Developing a distributed electronic health-record store for India

The DIGHT project is addressing the problem of building a scalable and highly available information store for the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of the over one billion citizens of India

Longitudinal dynamic modeling and control of powered parachute aircraft

Powered parachutes (PPC) represent a very unique class of aircraft which have thus far seen limited use beyond recreational flight. Their slow flight and large payload characteristics make them a practical platform for applications such as aerial spraying and surveillance. The portability of the units when not airborne, fast transition to flight readiness, inherent stability, and simplicity of control enhance their appeal for use as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The aircraft fly using only three control inputs consisting of two steering lines and a throttle for control of climb and descent. One of the more interesting characteristics that distinguish PPC from conventional aircraft is the pendulum stability which is a consequence of suspending the majority of the aircraft weight so far from the wing surface and which introduces an appreciable amount of lag into the system. Another interesting phenomenon is their speed stability which causes the aircraft to fly at a relatively constant speed whether it is climbing, descending, or flying straight-and-level. The current study seeks to examine the effects of throttle on the longitudinal dynamics of PPC, using a small-scale aircraft. A dynamic model has been derived using analytical methods and computer-simulated in MATLAB and Simulink, developed by The Mathworks. The validity of the model was then verified using data recorded from the small-scale PPC. Effects of parameters such as aircraft weight and thrust were examined and related to flight characteristics such as airspeed and climb rate. Finally, a control system was developed to deal with the aforementioned lag and demonstrate accurate altitude-hold capability for a powered parachute

A resilience-oriented bidirectional anfis framework for networked microgrid management

This study implemented a bidirectional artificial neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to solve the problem of system resilience in synchronized and islanded grid mode/operation (during normal operation and in the event of a catastrophic disaster, respectively). Included in this setup are photovoltaics, wind turbines, batteries, and smart load management. Solar panels, wind turbines, and battery-charging supercapacitors are just a few of the sustainable energy sources ANFIS coordinates. The first step in the process was the development of a mode-specific control algorithm to address the system’s current behavior. Relative ANFIS will take over to greatly boost resilience during times of crisis, power savings, and routine operations. A bidirectional converter connects the battery in order to keep the DC link stable and allow energy displacement due to changes in generation and consumption. When combined with the ANFIS algorithm, PV can be used to meet precise power needs. This means it can safeguard the battery from extreme conditions such as overcharging or discharging. The wind system is optimized for an island environment and will perform as designed. The efficiency of the system and the life of the batteries both improve. Improvements to the inverter’s functionality can be attributed to the use of synchronous reference frame transformation for control. Based on the available solar power, wind power, and system state of charge (SOC), the anticipated fuzzy rule-based ANFIS will take over. Furthermore, the synchronized grid was compared to ANFIS. The study uses MATLAB/Simulink to demonstrate the robustness of the system under test

Development Process for Multi-Disciplinary Embedded Control Systems

This report contains the progress report for the qualification exam for Industrial PhD student Sune Wolff. Initial work on describing a development process for multi-disciplinary systems using collaborative modelling and co-simulation is described

A Study on the Hierarchical Control Structure of the Islanded Microgrid

The microgrid is essential in promoting the power system’s resilience through its ability to host small-scale DG units. Furthermore, the microgrid can isolate itself during main grid faults and supply its demands. However, islanded operation of the microgrid is challenging due to difficulties in frequency and voltage control. In islanded mode, grid-forming units collaborate to control the frequency and voltage. A hierarchical control structure employing the droop control technique provides these control objectives in three consecutive levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. However, challenges associated with DG units in the vicinity of distribution networks limit the effectiveness of the islanded mode of operation.In MV and LV distribution networks, the X/R ratio is low; hence, the frequency and voltage are related to the active and reactive power by line parameters. Therefore, frequency and voltage must be tuned for changes in active or reactive powers. Furthermore, the line parameters mismatch causes the voltage to be measured differently at each bus due to the different voltage drops in the lines. Hence, a trade-off between voltage regulation and reactive power-sharing is formed, which causes either circulating currents for voltage mismatch or overloading for reactive power mismatch. Finally, the economic dispatch is usually implemented in tertiary control, which takes minutes to hours. Therefore, an estimation algorithm is required for load and renewable energy quantities forecasting. Hence, prediction errors may occur that affect the stability and optimality of the control. This dissertation aims to improve the power system resilience by enhancing the operation of the islanded microgrid by addressing the above-mentioned issues. Firstly, a linear relationship described by line parameters is used in droop control at the primary control level to accurately control the frequency and voltage based on measured active and reactive power. Secondly, an optimization-based consensus secondary control is presented to manage the trade-off between voltage regulation and reactive power-sharing in the inductive grid with high line parameters mismatch. Thirdly, the economic dispatch-based secondary controller is implemented in secondary control to avoid prediction errors by depending on the measured active and reactive powers rather than the load and renewable energy generation estimation. The developed methods effectively resolve the frequency and voltage control issues in MATLAB/SIMULINK simulations

Numerical Simulation of Dynamic Response For Misalignment In Coupled Shafts

Preceded by unbalance, misalignment is the second most common fault in rotating machinery. The impact of misalignment fault on equipment can be severe and may considerably shorten the machine’s lifetime. This dissertation discusses the unbalance, parallel and angular misalignment forces on rotative machines’ vibration spectra. Numerical simulation model development is used to obtain the time and frequency responses of the rotor-coupling-bearing system. The parallel and angular misalignment response are synchronized with the 1X amplitude of the unbalance displacement. Moreover, the parallel misalignment fault magnifies the 2X amplitude while the angular misalignment response is captured at 2X and 4X amplitudes of the displacement response. Effects of changing the model’s rotational speed, misalignment level, and coupling type are examined for both parallel and angular misalignments

Design and Testing of a Foundation Raised Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter

Our oceans contain tremendous resource potential in the form of mechanical energy. With the ability to capture and convert the energy carried in surface waves into usable electricity, wave energy converters (WECs) have been a long-held aspiration in ocean renewable energy. One of the most popular wave energy design concepts is the Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter (OSWEC). True to their namesake, OSWECs extract energy from the surge force induced by incident waves. In their most basic form, OSWECs are analogous to a bottom-hinged paddle which pitches fore and aft in the direction of wave motion. Most commonly, OSWECs are designed for nearshore use in water depths of less than 20 m where they are mounted to the seafloor at their point of rotation. This work seeks to explore the response and design loads of foundation raised OSWECs for use in deeper waters, unlocking new and greater areas of wave energy resource. A foundation raised OSWEC was designed, built, and tested in a laboratory wave tank. The scale OSWEC was modeled using two methods and compared to data from the experiments. The first of these methods is a highly efficient, analytical approach which derives from the solution to the boundary value problem transformed into elliptical coordinates. Previous validation results demonstrate the analytical model is capable of reproducing results from higher fidelity numerical simulations with computation times on the order of seconds. The second approach combines hydrodynamic coefficients evaluated in WAMIT with the open-source time domain solver WEC-Sim. Two model configurations were observed: the scale OSWEC with no external attachments, and the OSWEC with external torsion springs, as to excite the model at its natural period. The pitch displacement, surge and heave forces, and pitch moment were recorded at the base of the model foundation in response to regular waves with periods ranging from 0.8 s to 2.8 s and heights from 1.5 mm to 14.3 mm. The experimental results show the surge force and pitch moment increase drastically across the observed period range from the addition of external springs. The increase is 20–30 times greater in the most extreme cases. Little to no change in heave forcing was observed between the configurations. The analytical and numerical models capture the natural period of the two configurations well, but the pitch displacement responses of both models fall short of the observations by as much as 60-80% at some periods. Excellent agreement in surge, heave, and pitch loading was obtained between the experimental data and both models. The models were used to simulate a simple power takeoff (PTO) system to approximate the additional PTO torque on the OSWEC. This torque was found to be substantial in magnitude relative to the pitch foundation moment over much of the observed period range