5,057 research outputs found

    OpenZmeter: An Efficient Low-Cost Energy Smart Meter and Power Quality Analyzer

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    Power quality and energy consumption measurements support providers and energy users with solutions for acquiring and reporting information about the energy supply for residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. In particular, since the average number of electronic devices in homes increases year by year and their sensitivity is very high, it is not only important to monitor the total energy consumption, but also the quality of the power supplied. However, in practice, end-users do not have information about the energy consumption in real-time nor about the quality of the power they receive, because electric energy meters are too expensive and complex to be handled. In order to overcome these inconveniences, an innovative, open source, low-cost, precise, and reliable power and electric energy meter is presented that can be easily installed and managed by any inexperienced user at their own home in urban or rural areas. The system was validated in a real house over a period of two weeks, showing interesting results and findings which validate our proposal

    An airborne remote sensing system for urban air quality

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    Several NASA sponsored remote sensors and possible airborne platforms were evaluated. Outputs of dispersion models for SO2 and CO pollution in the Washington, D.C. area were used with ground station data to establish the expected performance and limitations of the remote sensors. Aircraft/sensor support requirements are discussed. A method of optimum flight plan determination was made. Cost trade offs were performed. Conclusions about the implementation of various instrument packages as parts of a comprehensive air quality monitoring system in Washington are presented

    UHF diagnostic monitoring techniques for power transformers

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    This paper initially gives an introduction to ultra-high frequency (UHF) partial discharge monitoring techniques and their application to gas insulated substations. Recent advances in the technique, covering its application to power transformers, are then discussed and illustrated by means of four site trials. Mounting and installation of the UHF sensors is described and measurements of electrical discharges inside transformers are presented in a range of formats, demonstrating the potential of the UHF method. A procedure for locating sources of electrical discharge is described and demonstrated by means of a practical example where a source of sparking on a tap changer lead was located to within 15 cm. Progress with the development of a prototype on-line monitoring and diagnostic system is reviewed and possible approaches to its utilization are discussed. New concepts for enhancing the capabilities of the UHF technique are presented, including the possibility of monitoring the internal mechanical integrity of plant. The research presented provides sufficient evidence to justify the installation of robust UHF sensors on transformer tanks to facilitate their monitoring if and when required during the service lifetime

    Seafloor characterization using airborne hyperspectral co-registration procedures independent from attitude and positioning sensors

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    The advance of remote-sensing technology and data-storage capabilities has progressed in the last decade to commercial multi-sensor data collection. There is a constant need to characterize, quantify and monitor the coastal areas for habitat research and coastal management. In this paper, we present work on seafloor characterization that uses hyperspectral imagery (HSI). The HSI data allows the operator to extend seafloor characterization from multibeam backscatter towards land and thus creates a seamless ocean-to-land characterization of the littoral zone

    New engineering approach for the development and demonstration of a multi-purpose platform for the Blue Growth Economy

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    Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing food sector in the world and the open oceans are seen as one of the most likely areas for large scale expansion [1], [2], [3]. The global demand for seafood is continuing to rise sharply, driven by both population growth and increased per capita consumption, whilst wild capture fisheries are constrained in their potential to produce more seafood. A recently funded EC project, the Blue Growth Farm BGF (GA n. 774426, 1st June 2018 Ă· 30th September 2021) aims at contributing to this world need with an original solution. The Blue Growth Farm proposes an efficient, cost competitive and environmentally friendly multi purpose offshore farm concept based on a modular floating structure, moored to the seabed, meeting requirements of efficiency, cost-competitiveness and environmental friendless, where automated aquaculture and renewable energy production systems are integrated and engineered for profitable applications in the open sea. In the present paper, the overall engineering approach developed to carry out the research work is presented, described and justified. Different technical and scientific challenges are addressed through an integrated industrial engineering design approach, where all disciplines are tuned to achieve the Blue Growth Farm main targets, represented by: i) guaranteeing expected nominal fish production thanks to advanced automation and remote control capabilities; ii) minimizing the pollution introduced at marine ecosystem level when exploiting the marine natural resources, whilst increasing the social acceptance and users community agreement; iii) maximizing the electricity production in the Blue Growth Farm potential installation area ecosystem to provide energy supply to the on board electrical equipment and to dispatch the extra produced electric energy to the land network. Preliminary engineering design results are promising to demonstrate effective increase of safety and efficiency by reducing on board human effort and consequently risks at offshore, thus to make commercial scale open ocean farming a reality

    Data processing of high-rate low-voltage distribution grid recordings for smart grid monitoring and analysis

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    Power networks will change from a rigid hierarchic architecture to dynamic interconnected smart grids. In traditional power grids, the frequency is the controlled quantity to maintain supply and load power balance. Thereby, high rotating mass inertia ensures for stability. In the future, system stability will have to rely more on real-time measurements and sophisticated control, especially when integrating fluctuating renewable power sources or high-load consumers like electrical vehicles to the low-voltage distribution grid. In the present contribution, we describe a data processing network for the in-house developed low-voltage, high-rate measurement devices called electrical data recorder (EDR). These capture units are capable of sending the full high-rate acquisition data for permanent storage in a large-scale database. The EDR network is specifically designed to serve for reliable and secured transport of large data, live performance monitoring, and deep data mining. We integrate dedicated different interfaces for statistical evaluation, big data queries, comparative analysis, and data integrity tests in order to provide a wide range of useful post-processing methods for smart grid analysis. We implemented the developed EDR network architecture for high-rate measurement data processing and management at different locations in the power grid of our Institute. The system runs stable and successfully collects data since several years. The results of the implemented evaluation functionalities show the feasibility of the implemented methods for signal processing, in view of enhanced smart grid operation. © 2015, Maaß et al.; licensee Springer

    An efficient approach of secure group association management in densely deployed heterogeneous distributed sensor network

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    A heterogeneous distributed sensor network (HDSN) is a type of distributed sensor network where sensors with different deployment groups and different functional types participate at the same time. In other words, the sensors are divided into different deployment groups according to different types of data transmissions, but they cooperate with each other within and out of their respective groups. However, in traditional heterogeneous sensor networks, the classification is based on transmission range, energy level, computation ability, and sensing range. Taking this model into account, we propose a secure group association authentication mechanism using one-way accumulator which ensures that: before collaborating for a particular task, any pair of nodes in the same deployment group can verify the legitimacy of group association of each other. Secure addition and deletion of sensors are also supported in this approach. In addition, a policy-based sensor addition procedure is also suggested. For secure handling of disconnected nodes of a group, we use an efficient pairwise key derivation scheme to resist any adversary’s attempt. Along with proposing our mechanism, we also discuss the characteristics of HDSN, its scopes, applicability, future, and challenges. The efficiency of our security management approach is also demonstrated with performance evaluation and analysis

    Development of an eco-sustainable solution for the second life of decommissioned oil and gas platforms:The mineral accretion technology

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    With the approaching end of the productive lives of offshore oil and gas platforms, the issue about decommissioning and what to do with existing structures arises. In this regard, this study aims to test solutions, at a preliminary level, for the eco-sustainable reuse of platforms at the end of their extraction phase. In particular, mineral accretion technology is applied by low-voltage electrolysis of seawater due to the precipitation of calcium carbonate on a cathode material in order to assess the protection capacity of the platforms against corrosion. This approach allows the extension of a platform’s “life” under a more sustainable purpose. The results, derived from laboratory and field experiments, will allow us to reduce uncertainties and define the best operating conditions to increase the efficiency of the mineral accretion technology in the marine ecosystem. The data collection on the main parameters that influence the process (i.e., temperature, salinity, and applied current) and the quantitative analysis of the collected material allowed us to acquire a better knowledge about mineral composition and deposition rate
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