable fuel flow dynamic change in single fuel control for turbo-shaft engine here, especially for rotorcraft in variable rotor speed process. Based on an Augmented Linear Quadratic Regulator (ALQR) algorithm, a dual-input, single-output robust control scheme is proposed for a turbo-shaft engine, involving not only the closed loop adjustment of fuel flow but also that of compressor guided vanes. Furthermore, compared to single fuel control, some digital simulation cases using this new scheme about variable rotor speed have been implemented on the basis of an integrated system of helicopter and engine model. The results depict that the command tracking performance to the free turbine rotor speed can be asymptotically realized. Moreover, the fuel flow transient process has been significantly improved, and the fuel consumption has been dramatically cut down by more than 2% while keeping the helicopter level fight unchanged.

  7. Power system integration and control of variable speed wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eek, Jarle

    2009-12-15

    coupled to the mechanical torque development, while tower oscillations and blade flapping are coupled to thrust influence. However, a more flexible structure will give stronger coupling between torque and thrust. From the reactive power control and voltage stability analysis, it is concluded that voltage control at the local terminal of each wind turbine in a wind farm is the best solution. This follows from the fundamental property of highest voltage to reactive power sensitivity at the generator low voltage terminal. It is also shown that tight power control at the point of common coupling may lead to too high voltage levels at the turbine terminals and that tap-changing transformers are necessary to avoid over-voltage. Variable speed wind turbines operated for maximum power extraction are not contributing to spinning reserves or providing any inertial response.

  8. Objectifying Tactics: Athlete and Race Variability in Elite Short-Track Speed Skating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konings, Marco J; Hettinga, Florentina J

    2018-02-01

    To objectively capture and understand tactical considerations in a race, the authors explored whether race-to-race variation of an athlete and the variation of competitors within a race could provide insight into how and when athletes modify their pacing decisions in response to other competitors. Lap times of elite 500-, 1000-, and 1500-m short-track speed-skating competitions from 2011 to 2016 (N = 6965 races) were collected. Log-transformed lap and finishing times were analyzed with mixed linear models. To determine within-athlete race-to-race variability, athlete identity (between-athletes differences) and the residual (within-athlete race-to-race variation) were added as random effects. To determine race variability, race identity (between-races differences) and the residual (within-race variation) were added as random effects. Separate analyses were performed for each event. Within-athlete race-to-race variability of the finishing times increased with prolonged distance of the event (500-m, CV = 1.6%; 1000-m, CV = 2.8%; 1500-m, CV = 4.1%), mainly due to higher within-athlete race-to-race variability in the initial phase of 1000-m (3.3-6.9%) and 1500-m competitions (8.7-12.2%). During these early stages, within-race variability is relatively low in 1000-m (1.1-1.4%) and 1500-m (1.3-2.8%) competitions. The present study demonstrated how analyses of athlete and race variability could provide insight into tactical pacing decisions in sports where finishing position is emphasized over finishing time. The high variability of short-track skaters is a result of the decision to alter initial pacing behavior based on the behavior of other competitors in their race, emphasizing the importance of athlete-environment interactions in the context of pacing.

  9. Experimental research of variable rotation speed ICE-based electric power station

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dar’enkov Andrey

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Developing variable rotation speed ICE-based stand-alone electric power stations which can supply distant regions and autonomous objects with electricity are of scientific interest due to the insufficient study. The relevance of developing such electric power stations is determined by their usage is to provide a significant fuel saving as well as increase ICE motor service life. The article describes the electric station of autonomous objects with improved fuel economy. The article describes multivariate characteristic. Multivariate characteristic shows the optimal frequency of rotation of the internal combustion engine. At this rotational speed there is the greatest fuel economy.

  10. Power maximization of variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines using passive adaptive neural fault tolerant control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habibi, Hamed; Rahimi Nohooji, Hamed; Howard, Ian

    2017-09-01

    Power maximization has always been a practical consideration in wind turbines. The question of how to address optimal power capture, especially when the system dynamics are nonlinear and the actuators are subject to unknown faults, is significant. This paper studies the control methodology for variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines including the effects of uncertain nonlinear dynamics, system fault uncertainties, and unknown external disturbances. The nonlinear model of the wind turbine is presented, and the problem of maximizing extracted energy is formulated by designing the optimal desired states. With the known system, a model-based nonlinear controller is designed; then, to handle uncertainties, the unknown nonlinearities of the wind turbine are estimated by utilizing radial basis function neural networks. The adaptive neural fault tolerant control is designed passively to be robust on model uncertainties, disturbances including wind speed and model noises, and completely unknown actuator faults including generator torque and pitch actuator torque. The Lyapunov direct method is employed to prove that the closed-loop system is uniformly bounded. Simulation studies are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  11. Impact of stimulus uncanniness on speeded response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kohske eTakahashi

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available In the uncanny valley phenomenon, the causes of the feeling of uncanniness as well as the impact of the uncanniness on behavioral performances still remain open. The present study investigated the behavioral effects of stimulus uncanniness, particularly with respect to speeded response. Pictures of fish were used as visual stimuli. Participants engaged in direction discrimination, spatial cueing, and dot-probe tasks. The results showed that pictures rated as strongly uncanny delayed speeded response in the discrimination of the direction of the fish. In the cueing experiment, where a fish served as a task-irrelevant and unpredictable cue for a peripheral target, we again observed that the detection of a target was slowed when the cue was an uncanny fish. Conversely, the dot-probe task suggested that uncanny fish, unlike threatening stimulus, did not capture visual spatial attention. These results suggested that stimulus uncanniness resulted in the delayed response, and importantly this modulation was not mediated by the feelings of threat.

  12. A Comparison Study between Two MPPT Control Methods for a Large Variable-Speed Wind Turbine under Different Wind Speed Characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongran Song

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Variable speed wind turbines (VSWTs usually adopt a maximum power point tracking (MPPT method to optimize energy capture performance. Nevertheless, obtained performance offered by different MPPT methods may be affected by the impact of wind turbine (WT’s inertia and wind speed characteristics and it needs to be clarified. In this paper, the tip speed ratio (TSR and optimal torque (OT methods are investigated in terms of their performance under different wind speed characteristics on a 1.5 MW wind turbine model. To this end, the TSR control method based on an effective wind speed estimator and the OT control method are firstly presented. Then, their performance is investigated and compared through simulation test results under different wind speeds using Bladed software. Comparison results show that the TSR control method can capture slightly more wind energy at the cost of high component loads than the other one under all wind conditions. Furthermore, it is found that both control methods present similar trends of power reduction that is relevant to mean wind speed and turbulence intensity. From the obtained results, we demonstrate that, to further improve MPPT capability of large VSWTs, other advanced control methods using wind speed prediction information need to be addressed.

  13. Impact and injury response of long track speed skaters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Forbes, P.A.; Swartjes, F.H.M.; Ruimerman, R.; Willems, J.W.M.

    2009-01-01

    The following study presents a combined numerical-experimental investigation into the impact and injury response of long track speed skaters when impacting the protective boarding around the track. The high speeds common within the sport combined with the inherent slipperiness of the ice create a

  14. Utility-scale variable-speed wind turbines using a doubly-fed generator with a soft-switching power converter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weigand, C.H.; Lauw, H.K.; Marckx, D.A. [Electronic Power Conditioning, Inc., Corvallis, OR (United States)

    1996-12-31

    Utility-scale wind turbines operating at variable RPM have been studied for a considerable period of time. Whereas the increase in energy output originally has been considered the principal benefit of variable-speed operation, the ability to tightly control the drive-train torque by electronic means is becoming another very important cost factor, especially for turbine ratings above 500 kilowatts. This cost benefit becomes even more significant as optimum turbine ratings today are approaching (and surpassing) 1 Megawatt. Having identified the benefits for the turbine, the designer is confronted with the task of finding the most cost-effective variable-speed generation system which allows him to make use of the benefits, yet does not introduce well-known electrical problems associated with state-of-the-art variable-speed generator controls, such as drastically reduced generator winding life, excessive harmonics on the utility, and poor utility power factor. This paper will indicate that for high-power (> 500 kW), utility-scale wind turbines a doubly-fed generator system in connection with a soft-switching resonant power converter is the least-cost variable-speed generation system offering all of the desired benefits, yet avoids the introduction of the potential electrical problems stated above. 3 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

  15. Dynamic modelling and analysis of a wind turbine with variable speed

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steinbuch, M.

    1986-01-01

    On behalf of the operation of the Dutch National Wind Farm, which is under construction now, a study is being performed on the control system design of variable speed wind turbines. To realize this a non-linear dynamic model of a wind turbine with synchronous generator and AC/ DC/AC conversion has

  16. Dual stator winding variable speed asynchronous generator: optimal design and experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

    In the present paper is carried out a theoretical and experimental study of dual stator winding squirrel cage asynchronous generator (DSWA) behavior in the presence of saturation regime (non-sinusoidal) due to the variable speed operation. The main aims are the determination of the relations of calculating the equivalent parameters of the machine windings to optimal design using a Matlab code. Issue is limited to three phase range of double stator winding cage-induction generator of small sized powers, the most currently used in the small adjustable speed wind or hydro power plants. The tests were carried out using three-phase asynchronous generator having rated power of 6 [kVA]. (paper)

  17. Bearing Fault Diagnosis under Variable Speed Using Convolutional Neural Networks and the Stochastic Diagonal Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viet Tra

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel method for diagnosing incipient bearing defects under variable operating speeds using convolutional neural networks (CNNs trained via the stochastic diagonal Levenberg-Marquardt (S-DLM algorithm. The CNNs utilize the spectral energy maps (SEMs of the acoustic emission (AE signals as inputs and automatically learn the optimal features, which yield the best discriminative models for diagnosing incipient bearing defects under variable operating speeds. The SEMs are two-dimensional maps that show the distribution of energy across different bands of the AE spectrum. It is hypothesized that the variation of a bearing’s speed would not alter the overall shape of the AE spectrum rather, it may only scale and translate it. Thus, at different speeds, the same defect would yield SEMs that are scaled and shifted versions of each other. This hypothesis is confirmed by the experimental results, where CNNs trained using the S-DLM algorithm yield significantly better diagnostic performance under variable operating speeds compared to existing methods. In this work, the performance of different training algorithms is also evaluated to select the best training algorithm for the CNNs. The proposed method is used to diagnose both single and compound defects at six different operating speeds.

  18. Frequency support capability of variable speed wind turbine based on electromagnetic coupler

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    You, Rui; Barahona Garzón, Braulio; Chai, Jianyun

    2015-01-01

    In the variable speed wind turbine based on electromagnetic coupler (WT-EMC), a synchronous generator is directly coupled with grid. So like conventional power plants WT-EMC is able to support grid frequency inherently. But due to the reduced inertia of synchronous generator, its frequency support...... capability has to be enhanced. In this paper, the frequency support capability of WT-EMC is studied at three typical wind conditions and with two control strategies-droop control and inertial control to enhance its frequency support capability. The synchronous generator speed, more stable than the grid...

  19. Analysis of the short-term overproduction capability of variable speed wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Anca Daniela; Altin, Müfit; Margaris, Ioannis D.

    2014-01-01

    Emphasis in this article is on variable speed wind turbines (VSWTs) capability to provide short-term overproduction and better understanding of VSWTs’ mechanical and electrical limits to deliver such support. VSWTs’ short-term overproduction capability is of primary concern for the transmission...

  20. Variable-Speed Power-Turbine for the Large Civil Tilt Rotor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suchezky, Mark; Cruzen, G. Scott

    2012-01-01

    Turbine design concepts were studied for application to a large civil tiltrotor transport aircraft. The concepts addressed the need for high turbine efficiency across the broad 2:1 turbine operating speed range representative of the notional mission for the aircraft. The study focused on tailoring basic turbine aerodynamic design design parameters to avoid the need for complex, heavy, and expensive variable geometry features. The results of the study showed that good turbine performance can be achieved across the design speed range if the design focuses on tailoring the aerodynamics for good tolerance to large swings in incidence, as opposed to optimizing for best performance at the long range cruise design point. A rig design configuration and program plan are suggested for a dedicated experiment to validate the proposed approach.

  1. [Hypothesis on the equilibrium point and variability of amplitude, speed and time of single-joint movement].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latash, M; Gottleib, G

    1990-01-01

    Problems of single-joint movement variability are analysed in the framework of the equilibrium-point hypothesis (the lambda-model). Control of the movements is described with three parameters related to movement amplitude speed, and time. Three strategies emerge from this description. Only one of them is likely to lead to a Fitts' type speed-accuracy trade-off. Experiments were performed to test one of the predictions of the model. Subjects performed identical sets of single-joint fast movements with open or closed eyes and some-what different instructions. Movements performed with closed eyes were characterized with higher peak speeds and unchanged variability in seeming violation of the Fitt's law and in a good correspondence to the model.

  2. Fuzzy logic based variable speed wind generation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simoes, M.G. [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Escola Politecnica. PMC - Mecatronica; Bose, B.K. [Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering; Spiegel, Ronal J. [Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Air and Energy Engineering Research Lab.

    1996-12-31

    This work demonstrates the successful application of fuzzy logic to enhance the performance and control of a variable speed wind generation system. A maximum power point tracker control is performed with three fuzzy controllers, without wind velocity measurement, and robust to wind vortex and turbine torque ripple. A squirrel cage induction generator feeds the power to a double-sided PWM converter system which pumps the power to a utility grid or supplies to an autonomous system. The fuzzy logic controller FLC-1 searches on-line the generator speed so that the aerodynamic efficiency of the wind turbine is optimized. A second fuzzy controller FLC-2 programs the machine flux by on-line search so as to optimize the machine-converter system wind vortex. Detailed analysis and simulation studies were performed for development of the control strategy and fuzzy algorithms, and a DSP TMS320C30 based hardware with C control software was built for the performance evaluation of a laboratory experimental set-up. The theoretical development was fully validated and the system is ready to be reproduced in a higher power installation. (author) 7 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

  3. Development of sensor-less control strategies for grid connected PMSG based variable speed wind energy conversion system with improved power quality features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chandra, A. [Quebec Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

    2010-07-01

    Interest in renewable energy sources has grown in recent years in response to concerns of increasing pollution levels and depleting fossil fuels. Among renewable energy sources, wind energy generation is the fastest growing technology and one of the most cost-effective and environmental friendly means to generate electricity from renewable sources. Modern wind turbines are ready to be deployed in large scale as a result of recent developments in wind power technology. Variable speed permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSG) based wind energy conversion systems (WECS) are becoming more popular. The use of a permanent magnet reduces size, cost and weight of overall WECS. In addition, the absence of field winding and its excitation system avoids heat dissipation in the rotor winding, thereby improving overall efficiency of the WECS. This type of configuration is more appropriate for remote locations, particularly for off-shore wind application, where the geared doubly fed induction generator usually requires regular maintenance due to tearing-wearing in brushes, windings and gear box. This presentation discussed the development of sensor-less control strategies for grid connected PMSG based variable speed wind energy conversion system with improved power quality features. A novel adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system was used to estimate the speed and position of variable speed PMSG under fluctuating wind conditions. A novel control strategy was developed for the grid interfacing inverter incorporating power quality improvement features at point of common coupling.

  4. Maximum Power Point Tracking in Variable Speed Wind Turbine Based on Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Using Maximum Torque Sliding Mode Control Strategy

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Esmaeil Ghaderi; Hossein Tohidi; Behnam Khosrozadeh

    2017-01-01

    The present study was carried out in order to track the maximum power point in a variable speed turbine by minimizing electromechanical torque changes using a sliding mode control strategy.In this strategy,fhst,the rotor speed is set at an optimal point for different wind speeds.As a result of which,the tip speed ratio reaches an optimal point,mechanical power coefficient is maximized,and wind turbine produces its maximum power and mechanical torque.Then,the maximum mechanical torque is tracked using electromechanical torque.In this technique,tracking error integral of maximum mechanical torque,the error,and the derivative of error are used as state variables.During changes in wind speed,sliding mode control is designed to absorb the maximum energy from the wind and minimize the response time of maximum power point tracking (MPPT).In this method,the actual control input signal is formed from a second order integral operation of the original sliding mode control input signal.The result of the second order integral in this model includes control signal integrity,full chattering attenuation,and prevention from large fluctuations in the power generator output.The simulation results,calculated by using MATLAB/m-file software,have shown the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy for wind energy systems based on the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG).

  5. Effect of trotting speed on kinematic variables measured by use of extremity-mounted inertial measurement units in nonlame horses performing controlled treadmill exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz, Antonio M; Vidondo, Beatriz; Ramseyer, Alessandra A; Maninchedda, Ugo E

    2018-02-01

    OBJECTIVE To assess effects of speed on kinematic variables measured by use of extremity-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) in nonlame horses performing controlled exercise on a treadmill. ANIMALS 10 nonlame horses. PROCEDURES 6 IMUs were attached at predetermined locations on 10 nonlame Franches Montagnes horses. Data were collected in triplicate during trotting at 3.33 and 3.88 m/s on a high-speed treadmill. Thirty-three selected kinematic variables were analyzed. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess the effect of speed. RESULTS Significant differences between the 2 speeds were detected for most temporal (11/14) and spatial (12/19) variables. The observed spatial and temporal changes would translate into a gait for the higher speed characterized by increased stride length, protraction and retraction, flexion and extension, mediolateral movement of the tibia, and symmetry, but with similar temporal variables and a reduction in stride duration. However, even though the tibia coronal range of motion was significantly different between speeds, the high degree of variability raised concerns about whether these changes were clinically relevant. For some variables, the lower trotting speed apparently was associated with more variability than was the higher trotting speed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE At a higher trotting speed, horses moved in the same manner (eg, the temporal events investigated occurred at the same relative time within the stride). However, from a spatial perspective, horses moved with greater action of the segments evaluated. The detected changes in kinematic variables indicated that trotting speed should be controlled or kept constant during gait evaluation.

  6. A New Structure Based on Cascaded Multilevel Converter for Variable Speed Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Fujin; Chen, Zhe

    2010-01-01

    An alternative structure for variable speed wind turbine, using multiple permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) drive-train configuration and cascaded multilevel converter is proposed in this paper. This study presents a power electronic solution for the wind turbine. A transformer......-less cascaded multilevel converter interface based on PMSGs is developed to synthesize a desired high ac sinusoidal output voltage. The benefits of high power and high ac voltage make this structure possible to be applied in the wind power generation. In addition, the bulky transformer could be omitted....... A simulation model of 10 MW variable speed wind turbine based on PMSGs developed in PSCAD/EMTDC is presented. The dynamic performance of grid-connected wind turbine is analyzed. Simulation results shows that the proposed structure may be attractive in wind power generation....

  7. Children's Brain Responses to Optic Flow Vary by Pattern Type and Motion Speed.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rick O Gilmore

    Full Text Available Structured patterns of global visual motion called optic flow provide crucial information about an observer's speed and direction of self-motion and about the geometry of the environment. Brain and behavioral responses to optic flow undergo considerable postnatal maturation, but relatively little brain imaging evidence describes the time course of development in motion processing systems in early to middle childhood, a time when psychophysical data suggest that there are changes in sensitivity. To fill this gap, electroencephalographic (EEG responses were recorded in 4- to 8-year-old children who viewed three time-varying optic flow patterns (translation, rotation, and radial expansion/contraction at three different speeds (2, 4, and 8 deg/s. Modulations of global motion coherence evoked coherent EEG responses at the first harmonic that differed by flow pattern and responses at the third harmonic and dot update rate that varied by speed. Pattern-related responses clustered over right lateral channels while speed-related responses clustered over midline channels. Both children and adults show widespread responses to modulations of motion coherence at the second harmonic that are not selective for pattern or speed. The results suggest that the developing brain segregates the processing of optic flow pattern from speed and that an adult-like pattern of neural responses to optic flow has begun to emerge by early to middle childhood.

  8. State-Space Modeling and Performance Analysis of Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Based on a Model Predictive Control Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Bassi

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Advancements in wind energy technologies have led wind turbines from fixed speed to variable speed operation. This paper introduces an innovative version of a variable-speed wind turbine based on a model predictive control (MPC approach. The proposed approach provides maximum power point tracking (MPPT, whose main objective is to capture the maximum wind energy in spite of the variable nature of the wind’s speed. The proposed MPC approach also reduces the constraints of the two main functional parts of the wind turbine: the full load and partial load segments. The pitch angle for full load and the rotating force for the partial load have been fixed concurrently in order to balance power generation as well as to reduce the operations of the pitch angle. A mathematical analysis of the proposed system using state-space approach is introduced. The simulation results using MATLAB/SIMULINK show that the performance of the wind turbine with the MPC approach is improved compared to the traditional PID controller in both low and high wind speeds.

  9. Control design for a pitch-regulated, variable speed wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, M.H.; Hansen, A.; Larsen, T.J.; Oeye, S.; Soerensen, P.; Fuglsang, P.

    2005-01-01

    The three different controller designs presented herein are similar and all based on PI-regulation of rotor speed and power through the collective blade pitch angle and generator moment. The aeroelastic and electrical modelling used for the time-domain analysis of these controllers are however different, which makes a directly quantitative comparison difficult. But there are some observations of similar behaviours should be mentioned: 1) Very similar step responses in rotor speed, pitch angle, and power are seen for simulations with steps in wind speed. 2) All controllers show a peak in power for wind speed step-up over rated wind speed, which can be almost removed by changing the parameters of the frequency converter. 3) Responses of rotor speed, pitch angle, and power for different simulations with turbulent inflow are similar for all three controllers. Again, there seems to be an advantage of tuning the parameters of the frequency converter to obtain a more constant power output. The dynamic modelling of the power controller is an important result for the inclusion of generator dynamics in the aeroelastic modelling of wind turbines. A reduced dynamic model of the relation between generator torque and generator speed variations is presented; where the integral term of the inner PI-regulator of rotor current is removed be-cause the time constant is very small compared to the important aeroelastic frequencies. It is shown how the parameters of the transfer function for the remaining control system with the outer PI-regulator of power can be derived from the generator data sheet. The main results of the numerical optimisation of the control parameters in the pitch PI-regulator performed in Chapter 6 are the following: 1) Numerical optimization can be used to tune controller parameters, especially when the optimization is used as refinement of a qualified initial guess. 2) The design model used to calculate the initial value parameters, as described in Chapter 3

  10. DAC with LQR Control Design for Pitch Regulated Variable Speed Wind Turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Imran, Raja Muhammad; Hussain, Dil Muhammad Akbar; Soltani, Mohsen

    2014-01-01

    Disturbance Accommodation Control (DAC) is used to model and simulate a system with known disturbance waveform. This paper presents a control scheme to mitigate the effect of disturbances by using collective pitch control for the aboverated wind speed (Region III) for a variable speed wind turbine....... We have used Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) to obtain full state feedback gain, disturbance feedback gain is calculated independently and then estimator gain is achieved by poleplacement technique in the DAC augmented plant model. The reduced order model (two-mass model) of wind turbine is used...... and 5MW National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) wind turbine is used in this research. We have shown comparison of results relating to pitch angle, drive train torsion and generator speed obtained by a PID controller and DAC. Simulations are performed in MATLAB/Simulink. The results are compared...

  11. Estimation of effective wind speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Østergaard, K. Z.; Brath, P.; Stoustrup, J.

    2007-07-01

    The wind speed has a huge impact on the dynamic response of wind turbine. Because of this, many control algorithms use a measure of the wind speed to increase performance, e.g. by gain scheduling and feed forward. Unfortunately, no accurate measurement of the effective wind speed is online available from direct measurements, which means that it must be estimated in order to make such control methods applicable in practice. In this paper a new method is presented for the estimation of the effective wind speed. First, the rotor speed and aerodynamic torque are estimated by a combined state and input observer. These two variables combined with the measured pitch angle is then used to calculate the effective wind speed by an inversion of a static aerodynamic model.

  12. Modelling and control algorithms of the cross conveyors line with multiengine variable speed drives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheremushkina, M. S.; Baburin, S. V.

    2017-02-01

    The paper deals with the actual problem of developing the control algorithm that meets the technical requirements of the mine belt conveyors, and enables energy and resource savings taking into account a random sort of traffic. The most effective method of solution of these tasks is the construction of control systems with the use of variable speed drives for asynchronous motors. The authors designed the mathematical model of the system ‘variable speed multiengine drive - conveyor - control system of conveyors’ that takes into account the dynamic processes occurring in the elements of the transport system, provides an assessment of the energy efficiency of application the developed algorithms, which allows one to reduce the dynamic overload in the belt to 15-20%.

  13. Second-order Sliding Mode Control of DFIG Based Variable Speed Wind Turbine for Maximum Power Point Tracking

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiangjie Liu; Chengcheng Wang; Yaozhen Han

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes a super-twisting second order sliding mode control scheme to maximize the wind energy capture of a doubly fed induction generator based variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) system, and minimize the reactive power simultaneously. Two second order sliding mode controllers are designed to achieve the control objectives, reduce mechanical stress and improve control accuracy. By regulating the generator rotor voltage, one controller makes the wind turbine rotor speed track the optimal speed, which can maximize power generation. The other maintains the rotor current at rated value to minimize the reactive power. A quadratic form Lyapunov function is adopted to determine the range of controller parameters and guarantee the finite time stability. Simulation results on a 1.5 MW doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based variable speed wind turbine demonstrate the validity of the proposed control strategy.

  14. High-speed limnology: using advanced sensors to investigate spatial variability in biogeochemistry and hydrology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, John T; Loken, Luke C; Casson, Nora J; Smith, Colin; Stone, Amanda G; Winslow, Luke A

    2015-01-06

    Advanced sensor technology is widely used in aquatic monitoring and research. Most applications focus on temporal variability, whereas spatial variability has been challenging to document. We assess the capability of water chemistry sensors embedded in a high-speed water intake system to document spatial variability. This new sensor platform continuously samples surface water at a range of speeds (0 to >45 km h(-1)) resulting in high-density, mesoscale spatial data. These novel observations reveal previously unknown variability in physical, chemical, and biological factors in streams, rivers, and lakes. By combining multiple sensors into one platform, we were able to detect terrestrial-aquatic hydrologic connections in a small dystrophic lake, to infer the role of main-channel vs backwater nutrient processing in a large river and to detect sharp chemical changes across aquatic ecosystem boundaries in a stream/lake complex. Spatial sensor data were verified in our examples by comparing with standard lab-based measurements of selected variables. Spatial fDOM data showed strong correlation with wet chemistry measurements of DOC, and optical NO3 concentrations were highly correlated with lab-based measurements. High-frequency spatial data similar to our examples could be used to further understand aquatic biogeochemical fluxes, ecological patterns, and ecosystem processes, and will both inform and benefit from fixed-site data.

  15. Evaluation of variable speed limits on I-270/I-255 in St. Louis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    In May of 2008, MoDOT installed a Variable Speed Limit (VSL) system along the I270/I255 corridor in St. Louis. This project evaluated the VSL system and its potential impacts and benefits to the transportation users. The technical system ...

  16. Stability Augmentation of Wind Farm using Variable Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosyadi, Marwan; Muyeen, S. M.; Takahashi, Rion; Tamura, Junji

    This paper presents a new control strategy of variable speed permanent magnet wind generator for stability augmentation of wind farm including fixed speed wind turbine with Induction Generator (IG). A new control scheme is developed for two levels back-to-back converters of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG), by which both active and reactive powers delivered to the grid can be controlled easily. To avoid the converter damage, the DC link protection controller is also proposed in order to protect the dc link circuit during fault condition. To evaluate the control capability of the proposed controllers, simulations are performed on two model systems composed of wind farms connected to an infinite bus. From transient and steady state analyses by using PSCAD/EMTDC, it is concluded that the proposed control scheme is very effective to improve the stability of wind farm for severe network disturbance and randomly fluctuating wind speed.

  17. Variable Speed Limits: Strategies to Improve Safety and Traffic Parameters for a Bottleneck

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Z. Hasanpour

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The primary purpose of the speed limit system is to enforce reasonable and safe speed. To reduce secondary problems such as accidents and queuing, Variable Speed Limits (VSL has been suggested. In this paper VSL is used to better safety and traffic parameters. Traffic parameters including speed, queue length and stopping time have been pondering. For VLS, an optimization decision tree algorithm with the function of microscopic simulation was used. The results in case of sub saturated, saturated and supersaturated at a bottleneck are examined and compared with the Allaby logic tree. The results show that the proposed decision tree shows an improved performance in terms of safety and comfort along the highway. The VSL pilot project is part of the Road Safety Improvement Program included in Iran’s road safety action plan that is in the research process in the BHRC Research Institute, Road and Housing & Urban Development Research that is planned for next 10-year Transportation safety view Plan.

  18. Optimization of process variables on flexural properties of epoxy/organo-montmorillonite nanocomposite by response surface methodology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This study attempted to investigate the preparation and optimization of the flexural properties for epoxy/organomontmorillonite (OMMT nanocomposites. In-situ polymerization method was used to prepare epoxy/OMMT nanocomposites. The diglycidyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA and curing agent were mixed first, followed by the addition of OMMT. In this study, computer aided statistical methods of experimental design (Response Surface Methodology, RSM was used to investigate the process variables on the flexural properties of epoxy/4wt% OMMT nanocomposites. Speed of mechanical stirrer, post-curing time and post-curing temperature were chosen as process variables in the experimental design. Results showed that the speed of mechanical stirrer, post-curing time and post-curing temperature were able to influence the flexural modulus and flexural yield stress of epoxy/4 wt% OMMT nanocomposites. The results of optimization showed that the design of experiment (DOE has six combination of operating variables which have been obtained in order to attain the greatest overall desirability.

  19. Variability of Wind Speeds and Power over Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tambke, J.; von Bremen, L.; de Decker, J.; Schmidt, M.; Steinfeld, G.; Wolff, J.-O.

    2010-09-01

    of momentum through the air-sea interface is described by a common wave boundary layer with enhanced Charnock dynamics. 2.) Wind Field Variability Time series of wind speed and power from 400 potential offshore locations and 16,000 onshore sites in the 2020 and 2030 scenarios are part of the design basis of the EU-project www.OffshoreGrid.eu. This project investigates the grid integration of all planned offshore farms in Northern Europe and will serve as the basis for the "Blueprint for Offshore Grids" by the European Commission. The synchronous wind time series were calculated with the WRF-model. The simulation comprises four years and was validated with a number of wind measurements. We present detailed statistics of local, clustered and regional power production. The analysis quantifies spatial and temporal correlations, extreme events and ramps. Important results are the smoothing effects in a pan-European offshore grid. Key words: Offshore Wind Resource Assessment; Marine Meteorology; Wind Speed Profile; Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer; Wind Variability, Spatio-temporal Correlation; Electricity Grid Integration

  20. Development of The Structural and Functional Design of the Laboratory Bench for Experimental Research Diesel Generator Sets on Variable Speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Obuhov Sergei

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A diesel generator set working at variable speed to save fuel is studied. A description is provided of a laboratory bench for conducting experimental studies of a variable speed diesel generator set. Its component parts are described, and its technical characteristics are given.

  1. Control of a Stand-Alone Variable Speed Wind Energy Supply System †

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed M. Hamada

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a simple control strategy for the operation of a variable speed stand-alone wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG. The PMSG is connected to a three phase resistive load through a switch mode rectifier and a voltage source inverter. Control of the generator side converter is used to achieve maximum power extraction from the available wind power. Control of the DC-DC bidirectional buck-boost converter, which is connected between batteries bank and DC-link voltage, is used to maintain the DC-link voltage at a constant value. It is also used to make the batteries bank stores the surplus of wind energy and supplies this energy to the load during a wind power shortage. The load side voltage source inverter uses a relatively complex vector control scheme to control the output load voltage in terms of amplitude and frequency. The control strategy works under wind speed variation as well as with variable load. Extensive simulation results have been performed using MATLAB/SIMULINK.

  2. Variability Extraction and Synthesis via Multi-Resolution Analysis using Distribution Transformer High-Speed Power Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chamana, Manohar [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mather, Barry A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-10-19

    A library of load variability classes is created to produce scalable synthetic data sets using historical high-speed raw data. These data are collected from distribution monitoring units connected at the secondary side of a distribution transformer. Because of the irregular patterns and large volume of historical high-speed data sets, the utilization of current load characterization and modeling techniques are challenging. Multi-resolution analysis techniques are applied to extract the necessary components and eliminate the unnecessary components from the historical high-speed raw data to create the library of classes, which are then utilized to create new synthetic load data sets. A validation is performed to ensure that the synthesized data sets contain the same variability characteristics as the training data sets. The synthesized data sets are intended to be utilized in quasi-static time-series studies for distribution system planning studies on a granular scale, such as detailed PV interconnection studies.

  3. Performance comparison of control schemes for variable-speed wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bottasso, C. L.; Croce, A.; Savini, B.

    2007-07-01

    We analyze the performance of different control schemes when applied to the regulation problem of a variable-speed representative wind turbine. In particular, we formulate and compare a wind-scheduled PID, a LQR controller and a novel adaptive non-linear model predictive controller, equipped with observers of the tower states and wind. The simulations include gusts and turbulent winds of varying intensity in nominal as well as off-design operating conditions. The experiments highlight the possible advantages of model-based non-linear control strategies.

  4. Performance comparison of control schemes for variable-speed wind turbines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bottasso, C L; Croce, A; Savini, B

    2007-01-01

    We analyze the performance of different control schemes when applied to the regulation problem of a variable-speed representative wind turbine. In particular, we formulate and compare a wind-scheduled PID, a LQR controller and a novel adaptive non-linear model predictive controller, equipped with observers of the tower states and wind. The simulations include gusts and turbulent winds of varying intensity in nominal as well as off-design operating conditions. The experiments highlight the possible advantages of model-based non-linear control strategies

  5. Torque control of synchronous and induction generators for variable speed operation of wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carlson, Ola; Ulen, E. [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Electric Power Engineering

    1996-12-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate variable speed electrical systems. Synchronous generators with diode rectifiers and line-commutated thyristor converters are compared with induction generators with force commutated transistor converters and scalar control. The system characteristics are examined regarding possible speed of response (bandwidth) of the torque control, including the sensitivity to disturbances for the drive train and also the possibility to get damping of the drive train resonance. Analyses, simulations and laboratory tests with a 40 kW machine set-up have been performed. The investigation shows that the system with synchronous generator is well suited for wind power applications. A rapid standard DC-current regulator is included in the torque control and can be used for damping of the resonance. The torque control has a bandwidth up to about 3 Hz and the DC-voltage controller up to about 1 Hz. The system with induction generator with scalar control (no transformations) is more difficult to control. A linear approach is only possible up to about 1.5 Hz. In this region it turns out that the behaviour can be visualized as an added inertia on the generator side that can be rather big. 4 refs, 9 figs

  6. Control Method for Variable Speed Wind Turbines to Support Temporary Primary Frequency Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Haijiao; Chen, Zhe; Jiang, Quanyuan

    2014-01-01

    This paper develops a control method for variable speed wind turbines (VSWTs) to support temporary primary frequency control of power system. The control method contains two parts: (1) up-regulate support control when a frequency drop event occurs; (2) down-regulate support control when a frequen...

  7. Variability in response to albuminuria-lowering drugs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petrykiv, Sergei I; de Zeeuw, Dick; Persson, Frederik

    2017-01-01

    AIMS: Albuminuria-lowering drugs have shown different effect size in different individuals. Since urine albumin levels are known to vary considerably from day-to-day, we questioned whether the between-individual variability in albuminuria response after therapy initiation reflects a random...... variability or a true response variation to treatment. In addition, we questioned whether the response variability is drug dependent. METHODS: To determine whether the response to treatment is random or a true drug response, we correlated in six clinical trials the change in albuminuria during placebo...... or active treatment (on-treatment) with the change in albuminuria during wash-out (off-treatment). If these responses correlate during active treatment, it suggests that at least part of the response variability can be attributed to drug response variability. We tested this for enalapril, losartan...

  8. Variable Delay Element For Jitter Control In High Speed Data Links

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livolsi, Robert R.

    2002-06-11

    A circuit and method for decreasing the amount of jitter present at the receiver input of high speed data links which uses a driver circuit for input from a high speed data link which comprises a logic circuit having a first section (1) which provides data latches, a second section (2) which provides a circuit generates a pre-destorted output and for compensating for level dependent jitter having an OR function element and a NOR function element each of which is coupled to two inputs and to a variable delay element as an input which provides a bi-modal delay for pulse width pre-distortion, a third section (3) which provides a muxing circuit, and a forth section (4) for clock distribution in the driver circuit. A fifth section is used for logic testing the driver circuit.

  9. Variable speed wind turbine control by discrete-time sliding mode approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torchani, Borhen; Sellami, Anis; Garcia, Germain

    2016-05-01

    The aim of this paper is to propose a new design variable speed wind turbine control by discrete-time sliding mode approach. This methodology is designed for linear saturated system. The saturation constraint is reported on inputs vector. To this end, the back stepping design procedure is followed to construct a suitable sliding manifold that guarantees the attainment of a stabilization control objective. It is well known that the mechanisms are investigated in term of the most proposed assumptions to deal with the damping, shaft stiffness and inertia effect of the gear. The objectives are to synthesize robust controllers that maximize the energy extracted from wind, while reducing mechanical loads and rotor speed tracking combined with an electromagnetic torque. Simulation results of the proposed scheme are presented. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. able utilizando redes neuronales artificiales; UTILIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK IN THE SIMULATION AND CONTROL OF WIND TURBINE GENERATORS WITH VARIABLE SPEED AND VARIABLE PITCH.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osley López González

    2011-02-01

    , considered as a whole, must be able of respond with anadequate precision and speed in response to the randomness and variability of the wind.The relationship between the wind speed, the blade pitch and the generator speed in order to produce themaximum power and also be able to limit the output power for large wind speeds is a very complicated oneand it is very difficult to find its mathematical function.In this paper, the authors, utilizing the MATLABSIMULINK toolboxes, propose representing this functional relation by means of an Artificial Neural Network(ANN. The parameters and characteristics of an existing wind turbine generator are utilized and it isdemonstrated that it is possible to use an ANN in the simulation and control of a variable speed, variablepitch wind turbine that capture the maximum power from the wind.

  11. Silicon photonic transceiver circuit for high-speed polarization-based discrete variable quantum key distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Hong; Long, Christopher M; DeRose, Christopher T; Boynton, Nicholas; Urayama, Junji; Camacho, Ryan; Pomerene, Andrew; Starbuck, Andrew L; Trotter, Douglas C; Davids, Paul S; Lentine, Anthony L

    2017-05-29

    We demonstrate a silicon photonic transceiver circuit for high-speed discrete variable quantum key distribution that employs a common structure for transmit and receive functions. The device is intended for use in polarization-based quantum cryptographic protocols, such as BB84. Our characterization indicates that the circuit can generate the four BB84 states (TE/TM/45°/135° linear polarizations) with >30 dB polarization extinction ratios and gigabit per second modulation speed, and is capable of decoding any polarization bases differing by 90° with high extinction ratios.

  12. LOFT PSMG Speed Control System frequency response analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansen, H.R.

    1977-01-01

    An analysis was done to gain insight into the shape of the open loop frequency response of the PSMG Speed Control System. The results of the analysis were used as a guide to groom the proportional band and reset time settings of the 2 mode controller in the speed control system. The analysis shows that when an actuator with a timing of 90 degrees per 60 seconds is installed in the system the proportional band and reset time should be 316% and 1 minute. Whereas when grooming the system a proportional band and reset time of 150% and 1.5 minutes were found to be appropriate. The closeness of the settings show that even though a linear model was used to describe the non-linear PSMG Speed Control System, it was accurate enough to be used as a guide to groom the proportional band and reset time settings

  13. FUZZY LOGIC BASED INTELLIGENT CONTROL OF A VARIABLE SPEED CAGE MACHINE WIND GENERATION SYSTEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    The paper describes a variable-speed wind generation system where fuzzy logic principles are used to optimize efficiency and enhance performance control. A squirrel cage induction generator feeds the power to a double-sided pulse width modulated converter system which either pump...

  14. Appendices : evaluation of variable speed limits on I-270/I-255 in St. Louis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    In May of 2008, MoDOT installed a Variable Speed Limit (VSL) system along the I-270/I-255 corridor in : St. Louis. This project evaluated the VSL system and its potential impacts and benefits to the : transportation users. The technical system ...

  15. Control and Health Monitoring of Variable Speed Wind Power Generation Systems; Period of Performance: 10 July 1997 - 10 July 2000

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Y. D.; Bikdash, M.; Schulz, M. J.

    2001-09-01

    This document reports accomplishments on variable speed control, furling analysis, and health monitoring of wind turbines. There are three parts, prepared by Song, Bikdash, and Schulz, respectively. The first part discusses variable-speed control of wind turbines, exploring a memory-based method for wind speed prediction and wind turbine control. The second part addresses the yaw dynamics of wind turbines, including modeling, analysis, and control. The third part of the report discusses new analytical techniques that were developed and tested to detect initial damage to prevent failures of wind turbine rotor blades.

  16. Design study and performance analysis of a high-speed multistage variable-geometry fan for a variable cycle engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, T. J.; Parker, D. E.

    1979-01-01

    A design technology study was performed to identify a high speed, multistage, variable geometry fan configuration capable of achieving wide flow modulation with near optimum efficiency at the important operating condition. A parametric screening study of the front and rear block fans was conducted in which the influence of major fan design features on weight and efficiency was determined. Key design parameters were varied systematically to determine the fan configuration most suited for a double bypass, variable cycle engine. Two and three stage fans were considered for the front block. A single stage, core driven fan was studied for the rear block. Variable geometry concepts were evaluated to provide near optimum off design performance. A detailed aerodynamic design and a preliminary mechanical design were carried out for the selected fan configuration. Performance predictions were made for the front and rear block fans.

  17. Exploiting maximum energy from variable speed wind power generation systems by using an adaptive Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galdi, V.; Piccolo, A.; Siano, P.

    2009-01-01

    Nowadays, incentives and financing options for developing renewable energy facilities and the new development in variable speed wind technology make wind energy a competitive source if compared with conventional generation ones. In order to improve the effectiveness of variable speed wind systems, adaptive control systems able to cope with time variances of the system under control are necessary. On these basis, a data driven designing methodology for TSK fuzzy models design is presented in this paper. The methodology, on the basis of given input-output numerical data, generates the 'best' TSK fuzzy model able to estimate with high accuracy the maximum extractable power from a variable speed wind turbine. The design methodology is based on fuzzy clustering methods for partitioning the input-output space combined with genetic algorithms (GA), and recursive least-squares (LS) optimization methods for model parameter adaptation

  18. Clinical Impact of Speed Variability to Identify Ultramarathon Runners at Risk for Acute Kidney Injury.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sen-Kuang Hou

    Full Text Available Ultramarathon is a high endurance exercise associated with a wide range of exercise-related problems, such as acute kidney injury (AKI. Early recognition of individuals at risk of AKI during ultramarathon event is critical for implementing preventative strategies.To investigate the impact of speed variability to identify the exercise-related acute kidney injury anticipatively in ultramarathon event.This is a prospective, observational study using data from a 100 km ultramarathon in Taipei, Taiwan. The distance of entire ultramarathon race was divided into 10 splits. The mean and variability of speed, which was determined by the coefficient of variation (CV in each 10 km-split (25 laps of 400 m oval track were calculated for enrolled runners. Baseline characteristics and biochemical data were collected completely 1 week before, immediately post-race, and one day after race. The main outcome was the development of AKI, defined as Stage II or III according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN criteria. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the independent association between variables and AKI development.26 ultramarathon runners were analyzed in the study. The overall incidence of AKI (in all Stages was 84.6% (22 in 26 runners. Among these 22 runners, 18 runners were determined as Stage I, 4 runners (15.4% were determined as Stage II, and none was in Stage III. The covariates of BMI (25.22 ± 2.02 vs. 22.55 ± 1.96, p = 0.02, uric acid (6.88 ± 1.47 vs. 5.62 ± 0.86, p = 0.024, and CV of speed in specific 10-km splits (from secondary 10 km-split (10th - 20th km-split to 60th - 70th km-split were significantly different between runners with or without AKI (Stage II in univariate analysis and showed discrimination ability in ROC curve. In the following multivariate analysis, only CV of speed in 40th - 50th km-split continued to show a significant association to the development of AKI (Stage II (p = 0.032.The development of exercise

  19. Enhanced Response Speed of ZnO Nanowire Photodetector by Coating with Photoresist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Yang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Spin-coating photoresist film on ZnO nanowire (NW was introduced into the fabrication procedure to improve photoresponse and recovery speed of a ZnO NW ultraviolet photoelectric detector. A ZnO NW was first assembled on prefabricated electrodes by dielectrophoresis. Then, photoresist was spin-coated on the nanowire. Finally, a metal layer was electrodeposited on the nanowire-electrode contacts. The response properties and I-V characteristics of ZnO NW photodetector were investigated by measuring the electrical current under different conditions. Measurement results demonstrated that the detector has an enhanced photoresponse and recovery speed after coating the nanowire with photoresist. The photoresponse and recovery characteristics of detectors with and without spin-coating were compared to demonstrate the effects of photoresist and the enhancement of response and recovery speed of the photodetector is ascribed to the reduced surface absorbed oxygen molecules and binding effect on the residual oxygen molecules after photoresist spin-coating. The results demonstrated that surface coating may be an effective and simple way to improve the response speed of the photoelectric device.

  20. Spatial and temporal variability of mean daily wind speeds in the Czech Republic, 1961-2015

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Brázdil, Rudolf; Zahradníček, Pavel; Řezníčková, Ladislava; Tolasz, R.; Štěpánek, Petr; Dobrovolný, Petr

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 72, č. 3 (2017), s. 197-216 ISSN 0936-577X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1415; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-11805S Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : mean daily wind speed * spatial variability * temporal variability * wind stilling * Czech Republic Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology OBOR OECD: Meteorology and atmospheric sciences Impact factor: 1.578, year: 2016

  1. The effect of speed-accuracy strategy on response interference control in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wylie, S A; van den Wildenberg, W P M; Ridderinkhof, K R; Bashore, T R; Powell, V D; Manning, C A; Wooten, G F

    2009-07-01

    Studies that used conflict paradigms such as the Eriksen Flanker task show that many individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) have pronounced difficulty resolving the conflict that arises from the simultaneous activation of mutually exclusive responses. This finding fits well with contemporary views that postulate a key role for the basal ganglia in action selection. The present experiment aims to specify the cognitive processes that underlie action selection deficits among PD patients in the context of variations in speed-accuracy strategy. PD patients (n=28) and healthy controls (n=17) performed an arrow version of the flanker task under task instructions that either emphasized speed or accuracy of responses. Reaction time (RT) and accuracy rates decreased with speed compared to accuracy instructions, although to a lesser extent for the PD group. Differences in flanker interference effects among PD and healthy controls depended on speed-accuracy strategy. Compared to the healthy controls, PD patients showed larger flanker interference effects under speed stress. RT distribution analyses suggested that PD patients have greater difficulty suppressing incorrect response activation when pressing for speed. These initial findings point to an important interaction between strategic and computational aspects of interference control in accounting for cognitive impairments of PD. The results are also compatible with recent brain imaging studies that demonstrate basal ganglia activity to co-vary with speed-accuracy adjustments.

  2. Radiation response of high speed CMOS integrated circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yue, H.; Davison, D.; Jennings, R.F.; Lothongkam, P.; Rinerson, D.; Wyland, D.

    1987-01-01

    This paper studies the total dose and dose rate radiation response of the FCT family of high speed CMOS integrated circuits. Data taken on the devices is used to establish the dominant failure modes, and this data is further analyzed using one-sided tolerance factors for normal distribution statistical analysis

  3. Variable-speed wind power system with improved energy capture via multilevel conversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Robert W.; Al-Naseem, Osama A.; Fingersh, Lee Jay

    2005-05-31

    A system and method for efficiently capturing electrical energy from a variable-speed generator are disclosed. The system includes a matrix converter using full-bridge, multilevel switch cells, in which semiconductor devices are clamped to a known constant DC voltage of a capacitor. The multilevel matrix converter is capable of generating multilevel voltage wave waveform of arbitrary magnitude and frequencies. The matrix converter can be controlled by using space vector modulation.

  4. Variable-Speed Generation Subsystem Using the Doubly-Fed Generator; Period of Performance February 9, 1994 - April 30, 1999

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weigand, C.H.; Lauw, H.K.; Marckx, D.A. (Electronic Power Conditioning Incorporated)

    2000-12-18

    Over the past decade, fixed-speed, utility-scale wind turbines have technically advanced to a point where they can economically complete against nuclear and fossil-fuel-based power plants in geographical areas with a sufficient wind resource. The objective of this subcontract was to compare various electrical topologies allowing variable-speed turbine operation, identify the most suitable for a 275-kW (or larger) utility-scale wind turbine, and then design, build, lab test, and field test this variable-speed generation subsystem based on the previously identified optimum approach. Preliminary tests of the controls for a doubly fed variable-speed generation system rated at 750 kW were performed on a wind turbine. A 275-kW VSGS was thoroughly tested in the laboratory and on a wind turbine. Using field-oriented control, excellent dynamic behavior of the drive train was demonstrated, acoustic tests revealed an 11 dB reduction in turbine noise in low-wind, low-RPM operation compared to fixed-speed operation. The overall efficiency of the electrical system suffered from inadequate efficiency of the power converter at low power. Consequently, a different converter topology has been proposed that will satisfy both efficiency and power quality requirements for future use. This report provides information on all aspects of the project, including events that were unanticipated at the outset. A great deal of information is available in the references, comprised of NREL reports, journal articles, and conference papers on specific project results.

  5. A hybrid approach to fault diagnosis of roller bearings under variable speed conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanxue; Yang, Lin; Xiang, Jiawei; Yang, Jianwei; He, Shuilong

    2017-12-01

    Rolling element bearings are one of the main elements in rotating machines, whose failure may lead to a fatal breakdown and significant economic losses. Conventional vibration-based diagnostic methods are based on the stationary assumption, thus they are not applicable to the diagnosis of bearings working under varying speeds. This constraint limits the bearing diagnosis to the industrial application significantly. A hybrid approach to fault diagnosis of roller bearings under variable speed conditions is proposed in this work, based on computed order tracking (COT) and variational mode decomposition (VMD)-based time frequency representation (VTFR). COT is utilized to resample the non-stationary vibration signal in the angular domain, while VMD is used to decompose the resampled signal into a number of band-limited intrinsic mode functions (BLIMFs). A VTFR is then constructed based on the estimated instantaneous frequency and instantaneous amplitude of each BLIMF. Moreover, the Gini index and time-frequency kurtosis are both proposed to quantitatively measure the sparsity and concentration measurement of time-frequency representation, respectively. The effectiveness of the VTFR for extracting nonlinear components has been verified by a bat signal. Results of this numerical simulation also show the sparsity and concentration of the VTFR are better than those of short-time Fourier transform, continuous wavelet transform, Hilbert-Huang transform and Wigner-Ville distribution techniques. Several experimental results have further demonstrated that the proposed method can well detect bearing faults under variable speed conditions.

  6. Modeling the Power Variability of Core Speed Scaling on Homogeneous Multicore Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhihui Du

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe a family of power models that can capture the nonuniform power effects of speed scaling among homogeneous cores on multicore processors. These models depart from traditional ones, which assume that individual cores contribute to power consumption as independent entities. In our approach, we remove this independence assumption and employ statistical variables of core speed (average speed and the dispersion of the core speeds to capture the comprehensive heterogeneous impact of subtle interactions among the underlying hardware. We systematically explore the model family, deriving basic and refined models that give progressively better fits, and analyze them in detail. The proposed methodology provides an easy way to build power models to reflect the realistic workings of current multicore processors more accurately. Moreover, unlike the existing lower-level power models that require knowledge of microarchitectural details of the CPU cores and the last level cache to capture core interdependency, ours are easier to use and scalable to emerging and future multicore architectures with more cores. These attributes make the models particularly useful to system users or algorithm designers who need a quick way to estimate power consumption. We evaluate the family of models on contemporary x86 multicore processors using the SPEC2006 benchmarks. Our best model yields an average predicted error as low as 5%.

  7. A New Fault Diagnosis Algorithm for PMSG Wind Turbine Power Converters under Variable Wind Speed Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingning Qiu

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Although Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG wind turbines (WTs mitigate gearbox impacts, they requires high reliability of generators and converters. Statistical analysis shows that the failure rate of direct-drive PMSG wind turbines’ generators and inverters are high. Intelligent fault diagnosis algorithms to detect inverters faults is a premise for the condition monitoring system aimed at improving wind turbines’ reliability and availability. The influences of random wind speed and diversified control strategies lead to challenges for developing intelligent fault diagnosis algorithms for converters. This paper studies open-circuit fault features of wind turbine converters in variable wind speed situations through systematic simulation and experiment. A new fault diagnosis algorithm named Wind Speed Based Normalized Current Trajectory is proposed and used to accurately detect and locate faulted IGBT in the circuit arms. It is compared to direct current monitoring and current vector trajectory pattern approaches. The results show that the proposed method has advantages in the accuracy of fault diagnosis and has superior anti-noise capability in variable wind speed situations. The impact of the control strategy is also identified. Experimental results demonstrate its applicability on practical WT condition monitoring system which is used to improve wind turbine reliability and reduce their maintenance cost.

  8. Automated Bearing Fault Diagnosis Using 2D Analysis of Vibration Acceleration Signals under Variable Speed Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheraz Ali Khan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Traditional fault diagnosis methods of bearings detect characteristic defect frequencies in the envelope power spectrum of the vibration signal. These defect frequencies depend upon the inherently nonstationary shaft speed. Time-frequency and subband signal analysis of vibration signals has been used to deal with random variations in speed, whereas design variations require retraining a new instance of the classifier for each operating speed. This paper presents an automated approach for fault diagnosis in bearings based upon the 2D analysis of vibration acceleration signals under variable speed conditions. Images created from the vibration signals exhibit unique textures for each fault, which show minimal variation with shaft speed. Microtexture analysis of these images is used to generate distinctive fault signatures for each fault type, which can be used to detect those faults at different speeds. A k-nearest neighbor classifier trained using fault signatures generated for one operating speed is used to detect faults at all the other operating speeds. The proposed approach is tested on the bearing fault dataset of Case Western Reserve University, and the results are compared with those of a spectrum imaging-based approach.

  9. Modeling and control of a variable-speed wind turbine equipped with permanent magnet synchronous generator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aliprantis, D.C.; Papathanassiou, S.A.; Papadopoulos, M.P.; Kladas, A.G. [Purdue University, Electrical and Computer Engineering, West Lafayette, IN (United States)

    2000-08-01

    In this paper the operation of a variable-speed, stall regulated wind turbine equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is examined. The emphasis is placed on the analysis of the electric part of the system, i.e. the electrical generator, the power electronics converters and the control. The operational characteristics of the machine are investigated through a series of computer simulations and the speed control system is designed to maximize the power output and achieve a smooth torque and power profile. (orig.)

  10. Mixed convection heat transfer simulation in a rectangular channel with a variable speed rotational cylinder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Md Imran; Billah, Md. Mamun; Rahman, Mohammed Mizanur; Hasan, Mohammad Nasim

    2017-12-01

    Numerical simulation of steady two-dimensional heat transfer in a rectangular channel with a centered variable speed cylinder has been performed in this paper. In this setup, an isoflux heater is placed at the bottom wall of the channel while the upper wall is kept isothermal with a low temperature. The cylinder's peripheral speed to maximum inlet fluid velocity ratio (ξ) is varied from 0.5 to 1.5 for both clockwise and anticlockwise rotational cases. Air has been considered as working fluid while other system parameters such as Grashof and Reynolds numbers are varied. The effects of rotational speed, Grashof and Reynolds numbers on the streamline pattern, isothermal lines, local and average Nusselt number are analyzed and presented. It is observed the cylinder's rotational direction and speed has a significant effect on the flow pattern, temperature distribution as well as heat transfer characteristics.

  11. Resonant Vibrations Resulting from the Re-Engineering of a Constant-Speed 2-Bladed Turbine to a Variable-Speed 3-Bladed Turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fleming, P.; Wright, A. D.; Finersh, L. J.

    2010-12-01

    The CART3 (Controls Advanced Research Turbine, 3-bladed) at the National Wind Technology Center has recently been converted from a 2-bladed constant speed machine to a 3-bladed variable speed machine designed specically for controls research. The purpose of this conversion was to develop an advanced controls field-testing platform which has the more typical 3-bladed configuration. A result of this conversion was the emergence of several resonant vibrations, some of which initially prevented operation of the turbine until they could be explained and resolved. In this paper, the investigations into these vibrations are presented as 'lessons-learned'. Additionally, a frequency-domain technique called waterfall plotting is discussed and its usefulness in this research is illustrated.

  12. Transient Simulation Study of Slip-Frequency Vector Control for Variable Speed Doubly-Fed Brushless Motor with Magnetic Barrier Rotor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingxiong ZHANG

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a transient simulation model of a variable speed doubly fed brushless motor (DFBM using back-to-back converter is described. Based on analysis of rotor flux oriented vector control theory of doubly fed induction motor, the control of the currents in DFBM that produce the magnetic flux and the torque is achieved by a digital controller, the speed is regulated by a PI controller which is tuned by a genetic algorithm. According to the state equation of DFBM and the control schemes, the system simulation module is established in MATLAB/ SIMULINK. An extensive simulation study is performed to examine the control characteristics of the machine-side converter under different operation conditions in variable-speed DFBM driver system.

  13. Analysis for SEER of variable speed room air conditioner in China. Paper no. IGEC-1-104

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yitai, M.; Shengchun, L.; Lirong, M.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, the calculation method for seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) given in Standard JRA4046-1999 is analyzed and further modified. Based on temperature zone map of U.S., Japan and China and detailed weather data of eight Chinese cities in last 30 years, regional seasonal energy efficiency ratio (RSEER) and energy saving percentage of variable speed room air conditioner are analyzed and compared with various geographical regions in China. It is concluded that RSEER presents the associated effect of season, climate and geography, and therefore should be taken as an evaluation standard for room air conditioner, especially variable speed room air conditioner. Experimental measurements are conducted in the analysis to investigate the effect of energy efficiency ratio (EER) on the improvement of energy saving percentage and SEER. (author)

  14. Power Maximization Control of Variable Speed Wind Generation System Using Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morimoto, Shigeo; Nakamura, Tomohiko; Takeda, Yoji

    This paper proposes the sensorless output power maximization control of the wind generation system. A permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is used as a variable speed generator in the proposed system. The generator torque is suitably controlled according to the generator speed and thus the power from a wind turbine settles down on the maximum power point by the proposed MPPT control method, where the information of wind velocity is not required. Moreover, the maximum available generated power is obtained by the optimum current vector control. The current vector of PMSG is optimally controlled according to the generator speed and the required torque in order to minimize the losses of PMSG considering the voltage and current constraints. The proposed wind power generation system can be achieved without mechanical sensors such as a wind velocity detector and a position sensor. Several experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed control method.

  15. Influence of travel speed on spray deposition uniformity from an air-assisted variable-rate sprayer

    Science.gov (United States)

    A newly developed LiDAR-guided air-assisted variable-rate sprayer for nursery and orchard applications was tested at various travel speeds to compare its spray deposition and coverage uniformity with constant-rate applications. Spray samplers, including nylon screens and water-sensitive papers (WSP)...

  16. Measuring automatic retrieval: a comparison of implicit memory, process dissociation, and speeded response procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horton, Keith D; Wilson, Daryl E; Vonk, Jennifer; Kirby, Sarah L; Nielsen, Tina

    2005-07-01

    Using the stem completion task, we compared estimates of automatic retrieval from an implicit memory task, the process dissociation procedure, and the speeded response procedure. Two standard manipulations were employed. In Experiment 1, a depth of processing effect was found on automatic retrieval using the speeded response procedure although this effect was substantially reduced in Experiment 2 when lexical processing was required of all words. In Experiment 3, the speeded response procedure showed an advantage of full versus divided attention at study on automatic retrieval. An implicit condition showed parallel effects in each study, suggesting that implicit stem completion may normally provide a good estimate of automatic retrieval. Also, we replicated earlier findings from the process dissociation procedure, but estimates of automatic retrieval from this procedure were consistently lower than those from the speeded response procedure, except when conscious retrieval was relatively low. We discuss several factors that may contribute to the conflicting outcomes, including the evidence for theoretical assumptions and criterial task differences between implicit and explicit tests.

  17. Intelligent approach to maximum power point tracking control strategy for variable-speed wind turbine generation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Whei-Min; Hong, Chih-Ming [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424 (China)

    2010-06-15

    To achieve maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for wind power generation systems, the rotational speed of wind turbines should be adjusted in real time according to wind speed. In this paper, a Wilcoxon radial basis function network (WRBFN) with hill-climb searching (HCS) MPPT strategy is proposed for a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) with a variable-speed wind turbine. A high-performance online training WRBFN using a back-propagation learning algorithm with modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) regulating controller is designed for a PMSG. The MPSO is adopted in this study to adapt to the learning rates in the back-propagation process of the WRBFN to improve the learning capability. The MPPT strategy locates the system operation points along the maximum power curves based on the dc-link voltage of the inverter, thus avoiding the generator speed detection. (author)

  18. Simplified equations for the rotational speed response to inflow velocity variation in fixed-pitch small wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, H; Hasegawa, Y, E-mail: hsuzuki@nitech.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan)

    2015-02-01

    We propose simplified equations for the rotational speed response to inflow velocity variation in fixed-pitch small wind turbines. The present formulation is derived by introducing a series expansion for the torque coefficient at the constant tip-speed ratio. By focusing on the first- and second-order differential coefficients of the torque coefficient, we simplify the original differential equation. The governing equation based only on the first-order differential coefficient is found to be linear, whereas the second-order differential coefficient introduces nonlinearity. We compare the numerical solutions of the three governing equations for rotational speed in response to sinusoidal and normal-random variations of inflow velocity. The linear equation gives accurate solutions of amplitude and phase lag. Nonlinearity occurs in the mean value of rotational speed variation. We also simulate the rotational speed in response to a step input of inflow velocity using the conditions of two previous studies, and note that the form of this rotational speed response is a system of first-order time lag. We formulate the gain and time constant for this rotational speed response. The magnitude of the gain is approximately three when the wind turbine is operated at optimal tip-speed ratio. We discuss the physical meaning of the derived time constant. (paper)

  19. Acoustic response variability in automotive vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hills, E.; Mace, B. R.; Ferguson, N. S.

    2009-03-01

    A statistical analysis of a series of measurements of the audio-frequency response of a large set of automotive vehicles is presented: a small hatchback model with both a three-door (411 vehicles) and five-door (403 vehicles) derivative and a mid-sized family five-door car (316 vehicles). The sets included vehicles of various specifications, engines, gearboxes, interior trim, wheels and tyres. The tests were performed in a hemianechoic chamber with the temperature and humidity recorded. Two tests were performed on each vehicle and the interior cabin noise measured. In the first, the excitation was acoustically induced by sets of external loudspeakers. In the second test, predominantly structure-borne noise was induced by running the vehicle at a steady speed on a rough roller. For both types of excitation, it is seen that the effects of temperature are small, indicating that manufacturing variability is larger than that due to temperature for the tests conducted. It is also observed that there are no significant outlying vehicles, i.e. there are at most only a few vehicles that consistently have the lowest or highest noise levels over the whole spectrum. For the acoustically excited tests, measured 1/3-octave noise reduction levels typically have a spread of 5 dB or so and the normalised standard deviation of the linear data is typically 0.1 or higher. Regarding the statistical distribution of the linear data, a lognormal distribution is a somewhat better fit than a Gaussian distribution for lower 1/3-octave bands, while the reverse is true at higher frequencies. For the distribution of the overall linear levels, a Gaussian distribution is generally the most representative. As a simple description of the response variability, it is sufficient for this series of measurements to assume that the acoustically induced airborne cabin noise is best described by a Gaussian distribution with a normalised standard deviation between 0.09 and 0.145. There is generally

  20. Wind generator with electronic variable-speed drives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    David, A.; Buchheit, N.; Jakobsen, H.

    1996-12-31

    Variable speed drives have been inserted between the network and the generator on certain recent wind power facilities. They have the following advantages: the drive allows the wind generator to operate at low speed with a significant reduction in acoustic noise, an important point if the facilities are sited near populated areas; the drive optimizes energy transfer, providing a gain of 4 to 10 %; the drive can possibly replace certain mechanical parts (the starting system and it in some cases, the reduction gear); the drive not only provides better transient management in relation to the network for less mechanical stress on the wind generator, it is also able to control reactive power. One commercial drive design sold by several manufacturers has already been installed on several wind generators with outputs of between 150 and 600 kw. In addition, such a solution is extremely well suited to mixed renewable energy systems. This design uses two inverse rectifier type converters and can therefore exchange energy in both directions. The equivalent drive with a single IGBT converter on the motor side and a diode converter on the network side is the solution most widely adopted throughout industry (with more than 50, 000 units installed in France per year). It still remains to be seen whether such a solution could be profitable in wind generator application (since the cost of the drive is quite high). This technical analysis is more destined for the converter-machine assembly specialists and is presented in this document, paying particular attention as it does to the modelling of the `wind energy - generator - drive - network` assembly, the associated drive command and control strategies and the simulations obtained during various transients. A 7.5 kW test bed has been installed in the Laboratoire d`Electronique de Puissance de Clamart, enabling tests to be carried out which emulate the operation of a wind generator.

  1. Dynamic Analysis of Fluid Power Drive-trains for Variable Speed Wind Turbines : A Parameter Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jarquin Laguna, A.; Diepeveen, N.F.B.

    2013-01-01

    In the pursuit of making wind energy technology more economically attractive, the application of fluid power technology for the transmission of wind energy is being developed by several parties all over the world. This paper presents a dynamic model of a fluid power transmission for variable speed

  2. Strategy for the Operation of Cooling Towers with variable Speed Fans

    CERN Document Server

    Iñigo-Golfín, J

    2001-01-01

    Within the SPS Cooling Water Project at CERN aimed at the reduction of water consumption, this primary open cooling loop will be closed and all the primary cooling circuit components will be upgraded to the new required duty and brought to the necessary safety and operability standards. In particular the tower fans will be fitted with variable frequency drives to replace the existing two speed motors. This paper presents a study to optimize the operation of SPS cooling towers taking into account outdoor conditions (wet and dry bulb temperatures) and the entirety of the primary circuit in which they will operate.

  3. Modular Multilevel Converters Based Variable Speed Wind Turbines for Grid Faults

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Fujin; Liu, Dong; Wang, Yanbo

    2016-01-01

    in the dc-link of the power converter to improve system performance, but also ensure the grid-side current balancing to increase the generated power of the wind turbine under the unbalanced grid fault, in comparison with the conventional VSWT based on BTB three-level NPC converters. The simulation studies......The modular multilevel converter (MMC) becomes attractive in the medium- and high-power application with high modularity. In this paper, the MMC is proposed to be applied in the variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) based on the full-scale back-to-back (BTB) power converter, where the generator...

  4. A Neural Network Controller for Variable-Speed Variable-Pitch Wind Energy Conversion Systems Using Generalized Minimum Entropy Criterion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mifeng Ren

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers the neural network controller design problem for variable pitch wind energy conversion systems (WECS with non-Gaussian wind speed disturbances in the stochastic distribution control framework. The approach here is used to directly model the unknown control law based on a fixed neural network (the number of layers and nodes in a neural network is fixed without the need to construct a separate model for the WECS. In order to characterize the randomness of the WECS, a generalized minimum entropy criterion is established to train connection weights of the neural network. For the train purpose, both kernel density estimation method and sliding window technique are adopted to estimate the PDF of tracking error and entropies. Due to the unknown process dynamics, the gradient of the objective function in a gradient-descent-type algorithm is estimated using an incremental perturbation method. The proposed approach is illustrated on a simulated WECS with non-Gaussian wind speed.

  5. Low-Voltage Ride-Through of Variable Speed Wind Turbines with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Fujin; Chen, Zhe

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a simulation model of a MW-level variable speed wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and a full-scale converter developed in the simulation tool of PSCAD/EMTDC. The low voltage ride-through (LVRT) capability of the wind turbine is investigated. A new...... control scheme for the wind turbine that keeps it connected to the grid during grid faults is designed and simulated. Its design has special focus on the regulation of the DC-link voltage. Simulation results show the proposed control scheme is an effective measure to improve LVRT capability of variable...

  6. Sharks modulate their escape behavior in response to predator size, speed and approach orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seamone, Scott; Blaine, Tristan; Higham, Timothy E

    2014-12-01

    Escape responses are often critical for surviving predator-prey interactions. Nevertheless, little is known about how predator size, speed and approach orientation impact escape performance, especially in larger prey that are primarily viewed as predators. We used realistic shark models to examine how altering predatory behavior and morphology (size, speed and approach orientation) influences escape behavior and performance in Squalus acanthias, a shark that is preyed upon by apex marine predators. Predator models induced C-start escape responses, and increasing the size and speed of the models triggered a more intense response (increased escape turning rate and acceleration). In addition, increased predator size resulted in greater responsiveness from the sharks. Among the responses, predator approach orientation had the most significant impact on escapes, such that the head-on approach, as compared to the tail-on approach, induced greater reaction distances and increased escape turning rate, speed and acceleration. Thus, the anterior binocular vision in sharks renders them less effective at detecting predators approaching from behind. However, it appears that sharks compensate by performing high-intensity escapes, likely induced by the lateral line system, or by a sudden visual flash of the predator entering their field of view. Our study reveals key aspects of escape behavior in sharks, highlighting the modulation of performance in response to predator approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  7. Limiting critical speed response on the SSME Alternate High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (ATD HPFTP) with bearing deadband

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goggin, David G.; Darden, J. M.

    1992-01-01

    Yammamoto (1954) described the influence of bearing deadband on the critical speed response of a rotor-bearing system. Practical application of these concepts to limit critical speed response of turbopump rotors is described. Nonlinear rotordynamic analyses are used to define the effect of bearing deadband and rotor unbalance on the Space Shuttle Main Engine Alternate High Pressure Fuel Turbopump. Analysis results are used with hot fire test data to verify the presence of a lightly damped critical speed within the operating speed range. With the proper control of rotor unbalance and bearing deadband, the response of this critical speed is reduced to acceptable levels without major design modifications or additional sources of damping.

  8. A comparison of item response models for accuracy and speed of item responses with applications to adaptive testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rijn, Peter W; Ali, Usama S

    2017-05-01

    We compare three modelling frameworks for accuracy and speed of item responses in the context of adaptive testing. The first framework is based on modelling scores that result from a scoring rule that incorporates both accuracy and speed. The second framework is the hierarchical modelling approach developed by van der Linden (2007, Psychometrika, 72, 287) in which a regular item response model is specified for accuracy and a log-normal model for speed. The third framework is the diffusion framework in which the response is assumed to be the result of a Wiener process. Although the three frameworks differ in the relation between accuracy and speed, one commonality is that the marginal model for accuracy can be simplified to the two-parameter logistic model. We discuss both conditional and marginal estimation of model parameters. Models from all three frameworks were fitted to data from a mathematics and spelling test. Furthermore, we applied a linear and adaptive testing mode to the data off-line in order to determine differences between modelling frameworks. It was found that a model from the scoring rule framework outperformed a hierarchical model in terms of model-based reliability, but the results were mixed with respect to correlations with external measures. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

  9. The effect of session order on the physiological, neuromuscular, and endocrine responses to maximal speed and weight training sessions over a 24-h period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Michael; Johnston, Julia; Cook, Christian J; Costley, Lisa; Kilgallon, Mark; Kilduff, Liam P

    2017-05-01

    Athletes are often required to undertake multiple training sessions on the same day with these sessions needing to be sequenced correctly to allow the athlete to maximize the responses of each session. We examined the acute effect of strength and speed training sequence on neuromuscular, endocrine, and physiological responses over 24h. 15 academy rugby union players completed this randomized crossover study. Players performed a weight training session followed 2h later by a speed training session (weights speed) and on a separate day reversed the order (speed weights). Countermovement jumps, perceived muscle soreness, and blood samples were collected immediately prior, immediately post, and 24h post-sessions one and two respectively. Jumps were analyzed for power, jump height, rate of force development, and velocity. Blood was analyzed for testosterone, cortisol, lactate and creatine kinase. There were no differences between countermovement jump variables at any of the post-training time points (p>0.05). Likewise, creatine kinase, testosterone, cortisol, and muscle soreness were unaffected by session order (p>0.05). However, 10m sprint time was significantly faster (mean±standard deviation; speed weights 1.80±0.11s versus weights speed 1.76±0.08s; p>0.05) when speed was sequenced second. Lactate levels were significantly higher immediately post-speed sessions versus weight training sessions at both time points (ptraining does not affect the neuromuscular, endocrine, and physiological recovery over 24h. However, speed may be enhanced when performed as the second session. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Optimization and Modeling of Process Variables of Biodiesel Production from Marula Oil using Response Surface Methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Enweremadu, C. C.; Rutto, H. L.

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an optimization study in the production of biodiesel production from Marula oil. The study was carried out using a central composite design of experiments under response surface methodology. A mathematical model was developed to correlate the transesterification process variables to biodiesel yield. The transesterification reaction variables were methanol to oil ratio, x /sub 1/ (10-50 wt percentage), reaction time, x /sub 2/ (30-90 min), reaction temperature, x /sub 3/ (30-90 Degree C) stirring speed, x /sub 4/ (100-400 rpm) and amount of catalyst, x /sub 5/ (0.5-1.5 g). The optimum conditions for the production of the biodiesel were found to be methanol to oil ratio (29.43 wt percentage), reaction time (59.17 minutes), reaction temperature (58.80 Degree C), stirring speed (325 rpm) and amount of catalyst (1.02 g). The optimum yield of biodiesel that can be produced was 95 percentage. The results revealed that the crucial fuel properties of the biodiesel produced at the optimum conditions met the ASTM biodiesel specifications. (author)

  11. Too much or too little step width variability is associated with a fall history in older persons who walk at or near normal gait speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Newman Anne B

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Decreased gait speed and increased stride time, stride length, double support time, and stance time variability have consistently been associated with falling whereas step width variability has not been strongly related to falls. The purpose was to examine the linear and nonlinear associations between gait variability and fall history in older persons and to examine the influence of gait speed. Methods Gait characteristics and fall history were obtained in 503 older adults (mean age = 79; 61% female participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study who could ambulate independently. Gait characteristics were recorded from two trials on a 4 meter computerized walkway at the subject's self-selected walking speed. Gait variability was calculated as the coefficient of variation. The presence of a fall in the past 12 months was determined by interview. The nonlinear association between gait variability and fall history was examined using a simple three level classification derived from the distribution of the data and from literature based cut-points. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between step width variability (extreme or moderate and fall history stratifying by gait speed (1.0 m/s and controlling for age and gender. Results Step length, stance time, and step time variability did not differ with respect to fall history (p > .33. Individuals with extreme step width variability (either low or high step width variability were more likely to report a fall in the past year than individuals with moderate step width variability. In individuals who walked ≥ 1.0 m/s (n = 281, after controlling for age, gender, and gait speed, compared to individuals with moderate step width variability individuals with either low or high step width variability were more likely to have fallen in the past year (OR and 95% CI 4.38 [1.79–10.72]. The association between step width variability and fall history was not

  12. Perfection of badminton players’ speed-power fitness with the help of training means’ variable modules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I.V. Karatnyk

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: to determine effectiveness of badminton players’ speed power fitness program’s perfection at stage of specialized basic training with different variants of training means modules’ combination. Material: in experiment badminton players of 15-17 years’ age (from 1st sports grade to master of sports participated. The sportsmen were divided into three experimental groups (10 persons in each. The trainings were being conducted during 24 weeks by different variants of program. Results: we created different complexes of exercises, combined in three modules (every of each lasted eight week micro-cycles. Every module has more expressed meaningful parts (1 – speed, 2 – power, 3 – jumping. All modules were combined in program of badminton players’ speed power fitness perfection. For every experimental group we worked out distinguishing variant of modules’ combination in program (first variant – 1-2-3 modules; second – 2-3-1; third – 3-1-2. General duration of program was 24 week micro-cycles. Conclusions: we recommended some variants of variable modules’ combination for badminton players’ speed-power fitness perfection. With it, we can regard total influence on the following: speed-power endurance, work with support on own body, quick movements of different body links.

  13. A sequential sampling account of response bias and speed-accuracy tradeoffs in a conflict detection task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuckovic, Anita; Kwantes, Peter J; Humphreys, Michael; Neal, Andrew

    2014-03-01

    Signal Detection Theory (SDT; Green & Swets, 1966) is a popular tool for understanding decision making. However, it does not account for the time taken to make a decision, nor why response bias might change over time. Sequential sampling models provide a way of accounting for speed-accuracy trade-offs and response bias shifts. In this study, we test the validity of a sequential sampling model of conflict detection in a simulated air traffic control task by assessing whether two of its key parameters respond to experimental manipulations in a theoretically consistent way. Through experimental instructions, we manipulated participants' response bias and the relative speed or accuracy of their responses. The sequential sampling model was able to replicate the trends in the conflict responses as well as response time across all conditions. Consistent with our predictions, manipulating response bias was associated primarily with changes in the model's Criterion parameter, whereas manipulating speed-accuracy instructions was associated with changes in the Threshold parameter. The success of the model in replicating the human data suggests we can use the parameters of the model to gain an insight into the underlying response bias and speed-accuracy preferences common to dynamic decision-making tasks. © 2013 American Psychological Association

  14. Wind tunnel experiments to prove a hydraulic passive torque control concept for variable speed wind turbines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diepeveen, N.F.B.; Jarquin-Laguna, A.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper the results are presented of experiments to prove an innovative concept for passive torque control of variable speed wind turbines using fluid power technology. It is demonstrated that by correctly configuring the hydraulic drive train, the wind turbine rotor operates at or near

  15. Measures for speed management.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2009-01-01

    Measures for speed management are essential for limiting the negative effects of driving too fast and at inappropriate speeds. To begin with, safe and credible speed limits need to be determined. Dynamic and variable speed limits that take into account the current circumstances, such as weather

  16. Shock Wave Speed and Transient Response of PE Pipe with Steel-Mesh Reinforcement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wuyi Wan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A steel mesh can improve the tensile strength and stability of a polyethylene (PE pipe in a water supply pipeline system. However, it can also cause more severe water hammer hazard due to increasing wave speed. In order to analyze the influence of the steel mesh on the shock wave speed and transient response processes, an improved wave speed formula is proposed by incorporating the equivalent elastic modulus. A field measurement validates the wave speed formula. Moreover, the transient wave propagation and extreme pressures are simulated and compared by the method of characteristics (MOC for reinforced PE pipes with various steel-mesh densities. Results show that a steel mesh can significantly increase the shock wave speed in a PE pipe and thus can cause severe peak pressure and hydraulic surges in a water supply pipeline system. The proposed wave speed formula can more reasonably evaluate the wave speed and improve the transient simulation of steel-mesh-reinforced PE pipes.

  17. Working memory influences processing speed and reading fluency in ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Lisa A; Ryan, Matthew; Martin, Rebecca B; Ewen, Joshua; Mostofsky, Stewart H; Denckla, Martha B; Mahone, E Mark

    2011-01-01

    Processing-speed deficits affect reading efficiency, even among individuals who recognize and decode words accurately. Children with ADHD who decode words accurately can still have inefficient reading fluency, leading to a bottleneck in other cognitive processes. This "slowing" in ADHD is associated with deficits in fundamental components of executive function underlying processing speed, including response selection. The purpose of the present study was to deconstruct processing speed in order to determine which components of executive control best explain the "processing" speed deficits related to reading fluency in ADHD. Participants (41 ADHD, 21 controls), ages 9-14 years, screened for language disorders, word reading deficits, and psychiatric disorders, were administered measures of copying speed, processing speed, reading fluency, working memory, reaction time, inhibition, and auditory attention span. Compared to controls, children with ADHD showed reduced oral and silent reading fluency and reduced processing speed-driven primarily by deficits on WISC-IV Coding. In contrast, groups did not differ on copying speed. After controlling for copying speed, sex, severity of ADHD-related symptomatology, and GAI, slowed "processing" speed (i.e., Coding) was significantly associated with verbal span and measures of working memory but not with measures of response control/inhibition, lexical retrieval speed, reaction time, or intrasubject variability. Further, "processing" speed (i.e., Coding, residualized for copying speed) and working memory were significant predictors of oral reading fluency. Abnormalities in working memory and response selection (which are frontally mediated and enter into the output side of processing speed) may play an important role in deficits in reading fluency in ADHD, potentially more than posteriorally mediated problems with orienting of attention or perceiving the stimulus.

  18. Response of PMHS to high- and low-speed oblique and lateral pneumatic ram impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhule, Heather; Suntay, Brian; Herriott, Rodney; Amenson, Tara; Stricklin, Jim; Bolte, John H

    2011-11-01

    In ISO Technical Report 9790 (1999) normalized lateral and oblique thoracic force-time responses of PMHS subjected to blunt pendulum impacts at 4.3 m/s were deemed sufficiently similar to be grouped together in a single biomechanical response corridor. Shaw et al. (2006) presented results of paired oblique and lateral thoracic pneumatic ram impact tests to opposite sides of seven PMHS at sub-injurious speed (2.5 m/s). Normalized responses showed that oblique impacts resulted in more deflection and less force, whereas lateral impacts resulted in less deflection and more force. This study presents results of oblique and lateral thoracic impacts to PMHS at higher speeds (4.5 and 5.5 m/s) to assess whether lateral relative to oblique responses are different as observed by Shaw et al. or similar as observed by ISO. Twelve PMHS were impacted by a 23 kg pneumatic ram with a 152.4 mmx304.8 mm rectangular face plate at the level of the xyphoid process in either the pure lateral or 30° anterior-to-lateral oblique direction. Because these tests were potentially injurious, only one test per subject was conducted. Normalized responses demonstrate similar characteristics for both lateral and oblique impacts, indicating that it may be reasonable to combine lateral and oblique responses together at these higher speeds to define characteristic PMHS response as was done by ISO. The small number of tests conducted indicates that less chest compression may be required to obtain serious thoracic injury in oblique impacts as compared to lateral impacts at speeds of 4.5 or 5.5 m/s.

  19. Exploring the stochastic and deterministic aspects of cyclic emission variability on a high speed spark-ignition engine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karvountzis-Kontakiotis, A.; Dimaratos, A.; Ntziachristos, L.; Samaras, Z.

    2017-01-01

    This study contributes to the understanding of cycle-to-cycle emissions variability (CEV) in premixed spark-ignition combustion engines. A number of experimental investigations of cycle-to-cycle combustion variability (CCV) exist in published literature; however only a handful of studies deal with CEV. This study experimentally investigates the impact of CCV on CEV of NO and CO, utilizing experimental results from a high-speed spark-ignition engine. Both CEV and CCV are shown to comprise a deterministic and a stochastic component. Results show that at maximum break torque (MBT) operation, the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) maximizes and its coefficient of variation (COV_I_M_E_P) minimizes, leading to minimum variation of NO. NO variability and hence mean NO levels can be reduced by more than 50% and 30%, respectively, at advanced ignition timing, by controlling the deterministic CCV using cycle resolved combustion control. The deterministic component of CEV increases at lean combustion (lambda = 1.12) and this overall increases NO variability. CEV was also found to decrease with engine load. At steady speed, increasing throttle position from 20% to 80%, decreased COV_I_M_E_P, COV_N_O and COV_C_O by 59%, 46%, and 6% respectively. Highly resolved engine control, by means of cycle-to-cycle combustion control, appears as key to limit the deterministic feature of cyclic variability and by that to overall reduce emission levels. - Highlights: • Engine emissions variability comprise both stochastic and deterministic components. • Lean and diluted combustion conditions increase emissions variability. • Advanced ignition timing enhances the deterministic component of variability. • Load increase decreases the deterministic component of variability. • The deterministic component can be reduced by highly resolved combustion control.

  20. Modelling of Station of Pumping by Variable Speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benretem A.

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available An increased energetic efficiency will make it possible to decrease the factory operating costs and hence to increase productivity. The centrifugal pumps are largely used because of their relatively simple operation and of their purchase price. One analyses thorough requirements imposed by the pumping plants is decisive. It is important to keep in mind the fact that the pumps consume approximately 20% of energy in the world. They constitute the possibility for the most significant efficiency improvement. They can reach their maximum effectiveness only with one pressure and a given flow. The approach suggested makes it possible to adapt with accuracy and effectiveness of system output of the industrial process requirements. The variable speed drive is one of best and effective techniques studied to reach this objective. The appearance of this technique comes only after the evolution obtained in the field of power electronics systems precisely static inverters as well as the efforts made by the researchers in the field of electric drive systems. This work suggested is the result of an in-depth study on the effectiveness of this new technique applied for the centrifugal pumps.

  1. Effect of feed moisture, extrusion temperature and screw speed on properties of soy white flakes based aquafeed: a response surface analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Sushil K; Muthukumarappan, Kasiviswanathan

    2016-04-01

    Soy white flakes (SWF) is an intermediate product during soy bean processing. It is an untoasted inexpensive product and contains around 51% of crude protein. It can be a potential source of protein to replace fish meal for developing aquafeed. The extrusion process is versatile and is used for the development of aquafeed. Our objective was to study the effects of inclusion of SWF (up to 50%) and other extrusion processing parameters such as barrel temperature and screw speed on the properties of aquafeed extrudates using a single-screw extruder. Extrudate properties, including pellet durability index, bulk density, water absorption and solubility indices and mass flow rate, were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the process variables. SWF was the most significant variable with quadratic effects on most of the properties. Increasing temperature and screw speed resulted in increase in durability and mass flow rate of extrudates. Response surface regression models were established to correlate the properties of extrudates to the process variables. SWF was used as an alternative protein source of fish meal. Our study shows that aquafeed with high durability, lower bulk density and lower water absorption and higher solubility indices can be obtained by adding SWF up to 40%. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Active Power and Flux Control of a Self-Excited Induction Generator for a Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Generation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Na, Woonki; Muljadi, Eduard; Leighty, Bill; Kim, Jonghoon

    2017-05-11

    A Self-Excited Induction Generation (SEIG) for a variable speed wind turbine generation(VS-WG) is normally considered to be a good candidate for implementation in stand-alone applications such as battery charging, hydrogenation, water pumping, water purification, water desalination, and etc. In this study, we have examined a study on active power and flux control strategies for a SEIG for a variable speed wind turbine generation. The control analysis for the proposed system is carried out by using PSCAD software. In the process, we can optimize the control design of the system, thereby enhancing and expediting the control design procedure for this application. With this study, this control design for a SEIG for VS-WG can become the industry standard for analysis and development in terms of SEIG.

  3. Structural Plasticity Denoises Responses and Improves Learning Speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robin Spiess

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Despite an abundance of computational models for learning of synaptic weights, there has been relatively little research on structural plasticity, i.e. the creation and elimination of synapses. Especially, it is not clear how structural plasticity works in concert with spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP and what advantages their combination offers.Here we present a fairly large-scale functional model that uses leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, STDP, homeostasis, recurrent connections, and structural plasticity to learn the input encoding, the relation between inputs, and to infer missing inputs. Using this model, we compare the error and the amount of noise in the network's responses with and without structural plasticity and the influence of structural plasticity on the learning speed of the network.Using structural plasticity during learning shows good results for learning the representation of input values, i.e. structural plasticity strongly reduces the noise of the response by preventing spikes with a high error.For inferring missing inputs we see similar results, with responses having less noise if the network was trained using structural plasticity.Additionally, using structural plasticity with pruning significantly decreased the time to learn weights suitable for inference.Presumably, this is due to the clearer signal containing less spikes that misrepresent the desired value. Therefore, this work shows that structural plasticity is not only able to improve upon the performance using STDP without structural plasticity but also speeds up learning.Additionally, it addresses the practical problem of limited resources for connectivity that is not only apparent in the mammalian neocortex but also in computer hardware or neuromorphic (brain-inspired hardware by efficiently pruning synapses without losing performance.

  4. Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) w/Variable Speed Technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Messmer, Craig S. [Unico, Inc., Arnold, MO (United States)

    2016-09-30

    This report summarizes the results of a three year program awarded to Unico, Inc. to commercialize a residential cold climate heat pump. Several designs were investigated. Compressors were selected using analysis from Oakridge National Laboratories followed by prototype construction and lab testing in a specially built environmental chamber capable of reaching -30°F. The initial design utilized two variable speed compressors in series with very good capacity results and acceptable efficiency at very cold temperatures. The design was then modified to reduce cost and complexity by redesigning the system using three dual-stage compressors: two in parallel followed by one in series. Extensive testing found significant challenge with oil management, reliability, weight and cost which prevented the system from being fully commercialized. Further analysis of other conceptual designs indicated that these challenges could be overcome in the future.

  5. Advantages of variable-speed operation of hydraulic turbo-engines; Vorteile durch den drehzahlvariablen Betrieb von hydraulischen Stroemungsmaschinen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harbort, T. [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Stroemungsmechanik und Hydraulische Stroemungsmaschinen

    1997-12-31

    The performance of current hydraulic turbo-engines in the variable speed sector is monitored and judged. The study covers radial and axial engines as well as Pelton turbines. Variable-speed operation of hydraulic turbo-engines can be realized by means of different combinations of electrical rotating machines and frequency converters. The operating range of the frequency converter plays an important role in the optimization of performance and is taken into account. The smoothness of run of reaction turbines and their cavitation performance can be enhanced by speed regulation. But above all, efficiency is more or less substantially enhanced during partial load or in the case of greatly varying heights of drop. The latter holds true also of Pelton turbines. (orig.) [Deutsch] Das Betriebsverhalten der gaengigen hydraulischen Stroemungsmaschinen wird in Hinblick auf den drehzahlvariablen Betrieb erfasst und beurteilt. Die Untersuchung erfolgt fuer Radialmaschinen, Axialmaschinen und Peltonturbinen. Der drehzahlvariable Betrieb hydraulischer Stroemungsmaschinen kann mit verschiedenen Kombinationen von elektrischen Maschinen und Frequenzumrichtern realisiert werden. Der Arbeitsbereich des Frequenzumrichters spielt eine wichtige Rolle fuer die Optimierung des Betriebsverhaltens und wird beruecksichtigt. Bei Ueberdruckturbinen kann man durch Drehzahlregelung eine groessere Laufruhe sowie ein guenstigeres Kavitationsverhalten erreichen. Vor allem aber sind im Teillastbereich oder bei stark schwankenden Fallhoehen mehr oder weniger grosse Wirkungsgradgewinne erzielbar. Das letztere gilt auch fuer Peltonturbinen. (orig.)

  6. Response variability in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a neuronal and glial energetics hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Vivienne A; Oades, Robert D; Tannock, Rosemary; Killeen, Peter R; Auerbach, Judith G; Johansen, Espen B; Sagvolden, Terje

    2006-08-23

    Current concepts of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) emphasize the role of higher-order cognitive functions and reinforcement processes attributed to structural and biochemical anomalies in cortical and limbic neural networks innervated by the monoamines, dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin. However, these explanations do not account for the ubiquitous findings in ADHD of intra-individual performance variability, particularly on tasks that require continual responses to rapid, externally-paced stimuli. Nor do they consider attention as a temporal process dependent upon a continuous energy supply for efficient and consistent function. A consideration of this feature of intra-individual response variability, which is not unique to ADHD but is also found in other disorders, leads to a new perspective on the causes and potential remedies of specific aspects of ADHD. We propose that in ADHD, astrocyte function is insufficient, particularly in terms of its formation and supply of lactate. This insufficiency has implications both for performance and development: H1) In rapidly firing neurons there is deficient ATP production, slow restoration of ionic gradients across neuronal membranes and delayed neuronal firing; H2) In oligodendrocytes insufficient lactate supply impairs fatty acid synthesis and myelination of axons during development. These effects occur over vastly different time scales: those due to deficient ATP (H1) occur over milliseconds, whereas those due to deficient myelination (H2) occur over months and years. Collectively the neural outcomes of impaired astrocytic release of lactate manifest behaviourally as inefficient and inconsistent performance (variable response times across the lifespan, especially during activities that require sustained speeded responses and complex information processing). Multi-level and multi-method approaches are required. These include: 1) Use of dynamic strategies to evaluate cognitive performance under

  7. Comparison of Predictive Modeling Methods of Aircraft Landing Speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diallo, Ousmane H.

    2012-01-01

    Expected increases in air traffic demand have stimulated the development of air traffic control tools intended to assist the air traffic controller in accurately and precisely spacing aircraft landing at congested airports. Such tools will require an accurate landing-speed prediction to increase throughput while decreasing necessary controller interventions for avoiding separation violations. There are many practical challenges to developing an accurate landing-speed model that has acceptable prediction errors. This paper discusses the development of a near-term implementation, using readily available information, to estimate/model final approach speed from the top of the descent phase of flight to the landing runway. As a first approach, all variables found to contribute directly to the landing-speed prediction model are used to build a multi-regression technique of the response surface equation (RSE). Data obtained from operations of a major airlines for a passenger transport aircraft type to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are used to predict the landing speed. The approach was promising because it decreased the standard deviation of the landing-speed error prediction by at least 18% from the standard deviation of the baseline error, depending on the gust condition at the airport. However, when the number of variables is reduced to the most likely obtainable at other major airports, the RSE model shows little improvement over the existing methods. Consequently, a neural network that relies on a nonlinear regression technique is utilized as an alternative modeling approach. For the reduced number of variables cases, the standard deviation of the neural network models errors represent over 5% reduction compared to the RSE model errors, and at least 10% reduction over the baseline predicted landing-speed error standard deviation. Overall, the constructed models predict the landing-speed more accurately and precisely than the current state-of-the-art.

  8. Correlation between sea surface temperature and wind speed in Greenland Sea and their relationships with NAO variability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Qu

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO is one of the major causes of many recent changes in the Arctic Ocean. Generally, it is related to wind speed, sea surface temperature (SST, and sea ice cover. In this study, we analyzed the distributions of and correlations between SST, wind speed, NAO, and sea ice cover from 2003 to 2009 in the Greenland Sea at 10°W to 10°E, 65°N to 80°N. SST reached its peak in July, while wind speed reached its minimum in July. Seasonal variability of SST and wind speed was different for different regions. SST and wind speed mainly had negative correlations. Detailed correlation research was focused on the 75°N to 80°N band. Regression analysis shows that in this band, the variation of SST lagged three months behind that of wind speed. Ice cover and NAO had a positive correlation, and the correlation coefficient between ice cover and NAO in the year 2007 was 0.61. SST and NAO also had a positive correlation, and SST influenced NAO one month in advance. The correlation coefficients between SST and NAO reached 0.944 for the year 2005, 0.7 for the year 2008, and 0.74 for the year 2009 after shifting SST one month later. NAO also had a positive correlation with wind speed, and it also influenced wind speed one month in advance. The correlation coefficients between NAO and wind speed reached 0.783, 0.813, and 0.818 for the years 2004, 2005, and 2008, respectively, after shifting wind speed one month earlier.

  9. High-Speed Photorefractive Response Capability in Triphenylamine Polymer-Based Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujimura, Sho; Kinashi, Kenji; Sakai, Wataru; Tsutsumi, Naoto

    2012-06-01

    We present here the poly(4-diphenylamino)styrene (PDAS)-based photorefractive composites with a high-speed response time. PDAS was synthesized as a photoconductive polymer and photorefractive polymeric composite (PPC) films by using triphenylamine (TPA) (or ethylcarbazole, ECZ), 4-homopiperidino-2-fluorobenzylidene malononitrile (FDCST), and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were investigated. The photorefractive quantities of the PDAS-based PPCs were determined by a degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) technique. Additionally, the holographic images were recorded through an appropriate PDAS-based PPC. Those holographic images clearly reconstruct the original motion with high-speed quality. The present approach provides a promising candidate for the future application of dynamic holographic displays.

  10. An empirical model for independent control of variable speed refrigeration system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hua; Jeong, Seok-Kwon; Yoon, Jung-In; You, Sam-Sang

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with an empirical dynamic model for decoupling control of the variable speed refrigeration system (VSRS). To cope with inherent complexity and nonlinearity in system dynamics, the model parameters are first obtained based on experimental data. In the study, the dynamic characteristics of indoor temperature and superheat are assumed to be first-order model with time delay. While the compressor frequency and opening angle of electronic expansion valve are varying, the indoor temperature and the superheat exhibit interfering characteristics each other in the VSRS. Thus, each decoupling model has been proposed to eliminate such interference. Finally, the experiment and simulation results indicate that the proposed model offers more tractable means for describing the actual VSRS comparing to other models currently available

  11. The response of a high-speed train wheel to a harmonic wheel-rail force

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheng, Xiaozhen; Liu, Yuxia; Zhou, Xin

    2016-01-01

    The maximum speed of China's high-speed trains currently is 300km/h and expected to increase to 350-400km/h. As a wheel travels along the rail at such a high speed, it is subject to a force rotating at the same speed along its periphery. This fast moving force contains not only the axle load component, but also many components of high frequencies generated from wheel-rail interactions. Rotation of the wheel also introduces centrifugal and gyroscopic effects. How the wheel responds is fundamental to many issues, including wheel-rail contact, traction, wear and noise. In this paper, by making use of its axial symmetry, a special finite element scheme is developed for responses of a train wheel subject to a vertical and harmonic wheel-rail force. This FE scheme only requires a 2D mesh over a cross-section containing the wheel axis but includes all the effects induced by wheel rotation. Nodal displacements, as a periodic function of the cross-section angle 6, can be decomposed, using Fourier series, into a number of components at different circumferential orders. The derived FE equation is solved for each circumferential order. The sum of responses at all circumferential orders gives the actual response of the wheel. (paper)

  12. Variable speed limit strategies analysis with link transmission model on urban expressway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shubin; Cao, Danni

    2018-02-01

    The variable speed limit (VSL) is a kind of active traffic management method. Most of the strategies are used in the expressway traffic flow control in order to ensure traffic safety. However, the urban expressway system is the main artery, carrying most traffic pressure. It has similar traffic characteristics with the expressways between cities. In this paper, the improved link transmission model (LTM) combined with VSL strategies is proposed, based on the urban expressway network. The model can simulate the movement of the vehicles and the shock wave, and well balance the relationship between the amount of calculation and accuracy. Furthermore, the optimal VSL strategy can be proposed based on the simulation method. It can provide management strategies for managers. Finally, a simple example is given to illustrate the model and method. The selected indexes are the average density, the average speed and the average flow on the traffic network in the simulation. The simulation results show that the proposed model and method are feasible. The VSL strategy can effectively alleviate traffic congestion in some cases, and greatly promote the efficiency of the transportation system.

  13. Theoretical analysis of the conical premixed flame response to upstream velocity disturbances considering flame speed development effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghazaleh Esmaeelzade

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The effect of upstream velocity perturbations on the response of a premixed flame was investigated in terms of the flame transfer function dependency on excitation frequency. In this study, the assumption of constant flame speed was extended and the effect of flame speed development was considered; i.e., the flame speed would grow with the time after ignition or with the distance from a flame-holder. In the present study, the kinematics of a conical flame was investigated by linearization of the front tracking equation of flame to uniform and convected fluctuations of the flow velocity and the response was compared with that of a V-shaped flame and the experimental data in the previous studies. The results show that the effect of flame speed development could influence a decreasing gain and increase the phase of the flame response to the uniform velocity oscillations in low and moderate frequencies. Comparing the variations in the gain of flame response upon normalized frequency, show that a conical flame has lower values than the V-flame. In other words, these flames might be less susceptible to combustion instabilities than the V-flames. Furthermore, the variations in phase of the V-flames responses, which show a quasi-linear behavior with normalized frequency, have higher values than the saturated behavior in phase of the conical flame responses. Also, considering that the flame speed development induces an increase in the gain and phase of the conical flame response to the convected velocity oscillations in certain frequencies; because the developed flame front has longer length in comparison to the flame front in constant flame speed model. Therefore, the flame length may be longer than convective wavelength and the heat release would be generated in different points of the flame; consequently the flow oscillations might exert a stronger impact on the unsteady heat release fluctuations.

  14. A pilot clinical trial on a Variable Automated Speed and Sensing Treadmill (VASST) for hemiparetic gait rehabilitation in stroke patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Karen S G; Chee, Johnny; Wong, Chin J; Lim, Pang H; Lim, Wei S; Hoo, Chuan M; Ong, Wai S; Shen, Mira L; Yu, Wei S

    2015-01-01

    Impairments in walking speed and capacity are common problems after stroke which may benefit from treadmill training. However, standard treadmills, are unable to adapt to the slower walking speeds of stroke survivors and are unable to automate training progression. This study tests a Variable Automated Speed and Sensing Treadmill (VASST) using a standard clinical protocol. VASST is a semi-automated treadmill with multiple sensors and micro controllers, including wireless control to reposition a fall-prevention harness, variable pre-programmed exercise parameters and laser beam foot sensors positioned on the belt to detect subject's foot positions. An open-label study with assessor blinding was conducted in 10 community-dwelling chronic hemiplegic patients who could ambulate at least 0.1 m/s. Interventions included physiotherapist-supervised training on VASST for 60 min three times per week for 4 weeks (total 12 h). Outcome measures of gait speed, quantity, balance, and adverse events were assessed at baseline, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Ten subjects (8 males, mean age 55.5 years, 2.1 years post stroke) completed VASST training. Mean 10-m walk test speed was 0.69 m/s (SD = 0.29) and mean 6-min walk test distance was 178.3 m (84.0). After 4 weeks of training, 70% had significant positive gains in gait speed (0.06 m/s, SD = 0.08 m/s, P = 0.037); and 90% improved in walking distance. (54.3 m, SD = 30.9 m, P = 0.005). There were no adverse events. This preliminary study demonstrates the initial feasibility and short-term efficacy of VASST for walking speed and distance for people with chronic post-stroke hemiplegia.

  15. Modeling and control of PMSG-based variable-speed wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hong-Woo; Ko, Hee-Sang [Wind Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Yuseong-gu Jang-Dong 71-2,305-343 Daejeon (Korea); Kim, Sung-Soo [Chungbuk National University (Korea)

    2010-01-15

    This paper presents a control scheme of a variable-speed wind turbine with a permanent-magnetic synchronous generator (PMSG) and full-scale back-to-back voltage source converter. A comprehensive dynamical model of the PMSG wind turbine and its control scheme is presented. The control scheme comprises both the wind-turbine control itself and the power-converter control. In addition, since the PMSG wind turbine is able to support actively the grid due to its capability to control independently active and reactive power production to the imposed set-values with taking into account its operating state and limits, this paper presents the supervisory reactive power control scheme in order to regulate/contribute the voltage at a remote location. The ability of the control scheme is assessed and discussed by means of simulations, based on a candidate site of the offshore wind farm in Jeju, Korea. (author)

  16. Mechanical fault diagnostics for induction motor with variable speed drives using Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Z. [Department of Electrical & amp; Computer Engineering, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ont. (Canada K7L 3N6); Sadeghian, A. [Department of Computer Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ont. (Canada M5B 2K3); Wu, B. [Department of Electrical & amp; Computer Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ont. (Canada M5B 2K3)

    2006-06-15

    A novel online diagnostic algorithm for mechanical faults of electrical machines with variable speed drive systems is presented in this paper. Using Wavelet Packet Decomposition (WPD), a set of feature coefficients, represented with different frequency resolutions, related to the mechanical faults is extracted from the stator current of the induction motors operating over a wide range of speeds. A new integrated diagnostic system for electrical machine mechanical faults is then proposed using multiple Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS). This paper shows that using multiple ANFIS units significantly reduces the scale and complexity of the system and speeds up the training of the network. The diagnostic algorithm is validated on a three-phase induction motor drive system, and it is proven to be capable of detecting rotor bar breakage and air gap eccentricity faults with high accuracy. The algorithm is applicable to a variety of industrial applications where either continuous on-line monitoring or off-line fault diagnostics is required. (author)

  17. The Need for Speed in Rodent Locomotion Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batka, Richard J.; Brown, Todd J.; Mcmillan, Kathryn P.; Meadows, Rena M.; Jones, Kathryn J.; Haulcomb, Melissa M.

    2016-01-01

    Locomotion analysis is now widely used across many animal species to understand the motor defects in disease, functional recovery following neural injury, and the effectiveness of various treatments. More recently, rodent locomotion analysis has become an increasingly popular method in a diverse range of research. Speed is an inseparable aspect of locomotion that is still not fully understood, and its effects are often not properly incorporated while analyzing data. In this hybrid manuscript, we accomplish three things: (1) review the interaction between speed and locomotion variables in rodent studies, (2) comprehensively analyze the relationship between speed and 162 locomotion variables in a group of 16 wild-type mice using the CatWalk gait analysis system, and (3) develop and test a statistical method in which locomotion variables are analyzed and reported in the context of speed. Notable results include the following: (1) over 90% of variables, reported by CatWalk, were dependent on speed with an average R2 value of 0.624, (2) most variables were related to speed in a nonlinear manner, (3) current methods of controlling for speed are insufficient, and (4) the linear mixed model is an appropriate and effective statistical method for locomotion analyses that is inclusive of speed-dependent relationships. Given the pervasive dependency of locomotion variables on speed, we maintain that valid conclusions from locomotion analyses cannot be made unless they are analyzed and reported within the context of speed. PMID:24890845

  18. An Adaptive Frequency Strategy for Variable Speed Wind Turbines: Application to High Wind Integration Into Power Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Fernández-Guillamón

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new frequency controller for variable speed wind turbines connected to the grid under power imbalance conditions. It is based on the fast power reserve emulation technique, having two different operation modes: overproduction and recovery mode. In the first mode, the active power provided by wind turbines is set over the mechanical power, reducing their rotational speed. This overproduction power is estimated according to the frequency excursion. In the second mode, the active power is established under the mechanical power to recover the initial rotational speed through a smooth trajectory. The power system considered for simulation purposes includes thermal, hydro-power and wind-power plants. The controller proposed has been evaluated under different mix-generation scenarios implemented in Matlab/Simulink. Extensive results and comparison to previous proposals are also included in the paper.

  19. Typing Speed as a Confounding Variable and the Measurement of Quality in Divergent Thinking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forthmann, Boris; Holling, Heinz; Çelik, Pinar; Storme, Martin; Lubart, Todd

    2017-01-01

    The need to control for writing or typing speed when assessing divergent-thinking performance has been recognized since the early '90s. An even longer tradition in divergent-thinking research has the issue of scoring the responses for quality. This research addressed both issues within structural equation modeling. Three dimensions of…

  20. Dynamic response of high speed centrifuge for reprocessing plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajput, Gaurav; Satish Kumar, V.; Selvaraj, T.; Ananda Rao, S.M.; Ravisankar, A.

    2012-01-01

    The standard for balancing the rotating bowl describes only the details about the selection of balance quality grade and the permissible residual unbalance for different operating speeds. This paper presents the effects of unbalance on the rotating bowl of high speed centrifuge used in reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. In this study, the residual unbalance is evaluated for different recommended balancing grades in accordance with the ISO 1940. This unbalance mass generates dynamic force which acts on the rotor. The dynamic response of the rotor like displacements and stresses under this dynamic force are studied by numerical simulation. Finally, the effect of residual unbalance on the rotating bowl performance for different balancing grades is discussed. The experimental measurements are also carried out for the case of G 1.0 grade balanced rotating bowl to validate the resonance frequency as well as vibration amplitudes. (author)

  1. Examining Impulse-Variability in Kicking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappell, Andrew; Molina, Sergio L; McKibben, Jonathon; Stodden, David F

    2016-07-01

    This study examined variability in kicking speed and spatial accuracy to test the impulse-variability theory prediction of an inverted-U function and the speed-accuracy trade-off. Twenty-eight 18- to 25-year-old adults kicked a playground ball at various percentages (50-100%) of their maximum speed at a wall target. Speed variability and spatial error were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with built-in polynomial contrasts. Results indicated a significant inverse linear trajectory for speed variability (p < .001, η2= .345) where 50% and 60% maximum speed had significantly higher variability than the 100% condition. A significant quadratic fit was found for spatial error scores of mean radial error (p < .0001, η2 = .474) and subject-centroid radial error (p < .0001, η2 = .453). Findings suggest variability and accuracy of multijoint, ballistic skill performance may not follow the general principles of impulse-variability theory or the speed-accuracy trade-off.

  2. Transient and dynamic control of a variable speed wind turbine with synchronous generator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jauch, Clemens [Riso National Laboratory, Wind Energy Department, PO Box 49, DK 4000 Roskilde, (Denmark)

    2007-02-14

    In this article, a controller for dynamic and transient control of a variable speed wind turbine with a full-scale converter-connected high-speed synchronous generator is presented. First, the phenomenon of drive train oscillations in wind turbines with full-scale converter-connected generators is discussed. Based on this discussion, a controller is presented that dampens these oscillations without impacting on the power that the wind turbine injects into the grid. Since wind turbines are increasingly demanded to take over power system stabilizing and control tasks, the presented wind turbine design is further enhanced to support the grid in transient grid events. A controller is designed that allows the wind turbine to ride through transient grid faults. Since such faults often cause power system oscillations, another controller is added that enables the turbine to participate in the damping of such oscillations. It is concluded that the controllers presented keep the wind turbine stable under any operating conditions, and that they are capable of adding substantial damping to the power system. (Author).

  3. Grid Compatibility of Variable Speed Wind Turbines with Directly Coupled Synchronous Generator and Hydro-Dynamically Controlled Gearbox

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mueller, H.; Poeller, M. [DIgSILENT GmbH, 72810 Gomaringen (Germany); Basteck, A.; Tilscher, M.; Pfister, J. [Voith Turbo GmbH and Co. KG, 74564 Crailsheim (Germany)

    2006-07-01

    This paper analyzes grid integration aspects of a new type of variable-speed wind turbine, the directly coupled synchronous generator with hydro-dynamically controlled gearbox. In contrast to existing wind generators using synchronous generators, the generator of this concept is directly connected to the AC grid, without the application of any power electronics converter. Variable speed operation of the turbine is mechanically achieved by a gear box with continuously controllable variable gear box ratio. For this purpose, a detailed dynamic model of a 2 MW wind turbine with a Voith WinDrive has been implemented using the modelling environment of the simulation software DIgSILENT PowerFactory. For investigating grid compatibility aspects of this new wind generator concept, a model of a 50 MW wind farm, with typical layout, based on 25 wind turbines of the 2 MW-class has been analyzed. This paper focuses on the compatibility of the new concept with existing connection standards, such as the E.ON grid code. Of special interest are typical stability phenomena of synchronous generators, such as transient and oscillatory stability as well as power quality issues like voltage flicker. The results of stability studies are presented and possible advantages of the new concept with special focus on offshore applications are discussed.

  4. Response-rate differences in variable-interval and variable-ratio schedules: An old problem revisited

    OpenAIRE

    Cole, Mark R.

    1994-01-01

    In Experiment 1, a variable-ratio 10 schedule became, successively, a variable-interval schedule with only the minimum interreinforcement intervals yoked to the variable ratio, or a variable-interval schedule with both interreinforcement intervals and reinforced interresponse times yoked to the variable ratio. Response rates in the variable-interval schedule with both interreinforcement interval and reinforced interresponse time yoking fell between the higher rates maintained by the variable-...

  5. Improving Fault Ride-Through Capability of Variable Speed Wind Turbines in Distribution Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mokryani, Geev; Siano, P.; Piccolo, Antonio

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, a fuzzy controller for improving the fault ride-through (FRT) capability of variable speed wind turbines (WTs) equipped with a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is presented. DFIGs can be used as reactive power sources to control the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC......). The controller is designed to compensate for the voltage at the PCC by simultaneously regulating the reactive and active power generated by WTs. The performance of the controller is evaluated in different case studies considering a different number of wind farms in different locations. Simulations carried out...

  6. Error response test system and method using test mask variable

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gender, Thomas K. (Inventor)

    2006-01-01

    An error response test system and method with increased functionality and improved performance is provided. The error response test system provides the ability to inject errors into the application under test to test the error response of the application under test in an automated and efficient manner. The error response system injects errors into the application through a test mask variable. The test mask variable is added to the application under test. During normal operation, the test mask variable is set to allow the application under test to operate normally. During testing, the error response test system can change the test mask variable to introduce an error into the application under test. The error response system can then monitor the application under test to determine whether the application has the correct response to the error.

  7. Full-shipload tramp ship routing and scheduling with variable speeds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wen, M.; Røpke, Stefan; Petersen, Hanne Løhmann

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the simultaneous optimization problem of routing and sailing speed in the context of full-shipload tramp shipping. In this problem, a set of cargoes can be transported from their load to discharge ports by a fleet of heterogeneous ships of different speed ranges and load......-dependent fuel consumption. The objective is to determine which orders to serve and to find the optimal route for each ship and the optimal sailing speed on each leg of the route so that the total profit is maximized. The problem originated from a real-life challenge faced by a Danish tramp shipping company....... It is shown that speed optimization can improve the total profit by 16% on average and the fuel price has a significant effect on the average sailing speed and total profit....

  8. Intelligent Multiobjective Slip and Speed Ratio Control of a Novel Dual-Belt Continuously Variable Transmission for Automobiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengchao Xie

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Van Doorne’s continuously variable transmission (CVT is the most popular CVT design for automotive transmission, but it is only applicable to low-power passenger cars because of its low torque capacity. To overcome this limitation of traditional single-belt CVT, a novel dual-belt Van Doorne’s CVT (DBVCVT system, which is applicable to heavy-duty vehicles, has been previously proposed by the authors. This paper, based on the published analytical model and test rig of DBVCVT, further proposes an intelligent multiobjective fuzzy controller for slip and speed ratio control of DBVCVT. The controller aims to safely control the clamping forces of both the primary and the secondary pulleys in order to improve the transmission efficiency, achieve the accurate speed ratio, and avoid the belt slip under different engine loads and vehicle speeds. The slip, speed ratio, and transmission efficiency dynamics of DBVCVT are firstly analyzed and modeled in this paper. With the aid of a flexible objective function, the analytical model, and fuzzy logic, a Pareto rule base for fuzzy controller is developed for multiobjective DBVCVT control. Experimental results show that the proposed controller for slip and speed ratio regulation of DBVCVT is effective and performs well under different user-defined weights.

  9. Improving the Response of a Wheel Speed Sensor by Using a RLS Lattice Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Wilmar

    2006-01-01

    Among the complete family of sensors for automotive safety, consumer and industrial application, speed sensors stand out as one of the most important. Actually, speed sensors have the diversity to be used in a broad range of applications. In today's automotive industry, such sensors are used in the antilock braking system, the traction control system and the electronic stability program. Also, typical applications are cam and crank shaft position/speed and wheel and turbo shaft speed measurement. In addition, they are used to control a variety of functions, including fuel injection, ignition timing in engines, and so on. However, some types of speed sensors cannot respond to very low speeds for different reasons. What is more, the main reason why such sensors are not good at detecting very low speeds is that they are more susceptible to noise when the speed of the target is low. In short, they suffer from noise and generally only work at medium to high speeds. This is one of the drawbacks of the inductive (magnetic reluctance) speed sensors and is the case under study. Furthermore, there are other speed sensors like the differential Hall Effect sensors that are relatively immune to interference and noise, but they cannot detect static fields. This limits their operations to speeds which give a switching frequency greater than a minimum operating frequency. In short, this research is focused on improving the performance of a variable reluctance speed sensor placed in a car under performance tests by using a recursive least-squares (RLS) lattice algorithm. Such an algorithm is situated in an adaptive noise canceller and carries out an optimal estimation of the relevant signal coming from the sensor, which is buried in a broad-band noise background where we have little knowledge of the noise characteristics. The experimental results are satisfactory and show a significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio at the system output.

  10. An improved synchronous reference frame phase-locked loop for stand-alone variable speed constant frequency power generation systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Yi; Xu, Wei; Ke, Longzhang

    2017-01-01

    The phase-locked loop (PLL) based on conventional synchronous reference frame, i.e. dqPLL, is usually employed in grid-connected variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) power generation systems (PGSs). However, the voltage amplitude drop of stand-alone PGSs is often greater than that of the grid...

  11. Multi-scale responses of scattering layers to environmental variability in Monterey Bay, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urmy, Samuel S.; Horne, John K.

    2016-07-01

    A 38 kHz upward-facing echosounder was deployed on the seafloor at a depth of 875 m in Monterey Bay, CA, USA (36° 42.748‧N, 122° 11.214‧W) from 27 February 2009 to 18 August 2010. This 18-month record of acoustic backscatter was compared to oceanographic time series from a nearby data buoy to investigate the responses of animals in sound-scattering layers to oceanic variability at seasonal and sub-seasonal time scales. Pelagic animals, as measured by acoustic backscatter, moved higher in the water column and decreased in abundance during spring upwelling, attributed to avoidance of a shoaling oxycline and advection offshore. Seasonal changes were most evident in a non-migrating scattering layer near 500 m depth that disappeared in spring and reappeared in summer, building to a seasonal maximum in fall. At sub-seasonal time scales, similar responses were observed after individual upwelling events, though they were much weaker than the seasonal relationship. Correlations of acoustic backscatter with oceanographic variability also differed with depth. Backscatter in the upper water column decreased immediately following upwelling, then increased approximately 20 days later. Similar correlations existed deeper in the water column, but at increasing lags, suggesting that near-surface productivity propagated down the water column at 10-15 m d-1, consistent with sinking speeds of marine snow measured in Monterey Bay. Sub-seasonal variability in backscatter was best correlated with sea-surface height, suggesting that passive physical transport was most important at these time scales.

  12. Barn Owl Productivity Response to Variability of Vole Populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Pavluvčík

    Full Text Available We studied the response of the barn owl annual productivity to the common vole population numbers and variability to test the effects of environmental stochasticity on their life histories. Current theory predicts that temporal environmental variability can affect long-term nonlinear responses (e.g., production of young both positively and negatively, depending on the shape of the relationship between the response and environmental variables. At the level of the Czech Republic, we examined the shape of the relationship between the annual sum of fledglings (annual productivity and vole numbers in both non-detrended and detrended data. At the districts' level, we explored whether the degree of synchrony (measured by the correlation coefficient and the strength of the productivity response increase (measured by the regression coefficient in areas with higher vole population variability measured by the s-index. We found that the owls' annual productivity increased linearly with vole numbers in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, based on district data, we also found that synchrony between dynamics in owls' reproductive output and vole numbers increased with vole population variability. However, the strength of the response was not affected by the vole population variability. Additionally, we have shown that detrending remarkably increases the Taylor's exponent b relating variance to mean in vole time series, thereby reversing the relationship between the coefficient of variation and the mean. This shift was not responsible for the increased synchrony with vole population variability. Instead, we suggest that higher synchrony could result from high food specialization of owls on the common vole in areas with highly fluctuating vole populations.

  13. Technical specifications of variable speed motors for negative pressure control in hot cell area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Seon Duk; Bang, H. S.; Cho, W. K

    2002-01-01

    Hot cells are the facilities for handling the high radioactive materials and various R and D activities are performed using hot cells. Therefore the control of air flow in hot cell area is very important technology and it is started with the variable speed motor(VSM) controlling the air handling system in that area. This report describes various technical aspects of VS motors and will be useful for understanding the practical technologies of VS motors and also for optimization of the negative pressure controls in hot cell area.

  14. 30 min of treadmill walking at self-selected speed does not increase gait variability in independent elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Rocha, Emmanuel S; Kunzler, Marcos R; Bobbert, Maarten F; Duysens, Jacques; Carpes, Felipe P

    2018-06-01

    Walking is one of the preferred exercises among elderly, but could a prolonged walking increase gait variability, a risk factor for a fall in the elderly? Here we determine whether 30 min of treadmill walking increases coefficient of variation of gait in elderly. Because gait responses to exercise depend on fitness level, we included 15 sedentary and 15 active elderly. Sedentary participants preferred a lower gait speed and made smaller steps than the actives. Step length coefficient of variation decreased ~16.9% by the end of the exercise in both the groups. Stride length coefficient of variation decreased ~9% after 10 minutes of walking, and sedentary elderly showed a slightly larger step width coefficient of variation (~2%) at 10 min than active elderly. Active elderly showed higher walk ratio (step length/cadence) than sedentary in all times of walking, but the times did not differ in both the groups. In conclusion, treadmill gait kinematics differ between sedentary and active elderly, but changes over time are similar in sedentary and active elderly. As a practical implication, 30 min of walking might be a good strategy of exercise for elderly, independently of the fitness level, because it did not increase variability in step and stride kinematics, which is considered a risk of fall in this population.

  15. Investigation into the Effects of the Variable Displacement Mechanism on Swash Plate Oscillation in High-Speed Piston Pumps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Fang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available High-speed, pressure-compensated variable displacement piston pumps are widely used in aircraft hydraulic systems for their high power density. The swash plate is controlled by the pressure-compensated valve, which uses pressure feedback so that the instantaneous output flow of the pump is exactly enough to maintain a presetting pressure. The oscillation of the swash plate is one of the major excitation sources in the high-speed piston pump, which may cause lower efficiency, shorter service life, and even serious damage. This paper presents an improved model to investigate the influence of the variable displacement mechanism on the swash plate oscillation and introduces some feasible ways to reduce oscillation of the swash plate. Most of the variable structural parameters of the variable displacement mechanism are taken into consideration, and their influences on swash plate oscillation are discussed in detail. The influence of the load pipe on the oscillation of the swash plate is considered in the improved model. A test rig is built and similarities between the experiments and simulated results prove that the simulation model can effectively predict the variable displacement mechanism state. The simulation results show that increasing the volume of the outlet chamber, the spring stiffness of the control valve, the action area of the actuator piston, and offset distance of the actuator piston can significantly reduce the oscillation amplitude of the swash plate. Furthermore, reducing the diameter of the control valve spool and the dead volume of the actuator piston chamber can also have a positive effect on oscillation amplitude reduction.

  16. Response variability to glucose facilitation of cognitive enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owen, Lauren; Scholey, Andrew; Finnegan, Yvonne; Sünram-Lea, Sandra I

    2013-11-01

    Glucose facilitation of cognitive function has been widely reported in previous studies (including our own). However, several studies have also failed to detect glucose facilitation. There is sparsity of research examining the factors that modify the effect of glucose on cognition. The aims of the present study were to (1) demonstrate the previously observed enhancement of cognition through glucose administration and (2) investigate some of the factors that may exert moderating roles on the behavioural response to glucose, including glucose regulation, body composition (BC) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis response. A total of twenty-four participants took part in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, repeated-measures study, which examined the effect of 25 and 60 g glucose compared with placebo on cognitive function. At 1 week before the study commencement, all participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. Glucose facilitated performance on tasks of numeric and spatial working memory, verbal declarative memory and speed of recognition. Moderating variables were examined using several indices of glucoregulation and BC. Poorer glucoregulation predicted improved immediate word recall accuracy following the administration of 25 g glucose compared with placebo. Those with better glucoregulation showed performance decrements on word recall accuracy following the administration of 25 g glucose compared with placebo. These findings are in line with accumulating evidence that glucose load may preferentially enhance cognition in those with poorer glucoregulation. Furthermore, the finding that individuals with better glucoregulation may suffer impaired performance following a glucose load is novel and requires further substantiation.

  17. Quantifying cardiorespiratory responses resulting from speed and slope increments during motorized treadmill propulsion among manual wheelchair users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauthier, Cindy; Grangeon, Murielle; Ananos, Ludivine; Brosseau, Rachel; Gagnon, Dany H

    2017-09-01

    Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment and training among manual wheelchair (MW) users are predominantly done with an arm-crank ergometer. However, arm-crank ergometer biomechanics differ substantially from MW propulsion biomechanics. This study aimed to quantify cardiorespiratory responses resulting from speed and slope increments during MW propulsion on a motorized treadmill and to calculate a predictive equation based on speed and slope for estimating peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ) in MW users. In total, 17 long-term MW users completed 12 MW propulsion periods (PP), each lasting 2min, on a motorized treadmill, in a random order. Each PP was separated by a 2-min rest. PPs were characterized by a combination of 3 speeds (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0m/s) and 4 slopes (0°, 2.7°, 3.6° and 4.8°). Six key cardiorespiratory outcome measures (VO 2 , heart rate, respiratory rate, minute ventilation and tidal volume) were recorded by using a gas-exchange analysis system. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured by using the modified 10-point Borg scale after each PP. For the 14 participants who completed the test, cardiorespiratory responses increased in response to speed and/or slope increments, except those recorded between the 3.6 o and 4.8 o slope, for which most outcome measures were comparable. The RPE was positively associated with cardiorespiratory response (r s ≥0.85). A VO 2 predictive equation (R 2 =99.7%) based on speed and slope for each PP was computed. This equation informed the development of a future testing protocol to linearly increase VO 2 via 1-min stages during treadmill MW propulsion. Increasing speed and slope while propelling a MW on a motorized treadmill increases cardiorespiratory response along with RPE. RPE can be used to easily and accurately monitor cardiorespiratory responses during MW exercise. The VO 2 can be predicted to some extent by speed and slope during MW propulsion. A testing protocol is proposed to assess cardiorespiratory fitness

  18. Multi-Wheat-Model Ensemble Responses to Interannual Climate Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruane, Alex C.; Hudson, Nicholas I.; Asseng, Senthold; Camarrano, Davide; Ewert, Frank; Martre, Pierre; Boote, Kenneth J.; Thorburn, Peter J.; Aggarwal, Pramod K.; Angulo, Carlos

    2016-01-01

    We compare 27 wheat models' yield responses to interannual climate variability, analyzed at locations in Argentina, Australia, India, and The Netherlands as part of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Wheat Pilot. Each model simulated 1981e2010 grain yield, and we evaluate results against the interannual variability of growing season temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The amount of information used for calibration has only a minor effect on most models' climate response, and even small multi-model ensembles prove beneficial. Wheat model clusters reveal common characteristics of yield response to climate; however models rarely share the same cluster at all four sites indicating substantial independence. Only a weak relationship (R2 0.24) was found between the models' sensitivities to interannual temperature variability and their response to long-termwarming, suggesting that additional processes differentiate climate change impacts from observed climate variability analogs and motivating continuing analysis and model development efforts.

  19. Study and experimental verification of control tuning strategies in a variable speed wind energy conversion system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zaragoza, Jordi; Pou, Josep; Arias, Antoni [Electronic Engineering Dept., Technical University of Catalonia, Campus Terrassa, C. Colom 1, 08222 Terrassa (Spain); Spiteri, Cyril [Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion, University of Malta, Faculty of Engineering, Msida (Malta); Robles, Eider; Ceballos, Salvador [Energy Unit, Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Corporation, Zamudio, Basque Country (Spain)

    2011-05-15

    This paper analyzes and compares different control tuning strategies for a variable speed wind energy conversion system (WECS) based on a permanent-magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The aerodynamics of the wind turbine (WT) and a PMSG have been modeled. The control strategy used in this research is composed of three regulators, which may be based on either linear or nonlinear controllers. In this analysis, proportional-integral (PI) linear controllers have been used. Two different tuning strategies are analyzed and compared. The main goal is to enhance the overall performance by achieving a low sensitivity to disturbances and minimal overshoot under variable operating conditions. Finally, the results have been verified by an experimental WECS laboratory prototype. (author)

  20. Investigations dealing with variable-speed drives of belt conveyor systems; Untersuchungen an drehzahlstellbaren Antrieben von Gurtbandfoerderanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heuvel, B. van den [RWE Power AG, Technikzentrum Tagebaue/Hauptwerkstatt, Versuchsabteilung, Frechen (Germany)

    2006-04-15

    Safe and faultless operation of belt conveyor systems is a crucial factor in maintaining the availability of interlinked conveying systems employed in mining operations; the use of components with a high efficiency or low energy consumption and energy-conserving plant operation modes allow economic efficiency to be enhanced. With the power increase of single drives to 2500 kW the static design is gaining significance and - with the introduction of variable-speed conveyor drives - particular importance is also to be attached to the proper dynamic design and adjustment of the drive units. Comprehensive measurement and computational studies made of different conveyor drive units in the 900 to 2500 kW power range revealed that excitations of torsional natural frequencies caused by the drives' tooth contact frequencies were the reason for the damage that had occurred; remedial measures were developed the efficacy of which was demonstrated in practice. Moreover, investigations aimed at precautionary damage prevention are described which were performed with newly designed gears prior to the conversion of proven conveyor drives to variable-speed drive units. When designing new gears in the future, we recommend to also investigate them with regard to their dynamic behaviour in the drive train during the design phase by performing appropriate torsional vibration analyses. (orig.)

  1. Impact of the vibrations on the environment caused by passages of trains at variable speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kożuch Barbara

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with negative environmental impact caused by the passages of different kinds of trains at variable speed. The study is based on the measurement results which took place in Poland in 2013 on the railway line no. 4. The effect of the traction unit – Pendolino (EMU 250 on the vibration climate was analysed. The impact of passages of new trains was compared to currently operated rolling stock. The speed of trains was varying between 40 and 250 km/h. Vibration measurements were conducted by stuff of an accredited Laboratory of Structural Mechanics at Cracow University of Technology (Accreditation No. AB 826. The influence of the indicated vibrations due to passages of the trains on the building in the neighbourhood of the line was investigated. The vibration assessment was done for horizontal components of vibrations according to Polish standard code. Assessment of environmental impact was presented by indicator of perceptibility of vibration through construction (WODB, which refers to the Scales of Dynamic Influences (SDI scales. The limits specified by standards in any of the passages have not been exceeded. The change of speed or rolling stock resulted in a change in the characteristic of the vibration spectrum.

  2. Control model design to limit DC-link voltage during grid fault in a dfig variable speed wind turbine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nwosu, Cajethan M.; Ogbuka, Cosmas U.; Oti, Stephen E.

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents a control model design capable of inhibiting the phenomenal rise in the DC-link voltage during grid- fault condition in a variable speed wind turbine. Against the use of power circuit protection strategies with inherent limitations in fault ride-through capability, a control circuit algorithm capable of limiting the DC-link voltage rise which in turn bears dynamics that has direct influence on the characteristics of the rotor voltage especially during grid faults is here proposed. The model results so obtained compare favorably with the simulation results as obtained in a MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The generated model may therefore be used to predict near accurately the nature of DC-link voltage variations during fault given some factors which include speed and speed mode of operation, the value of damping resistor relative to half the product of inner loop current control bandwidth and the filter inductance.

  3. Speed Variance and Its Influence on Accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garber, Nicholas J.; Gadirau, Ravi

    A study was conducted to investigate the traffic engineering factors that influence speed variance and to determine to what extent speed variance affects accident rates. Detailed analyses were carried out to relate speed variance with posted speed limit, design speeds, and other traffic variables. The major factor identified was the difference…

  4. The Influence of Load and Speed on Individuals' Movement Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frost, David M; Beach, Tyson A C; Callaghan, Jack P; McGill, Stuart M

    2015-09-01

    Because individuals' movement patterns have been linked to their risk of future injury, movement evaluations have become a topic of interest. However, if individuals adapt their movement behavior in response to the demands of a task, the utility of evaluations comprising only low-demand activities could have limited application with regard to the prediction of future injury. This investigation examined the impact of load and speed on individuals' movement behavior. Fifty-two firefighters performed 5 low-demand (i.e., light load, low movement speed) whole-body tasks (i.e., lift, squat, lunge, push, and pull). Each task was then modified by increasing the speed, external load, or speed and load. Select measures of motion were used to characterize the performance of each task, and comparisons were made between conditions. The participants adapted their movement behavior in response to the external demands of a task (64 and 70% of all the variables were influenced [p ≤ 0.05] by changing the load and speed, respectively), but in a manner unique to the task and type of demand. The participants exhibited greater spine and frontal plane knee motion in response to an increase in speed when compared with increasing loads. However, there were a large number of movement strategies exhibited by individual firefighters that differed from the group's response. The data obtained here imply that individuals may not be physically prepared to perform safely or effectively when a task's demands are elevated simply because they exhibit the ability to perform a low-demand activity with competence. Therefore, movement screens comprising only low-demand activities may not adequately reflect an individual's capacity, or their risk of injury, and could adversely affect any recommendations that are made for training or job performance.

  5. Dissociating neural variability related to stimulus quality and response times in perceptual decision-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bode, Stefan; Bennett, Daniel; Sewell, David K; Paton, Bryan; Egan, Gary F; Smith, Philip L; Murawski, Carsten

    2018-03-01

    According to sequential sampling models, perceptual decision-making is based on accumulation of noisy evidence towards a decision threshold. The speed with which a decision is reached is determined by both the quality of incoming sensory information and random trial-by-trial variability in the encoded stimulus representations. To investigate those decision dynamics at the neural level, participants made perceptual decisions while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted. On each trial, participants judged whether an image presented under conditions of high, medium, or low visual noise showed a piano or a chair. Higher stimulus quality (lower visual noise) was associated with increased activation in bilateral medial occipito-temporal cortex and ventral striatum. Lower stimulus quality was related to stronger activation in posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). When stimulus quality was fixed, faster response times were associated with a positive parametric modulation of activation in medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex, while slower response times were again related to more activation in PPC, DLPFC and insula. Our results suggest that distinct neural networks were sensitive to the quality of stimulus information, and to trial-to-trial variability in the encoded stimulus representations, but that reaching a decision was a consequence of their joint activity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Unbalance Response Prediction for Rotors on Ball Bearings Using Speed and Load Dependent Nonlinear Bearing Stiffness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleming, David P.; Poplawski, J. V.

    2003-01-01

    Rolling-element bearing forces vary nonlinearly with bearing deflection. Thus an accurate rotordynamic analysis requires that bearing forces corresponding to the actual bearing deflection be utilized. For this work bearing forces were calculated by COBRA-AHS, a recently developed rolling-element bearing analysis code. Bearing stiffness was found to be a strong function of bearing deflection, with higher deflection producing markedly higher stiffness. Curves fitted to the bearing data for a range of speeds and loads were supplied to a flexible rotor unbalance response analysis. The rotordynamic analysis showed that vibration response varied nonlinearly with the amount of rotor imbalance. Moreover, the increase in stiffness as critical speeds were approached caused a large increase in rotor and bearing vibration amplitude over part of the speed range compared to the case of constant bearing stiffness. Regions of bistable operation were possible, in which the amplitude at a given speed was much larger during rotor acceleration than during deceleration. A moderate amount of damping will eliminate the bistable region, but this damping is not inherent in ball bearings.

  7. Improving homogeneity by dynamic speed limit systems.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nes, N. van Brandenberg, S. & Twisk, D.A.M.

    2010-01-01

    Homogeneity of driving speeds is an important variable in determining road safety; more homogeneous driving speeds increase road safety. This study investigates the effect of introducing dynamic speed limit systems on homogeneity of driving speeds. A total of 46 subjects twice drove a route along 12

  8. Multi-wheat-model ensemble responses to interannual climatic variability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruane, A C; Hudson, N I; Asseng, S

    2016-01-01

    We compare 27 wheat models' yield responses to interannual climate variability, analyzed at locations in Argentina, Australia, India, and The Netherlands as part of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Wheat Pilot. Each model simulated 1981–2010 grain yield, and ......-term warming, suggesting that additional processes differentiate climate change impacts from observed climate variability analogs and motivating continuing analysis and model development efforts.......We compare 27 wheat models' yield responses to interannual climate variability, analyzed at locations in Argentina, Australia, India, and The Netherlands as part of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Wheat Pilot. Each model simulated 1981–2010 grain yield, and we...... evaluate results against the interannual variability of growing season temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The amount of information used for calibration has only a minor effect on most models' climate response, and even small multi-model ensembles prove beneficial. Wheat model clusters reveal...

  9. The effect of eating speed at breakfast on appetite hormone responses and daily food consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Meena; Crisp, Kelli; Adams-Huet, Beverley; Dart, Lyn; Bouza, Brooke; Franklin, Brian; Phillips, Melody

    2015-01-01

    The effect of eating speed at a meal on appetite gut hormone responses and future food consumption is not clear. This study examined the effect of eating speed at breakfast on postprandial gut hormone responses, subjective appetite, and daily food consumption. Twenty-five participants [68% men; age, 25.9 (8.1) years; body mass index, 25.0 (3.2) kg/m] were recruited. Each participant consumed the same breakfast at a slow (30 minutes) and fast (10 minutes) speed, on 2 separate days, in a randomized crossover design. Blood samples were collected in the fasting state and 3 hours postprandially during each eating condition. Appetite was assessed over the same period using visual analog scales. Blood concentrations of orexigenic hormone, ghrelin, and anorexigenic hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), were determined. Daily food intake was measured, by food recall, after the slow and fast breakfast. Mixed-model repeated-measures analysis showed no eating condition or eating condition by time interaction effect on ghrelin, GLP-1, PYY, hunger, or fullness. Significant eating speed by time interaction effect on desire to eat was found (P=0.007). Desire to eat was lower at 60 minutes (P=0.007) after breakfast began during the slow versus fast eating condition. Eating speed at breakfast did not affect daily energy and macronutrient intake. Eating speed at breakfast did not affect postprandial ghrelin, GLP-1, PYY, hunger, and fullness values or daily energy and macronutrient intake. Desire to eat was lower at 60 minutes in the slow versus fast eating condition, but this result could not be explained by the changes in meal-related hormones measured in the study.

  10. Capturing the dynamics of response variability in the brain in ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janna van Belle

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available ADHD is characterized by increased intra-individual variability in response times during the performance of cognitive tasks. However, little is known about developmental changes in intra-individual variability, and how these changes relate to cognitive performance. Twenty subjects with ADHD aged 7–24 years and 20 age-matched, typically developing controls participated in an fMRI-scan while they performed a go-no-go task. We fit an ex-Gaussian distribution on the response distribution to objectively separate extremely slow responses, related to lapses of attention, from variability on fast responses. We assessed developmental changes in these intra-individual variability measures, and investigated their relation to no-go performance. Results show that the ex-Gaussian measures were better predictors of no-go performance than traditional measures of reaction time. Furthermore, we found between-group differences in the change in ex-Gaussian parameters with age, and their relation to task performance: subjects with ADHD showed age-related decreases in their variability on fast responses (sigma, but not in lapses of attention (tau, whereas control subjects showed a decrease in both measures of variability. For control subjects, but not subjects with ADHD, this age-related reduction in variability was predictive of task performance. This group difference was reflected in neural activation: for typically developing subjects, the age-related decrease in intra-individual variability on fast responses (sigma predicted activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (dACG, whereas for subjects with ADHD, activity in this region was related to improved no-go performance with age, but not to intra-individual variability. These data show that using more sophisticated measures of intra-individual variability allows the capturing of the dynamics of task performance and associated neural changes not permitted by more traditional measures.

  11. Perbandingan Passive LC Filter Dan Passve Single Tuned Filter Untuk Mereduksi Harmonisa Variable Speed Drive Dengan Beban Motor Induksi Tiga Fasa

    OpenAIRE

    Mustamam

    2016-01-01

    Most of the tools that used as speed control of three phase induction motors rotation is 1 phase Variable Speed Drive (VSD), where VSD is a harmonic generator. Therefore the harmonics that arise in the VSD can be reduced by using passive LC filters fasif namely passive single tuned filter that meet the standards IEC61000-3-2 Class A.The results obtained through passive LC filter could reduce the total distortion of harmonic current (THDi) from 102.9% to 23.78% while passive sin...

  12. When is affect variability bad for health? The association between affect variability and immune response to the influenza vaccination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Brooke N; Hunter, John F; Cross, Marie P; Acevedo, Amanda M; Pressman, Sarah D

    2018-01-01

    This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination. Participants (N=83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels. Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individual's immune response. Those high in mean positive affect (PA) who had more PA variability were more likely to have a lower Ab response in comparison to those who had high mean PA and less PA variability. Although it did not interact with mean negative affect (NA), NA variability on its own was associated with Ab response, whereby those with less NA variability mounted a more robust immune response. Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Variable reflectivity signal mirrors and signal response measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vine, Glenn de; Shaddock, Daniel A; McClelland, David E

    2002-01-01

    Future gravitational wave detectors will include some form of signal mirror in order to alter the signal response of the device. We introduce interferometer configurations which utilize a variable reflectivity signal mirror allowing a tunable peak frequency and variable signal bandwidth. A detector configured with a Fabry-Perot cavity as the signal mirror is compared theoretically with one using a Michelson interferometer for a signal mirror. A system for the measurement of the interferometer signal responses is introduced. This technique is applied to a power-recycled Michelson interferometer with resonant sideband extraction. We present broadband measurements of the benchtop prototype's signal response for a range of signal cavity detunings. This technique is also applicable to most other gravitational wave detector configurations

  14. Variable reflectivity signal mirrors and signal response measurements

    CERN Document Server

    Vine, G D; McClelland, D E

    2002-01-01

    Future gravitational wave detectors will include some form of signal mirror in order to alter the signal response of the device. We introduce interferometer configurations which utilize a variable reflectivity signal mirror allowing a tunable peak frequency and variable signal bandwidth. A detector configured with a Fabry-Perot cavity as the signal mirror is compared theoretically with one using a Michelson interferometer for a signal mirror. A system for the measurement of the interferometer signal responses is introduced. This technique is applied to a power-recycled Michelson interferometer with resonant sideband extraction. We present broadband measurements of the benchtop prototype's signal response for a range of signal cavity detunings. This technique is also applicable to most other gravitational wave detector configurations.

  15. Variable speed limits system for Elk Mountain corridor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    "Determining an appropriate speed for the current conditions can be difficult for the driver. Equally difficult is for law : enforcement agencies to enforce and cite someone going too fast for conditions. In many cases, drivers are cited for going : ...

  16. Sliding Mode Control of a Variable- Speed Wind Energy Conversion System Using a Squirrel Cage Induction Generator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Zribi

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the control of a variable-speed wind energy conversion (WEC system using a squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG connected to the grid through a back-to-back three phase (AC-DC-AC power converter. The sliding mode control technique is used to control the WEC system. The objective of the controllers is to force the states of the system to track their desired states. One controller is used to regulate the generator speed and the flux so that maximum power is extracted from the wind. Another controller is used to control the grid side converter, which controls the DC bus voltage and the active and reactive powers injected into the grid. The performance of the controlled wind energy conversion system is verified through MATLAB simulations, which show that the controlled system performs well.

  17. Variable speed limit system for Elk Mountain corridor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    Determining an appropriate speed for the current conditions can be difficult for the driver. Equally difficult is for law : enforcement agencies to enforce and cite someone going too fast for conditions. In many cases, drivers are cited for going : t...

  18. The design of a turboshaft speed governor using modern control techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delosreyes, G.; Gouchoe, D. R.

    1986-01-01

    The objectives of this program were: to verify the model of off schedule compressor variable geometry in the T700 turboshaft engine nonlinear model; to evaluate the use of the pseudo-random binary noise (PRBN) technique for obtaining engine frequency response data; and to design a high performance power turbine speed governor using modern control methods. Reduction of T700 engine test data generated at NASA-Lewis indicated that the off schedule variable geometry effects were accurate as modeled. Analysis also showed that the PRBN technique combined with the maximum likelihood model identification method produced a Bode frequency response that was as accurate as the response obtained from standard sinewave testing methods. The frequency response verified the accuracy of linear models consisting of engine partial derivatives and used for design. A power turbine governor was designed using the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method of full state feedback control. A Kalman filter observer was used to estimate helicopter main rotor blade velocity. Compared to the baseline T700 power turbine speed governor, the LQR governor reduced droop up to 25 percent for a 490 shaft horsepower transient in 0.1 sec simulating a wind gust, and up to 85 percent for a 700 shaft horsepower transient in 0.5 sec simulating a large collective pitch angle transient.

  19. Theoretical analysis of the conical premixed flame response to upstream velocity disturbances considering flame speed development effects

    OpenAIRE

    Ghazaleh Esmaeelzade; Mohammad Reza Khani; Rouzbeh Riazi; Mohammad Hossein Sabour

    2017-01-01

    The effect of upstream velocity perturbations on the response of a premixed flame was investigated in terms of the flame transfer function dependency on excitation frequency. In this study, the assumption of constant flame speed was extended and the effect of flame speed development was considered; i.e., the flame speed would grow with the time after ignition or with the distance from a flame-holder. In the present study, the kinematics of a conical flame was investigated by linearization of ...

  20. Variable speed DFIG wind energy system for power generation and harmonic current mitigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaillard, A.; Saadate, S. [Groupe de Recherche en Electrotechnique et Electronique de Nancy, Nancy Universite - Universite Henri Poincare Nancy 1, BP239, 54506 Vandoeuvre les Nancy Cedex (France); Poure, P. [Laboratoire d' Instrumentation Electronique de Nancy, Nancy Universite - Universite Henri Poincare Nancy 1, BP239, 54506 Vandoeuvre les Nancy Cedex (France); Machmoum, M. [IREENA, 37 Boulevard de l' Universite, BP 406, 44602 Saint-Nazaire Cedex (France)

    2009-06-15

    This paper presents a novel approach for simultaneous power generation and harmonic current mitigation using variable speed WECS with DFIG. A new control strategy is proposed to upgrade the DFIG control to achieve simultaneously a green active and reactive power source with active filtering capability. To ensure high filtering performance, we studied an improved harmonic isolator in the time-domain, based on a new high selectivity filter developed in our laboratory. We examined two solutions for harmonic current mitigation: first, by compensating the whole harmonic component of the grid currents or second, by selective isolation of the predominant harmonic currents to ensure active filtering of the 5th and 7th harmonics. Simulation results for a 3 MW WECS with DFIG confirm the effectiveness and the performance of the two proposed approaches. (author)

  1. Modeling and Control of a DC-grid Hybrid Power System with Battery and Variable Speed Diesel Generators

    OpenAIRE

    Syverud, Tron Hansen

    2016-01-01

    Hybrid electric power systems (HPS) have successfully been integrated in the road-traffic industry due to enhanced efficiency and environmental benefits. Recently this concept has been implemented in the marine sector. In this master thesis, the construction of a DC hybrid power system for a marine vessel is outlined in detail. The HPS is developed in Matlbat/Simulink and comprises two set of diesel generators with variable speed, six-pulse diode bridges, a battery bank, bidire...

  2. Power Quality Control and Design of Power Converter for Variable-Speed Wind Energy Conversion System with Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Generator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yüksel Oğuz

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The control strategy and design of an AC/DC/AC IGBT-PMW power converter for PMSG-based variable-speed wind energy conversion systems (VSWECS operation in grid/load-connected mode are presented. VSWECS consists of a PMSG connected to a AC-DC IGBT-based PWM rectifier and a DC/AC IGBT-based PWM inverter with LCL filter. In VSWECS, AC/DC/AC power converter is employed to convert the variable frequency variable speed generator output to the fixed frequency fixed voltage grid. The DC/AC power conversion has been managed out using adaptive neurofuzzy controlled inverter located at the output of controlled AC/DC IGBT-based PWM rectifier. In this study, the dynamic performance and power quality of the proposed power converter connected to the grid/load by output LCL filter is focused on. Dynamic modeling and control of the VSWECS with the proposed power converter is performed by using MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show that the output voltage, power, and frequency of VSWECS reach to desirable operation values in a very short time. In addition, when PMSG based VSWECS works continuously with the 4.5 kHz switching frequency, the THD rate of voltage in the load terminal is 0.00672%.

  3. Power quality control and design of power converter for variable-speed wind energy conversion system with permanent-magnet synchronous generator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oğuz, Yüksel; Güney, İrfan; Çalık, Hüseyin

    2013-01-01

    The control strategy and design of an AC/DC/AC IGBT-PMW power converter for PMSG-based variable-speed wind energy conversion systems (VSWECS) operation in grid/load-connected mode are presented. VSWECS consists of a PMSG connected to a AC-DC IGBT-based PWM rectifier and a DC/AC IGBT-based PWM inverter with LCL filter. In VSWECS, AC/DC/AC power converter is employed to convert the variable frequency variable speed generator output to the fixed frequency fixed voltage grid. The DC/AC power conversion has been managed out using adaptive neurofuzzy controlled inverter located at the output of controlled AC/DC IGBT-based PWM rectifier. In this study, the dynamic performance and power quality of the proposed power converter connected to the grid/load by output LCL filter is focused on. Dynamic modeling and control of the VSWECS with the proposed power converter is performed by using MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show that the output voltage, power, and frequency of VSWECS reach to desirable operation values in a very short time. In addition, when PMSG based VSWECS works continuously with the 4.5 kHz switching frequency, the THD rate of voltage in the load terminal is 0.00672%.

  4. On control strategies for power optimization and regulation of variable speed wind turbines; Sur les strategies de commande pour l'optimisation et la regulation de puissance des eoliennes a vitesse variable

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boukhezzar, B

    2006-02-15

    The research work is dealing with variable speed wind turbines modelling and control design, in order to achieve the objectives of maximizing the extracted energy from the wind, below the rated power area in the one hand and in the other hand regulating the electric power production, above the rated power area, while reducing mechanical transient loads. For this purpose, we have studied various control strategies from linear to nonlinear based. some of the controllers that we have developed, herein appear for the first time in the relevant domain, the remaining others are an adaptation of well know controllers to the adopted wind turbine models. as matter of fact, we have derived two wind turbine models as well as a wind speed estimator. Indeed, the estimator allows obtaining the effective wind speed which cannot be measured, since the wind profile around the rotor is variable in time and space. As results, it has been shown that single input control by means of pitch angle or generator control cannot succeed to simultaneously drive the electric power output regulation and the rotor speed reference tracking. So then, our idea is to combine nonlinear dynamic state feedback torque control and pitch linear based control which turns out to be the best strategy. In addition, the validation of the controllers performance, using a high turbulence wind speed profile, has been performed through wind turbine simulators provided by nrel (national renewable energy laboratory, golden, co), has confirmed the theoretical results and has led to quite satisfactory conclusions in terms of energy capture optimization, power regulation and disturbances strong rejection as well. (author)

  5. A study of flux control for high-efficiency speed control of variable flux permanent magnet motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young Hyun; Lee, Seong Soo; Lee, Jung Ho

    2018-05-01

    In this study, we evaluate the performance of permanent magnets (PMs). The efficiency of attraction in the high speed region was studied using the variable flux memory motor (VFMM). It is presented in order to analyze the magnetic characteristics of PMs, using the second quadrant plan data with re- and de-magnetization. In addition, this study focuses on the evaluation of operational characteristics relative to the magnetizing directions according to the d-axis currents, by using one of the finite element solutions. The feasibility of application for the VFMM has been experimentally demonstrated.

  6. Impact of Shaft Stiffness on Inertial Response of Fixed Speed Wind Turbines

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2012-01-01

    Future power' system faces several challenges, one of them is the high penetration level of intermittent wind power generation, providing small or even no inertial response and being not contributing to the frequency stability. The effect of shaft stiffness on inertial response of fixed speed wind turbines is presented. Four different drive-train models based on the multi-body system are developed. The small-signal analysis demonstrates no significant differences between models in terms of electro-mechanical eigen-values for increasing shaft stiffness. The natural resonance frequency of drive-train torsion modes shows slightly different values between damped and undamped models, but no significant differences are found in the number-mass models. Time-domain simulations show the changes in the active power contribution of a wind farm based on a fixed speed wind turbine during the system frequency disturbance. The changes in the kinetic energy during the dynamic process are calculated and their contribution to the inertia constant is small and effective. The largest contribution of the kinetic energy is provided at the beginning of the system frequency disturbance to reduce the rate of the frequency change, it is positive for the frequency stability.

  7. Self-monitoring of driving speed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etzioni, Shelly; Erev, Ido; Ishaq, Robert; Elias, Wafa; Shiftan, Yoram

    2017-09-01

    In-vehicle data recorders (IVDR) have been found to facilitate safe driving and are highly valuable in accident analysis. Nevertheless, it is not easy to convince drivers to use them. Part of the difficulty is related to the "Big Brother" concern: installing IVDR impairs the drivers' privacy. The "Big Brother" concern can be mitigated by adding a turn-off switch to the IVDR. However, this addition comes at the expense of increasing speed variability between drivers, which is known to impair safety. The current experimental study examines the significance of this negative effect of a turn-off switch under two experimental settings representing different incentive structures: small and large fines for speeding. 199 students were asked to participate in a computerized speeding dilemma task, where they could control the speed of their "car" using "brake" and "speed" buttons, corresponding to automatic car foot pedals. The participants in two experimental conditions had IVDR installed in their "cars", and were told that they could turn it off at any time. Driving with active IVDR implied some probability of "fines" for speeding, and the two experimental groups differed with respect to the fine's magnitude, small or large. The results indicate that the option to use IVDR reduced speeding and speed variance. In addition, the results indicate that the reduction of speed variability was maximal in the small fine group. These results suggest that using IVDR with gentle fines and with a turn-off option maintains the positive effect of IVDR, addresses the "Big Brother" concern, and does not increase speed variance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Wind speed change regionalization in China (1961–2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pei-Jun Shi

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This research quantitatively recognized the wind speed change using wind speed trend and trend of wind speed variability from 1961 to 2012 and regionalized the wind speed change on a county-level basis. The mean wind speed observation data and linear fitting method were used. The findings suggested that level-I regionalization includes six zones according to wind speed trend value in different regions, viz. Northeast China–North China substantial declining zone, East–Central China declining zone, Southeast China slightly declining zone, Southwest China very slightly declining zone, Northwest China declining zone, and Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau slightly declining zone. Level-II regionalization divides China into twelve regions based on trend of wind speed variability and the level-I regionalization results.

  9. A plant's perspective of extremes: terrestrial plant responses to changing climatic variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyer, Christopher P O; Leuzinger, Sebastian; Rammig, Anja; Wolf, Annett; Bartholomeus, Ruud P; Bonfante, Antonello; de Lorenzi, Francesca; Dury, Marie; Gloning, Philipp; Abou Jaoudé, Renée; Klein, Tamir; Kuster, Thomas M; Martins, Monica; Niedrist, Georg; Riccardi, Maria; Wohlfahrt, Georg; de Angelis, Paolo; de Dato, Giovanbattista; François, Louis; Menzel, Annette; Pereira, Marízia

    2013-01-01

    We review observational, experimental, and model results on how plants respond to extreme climatic conditions induced by changing climatic variability. Distinguishing between impacts of changing mean climatic conditions and changing climatic variability on terrestrial ecosystems is generally underrated in current studies. The goals of our review are thus (1) to identify plant processes that are vulnerable to changes in the variability of climatic variables rather than to changes in their mean, and (2) to depict/evaluate available study designs to quantify responses of plants to changing climatic variability. We find that phenology is largely affected by changing mean climate but also that impacts of climatic variability are much less studied, although potentially damaging. We note that plant water relations seem to be very vulnerable to extremes driven by changes in temperature and precipitation and that heat-waves and flooding have stronger impacts on physiological processes than changing mean climate. Moreover, interacting phenological and physiological processes are likely to further complicate plant responses to changing climatic variability. Phenological and physiological processes and their interactions culminate in even more sophisticated responses to changing mean climate and climatic variability at the species and community level. Generally, observational studies are well suited to study plant responses to changing mean climate, but less suitable to gain a mechanistic understanding of plant responses to climatic variability. Experiments seem best suited to simulate extreme events. In models, temporal resolution and model structure are crucial to capture plant responses to changing climatic variability. We highlight that a combination of experimental, observational, and/or modeling studies have the potential to overcome important caveats of the respective individual approaches. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  10. On the modelling and partial-load control of variable-speed wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Novak, P [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden). School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    1996-12-31

    The focus of this thesis is on modelling and variable-speed control of wind turbines. A physical model structure including the fundamental drive-train mode is derived and validated by system-identification experiments on a full-scale wind turbine. The resulting, parametrized model has been used as a basis for an evaluation of controllers for partial-load operation, validated by non-linear simulations. This evaluation, including several controller concepts, verifies that a sophisticated controller becomes necessary, when stretching the limits in power-loss minimization. This control strategy also demands the sampling frequency to be pushed to a high level. As a consequence, the angular-position measurements become time correlated and, in the limit, periodic. It is shown in the thesis how the resulting, operating-point-dependent effects on the measurement errors influence the estimation quality, using a stationary Kalman filter as an example. A gain-scheduling estimation approach is shown to improve the performance. 39 refs, 63 figs, 2 tabs

  11. 变速变桨风力机组控制策略研究%Research on the Control Strategy for Variable Speed and Variable Pitch Wind Turbine

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    陈铁军; 汪兆财

    2012-01-01

    In order to increase the utilization efficiency of wind energy of wind turbine power generation system, and improve the quality of output electric energy, with the chaotic system theory as the core, the control structure of chaotic automation used for variable speed and variable pitch wind turbine is established. In addition, combining with fuzzy control theory, the algorithm of controller is given. The simulation of the control structure and control algorithm shows that comparing with conventional control method, the variable speed and variable pitch wind turbine with chaotic automation control structure and under control algorithm reaches predicted target, the practical control effect is excellent.%为提高风力机发电系统的风能利用效率、改善输出电能质量,针对变速变桨风力发电机组的控制问题,以混杂系统理论为核心,建立了应用于变速变桨风力机组的混杂自动机控制结构.同时,结合模糊控制理论,给出控制器的算法.通过对该控制结构和控制算法的仿真表明,与常规的控制方法相比,采用混杂自动机控制结构和控制算法控制变速变桨风力机组,既提高了风能的利用效率,又很好地改善了风力机输出电能质量,实际控制效果良好.

  12. A Decline in Response Variability Improves Neural Signal Detection during Auditory Task Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Trapp, Gardiner; Buran, Bradley N; Sen, Kamal; Semple, Malcolm N; Sanes, Dan H

    2016-10-26

    The detection of a sensory stimulus arises from a significant change in neural activity, but a sensory neuron's response is rarely identical to successive presentations of the same stimulus. Large trial-to-trial variability would limit the central nervous system's ability to reliably detect a stimulus, presumably affecting perceptual performance. However, if response variability were to decrease while firing rate remained constant, then neural sensitivity could improve. Here, we asked whether engagement in an auditory detection task can modulate response variability, thereby increasing neural sensitivity. We recorded telemetrically from the core auditory cortex of gerbils, both while they engaged in an amplitude-modulation detection task and while they sat quietly listening to the identical stimuli. Using a signal detection theory framework, we found that neural sensitivity was improved during task performance, and this improvement was closely associated with a decrease in response variability. Moreover, units with the greatest change in response variability had absolute neural thresholds most closely aligned with simultaneously measured perceptual thresholds. Our findings suggest that the limitations imposed by response variability diminish during task performance, thereby improving the sensitivity of neural encoding and potentially leading to better perceptual sensitivity. The detection of a sensory stimulus arises from a significant change in neural activity. However, trial-to-trial variability of the neural response may limit perceptual performance. If the neural response to a stimulus is quite variable, then the response on a given trial could be confused with the pattern of neural activity generated when the stimulus is absent. Therefore, a neural mechanism that served to reduce response variability would allow for better stimulus detection. By recording from the cortex of freely moving animals engaged in an auditory detection task, we found that variability

  13. Amplitude variability over trials in hemodynamic responses in adolescents with ADHD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, L; Eichele, T; van Wageningen, H

    2016-01-01

    variable response times. In this study, we asked whether ADHD IIV in reaction time on a commonly-used test of attention might be related to variation in hemodynamic responses (HRs) observed trial-to-trial. Based on previous studies linking IIV to regions within the "default mode" network (DMN), we...... predicted that adolescents with ADHD would have higher HR variability in the DMN compared with controls, and this in turn would be related to behavioral IIV. We also explored the influence of social anxiety on HR variability in ADHD as means to test whether higher arousal associated with high trait anxiety...... would affect the neural abnormalities. We assessed single-trial variability of HRs, estimated from fMRI event-related responses elicited during an auditory oddball paradigm in adolescents with ADHD and healthy controls (11-18 years old; N = 46). Adolescents with ADHD had higher HR variability compared...

  14. Groundwater level responses to precipitation variability in Mediterranean insular aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzo-Lacruz, Jorge; Garcia, Celso; Morán-Tejeda, Enrique

    2017-09-01

    Groundwater is one of the largest and most important sources of fresh water on many regions under Mediterranean climate conditions, which are exposed to large precipitation variability that includes frequent meteorological drought episodes, and present high evapotranspiration rates and water demand during the dry season. The dependence on groundwater increases in those areas with predominant permeable lithologies, contributing to aquifer recharge and the abundance of ephemeral streams. The increasing pressure of tourism on water resources in many Mediterranean coastal areas, and uncertainty related to future precipitation and water availability, make it urgent to understand the spatio-temporal response of groundwater bodies to precipitation variability, if sustainable use of the resource is to be achieved. We present an assessment of the response of aquifers to precipitation variability based on correlations between the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at various time scales and the Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI) across a Mediterranean island. We detected three main responses of aquifers to accumulated precipitation anomalies: (i) at short time scales of the SPI (24 months). The differing responses were mainly explained by differences in lithology and the percentage of highly permeable rock strata in the aquifer recharge areas. We also identified differences in the months and seasons when aquifer storages are more dependent on precipitation; these were related to climate seasonality and the degree of aquifer exploitation or underground water extraction. The recharge of some aquifers, especially in mountainous areas, is related to precipitation variability within a limited spatial extent, whereas for aquifers located in the plains, precipitation variability influence much larger areas; the topography and geological structure of the island explain these differences. Results indicate large spatial variability in the response of aquifers to precipitation in

  15. Increased reaction time variability in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as a response-related phenomenon: evidence from single-trial event-related potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saville, Christopher W N; Feige, Bernd; Kluckert, Christian; Bender, Stephan; Biscaldi, Monica; Berger, Andrea; Fleischhaker, Christian; Henighausen, Klaus; Klein, Christoph

    2015-07-01

    Increased intra-subject variability (ISV) in reaction times (RTs) is a promising endophenotype for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and among the most robust hallmarks of the disorder. ISV has been assumed to represent an attentional deficit, either reflecting lapses in attention or increased neural noise. Here, we use an innovative single-trial event-related potential approach to assess whether the increased ISV associated with ADHD is indeed attributable to attention, or whether it is related to response-related processing. We measured electroencephalographic responses to working memory oddball tasks in patients with ADHD (N = 20, aged 11.3 ± 1.1) and healthy controls (N = 25, aged 11.7 ± 1.1), and analysed these data with a recently developed method of single-trial event-related potential analysis. Estimates of component latency variability were computed for the stimulus-locked and response-locked forms of the P3b and the lateralised readiness potential (LRP). ADHD patients showed significantly increased ISV in behavioural ISV. This increased ISV was paralleled by an increase in variability in response-locked event-related potential latencies, while variability in stimulus-locked latencies was equivalent between groups. This result held across the P3b and LRP. Latency of all components predicted RTs on a single-trial basis, confirming that all were relevant for speed of processing. These data suggest that the increased ISV found in ADHD could be associated with response-end, rather than stimulus-end processes, in contrast to prevailing conceptions about the endophenotype. This mental chronometric approach may also be useful for exploring whether the existing lack of specificity of ISV to particular psychiatric conditions can be improved upon. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

  16. A study of flux control for high-efficiency speed control of variable flux permanent magnet motor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Hyun Kim

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we evaluate the performance of permanent magnets (PMs. The efficiency of attraction in the high speed region was studied using the variable flux memory motor (VFMM. It is presented in order to analyze the magnetic characteristics of PMs, using the second quadrant plan data with re- and de-magnetization. In addition, this study focuses on the evaluation of operational characteristics relative to the magnetizing directions according to the d-axis currents, by using one of the finite element solutions. The feasibility of application for the VFMM has been experimentally demonstrated.

  17. Individual canine Airway Response Variability to a Deep Inspiration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert H. Brown

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In healthy individuals, a DI can reverse (bronchodilation or prevent (bronchoprotection induced airway constriction. For individuals with asthma or COPD, these effects may be attenuated or absent. Previous work showed that the size and duration of a DI affected the subsequent response of the airways. Also, increased airway tone lead to increased airway size variability. The present study examined how a DI affected the temporal variability in individual airway baseline size and after methacholine challenge in dogs using High-Resolution Computed Tomography. Dogs were anesthetized and ventilated, and on 4 separate days, HRCT scans were acquired before and after a DI at baseline and during a continuous intravenous infusion of methacholine (Mch at 3 dose rates (17, 67, and 200 μg/mm. The Coefficient of Variation was used as an index of temporal variability in airway size. We found that at baseline and the lowest dose of Mch, variability decreased immediately and 5 minutes after the DI ( P < 0.0001. In contrast, with higher doses of Mch, the DI caused a variable response. At a rate of 67 μg/min of Mch, the temporal variability increased after 5 minutes, while at a rate of 200 μg/min of Mch, the temporal variability increased immediately after the DI. Increased airway temporal variability has been shown to be associated with asthma. Although the mechanisms underlying this temporal variability are poorly understood, the beneficial effects of a DI to decrease airway temporal variability was eliminated when airway tone was increased. If this effect is absent in asthmatics, this may suggest a possible mechanism for the loss of bronchoprotective and bronchodilatory effects after a DI in asthma.

  18. Design and Construction of Variable Direct Current Speed Drive ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    controlled rectifiers from the viewpoint of simplicity and cost effectiveness to act as power converter and controller. Design and construction of constituent circuits such as acceleration/deceleration, speed and current amplifier and the trigger ...

  19. Principles of a simulation model for a variable-speed pitch-regulated wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Camblong, H.; Vidal, M.R.; Puiggali, J.R.

    2004-07-01

    This paper considers the basic principles for establishing a simulation- model of a variable speed, pitch regulated, wind turbine. This model is used to test various control algorithms designed with the aim of maximising energetic yield and robustness and minimising flicker emission and dynamic drive train loads. One of the most complex elements of such a system is the interaction between wind and turbine. First, a detailed and didactic analysis of this interaction is given. This is used to understand some complicated phenomena, and to help design a simpler and more efficient (in terms of processing time) mathematical model. Additional submodels are given for the mechanical coupling, the pitch system and the electrical power system, before the entire model is validated by comparison with filed measurements on a 180 kW turbine. The complete simulation model is flexible, efficient and allows easy evaluation of different control algorithms. (author)

  20. Regulating task-monitoring systems in response to variable reward contingencies and outcomes in cocaine addicts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morie, Kristen P; De Sanctis, Pierfilippo; Garavan, Hugh; Foxe, John J

    2016-03-01

    We investigated anticipatory and consummatory reward processing in cocaine addiction. In addition, we set out to assess whether task-monitoring systems were appropriately recalibrated in light of variable reward schedules. We also examined neural measures of task-monitoring and reward processing as a function of hedonic tone, since anhedonia is a vulnerability marker for addiction that is obviously germane in the context of reward processing. High-density event-related potentials were recorded while participants performed a speeded response task that systematically varied anticipated probabilities of reward receipt. The paradigm dissociated feedback regarding task success (or failure) from feedback regarding the value of reward (or loss), so that task-monitoring and reward processing could be examined in partial isolation. Twenty-three active cocaine abusers and 23 age-matched healthy controls participated. Cocaine abusers showed amplified anticipatory responses to reward predictive cues, but crucially, these responses were not as strongly modulated by reward probability as in controls. Cocaine users also showed blunted responses to feedback about task success or failure and did not use this information to update predictions about reward. In turn, they showed clearly blunted responses to reward feedback. In controls and users, measures of anhedonia were associated with reward motivation. In cocaine users, anhedonia was also associated with diminished monitoring and reward feedback responses. Findings imply that reward anticipation and monitoring deficiencies in addiction are associated with increased responsiveness to reward cues but impaired ability to predict reward in light of task contingencies, compounded by deficits in responding to actual reward outcomes.

  1. Young drivers' responses to anti-speeding advertisements: Comparison of self-report and objective measures of persuasive processing and outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaye, Sherrie-Anne; Lewis, Ioni; Algie, Jennifer; White, Melanie J

    2016-05-18

    Self-report measures are typically used to assess the effectiveness of road safety advertisements. However, psychophysiological measures of persuasive processing (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and objective driving measures of persuasive outcomes (i.e., in-vehicle Global Positioning System [GPS] devices) may provide further insights into the effectiveness of these advertisements. This study aimed to explore the persuasive processing and outcomes of 2 anti-speeding advertisements by incorporating both self-report and objective measures of speeding behavior. In addition, this study aimed to compare the findings derived from these different measurement approaches. Young drivers (N = 20, M age = 21.01 years) viewed either a positive or negative emotion-based anti-speeding television advertisement. While viewing the advertisement, SCR activity was measured to assess ad-evoked arousal responses. The RoadScout GPS device was then installed in participants' vehicles for 1 week to measure on-road speed-related driving behavior. Self-report measures assessed persuasive processing (emotional and arousal responses) and actual driving behavior. There was general correspondence between the self-report measures of arousal and the SCR and between the self-report measure of actual driving behavior and the objective driving data (as assessed via the GPS devices). This study provides insights into how psychophysiological and GPS devices could be used as objective measures in conjunction with self-report measures to further understand the persuasive processes and outcomes of emotion-based anti-speeding advertisements.

  2. Centile estimation for a proportion response variable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hossain, Abu; Rigby, Robert; Stasinopoulos, Mikis; Enea, Marco

    2016-03-15

    This paper introduces two general models for computing centiles when the response variable Y can take values between 0 and 1, inclusive of 0 or 1. The models developed are more flexible alternatives to the beta inflated distribution. The first proposed model employs a flexible four parameter logit skew Student t (logitSST) distribution to model the response variable Y on the unit interval (0, 1), excluding 0 and 1. This model is then extended to the inflated logitSST distribution for Y on the unit interval, including 1. The second model developed in this paper is a generalised Tobit model for Y on the unit interval, including 1. Applying these two models to (1-Y) rather than Y enables modelling of Y on the unit interval including 0 rather than 1. An application of the new models to real data shows that they can provide superior fits. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Rapid Speed Modulation of a Rotary Total Artificial Heart Impeller.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinheyer, Matthias; Timms, Daniel L; Tansley, Geoffrey D; Nestler, Frank; Greatrex, Nicholas A; Frazier, O Howard; Cohn, William E

    2016-09-01

    Unlike the earlier reciprocating volume displacement-type pumps, rotary blood pumps (RBPs) typically operate at a constant rotational speed and produce continuous outflow. When RBP technology is used in constructing a total artificial heart (TAH), the pressure waveform that the TAH produces is flat, without the rise and fall associated with a normal arterial pulse. Several studies have suggested that pulseless circulation may impair microcirculatory perfusion and the autoregulatory response and may contribute to adverse events such as gastrointestinal bleeding, arteriovenous malformations, and pump thrombosis. It may therefore be beneficial to attempt to reproduce pulsatile output, similar to that generated by the native heart, by rapidly modulating the speed of an RBP impeller. The choice of an appropriate speed profile and control strategy to generate physiologic waveforms while minimizing power consumption and blood trauma becomes a challenge. In this study, pump operation modes with six different speed profiles using the BiVACOR TAH were evaluated in vitro. These modes were compared with respect to: hemodynamic pulsatility, which was quantified as surplus hemodynamic energy (SHE); maximum rate of change of pressure (dP/dt); pulse power index; and motor power consumption as a function of pulse pressure. The results showed that the evaluated variables underwent different trends in response to changes in the speed profile shape. The findings indicated a possible trade-off between SHE levels and flow rate pulsatility related to the relative systolic duration in the speed profile. Furthermore, none of the evaluated measures was sufficient to fully characterize hemodynamic pulsatility. © 2016 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. High speed atom source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshino, Hitoshi.

    1990-01-01

    In a high speed atom source, since the speed is not identical between ions and electrons, no sufficient neutralizing effect for ionic rays due to the mixing of the ionic rays and the electron rays can be obtained failing to obtain high speed atomic rays at high density. In view of the above, a speed control means is disposed for equalizing the speed of ions forming ionic rays and the speed of electrons forming electron rays. Further, incident angle of the electron rays and/or ionic rays to a magnet or an electrode is made variable. As a result, the relative speed between the ions and the electrons to the processing direction is reduced to zero, in which the probability of association between the ions and the electrons due to the coulomb force is increased to improve the neutralizing efficiency to easily obtain fine and high density high speed electron rays. Further, by varying the incident angle, a track capable of obtaining an ideal mixing depending on the energy of the neutralized ionic rays is formed. Since the high speed electron rays has such high density, they can be irradiated easily to the minute region of the specimen. (N.H.)

  5. A plant’s perspective of extremes: Terrestrial plant responses to changing climatic variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyer, C.; Leuzinger, S.; Rammig, A.; Wolf, A.; Bartholomeus, R. P.; Bonfante, A.; de Lorenzi, F.; Dury, M.; Gloning, P.; Abou Jaoudé, R.; Klein, T.; Kuster, T. M.; Martins, M.; Niedrist, G.; Riccardi, M.; Wohlfahrt, G.; de Angelis, P.; de Dato, G.; François, L.; Menzel, A.; Pereira, M.

    2013-01-01

    We review observational, experimental and model results on how plants respond to extreme climatic conditions induced by changing climatic variability. Distinguishing between impacts of changing mean climatic conditions and changing climatic variability on terrestrial ecosystems is generally underrated in current studies. The goals of our review are thus (1) to identify plant processes that are vulnerable to changes in the variability of climatic variables rather than to changes in their mean, and (2) to depict/evaluate available study designs to quantify responses of plants to changing climatic variability. We find that phenology is largely affected by changing mean climate but also that impacts of climatic variability are much less studied but potentially damaging. We note that plant water relations seem to be very vulnerable to extremes driven by changes in temperature and precipitation and that heatwaves and flooding have stronger impacts on physiological processes than changing mean climate. Moreover, interacting phenological and physiological processes are likely to further complicate plant responses to changing climatic variability. Phenological and physiological processes and their interactions culminate in even more sophisticated responses to changing mean climate and climatic variability at the species and community level. Generally, observational studies are well suited to study plant responses to changing mean climate, but less suitable to gain a mechanistic understanding of plant responses to climatic variability. Experiments seem best suited to simulate extreme events. In models, temporal resolution and model structure are crucial to capture plant responses to changing climatic variability. We highlight that a combination of experimental, observational and /or modeling studies have the potential to overcome important caveats of the respective individual approaches. PMID:23504722

  6. Impacts of environmental variability on desiccation rate, plastic responses and population dynamics of Glossina pallidipes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleynhans, E; Clusella-Trullas, S; Terblanche, J S

    2014-02-01

    Physiological responses to transient conditions may result in costly responses with little fitness benefits, and therefore, a trade-off must exist between the speed of response and the duration of exposure to new conditions. Here, using the puparia of an important insect disease vector, Glossina pallidipes, we examine this potential trade-off using a novel combination of an experimental approach and a population dynamics model. Specifically, we explore and dissect the interactions between plastic physiological responses, treatment-duration and -intensity using an experimental approach. We then integrate these experimental results from organismal water-balance data and their plastic responses into a population dynamics model to examine the potential relative fitness effects of simulated transient weather conditions on population growth rates. The results show evidence for the predicted trade-off for plasticity of water loss rate (WLR) and the duration of new environmental conditions. When altered environmental conditions lasted for longer durations, physiological responses could match the new environmental conditions, and this resulted in a lower WLR and lower rates of population decline. At shorter time-scales however, a mismatch between acclimation duration and physiological responses was reflected by reduced overall population growth rates. This may indicate a potential fitness cost due to insufficient time for physiological adjustments to take place. The outcomes of this work therefore suggest plastic water balance responses have both costs and benefits, and these depend on the time-scale and magnitude of variation in environmental conditions. These results are significant for understanding the evolution of plastic physiological responses and changes in population abundance in the context of environmental variability. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

  7. A NEW METHOD TO DETECT REGIONS ENDANGERED BY HIGH WIND SPEEDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Fischer

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study we evaluate whether the methodology of Boosted Regression Trees (BRT suits for accurately predicting maximum wind speeds. As predictors a broad set of parameters derived from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM acquired within the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM is used. The derived parameters describe the surface by means of quantities (e.g. slope, aspect and quality (landform classification. Furthermore land cover data from the CORINE dataset is added. The response variable is maximum wind speed, measurements are provided by a network of weather stations. The area of interest is Switzerland, a country which suits perfectly for this study because of its highly dynamic orography and various landforms.

  8. The Effects of Heart Rate Versus Speed-Based High-Intensity Interval Training on Heart Rate Variability in Young Females

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Rabbani

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIT prescription by heart rate (HR-based and running speed (speed-based methods on natural logarithm of the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals (Ln rMSSD as a measure of heart rate variability (HRV in young female student athletes. Methods: Seventeen female student athletes participated in this study and were divided into HR-based (n=9, age: 16.7 years and speed-based (n=8, age: 16.9 years HIT groups. 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test was used for the speed-based group to detect the reference maximum speed (VIFT for prescribing the HIT intensity accordingly. Age predicted maximal HR was used for the HR-based group as the reference value. All subjects performed similar training protocol for 5 weeks, except the method of individualizing HIT sessions (2 weekly sessions of HIT=3 sets of 3 minutes work interspersed with 3 minutes passive recovery with the 15-15 seconds format during each working set; either according to 90%-95% of maximal HR or VIFT. Results: HR- and speed-based HIT groups showed the most likely large improvements in Ln rMSSD of +7.9%, 90% confidence limits [CL] (5.9; 10.0; standardized change: +1.75 (1.32; 2.19 and +5.5%, (2.8; 8.3; +1.41 (0.72; 2.09, respectively. In between group analyses, HR-based HIT produced likely a small greater improvement in Ln rMSSD than speed-based HIT (+1.9%, [-5.0; 4.4]; +0.50 [-0.14; 1.14], chances for greater/similar/lower values of 79/17/4. Conclusion: It is concluded that both HIT prescription strategies were effective in Ln rMSSD elevation, but using maximal HR as a reference may elicit higher parasympathetic dominance with small effect in young female student athletes.

  9. Realization of PLC to the Variable Frequency Speed Regulation System of Mine Local Ventilator based on RS-485 Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Kai; Li, Jian; Yun, Yichong

    2018-03-01

    The article first introduces the merits of serial communication in the PLC to the variable frequency speed regulation system of mine local ventilator, and then sets up a hardware application development platform of PLC and inverter based on RS-485 communication technology, next presents communication initialization of the PLC and Inverter. Finally according to the control requirements, PLC send run operation & monitoring instruction to Inverter, realizes the serial communication control between the PLC and Inverter.

  10. Simulation Analysis of SPWM Variable Frequency Speed Based on Simulink

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Yan DI

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is studied on currently a very active field of researching sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM frequency speed control system, and strengthen researched on the simulation model of speed control system with MATLAB / Simulink / Power System simulation tools, thus we can find the best way to simulation. We apply it to the actual conveyor belt, frequency conversion motor, when the obtained simulation results are compared with the measured data, we prove that the method is practical and effective. The results of our research have a guiding role for the future engineering and technical personnel in asynchronous motor SPWM VVVF CAD design.

  11. Effectiveness of enforcement levels of speed limit and drink driving laws and associated factors – Exploratory empirical analysis using a bivariate ordered probit model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behram Wali

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The contemporary traffic safety research comprises little information on quantifying the simultaneous association between drink driving and speeding among fatally injured drivers. Potential correlation between driver's drink driving and speeding behavior poses a substantial methodological concern which needs investigation. This study therefore focused on investigating the simultaneous impact of socioeconomic factors, fatalities, vehicle ownership, health services and highway agency road safety policies on enforcement levels of speed limit and drink driving laws. The effectiveness of enforcement levels of speed limit and drink driving laws has been investigated through development of bivariate ordered probit model using data extricated from WHO's global status report on road safety in 2013. The consistent and intuitive parameter estimates along with statistically significant correlation between response outcomes validates the statistical supremacy of bivariate ordered probit model. The results revealed that fatalities per thousand registered vehicles, hospital beds per hundred thousand population and road safety policies are associated with a likely medium or high effectiveness of enforcement levels of speed limit and drink driving laws, respectively. Also, the model encapsulates the effect of several other agency related variables and socio-economic status on the response outcomes. Marginal effects are reported for analyzing the impact of such factors on intermediate categories of response outcomes. The results of this study are expected to provide necessary insights to elemental enforcement programs. Also, marginal effects of explanatory variables may provide useful directions for formulating effective policy countermeasures for overcoming driver's speeding and drink driving behavior.

  12. GeneratorSE: A Sizing Tool for Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Generators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sethuraman, Latha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dykes, Katherine L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-09-22

    This report documents a set of analytical models employed by the optimization algorithms within the GeneratorSE framework. The initial values and boundary conditions employed for the generation of the various designs and initial estimates for basic design dimensions, masses, and efficiency for the four different models of generators are presented and compared with empirical data collected from previous studies and some existing commercial turbines. These models include designs applicable for variable-speed, high-torque application featuring direct-drive synchronous generators and low-torque application featuring induction generators. In all of the four models presented, the main focus of optimization is electromagnetic design with the exception of permanent-magnet and wire-wound synchronous generators, wherein the structural design is also optimized. Thermal design is accommodated in GeneratorSE as a secondary attribute by limiting the winding current densities to acceptable limits. A preliminary validation of electromagnetic design was carried out by comparing the optimized magnetic loading against those predicted by numerical simulation in FEMM4.2, a finite-element software for analyzing electromagnetic and thermal physics problems for electrical machines. For direct-drive synchronous generators, the analytical models for the structural design are validated by static structural analysis in ANSYS.

  13. Post-error action control is neurobehaviorally modulated under conditions of constant speeded response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soshi, Takahiro; Ando, Kumiko; Noda, Takamasa; Nakazawa, Kanako; Tsumura, Hideki; Okada, Takayuki

    2014-01-01

    Post-error slowing (PES) is an error recovery strategy that contributes to action control, and occurs after errors in order to prevent future behavioral flaws. Error recovery often malfunctions in clinical populations, but the relationship between behavioral traits and recovery from error is unclear in healthy populations. The present study investigated the relationship between impulsivity and error recovery by simulating a speeded response situation using a Go/No-go paradigm that forced the participants to constantly make accelerated responses prior to stimuli disappearance (stimulus duration: 250 ms). Neural correlates of post-error processing were examined using event-related potentials (ERPs). Impulsivity traits were measured with self-report questionnaires (BIS-11, BIS/BAS). Behavioral results demonstrated that the commission error for No-go trials was 15%, but PES did not take place immediately. Delayed PES was negatively correlated with error rates and impulsivity traits, showing that response slowing was associated with reduced error rates and changed with impulsivity. Response-locked error ERPs were clearly observed for the error trials. Contrary to previous studies, error ERPs were not significantly related to PES. Stimulus-locked N2 was negatively correlated with PES and positively correlated with impulsivity traits at the second post-error Go trial: larger N2 activity was associated with greater PES and less impulsivity. In summary, under constant speeded conditions, error monitoring was dissociated from post-error action control, and PES did not occur quickly. Furthermore, PES and its neural correlate (N2) were modulated by impulsivity traits. These findings suggest that there may be clinical and practical efficacy of maintaining cognitive control of actions during error recovery under common daily environments that frequently evoke impulsive behaviors.

  14. Modeling vehicle operating speed on urban roads in Montreal: a panel mixed ordered probit fractional split model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eluru, Naveen; Chakour, Vincent; Chamberlain, Morgan; Miranda-Moreno, Luis F

    2013-10-01

    Vehicle operating speed measured on roadways is a critical component for a host of analysis in the transportation field including transportation safety, traffic flow modeling, roadway geometric design, vehicle emissions modeling, and road user route decisions. The current research effort contributes to the literature on examining vehicle speed on urban roads methodologically and substantively. In terms of methodology, we formulate a new econometric model framework for examining speed profiles. The proposed model is an ordered response formulation of a fractional split model. The ordered nature of the speed variable allows us to propose an ordered variant of the fractional split model in the literature. The proposed formulation allows us to model the proportion of vehicles traveling in each speed interval for the entire segment of roadway. We extend the model to allow the influence of exogenous variables to vary across the population. Further, we develop a panel mixed version of the fractional split model to account for the influence of site-specific unobserved effects. The paper contributes substantively by estimating the proposed model using a unique dataset from Montreal consisting of weekly speed data (collected in hourly intervals) for about 50 local roads and 70 arterial roads. We estimate separate models for local roads and arterial roads. The model estimation exercise considers a whole host of variables including geometric design attributes, roadway attributes, traffic characteristics and environmental factors. The model results highlight the role of various street characteristics including number of lanes, presence of parking, presence of sidewalks, vertical grade, and bicycle route on vehicle speed proportions. The results also highlight the presence of site-specific unobserved effects influencing the speed distribution. The parameters from the modeling exercise are validated using a hold-out sample not considered for model estimation. The results indicate

  15. Analysis of the Response Speed of Musculature of the Knee in Professional Male and Female Volleyball Players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Rodríguez-Ruiz

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the normalized response speed (Vrn of the knee musculature (flexor and extensor in high competitive level volleyball players using tensiomyography (TMG and to analyze the muscular response of the vastus medialis (VM, rectus femoris (RF, vastus lateralis (VL, and biceps femoris (BF in accordance with the specific position they play in their teams. One hundred and sixty-six players (83 women and 83 men were evaluated. They belonged to eight teams in the Spanish women’s superleague and eight in the Spanish men’s superleague. The use of Vrn allows avoiding possible sample imbalances due to anatomical and functional differences and demands. We found differences between Vrn in each of the muscles responsible for extension (VM, RF, and VL and flexion (BF regardless of the sex. Normalized response speed differences seem to be larger in setters, liberos and outside players compared to middle blockers and larger in males when compared to females. These results of Vrn might respond to the differences in the physical and technical demands of each specific position, showing an improved balance response of the knee extensor and flexor musculature in male professional volleyball players.

  16. Analysis of the Response Speed of Musculature of the Knee in Professional Male and Female Volleyball Players

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Ruiz, D.; Diez-Vega, I.; Rodríguez-Matoso, D.; Fernandez-del-Valle, M.; Sagastume, R.; Molina, J. J.

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the normalized response speed (Vrn) of the knee musculature (flexor and extensor) in high competitive level volleyball players using tensiomyography (TMG) and to analyze the muscular response of the vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) in accordance with the specific position they play in their teams. One hundred and sixty-six players (83 women and 83 men) were evaluated. They belonged to eight teams in the Spanish women's superleague and eight in the Spanish men's superleague. The use of Vrn allows avoiding possible sample imbalances due to anatomical and functional differences and demands. We found differences between Vrn in each of the muscles responsible for extension (VM, RF, and VL) and flexion (BF) regardless of the sex. Normalized response speed differences seem to be larger in setters, liberos and outside players compared to middle blockers and larger in males when compared to females. These results of Vrn might respond to the differences in the physical and technical demands of each specific position, showing an improved balance response of the knee extensor and flexor musculature in male professional volleyball players. PMID:25003109

  17. Motivational salience signal in the basal forebrain is coupled with faster and more precise decision speed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila, Irene; Lin, Shih-Chieh

    2014-03-01

    The survival of animals depends critically on prioritizing responses to motivationally salient stimuli. While it is generally believed that motivational salience increases decision speed, the quantitative relationship between motivational salience and decision speed, measured by reaction time (RT), remains unclear. Here we show that the neural correlate of motivational salience in the basal forebrain (BF), defined independently of RT, is coupled with faster and also more precise decision speed. In rats performing a reward-biased simple RT task, motivational salience was encoded by BF bursting response that occurred before RT. We found that faster RTs were tightly coupled with stronger BF motivational salience signals. Furthermore, the fraction of RT variability reflecting the contribution of intrinsic noise in the decision-making process was actively suppressed in faster RT distributions with stronger BF motivational salience signals. Artificially augmenting the BF motivational salience signal via electrical stimulation led to faster and more precise RTs and supports a causal relationship. Together, these results not only describe for the first time, to our knowledge, the quantitative relationship between motivational salience and faster decision speed, they also reveal the quantitative coupling relationship between motivational salience and more precise RT. Our results further establish the existence of an early and previously unrecognized step in the decision-making process that determines both the RT speed and variability of the entire decision-making process and suggest that this novel decision step is dictated largely by the BF motivational salience signal. Finally, our study raises the hypothesis that the dysregulation of decision speed in conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and cognitive aging may result from the functional impairment of the motivational salience signal encoded by the poorly understood noncholinergic BF neurons.

  18. Reward speeds up and increases consistency of visual selective attention: a lifespan comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Störmer, Viola; Eppinger, Ben; Li, Shu-Chen

    2014-06-01

    Children and older adults often show less favorable reward-based learning and decision making, relative to younger adults. It is unknown, however, whether reward-based processes that influence relatively early perceptual and attentional processes show similar lifespan differences. In this study, we investigated whether stimulus-reward associations affect selective visual attention differently across the human lifespan. Children, adolescents, younger adults, and older adults performed a visual search task in which the target colors were associated with either high or low monetary rewards. We discovered that high reward value speeded up response times across all four age groups, indicating that reward modulates attentional selection across the lifespan. This speed-up in response time was largest in younger adults, relative to the other three age groups. Furthermore, only younger adults benefited from high reward value in increasing response consistency (i.e., reduction of trial-by-trial reaction time variability). Our findings suggest that reward-based modulations of relatively early and implicit perceptual and attentional processes are operative across the lifespan, and the effects appear to be greater in adulthood. The age-specific effect of reward on reducing intraindividual response variability in younger adults likely reflects mechanisms underlying the development and aging of reward processing, such as lifespan age differences in the efficacy of dopaminergic modulation. Overall, the present results indicate that reward shapes visual perception across different age groups by biasing attention to motivationally salient events.

  19. Eyewitness Accounts on Climate Variability and the Responses: Perspectives from Farmers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiban Mani Poudel

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available People with different socio-cultural arrangements havedifferent experiences and responses to climatic variability. The place specific experiences and responses at community level still remain a little explored issue in the discourse of climate change research. This paper deals with local experiences of climatic variability which have been monitoring by locals in their lifetime, on the one hand, and, on the other, explore their responses or coping mechanisms which they have been practicing to mitigate with climatic risks. Moreover, farmers’ experiences were documented in term of observed climatic variability in their lifetime focusing on qualitative data. I have used eyewitness accounts and hearsays to document their experiences of climatic variability. Moreover, farmers have developed various coping mechanisms such as indigenous knowledge, utilize kinship based social network, environment friendly cropping practices, and use of alternative sources of water (water-tanker, well-water for irrigation, arrange rain-making ritual to cope with climatic uncertainty in their lifetime.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v5i0.6362Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 5, 2011: 171-90

  20. Pitch Angle Control for Variable Speed Wind Turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mouna Ben Smida

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract.Pitch control is a practical technique for power regulation above the rated wind speed it is considered as the most efficient and popular power control method. As conventional pitch control usually use PI controller, the mathematical model of the system should be known well.This paper deals with the operation and the control of the direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG.Different conventional strategies of pitch angle control are described and validated through simulation results under Matlab\\Simulink.

  1. Modelling and Design of a 3 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator suitable for Variable Speed Small Wind Turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acharya Parash

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the modeling and design of a 3 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG used for a variable speed wind turbine. Initially, the PMSG is modeled in the d-q reference frame. Different optimized parameters of the generator are extracted from the design and used in simulation of the PMSG. The generator output power is matched with the power of the turbine such that the generator is not either over-sized or under-sized.

  2. Variable speed limit strategies analysis with mesoscopic traffic flow model based on complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shu-Bin; Cao, Dan-Ni; Dang, Wen-Xiu; Zhang, Lin

    As a new cross-discipline, the complexity science has penetrated into every field of economy and society. With the arrival of big data, the research of the complexity science has reached its summit again. In recent years, it offers a new perspective for traffic control by using complex networks theory. The interaction course of various kinds of information in traffic system forms a huge complex system. A new mesoscopic traffic flow model is improved with variable speed limit (VSL), and the simulation process is designed, which is based on the complex networks theory combined with the proposed model. This paper studies effect of VSL on the dynamic traffic flow, and then analyzes the optimal control strategy of VSL in different network topologies. The conclusion of this research is meaningful to put forward some reasonable transportation plan and develop effective traffic management and control measures to help the department of traffic management.

  3. An Energy Efficient Hydraulic Winch Drive Concept Based on a Speed-variable Switched Differential Pump

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Lasse; Andersen, Torben O.; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen

    2017-01-01

    controls. Such solutions are typically constituted by many and rather expensive components, and are furthermore often suffering from low frequency dynamics. In this paper an alternative solution is proposed for winch drive operation, which is based on the so-called speed-variable switched differential pump......, originally designed for direct drive of hydraulic differential cylinders. This concept utilizes three pumps, driven by a single electric servo drive. The concept is redesigned for usage in winch drives, driven by flow symmetric hydraulic motors and single directional loads as commonly seen in e.g. active...... heave compensation applications. A general drive configuration approach is presented, along with a proper control strategy and design. The resulting concept is evaluated when applied for active heave compensation. Results demonstrate control performance on level with conventional valve solutions...

  4. Post-error action control is neurobehaviorally modulated under conditions of constant speeded response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takahiro eSoshi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Post-error slowing is an error recovery strategy that contributes to action control, and occurs after errors in order to prevent future behavioral flaws. Error recovery often malfunctions in clinical populations, but the relationship between behavioral traits and recovery from error is unclear in healthy populations. The present study investigated the relationship between impulsivity and error recovery by simulating a speeded response situation using a Go/No-go paradigm that forced the participants to constantly make accelerated responses prior to stimuli disappearance (stimulus duration: 250 ms. Neural correlates of post-error processing were examined using event-related potentials (ERPs. Impulsivity traits were measured with self-report questionnaires (BIS-11, BIS/BAS. Behavioral results demonstrated that the commission error for No-go trials was 15%, but post-error slowing did not take place immediately. Delayed post-error slowing was negatively correlated with error rates and impulsivity traits, showing that response slowing was associated with reduced error rates and changed with impulsivity. Response-locked error ERPs were clearly observed for the error trials. Contrary to previous studies, error ERPs were not significantly related to post-error slowing. Stimulus-locked N2 was negatively correlated with post-error slowing and positively correlated with impulsivity traits at the second post-error Go trial: larger N2 activity was associated with greater post-error slowing and less impulsivity. In summary, under constant speeded conditions, error monitoring was dissociated from post-error action control, and post-error slowing did not occur quickly. Furthermore, post-error slowing and its neural correlate (N2 were modulated by impulsivity traits. These findings suggest that there may be clinical and practical efficacy of maintaining cognitive control of actions during error recovery under common daily environments that frequently evoke

  5. The Variability of Neural Responses to Naturalistic Videos Change with Age and Sex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petroni, Agustin; Cohen, Samantha S; Ai, Lei; Langer, Nicolas; Henin, Simon; Vanderwal, Tamara; Milham, Michael P; Parra, Lucas C

    2018-01-01

    Neural development is generally marked by an increase in the efficiency and diversity of neural processes. In a large sample ( n = 114) of human children and adults with ages ranging from 5 to 44 yr, we investigated the neural responses to naturalistic video stimuli. Videos from both real-life classroom settings and Hollywood feature films were used to probe different aspects of attention and engagement. For all stimuli, older ages were marked by more variable neural responses. Variability was assessed by the intersubject correlation of evoked electroencephalographic responses. Young males also had less-variable responses than young females. These results were replicated in an independent cohort ( n = 303). When interpreted in the context of neural maturation, we conclude that neural function becomes more variable with maturity, at least during the passive viewing of real-world stimuli.

  6. Research on rotational speed to the influence of pump as turbine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, S S; Kong, F Y; Jiang, W M; Qu, X Y

    2012-01-01

    Due to the problem of lacking hydraulic control devices, pump as turbine (PAT) has the disadvantage of optimum operation only within a small range discharge where the net head utilization and operating efficiency are the highest. Variable speed operation offers a good solution to this problem. Pump manufactures normally do not provide performance curves of their pumps working as turbines, especially when working at variable speed condition. Therefore, establishing a correlation between PAT's performance curve and rotational speed is essential. In this paper, a method of predicting PAT's performance at different rotational speeds was first developed using theoretical analysis. In the second step, a single stage centrifugal pump operated as a turbine was tested at different rotational speeds. Typical performance curves of PAT operating at variable speed condition were acquired. Finally computational fluid dynamics (CFD) had been used in this research. The accuracy of CFD prediction was proved when compared with experimental data. The validity of presented method by theoretical analysis was validated using test and CFD results.

  7. In-process tool rotational speed variation with constant heat input in friction stir welding of AZ31 sheets with variable thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buffa, Gianluca; Campanella, Davide; Forcellese, Archimede; Fratini, Livan; Simoncini, Michela

    2017-10-01

    In the present work, friction stir welding experiments on AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets, characterized by a variable thickness along the welding line, were carried out. The approach adapted during welding consisted in maintaining constant the heat input to the joint. To this purpose, the rotational speed of the pin tool was increased with decreasing thickness and decreased with increasing thickness in order to obtain the same temperatures during welding. The amount by which the rotational speed was changed as a function of the sheet thickness was defined on the basis of the results given by FEM simulations of the FSW process. Finally, the effect of the in-process variation of the tool rotational speed on the mechanical and microstructural properties of FSWed joints was analysed by comparing both the nominal stress vs. nominal strain curves and microstructure of FSWed joints obtained in different process conditions. It was observed that FSW performed by keeping constant the heat input to the joint leads to almost coincident results both in terms of the curve shape, ultimate tensile strength and ultimate elongation values, and microstructure.

  8. Variability of the Wind Turbine Power Curve

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahesh M. Bandi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Wind turbine power curves are calibrated by turbine manufacturers under requirements stipulated by the International Electrotechnical Commission to provide a functional mapping between the mean wind speed v ¯ and the mean turbine power output P ¯ . Wind plant operators employ these power curves to estimate or forecast wind power generation under given wind conditions. However, it is general knowledge that wide variability exists in these mean calibration values. We first analyse how the standard deviation in wind speed σ v affects the mean P ¯ and the standard deviation σ P of wind power. We find that the magnitude of wind power fluctuations scales as the square of the mean wind speed. Using data from three planetary locations, we find that the wind speed standard deviation σ v systematically varies with mean wind speed v ¯ , and in some instances, follows a scaling of the form σ v = C × v ¯ α ; C being a constant and α a fractional power. We show that, when applicable, this scaling form provides a minimal parameter description of the power curve in terms of v ¯ alone. Wind data from different locations establishes that (in instances when this scaling exists the exponent α varies with location, owing to the influence of local environmental conditions on wind speed variability. Since manufacturer-calibrated power curves cannot account for variability influenced by local conditions, this variability translates to forecast uncertainty in power generation. We close with a proposal for operators to perform post-installation recalibration of their turbine power curves to account for the influence of local environmental factors on wind speed variability in order to reduce the uncertainty of wind power forecasts. Understanding the relationship between wind’s speed and its variability is likely to lead to lower costs for the integration of wind power into the electric grid.

  9. Kummer strikes back : new DH speed records

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernstein, D.J.; Chuengsatiansup, C.; Lange, T.; Schwabe, P.; Sarkar, P.; Iwata, T.

    2014-01-01

    This paper sets new speed records for high-security constant-time variable-base-point Diffie-Hellman software: 305395 Cortex-A8-slow cycles; 273349 Cortex-A8-fast cycles; 88916 Sandy Bridge cycles; 88448 Ivy Bridge cycles; 54389 Haswell cycles. There are no higher speeds in the literature for any of

  10. Effects of central nervous system drugs on driving: speed variability versus standard deviation of lateral position as outcome measure of the on-the-road driving test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verster, Joris C; Roth, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    The on-the-road driving test in normal traffic is used to examine the impact of drugs on driving performance. This paper compares the sensitivity of standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) and SD speed in detecting driving impairment. A literature search was conducted to identify studies applying the on-the-road driving test, examining the effects of anxiolytics, antidepressants, antihistamines, and hypnotics. The proportion of comparisons (treatment versus placebo) where a significant impairment was detected with SDLP and SD speed was compared. About 40% of 53 relevant papers did not report data on SD speed and/or SDLP. After placebo administration, the correlation between SDLP and SD speed was significant but did not explain much variance (r = 0.253, p = 0.0001). A significant correlation was found between ΔSDLP and ΔSD speed (treatment-placebo), explaining 48% of variance. When using SDLP as outcome measure, 67 significant treatment-placebo comparisons were found. Only 17 (25.4%) were significant when SD speed was used as outcome measure. Alternatively, for five treatment-placebo comparisons, a significant difference was found for SD speed but not for SDLP. Standard deviation of lateral position is a more sensitive outcome measure to detect driving impairment than speed variability.

  11. On higher ground: how well can dynamic body acceleration determine speed in variable terrain?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Owen R Bidder

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Animal travel speed is an ecologically significant parameter, with implications for the study of energetics and animal behaviour. It is also necessary for the calculation of animal paths by dead-reckoning. Dead-reckoning uses heading and speed to calculate an animal's path through its environment on a fine scale. It is often used in aquatic environments, where transmission telemetry is difficult. However, its adoption for tracking terrestrial animals is limited by our ability to measure speed accurately on a fine scale. Recently, tri-axial accelerometers have shown promise for estimating speed, but their accuracy appears affected by changes in substrate and surface gradients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate four metrics of acceleration; Overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA, vectorial dynamic body acceleration (VDBA, acceleration peak frequency and acceleration peak amplitude, as proxies for speed over hard, soft and inclined surfaces, using humans as a model species. RESULTS: A general linear model (GLM showed a significant difference in the relationships between the metrics and speed depending on substrate or surface gradient. When the data from all surface types were considered together, VeDBA had the highest coefficient of determination. CONCLUSIONS: All of the metrics showed some variation in their relationship with speed according to the surface type. This indicates that changes in the substrate or surface gradient during locomotion by animals would produce errors in speed estimates, and also in dead-reckoned tracks if they were calculated from speeds based entirely on a priori calibrations. However, we describe a method by which the relationship between acceleration metrics and speed can be corrected ad hoc, until tracks accord with periodic ground truthed positions, obtained via a secondary means (e.g. VHF or GPS telemetry. In this way, dead-reckoning provides a means to obtain fine scale movement data

  12. Speed Controlled Belt Conveyors: Drives and Mechanical Considerations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BEBIC, M. Z.

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents variable speed belt conveyor system where the reference speed is changed in order to achieve improved energy efficiency of operation. The recorded measurements show that belt tension varies within the same limits as under constant speed operation. These results introduce a new insight of the present state of the art in variable speed belt conveyor drives. The system is realized with remote control from the control center on an open pit mine. The structure of the multi-motor drive system of a single conveyor, as well as of the network-based control system distributed among belt conveyor stations and the control center are shown. Speed control of a belt conveyor system is organized to provide better utilization of the available material cross section on the belt and reduced electrical energy consumption of the drive. The experimental results obtained on the system prove that, under existing constraints, the applied algorithm has not introduced additional stress to the belt or mechanical assemblies during acceleration and deceleration processes, while providing higher energy efficiency of operation.

  13. Study of Movement Speeds Down Stairs

    CERN Document Server

    Hoskins, Bryan L

    2013-01-01

    The Study of Movement Speeds Down Stairs closely examines forty-three unique case studies on movement patterns down stairwells. These studies include observations made during evacuation drills, others made during normal usage, interviews with people after fire evacuations, recommendations made from compiled studies, and detailed results from laboratory studies. The methodology used in each study for calculating density and movement speed, when known, are also presented, and this book identifies an additional seventeen variables linked to altering movement speeds. The Study of Movement Speeds Down Stairs is intended for researchers as a reference guide for evaluating pedestrian evacuation dynamics down stairwells. Practitioners working in a related field may also find this book invaluable.

  14. Variability of extreme flap loads during turbine operation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronold, K O [Det Norske Veritas, Hoevik (Norway); Larsen, G C [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics Dept., Roskilde (Denmark)

    1999-03-01

    The variability of extreme flap loads is of utmost importance for design of wind-turbine rotor blades. The flap loads of interest consist of the flap-wise bendin moment response at the blade root whose variability in the short-term, for a given wind climate, can be represented by a stationary process. A model for the short-term bending moment process is presented, and the distribution of its associated maxima is derived. A model for the wind climate is given in terms of the probability distributions for the 10-minute mean wind speed and the standard deviation of the arbitrary wind speed. This is used to establish the distribution of the largest flap-wise bending moment in a specific reference period, and it is outlined how a characteristic bending moment for use in design can be extracted from this distribution. The application of the presented distribution models is demonstrated by a numerical example for a site-specific wind turbine. (au)

  15. Optimal sizing of small wind/battery systems considering the DC bus voltage stability effect on energy capture, wind speed variability, and load uncertainty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lujano-Rojas, Juan M.; Dufo-López, Rodolfo; Bernal-Agustín, José L.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We propose a mathematical model for optimal sizing of small wind energy systems. ► No other previous work has considered all the aspects included in this paper. ► The model considers several parameters about batteries. ► Wind speed variability is considered by means of ARMA model. ► The results show how to minimize the expected energy that is not supplied. - Abstract: In this paper, a mathematical model for stochastic simulation and optimization of small wind energy systems is presented. This model is able to consider the operation of the charge controller, the coulombic efficiency during charge and discharge processes, the influence of temperature on the battery bank capacity, the wind speed variability, and load uncertainty. The joint effect of charge controller operation, ambient temperature, and coulombic efficiency is analyzed in a system installed in Zaragoza (Spain), concluding that if the analysis without considering these factors is carried out, the reliability level of the physical system could be lower than expected, and an increment of 25% in the battery bank capacity would be required to reach a reliability level of 90% in the analyzed case. Also, the effect of the wind speed variability and load uncertainty in the system reliability is analyzed. Finally, the uncertainty in the battery bank lifetime and its effect on the net present cost are discussed. The results showed that, considering uncertainty of 17.5% in the battery bank lifetime calculated using the Ah throughput model, about 12% of uncertainty in the net present cost is expected. The model presented in this research could be a useful stochastic simulation and optimization tool that allows the consideration of important uncertainty factors in techno-economic analysis.

  16. Promoting Response Variability and Stimulus Generalization in Martial Arts Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Jay W.; Wacker, David P.; Berg, Wendy K.; Rick, Gary; Lee, John F.

    2004-01-01

    The effects of reinforcement and extinction on response variability and stimulus generalization in the punching and kicking techniques of 2 martial arts students were evaluated across drill and sparring conditions. During both conditions, the students were asked to demonstrate different techniques in response to an instructor's punching attack.…

  17. Energy-optimal speed control of fans and compressor in a refrigeration system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Arne; Rasmussen, Bjarne D.

    1998-01-01

    Use of variable speed compressors and variable speed fans for both the evaporator and the condenser makes the refrigeration system more flexible, adds to the degree of freedom of the control system and therefore makes it possible to (on-line) optimise the various speeds involved. Say, for example...... and therefore the achievement of the potential for energy saving. This control/optimisation problem is investigated using a steady-state simulation model....

  18. Inter-individual variability of stone marten behavioral responses to a highway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Ascensão

    Full Text Available Efforts to reduce the negative impacts of roads on wildlife may be hindered if individuals within the population vary widely in their responses to roads and mitigation strategies ignore this variability. This knowledge is particularly important for medium-sized carnivores as they are vulnerable to road mortality, while also known to use available road passages (e.g., drainage culverts for safely crossing highways. Our goal in this study was to assess whether this apparently contradictory pattern of high road-kill numbers associated with a regular use of road passages is attributable to the variation in behavioral responses toward the highway between individuals. We investigated the responses of seven radio-tracked stone martens (Martes foina to a highway by measuring their utilization distribution, response turning angles and highway crossing patterns. We compared the observed responses to simulated movement parameterized by the observed space use and movement characteristics of each individual, but naïve to the presence of the highway. Our results suggested that martens demonstrate a diversity of responses to the highway, including attraction, indifference, or avoidance. Martens also varied in their highway crossing patterns, with some crossing repeatedly at the same location (often coincident with highway passages. We suspect that the response variability derives from the individual's familiarity of the landscape, including their awareness of highway passage locations. Because of these variable yet potentially attributable responses, we support the use of exclusionary fencing to guide transient (e.g., dispersers individuals to existing passages to reduce the road-kill risk.

  19. Generation speed in Raven's Progressive Matrices Test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verguts, T.; Boeck, P. De; Maris, E.G.G.

    1999-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate the role of response fluency on a well-known intelligence test, Raven's (1962) Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) test. Critical in solving this test is finding rules that govern the items. Response fluency is conceptualized as generation speed or the speed at which a

  20. Understanding Farmers' Response to Climate Variability in Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, farmers 'response to climate variability was examined. Primary and secondary data were used. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted in the collection of the primary data using structured questionnaires. Four vegetation zones out of seven where farming is mainly carried out were selected for the study.

  1. A Multi-Point Method Considering the Maximum Power Point Tracking Dynamic Process for Aerodynamic Optimization of Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Blades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiqiang Yang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Due to the dynamic process of maximum power point tracking (MPPT caused by turbulence and large rotor inertia, variable-speed wind turbines (VSWTs cannot maintain the optimal tip speed ratio (TSR from cut-in wind speed up to the rated speed. Therefore, in order to increase the total captured wind energy, the existing aerodynamic design for VSWT blades, which only focuses on performance improvement at a single TSR, needs to be improved to a multi-point design. In this paper, based on a closed-loop system of VSWTs, including turbulent wind, rotor, drive train and MPPT controller, the distribution of operational TSR and its description based on inflow wind energy are investigated. Moreover, a multi-point method considering the MPPT dynamic process for the aerodynamic optimization of VSWT blades is proposed. In the proposed method, the distribution of operational TSR is obtained through a dynamic simulation of the closed-loop system under a specific turbulent wind, and accordingly the multiple design TSRs and the corresponding weighting coefficients in the objective function are determined. Finally, using the blade of a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL 1.5 MW wind turbine as the baseline, the proposed method is compared with the conventional single-point optimization method using the commercial software Bladed. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  2. Study on Short-term Variability of Ship Responses in Waves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ulrik Dam; Iseki, Toshio

    2015-01-01

    Short-term variability of ship responses is investigated by cross-spectrum analysis. In a steady state condition, it is well known that a certain length of sampled data is required for stable results of the spectral analysis. However, the phase lag between responses, in terms of the phase angle o...

  3. Reducing 4DCBCT imaging time and dose: the first implementation of variable gantry speed 4DCBCT on a linear accelerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Ricky T; Stankovic, Uros; Sonke, Jan-Jakob; Keall, Paul J

    2017-06-07

    Four dimensional cone beam computed tomography (4DCBCT) uses a constant gantry speed and imaging frequency that are independent of the patient's breathing rate. Using a technique called respiratory motion guided 4DCBCT (RMG-4DCBCT), we have previously demonstrated that by varying the gantry speed and imaging frequency, in response to changes in the patient's real-time respiratory signal, the imaging dose can be reduced by 50-70%. RMG-4DCBCT optimally computes a patient specific gantry trajectory to eliminate streaking artefacts and projection clustering that is inherent in 4DCBCT imaging. The gantry trajectory is continuously updated as projection data is acquired and the patient's breathing changes. The aim of this study was to realise RMG-4DCBCT for the first time on a linear accelerator. To change the gantry speed in real-time a potentiometer under microcontroller control was used to adjust the current supplied to an Elekta Synergy's gantry motor. A real-time feedback loop was developed on the microcontroller to modulate the gantry speed and projection acquisition in response to the real-time respiratory signal so that either 40, RMG-4DCBCT 40 , or 60, RMG-4DCBCT 60 , uniformly spaced projections were acquired in 10 phase bins. Images of the CIRS dynamic Thorax phantom were acquired with sinusoidal breathing periods ranging from 2 s to 8 s together with two breathing traces from lung cancer patients. Image quality was assessed using the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and edge response width (ERW). For the average patient, with a 3.8 s breathing period, the imaging time and image dose were reduced by 37% and 70% respectively. Across all respiratory rates, RMG-4DCBCT 40 had a CNR in the range of 6.5 to 7.5, and RMG-4DCBCT 60 had a CNR between 8.7 and 9.7, indicating that RMG-4DCBCT allows consistent and controllable CNR. In comparison, the CNR for conventional 4DCBCT drops from 20.4 to 6.2 as the breathing rate increases from 2 s to 8 s. With RMG-4DCBCT

  4. Perceived Cost and Intrinsic Motor Variability Modulate the Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matteo Bertucco

    Full Text Available Fitts' Law describes the speed-accuracy trade-off of human movements, and it is an elegant strategy that compensates for random and uncontrollable noise in the motor system. The control strategy during targeted movements may also take into account the rewards or costs of any outcomes that may occur. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that movement time in Fitts' Law emerges not only from the accuracy constraints of the task, but also depends on the perceived cost of error for missing the targets. Subjects were asked to touch targets on an iPad® screen with different costs for missed targets. We manipulated the probability of error by comparing children with dystonia (who are characterized by increased intrinsic motor variability to typically developing children. The results show a strong effect of the cost of error on the Fitts' Law relationship characterized by an increase in movement time as cost increased. In addition, we observed a greater sensitivity to increased cost for children with dystonia, and this behavior appears to minimize the average cost. The findings support a proposed mathematical model that explains how movement time in a Fitts-like task is related to perceived risk.

  5. Mahalanobis distance and variable selection to optimize dose response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, D.H. II; Bennett, D.E.; Wyrobek, A.J.; Kranzler, D.

    1979-01-01

    A battery of statistical techniques are combined to improve detection of low-level dose response. First, Mahalanobis distances are used to classify objects as normal or abnormal. Then the proportion classified abnormal is regressed on dose. Finally, a subset of regressor variables is selected which maximizes the slope of the dose response line. Use of the techniques is illustrated by application to mouse sperm damaged by low doses of x-rays

  6. Learning multiple variable-speed sequences in striatum via cortical tutoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, James M; Escola, G Sean

    2017-05-08

    Sparse, sequential patterns of neural activity have been observed in numerous brain areas during timekeeping and motor sequence tasks. Inspired by such observations, we construct a model of the striatum, an all-inhibitory circuit where sequential activity patterns are prominent, addressing the following key challenges: (i) obtaining control over temporal rescaling of the sequence speed, with the ability to generalize to new speeds; (ii) facilitating flexible expression of distinct sequences via selective activation, concatenation, and recycling of specific subsequences; and (iii) enabling the biologically plausible learning of sequences, consistent with the decoupling of learning and execution suggested by lesion studies showing that cortical circuits are necessary for learning, but that subcortical circuits are sufficient to drive learned behaviors. The same mechanisms that we describe can also be applied to circuits with both excitatory and inhibitory populations, and hence may underlie general features of sequential neural activity pattern generation in the brain.

  7. Optimum extrusion-cooking conditions for improving physical properties of fish-cereal based snacks by response surface methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, R K Ratankumar; Majumdar, Ranendra K; Venkateshwarlu, G

    2014-09-01

    To establish the effect of barrel temperature, screw speed, total moisture and fish flour content on the expansion ratio and bulk density of the fish based extrudates, response surface methodology was adopted in this study. The experiments were optimized using five-levels, four factors central composite design. Analysis of Variance was carried to study the effects of main factors and interaction effects of various factors and regression analysis was carried out to explain the variability. The fitting was done to a second order model with the coded variables for each response. The response surface plots were developed as a function of two independent variables while keeping the other two independent variables at optimal values. Based on the ANOVA, the fitted model confirmed the model fitness for both the dependent variables. Organoleptically highest score was obtained with the combination of temperature-110(0) C, screw speed-480 rpm, moisture-18 % and fish flour-20 %.

  8. Complementary Aerodynamic Performance Datasets for Variable Speed Power Turbine Blade Section from Two Independent Transonic Turbine Cascades

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flegel, Ashlie B.; Welch, Gerard E.; Giel, Paul W.; Ames, Forrest E.; Long, Jonathon A.

    2015-01-01

    Two independent experimental studies were conducted in linear cascades on a scaled, two-dimensional mid-span section of a representative Variable Speed Power Turbine (VSPT) blade. The purpose of these studies was to assess the aerodynamic performance of the VSPT blade over large Reynolds number and incidence angle ranges. The influence of inlet turbulence intensity was also investigated. The tests were carried out in the NASA Glenn Research Center Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Facility and at the University of North Dakota (UND) High Speed Compressible Flow Wind Tunnel Facility. A large database was developed by acquiring total pressure and exit angle surveys and blade loading data for ten incidence angles ranging from +15.8deg to -51.0deg. Data were acquired over six flow conditions with exit isentropic Reynolds number ranging from 0.05×106 to 2.12×106 and at exit Mach numbers of 0.72 (design) and 0.35. Flow conditions were examined within the respective facility constraints. The survey data were integrated to determine average exit total-pressure and flow angle. UND also acquired blade surface heat transfer data at two flow conditions across the entire incidence angle range aimed at quantifying transitional flow behavior on the blade. Comparisons of the aerodynamic datasets were made for three "match point" conditions. The blade loading data at the match point conditions show good agreement between the facilities. This report shows comparisons of other data and highlights the unique contributions of the two facilities. The datasets are being used to advance understanding of the aerodynamic challenges associated with maintaining efficient power turbine operation over a wide shaft-speed range.

  9. A study of the variability in the febrile responses of rabbits to endogenous pyrogen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stitt, J T

    1985-10-01

    The range of body temperature increases elicited by a standard dose of endogenous pyrogen (0.5 ml/kg iv) was examined in a population of 26 male New Zealand White rabbits. Although the mean maximum increase in rectal temperature was 0.88 +/- 0.06 degree C (SE), individual responses varied from 0.4 degree to 1.5 degree C. Three representative animals that responded to the standard dose of pyrogen with small, intermediate, and large febrile responses were selected and challenged with the same dose of pyrogen on eight separate occasions, and the variability of these responses was examined. There was little variability within the characteristic responses of any particular animal to the repeated challenges. The variability of the febrile responses elicited by both intravenous and intracerebroventricular administration of the same pyrogen was examined and compared using another group of 11 rabbits. The variability in response to the intravenous route was similar to that found in the larger population, whereas the variation in response to the intracerebroventricular route was smaller, and all 11 animals had fevers that were greater than 1 degrees C. It is concluded that the variability of the febrile responses of rabbits to intravenous pyrogen was due to differences between individual sensitivities of animals to the intravenously administered pyrogen. This difference in sensitivity may be due to a difference in the amount of pyrogen that reaches the putative receptor sites, or to a difference in the density or effectiveness of receptor sites in translating the pyrogenic stimulus into a fever response.

  10. Visual processing speed in old age

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Habekost, Thomas; vogel, asmus; Rostrup, Egill

    2013-01-01

    of the speed of a particular psychological process that are not confounded by the speed of other processes. We used Bundesen's (1990) Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) to obtain specific estimates of processing speed in the visual system controlled for the influence of response latency and individual variations...... dramatic aging effects were found for the perception threshold and the visual apprehension span. In the visual domain, cognitive aging seems to be most clearly related to reductions in processing speed....

  11. Variable-speed-of-light cosmology and second law of thermodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youm, Donam

    2002-01-01

    We examine whether cosmologies with a varying speed of light (VSL) are compatible with the second law of thermodynamics. We find that the VSL cosmology with a varying fundamental constant is severely constrained by the second law of thermodynamics, whereas the bimetric cosmological models are less constrained

  12. Variable-speed-of-light cosmology and second law of thermodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youm, Donam

    2002-03-01

    We examine whether the cosmologies with varying speed of light (VSL) are compatible with the second law of thermodynamics. We find that the VSL cosmology with varying fundamental constant is severely constrained by the second law of thermodynamics, whereas the bimetric cosmological models are less constrained. (author)

  13. Experimental Comparison of Speed : Fuel-flow and Speed-area Controls on a Turbojet Engine for Small Step Disturbances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wenzel, L M; Hart, C E; Craig, R T

    1957-01-01

    Optimum proportional-plus-integral control settings for speed - fuel-flow control, determined by minimization of integral criteria, correlated well with analytically predicted optimum settings. Engine response data are given for a range of control settings around the optimum. An inherent nonlinearity in the speed-area loop necessitated the use of nonlinear controls. Response data for two such nonlinear control schemes are presented.

  14. Optimal multivariable control of a wind turbine with variable speed

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steinbuch, M.

    1987-01-01

    The control system design for a 310 kW horizontal axis wind energy conversion system with a synchronous generator and DC link is investigated. Because the wind turbine system has multiple inputs (pitch angle, field vollage alld delay angle), and multiple outputs, (speed and power), and because the

  15. Low speed phaselock speed control system. [for brushless dc motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulcher, R. W.; Sudey, J. (Inventor)

    1975-01-01

    A motor speed control system for an electronically commutated brushless dc motor is provided which includes a phaselock loop with bidirectional torque control for locking the frequency output of a high density encoder, responsive to actual speed conditions, to a reference frequency signal, corresponding to the desired speed. The system includes a phase comparator, which produces an output in accordance with the difference in phase between the reference and encoder frequency signals, and an integrator-digital-to-analog converter unit, which converts the comparator output into an analog error signal voltage. Compensation circuitry, including a biasing means, is provided to convert the analog error signal voltage to a bidirectional error signal voltage which is utilized by an absolute value amplifier, rotational decoder, power amplifier-commutators, and an arrangement of commutation circuitry.

  16. Ecological response of Cedrus atlantica to climate variability in the Massif of Guetiane (Algeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Said Slimani

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim of the study: The study analyzes the long-term response of Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica (Manneti, to climate variability. Area of study: Atlas cedar forest of Guetiane (Batna, Algeria.Material and methods: The dendrochronological approach was adopted. An Atlas cedar tree-ring chronology was established from twenty trees. The response of the species to climate variability was assessed through the pointer years (PYs, the common climate signal among the individual chronologies, expressed by the first component (PC1, the mean sensitivity (msx, and response function and correlations analysis involving the tree-ring index and climate data (monthly mean temperature and total precipitation.Results: The highest growth variability was registered from the second half of the 20th century. The lower than the mean PYs, the PC1, and the msx increased markedly during the studied period. Dramatic increases in the PC1 and msx were detected at the end of the 1970s, reflecting a shift towards drier conditions enhancing an increasing trend towards more synchronous response of trees to climate conditions. The response function and correlations analysis showed that tree growth was mainly influenced by precipitation variability.Research highlights: Our findings provide baseline knowledge concerning the ecological response of Atlas cedar to climate variability in in its southern distribution limit, where a high level of tree mortality has been observed during recent decades, coinciding with the driest period Algeria has ever experienced. This information is vital to support ongoing ecosystem management efforts in the region. Keywords: Atlas cedar; annual growth variability; dieback; dendrochronology. 

  17. Using LDR as Sensing Element for an External Fuzzy Controller Applied in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems with Variable-Speed Drives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maranhão, Geraldo Neves De A; Brito, Alaan Ubaiara; Leal, Anderson Marques; Fonseca, Jéssica Kelly Silva; Macêdo, Wilson Negrão

    2015-09-22

    In the present paper, a fuzzy controller applied to a Variable-Speed Drive (VSD) for use in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems (PVPS) is proposed. The fuzzy logic system (FLS) used is embedded in a microcontroller and corresponds to a proportional-derivative controller. A Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR) is used to measure, approximately, the irradiance incident on the PV array. Experimental tests are executed using an Arduino board. The experimental results show that the fuzzy controller is capable of operating the system continuously throughout the day and controlling the direct current (DC) voltage level in the VSD with a good performance.

  18. Using LDR as Sensing Element for an External Fuzzy Controller Applied in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems with Variable-Speed Drives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geraldo Neves De A. Maranhão

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper, a fuzzy controller applied to a Variable-Speed Drive (VSD for use in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems (PVPS is proposed. The fuzzy logic system (FLS used is embedded in a microcontroller and corresponds to a proportional-derivative controller. A Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR is used to measure, approximately, the irradiance incident on the PV array. Experimental tests are executed using an Arduino board. The experimental results show that the fuzzy controller is capable of operating the system continuously throughout the day and controlling the direct current (DC voltage level in the VSD with a good performance.

  19. Using dual response surfaces to reduce variability in launch vehicle design: A case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeniay, Ozgur; Unal, Resit; Lepsch, Roger A.

    2006-01-01

    Space transportation system conceptual design is a multidisciplinary process containing considerable element of risk. Uncertainties from one engineering discipline may propagate to another through linking parameters and the final system output may have an accumulation of risk. This may lead to significant deviations from expected performance. An estimate of variability or design risk therefore becomes essential for a robust design. This study utilizes the dual response surface approach to quantify variability in critical performance characteristics during conceptual design phase of a launch vehicle. Using design of experiments methods and disciplinary design analysis codes, dual response surfaces are constructed for the mean and standard deviation to quantify variability in vehicle weight and sizing analysis. Next, an optimum solution is sought to minimize variability subject to a constraint on mean weight. In this application, the dual response surface approach lead to quantifying and minimizing variability without much increase in design effort

  20. The effect of virtual reality on gait variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katsavelis, Dimitrios; Mukherjee, Mukul; Decker, Leslie; Stergiou, Nicholas

    2010-07-01

    Optic Flow (OF) plays an important role in human locomotion and manipulation of OF characteristics can cause changes in locomotion patterns. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the velocity of optic flow on the amount and structure of gait variability. Each subject underwent four conditions of treadmill walking at their self-selected pace. In three conditions the subjects walked in an endless virtual corridor, while a fourth control condition was also included. The three virtual conditions differed in the speed of the optic flow displayed as follows--same speed (OFn), faster (OFf), and slower (OFs) than that of the treadmill. Gait kinematics were tracked with an optical motion capture system. Gait variability measures of the hip, knee and ankle range of motion and stride interval were analyzed. Amount of variability was evaluated with linear measures of variability--coefficient of variation, while structure of variability i.e., its organization over time, were measured with nonlinear measures--approximate entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis. The linear measures of variability, CV, did not show significant differences between Non-VR and VR conditions while nonlinear measures of variability identified significant differences at the hip, ankle, and in stride interval. In response to manipulation of the optic flow, significant differences were observed between the three virtual conditions in the following order: OFn greater than OFf greater than OFs. Measures of structure of variability are more sensitive to changes in gait due to manipulation of visual cues, whereas measures of the amount of variability may be concealed by adaptive mechanisms. Visual cues increase the complexity of gait variability and may increase the degrees of freedom available to the subject. Further exploration of the effects of optic flow manipulation on locomotion may provide us with an effective tool for rehabilitation of subjects with sensorimotor issues.

  1. Cutting force model for high speed machining process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haber, R. E.; Jimenez, J. E.; Jimenez, A.; Lopez-Coronado, J.

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents cutting force-based models able to describe a high speed machining process. The model considers the cutting force as output variable, essential for the physical processes that are taking place in high speed machining. Moreover, this paper shows the mathematical development to derive the integral-differential equations, and the algorithms implemented in MATLAB to predict the cutting force in real time MATLAB is a software tool for doing numerical computations with matrices and vectors. It can also display information graphically and includes many toolboxes for several research and applications areas. Two end mill shapes are considered (i. e. cylindrical and ball end mill) for real-time implementation of the developed algorithms. the developed models are validated in slot milling operations. The results corroborate the importance of the cutting force variable for predicting tool wear in high speed machining operations. The developed models are the starting point for future work related with vibration analysis, process stability and dimensional surface finish in high speed machining processes. (Author) 19 refs

  2. Design of Stirrer Impeller with Variable Operational Speed for a Food Waste Homogenizer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Idris A. Kayode

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available A conceptualized impeller called KIA is designed for impact agitation of food waste in a homogenizer. A comparative analysis of the performance of KIA is made with three conventional impeller types, Rushton, Anchor, and Pitched Blade. Solid–liquid mixing of a moisture-rich food waste is simulated under various operational speeds, in order to compare the dispersions and thermal distributions at homogenous slurry conditions. Using SolidWorks, the design of the impellers employs an Application Programming Interface (API which acts as the canvas for creating a graphical user interface (GUI for automation of its assembly. A parametric analysis of the homogenizer, at varying operational speeds, enables the estimation of the critical speed of the mixing shaft diameter and the deflection under numerous mixing conditions and impeller configurations. The numerical simulation of the moisture-rich food waste (approximated as a Newtonian carrot–orange soup is performed with ANSYS CFX v.15.0. The velocity and temperature field distribution of the homogenizer for various impeller rotational speeds are analyzed. It is anticipated that the developed model will help in the selection of a suitable impeller for efficient mixing of food waste in the homogenizer.

  3. Tracer responses and control of vessels with variable flow and volume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemi, A.J.

    1990-01-01

    Continuous flow vessels which are subject to variation of flow and volume are characterized by time-variable parameters. It is shown that their residence time distributions and weighting functions obtained by tracer testing are made invariant with regard to the integrated flow variables which are introduced. Under variable flow but constant volume, one such integrated variable is sufficient. Under variable volume, two different variables are suggested for the residence time distribution and weighting function, while the appropriate variable of the perfect mixer differs distinctly from that of vessels with a distinct velocity profile. It is shown through a number of example cases, that an agreement with their mathematical models is reached. The approach is extended to include also arbitrary, non-analytic response functions obtained by tracer measurements. Applications of the derived models and their incorporation in automatic control algorithms is discussed. (orig.) [de

  4. Analyzing the Effect of Spinning Process Variables on Draw Frame Blended Cotton Mélange Yarn Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Suchibrata; Ghosh, Anindya; Banerjee, Debamalya

    2017-12-01

    An investigation has been made to study the effect of important spinning process variables namely shade depth, ring frame spindle speed and yarn twist multiplier (TM) on various yarn quality parameters like unevenness, strength, imperfection, elongation at break and hairiness index of draw frame blended cotton mélange yarn. Three factors Box and Behnken design of experiment has been used to conduct the study. The quadratic regression model is used to device the statistical inferences about sensitivity of the yarn quality parameters to the different process variables. The response surfaces are constructed for depicting the geometric representation of yarn quality parameters plotted as a function of process variables. Analysis of the results show that yarn strength of draw frame blended cotton mélange yarn is significantly affected by shade depth and TM. Yarn unevenness is affected by shade depth and ring frame spindle speed. Yarn imperfection level is mainly influenced by the shade depth and spindle speed. The shade depth and yarn TM have shown significant impact on yarn hairiness index.

  5. Examining the causes of memory strength variability: recollection, attention failure, or encoding variability?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koen, Joshua D; Aly, Mariam; Wang, Wei-Chun; Yonelinas, Andrew P

    2013-11-01

    A prominent finding in recognition memory is that studied items are associated with more variability in memory strength than new items. Here, we test 3 competing theories for why this occurs-the encoding variability, attention failure, and recollection accounts. Distinguishing among these theories is critical because each provides a fundamentally different account of the processes underlying recognition memory. The encoding variability and attention failure accounts propose that old item variance will be unaffected by retrieval manipulations because the processes producing this effect are ascribed to encoding. The recollection account predicts that both encoding and retrieval manipulations that preferentially affect recollection will affect memory variability. These contrasting predictions were tested by examining the effect of response speeding (Experiment 1), dividing attention at retrieval (Experiment 2), context reinstatement (Experiment 3), and increased test delay (Experiment 4) on recognition performance. The results of all 4 experiments confirm the predictions of the recollection account and are inconsistent with the encoding variability account. The evidence supporting the attention failure account is mixed, with 2 of the 4 experiments confirming the account and 2 disconfirming the account. These results indicate that encoding variability and attention failure are insufficient accounts of memory variance and provide support for the recollection account. Several alternative theoretical accounts of the results are also considered. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  6. Experimental enhancement of fuzzy fractional order PI+I controller of grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beddar, Antar; Bouzekri, Hacene; Babes, Badreddine; Afghoul, Hamza

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Fuzzy fractional order PI+I for wind energy conversion system is developed. • Investigation of the control methods performances under wind and load variations. • PSO algorithm with frequency method are used for parameters tuning. • Experimental results are presented. - Abstract: In this paper, fuzzy fractional order PI+I (FFOPI+I) controller for grid connected Variable Speed Wind Energy Conversion System (VS-WECS) is proposed. The FFOPI+I controller is applied to control a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) connected to the grid and nonlinear load through a back-to-back AC-DC-AC PWM converter. The control strategy of the Machine Side Converter (MSC) aims, at first, to extract a maximum power under fluctuating wind speed. Then, the Grid Side Converter (GSC) is controlled to improve the power quality and ensure sinusoidal current in the grid side. The FFOPI+I controller implements a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) in parallel with Fractional Order PI (FOPI) and conventional PI controllers by having a commune proportional gain. The FLC changes the integral gains at runtime. The initial parameters of the FFOPI+I controller were calculated using a frequency method to create a search space then the PSO algorithm is used to select the optimal parameters. To evaluate the performance of the proposed controller in steady and transient states, an experimental test bench has been built in laboratory using dSPACE1104 card. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the FFOPI+I over FOPI and conventional PI controllers by realizing maximum power extraction and improving the grid-side power factor for a wide range of wind speed.

  7. Simulation Analysis and Experiment of Variable-Displacement Asymmetric Axial Piston Pump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youshan Gao

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The variable displacement pump control system has greater energy-saving advantages and application prospects than the valve control system. However, the variable displacement pump control of differential cylinder is not concurrent with the existing technologies. The asymmetric pump-controlled cylinder is, therefore, used to balance the unequal volume flow through a single rod cylinder in closed-circuit system. This is considered to be an effective method. Nevertheless, the asymmetric axial piston pump (AAPP is a constant displacement pump. In this study, variable-displacement asymmetric axial piston pump (VAPP is investigated according to the same principle used in investigating AAPP. This study, therefore, aims at investigating the characteristics of VAPP. The variable-displacement output of VAPP is implemented by controlling the swash plate angle with angle feedback control circuit, which is composed of a servo proportional valve and an angular displacement sensor. The angular displacement sensor is connected to the swash plate. The simulation model of VAPP, which is set up through the ITI-SimulationX simulation platform, is used to predict VAPP’s characteristics. The purpose of implementing the experiment is to verify the theoretical results. Both the simulation and the experiment results demonstrated that the swash plate angle is controlled by a variable mechanism; when the swash plate angle increases, the flow of Port B and Port T increases while the response speed of Port B and Port T also accelerates. When the swash plate angle is constant, the flow of Port B and Port T increases along with the increase of pump speed, although the pressure-response speed of Port B is faster than that of Port T. Consequently, the flow pulsation of Port B and Port T tends to decrease gradually along with the increase of pump speed. When the pressure loaded on Port B equals to that of Port T, the flow ripple cycle of Port B is longer than that of Port T

  8. On the Response of a Micro Wind Turbine to Wind-Speed Change

    OpenAIRE

    烏谷, 隆; 渡辺, 公彦; 大屋, 裕二

    2004-01-01

    To improve the efficiency of a wind turbine, it is more effective to use high-speed wind. A method collecting wind to get high-speed wind was experimentally studied. It was found that the brimmed diffuser was a good device to get high-speed wind. The brimmed diffuser accelerated approaching wind, and wind speed near its inlet became about 1.7 times. Using this brimmed diffuser, we have made a new micro wind turbine and been carrying out field experiment. In order realize the properties of the...

  9. Speed of reasoning and its relation to reasoning ability

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goldhammer, F.; Klein Entink, R.H.

    2011-01-01

    The study investigates empirical properties of reasoning speed which is conceived as the fluency of solving reasoning problems. Responses and response times in reasoning tasks are modeled jointly to clarify the covariance structure of reasoning speed and reasoning ability. To determine underlying

  10. Drivers and seasonal predictability of extreme wind speeds in the ECMWF System 4 and a statistical model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walz, M. A.; Donat, M.; Leckebusch, G. C.

    2017-12-01

    As extreme wind speeds are responsible for large socio-economic losses in Europe, a skillful prediction would be of great benefit for disaster prevention as well as for the actuarial community. Here we evaluate patterns of large-scale atmospheric variability and the seasonal predictability of extreme wind speeds (e.g. >95th percentile) in the European domain in the dynamical seasonal forecast system ECMWF System 4, and compare to the predictability based on a statistical prediction model. The dominant patterns of atmospheric variability show distinct differences between reanalysis and ECMWF System 4, with most patterns in System 4 extended downstream in comparison to ERA-Interim. The dissimilar manifestations of the patterns within the two models lead to substantially different drivers associated with the occurrence of extreme winds in the respective model. While the ECMWF System 4 is shown to provide some predictive power over Scandinavia and the eastern Atlantic, only very few grid cells in the European domain have significant correlations for extreme wind speeds in System 4 compared to ERA-Interim. In contrast, a statistical model predicts extreme wind speeds during boreal winter in better agreement with the observations. Our results suggest that System 4 does not seem to capture the potential predictability of extreme winds that exists in the real world, and therefore fails to provide reliable seasonal predictions for lead months 2-4. This is likely related to the unrealistic representation of large-scale patterns of atmospheric variability. Hence our study points to potential improvements of dynamical prediction skill by improving the simulation of large-scale atmospheric dynamics.

  11. A Composite Likelihood Inference in Latent Variable Models for Ordinal Longitudinal Responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasdekis, Vassilis G. S.; Cagnone, Silvia; Moustaki, Irini

    2012-01-01

    The paper proposes a composite likelihood estimation approach that uses bivariate instead of multivariate marginal probabilities for ordinal longitudinal responses using a latent variable model. The model considers time-dependent latent variables and item-specific random effects to be accountable for the interdependencies of the multivariate…

  12. FBG Interrogation Method with High Resolution and Response Speed Based on a Reflective-Matched FBG Scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jiwen; Hu, Yang; Feng, Kunpeng; Li, Junying; Tan, Jiubin

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a high resolution and response speed interrogation method based on a reflective-matched Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) scheme is investigated in detail. The nonlinear problem of the reflective-matched FBG sensing interrogation scheme is solved by establishing and optimizing the mathematical model. A mechanical adjustment to optimize the interrogation method by tuning the central wavelength of the reference FBG to improve the stability and anti-temperature perturbation performance is investigated. To satisfy the measurement requirements of optical and electric signal processing, a well- designed acquisition circuit board is prepared, and experiments on the performance of the interrogation method are carried out. The experimental results indicate that the optical power resolution of the acquisition circuit border is better than 8 pW, and the stability of the interrogation method with the mechanical adjustment can reach 0.06%. Moreover, the nonlinearity of the interrogation method is 3.3% in the measurable range of 60 pm; the influence of temperature is significantly reduced to 9.5%; the wavelength resolution and response speed can achieve values of 0.3 pm and 500 kHz, respectively. PMID:26184195

  13. Cutting-in control of the variable speed constant frequency wind power generator based on internal model controller

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo Jindong; Xu Honghua; Zhao Dongli [Inst. of Electrical Engineering, CAS, BJ (China)

    2008-07-01

    The no-impact-current cutting-in-network control is the key of variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) wind power control system. Based on the stator flux linkage oriented control theory of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), the field-oriented vector control technique and the internal model controller (IMC) are transplanted into the voltage control of DFIG and a novel cutting-in control strategy is obtained. The strategy does not need the exact inductor generator model, and has perfect performance without overshoot. The structure of the controller is simple, and the only parameter to be adjusted is directly related to system performance, so the strategy is easy to realize. Finally the strategy is studied by simulation using Matlab, the results of the simulation show that the control strategy can effectively control the stator voltage. (orig.)

  14. Stated response to increased enforcement density and penalty size for speeding and driving unbelted.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hössinger, Reinhard; Berger, Wolfgang J

    2012-11-01

    To what extent can traffic offences be reduced through stronger enforcement, higher penalties, and the provision of information to road users? This question was addressed with respect to the offences of "speeding" and "driving unbelted." Data were collected by a telephone survey of admitted speeders, followed by 438 face-to-face stated response interviews. Based on the data collected, separate statistical models were developed for the two offences. The models predict the behavioral effect of increasing enforcement density and/or penalty size as well as the additional effect of providing information to car drivers. All three factors are predicted to be effective in reducing speeding. According to the model, one additional enforcement event per year will cause a driver to reduce his current frequency of speeding by 5%. A penalty increase of 10 Euros is predicted to have the same effect. An announcement of stronger enforcement or higher fines is predicted to have an additional effect on behavior, independent of the actual magnitudes of increase in enforcement or fines. With respect to the use of a seat belt, however, neither an increase in enforcement density nor its announcement is predicted to have a significant effect on driver behavior. An increase in the penalty size is predicted to raise the stated wearing rate, which is already 90% in Austria. It seems that both the fear of punishment and the motivation for driving unbelted are limited, so that there is only a weak tradeoff between the two. This may apply to most traffic offences, with the exception of speeding, which accounts for over 80% of tickets alone, whereas all other offences account for less than 3% each. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Modeling and Operational Testing of an Isolated Variable Speed PMSG Wind Turbine with Battery Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BAROTE, L.

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the modeling and operational testing of an isolated permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG, driven by a small wind turbine with a battery energy storage system during wind speed and load variations. The whole system is initially modeled, including the PMSG, the boost converter and the storage system. The required power for the connected loads can be effectively delivered and supplied by the proposed wind turbine and energy storage systems, subject to an appropriate control method. Energy storage devices are required for power balance and power quality in stand alone wind energy systems. The main purpose is to supply 230 V / 50 Hz domestic appliances through a single-phase inverter. The experimental waveforms, compared to the simulation results, show a good prediction of the electrical variable parameters. Furthermore, it can be seen that the results validate the stability of the supply.

  16. Model reference adaptive vector control for induction motor without speed sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Fan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The wide applications of vector control improve the high-accuracy performance of alternating current (AC adjustable speed system. In order to obverse the full-order flux and calculate the real-time speed, this article introduces the motor T equivalent circuit to build a full-order flux observer model, where the current and flux variables of stator and rotor are adopted. Model reference adaptive control is introduced to build the AC motor flux observer. The current output is used as feedback to build the feedback matrix. The calculation method of motor speed, which is part of the inputs of flux observation, is applied to realize the adaptive control. The concept of characteristic function is introduced to calculate the flux, of which the foundation is the variables of composite form of voltage and current models. The characteristic function is deduced as a relative-state variable function. The feedback matrix is improved and designed to ensure the motor flux observer is a smooth switch between current and voltage model in low and high speeds, respectively. Experimental results show that the feedback and characteristic model are feasible, and the vector control with speed sensorless based on the full-order flux observer has better performance and anti-disturbance.

  17. Mass Market Demand Response and Variable Generation Integration Issues: A Scoping Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cappers, Peter; Mills, Andrew; Goldman, Charles; Wiser, Ryan; Eto, Joseph H.

    2011-09-10

    This scoping study focuses on the policy issues inherent in the claims made by some Smart Grid proponents that the demand response potential of mass market customers which is enabled by widespread implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) through the Smart Grid could be the “silver bullet” for mitigating variable generation integration issues. In terms of approach, we will: identify key issues associated with integrating large amounts of variable generation into the bulk power system; identify demand response opportunities made more readily available to mass market customers through widespread deployment of AMI systems and how they can affect the bulk power system; assess the extent to which these mass market Demand Response (DR) opportunities can mitigate Variable Generation (VG) integration issues in the near-term and what electricity market structures and regulatory practices could be changed to further expand the ability for DR to mitigate VG integration issues over the long term; and provide a qualitative comparison of DR and other approaches to mitigate VG integration issues.

  18. The Response of Ice Sheets to Climate Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, K.; Goldberg, D. N.; Holland, P. R.; Jordan, J. R.; Arthern, R. J.; Jenkins, A.

    2017-12-01

    West Antarctic Ice Sheet loss is a significant contributor to sea level rise. While the ice loss is thought to be triggered by fluctuations in oceanic heat at the ice shelf bases, ice sheet response to ocean variability remains poorly understood. Using a synchronously coupled ice-ocean model permitting grounding line migration, this study evaluates the response of an ice sheet to periodic variations in ocean forcing. Resulting oscillations in grounded ice volume amplitude is shown to grow as a nonlinear function of ocean forcing period. This implies that slower oscillations in climatic forcing are disproportionately important to ice sheets. The ice shelf residence time offers a critical time scale, above which the ice response amplitude is a linear function of ocean forcing period and below which it is quadratic. These results highlight the sensitivity of West Antarctic ice streams to perturbations in heat fluxes occurring at decadal time scales.

  19. Neural correlates of the difference between working memory speed and simple sensorimotor speed: an fMRI study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hikaru Takeuchi

    Full Text Available The difference between the speed of simple cognitive processes and the speed of complex cognitive processes has various psychological correlates. However, the neural correlates of this difference have not yet been investigated. In this study, we focused on working memory (WM for typical complex cognitive processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired during the performance of an N-back task, which is a measure of WM for typical complex cognitive processes. In our N-back task, task speed and memory load were varied to identify the neural correlates responsible for the difference between the speed of simple cognitive processes (estimated from the 0-back task and the speed of WM. Our findings showed that this difference was characterized by the increased activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC and the increased functional interaction between the right DLPFC and right superior parietal lobe. Furthermore, the local gray matter volume of the right DLPFC was correlated with participants' accuracy during fast WM tasks, which in turn correlated with a psychometric measure of participants' intelligence. Our findings indicate that the right DLPFC and its related network are responsible for the execution of the fast cognitive processes involved in WM. Identified neural bases may underlie the psychometric differences between the speed with which subjects perform simple cognitive tasks and the speed with which subjects perform more complex cognitive tasks, and explain the previous traditional psychological findings.

  20. Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall and their effects on hydrological response in urban areas - a review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cristiano, Elena; ten Veldhuis, Marie-claire; van de Giesen, Nick

    2017-07-01

    In urban areas, hydrological processes are characterized by high variability in space and time, making them sensitive to small-scale temporal and spatial rainfall variability. In the last decades new instruments, techniques, and methods have been developed to capture rainfall and hydrological processes at high resolution. Weather radars have been introduced to estimate high spatial and temporal rainfall variability. At the same time, new models have been proposed to reproduce hydrological response, based on small-scale representation of urban catchment spatial variability. Despite these efforts, interactions between rainfall variability, catchment heterogeneity, and hydrological response remain poorly understood. This paper presents a review of our current understanding of hydrological processes in urban environments as reported in the literature, focusing on their spatial and temporal variability aspects. We review recent findings on the effects of rainfall variability on hydrological response and identify gaps where knowledge needs to be further developed to improve our understanding of and capability to predict urban hydrological response.

  1. Fault-Ride through Strategy for Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Generators in Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Abdelrahem

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Currently, the electric power production by wind energy conversion systems (WECSs has increased significantly. Consequently, wind turbine (WT generators are requested to fulfill the grid code (GC requirements stated by network operators. In case of grid faults/voltage dips, a mismatch between the generated active power from the wind generator and the active power delivered to the grid is produced. The conventional approach is using a braking chopper (BC in the DC-link to dissipate this active power. This paper proposes a fault-ride through (FRT strategy for variable-speed WECSs based on permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs. The proposed strategy exploits the rotor inertia of the WECS (inertia of the WT and PMSG to store the surplus active power during the grid faults/voltage dips. Thus, no additional hardware components are requested. Furthermore, a direct model predictive control (DMPC scheme for the PMSG is proposed in order to enhance the dynamic behavior of the WECS. The behavior of the proposed FRT strategy is verified and compared with the conventional BC approach for all the operation conditions by simulation results. Finally, the simulation results confirm the feasibility of the proposed FRT strategy.

  2. High-speed Maglev studies in Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atherton, D.L.; Eastham, A.R.

    1974-01-01

    This paper reports on Canadian studies of superconducting magnetic levitation and variable-speed linear synchronous motor propulsion for high-speed inter-city guided ground transport. Levitation is obtained by the interaction of vehicle-mounted superconducting magnets and the eddy currents induced in aluminium strip conductors on the guideway. Non-contact propulsion by linear synchronous motor (LSM) is obtained by using vehicle-borne superconducting magnets and powered guideway coils. A suggested guidance scheme uses a flat guideway with 'null-flux' loops overlying the LSM windings. The propulsion magnets interact with the loops and the edges of the levitation strips to provide lateral stabilization. The test facility is a 7.6m wheel, rotating with a peripheral speed of 33m/s. (author)

  3. Changes of interannual NAO variability in response to greenhouse gases forcing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, Buwen; Sutton, Rowan T.; Woollings, Tim [University of Reading, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Department of Meteorology, Reading (United Kingdom)

    2011-10-15

    Observations show that there was change in interannual North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variability in the mid-1970s. This change was characterized by an eastward shift of the NAO action centres, a poleward shift of zonal wind anomalies and a downstream extension of climate anomalies associated with the NAO. The NAO interannual variability for the period after the mid-1970s has an annular mode structure that penetrates deeply into the stratosphere, indicating a strengthened relationship between the NAO and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and strengthened stratosphere-troposphere coupling. In this study we have investigated possible causes of these changes in the NAO by carrying out experiments with an atmospheric GCM. The model is forced either by doubling CO{sub 2}, or increasing sea surface temperatures (SST), or both. In the case of SST forcing the SST anomaly is derived from a coupled model simulation forced by increasing CO{sub 2}. Results indicate that SST and CO{sub 2} change both force a poleward and eastward shift in the pattern of interannual NAO variability and the associated poleward shift of zonal wind anomalies, similar to the observations. The effect of SST change can be understood in terms of mean changes in the troposphere. The direct effect of CO{sub 2} change, in contrast, can not be understood in terms of mean changes in the troposphere. However, there is a significant response in the stratosphere, characterized by a strengthened climatological polar vortex with strongly enhanced interannual variability. In this case, the NAO interannual variability has a strong link with the variability over the North Pacific, as in the annular AO pattern, and is also strongly related to the stratospheric vortex, indicating strengthened stratosphere-troposphere coupling. The similarity of changes in many characteristics of NAO interannual variability between the model response to doubling CO{sub 2} and those in observations in the mid-1970s implies that the

  4. Thought Speed, Mood, and the Experience of Mental Motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pronin, Emily; Jacobs, Elana

    2008-11-01

    This article presents a theoretical account relating thought speed to mood and psychological experience. Thought sequences that occur at a fast speed generally induce more positive affect than do those that occur slowly. Thought speed constitutes one aspect of mental motion. Another aspect involves thought variability, or the degree to which thoughts in a sequence either vary widely from or revolve closely around a theme. Thought sequences possessing more motion (occurring fast and varying widely) generally produce more positive affect than do sequences possessing little motion (occurring slowly and repetitively). When speed and variability oppose each other, such that one is low and the other is high, predictable psychological states also emerge. For example, whereas slow, repetitive thinking can prompt dejection, fast, repetitive thinking can prompt anxiety. This distinction is related to the fact that fast thinking involves greater actual and felt energy than slow thinking does. Effects of mental motion occur independent of the specific content of thought. Their consequences for mood and energy hold psychotherapeutic relevance. © 2008 Association for Psychological Science.

  5. Modeling of cryogenic frictional behaviour of titanium alloys using Response Surface Methodology approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Tayeb, N.S.M.; Yap, T.C.; Venkatesh, V.C.; Brevern, P.V.

    2009-01-01

    The potential of cryogenic effect on frictional behaviour of newly developed titanium alloy Ti-5Al-4V-0.6Mo-0.4Fe (Ti54) sliding against tungsten carbide was investigated and compared with conventional titanium alloy Ti6Al4V (Ti64). In this study, four models were developed to describe the interrelationship between the friction coefficient (response) and independent variables such as speed, load, and sliding distance (time). These variables were investigated using the design of experiments and utilization of the response surface methodology (RSM). By using this method, it was possible to study the effect of main and mixed (interaction) independent variables on the friction coefficient (COF) of both titanium alloys. Under cryogenic condition, the friction coefficient of both Ti64 and Ti54 behaved differently, i.e. an increase in the case of Ti64 and decrease in the case of Ti54. For Ti64, at higher levels of load and speed, sliding in cryogenic conditions produces relatively higher friction coefficients compared to those obtained in dry air conditions. On contrary, introduction of cryogenic fluid reduces the friction coefficients of Ti54 at all tested conditions of load, speed, and time. The established models demonstrated that the mixed effect of load/speed, time/speed, and load/time consistently decrease the COF of Ti54. However this was not the case for Ti64 whereas the COF increased up to 20% when the Ti64 was tested at higher levels of load and sliding time. Furthermore, the models indicated that interaction of loads and speeds was more effective for both Ti-alloy and have the most substantial influence on the friction. In addition, COF for both alloys behaved linearly with the speed but nonlinearly with the load.

  6. Validation of Generic Models for Variable Speed Operation Wind Turbines Following the Recent Guidelines Issued by IEC 61400-27

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrés Honrubia-Escribano

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Considerable efforts are currently being made by several international working groups focused on the development of generic, also known as simplified or standard, wind turbine models for power system stability studies. In this sense, the first edition of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 61400-27-1, which defines generic dynamic simulation models for wind turbines, was published in February 2015. Nevertheless, the correlations of the IEC generic models with respect to specific wind turbine manufacturer models are required by the wind power industry to validate the accuracy and corresponding usability of these standard models. The present work conducts the validation of the two topologies of variable speed wind turbines that present not only the largest market share, but also the most technological advances. Specifically, the doubly-fed induction machine and the full-scale converter (FSC topology are modeled based on the IEC 61400-27-1 guidelines. The models are simulated for a wide range of voltage dips with different characteristics and wind turbine operating conditions. The simulated response of the IEC generic model is compared to the corresponding simplified model of a wind turbine manufacturer, showing a good correlation in most cases. Validation error sources are analyzed in detail, as well. In addition, this paper reviews in detail the previous work done in this field. Results suggest that wind turbine manufacturers are able to adjust the IEC generic models to represent the behavior of their specific wind turbines for power system stability analysis.

  7. Biomechanical responses of PMHS in moderate-speed rear impacts and development of response targets for evaluating the internal and external biofidelity of ATDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Yun-Seok; Bolte, John H; Moorhouse, Kevin; Donnelly, Bruce; Herriott, Rodney; Mallory, Ann

    2012-10-01

    The objectives of this study were to obtain biomechanical responses of post mortem human subjects (PMHS) by subjecting them to two moderate-speed rear impact sled test conditions (8.5g, 17 km/h; 10.5g, 24 km/h) while positioned in an experimental seat system, and to create biomechanical targets for internal and external biofidelity evaluation of rear impact ATDs. The experimental seat was designed to measure external loads on the head restraint (4 load cells), seat back (6 load cells), and seat pan (4 load cells) such that subject dynamic interaction with the seat could be evaluated. This seat system was capable of simulating the dynamic characteristics of modern vehicle seat backs by considering the moment-rotation properties of a typical passenger vehicle, thus providing a more realistic test environment than using a rigid seat with a non-rotating seat back as done in previous studies. Instrumentation used to measure biomechanical responses of the PMHS included both accelerometers and angular rate sensors (ARS). A total of fourteen sled tests using eight PMHS (males 175.8 ± 6.2 cm of stature and 78.4 ± 7.2 kg of weight) provided data sets of seven PMHS for both test conditions. The biomechanical responses are described at both speeds, and cervical spine injuries are documented. Biomechanical targets are also created for internal and external biofidelity evaluation of rear impact anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs).

  8. Variable speed drives for pumps used in intensive pond culture systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prior to about 2010, the only large pumps on most catfish farms were those associated with the water supply. Water from wells is usually pumped to the surface using single-speed, vertical, lineshaft turbine pumps powered by three phase, electric motors. Since 2010, several catfish farmers have bui...

  9. Idealized models of the joint probability distribution of wind speeds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monahan, Adam H.

    2018-05-01

    The joint probability distribution of wind speeds at two separate locations in space or points in time completely characterizes the statistical dependence of these two quantities, providing more information than linear measures such as correlation. In this study, we consider two models of the joint distribution of wind speeds obtained from idealized models of the dependence structure of the horizontal wind velocity components. The bivariate Rice distribution follows from assuming that the wind components have Gaussian and isotropic fluctuations. The bivariate Weibull distribution arises from power law transformations of wind speeds corresponding to vector components with Gaussian, isotropic, mean-zero variability. Maximum likelihood estimates of these distributions are compared using wind speed data from the mid-troposphere, from different altitudes at the Cabauw tower in the Netherlands, and from scatterometer observations over the sea surface. While the bivariate Rice distribution is more flexible and can represent a broader class of dependence structures, the bivariate Weibull distribution is mathematically simpler and may be more convenient in many applications. The complexity of the mathematical expressions obtained for the joint distributions suggests that the development of explicit functional forms for multivariate speed distributions from distributions of the components will not be practical for more complicated dependence structure or more than two speed variables.

  10. Dynamic response analysis of single-span guideway caused by high speed maglev train

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Shi

    Full Text Available High speed maglev is one of the most important reformations in the ground transportation systems because of its no physical contact nature. This paper intends to study the dynamic response of the single-span guideway induced by moving maglev train. The dynamic model of the maglev train-guideway system is established. In this model, a maglev train consists of three vehicles and each vehicle is regarded as a multibody system with 34 degrees-of-freedom. The guideway is modeled as a simply supported beam. Considering the motion-dependent nature of electromagnetic forces in the maglev system, an iterative approach is presented to compute the dynamic response of a maglev train-guideway system. The histories of the train traversing the guideways are simulated and the dynamic responses of the guideway and the train vehicles are calculated. A field experiment is carried out to verify the results of the analysis. The resonant conditions of single-span guideway are analyzed. The results show that all the dynamic indexes of train-guideway system are far less than permissive values of railway and maglev system, the vertical resonant of guideways caused by periodical excitations of the train will not happen.

  11. The sequence of cortical activity inferred by response latency variability in the human ventral pathway of face processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jo-Fu Lotus; Silva-Pereyra, Juan; Chou, Chih-Che; Lin, Fa-Hsuan

    2018-04-11

    Variability in neuronal response latency has been typically considered caused by random noise. Previous studies of single cells and large neuronal populations have shown that the temporal variability tends to increase along the visual pathway. Inspired by these previous studies, we hypothesized that functional areas at later stages in the visual pathway of face processing would have larger variability in the response latency. To test this hypothesis, we used magnetoencephalographic data collected when subjects were presented with images of human faces. Faces are known to elicit a sequence of activity from the primary visual cortex to the fusiform gyrus. Our results revealed that the fusiform gyrus showed larger variability in the response latency compared to the calcarine fissure. Dynamic and spectral analyses of the latency variability indicated that the response latency in the fusiform gyrus was more variable than in the calcarine fissure between 70 ms and 200 ms after the stimulus onset and between 4 Hz and 40 Hz, respectively. The sequential processing of face information from the calcarine sulcus to the fusiform sulcus was more reliably detected based on sizes of the response variability than instants of the maximal response peaks. With two areas in the ventral visual pathway, we show that the variability in response latency across brain areas can be used to infer the sequence of cortical activity.

  12. Flicker Mitigation by Active Power Control of Variable-Speed Wind Turbines With Full-Scale Back-to-Back Power Converters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Weihao; Chen, Zhe; Wang, Zhaoan

    2009-01-01

    /EMTDC. Flicker emission of this system is investigated. Reactive power compensation is mostly adopted for flicker mitigation. However, the flicker mitigation technique shows its limits, when the grid impedance angle is low in some distribution networks. A new method of flicker mitigation by controlling active...... power is proposed. It smoothes the 3p active power oscillations from wind shear and tower shadow effects of the wind turbine by varying the dc-link voltage of the full-scale converter. Simulation results show that damping the 3p active power oscillation by using the flicker mitigation controller...... is an effective means for flicker mitigation of variable-speed wind turbines with full-scale back-to-back power converters during continuous operation....

  13. Torque- and Speed Control of a Pitch Regulated Wind Turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rasila, Mika

    2003-07-01

    Variable speed operated wind turbines has the potential to reduce fatigue loads, compared to fixed speed wind turbines. With pitch controllable rotor blades limitation of the power at high wind speeds is obtained. The thesis describes different controlling aspects concerning wind turbines and how these together can be used to optimize the system's performance. Torque control is used in order to achieve reduction on the mechanical loads on the drive-train for low wind speeds and limitation of power output for high wind speeds. In the high wind speed interval torque control is effective in order to limit the output power if a sufficiently fast pitch actuator is used. In the middle wind speed interval filter utilization can be used to give a reference signal to the controller in order to reduce speed and torque variations.

  14. Co-extrusion of food grains-banana pulp for nutritious snacks: optimization of process variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mridula, D; Sethi, Swati; Tushir, Surya; Bhadwal, Sheetal; Gupta, R K; Nanda, S K

    2017-08-01

    Present study was undertaken to optimize the process conditions for development of food grains (maize, defatted soy flour, sesame seed)-banana based nutritious expanded snacks using extrusion processing. Experiments were designed using Box-Behnken design with banana pulp (8-24 g), screw speed (300-350 rpm) and feed moisture (14-16% w.b.). Seven responses viz. expansion ratio (ER), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), protein, minerals, iron and sensory acceptability were considered for optimizing independent parameters. ER, BD, WAI, protein content, total minerals, iron content, and overall acceptability ranged 2.69-3.36, 153.43-238.83 kg/m 3 , 4.56-4.88 g/g, 15.19-15.52%, 2.06-2.27%, 4.39-4.67 mg/100 g (w.b.) and 6.76-7.36, respectively. ER was significantly affected by all three process variables while BD was influenced by banana pulp and screw speed only. Studied process variables did not affected colour quality except 'a' value with banana pulp and screw speed. Banana pulp had positive correlation with water solubility index, total minerals and iron content and negative with WAI, protein and overall acceptability. Based upon multiple response analysis, optimized conditions were 8 g banana pulp, 350 rpm screw speed and 14% feed moisture indicating the protein, calorie, iron content and overall sensory acceptability in sample as 15.46%, 401 kcal/100 g, 4.48 mg/100 g and 7.6 respectively.

  15. Investigation into response characteristics of the chitosan gel artificial muscle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Gang; Yang, Junjie; Wang, Yujian; Zhao, Honghao; Fu, Yu; Zhang, Guangli; Yu, Shuqin; Wu, Yuda; Wei, Chengye; Liu, Xuxiong; Wang, Zhijie

    2018-01-01

    Bionic artificial muscle made from chitosan gel is an emerging type of the ionic electro active polymer with advantages of large deformation, low cost and environmental protection etc, which leads to a research focus and wide application in the fields of bionic engineering and intelligence material recently. In this paper, effects and improvement mechanisms of the direct casting and genipin cross-linking processes on response speed properties of the chitosan gel artificial muscle (CGAM) were mainly studied. Based on in-depth analysis of the CGAM response mechanism, a platform was built for testing the response performance of the CGAM, then its equivalent circuit and mathematical models were also established. Furthermore, control experiments were carried out to test and analyze several performances of the CGAM on response speed, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and microstructure with different control variables. The experimental results illustrated that the CGAM assembled by direct casting enabled its electric actuating membrane and non-metallic electrode membrane tightly attached together with low contact resistance, which dramatically promoted the electrical conductivity of the CGAM resulting in nearly doubled response speed. Besides, different concentrations of genipin were adopted to cross-link the CGAM actuating membranes, and then it was found that the response speed of the uncross-linked CGAM was fast in the initial stage, but as time increased, it declined rapidly with poor steadiness. While there was no obvious decrease over time on the response speed of the CGAM cross-linked with low genipin concentration. Namely, its stability was getting better and better. In addition, the response speed of the CGAM cross-linked with low concentration of genipin was roughly the same as uncross-linked CGAM, which was quicker than that of high concentration. In this work, its internal mechanisms, feasible assembly technique and green modification method were

  16. Human Responses to Climate Variability: The Case of South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oppenheimer, M.; Licker, R.; Mastrorillo, M.; Bohra-Mishra, P.; Estes, L. D.; Cai, R.

    2014-12-01

    Climate variability has been associated with a range of societal and individual outcomes including migration, violent conflict, changes in labor productivity, and health impacts. Some of these may be direct responses to changes in mean temperature or precipitation or extreme events, such as displacement of human populations by tropical cyclones. Others may be mediated by a variety of biological, social, or ecological factors such as migration in response to long-term changes in crops yields. Research is beginning to elucidate and distinguish the many channels through which climate variability may influence human behavior (ranging from the individual to the collective, societal level) in order to better understand how to improve resilience in the face of current variability as well as future climate change. Using a variety of data sets from South Africa, we show how climate variability has influenced internal (within country) migration in recent history. We focus on South Africa as it is a country with high levels of internal migration and dramatic temperature and precipitation changes projected for the 21st century. High poverty rates and significant levels of rain-fed, smallholder agriculture leave large portions of South Africa's population base vulnerable to future climate change. In this study, we utilize two complementary statistical models - one micro-level model, driven by individual and household level survey data, and one macro-level model, driven by national census statistics. In both models, we consider the effect of climate on migration both directly (with gridded climate reanalysis data) and indirectly (with agricultural production statistics). With our historical analyses of climate variability, we gain insights into how the migration decisions of South Africans may be influenced by future climate change. We also offer perspective on the utility of micro and macro level approaches in the study of climate change and human migration.

  17. FBG Interrogation Method with High Resolution and Response Speed Based on a Reflective-Matched FBG Scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jiwen; Hu, Yang; Feng, Kunpeng; Li, Junying; Tan, Jiubin

    2015-07-08

    In this paper, a high resolution and response speed interrogation method based on a reflective-matched Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) scheme is investigated in detail. The nonlinear problem of the reflective-matched FBG sensing interrogation scheme is solved by establishing and optimizing the mathematical model. A mechanical adjustment to optimize the interrogation method by tuning the central wavelength of the reference FBG to improve the stability and anti-temperature perturbation performance is investigated. To satisfy the measurement requirements of optical and electric signal processing, a well- designed acquisition circuit board is prepared, and experiments on the performance of the interrogation method are carried out. The experimental results indicate that the optical power resolution of the acquisition circuit border is better than 8 pW, and the stability of the interrogation method with the mechanical adjustment can reach 0.06%. Moreover, the nonlinearity of the interrogation method is 3.3% in the measurable range of 60 pm; the influence of temperature is significantly reduced to 9.5%; the wavelength resolution and response speed can achieve values of 0.3 pm and 500 kHz, respectively.

  18. Virtual inertia for variable speed wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeni, Lorenzo; Rudolph, Andreas Jakob; Münster-Swendsen, Janus

    2013-01-01

    electronic converter and on its impact on the primary frequency response of a power system. An additional control for the power electronics is implemented to give VSWTs a virtual inertia, referring to the kinetic energy stored in the rotating masses, which can be released initially to support the system......’s inertia. A simple Matlab/Simulink model and control of a VSWT and of a generic power system are developed to analyse the primary frequency response following different generation losses in a system comprising VSWTs provided with virtual inertia. The possibility of substituting a 50% share of conventional...... power with wind is also assessed and investigated. The intrinsic problems related to the implementation of virtual inertia are illustrated, addressing their origin in the action of pitch and power control. A solution is proposed, which aims at obtaining the same response as for the system with only...

  19. A PLL-based resampling technique for vibration analysis in variable-speed wind turbines with PMSG: A bearing fault case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pezzani, Carlos M.; Bossio, José M.; Castellino, Ariel M.; Bossio, Guillermo R.; De Angelo, Cristian H.

    2017-02-01

    Condition monitoring in permanent magnet synchronous machines has gained interest due to the increasing use in applications such as electric traction and power generation. Particularly in wind power generation, non-invasive condition monitoring techniques are of great importance. Usually, in such applications the access to the generator is complex and costly, while unexpected breakdowns results in high repair costs. This paper presents a technique which allows using vibration analysis for bearing fault detection in permanent magnet synchronous generators used in wind turbines. Given that in wind power applications the generator rotational speed may vary during normal operation, it is necessary to use special sampling techniques to apply spectral analysis of mechanical vibrations. In this work, a resampling technique based on order tracking without measuring the rotor position is proposed. To synchronize sampling with rotor position, an estimation of the rotor position obtained from the angle of the voltage vector is proposed. This angle is obtained from a phase-locked loop synchronized with the generator voltages. The proposed strategy is validated by laboratory experimental results obtained from a permanent magnet synchronous generator. Results with single point defects in the outer race of a bearing under variable speed and load conditions are presented.

  20. Bet-hedging response to environmental variability, an intraspecific comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevoux, Marie; Forcada, Jaume; Barbraud, Christophe; Croxall, John; Weimerskirchi, Henri

    2010-08-01

    A major challenge in ecology is to understand the impact of increased environmental variability on populations and ecosystems. To maximize their fitness in a variable environment, life history theory states that individuals should favor a bet-hedging strategy, involving a reduction of annual breeding performance and an increase in adult survival so that reproduction can be attempted over more years. As a result, evolution toward longer life span is expected to reduce the deleterious effects of extra variability on population growth, and consequently on the trait contributing the most to it (e.g., adult survival in long-lived species). To investigate this, we compared the life histories of two Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) populations breeding at South Georgia (Atlantic Ocean) and Kerguelen (Indian Ocean), the former in an environment nearly three times more variable climatically (e.g., in sea surface temperature) than the latter. As predicted, individuals from South Georgia (in the more variable environment) showed significantly higher annual adult survival (0.959, SE = 0.003) but lower annual reproductive success (0.285 chick per pair, SE = 0.039) than birds from Kerguelen (survival = 0.925, SE = 0.004; breeding success = 0.694, SE = 0.027). In both populations, climatic conditions affected the breeding success and the survival of inexperienced breeders, whereas the survival of experienced breeders was unaffected. The strength of the climatic impact on survival of inexperienced breeders was very similar between the two populations, but the effect on breeding success was positively related to environmental variability. These results provide rare and compelling evidence to support bet-hedging underlying changes in life history traits as an adaptive response to environmental variability.

  1. Precipitation response to the current ENSO variability in a warming world

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonfils, C.; Santer, B. D.; Phillips, T. J.; Marvel, K.; Leung, L.

    2013-12-01

    The major triggers of past and recent droughts include large modes of variability, such as ENSO, as well as specific and persistent patterns of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs; Hoerling and Kumar, 2003, Shin et al. 2010, Schubert et al. 2009). However, alternative drought initiators are also anticipated in response to increasing greenhouse gases, potentially changing the relative contribution of ocean variability as drought initiator. They include the intensification of the current zonal wet-dry patterns (the thermodynamic mechanism, Held and Soden, 2006), a latitudinal redistribution of global precipitation (the dynamical mechanism, Seager et al. 2007, Seidel et al. 2008, Scheff and Frierson 2008) and a reduction of local soil moisture and precipitation recycling (the land-atmosphere argument). Our ultimate goal is to investigate whether the relative contribution of those mechanisms change over time in response to global warming. In this study, we first perform an EOF analysis of the 1900-1999 time series of observed global SST field and identify a simple ENSO-like (ENSOL) mode of SST variability. We show that this mode is well spatially and temporally correlated with observed worldwide regional precipitation and drought variability. We then develop concise metrics to examine the fidelity with which the CMIP5 coupled global climate models (CGCMs) capture this particular ENSO-like mode in the current climate, and their ability to replicate the observed teleconnections with precipitation. Based on the CMIP5 model projections of future climate change, we finally analyze the potential temporal variations in ENSOL to be anticipated under further global warming, as well as their associated teleconnections with precipitation (pattern, amplitude, and total response). Overall, our approach allows us to determine what will be the effect of the current ENSO-like variability (i.e., as measured with instrumental observations) on precipitation in a warming world. This

  2. design of a small scale wind generator for low wind speed areas

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    Most small scale level wind turbine generators are directly driven system, variable speed, and partially ... the best solutions for small-scale wind power plants. Low-speed multi-pole PM generators ..... Designs of the Same Magnet Structure for.

  3. Fast visual prediction and slow optimization of preferred walking speed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connor, Shawn M; Donelan, J Maxwell

    2012-05-01

    People prefer walking speeds that minimize energetic cost. This may be accomplished by directly sensing metabolic rate and adapting gait to minimize it, but only slowly due to the compounded effects of sensing delays and iterative convergence. Visual and other sensory information is available more rapidly and could help predict which gait changes reduce energetic cost, but only approximately because it relies on prior experience and an indirect means to achieve economy. We used virtual reality to manipulate visually presented speed while 10 healthy subjects freely walked on a self-paced treadmill to test whether the nervous system beneficially combines these two mechanisms. Rather than manipulating the speed of visual flow directly, we coupled it to the walking speed selected by the subject and then manipulated the ratio between these two speeds. We then quantified the dynamics of walking speed adjustments in response to perturbations of the visual speed. For step changes in visual speed, subjects responded with rapid speed adjustments (lasting 300 s). The timing and direction of these responses strongly indicate that a rapid predictive process informed by visual feedback helps select preferred speed, perhaps to complement a slower optimization process that seeks to minimize energetic cost.

  4. Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall and their effects on hydrological response in urban areas – a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Cristiano

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In urban areas, hydrological processes are characterized by high variability in space and time, making them sensitive to small-scale temporal and spatial rainfall variability. In the last decades new instruments, techniques, and methods have been developed to capture rainfall and hydrological processes at high resolution. Weather radars have been introduced to estimate high spatial and temporal rainfall variability. At the same time, new models have been proposed to reproduce hydrological response, based on small-scale representation of urban catchment spatial variability. Despite these efforts, interactions between rainfall variability, catchment heterogeneity, and hydrological response remain poorly understood. This paper presents a review of our current understanding of hydrological processes in urban environments as reported in the literature, focusing on their spatial and temporal variability aspects. We review recent findings on the effects of rainfall variability on hydrological response and identify gaps where knowledge needs to be further developed to improve our understanding of and capability to predict urban hydrological response.

  5. Effects of environmental variables on invasive amphibian activity: Using model selection on quantiles for counts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, Benjamin J.; Cade, Brian S.; Schwarzkoph, Lin

    2018-01-01

    Many different factors influence animal activity. Often, the value of an environmental variable may influence significantly the upper or lower tails of the activity distribution. For describing relationships with heterogeneous boundaries, quantile regressions predict a quantile of the conditional distribution of the dependent variable. A quantile count model extends linear quantile regression methods to discrete response variables, and is useful if activity is quantified by trapping, where there may be many tied (equal) values in the activity distribution, over a small range of discrete values. Additionally, different environmental variables in combination may have synergistic or antagonistic effects on activity, so examining their effects together, in a modeling framework, is a useful approach. Thus, model selection on quantile counts can be used to determine the relative importance of different variables in determining activity, across the entire distribution of capture results. We conducted model selection on quantile count models to describe the factors affecting activity (numbers of captures) of cane toads (Rhinella marina) in response to several environmental variables (humidity, temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and moon luminosity) over eleven months of trapping. Environmental effects on activity are understudied in this pest animal. In the dry season, model selection on quantile count models suggested that rainfall positively affected activity, especially near the lower tails of the activity distribution. In the wet season, wind speed limited activity near the maximum of the distribution, while minimum activity increased with minimum temperature. This statistical methodology allowed us to explore, in depth, how environmental factors influenced activity across the entire distribution, and is applicable to any survey or trapping regime, in which environmental variables affect activity.

  6. A reduced switch count UPF power conditioner for grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system employing PM generators: a simulation study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raju, A.B.; Fernandes, B.G.; Chatterjee, K. [Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (India). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

    2004-07-01

    In this paper, modelling and simulation of a grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system (VSWECS) with reduced switch count power converter is presented. The system consists of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), two-pulse width modulated B-4 power converters and a maximum power point tracker (MPPT). Mathematical models of each element of the system are developed separately and are then integrated to simulate the whole system for various wind velocities. The complete system is simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK and simulation results are presented. (author)

  7. Introducing a system of wind speed distributions for modeling properties of wind speed regimes around the world

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Christopher; Schindler, Dirk; Laible, Jessica; Buchholz, Alexander

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Evaluation of statistical properties of 10,016 empirical wind speed distributions. • Analysis of the shape of empirical wind speed distributions by L-moment ratios. • Introduction of a new system of wind speed distributions (Swd). • Random forests classification of the most appropriate distribution. • Comprehensive goodness of Swd fit evaluation on a global scale. - Abstract: Accurate modeling of empirical wind speed distributions is a crucial step in the estimation of average wind turbine power output. For this purpose, the Weibull distribution has often been fitted to empirical wind speed distributions. However, the Weibull distribution has been found to be insufficient to reproduce many wind speed regimes existing around the world. Results from previous studies demonstrate that numerous one-component distributions as well as mixture distributions provide a better goodness-of-fit to empirical wind speed distributions than the Weibull distribution. Moreover, there is considerable interest to apply a single system of distributions that can be utilized to reproduce the large majority of near-surface wind speed regimes existing around the world. Therefore, a system of wind speed distributions was developed that is capable of reproducing the main characteristics of existing wind speed regimes. The proposed system consists of two one-component distributions (Kappa and Wakeby) and one mixture distribution (Burr-Generalized Extreme Value). A random forests classifier was trained in order to select the most appropriate of these three distributions for each of 10,016 globally distributed empirical wind speed distributions. The shape of the empirical wind speed distributions was described by L-moment ratios. The L-moment ratios were used as predictor variables for the random forests classifier. The goodness-of-fit of the system of wind speed distributions was evaluated according to eleven goodness-of-fit metrics, which were merged into one

  8. Visual processing speed in old age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habekost, Thomas; Vogel, Asmus; Rostrup, Egill; Bundesen, Claus; Kyllingsbaek, Søren; Garde, Ellen; Ryberg, Charlotte; Waldemar, Gunhild

    2013-04-01

    Mental speed is a common concept in theories of cognitive aging, but it is difficult to get measures of the speed of a particular psychological process that are not confounded by the speed of other processes. We used Bundesen's (1990) Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) to obtain specific estimates of processing speed in the visual system controlled for the influence of response latency and individual variations of the perception threshold. A total of 33 non-demented old people (69-87 years) were tested for the ability to recognize briefly presented letters. Performance was analyzed by the TVA model. Visual processing speed decreased approximately linearly with age and was on average halved from 70 to 85 years. Less dramatic aging effects were found for the perception threshold and the visual apprehension span. In the visual domain, cognitive aging seems to be most clearly related to reductions in processing speed. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

  9. Design optimization under uncertainty and speed variability for a piezoelectric energy harvester powering a tire pressure monitoring sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toghi Eshghi, Amin; Lee, Soobum; Kazem Sadoughi, Mohammad; Hu, Chao; Kim, Young-Cheol; Seo, Jong-Ho

    2017-10-01

    Energy harvesting (EH) technologies to power small sized electronic devices are attracting great attention. Wasted energy in a vehicle’s rotating tire has a great potential to enable self-powered tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS). Piezoelectric type energy harvesters can be used to collect vibrational energy and power such systems. Due to the presence of harsh acceleration in a rotating tire, a design tradeoff needs to be studied to prolong the harvester’s fatigue life as well as to ensure sufficient power generation. However, the design by traditional deterministic design optimization (DDO) does not show reliable performance due to the lack of consideration of various uncertainty factors (e.g., manufacturing tolerances, material properties, and loading conditions). In this study, we address a new EH design formulation that considers the uncertainty in car speed, dimensional tolerances and material properties, and solve this design problem using reliability-based design optimization (RBDO). The RBDO problem is formulated to maximize compactness and minimize weight of a TPMS harvester while satisfying power and durability requirements. A transient analysis has been done to measure the time varying response of EH such as power generation, dynamic strain, and stress. A conservative design formulation is proposed to consider the expected power from varied speed and stress at higher speed. When compared to the DDO, the RBDO results show that the reliability of EH is increased significantly by scarifying the objective function. Finally, experimental test has been conducted to demonstrate the merits of RBDO design over DDO.

  10. Value of time: Speeding behavior and gasoline prices

    OpenAIRE

    Wolff, Hendrik

    2012-01-01

    Do drivers reduce speeds when gasoline prices are high? Previous research investigating this energy conservation hypothesis produced mixed results. We take a fresh look at the data and estimate a significant negative relationship between speeding and gasoline prices. This presents a new methodology of deriving the 'Value of Time' (VOT) based on the intensive margin (previous VOT studies compare across the extensive margin) which has important advantages to circumvent potential omitted variabl...

  11. Vehicle speed control using road bumps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. O. Salau

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Road bumps play a crucial role in enforcing speed limits, thereby preventing overspeeding of vehicles. It significantly contributes to the overall road safety objective through the prevention of accidents that lead to deaths of pedestrians and damage of vehicles. Despite the importance of road bumps, very little research has been done to investigate into their design. While documentation exists on quantitative descriptions of road bumps, they offer little guidance to decision making. This work presents a unique approach to solving road bumps design problems. The results of our study reveal three important road bumps variables that influence the control of vehicle speeds. The key variables are bump height, bump width, and effective distance between two consecutive road bumps. Since vehicle speed control is the ultimate aim of this study the relationship between vehicle speed and other variables earlier mentioned is established. Vehicle speed is defined as the product of frequency at which a vehicle is moving over road bumps and the sum of effective distance between two consecutive road bumps. In the determination of bump height we assume a conical shaped curve for analysis as a matter of research strategy. Based on this, two stages of motion were analysed. The first concerns the motion over the bump itself while the second relates to the motion between two consecutive road bumps. Fourier series was then used to formulate a holistic equation that combines these two stages. We used trigonometric functions to model the behaviour of the first stage while with the second stage giving a functional value of zero since no changes in height are observed. We carried out vibration analysis to determine the effect of road bumps on a vehicular system. Arising from this a model component is referred to as an isolation factor. This offers guidance to the safe frequency at which vehicles could travel over road bumps. The work appears to contribute to knowledge

  12. Study on Short-term Variability of Ship Responses in Waves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iseki, Toshio; Nielsen, Ulrik Dam

    2014-01-01

    Short-term variability of ship responses is investigated from the view point of cross-spectrum analysis. In a steady state condition, it is well known that a certain length of sampled data are required for stable spectral analysis. However, the phase angle of the cross-spectra has not been discus...

  13. Neural dynamics of motion processing and speed discrimination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chey, J; Grossberg, S; Mingolla, E

    1998-09-01

    A neural network model of visual motion perception and speed discrimination is presented. The model shows how a distributed population code of speed tuning, that realizes a size-speed correlation, can be derived from the simplest mechanisms whereby activations of multiple spatially short-range filters of different size are transformed into speed-turned cell responses. These mechanisms use transient cell responses to moving stimuli, output thresholds that covary with filter size, and competition. These mechanisms are proposed to occur in the V1-->MT cortical processing stream. The model reproduces empirically derived speed discrimination curves and simulates data showing how visual speed perception and discrimination can be affected by stimulus contrast, duration, dot density and spatial frequency. Model motion mechanisms are analogous to mechanisms that have been used to model 3-D form and figure-ground perception. The model forms the front end of a larger motion processing system that has been used to simulate how global motion capture occurs, and how spatial attention is drawn to moving forms. It provides a computational foundation for an emerging neural theory of 3-D form and motion perception.

  14. Wind speed estimation using multilayer perceptron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velo, Ramón; López, Paz; Maseda, Francisco

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We present a method for determining the average wind speed using neural networks. • We use data from that site in the short term and data from other nearby stations. • The inputs used in the ANN were wind speed and direction data from a station. • The method allows knowing the wind speed without topographical data. - Abstract: Wind speed knowledge is prerequisite in the siting of wind turbines. In consequence the wind energy use requires meticulous and specified knowledge of the wind characteristics at a location. This paper presents a method for determining the annual average wind speed at a complex terrain site by using neural networks, when only short term data are available for that site. This information is useful for preliminary calculations of the wind resource at a remote area having only a short time period of wind measurements measurement in a site. Artificial neural networks are useful for implementing non-linear process variables over time, and therefore are a useful tool for estimating the wind speed. The neural network used is multilayer perceptron with three layers and the supervised learning algorithm used is backpropagation. The inputs used in the neural network were wind speed and direction data from a single station, and the training patterns used correspond to sixty days data. The results obtained by simulating the annual average wind speed at the selected site based on data from nearby stations with correlation coefficients above 0.5 were satisfactory, compared with actual values. Reliable estimations were obtained, with errors below 6%

  15. Multiroller traction drive speed reducer: Evaluation for automotive gas turbine engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohn, D. A.; Anderson, N. E.; Loewenthal, S. H.

    1982-01-01

    Tests were conducted on a nominal 14:1 fixed-ratio Nasvytis multiroller traction drive retrofitted as the speed reducer in an automotive gas turbine engine. Power turbine speeds of 45,000 rpm and a drive output power of 102 kW (137 hp) were reached. The drive operated under both variable roller loading (proportional to torque) and fixed roller loading (automatic loading mechanism locked). The drive operated smoothly and efficiently as the engine speed reducer. Engine specific fuel consumption with the traction speed reducer was comparable to that with the original helical gearset.

  16. A Mathematical Model of Marine Diesel Engine Speed Control System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Rajendra Prasad; Balaji, Rajoo

    2018-02-01

    Diesel engine is inherently an unstable machine and requires a reliable control system to regulate its speed for safe and efficient operation. Also, the diesel engine may operate at fixed or variable speeds depending upon user's needs and accordingly the speed control system should have essential features to fulfil these requirements. This paper proposes a mathematical model of a marine diesel engine speed control system with droop governing function. The mathematical model includes static and dynamic characteristics of the control loop components. Model of static characteristic of the rotating fly weights speed sensing element provides an insight into the speed droop features of the speed controller. Because of big size and large time delay, the turbo charged diesel engine is represented as a first order system or sometimes even simplified to a pure integrator with constant gain which is considered acceptable in control literature. The proposed model is mathematically less complex and quick to use for preliminary analysis of the diesel engine speed controller performance.

  17. Sliding mode direct power control of RSC for DFIGs driven by variable speed wind turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.G. Shehata

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In spite of its several advantages, a classic direct power control (DPC of doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs driven by variable speed wind turbines has some drawbacks. In this paper, a simple and robust total sliding mode controller (TSMC is designed to improve the classical DPC performance without complicating the overall scheme. The TSMC is designed to regulate the DFIG stator active and reactive powers. Two integral switching functions are selected for describing the switching surfaces of the active and reactive powers. Reaching phase stability problem of the classical sliding mode controller is avoided in the proposed TSMC. Neither current control loops nor accurate values of machine parameters are required in the proposed scheme. In addition, axes transformation of the stator voltage and current are eliminated. The grid side converter is controlled based on DPC principle to regulate both DC-link voltage and total reactive power. The feasibility of the proposed DPC scheme is validated through simulation studies on a 1.5 MW wind power generation system. The performance of the proposed and conventional DPC schemes is compared under different operating conditions.

  18. Improving the Response of a Wheel Speed Sensor by Using a RLS Lattice Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilmar Hernandez

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available Among the complete family of sensors for automotive safety, consumer andindustrial application, speed sensors stand out as one of the most important. Actually, speedsensors have the diversity to be used in a broad range of applications. In today’s automotiveindustry, such sensors are used in the antilock braking system, the traction control systemand the electronic stability program. Also, typical applications are cam and crank shaftposition/speed and wheel and turbo shaft speed measurement. In addition, they are used tocontrol a variety of functions, including fuel injection, ignition timing in engines, and so on.However, some types of speed sensors cannot respond to very low speeds for differentreasons. What is more, the main reason why such sensors are not good at detecting very lowspeeds is that they are more susceptible to noise when the speed of the target is low. In short,they suffer from noise and generally only work at medium to high speeds. This is one of thedrawbacks of the inductive (magnetic reluctance speed sensors and is the case under study.Furthermore, there are other speed sensors like the differential Hall Effect sensors that arerelatively immune to interference and noise, but they cannot detect static fields. This limitstheir operations to speeds which give a switching frequency greater than a minimumoperating frequency. In short, this research is focused on improving the performance of avariable reluctance speed sensor placed in a car under performance tests by using arecursive least-squares (RLS lattice algorithm. Such an algorithm is situated in an adaptivenoise canceller and carries out an optimal estimation of the relevant signal coming from thesensor, which is buried in a broad-band noise background where we have little knowledgeof the noise characteristics. The experimental results are satisfactory and show a significantimprovement in the signal-to-noise ratio at the system output.

  19. A Hydrological Response Analysis Considering Climatic Variability: Case Study of Hunza Catchment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. N. Laghari

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The hydrological response of mountainous catchments particularly dependent on melting runoff is very vulnerable to climatic variability. This study is an attempt to assess hydrological response towards climatic variability of the Hunza catchment located in the mountainous chain of greater Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH region. The hydrological response is analyzed through changes in snowmelt, ice melt and total runoff simulated through the application of the hydrological modeling system PREVAH under hypothetically developed climate change scenarios. The developed scenarios are based on changes in precipitation (Prp and temperature (Tmp and their combination. Under all the warmer scenarios, the increase in temperature systematically decreases the mean annual snow melt and increases significantly glacier melt volume. Temperature changes from 1°C to 4°C produce a large increase in spring and summer runoff, while no major variation was observed in the winter and autumn runoff. The maximum seasonal changes recorded under the Tmp+4°C, Prp+10% scenario.

  20. Smoothing Control of Wind Farm Output by Using Kinetic Energy of Variable Speed Wind Power Generators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Daiki; Saitoh, Hiroumi

    This paper proposes a new control method for reducing fluctuation of power system frequency through smoothing active power output of wind farm. The proposal is based on the modulation of rotaional kinetic energy of variable speed wind power generators through power converters between permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSG) and transmission lines. In this paper, the proposed control is called Fluctuation Absorption by Flywheel Characteristics control (FAFC). The FAFC can be easily implemented by adding wind farm output signal to Maximum Power Point Tracking control signal through a feedback control loop. In order to verify the effectiveness of the FAFC control, a simulation study was carried out. In the study, it was assumed that the wind farm consisting of PMSG type wind power generator and induction machine type wind power generaotors is connected with a power sysem. The results of the study show that the FAFC control is a useful method for reducing the impacts of wind farm output fluctuation on system frequency without additional devices such as secondary battery.

  1. Gain-scheduled Linear Quadratic Control of Wind Turbines Operating at High Wind Speed

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Kasper Zinck; Stoustrup, Jakob; Brath, Per

    2007-01-01

    This paper addresses state estimation and linear quadratic (LQ) control of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines. On the basis of a nonlinear model of a wind turbine, a set of operating conditions is identified and a LQ controller is designed for each operating point. The controller gains...... are then interpolated linearly to get a control law for the entire operating envelope. A nonlinear state estimator is designed as a combination of two unscented Kalman filters and a linear disturbance estimator. The gain-scheduling variable (wind speed) is then calculated from the output of these state estimators...

  2. Norepinephrine genes predict response time variability and methylphenidate-induced changes in neuropsychological function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Jae-Won; Cummins, Tarrant D R; Bellgrove, Mark A; Hawi, Ziarih; Hong, Soon-Beom; Yang, Young-Hui; Kim, Hyo-Jin; Shin, Min-Sup; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Ji-Hoon; Son, Jung-Woo; Shin, Yun-Mi; Chung, Un-Sun; Han, Doug-Hyun

    2013-06-01

    Noradrenergic dysfunction may be associated with cognitive impairments in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including increased response time variability, which has been proposed as a leading endophenotype for ADHD. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between polymorphisms in the α-2A-adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) and norepinephrine transporter (SLC6A2) genes and attentional performance in ADHD children before and after pharmacological treatment.One hundred one medication-naive ADHD children were included. All subjects were administered methylphenidate (MPH)-OROS for 12 weeks. The subjects underwent a computerized comprehensive attention test to measure the response time variability at baseline before MPH treatment and after 12 weeks. Additive regression analyses controlling for ADHD symptom severity, age, sex, IQ, and final dose of MPH examined the association between response time variability on the comprehensive attention test measures and allelic variations in single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the ADRA2A and SLC6A2 before and after MPH treatment.Increasing possession of an A allele at the G1287A polymorphism of SLC6A2 was significantly related to heightened response time variability at baseline in the sustained (P = 2.0 × 10) and auditory selective attention (P = 1.0 × 10) tasks. Response time variability at baseline increased additively with possession of the T allele at the DraI polymorphism of the ADRA2A gene in the auditory selective attention task (P = 2.0 × 10). After medication, increasing possession of a G allele at the MspI polymorphism of the ADRA2A gene was associated with increased MPH-related change in response time variability in the flanker task (P = 1.0 × 10).Our study suggested an association between norepinephrine gene variants and response time variability measured at baseline and after MPH treatment in children with ADHD. Our results add to a growing body of evidence, suggesting that response time

  3. Camera System Deployment for Speeding Control in Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuhair Ebrahim

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In Australia, the Auditor-General plays the role of checking on system fiscal efficiency, performance and effective communications between safety professionals and the public road users. The focus of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of public approval of the information that is to be released, e.g. camera strategic initiatives assessed by through mail-out questionnaires. Two visual-and- policy related attributes were investigated in these questionnaires. Each attribute had 5 initiatives. A multi-logistic regression is performed on the approval level of the drivers for the strategic initiative of running a speed-awareness course. This initiative is determined to be statistically significant using independent variables age, years of experience, status, gender, and the driver environment. Our analysis shows that the driver environment/background is found to be a significant independent variable for approving speed awareness courses. The road users from non-industrial areas are more likely to approve the idea of speed awareness courses than road users from industrial areas. They also welcome tougher demerit rules and the police enforcement. Our study suggests the speed awareness course, an educational initiative, should incorporate the tougher demerit rules to change the repetitive offender's driving behaviour. It is foreseeable that once these drivers are enrolled into the course, safer driving practices would be achieved for mitigating dangers, risk and trauma as the result of speeding. Our study may benefit professionals involved with improving traffic safety such as those in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Arab gulf countries particularly the kingdom of Saudi Arabia where a high number of fatalities and serious injuries involved speeding. Our study confirms that positive, transparent and satisfying initiative should be executed with care to maintain sustainable and safer roads for enhancing national partnership between road users

  4. The response of Carlos Botelho (Lobo, Broa reservoir to the passage of cold fronts as reflected by physical, chemical, and biological variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. G. Tundisi

    Full Text Available This paper describes and discusses the impacts of the passage of cold fronts on the vertical structure of the Carlos Botelho (Lobo-Broa Reservoir as demonstrated by changes in physical, chemical, and biological variables. The data were obtained with a continuous system measuring 9 variables in vertical profiles in the deepest point of the reservoir (12 m coupled with climatological information and satellite images, during a 32-day period in July and August, 2003. During periods of incidence of cold fronts the reservoir presented vertical mixing. After the dissipation of the cold fronts a period of stability followed with thermal, chemical, and biological (chlorophyll-a stratification. Climatological data obtained during the cold front passage showed lower air temperature, higher wind speed and lower solar radiation. The response of this reservoir can exemplify a generalized process in all shallow reservoirs in the Southeast Brazil and could have several implications for management, particularly in relation to the phytoplankton population dynamics and development of cyanobacterial blooms. Using this as a basis, a predictive model will be developed with the aim of advancing management strategies specially for the drinking water reservoirs of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.

  5. Effectiveness of Motorcycle speed controlled by speed hump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pornsiri Urapa

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Speed humps are one of the traffic calming measures widely accepted to control vehicle speed in the local road. Humps standards from the western countries are designed mainly for the passenger car. This study, therefore, aims to reveal the effectiveness of speed hump to control the motorcycle speed. This study observes the free-flow speed of the riders at the total of 20 speed bumps and humps. They are 0.3-14.8 meter in width and 5-18 centimeter in height. The results reveal that the 85th percentile speeds reduce 15-65 percent when crossing the speed bumps and speed humps. Besides, this study develops the speed model to predict the motorcycle mean speed and 85th percentile speed. It is found that speed humps follow the ITE standard can control motorcycle crossing speeds to be 25-30 Kph which are suitable to travel on the local road.

  6. High precision speed measurement by using interferometric techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ávila, M A Rodríguez; Valiente, R Ochoa; Trujillo, L A García

    2015-01-01

    In this work we present the experimental realization of speed measurement by the use of a two wave interferometer and digital signal processing techniques. We built an automated Michelson interferometer and using an He-Ne laser and with the use of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and computer algorithms we derived a method for finding the speed of displacement. We report uncertainties in the order of 2-3 μm/s. with the use of this procedure. This brings the potential of another physical variable measurement like distance or pressure by this indirect measurement method. This approach is compared with an ultrasonic Logger Pro ® speed measurement system, and the results are compared between systems

  7. Divergent phenological response to hydroclimate variability in forested mountain watersheds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Taehee; Band, Lawrence E; Miniat, Chelcy F; Song, Conghe; Bolstad, Paul V; Vose, James M; Love, Jason P

    2014-08-01

    Mountain watersheds are primary sources of freshwater, carbon sequestration, and other ecosystem services. There is significant interest in the effects of climate change and variability on these processes over short to long time scales. Much of the impact of hydroclimate variability in forest ecosystems is manifested in vegetation dynamics in space and time. In steep terrain, leaf phenology responds to topoclimate in complex ways, and can produce specific and measurable shifts in landscape forest patterns. The onset of spring is usually delayed at a specific rate with increasing elevation (often called Hopkins' Law; Hopkins, 1918), reflecting the dominant controls of temperature on greenup timing. Contrary with greenup, leaf senescence shows inconsistent trends along elevation gradients. Here, we present mechanisms and an explanation for this variability and its significance for ecosystem patterns and services in response to climate. We use moderate-resolution imaging spectro-radiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to derive landscape-induced phenological patterns over topoclimate gradients in a humid temperate broadleaf forest in southern Appalachians. These phenological patterns are validated with different sets of field observations. Our data demonstrate that divergent behavior of leaf senescence with elevation is closely related to late growing season hydroclimate variability in temperature and water balance patterns. Specifically, a drier late growing season is associated with earlier leaf senescence at low elevation than at middle elevation. The effect of drought stress on vegetation senescence timing also leads to tighter coupling between growing season length and ecosystem water use estimated from observed precipitation and runoff generation. This study indicates increased late growing season drought may be leading to divergent ecosystem response between high and low elevation forests. Landscape-induced phenological patterns

  8. Theta dynamics in rat: speed and acceleration across the Septotemporal axis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren L Long

    Full Text Available Theta (6-12 Hz rhythmicity in the local field potential (LFP reflects a clocking mechanism that brings physically isolated neurons together in time, allowing for the integration and segregation of distributed cell assemblies. Variation in the theta signal has been linked to locomotor speed, sensorimotor integration as well as cognitive processing. Previously, we have characterized the relationship between locomotor speed and theta power and how that relationship varies across the septotemporal (long axis of the hippocampus (HPC. The current study investigated the relationship between whole body acceleration, deceleration and theta indices at CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG sites along the septotemporal axis of the HPC in rats. Results indicate that whole body acceleration and deceleration predicts a significant amount of variability in the theta signal beyond variation in locomotor speed. Furthermore, deceleration was more predictive of variation in theta amplitude as compared to acceleration as rats traversed a linear track. Such findings highlight key variables that systematically predict the variability in the theta signal across the long axis of the HPC. A better understanding of the relative contribution of these quantifiable variables and their variation as a function of experience and environmental conditions should facilitate our understanding of the relationship between theta and sensorimotor/cognitive functions.

  9. Decreased reaction time variability is associated with greater cardiovascular responses to acute stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wawrzyniak, Andrew J; Hamer, Mark; Steptoe, Andrew; Endrighi, Romano

    2016-05-01

    Cardiovascular (CV) responses to mental stress are prospectively associated with poor CV outcomes. The association between CV responses to mental stress and reaction times (RTs) in aging individuals may be important but warrants further investigation. The present study assessed RTs to examine associations with CV responses to mental stress in healthy, older individuals using robust regression techniques. Participants were 262 men and women (mean age = 63.3 ± 5.5 years) from the Whitehall II cohort who completed a RT task (Stroop) and underwent acute mental stress (mirror tracing) to elicit CV responses. Blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability were measured at baseline, during acute stress, and through a 75-min recovery. RT measures were generated from an ex-Gaussian distribution that yielded three predictors: mu-RT, sigma-RT, and tau-RT, the mean, standard deviation, and mean of the exponential component of the normal distribution, respectively. Decreased intraindividual RT variability was marginally associated with greater systolic (B = -.009, SE = .005, p = .09) and diastolic (B = -.004, SE = .002, p = .08) blood pressure reactivity. Decreased intraindividual RT variability was associated with impaired systolic blood pressure recovery (B = -.007, SE = .003, p = .03) and impaired vagal tone (B = -.0047, SE = .0024, p = .045). Study findings offer tentative support for an association between RTs and CV responses. Despite small effect sizes and associations not consistent across predictors, these data may point to a link between intrinsic neuronal plasticity and CV responses. © 2016 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  10. Dynamic Variables Fail to Predict Fluid Responsiveness in an Animal Model With Pericardial Effusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broch, Ole; Renner, Jochen; Meybohm, Patrick; Albrecht, Martin; Höcker, Jan; Haneya, Assad; Steinfath, Markus; Bein, Berthold; Gruenewald, Matthias

    2016-10-01

    The reliability of dynamic and volumetric variables of fluid responsiveness in the presence of pericardial effusion is still elusive. The aim of the present study was to investigate their predictive power in a porcine model with hemodynamic relevant pericardial effusion. A single-center animal investigation. Twelve German domestic pigs. Pigs were studied before and during pericardial effusion. Instrumentation included a pulmonary artery catheter and a transpulmonary thermodilution catheter in the femoral artery. Hemodynamic variables like cardiac output (COPAC) and stroke volume (SVPAC) derived from pulmonary artery catheter, global end-diastolic volume (GEDV), stroke volume variation (SVV), and pulse-pressure variation (PPV) were obtained. At baseline, SVV, PPV, GEDV, COPAC, and SVPAC reliably predicted fluid responsiveness (area under the curve 0.81 [p = 0.02], 0.82 [p = 0.02], 0.74 [p = 0.07], 0.74 [p = 0.07], 0.82 [p = 0.02]). After establishment of pericardial effusion the predictive power of dynamic variables was impaired and only COPAC and SVPAC and GEDV allowed significant prediction of fluid responsiveness (area under the curve 0.77 [p = 0.04], 0.76 [p = 0.05], 0.83 [p = 0.01]) with clinically relevant changes in threshold values. In this porcine model, hemodynamic relevant pericardial effusion abolished the ability of dynamic variables to predict fluid responsiveness. COPAC, SVPAC, and GEDV enabled prediction, but their threshold values were significantly changed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Do attentional capacities and processing speed mediate the effect of age on executive functioning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilsoul, Jessica; Simon, Jessica; Hogge, Michaël; Collette, Fabienne

    2018-02-06

    The executive processes are well known to decline with age, and similar data also exists for attentional capacities and processing speed. Therefore, we investigated whether these two last nonexecutive variables would mediate the effect of age on executive functions (inhibition, shifting, updating, and dual-task coordination). We administered a large battery of executive, attentional and processing speed tasks to 104 young and 71 older people, and we performed mediation analyses with variables showing a significant age effect. All executive and processing speed measures showed age-related effects while only the visual scanning task performance (selective attention) was explained by age when controlled for gender and educational level. Regarding mediation analyses, visual scanning partially mediated the age effect on updating while processing speed partially mediated the age effect on shifting, updating and dual-task coordination. In a more exploratory way, inhibition was also found to partially mediate the effect of age on the three other executive functions. Attention did not greatly influence executive functioning in aging while, in agreement with the literature, processing speed seems to be a major mediator of the age effect on these processes. Interestingly, the global pattern of results seems also to indicate an influence of inhibition but further studies are needed to confirm the role of that variable as a mediator and its relative importance by comparison with processing speed.

  12. Responses of Montane Forest to Climate Variability in the Central Himalayas of Nepal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janardan Mainali

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Climate changes are having dramatic ecological impacts in mid- to high-latitude mountain ranges where growth conditions are limited by climatic variables such as duration of growing season, moisture, and ambient temperature. We document patterns of forest vegetative response for 5 major alpine forest communities to current climate variability in the central Himalayas of Nepal to provide a baseline for assessment of future changes, as well as offer some insight into the trajectory of these changes over time. We used mean monthly surface air temperature and rainfall and the monthly averaged normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI to compare relative vegetation productivity among forest types and in relation to both climatic variables. Because changes in temperature and precipitation are directly manifested as changes in phenology, we examined current vegetative responses to climate variability in an effort to determine which climate variable is most critical for different alpine forest types. Our results show that correlations differ according to vegetation type and confirm that both precipitation and temperature affect monthly NDVI values, though more significant correlations were found with temperature data. The temperature response was more consistent because at the maximum increased temperatures, there was still an ongoing increase in vegetative vigor. This indicates that temperature is still the major limiting factor for plant growth at higher-elevation sites. This part of the Himalayas has abundant moisture, and some forest types are already saturated in terms of growth in relation to precipitation. Clear increases in productivity are documented on the upper treeline ecotones, and these systems are likely to continue to have increasing growth rates.

  13. Variable Displacement Control of the Concrete Pumping System Based on Dynamic Programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye Min

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To solve the problems of cylinder piston striking cylinder and the hydraulic shocking of the main pump, and causing energy waste problem, the method of variable displacement control of piston stroke was proposed. In order to achieve effective control of the piston stroke, variable displacement control model was established under the physical constraint condition of non-collision between piston and cylinder. And the control process was realized by Dynamic Programming(DP, the simulation and test results show that piston of concrete pumping system don’t strike cylinder and reduce the hydraulic shock of the main pump outlet, meanwhile improve the response speed of the cylinder and achieve energy-saving purposes under varying loads. This control model built in the integration design space of structure variable and control variable is of guiding significance for solving open-loop system’s engineering problems.

  14. Development and Validation of Culture-Specific Variable Response Inconsistency and True Response Inconsistency Scales for Use with the Korean MMPI-2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ketterer, Holly L.; Han, Kyunghee; Hur, Jaehong; Moon, Kyungjoo

    2010-01-01

    In response to the concern that Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989; J. N. Butcher et al., 2001) Variable Response Inconsistency (VRIN) and True Response Inconsistency (TRIN) score invalidity criteria recommended for use with American samples results…

  15. Mode Transition Variable Geometry for High Speed Inlets for Hypersonic Aircraft, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Hypersonic propulsion research has been a focus of the NASA aeronautics program for years. Previous high-speed cruise and space access programs have examined the...

  16. Speed control of permanent magnet excitation transverse flux linear motor by using adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasanien, Hany M., E-mail: Hanyhasanien@ieee.or [Dept. of Elec. Power and Machines, Faculty of Eng., Ain-shams Univ. Cairo (Egypt); Muyeen, S.M. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); Tamura, Junji [Department of EEE, Kitami Institute of Technology, 165 Koen Cho, Kitami 090-8507, Hokkaido (Japan)

    2010-12-15

    This paper presents a novel adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller applies on transverse flux linear motor for controlling its speed. The proposed controller presents fuzzy logic controller with self tuning scaling factors based on artificial neural network structure. It has two input variables and one control output variable. Firstly the fuzzy logic control rules are described then NN architecture is represented to self tune the output scaling factors of the controller. The application of this control technique represents the novelty of work, where this algorithm has so far not been stated before for this type of drives. This methodology solves the problem of nonlinearities and load changes of TFLM drives. The dynamic response of the motor is studied under the rated load condition as well as load disturbances. The proposed controller ensures fast and accurate dynamic response with an excellent steady state performance. The dynamic response of the motor with the proposed controller is compared with PI and adaptive NN controllers. It is found that the proposed controller gives better and faster response from the viewpoint of overshoot and settling time. Matlab/Simulink tool is used for this dynamic simulation study.

  17. Heart Rate Variability: Effect of Exercise Intensity on Postexercise Response

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, David V. B.; Munson, Steven C.; Maldonado-Martin, Sara; De Ste Croix, Mark B. A.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of two exercise intensities (moderate and severe) on heart rate variability (HRV) response in 16 runners 1 hr prior to (-1 hr) and at +1 hr, +24 hr, +48 hr, and +72 hr following each exercise session. Time domain indexes and a high frequency component showed a significant decrease…

  18. Examining impulse-variability in overarm throwing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urbin, M A; Stodden, David; Boros, Rhonda; Shannon, David

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine variability in overarm throwing velocity and spatial output error at various percentages of maximum to test the prediction of an inverted-U function as predicted by impulse-variability theory and a speed-accuracy trade-off as predicted by Fitts' Law Thirty subjects (16 skilled, 14 unskilled) were instructed to throw a tennis ball at seven percentages of their maximum velocity (40-100%) in random order (9 trials per condition) at a target 30 feet away. Throwing velocity was measured with a radar gun and interpreted as an index of overall systemic power output. Within-subject throwing velocity variability was examined using within-subjects repeated-measures ANOVAs (7 repeated conditions) with built-in polynomial contrasts. Spatial error was analyzed using mixed model regression. Results indicated a quadratic fit with variability in throwing velocity increasing from 40% up to 60%, where it peaked, and then decreasing at each subsequent interval to maximum (p < .001, η2 = .555). There was no linear relationship between speed and accuracy. Overall, these data support the notion of an inverted-U function in overarm throwing velocity variability as both skilled and unskilled subjects approach maximum effort. However, these data do not support the notion of a speed-accuracy trade-off. The consistent demonstration of an inverted-U function associated with systemic power output variability indicates an enhanced capability to regulate aspects of force production and relative timing between segments as individuals approach maximum effort, even in a complex ballistic skill.

  19. Attention Measures of Accuracy, Variability, and Fatigue Detect Early Response to Donepezil in Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vila-Castelar, Clara; Ly, Jenny J; Kaplan, Lillian; Van Dyk, Kathleen; Berger, Jeffrey T; Macina, Lucy O; Stewart, Jennifer L; Foldi, Nancy S

    2018-04-09

    Donepezil is widely used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), but detecting early response remains challenging for clinicians. Acetylcholine is known to directly modulate attention, particularly under high cognitive conditions, but no studies to date test whether measures of attention under high load can detect early effects of donepezil. We hypothesized that load-dependent attention tasks are sensitive to short-term treatment effects of donepezil, while global and other domain-specific cognitive measures are not. This longitudinal, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03073876) evaluated 23 participants newly diagnosed with AD initiating de novo donepezil treatment (5 mg). After baseline assessment, participants were randomized into Drug (n = 12) or Placebo (n = 11) groups, and retested after approximately 6 weeks. Cognitive assessment included: (a) attention tasks (Foreperiod Effect, Attentional Blink, and Covert Orienting tasks) measuring processing speed, top-down accuracy, orienting, intra-individual variability, and fatigue; (b) global measures (Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, Mini-Mental Status Examination, Dementia Rating Scale); and (c) domain-specific measures (memory, language, visuospatial, and executive function). The Drug but not the Placebo group showed benefits of treatment at high-load measures by preserving top-down accuracy, improving intra-individual variability, and averting fatigue. In contrast, other global or cognitive domain-specific measures could not detect treatment effects over the same treatment interval. The pilot-study suggests that attention measures targeting accuracy, variability, and fatigue under high-load conditions could be sensitive to short-term cholinergic treatment. Given the central role of acetylcholine in attentional function, load-dependent attentional measures may be valuable cognitive markers of early treatment response.

  20. Speed controller for an alternating - current motor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolie, V.W.

    1984-01-01

    A controller for a multi-phase ac motor that is subject to a large inertial load, e.g. an induction motor driving a heavy spinning rotor of a neutron chopper that must be rotated in phase-locked synchronism with a reference pulse train that is representative of an ac power supply signal Esub(L) having a meandering line frequency, includes a sensor which provides a feedback pulse train representative of the actual speed of the motor which is compared (by counting clock pulses between feedback pulses) with a reference clock signal in a computing unit to provide a motor control signal Esub(c). The motor control signal is a weighted linear sum of a speed error signal, a phase error signal, and a drift error signal, the magnitudes of which are recalculated and updated with each revolution of the motor shaft. The speed error signal is constant for large speed errors but highly sensitive to small speed errors. The stator windings of the motor are driven by variable-frequency power amplifiers which are controlled by the motor control signal Esub(c) via PROMs which store digital representations of sine and cosine waveforms in quadrature. (author)

  1. Predictors of response in the treatment of moderate depression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andre G. Bastos

    Full Text Available Objective: To identify neurocognitive and sociodemographic variables that could be associated with clinical response to three modalities of treatment for depression, as well as variables that predicted superior response to one treatment over the others. Method: The present study derives from a research project in which depressed patients (n=272 received one of three treatments – long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (n=90, fluoxetine therapy (n=91, or a combination thereof (n=91 – over a 24-month period. Results: Sociodemographic variables were not found to be predictive. Six predictive neurocognitive variables were identified: three prognostic variables related to working memory and abstract reasoning; one prescriptive variable related to working memory; and two variables found to be moderators. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate subgroups of patients who might benefit from specific therapeutic strategies and subgroups that seem to respond well to long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and combined therapy. The moderators found suggest that abstract reasoning and processing speed may influence the magnitude and/or direction of clinical improvement.

  2. Self-propelled supramolecular nanomotors with temperature-responsive speed regulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tu, Y.; Peng, F.; Sui, X.; Men, Y.; White, P.B.; van Hest, J.C.M.; Wilson, D.A.

    2016-01-01

    Self-propelled catalytic micro- and nanomotors have been the subject of intense study over the past few years, but it remains a continuing challenge to build in an effective speed-regulation mechanism. Movement of these motors is generally fully dependent on the concentration of accessible fuel,

  3. Response Variability in Commercial MOSFET SEE Qualification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    George, J. S.; Clymer, D. A.; Turflinger, T. L.; Mason, L. W.; Stone, S.

    2016-01-01

    Single-event effects (SEE) evaluation of five different part types of next generation, commercial trench MOSFETs indicates large part-to-part variation in determining a safe operating area (SOA) for drain-source voltage (V_D_S) following a test campaign that exposed >50 samples per part type to heavy ions. These results suggest a determination of a SOA using small sample sizes may fail to capture the full extent of the part-to-part variability. An example method is discussed for establishing a Safe Operating Area using a one-sided statistical tolerance limit based on the number of test samples. Finally, burn-in is shown to be a critical factor in reducing part-to-part variation in part response. Implications for radiation qualification requirements are also explored.

  4. Speed-constrained three-axes attitude control using kinematic steering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaub, Hanspeter; Piggott, Scott

    2018-06-01

    Spacecraft attitude control solutions typically are torque-level algorithms that simultaneously control both the attitude and angular velocity tracking errors. In contrast, robotic control solutions are kinematic steering commands where rates are treated as the control variable, and a servo-tracking control subsystem is present to achieve the desired control rates. In this paper kinematic attitude steering controls are developed where an outer control loop establishes a desired angular response history to a tracking error, and an inner control loop tracks the commanded body angular rates. The overall stability relies on the separation principle of the inner and outer control loops which must have sufficiently different response time scales. The benefit is that the outer steering law response can be readily shaped to a desired behavior, such as limiting the approach angular velocity when a large tracking error is corrected. A Modified Rodrigues Parameters implementation is presented that smoothly saturates the speed response. A robust nonlinear body rate servo loop is developed which includes integral feedback. This approach provides a convenient modular framework that makes it simple to interchange outer and inner control loops to readily setup new control implementations. Numerical simulations illustrate the expected performance for an aggressive reorientation maneuver subject to an unknown external torque.

  5. Both Handwriting Speed and Selective Attention Are Important to Lecture Note-Taking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peverly, Stephen T.; Garner, Joanna K.; Vekaria, Pooja C.

    2014-01-01

    The primary purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the relationship of handwriting speed, fine motor fluency, speed of verbal access, language comprehension, working memory, and attention (executive control; selective) to note-taking and all of the aforementioned variables to test performance (written recall). A second purpose was to…

  6. Exploiting temporal variability to understand tree recruitment response to climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ines Ibanez; James S. Clark; Shannon LaDeau; Janneke Hill Ris Lambers

    2007-01-01

    Predicting vegetation shifts under climate change is a challenging endeavor, given the complex interactions between biotic and abiotic variables that influence demographic rates. To determine how current trends and variation in climate change affect seedling establishment, we analyzed demographic responses to spatiotemporal variation to temperature and soil moisture in...

  7. Response variability of different anodal transcranial direct current stimulation intensities across multiple sessions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ammann, Claudia; Lindquist, Martin A; Celnik, Pablo A

    It is well known that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is capable of modulating corticomotor excitability. However, a source of growing concern has been the observed inter- and intra-individual variability of tDCS-responses. Recent studies have assessed whether individuals respond in a predictable manner across repeated sessions of anodal tDCS (atDCS). The findings of these investigations have been inconsistent, and their methods have some limitations (i.e. lack of sham condition or testing only one tDCS intensity). To study inter- and intra-individual variability of atDCS effects at two different intensities on primary motor cortex (M1) excitability. Twelve subjects participated in a crossover study testing 7-min atDCS over M1 in three separate conditions (2 mA, 1 mA, sham) each repeated three times separated by 48 h. Motor evoked potentials were recorded before and after stimulation (up to 30min). Time of testing was maintained consistent within participants. To estimate the reliability of tDCS effects across sessions, we calculated the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC). AtDCS at 2 mA, but not 1 mA, significantly increased cortical excitability at the group level in all sessions. The overall ICC revealed fair to high reliability of tDCS effects for multiple sessions. Given that the distribution of responses showed important variability in the sham condition, we established a Sham Variability-Based Threshold to classify responses and to track individual changes across sessions. Using this threshold an intra-individual consistent response pattern was then observed only for the 2 mA condition. 2 mA anodal tDCS results in consistent intra- and inter-individual increases of M1 excitability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Unmatched speed perceptions between overground and treadmill manual wheelchair propulsion in long-term manual wheelchair users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chénier, Félix; Champagne, Audrey; Desroches, Guillaume; Gagnon, Dany H

    2018-03-01

    Manual wheelchair (MWC) propulsion is increasingly assessed on a motorized treadmill (TM), which is often considered more ecologically valid than stationary rollers. However, no clear consensus on the similarities between overground (OG) and TM propulsion has yet been reached. Furthermore, no study has investigated the participants' perceptions of propelling a MWC on a TM compared to OG. The present study aims to assess the perception of speed when propelling on a TM vs OG, and to relate this perception to measured spatiotemporal variables, kinetics and work. In this repeated-measures study, the propulsion's spatiotemporal variables, kinetics, and work of nineteen experienced wheelchair users with a spinal cord injury were compared between three conditions: 1) OG at a self-selected speed, 2) on a TM at a self-selected speed perceived as being similar to the OG speed (TM perceived ), and 3) on a TM at the same speed as OG (TM matched ). Each variable was compared between conditions using an analysis of variance for repeated measures. All participants selected a lower speed for TM perceived than OG, with a difference of -0.6 m/s (-44%). This adaptation may be due to a combination of two factors: 1) the absence of speed information, and 2) the feeling of urgency to grab the wheels during the recovery phase. The power output, work per cycle, and work per minute were also much lower on TM perceived than OG. However, in contrast to other work on MWC propulsion on a TM, the kinetic variables assessed were all similar between the OG and TM matched conditions. Training on a TM should be performed at a speed that matches the OG speed and not at a self-selected speed on the TM, which would reduce the power output and work and therefore reduce the efficiency of the training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Response speed of SnO2-based H2S gas sensors with CuO nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chowdhuri, Arijit; Gupta, Vinay; Sreenivas, K.; Kumar, Rajeev; Mozumdar, Subho; Patanjali, P. K.

    2004-01-01

    CuO nanoparticles on sputtered SnO 2 thin-film surface exhibit a fast response speed (14 s) and recovery time (61 s) for trace level (20 ppm) H 2 S gas detection. The sensitivity of the sensor (S∼2.06x10 3 ) is noted to be high at a low operating temperature of 130 deg. C. CuO nanoparticles on SnO 2 allow effective removal of excess adsorbed oxygen from the uncovered SnO 2 surface due to spillover of hydrogen dissociated from the H 2 S-CuO interaction

  10. Speed maintenance under cognitive load - Implications for theories of driver behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis-Evans, Ben; de Waard, Dick; Brookhuis, Karel A

    2011-07-01

    No theory of driver behaviour has yet managed to achieve widespread acceptance and use in the field of Traffic Psychology, partly due to the difficulty in testing many of the theories. However, one class of theories, the motivational theories, can be usefully split into two groups and the differences between them can then be examined. One group posits the constant monitoring and targeting of a certain subjective variable, often risk, as the controlling factor in driving. The other group however states that subjective variables such as risk are only relevant once a certain threshold has been passed. In this study we aimed to examine this difference by manipulating both speed of travel and the amount of cognitive load participants were under. Participants were asked to initially drive at their preferred speed for 1min in a driving simulator. Participant's speed was then automatically increased or decreased by 10, 20 30km/h or left unchanged. Participants were then required to maintain the new speed for 1min. After this 1min the speed was again automatically changed and had to be maintained for one more minute, but this time participants also carried out a secondary mental arithmetic task. Finally participants were asked to again drive for another 1min at their preferred speed. This procedure was repeated seven times, once for each speed manipulation; -30, -20, -10, +0, +10, +20 and +30km/h. After each 1min interval verbal ratings of task difficulty, effort, feeling of risk and the typicality of the speed were collected. The results show a threshold effect in ratings of task difficulty, effort and feeling of risk, with no significant difference given between the ratings during the baseline period and the experimentally decreased speed periods until after participant's preferred speed of travel had been exceeded. Furthermore, even when under cognitive load the threshold relationship was still apparent, if diminished. Finally it appears that when under cognitive load

  11. A new approach for the determination of the drag coefficient from the upper ocean response to a tropical cyclone: A feasibility study

    KAUST Repository

    Zedler, Sarah; Kanschat, Guido; Korty, Robert L.; Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2011-01-01

    forward models of the ocean's response to a tropical cyclone, whereby the probability density function of drag coefficient values as a function of wind speed that results from adding realistic levels of noise to the simulated ocean response variables

  12. Kummer strikes back : new DH speed records

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernstein, D.J.; Chuengsatiansup, C.; Lange, T.; Schwabe, P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces high-security constant-time variable-base-point Diffie--Hellman software using just 274593 Cortex-A8 cycles, 91460 Sandy Bridge cycles, 90896 Ivy Bridge cycles, or 72220 Haswell cycles. The only higher speed appearing in the literature for any of these platforms is a claim of

  13. Estimation of road profile variability from measured vehicle responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fauriat, W.; Mattrand, C.; Gayton, N.; Beakou, A.; Cembrzynski, T.

    2016-05-01

    When assessing the statistical variability of fatigue loads acting throughout the life of a vehicle, the question of the variability of road roughness naturally arises, as both quantities are strongly related. For car manufacturers, gathering information on the environment in which vehicles evolve is a long and costly but necessary process to adapt their products to durability requirements. In the present paper, a data processing algorithm is proposed in order to estimate the road profiles covered by a given vehicle, from the dynamic responses measured on this vehicle. The algorithm based on Kalman filtering theory aims at solving a so-called inverse problem, in a stochastic framework. It is validated using experimental data obtained from simulations and real measurements. The proposed method is subsequently applied to extract valuable statistical information on road roughness from an existing load characterisation campaign carried out by Renault within one of its markets.

  14. Hidden Markov Item Response Theory Models for Responses and Response Times.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molenaar, Dylan; Oberski, Daniel; Vermunt, Jeroen; De Boeck, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Current approaches to model responses and response times to psychometric tests solely focus on between-subject differences in speed and ability. Within subjects, speed and ability are assumed to be constants. Violations of this assumption are generally absorbed in the residual of the model. As a result, within-subject departures from the between-subject speed and ability level remain undetected. These departures may be of interest to the researcher as they reflect differences in the response processes adopted on the items of a test. In this article, we propose a dynamic approach for responses and response times based on hidden Markov modeling to account for within-subject differences in responses and response times. A simulation study is conducted to demonstrate acceptable parameter recovery and acceptable performance of various fit indices in distinguishing between different models. In addition, both a confirmatory and an exploratory application are presented to demonstrate the practical value of the modeling approach.

  15. Integrated Power and Attitude Control Design of Satellites Based on a Fuzzy Adaptive Disturbance Observer Using Variable-Speed Control Moment Gyros

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongyi Chu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To satisfy the requirements for small satellites that seek agile slewing with peak power, this paper investigates integrated power and attitude control using variable-speed control moment gyros (VSCMGs that consider the mass and inertia of gimbals and wheels. The paper also details the process for developing the controller by considering various environments in which the controller may be implemented. A fuzzy adaptive disturbance observer (FADO is proposed to estimate and compensate for the effects of equivalent disturbances. The algorithms can simultaneously track attitude and power. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the control approach, which exhibits an improvement of 80 percent compared with alternate approaches that do not employ a FADO.

  16. Aerodynamic design on high-speed trains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, San-San; Li, Qiang; Tian, Ai-Qin; Du, Jian; Liu, Jia-Li

    2016-04-01

    Compared with the traditional train, the operational speed of the high-speed train has largely improved, and the dynamic environment of the train has changed from one of mechanical domination to one of aerodynamic domination. The aerodynamic problem has become the key technological challenge of high-speed trains and significantly affects the economy, environment, safety, and comfort. In this paper, the relationships among the aerodynamic design principle, aerodynamic performance indexes, and design variables are first studied, and the research methods of train aerodynamics are proposed, including numerical simulation, a reduced-scale test, and a full-scale test. Technological schemes of train aerodynamics involve the optimization design of the streamlined head and the smooth design of the body surface. Optimization design of the streamlined head includes conception design, project design, numerical simulation, and a reduced-scale test. Smooth design of the body surface is mainly used for the key parts, such as electric-current collecting system, wheel truck compartment, and windshield. The aerodynamic design method established in this paper has been successfully applied to various high-speed trains (CRH380A, CRH380AM, CRH6, CRH2G, and the Standard electric multiple unit (EMU)) that have met expected design objectives. The research results can provide an effective guideline for the aerodynamic design of high-speed trains.

  17. Short-Term Wind Speed Prediction Using EEMD-LSSVM Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiqing Kang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM is proposed to improve short-term wind speed forecasting precision. The EEMD is firstly utilized to decompose the original wind speed time series into a set of subseries. Then the LSSVM models are established to forecast these subseries. Partial autocorrelation function is adopted to analyze the inner relationships between the historical wind speed series in order to determine input variables of LSSVM models for prediction of every subseries. Finally, the superposition principle is employed to sum the predicted values of every subseries as the final wind speed prediction. The performance of hybrid model is evaluated based on six metrics. Compared with LSSVM, Back Propagation Neural Networks (BP, Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA, combination of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD with LSSVM, and hybrid EEMD with ARIMA models, the wind speed forecasting results show that the proposed hybrid model outperforms these models in terms of six metrics. Furthermore, the scatter diagrams of predicted versus actual wind speed and histograms of prediction errors are presented to verify the superiority of the hybrid model in short-term wind speed prediction.

  18. High-speed microjet generation using laser-induced vapor bubbles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oudalov, Nikolai; Tagawa, Yoshiyuki; Peters, Ivo; Visser, Claas-Willem; van der Meer, Devaraj; Prosperetti, Andrea; Sun, Chao; Lohse, Detlef

    2011-11-01

    The generation and evolution of microjets are studied both experimentally and numerically. The jets are generated by focusing a laser pulse into a microscopic capillary tube (~50 μm) filled with water-based red dye. A vapor bubble is created instantly after shooting the laser (<1 μs), sending out a shockwave towards the curved free surface at which the high-speed microjet forms. The process of jet formation is captured using high-speed recordings at 1.0 × 106 fps. The velocity of the microjets can reach speeds of ~850 m/s while maintaining a very sharp geometry. The high-speed recordings enable us to study the effect of several parameters on the jet velocity, e.g. the absorbed energy and the distance between the laser spot and the free surface.The results show a clear dependence on these variables, even for supersonic speeds. Comparisons with numerical simulations confirm the nature of these dependencies.

  19. Implementation of MRAC controller of a DFIG based variable speed grid connected wind turbine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdeddaim, Sabrina; Betka, Achour; Drid, Said; Becherif, Mohamed

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Set-up of an experimental test emulating a wind turbine, driving a grid-connected conventional DFIG. • An optimal operation below rated speed is achieved by means of an appropriate maximum power-point tracking algorithm. • Design and implementation of an adaptive model reference controller (MRAC) of the active and reactive power regulation. - Abstract: This paper presents the design and the implementation of a model reference adaptive control of the active and reactive power regulation of a grid connected wind turbine based on a doubly fed induction generator. This regulation is achieved below the synchronous speed, by means of a maximum power-point tracking algorithm. The experiment was conducted on a 1 kW didactic wound rotor induction machine in association with a wind turbine emulator. This implementation is realized using a dSPACE 1104 single-board control and acquisition interface. The obtained results show a permanent track of the available maximum wind power, under a chosen wind speed profile. Furthermore the proposed controller exhibits a smooth regulation of the stator active and reactive power amounts exchanged between the machine and the grid

  20. Influence of attrition variables on iron ore flotation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiana Fonseca Fortes

    Full Text Available Abstract The presence of slimes is harmful to the flotation process: the performance and consumption of reagents are negatively affected. Traditionally, the desliming stage has been responsible for removing slimes. However, depending on the porosity of the mineral particles, desliming may not be sufficient to maximize the concentration results. An attrition process before the desliming operation can improve the removal of slime, especially when slimes cover the surface and/or are confined to the cavities/pores of the mineral particles. Attrition is present in the flowcharts of the beneficiation process of phosphate and industrial sand (silica sand. Research has been undertaken for its application to produce pre-concentrates of zircon and iron ore. However, there is still little knowledge of the influence of the attrition variables on the beneficiation process of iron ore. This study presents a factorial design and analysis of the effects of these variables on the reverse flotation of iron ore. The standard of the experimental procedures for all tests included the attrition of pulp, under the conditions of dispersion, desliming and flotation. The parameter analysed (variable response was the metallurgical recovery in reverse flotation tests. The planning and analysis of the full factorial experiment indicated that with 95% reliability, the rotation speed of the attrition cell impeller was the main variable in the attrition process of the iron ore. The percentage of solid variables in the pulp and the time of the attrition, as well as their interactions, were not indicated to be significant.

  1. Heart rate variability response to mental arithmetic stress in patients with schizophrenia Autonomic response to stress in schizophrenia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Castro, Mariana N.; Vigo, Daniel E.; Weidema, Hylke; Fahrer, Rodolfo D.; Chu, Elvina M.; De Achaval, Delfina; Nogues, Martin; Leiguarda, Ramon C.; Cardinali, Daniel P.; Guinjoan, Salvador N.

    Background: The vulnerability-stress hypothesis is an established model of schizophrenia symptom formation. We sought to characterise the pattern of the cardiac autonomic response to mental arithmetic stress in patients with stable schizophrenia. Methods: We performed heart rate variability (HRV)

  2. Fractal fluctuations in spatiotemporal variables when walking on a self-paced treadmill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jin-Seung; Kang, Dong-Won; Seo, Jeong-Woo; Tack, Gye-Rae

    2017-12-08

    This study investigated the fractal dynamic properties of stride time (ST), stride length (SL) and stride speed (SS) during walking on a self-paced treadmill (STM) in which the belt speed is automatically controlled by the walking speed. Twelve healthy young subjects participated in the study. The subjects walked at their preferred walking speed under four conditions: STM, STM with a metronome (STM+met), fixed-speed (conventional) treadmill (FTM), and FTM with a metronome (FTM+met). To compare the fractal dynamics between conditions, the mean, variability, and fractal dynamics of ST, SL, and SS were compared. Moreover, the relationship among the variables was examined under each walking condition using three types of surrogates. The mean values of all variables did not differ between the two treadmills, and the variability of all variables was generally larger for STM than for FTM. The use of a metronome resulted in a decrease in variability in ST and SS for all conditions. The fractal dynamic characteristics of SS were maintained with STM, in contrast to FTM, and only the fractal dynamic characteristics of ST disappeared when using a metronome. In addition, the fractal dynamic patterns of the cross-correlated surrogate results were identical to those of all variables for the two treadmills. In terms of the fractal dynamic properties, STM walking was generally closer to overground walking than FTM walking. Although further research is needed, the present results will be useful in research on gait fractal dynamics and rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Balancing Biomechanical Constraints: Optimal Escape Speeds When There Is a Trade-off between Speed and Maneuverability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clemente, C J; Wilson, R S

    2015-12-01

    The ability for prey to escape a pursuing predator is dependent both on the prey's speed away from the threat and on their ability to rapidly change directions, or maneuverability. Given that the biomechanical trade-off between speed and maneuverability limits the simultaneous maximization of both performance traits, animals should not select their fastest possible speeds when running away from a pursuing predator but rather a speed that maximizes the probability of successful escape. We explored how variation in the relationship between speed and maneuverability-or the shape of the trade-off-affects the optimal choice of speed for escaping predators. We used tablet-based games that simulated interactions between predators and prey (human subjects acting as predators attempting to capture "prey" moving across a screen). By defining a specific relationship between speed and maneuverability, we could test the survival of each of the possible behavioral choices available to this phenotype, i.e., the best combination of speed and maneuverability for prey fitness, based on their ability to escape. We found that the shape of the trade-off function affected the prey's optimal speed for success in escaping, the prey's maximum performance in escaping, and the breadth of speeds over which the prey's performance was high. The optimal speed for escape varied only when the trade-off between speed and maneuverability was non-linear. Phenotypes possessing trade-off functions for which maneuverability was only compromised at high speeds exhibited lower optimal speeds. Phenotypes that exhibited greater increases in maneuverability for any decrease in speed were more likely to have broader ranges of performance, meaning that individuals could attain their maximum performance across a broader range of speeds. We also found that there was a differential response of the subject's learning to these different components of locomotion. With increased experience through repeated trials

  4. MPPT Algorithm for Small Wind Systems based on Speed Control Strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciprian VLAD

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents experimental results of an autonomous low-power wind energy conversion system (WECS, based on a permanent-magnet synchronous generator (PMSG connected directly to the wind turbine. The purpose of this paper is to present an improving method for MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithm based shaft rotational speed optimal control. The proposed method concern the variable delay compensation between measured wind speed from anemometer and wind shaft rotational speed proportional signal. Experimental results aiming to prove the efficiency of the proposed method are presented.

  5. The influence of gait speed on the stability of walking among the elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Yifang; Li, Zhiyu; Han, Shuyan; Lv, Changsheng; Zhang, Bo

    2016-06-01

    Walking speed is a basic factor to consider when walking exercises are prescribed as part of a training programme. Although associations between walking speed, step length and falling risk have been identified, the relationship between spontaneous walking pattern and falling risk remains unclear. The present study, therefore, examined the stability of spontaneous walking at normal, fast and slow speed among elderly (67.5±3.23) and young (21.4±1.31) individuals. In all, 55 participants undertook a test that involved walking on a plantar pressure platform. Foot-ground contact data were used to calculate walking speed, step length, pressure impulse along the plantar-impulse principal axis and pressure record of time series along the plantar-impulse principal axis. A forward dynamics method was used to calculate acceleration, velocity and displacement of the centre of mass in the vertical direction. The results showed that when the elderly walked at different speeds, their average step length was smaller than that observed among the young (p=0.000), whereas their anterior/posterior variability and lateral variability had no significant difference. When walking was performed at normal or slow speed, no significant between-group difference in cadence was found. When walking at a fast speed, the elderly increased their stride length moderately and their cadence greatly (p=0.012). In summary, the present study found no correlation between fast walking speed and instability among the elderly, which indicates that healthy elderly individuals might safely perform fast-speed walking exercises. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Bayesian modeling of measurement error in predictor variables using item response theory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fox, Gerardus J.A.; Glas, Cornelis A.W.

    2000-01-01

    This paper focuses on handling measurement error in predictor variables using item response theory (IRT). Measurement error is of great important in assessment of theoretical constructs, such as intelligence or the school climate. Measurement error is modeled by treating the predictors as unobserved

  7. Wind Speed and Sea State Dependencies of Air-Sea Gas Transfer: Results From the High Wind Speed Gas Exchange Study (HiWinGS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blomquist, B. W.; Brumer, S. E.; Fairall, C. W.; Huebert, B. J.; Zappa, C. J.; Brooks, I. M.; Yang, M.; Bariteau, L.; Prytherch, J.; Hare, J. E.; Czerski, H.; Matei, A.; Pascal, R. W.

    2017-10-01

    A variety of physical mechanisms are jointly responsible for facilitating air-sea gas transfer through turbulent processes at the atmosphere-ocean interface. The nature and relative importance of these mechanisms evolves with increasing wind speed. Theoretical and modeling approaches are advancing, but the limited quantity of observational data at high wind speeds hinders the assessment of these efforts. The HiWinGS project successfully measured gas transfer coefficients (k660) with coincident wave statistics under conditions with hourly mean wind speeds up to 24 m s-1 and significant wave heights to 8 m. Measurements of k660 for carbon dioxide (CO2) and dimethylsulfide (DMS) show an increasing trend with respect to 10 m neutral wind speed (U10N), following a power law relationship of the form: k660 CO2˜U10N1.68 and k660 dms˜U10N1.33. Among seven high wind speed events, CO2 transfer responded to the intensity of wave breaking, which depended on both wind speed and sea state in a complex manner, with k660 CO2 increasing as the wind sea approaches full development. A similar response is not observed for DMS. These results confirm the importance of breaking waves and bubble injection mechanisms in facilitating CO2 transfer. A modified version of the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment Gas transfer algorithm (COAREG ver. 3.5), incorporating a sea state-dependent calculation of bubble-mediated transfer, successfully reproduces the mean trend in observed k660 with wind speed for both gases. Significant suppression of gas transfer by large waves was not observed during HiWinGS, in contrast to results from two prior field programs.

  8. Effects of weather conditions, light conditions, and road lighting on vehicle speed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jägerbrand, Annika K; Sjöbergh, Jonas

    2016-01-01

    Light conditions are known to affect the number of vehicle accidents and fatalities but the relationship between light conditions and vehicle speed is not fully understood. This study examined whether vehicle speed on roads is higher in daylight and under road lighting than in darkness, and determined the combined effects of light conditions, posted speed limit and weather conditions on driving speed. The vehicle speed of passenger cars in different light conditions (daylight, twilight, darkness, artificial light) and different weather conditions (clear weather, rain, snow) was determined using traffic and weather data collected on an hourly basis for approximately 2 years (1 September 2012-31 May 2014) at 25 locations in Sweden (17 with road lighting and eight without). In total, the data included almost 60 million vehicle passes. The data were cleaned by removing June, July, and August, which have different traffic patterns than the rest of the year. Only data from the periods 10:00 A.M.-04:00 P.M. and 06:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. were used, to remove traffic during rush hour and at night. Multivariate adaptive regression splines was used to evaluate the overall influence of independent variables on vehicle speed and nonparametric statistical testing was applied to test for speed differences between dark-daylight, dark-twilight, and twilight-daylight, on roads with and without road lighting. The results show that vehicle speed in general depends on several independent variables. Analyses of vehicle speed and speed differences between daylight, twilight and darkness, with and without road lighting, did not reveal any differences attributable to light conditions. However, vehicle speed decreased due to rain or snow and the decrease was higher on roads without road lighting than on roads with lighting. These results suggest that the strong association between traffic accidents and darkness or low light conditions could be explained by drivers failing to adjust their

  9. HPOTP low-speed flexible rotor balancing, phase 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giordano, J.; Zorzi, E.

    1985-01-01

    A method was developed that shows promise in overcoming many balancing limitations. This method establishes one or more windows for low speed, out-of-housing balancing of flexible rotors. These windows are regions of speed and support flexibility where two conditions are simultaneously fulfilled. First, the rotor system behaves flexibly; therefore, there is separation among balance planes. Second, the response due to balance weights is large enough to reliably measure. The analytic formulation of the low-speed flexible rotor balancing method is described. The results of proof-of-principle tests conducted under the program are presented. Based on this effort, it is concluded that low speed flexible rotor balancing is a viable technology. In particular, the method can be used to balance a rotor bearing system at low speed which results in smooth operation above more than one bending critical speed. Furthermore, this balancing methodology is applicable to SSME turbopump rotors.

  10. Inter- and intrapatient variability of facial nerve response areas in the floor of the fourth ventricle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertalanffy, Helmut; Tissira, Nadir; Krayenbühl, Niklaus; Bozinov, Oliver; Sarnthein, Johannes

    2011-03-01

    Surgical exposure of intrinsic brainstem lesions through the floor of the 4th ventricle requires precise identification of facial nerve (CN VII) fibers to avoid damage. To assess the shape, size, and variability of the area where the facial nerve can be stimulated electrophysiologically on the surface of the rhomboid fossa. Over a period of 18 months, 20 patients were operated on for various brainstem and/or cerebellar lesions. Facial nerve fibers were stimulated to yield compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) in the target muscles. Using the sites of CMAP yield, a detailed functional map of the rhomboid fossa was constructed for each patient. Lesions resected included 14 gliomas, 5 cavernomas, and 1 epidermoid cyst. Of 40 response areas mapped, 19 reached the median sulcus. The distance from the obex to the caudal border of the response area ranged from 8 to 27 mm (median, 17 mm). The rostrocaudal length of the response area ranged from 2 to 15 mm (median, 5 mm). Facial nerve response areas showed large variability in size and position, even in patients with significant distance between the facial colliculus and underlying pathological lesion. Lesions located close to the facial colliculus markedly distorted the response area. This is the first documentation of variability in the CN VII response area in the rhomboid fossa. Knowledge of this remarkable variability may facilitate the assessment of safe entry zones to the brainstem and may contribute to improved outcome following neurosurgical interventions within this sensitive area of the brain.

  11. Safe Speeds and Credible Speed Limits (SaCredSpeed): New Vision for Decision Making on Speed Management.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aarts, L. Nes, N. van Wegman, F.C.M. Schagen, I.N.L.G. van & Louwerse, R.

    2009-01-01

    Speed is an inherent characteristic of mobility and a hazard to safety. Several approaches exist of how to manage speed. In the Netherlands, the emphasis has mainly been on harm minimisation during the last decades, due to the implementation of the Sustainable Safety vision. Speed management remains

  12. Variability of Neuronal Responses: Types and Functional Significance in Neuroplasticity and Neural Darwinism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chervyakov, Alexander V; Sinitsyn, Dmitry O; Piradov, Michael A

    2016-01-01

    HIGHLIGHTS We suggest classifying variability of neuronal responses as follows: false (associated with a lack of knowledge about the influential factors), "genuine harmful" (noise), "genuine neutral" (synonyms, repeats), and "genuine useful" (the basis of neuroplasticity and learning).The genuine neutral variability is considered in terms of the phenomenon of degeneracy.Of particular importance is the genuine useful variability that is considered as a potential basis for neuroplasticity and learning. This type of variability is considered in terms of the neural Darwinism theory. In many cases, neural signals detected under the same external experimental conditions significantly change from trial to trial. The variability phenomenon, which complicates extraction of reproducible results and is ignored in many studies by averaging, has attracted attention of researchers in recent years. In this paper, we classify possible types of variability based on its functional significance and describe features of each type. We describe the key adaptive significance of variability at the neural network level and the degeneracy phenomenon that may be important for learning processes in connection with the principle of neuronal group selection.

  13. Dynamic balancing of super-critical rotating structures using slow-speed data via parametric excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tresser, Shachar; Dolev, Amit; Bucher, Izhak

    2018-02-01

    High-speed machinery is often designed to pass several "critical speeds", where vibration levels can be very high. To reduce vibrations, rotors usually undergo a mass balancing process, where the machine is rotated at its full speed range, during which the dynamic response near critical speeds can be measured. High sensitivity, which is required for a successful balancing process, is achieved near the critical speeds, where a single deflection mode shape becomes dominant, and is excited by the projection of the imbalance on it. The requirement to rotate the machine at high speeds is an obstacle in many cases, where it is impossible to perform measurements at high speeds, due to harsh conditions such as high temperatures and inaccessibility (e.g., jet engines). This paper proposes a novel balancing method of flexible rotors, which does not require the machine to be rotated at high speeds. With this method, the rotor is spun at low speeds, while subjecting it to a set of externally controlled forces. The external forces comprise a set of tuned, response dependent, parametric excitations, and nonlinear stiffness terms. The parametric excitation can isolate any desired mode, while keeping the response directly linked to the imbalance. A software controlled nonlinear stiffness term limits the response, hence preventing the rotor to become unstable. These forces warrant sufficient sensitivity required to detect the projection of the imbalance on any desired mode without rotating the machine at high speeds. Analytical, numerical and experimental results are shown to validate and demonstrate the method.

  14. Comparison of methods for the identification of mesoscale wind speed fluctuations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Rieke Mehrens

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Mesoscale wind speed fluctuations influence the characteristics of offshore wind energy. These recurring wind speed changes on time scales between tens of minutes and six hours lead to power output fluctuations. In order to investigate the meteorological conditions associated with mesoscale wind speed fluctuations, a measure is needed to detect these situations in wind speed time series. Previous studies used the empirical Hilbert-Huang Transform to determine the energy in the mesoscale frequency range or calculated the standard deviation of a band-pass filtered wind speed time series. The aim of this paper is to introduce newly developed empirical mesoscale fluctuation measures and to compare them with existing measures in regard to their sensitivity to recurring wind speed changes. One of the methods is based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform, two on the Fast Fourier Transform and one on wind speed increments. It is found that despite various complexity of the methods, all methods can identify days with highly variable mesoscale wind speeds equally well.

  15. Stochastic stationary response of a variable-mass system with mass disturbance described by Poisson white noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Yan; Xu, Wei; Jia, Wantao; Han, Qun

    2017-05-01

    Variable-mass systems have received widespread attention and show prominent significance with the explosive development of micro- and nanotechnologies, so there is a growing need to study the influences of mass disturbances on systems. This paper is devoted to investigating the stochastic response of a variable-mass system subject to weakly random excitation, in which the mass disturbance is modeled as a Poisson white noise. Firstly, the original system is approximately replaced by the associated conservative system with small disturbance based on the Taylor expansion technique. Then the stationary response of the approximate system is obtained by applying the stochastic averaging method. At last, a representative variable-mass oscillator is worked out to illustrate the effectiveness of the analytical solution by comparing with Monte Carlo simulation. The relative change of mean-square displacement is used to measure the influences of mass disturbance on system responses. Results reveal that the stochastic responses are more sensitive to mass disturbance for some system parameters. It is also found that the influences of Poisson white noise as the mass disturbance on system responses are significantly different from that of Gaussian white noise of the same intensity.

  16. A latent class distance association model for cross-classified data with a categorical response variable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera, José Fernando; de Rooij, Mark; Heiser, Willem J

    2014-11-01

    In this paper we propose a latent class distance association model for clustering in the predictor space of large contingency tables with a categorical response variable. The rows of such a table are characterized as profiles of a set of explanatory variables, while the columns represent a single outcome variable. In many cases such tables are sparse, with many zero entries, which makes traditional models problematic. By clustering the row profiles into a few specific classes and representing these together with the categories of the response variable in a low-dimensional Euclidean space using a distance association model, a parsimonious prediction model can be obtained. A generalized EM algorithm is proposed to estimate the model parameters and the adjusted Bayesian information criterion statistic is employed to test the number of mixture components and the dimensionality of the representation. An empirical example highlighting the advantages of the new approach and comparing it with traditional approaches is presented. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

  17. Three-dimensional trunk kinematics in golf: between-club differences and relationships to clubhead speed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joyce, Christopher; Burnett, Angus; Cochrane, Jodie; Ball, Kevin

    2013-06-01

    The aims of this study were (i) to determine whether significant three-dimensional (3D) trunk kinematic differences existed between a driver and a five-iron during a golf swing; and (ii) to determine the anthropometric, physiological, and trunk kinematic variables associated with clubhead speed. Trunk range of motion and golf swing kinematic data were collected from 15 low-handicap male golfers (handicap = 2.5 +/- 1.9). Data were collected using a 10-camera motion capture system operating at 250 Hz. Data on clubhead speed and ball velocity were collected using a real-time launch monitor. Paired t-tests revealed nine significant (p golf swing kinematics, namely trunk and lower trunk flexion/extension and lower trunk axial rotation. Multiple regression analyses explained 33.7-66.7% of the variance in clubhead speed for the driver and five-iron, respectively, with both trunk and lower trunk variables showing associations with clubhead speed. Future studies should consider the role of the upper limbs and modifiable features of the golf club in developing clubhead speed for the driver in particular.

  18. Within-day variability on short and long walking tests in persons with multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feys, Peter; Bibby, Bo; Romberg, Anders; Santoyo, Carme; Gebara, Benoit; de Noordhout, Benoit Maertens; Knuts, Kathy; Bethoux, Francois; Skjerbæk, Anders; Jensen, Ellen; Baert, Ilse; Vaney, Claude; de Groot, Vincent; Dalgas, Ulrik

    2014-03-15

    To compare within-day variability of short (10 m walking test at usual and fastest speed; 10MWT) and long (2 and 6-minute walking test; 2MWT/6MWT) tests in persons with multiple sclerosis. Observational study. MS rehabilitation and research centers in Europe and US within RIMS (European network for best practice and research in MS rehabilitation). Ambulatory persons with MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 0-6.5). Subjects of different centers performed walking tests at 3 time points during a single day. 10MWT, 2MWT and 6MWT at fastest speed and 10MWT at usual speed. Ninety-five percent limits of agreement were computed using a random effects model with individual pwMS as random effect. Following this model, retest scores are with 95% certainty within these limits of baseline scores. In 102 subjects, within-day variability was constant in absolute units for the 10MWT, 2MWT and 6MWT at fastest speed (+/-0.26, 0.16 and 0.15m/s respectively, corresponding to +/-19.2m and +/-54 m for the 2MWT and 6MWT) independent on the severity of ambulatory dysfunction. This implies a greater relative variability with increasing disability level, often above 20% depending on the applied test. The relative within-day variability of the 10MWT at usual speed was +/-31% independent of ambulatory function. Absolute values of within-day variability on walking tests at fastest speed were independent of disability level and greater with short compared to long walking tests. Relative within-day variability remained overall constant when measured at usual speed. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Comparison of AMSR-2 wind speed and sea surface temperature ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    68

    characteristics and variable features where the wind circulation pattern is ..... is extended to understand the quality of AMSR-2 wind speed in a constructive ...... New Disclosures (potential conflicts of interest, funding, acknowledgements):.

  20. Incorporating fan control into air-conditioning systems to improve energy efficiency and transient response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, T.-J.; Chen, Yun-Jih; Hwang, Wei-Yang; Lin, Jin-Long

    2009-01-01

    Modern air-conditioners frequently incorporate variable-speed compressors and variable-opening expansion valves with feedback control to improve performance and power efficiency. Because making the fan speeds adjustable adds flexibility to the control design and thus can lead to further improvements in performance and efficiency, this paper proposes two control algorithms, respectively, incorporating the outdoor fan and the indoor fan as the additional control inputs for air-conditioning systems. Both of the control algorithms are designed based on a low-order, linear model obtained from system identification. The first algorithm, which modulates the outdoor fan speed, can reduce the steady state power consumption if the temperature difference between the condenser and the outdoor environment is controlled properly. The second algorithm, which adds one more degree of freedom to control by modulating the indoor fan speed, can improve the transient response because actuator saturations become less likely to occur. The two control algorithms are implemented on a split-type residential air-conditioner and their respective performance is validated experimentally.

  1. Estimation of wind speed and wave height during cyclones

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    SanilKumar, V.; Mandal, S.; AshokKumar, K.

    , the isobaric charts were collected at three hourly intervals from the India Meteorological Department. The storm variables such as central pressure, radius of maximum wind, speed of forward motion and direction of storm movement were extracted and the method...

  2. Speed and surge control for a lower order centrifugal compressor model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan T. Gravdahl

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available A model of a variable speed centrifugal compression system is presented. The model is based on the work of Greitzer (1976, but the compressor characteristic is developed by modelling the losses in the compressor. For surge control, a close coupled valve is employed. This valve is placed immediately downstream of the compressor, and the pressure drop over the valve is used as the control variable. This makes it possible to manipulate the shape of the equivalent compressor, consisting of compressor and valve. The speed of the compressor is controlled with a PI-controller. Semi-global exponential stability of the model with the proposed controllers is proven by the use of Lyapunovs theorem.

  3. Improving speed behaviour : the potential of in-car speed assistance and speed limit credibility.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nes, C.N. van Houtenbos, M. & Schagen, I.N.L.G. van

    2009-01-01

    Speeding is still a common practice on many roads and it contributes to a significant number of crashes. Two new approaches to solve speeding issues are focused on: intelligent speed assistance systems (ISA) and speed limit credibility. Research has indicated that ISA is promising with respect to

  4. A Case Study on Maximizing Aqua Feed Pellet Properties Using Response Surface Methodology and Genetic Algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tumuluru, Jaya

    2013-01-10

    Aims: The present case study is on maximizing the aqua feed properties using response surface methodology and genetic algorithm. Study Design: Effect of extrusion process variables like screw speed, L/D ratio, barrel temperature, and feed moisture content were analyzed to maximize the aqua feed properties like water stability, true density, and expansion ratio. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. Methodology: A variable length single screw extruder was used in the study. The process variables selected were screw speed (rpm), length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio, barrel temperature (degrees C), and feed moisture content (%). The pelletized aqua feed was analyzed for physical properties like water stability (WS), true density (TD), and expansion ratio (ER). Extrusion experimental data was collected by based on central composite design. The experimental data was further analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithm (GA) for maximizing feed properties. Results: Regression equations developed for the experimental data has adequately described the effect of process variables on the physical properties with coefficient of determination values (R2) of > 0.95. RSM analysis indicated WS, ER, and TD were maximized at L/D ratio of 12-13, screw speed of 60-80 rpm, feed moisture content of 30-40%, and barrel temperature of = 80 degrees C for ER and TD and > 90 degrees C for WS. Based on GA analysis, a maxium WS of 98.10% was predicted at a screw speed of 96.71 rpm, L/D radio of 13.67, barrel temperature of 96.26 degrees C, and feed moisture content of 33.55%. Maximum ER and TD of 0.99 and 1346.9 kg/m3 was also predicted at screw speed of 60.37 and 90.24 rpm, L/D ratio of 12.18 and 13.52, barrel temperature of 68.50 and 64.88 degrees C, and medium feed moisture content of 33.61 and 38.36%. Conclusion: The present data analysis indicated

  5. Voltage control of a variable speed wind turbine connected to an isolated load: Experimental study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masmoudi, Abdelkarim; Krichen, Lotfi; Ouali, Abderrazak

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We develop an experimental test bench of a wind energy conversion system. ► A DC motor is emulating a variable speed wind turbine using a DS1104 card. ► The production unit is supplying a three-phase load. ► A voltage control is established in order to regulate the DC bus voltage and the line-to-line voltages. - Abstract: This study is interested in the development of an experimental test bench of an autonomous wind energy conversion system (WECS) based on a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). After the description of the test bench, the elements constituting the WECS are presented. Then, a real time model implemented under a digital signal processor (DSP) system is established. The first objective of this work is to validate the functionality of the test bench leading to experiment some principles developed in theory. The second objective is to control the load connection voltages and the DC bus voltage. For the first control, two resonant controllers are used and for the second one, a dump load, connected to the DC bus, offers the possibility to maintain a balance between production and consumption in spite of wind fluctuations and load variations. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the test bench trying out in real time the behavior of a WECS supplying an isolated load.

  6. Resistance to Change and Preference for Variable versus Fixed Response Sequences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arantes, Joana; Berg, Mark E.; Le, Dien; Grace, Randolph C.

    2012-01-01

    In Experiment 1, 4 pigeons were trained on a multiple chain schedule in which the initial link was a variable-interval (VI) 20-s schedule signalled by a red or green center key, and terminal links required four responses made to the left (L) and/or right (R) keys. In the REPEAT component, signalled by red keylights, only LRLR terminal-link…

  7. Low Wind Speed Turbine Project Phase II: The Application of Medium-Voltage Electrical Apparatus to the Class of Variable Speed Multi-Megawatt Low Wind Speed Turbines; 15 June 2004--30 April 2005

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erdman, W.; Behnke, M.

    2005-11-01

    Kilowatt ratings of modern wind turbines have progressed rapidly from 50 kW to 1,800 kW over the past 25 years, with 3.0- to 7.5-MW turbines expected in the next 5 years. The premise of this study is simple: The rapid growth of wind turbine power ratings and the corresponding growth in turbine electrical generation systems and associated controls are quickly making low-voltage (LV) electrical design approaches cost-ineffective. This report provides design detail and compares the cost of energy (COE) between commercial LV-class wind power machines and emerging medium-voltage (MV)-class multi-megawatt wind technology. The key finding is that a 2.5% reduction in the COE can be achieved by moving from LV to MV systems. This is a conservative estimate, with a 3% to 3.5% reduction believed to be attainable once purchase orders to support a 250-turbine/year production level are placed. This evaluation considers capital costs as well as installation, maintenance, and training requirements for wind turbine maintenance personnel. Subsystems investigated include the generator, pendant cables, variable-speed converter, and padmount transformer with switchgear. Both current-source and voltage-source converter/inverter MV topologies are compared against their low-voltage, voltage-source counterparts at the 3.0-, 5.0-, and 7.5-MW levels.

  8. Speed

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Speed. The rate of information transferred per second is the speed of the information. Measured in bits per second. Need for speed on the net: You-Tube phenomenon; IPTV; 3D Video telephony. Online gaming; HDTV.

  9. Ensemble standar deviation of wind speed and direction of the FDDA input to WRF

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — NetCDF file of the SREF standard deviation of wind speed and direction that was used to inject variability in the FDDA input. variable U_NDG_OLD contains standard...

  10. Economy, Movement Dynamics, and Muscle Activity of Human Walking at Different Speeds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raffalt, Peter Christian; Guul, Martin Kjær; Nielsen, A. N.

    2017-01-01

    The complex behaviour of human walking with respect to movement variability, economy and muscle activity is speed dependent. It is well known that a U-shaped relationship between walking speed and economy exists. However, it is an open question if the movement dynamics of joint angles and centre...... of mass and muscle activation strategy also exhibit a U-shaped relationship with walking speed. We investigated the dynamics of joint angle trajectories and the centre of mass accelerations at five different speeds ranging from 20 to 180% of the predicted preferred speed (based on Froude speed) in twelve...... healthy males. The muscle activation strategy and walking economy were also assessed. The movement dynamics was investigated using a combination of the largest Lyapunov exponent and correlation dimension. We observed an intermediate stage of the movement dynamics of the knee joint angle and the anterior...

  11. INFLUENCE OF SOWING SPEED ON SOYBEAN CULTIVATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. M. A. Tiesen

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Mato Grosso state is the largest producer of soybeans in the country, therefore is the focus of several studies and research in order to improve and increase the production. For an activity that reduces the movements on the field, the no-tillage is a great activity when it done properly. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of speed of sowing on soybean crop, with pneumatic system type for seed metering. The experiment was conducted at São Luiz Farm, in Sinop city, in the northern of Mato Grosso state. The experimental adopted was the randomized blocks design with four treatments and four replications. The seeding speeds studied were 3; 5; 7 and 9 km h-1. The variables evaluated were: initial plant population, longitudinal distribution and yield components. The data were submitted to variance and regression analysis. The speed of 3 km h-1 show the best performance for acceptable spacing, flawed, plant stand on the pre-established area, number of pods per plant, thousand grain mass and yield. The speeds rate used for sowing did not influence the establishment of soybean crop, but affected the beans productivity.

  12. Desktop Publishing: The Effects of Computerized Formats on Reading Speed and Comprehension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knupfer, Nancy Nelson; McIsaac, Marina Stock

    1989-01-01

    Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of two electronic text variables used in desktop publishing on undergraduate students' reading speed and comprehension. Research on text variables, graphic design, instructional text design, and computer screen design is discussed, and further studies are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

  13. ltm: An R Package for Latent Variable Modeling and Item Response Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitris Rizopoulos

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available The R package ltm has been developed for the analysis of multivariate dichotomous and polytomous data using latent variable models, under the Item Response Theory approach. For dichotomous data the Rasch, the Two-Parameter Logistic, and Birnbaum's Three-Parameter models have been implemented, whereas for polytomous data Semejima's Graded Response model is available. Parameter estimates are obtained under marginal maximum likelihood using the Gauss-Hermite quadrature rule. The capabilities and features of the package are illustrated using two real data examples.

  14. Shared Responsibility for Type 1 Diabetes Care Is Associated With Glycemic Variability and Risk of Glycemic Excursions in Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marker, Arwen M; Noser, Amy E; Clements, Mark A; Patton, Susana R

    2018-01-01

    We examined how parent and youth responsibility for type 1 diabetes (T1D) care is related to adherence and glycemic outcomes, namely, glycemic variability and risk of glycemic excursions. One hundred thirty-five parent-youth dyads (10-16 years old; diagnosed with T1D for at least 6 months) participated in this study. Percent responsibility of T1D care attributed to the youth, parent, or shared was measured using the Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire. We collected youth's hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glucometer downloads to examine relationships between responsibility and HbA1c, frequency of blood glucose monitoring (self-monitoring blood glucose, SMBG), risk of glycemic excursions, and actual glycemic variability using bivariate correlations and path analysis. Participants reported shared responsibility for almost half of T1D self-care tasks. Bivariate correlations showed shared responsibility was associated with less variability, whereas parent responsibility was associated with greater glycemic variability and risk for glycemic excursions. Youth responsibility was associated with lower frequency of SMBG. The path analyses confirmed our correlational findings (pshypothesis that shared T1D responsibility is associated with better diabetes outcomes in youth. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  15. New Intelligent Transmission Concept for Hybrid Mobile Robot Speed Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazim Mir-Nasiri

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new concept of a mobile robot speed control by using two degree of freedom gear transmission. The developed intelligent speed controller utilizes a gear box which comprises of epicyclic gear train with two inputs, one coupled with the engine shaft and another with the shaft of a variable speed dc motor. The net output speed is a combination of the two input speeds and is governed by the transmission ratio of the planetary gear train. This new approach eliminates the use of a torque converter which is otherwise an indispensable part of all available automatic transmissions, thereby reducing the power loss that occurs in the box during the fluid coupling. By gradually varying the speed of the dc motor a stepless transmission has been achieved. The other advantages of the developed controller are pulling over and reversing the vehicle, implemented by intelligent mixing of the dc motor and engine speeds. This approach eliminates traditional braking system in entire vehicle design. The use of two power sources, IC engine and battery driven DC motor, utilizes the modern idea of hybrid vehicles. The new mobile robot speed controller is capable of driving the vehicle even in extreme case of IC engine failure, for example, due to gas depletion..

  16. New Intelligent Transmission Concept for Hybrid Mobile Robot Speed Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazim Mir-Nasiri

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new concept of a mobile robot speed control by using two degree of freedom gear transmission. The developed intelligent speed controller utilizes a gear box which comprises of epicyclic gear train with two inputs, one coupled with the engine shaft and another with the shaft of a variable speed dc motor. The net output speed is a combination of the two input speeds and is governed by the transmission ratio of the planetary gear train. This new approach eliminates the use of a torque converter which is otherwise an indispensable part of all available automatic transmissions, thereby reducing the power loss that occurs in the box during the fluid coupling. By gradually varying the speed of the dc motor a stepless transmission has been achieved. The other advantages of the developed controller are pulling over and reversing the vehicle, implemented by intelligent mixing of the dc motor and engine speeds. This approach eliminates traditional braking system in entire vehicle design. The use of two power sources, IC engine and battery driven DC motor, utilizes the modern idea of hybrid vehicles. The new mobile robot speed controller is capable of driving the vehicle even in extreme case of IC engine failure, for example, due to gas depletion.

  17. Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultsch, David F; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Dixon, Roger A

    2002-03-01

    Age differences in three basic types of variability were examined: variability between persons (diversity), variability within persons across tasks (dispersion), and variability within persons across time (inconsistency). Measures of variability were based on latency performance from four measures of reaction time (RT) performed by a total of 99 younger adults (ages 17--36 years) and 763 older adults (ages 54--94 years). Results indicated that all three types of variability were greater in older compared with younger participants even when group differences in speed were statistically controlled. Quantile-quantile plots showed age and task differences in the shape of the inconsistency distributions. Measures of within-person variability (dispersion and inconsistency) were positively correlated. Individual differences in RT inconsistency correlated negatively with level of performance on measures of perceptual speed, working memory, episodic memory, and crystallized abilities. Partial set correlation analyses indicated that inconsistency predicted cognitive performance independent of level of performance. The results indicate that variability of performance is an important indicator of cognitive functioning and aging.

  18. The most important "factor" in producing clubhead speed in golf.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joyce, Christopher

    2017-10-01

    Substantial experiential research into x-factor, and to a lesser extent crunch-factor has been undertaken with the aim of increasing clubhead speed. However, a direct comparison of the golf swing kinematics associated with each 'factor' has not, and possible differences when using a driver compared to an iron. Fifteen low handicap male golfers who displayed a modern swing had their golf swing kinematic data measured when hitting their own driver and five-iron, using a 10-camera motion analysis system operating at 250Hz. Clubhead speed was collected using a validated launch monitor. No between-club differences in x-factor and crunch-factor existed. Correlation analyses revealed within-club segment (trunk and lower trunk) interaction was different for the driver, compared to the five-iron, and that a greater number of kinematic variables associated with x-factor, compared to crunch-factor were shown to be correlated with faster clubhead speeds. This was further explained in the five-iron regression model, where a significant amount of variance in clubhead speed was associated with increased lower trunk x-factor stretch, and reduced trunk lateral bending. Given that greens in regulation was shown to be the strongest correlated variable with PGA Tour earnings (1990-2004), the findings suggests a link to player performance for approach shots. These findings support other empiric research into the importance of x-factor as well as anecdotal evidence on how crunch-factor can negatively affect clubhead speed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Numerical Investigation on a Prototype Centrifugal Pump Subjected to Fluctuating Rotational Speed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Liang Zhang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The rotational speed of pumps often encounters fluctuation in engineering for some reasons. In this paper, in order to study the transient response characteristic of a prototype centrifugal pump subjected to fluctuating rotational speed, a closed-loop pipe system including the pump is built to accomplish unsteady flow calculations in which the boundary conditions at the inlet and the outlet of the pump are not required to be set. The external performance results show that the head’s responsiveness to the fluctuating rotational speed is very good, while the flow rate’s responsiveness is slightly delayed. The variation tendencies of the static pressures at the inlet and the outlet of the pump are almost completely opposite, wherein the variation tendency of the static pressure at the outlet is identical with that of the rotational speed. The intensity of the turbulence energy in each impeller channel is relatively uniform in the transient flow calculations, while, in the quasi-steady flow calculation, it becomes weaker in a channel closed to the volute tongue. The nondimensional flow rate and head coefficients are dependent on the rotational speed, and their variation tendencies are opposite to that of the fluctuating rotational speed as a whole.

  20. Improving significantly the failure strain and work hardening response of LPSO-strengthened Mg-Y-Zn-Al alloy via hot extrusion speed control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Xinghe; Chee, Winston; Chan, Jimmy; Kwok, Richard; Gupta, Manoj

    2017-07-01

    The effect of hot extrusion speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of MgY1.06Zn0.76Al0.42 (at%) alloy strengthened by the novel long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase was systematically investigated. Increase in the speed of extrusion accelerated dynamic recrystallization of α-Mg via particle-stimulated nucleation and grain growth in the alloy. The intensive recrystallization and grain growth events weakened the conventional basal texture and Hall-Petch strengthening in the alloy which led to significant improvement in its failure strain from 4.9% to 19.6%. The critical strengthening contribution from LPSO phase known for attributing high strength to the alloy was observed to be greatly undermined by the parallel competition from texture weakening and the adverse Hall-Petch effect when the alloy was extruded at higher speed. Absence of work hardening interestingly observed in the alloy extruded at lower speed was discussed in terms of its ultra-fine grained microstructure which promoted the condition of steady-state defect density in the alloy; where dislocation annihilation balances out the generation of new dislocations during plastic deformation. One approach to improve work hardening response of the alloy to prevent unstable deformation and abrupt failure in service is to increase the grain diameter in the alloy by judiciously increasing the extrusion speed.