Artificial Intelligence in the Aviation Manufacturing Process for Complex Assemblies and Components

Aviation manufacturing is at the leading edge of technology with materials, designs and processes where automation is not only integral; but complex systems require more advanced systems to produce and verify processes. Critical Infrastructure theory is now used to protect systems and equipment from external software infections and cybersecurity techniques add an extra layer of protection. In this research, it is argued that Artificial Intelligence can reduce these risks and allow complex processes to be less exposed to the threat of external problems, internal errors or mistakes in operation

Towards the integration of modern power systems into a cyber–physical framework

The cyber–physical system (CPS) architecture provides a novel framework for analyzing and expanding research and innovation results that are essential in managing, controlling and operating complex, large scale, industrial systems under a holistic insight. Power systems constitute such characteristically large industrial structures. The main challenge in deploying a power system as a CPS lies on how to combine and incorporate multi-disciplinary, core, and advanced technologies into the specific for this case, social, environmental, economic and engineering aspects. In order to substantially contribute towards this target, in this paper, a specific CPS scheme that clearly describes how a dedicated cyber layer is deployed to manage and interact with comprehensive multiple physical layers, like those found in a large-scale modern power system architecture, is proposed. In particular, the measurement, communication, computation, control mechanisms, and tools installed at different hierarchical frames that are required to consider and modulate the social/environmental necessities, as well as the electricity market management, the regulation of the electric grid, and the power injection/absorption of the controlled main devices and distributed energy resources, are all incorporated in a common CPS framework. Furthermore, a methodology for investigating and analyzing the dynamics of different levels of the CPS architecture (including physical devices, electricity and communication networks to market, and environmental and social mechanisms) is provided together with the necessary modelling tools and assumptions made in order to close the loop between the physical and the cyber layers. An example of a real-world industrial micro-grid that describes the main aspects of the proposed CPS-based design for modern electricity grids is also presented at the end of the paper to further explain and visualize the proposed framework

Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis of Cascading Outages in Power Systems

Interconnected power systems are prone to cascading outages leading to large-area blackouts. Modeling, simulation, analysis, and mitigation of cascading outages are still challenges for power system operators and planners.Firstly, the interaction model and interaction graph proposed by [27] are demonstrated on a realistic Northeastern Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) power system, identifying key links and components that contribute most to the propagation of cascading outages. Then a multi-layer interaction graph for analysis and mitigation of cascading outages is proposed. It provides a practical, comprehensive framework for prediction of outage propagation and decision making on mitigation strategies. It has multiple layers to respectively identify key links and components, which contribute the most to outage propagation. Based on the multi-layer interaction graph, effective mitigation strategies can be further developed. A three-layer interaction graph is constructed and demonstrated on the NPCC power system.Secondly, this thesis proposes a novel steady-state approach for simulating cascading outages. The approach employs a power flow-based model that considers static power-frequency characteristics of both generators and loads. Thus, the system frequency deviation can be calculated under cascading outages and control actions such as under-frequency load shedding can be simulated. Further, a new AC optimal power flow model considering frequency deviation (AC-OPFf) is proposed to simulate remedial control against system collapse. Case studies on the two-area, IEEE 39-bus, and NPCC power systems show that the proposed approach can more accurately capture the propagation of cascading outages when compared with a conventional approach using the conventional power flow and AC optimal power flow models.Thirdly, in order to reduce the potential risk caused by cascading outages, an online strategy of critical component-based active islanding is proposed. It is performed when any component belonging to a predefined set of critical components is involved in the propagation path. The set of critical components whose fail can cause large risk are identified based on the interaction graph. Test results on the NPCC power system show that the cascading outage risk can be reduced significantly by performing the proposed active islanding when compared with the risk of other scenarios without active islanding