Noise and vibration from building-mounted micro wind turbines Part 2: Results of measurements and analysis

Description To research the quantification of vibration from a micro turbine, and to develop a method of prediction of vibration and structure borne noise in a wide variety of installations in the UK. Objective The objectives of the study are as follows: 1) Develop a methodology to quantify the amount of source vibration from a building mounted micro wind turbine installation, and to predict the level of vibration and structure-borne noise impact within such buildings in the UK. 2) Test and validate the hypothesis on a statically robust sample size 3) Report the developed methodology in a form suitable for widespread adoption by industry and regulators, and report back on the suitability of the method on which to base policy decisions for a future inclusion for building mounted turbines in the GPDO

Noise and vibration from building-mounted micro wind turbines part 3 : prediction methodology

This brief report describes a simplified method for estimation of levels of structure-borne sound in buildings to which a micro-wind turbine (MWT) is attached. The method is applicable to two specific designs of MWT, each for three lengths of mounting pole and for masonry buildings. The output gives expected noise level for given rotational speed of the MWT. Applicability and limitations of the method are described. A more general methodology is provided in companion reports but requires specialist knowledge to implement. Structure-borne sound is notoriously difficult to predict and several assumptions have been necessary in order to produce a sufficiently simple estimation method. Therefore, caution is required in relying on the predictions until sufficient confidence has been built up through experience of real installations

Noise and vibration from building-mounted micro wind turbines Part 1: Review and proposed methodology

Description To research the quantification of vibration from a micro turbine, and to develop a method of prediction of vibration and structure borne noise in a wide variety of installations in the UK. Objective The objectives of the study are as follows: 1) Develop a methodology to quantify the amount of source vibration from a building mounted micro wind turbine installation, and to predict the level of vibration and structure-borne noise impact within such buildings in the UK. 2) Test and validate the hypothesis on a statically robust sample size 3) Report the developed methodology in a form suitable for widespread adoption by industry and regulators, and report back on the suitability of the method on which to base policy decisions for a future inclusion for building mounted turbines in the GPDO

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of an entire synchronous generator for improved thermal management

This study is the first in a series dedicated to investigating the airflow and thermal management of electrical machines. Owing to the temperature dependent resistive losses in the machine's windings, any improvement in cooling provides a direct reduction in losses and an increase in efficiency. This study focuses on the airflow which is intrinsically linked to the thermal behaviour of the machine as well as the windage power consumed to drive the air through the machine. A full computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been used to analyse the airflow around all major components of the machine. Results have been experimentally validated and investigated. At synchronous speed the experimentally tested mass flow rate and windage torque were under predicted by 4% and 7%, respectively, by the CFD. A break-down of torque by component shows that the fan consumes approximately 87% of the windage torque

4MW Class High Power Density Generator for Future Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

This paper describes the underpinning research, development, construction and testing of a 4MW multi-three phase generator designed for a hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system demonstrator. The aim of the work is to demonstrate gravimetric power densities around 20 kW/kg, as required for multi-MW aircraft propulsion systems. The key design choices, development procedures and trade-offs, together with the experimental testing of this electrical machine connected to an active rectifier are presented. A time-efficient analytical approach to the down-selection of various machine configurations, geometrical variables, different active and passive materials and different thermal management options is first presented. A detailed design approach based on 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is then presented for the final design. Reduced power tests are carried out on a full scale 4 MW machine prototype, validating the proposed design. The experimental results are in good agreement with simulation and show significant progress in the field of high power density electrical machines at the targeted power rating

Largest ancient fortress of South-West Asia and the western world?:Recent fieldwork at Sasanian Qaleh Iraj at Pishva, Iran

The article presents recent works at Qale Iraj, near Varamin, Iran. My short contribution is on the Middle Persian ostraka found at the site

Mate Value and Self-Esteem: Evidence from Eight Cultural Groups

This paper explores self-perceived mate value (SPMV), and its association with self-esteem, in eight cultures. 1066 participants, from 8 cultural groups in 7 countries, rated themselves on 24 SPMVs and completed a measure of self-esteem. Consistent with evolutionary theory, women were more likely to emphasise their caring and passionate romantic nature. In line with previous cross-cultural research, characteristics indicating passion and romance and social attractiveness were stressed more by respondents from individualistic cultures, and those higher on self-expression (rather than survival) values; characteristics indicative of maturity and confidence were more likely to be mentioned by those from Traditional, rather than Secular, cultures. Contrary to gender role theory, societal equality had only limited interactions with sex and SPMV, with honesty of greater significance for male self-esteem in societies with unequal gender roles. These results point to the importance of cultural and environmental factors in influencing self-perceived mate qualities, and are discussed in relation to broader debates about the impact of gender role equality on sex differences in personality and mating strategies

Disgust trumps lust:women’s disgust and attraction towards men is unaffected by sexual arousal

Mating is a double-edged sword. It can have great adaptive benefits, but also high costs, depending on the mate. Disgust is an avoidance reaction that serves the function of discouraging costly mating decisions, for example if the risk of pathogen transmission is high. It should, however, be temporarily inhibited in order to enable potentially adaptive mating. We therefore tested the hypothesis that sexual arousal inhibits disgust if a partner is attractive, but not if he is unattractive or shows signs of disease. In an online experiment, women rated their disgust towards anticipated behaviors with men depicted on photographs. Participants did so in a sexually aroused state and in a control state. The faces varied in attractiveness and the presence of disease cues (blemishes). We found that disease cues and attractiveness, but not sexual arousal, influenced disgust. The results suggest that women feel disgust at sexual contact with unattractive or diseased men independently of their sexual arousal

Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies

Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individual-difference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner’s ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationship-specific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person’s own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships