Load Balancing with Energy Storage Systems Based on Co-Simulation of Multiple Smart Buildings and Distribution Networks

In this paper, we present a co-simulation framework that combines two main simulation tools, one that provides detailed multiple building energy simulation ability with Energy-Plus being the core engine, and the other one that is a distribution level simulator, Matpower. Such a framework can be used to develop and study district level optimization techniques that exploit the interaction between a smart electric grid and buildings as well as the interaction between buildings themselves to achieve energy and cost savings and better energy management beyond what one can achieve through techniques applied at the building level only. We propose a heuristic algorithm to do load balancing in distribution networks affected by service restoration activities. Balancing is achieved through the use of utility directed usage of battery energy storage systems (BESS). This is achieved through demand response (DR) type signals that the utility communicates to individual buildings. We report simulation results on two test cases constructed with a 9-bus distribution network and a 57-bus distribution network, respectively. We apply the proposed balancing heuristic and show how energy storage systems can be used for temporary relief of impacted networks

Investigation of advanced counterrotation blade configuration concepts for high speed turboprop systems. Task 5: Unsteady counterrotation ducted propfan analysis

The primary objective of this study was the development of a time-marching three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes aerodynamic analysis to predict steady and unsteady compressible transonic flows about ducted and unducted propfan propulsion systems employing multiple blade rows. The computer codes resulting from this study are referred to as ADPAC-AOAR\CR (Advanced Ducted Propfan Analysis Codes-Angle of Attack Coupled Row). This document is the final report describing the theoretical basis and analytical results from the ADPAC-AOACR codes developed under task 5 of NASA Contract NAS3-25270, Unsteady Counterrotating Ducted Propfan Analysis. The ADPAC-AOACR Program is based on a flexible multiple blocked grid discretization scheme permitting coupled 2-D/3-D mesh block solutions with application to a wide variety of geometries. For convenience, several standard mesh block structures are described for turbomachinery applications. Aerodynamic calculations are based on a four-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching finite volume solution technique with added numerical dissipation. Steady flow predictions are accelerated by a multigrid procedure. Numerical calculations are compared with experimental data for several test cases to demonstrate the utility of this approach for predicting the aerodynamics of modern turbomachinery configurations employing multiple blade rows

Power quality and electromagnetic compatibility: special report, session 2

The scope of Session 2 (S2) has been defined as follows by the Session Advisory Group and the Technical Committee: Power Quality (PQ), with the more general concept of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and with some related safety problems in electricity distribution systems. Special focus is put on voltage continuity (supply reliability, problem of outages) and voltage quality (voltage level, flicker, unbalance, harmonics). This session will also look at electromagnetic compatibility (mains frequency to 150 kHz), electromagnetic interferences and electric and magnetic fields issues. Also addressed in this session are electrical safety and immunity concerns (lightning issues, step, touch and transferred voltages). The aim of this special report is to present a synthesis of the present concerns in PQ&EMC, based on all selected papers of session 2 and related papers from other sessions, (152 papers in total). The report is divided in the following 4 blocks: Block 1: Electric and Magnetic Fields, EMC, Earthing systems Block 2: Harmonics Block 3: Voltage Variation Block 4: Power Quality Monitoring Two Round Tables will be organised: - Power quality and EMC in the Future Grid (CIGRE/CIRED WG C4.24, RT 13) - Reliability Benchmarking - why we should do it? What should be done in future? (RT 15

Impact of including pre-defined object on high resolution assessments

Many simulation teams create models of empty buildings e.g. without the thermophysical and visual artefacts which are observed in the built environment or with highly abstract representations. This paper explores the impact of including explicit representations of furniture and fittings on multi-domain assessments vis-à-vis environmental control response, support for comfort and visual assessments and model clarity. Typically increasing model resolution is a tedious process and added detail if included, may not be fully utilised. The concept of pre-defined entities, which include visual form, explicit thermophysical composition, IESNA light distributions and mass flow attributes has been introduced in ESP-r. ESP-r facilities for calculating view-factors and insolation distributions have been updated to include this extended data model. Issues related to creating and managing such entities is discussed and the impacts quantified via case studies

Application of Simulated Reactivity Feedback in Nonnuclear Testing of a Direct-Drive Gas-Cooled Reactor

Nonnuclear testing can be a valuable tool in the development of an in-space nuclear power or propulsion system. In a nonnuclear test facility, electric heaters are used to simulate heat from nuclear fuel. Standard testing allows one to fully assess thermal, heat transfer, and stress related attributes of a given system but fails to demonstrate the dynamic response that would be present in an integrated, fueled reactor system. The integration of thermal hydraulic hardware tests with simulated neutronic response provides a bridge between electrically heated testing and full nuclear testing. By implementing a neutronic response model to simulate the dynamic response that would be expected in a fueled reactor system, one can better understand system integration issues, characterize integrated system response times and response and response characteristics, and assess potential design improvements with a relatively small fiscal investment. Initial system dynamic response testing was demonstrated on the integrated SAFE 100a heat pipe cooled, electrically heated reactor and heat exchanger hardware. This Technical Memorandum discusses the status of the planned dynamic test methodology for implementation in the direct-drive gas-cooled reactor testing and assesses the additional instrumentation needed to implement high-fidelity dynamic testing

Evaluating the impact of an enhanced energy performance standard on load-bearing masonry domestic construction: Understanding the gap between designed and real performance: lessons from Stamford Brook.

This report is aimed at those with interests in the procurement, design and construction of new dwellings both now and in the coming years as the Government’s increasingly stringent targets for low and zero carbon housing approach. It conveys the results of a research project, carried out between 2001 and 2008, that was designed to evaluate the extent to which low carbon housing standards can be achieved in the context of a large commercial housing development. The research was led by Leeds Metropolitan University in collaboration with University College London and was based on the Stamford Brook development in Altrincham, Cheshire. The project partners were the National Trust, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey and some 60 percent of the planned 700 dwelling development has been completed up to June 2008. As the UK house building industry and its suppliers grapple with the challenges of achieving zero carbon housing by 2016, the lessons arising from this project are timely and of considerable value. Stamford Brook has demonstrated that designing masonry dwellings to achieve an enhanced energy standard is feasible and that a number of innovative approaches, particularly in the area of airtightness, can be successful. The dwellings, as built, exceed the Building Regulations requirements in force at the time but tests on the completed dwellings and longer term monitoring of performance has shown that, overall, energy consumption and carbon emissions, under standard occupancy, are around 20 to 25 percent higher than design predictions. In the case of heat loss, the discrepancy can be much higher. The report contains much evidence of considerable potential but points out that realising the design potential requires a fundamental reappraisal of processes within the industry from design and construction to the relationship with its supply chain and the development of the workforce. The researchers conclude that, even when builders try hard, current mainstream technical and organisational practices together with industry cultures present barriers to consistent delivery of low and zero carbon performance. They suggest that the underlying reasons for this are deeply embedded at all levels of the house building industry. They point out also that without fundamental change in processes and cultures, technological innovations, whether they be based on traditional construction or modern methods are unlikely to reach their full potential. The report sets out a series of wide ranging implications for new housing in the UK, which are given in Chapter 14 and concludes by firmly declaring that cooperation between government, developers, supply chains, educators and researchers will be crucial to improvement. The recommendations in this report are already being put into practice by the researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University and University College London in their teaching and in further research projects. The implications of the work have been discussed across the industry at a series of workshops undertaken in 2008 as part of the LowCarb4Real project (see http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/as/cebe/projects/lowcarb4real/index.htm). In addition, the learning is having an impact on the work of the developers (Redrow and Taylor Wimpey) who, with remarkable foresight and enthusiasm, hosted the project. This report seeks to make the findings more widely available and is offered for consideration by everyone who has a part to play in making low and zero carbon housing a reality

Caracterización y optimización térmica de sistemas en chip mediante emulación con FPGAs

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Informática, Departamento de Arquitectura de Computadores y Automática, leída el 15/06/2012Tablets and smartphones are some of the many intelligent devices that dominate the consumer electronics market. These systems are complex to design as they must execute multiple applications (e.g.: real-time video processing, 3D games, or wireless communications), while meeting additional design constraints, such as low energy consumption, reduced implementation size and, of course, a short time-to-market. Internally, they rely on Multi-processor Systems on Chip (MPSoCs) as their main processing cores, to meet the tight design constraints: performance, size, power consumption, etc. In a bad design, the high logic density may generate hotspots that compromise the chip reliability. This thesis introduces a FPGA-based emulation framework for easy exploration of SoC design alternatives. It provides fast and accurate estimations of performance, power, temperature, and reliability in one unified flow, to help designers tune their system architecture before going to silicon.El estado del arte, en lo que a diseño de chips para empotrados se refiere, se encuentra dominado por los multi-procesadores en chip, o MPSoCs. Son complejos de diseñar y presentan problemas de disipación de potencia, de temperatura, y de fiabilidad. En este contexto, esta tesis propone una nueva plataforma de emulación para facilitar la exploración del enorme espacio de diseño. La plataforma utiliza una FPGA de propósito general para acelerar la emulación, lo cual le da una ventaja competitiva frente a los simuladores arquitectónicos software, que son mucho más lentos. Los datos obtenidos de la ejecución en la FPGA son enviados a un PC que contiene bibliotecas (modelos) SW para calcular el comportamiento (e.g.: la temperatura, el rendimiento, etc...) que tendría el chip final. La parte experimental está enfocada a dos puntos: por un lado, a verificar que el sistema funciona correctamente y, por otro, a demostrar la utilidad del entorno para realizar exploraciones que muestren los efectos a largo plazo que suceden dentro del chip, como puede ser la evolución de la temperatura, que es un fenómeno lento que normalmente requiere de costosas simulaciones software.Depto. de Arquitectura de Computadores y AutomáticaFac. de InformáticaTRUEunpu

The ALICE TPC, a large 3-dimensional tracking device with fast readout for ultra-high multiplicity events

The design, construction, and commissioning of the ALICE Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) is described. It is the main device for pattern recognition, tracking, and identification of charged particles in the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. The TPC is cylindrical in shape with a volume close to 90 m^3 and is operated in a 0.5 T solenoidal magnetic field parallel to its axis. In this paper we describe in detail the design considerations for this detector for operation in the extreme multiplicity environment of central Pb--Pb collisions at LHC energy. The implementation of the resulting requirements into hardware (field cage, read-out chambers, electronics), infrastructure (gas and cooling system, laser-calibration system), and software led to many technical innovations which are described along with a presentation of all the major components of the detector, as currently realized. We also report on the performance achieved after completion of the first round of stand-alone calibration runs and demonstrate results close to those specified in the TPC Technical Design Report.Comment: 55 pages, 82 figure

Core level thermal estimation techniques for early design space exploration

textThe primary objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology for fast, yet accurate temperature estimation during design space exploration. Power and temperature of modern day systems have become important metrics in addition to performance. Static and dynamic power dissipation leads to an increase in temperature, which creates cooling and packaging issues. Furthermore, the transient thermal profile determines temperature gradients, hotspots and thermal cycles. Traditional solutions rely on cycle-accurate simulations of detailed micro-architectural structures and are slow. The thesis shows that the periodic power estimation is the key bottleneck in such approaches. It also demonstrates an approach (FastSpot) that integrates accurate thermal estimation into existing host-compiled simulations. The developed methodology can incorporate different sampling-based thermal models. It achieves a 32000x increase in simulation throughput for temperature trace generation, while incurring low measurement errors (0.06 K- transient,0.014 K- steady-state) compared to a cycle-accurate reference method.Electrical and Computer Engineerin