Improvements and upgrades to the universal water system's communications, operations, and controls

This report details the improvements and upgrades to Murdoch University’s Universal Water Systems (UWS) operations, communications and controls. The UWS can operate as a single integrated control system or as three smaller sub-systems through the manipulation of manual valves. A high level of system interaction is present, which allows the use of single-input-single-output (SISO) or multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) operation, giving students the opportunity to implement various styles of control strategies. This project has focused on improving hardware, Client Software, Master Software, documentation, and the development of Student Software and an automatic operating procedure. Faulty equipment was replaced to ensure the system could perform optimally, as the hardware governed all possible system actions. The Client Software was modified to meet abnormal situation management (ASM) compliance and ensure operators have system-wide control. Further development of the Master Software has allowed an implementation of an automated operating procedure, which can demonstrate the capabilities of the system in a visually spectacular way. The Student Software was developed to create a workspace in which students can customise the user interface as well as design and implement advanced control schemes into the system, with no effect on the underlying system code. The project is now complete, with successful testing and commissioning on all aspects of the UWS. The changes have been thoroughly documented with extensive user and maintenance guides developed. There is still room to improve the UWS; however, these improvements were beyond the scope of this project. At the completion of this project, the system now allows students complete and reliable operation of the UWS through the use of a standardised interface and a fully customisable workspace

POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT: FRAMEWORKS FOR ANALYSIS

This working paper is one of a series the EPAT/MUCIA Population and Environmental and Natural Resources team is producing. It examines major ways of thinking about the population-environment relationship over the past two centuries. The paper begins with Malthus and reviews developments to the present. Then it examines in detail six current frameworks or models for analyzing population-environment relationships. The six models include Bongaarts', Clark's, and Harrison's attempts to identify the relative impact of population growth on a limited number of forms of environmental degradation. It also examines the more complex Meadows, Meadows, and Randers WORLD3 dynamic model of the global system and International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) population-environment model now being applied to Mauritius. A basic finding of these models is that population growth can have a major impact on the environment. However, the impact is never simple and direct, and human organization always moderates its effect. Further, we cannot expect that slowing population growth will alleviate environmental pressures in the near term. Finally, achieving sustainable development will require a combined attack on population growth, consumption, and a variety of other human patterns of production.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Experion simulation and pilot plant maintenance

The Honeywell Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) and Pilot Plant are both unique and invaluable teaching tools used in Instrumentation and Control Engineering at Murdoch University. The Pilot Plant is one of the most industry relevant practical components, which can be used to apply and develop theoretical control knowledge. Therefore it is essential to maintain and upgrade the Pilot Plant’s operability and performance. The main purpose of this thesis is to extensively analyse the current condition of the Pilot Plant, propose and organise an agenda to fix faulty components, install new components or new coding to ensure safer operations to protect users as well as equipment, and improve its working condition. To successfully achieve these goals, the project holder should have a moderate knowledge about the Pilot Plant server, Experion supervisory control system and the Pilot Plant’s C300 controller. This knowledge is usually obtained from working and practicing on the Experion Teaching System, which is the first aim to start the project. As the Experion Training system was available for 3 months the work done to this system was limited. To improve some of the tutorial exercises and the documentation prepared by previous students, a simulated Experion system using a C300 controller and a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) page for the controlled system was developed and properly documented. The simulated system can use Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) to link to a LabVIEW program. This is a fundamental step providing another linkage between Experion and a MATLAB program through OPC in the future. The Pilot Plant Experion system has been extensively investigated in both hardware and software. By gaining an in-depth understanding of the system it was possible to identify the current problems regarding the plant and devise practical solutions for them. Numerous issues were resolved both physically and in the code. To prevent new issues from occurring, multiple interlocks have been designed, implemented and tested. Additionally the system’s code has also undergone restructuring, mainly in the form of removing redundant code. New sensors and actuators have also been installed and integrated into the system. Through the comprehensive research and development that was undertaken over the course of this thesis, it has become apparent that there is a vast range of projects and opportunities that can build upon this knowledge base and continue to improve the Murdoch University Pilot Plant and ultimately the Instrumentation and Control Engineering degree

Instructions on Small Screens : Analysing the Multimodality of Technical Communication Through a Design Experiment

Tässä tutkielmassa analysoin teknisen viestinnän multimodaalisuutta kokeellisen suunnittelun avulla. Kokeessani suunnittelen ja konvertoin älylasien pienelle näytölle kolme lyhyttä KONE Oyj:n asennus- ja huolto-ohjetta. Vaikka käytän kokeessani älylaseja, tutkimuksen näyttö voisi periaatteessa olla mikä tahansa pieni näyttö, esimerkiksi älypuhelin tai älykello, jonka ajantasainen sisältö on teoriassa helpommin kuljetettavissa mukana kuin paperille tulostettu perinteinen PDF-ohje. Konvertoin ohjeet käyttäen kahta teoriaa: visuaaliset ohjeet (Gattullo et al. 2019) ja minimalismiheuristiikka (van der Meij ja Carroll, 1998). Ymmärtääkseni paremmin ohjeiden koko käyttökontekstia, rakennan konversioiden testaamiseen yhteistyönä KONE Oyj:ssä käyttäjätestiympäristön simuloimaan ammattimaista hissin asennus- ja huoltoympäristöä. Vaikka nykytekniikka mahdollistaa digitaalisten, pienten näyttöjen käytön, ohjeiden tarkoitus ei muutu: niiden pitää ymmärrettävästi auttaa lukijaa suorittamaan tehtävänsä. Täten konversio- ja suunnitteluteorioiden vastapainoksi multimodaalisuuden teoriat (esimerkiksi, Bateman, Wildfeuer ja Hiippala, 2017) auttavat analysoimaan konversioiden ymmärrettävyyden eroja systemaattisesti. Käytän tutkielmassani multimodaalisuuden teorioita ymmärtääkseni konversioiden vaikutukset ohjeiden ymmärrettävyyteen. Multimodaalisuuden teorioiden avulla tunnistan ohjeiden käyttötilanteen, käytetyn median (älylasit) ominaisuudet, sekä rajaan varsinaiseksi tutkimuskohteekseni konvertoiduilta ohjenäytöiltä tunnistamani semioottiset moodit ja niiden vaikutukset konvertoitujen ohjeiden ymmärtämiseen. Johtopäätöksinä esitän, ettei yksittäisiä konvertoituja ohjenäyttöjä tutkimalla synny mimimalismiheuristiikan osalta ymmärrettävyyden kannalta merkittäviä eroja lähtötilanteen PDF-ohjeeseen nähden, lukuun ottamatta muutamien helposti pääteltävien kohtien poisjättämistä. Yleisesti ottaen molemmissa konversioissa älylaseille siirtyy multimodaalisesti samankaltainen, kaksiulotteista sivunäkymää hyödyntävä ohje kuin lähtötilanteen PDF. Koska toinen tutkimani teoria, visuaaliset ohjeet, perustuvat verbien korvaamiseen symboleilla, symbolien ymmärrettävyys korostuu merkittävänä erona visuaalisten ohjeiden käytettävyydessä. Johtopäätöksiä selventää, etten hyödynnä älylasien kaikkia ilmaisukeinoja, kuten liikkuvaa kuvaa ja ääntä, koska kokeessani huomioin kustannustehokkaan, teollisten ohjeiden tuotantoprosessin. Lopuksi ehdotan erityisesti teknisen viestinnän viitekehyksessä jatkotutkimuksen aiheiksi uusien digitaalisten medioiden kaikkien ominaisuuksien ja niiden multimodaalisten käyttötilanteiden tutkimista ja hyödyntämistä, pienien näyttöjen sisällöntuotannon standardisoinnin tutkimista ja kehitystä, sekä symbolien ymmärrettävyyden tutkimista

Reflectometry for structural health monitoring

ManuscriptAging wiring and structural cables in buildings, aircraft and transportation systems, consumer products, industrial machinery, etc. are among the most significant potential causes of catastrophic failure and maintenance cost in these structures. Smart wire health monitoring can therefore have a substantial impact on the overall health monitoring of the system. Reflectometry is commonly used for locating faults on wire and cables. It can also be used for location of faults on structural cables, if they are electrically isolated. This chapter describes and compares several reflectometry methods -- time domain reflectometry (TDR), frequency domain reflectometry (FDR), mixed signal reflectometry (MSR), sequence time domain reflectometry (STDR), and spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) -- in terms of their accuracy, convenience, cost, size, and ease of use. Advantages and limitations of each method are outlined and evaluated for several types of aircraft cables, and the general equations that govern their performance are given. The impact of the fault location and size is also discussed

Statistical Language Models for Graphical Object Recognition

This paper explores automatic recognition and semantic capture in vector graphics for graphical information systems. The low-level graphical content of graphical documents, such as a map or architectural drawing, are often captured manually and the encoding of the semantic content seen as an extension of this. The large quantity of new and archived graphical data available on paper makes automatic structuring of such graphical data desirable. A successful method for recognising text data uses statistical language models. This work will investigate and evaluate similar and adapted statistical models (Statistical Graphical Langauge Models, SGLM) to graphical languages based on the associations between different classes of object in a drawing to automate the structuring and recognition of graphical data

Statistical Language Models for Graphical Object Recognition

This paper explores automatic recognition and semantic capture in vector graphics for graphical information systems. The low-level graphical content of graphical documents, such as a map or architectural drawing, are often captured manually and the encoding of the semantic content seen as an extension of this. The large quantity of new and archived graphical data available on paper makes automatic structuring of such graphical data desirable. A successful method for recognising text data uses statistical language models. This work will investigate and evaluate similar and adapted statistical models (Statistical Graphical Langauge Models, SGLM) to graphical languages based on the associations between different classes of object in a drawing to automate the structuring and recognition of graphical data

Evaluating Internal and External Data Points in Long-term Periodical Testing with Protection Relays

A protection relay is a part of the electrical network intended to protect the distribution network and react in case of abnormal situations. The protection relay can be electromechanical, static, microprocessor-based, or digital, also known as numerical. The numerical protection relay is the newest type of protection relays, which uses a digital signal processor. With the modernization of protection relays, various failures inside the protection relays are nowadays becoming more challenging to detect. Therefore, new test methods need to be developed to detect protection relay’s failures and to test the functionality of protection relays. Continuous testing, quality assurance, and development of protection relay’s testing methods will reduce the failures may occur in protection relays. The purpose of this study is to reduce the failure situations of protection relays and to focus on ensuring and improving the quality of protection relays through their continuously expanding lifetime by performing a new test method, long-term testing, as a part of long-term test system. This study is carried out in collaboration with ABB Oy that is a major global technology company with operations in over 100 countries that specializes in automation and electrification. The first objective of this study is to conduct long-term testing with a protection relay called REX640 and to automate the entire testing process, which includes collecting, storing, and analyzing data programmatically. In this study data will be collected from internal and external data points of REX640. The research aims to discover the relevant data in long-term periodical testing with protection relays to evaluate the prediction of protection relay failures. To discover the relevant data, the first research question is defined as follow: What data is relevant in long-term periodical testing with protection relays? A proper method should be discovered to collect the relevant data. The second objective of this study is to discover a method to evaluate, store, and analyze the collected protection relay data. This will allow protection relay failures to be detected. To find the proper method, the second research question is defined as follow: Which method will be used to collect the relevant data? The interviews, literature review, and automated test environment developed in this study allowed finding answers to the research questions. As a result, the study identified the relevant data in long-term periodical testing and a proper method to collect the identified relevant data. The relevant data and the discovered method will allow identifying the defects may occur in the protection relay and evaluating the predictability of protection relay failures with long-term periodical testing before a major disruption occurs in the distribution network.Suojarele on sähköverkon osa, jonka tarkoituksena on suojata jakeluverkkoa ja reagoida poikkeustilanteissa. Suojarele voi olla sähkömekaaninen, staattinen, mikroprosessoripohjainen tai digitaalinen eli numeerinen. Numeerinen suojarele on uusin suojareletyyppi, jossa käytetään digitaalista signaaliprosessoria. Suojareleet kehittyvät nopeata vauhtia ja niiden nykyaikaistumisen myötä suojareleiden sisällä olevien erilaisten vikojen havaitseminen on nykyään entistä haastavampaa. Tämän vuoksi on kehitettävä uusia testausmenetelmiä suojareleiden sisäisten vikojen havaitsemiseksi sekä niiden toimivuuden testaamiseksi. Suojareleiden jatkuva testaus, laadunvarmistus ja kehittäminen vähentävät suojareleissä esiintyvien vikojen mahdollisuutta. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on vähentää suojareleiden vikatilanteita ja keskittyä varmistamaan ja parantamaan suojareleiden laatua niiden jatkuvasti pidentyvän käyttöiän aikana suorittamalla uutta testausmenetelmää, pitkäaikaistestausta osana pitkäaikaistes-tausjärjestelmää. Tämä tutkimus toteutetaan yhteistyössä ABB Oy:n kanssa. ABB on merkittävä maailmanlaajuinen teknologiayritys, jolla on toimintaa yli 100 maassa ja joka on erikoistunut automaatioon ja sähköistämiseen. Tutkimuksen yksi tavoite on suorittaa pitkäaikaista jaksottaista testausta ABB:n REX640-nimiselle suojareleelle ja automatisoida ohjelmallisesti kokonaista testausprosessia, johon sisältyy datan kerääminen, tallentaminen ja analysointi. Tutkimuksessa kerätään dataa REX640:n sisä- ja ulkopuolelta. Tutkimuksessa on selvitettävä pitkäaikaisen testauksen aikana asiaankuuluvaa dataa, jolla saadaan arvioitua suojareleen hajoamisen ennustamista. Asiaankuuluvan datan selvittämiseksi määriteltiin ensimmäinen tutkimuskysymys seuraavasti: Mikä data on relevantti pitkäaikaisessa jaksottaisessa testauksessa suojareleiden kanssa? Relevantin datan löytämiseksi, on selvitettävä menetelmä, jonka avulla voidaan kerätä kyseistä dataa. Näin ollen, tutkimuksen toinen tavoite on löytää menetelmä, jonka avulla arvioidaan, tallennettaan sekä analysoidaan suojareleestä kerättävää dataa. Sopivan menetelmän löytämiseksi määriteltiin toinen tutkimuskysymys seuraavasti: Mitä metodia tullaan käyttämään relevantin datan keräämiseksi? Tutkimuksessa kehitetyt haastattelut, kirjallisuuskatsaus, vaatimukset sekä automatisoitu testiympäristö auttoivat löytämään vastauksia tutkimuskysymyksiin. Tuloksena selvitettiin pitkäaikaiselle jaksottaiselle testaukselle relevanttia dataa sekä sopivaa metodia havaitun relevantin datan keräämiseksi. Relevantin datan sekä kehitetyn metodin avulla on mahdollisuus tunnistaa suojareleissä ilmeneviä vikoja sekä arvioida suojareleiden vikojen ennustettavuutta pitkäaikaisen jaksottaisen testauksen avulla ennen kuin jakeluverkossa tapahtuu merkittäviä häiriöitä

Mapping City Potholes

The goal of this capstone design project was to design a fully automated data collection system that could be installed in any automotive vehicle to monitor road or highway pavement conditions. The system is based on recording and analyzing the output from an accelerometer mounted near a front wheel shock absorber. The data from the accelerometer is time and position tagged with GPS data from a GPS unit and stored to a DOS compatible file on a Compact Flash card. Once data is collected, Geographical Information System (GIS) software is used to remap the GPS surface roughness data to a physical location on a user viewable city map. This system can aid cities in the efficient release of road repair crew and lower the costs to the city due to civilian automobile damages