Software for the Support of Learning and Teaching in Electromagnetics

Abstract The study of Electromagnetics is required in most electrical engineering graduate and undergraduate curricula. Traditional methods for teaching Electromagnetics are abstract, theoretical and filled with large number of mathematical equations. Thus, they are not anymore appropriate. The solution is to provide to both professors and students an interactive software with a simplified graphical interface to best teach and learn fundamentals of Electromagnetism. Interactive resources have demonstrated that they were attractive and encouraged the students to be active and autonomous. The aim of this work is to present such interactive software. This software introduces the students to fundamentals of Electromagnetics and provides them with better ways to understand complicated concepts. It uses the calculation functions of Matlab, combined with the powerful graphical user interfaces of Java

Comprehensive review of radial distribution test systems for power system distribution education and research

A comprehensive review of existing radial distribution test systems available for power system distribution research is presented. The review can be used to establish a record of cases suitable for distribution operation and planning studies. The importance of the distribution system, the structure of the system in the grid, and various configurations of the distribution network are discussed. The primary requirement of a distribution network is highlighted to underline the important system parameters that should be considered in the design and planning stages. Various research related to the distribution network can be conducted, such as load flow algorithms, optimal incorporation of distributed generation, network reconfiguration, and optimal capacitor allocation, such as important details pertaining to each test system are given. Additional information, such as active and reactive loads and losses, minimum voltage values, and bus location with the weakest voltage values, is provided. Application of the reviewed works based on the test system is tabulated and presented. The information presented in this paper will be beneficial for future research in distribution system design and planning

Performance Analysis of Hybrid PV/Diesel Energy System in Western Region of Saudi Arabia

The potential implementation of hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/diesel energy system in western region of Saudi Arabia is analyzed in this paper. The solar radiation intensity considered in this study is in the range of 4.15–7.17 kWh/m2/day. The HOMER software is used to perform the technical and economical analysis of the system. Three different system configurations, namely, stand-alone diesel system, and hybrid PV/diesel system with and without battery storage element, will be evaluated and discussed. The analysis will be addressed to the impact of PV penetration and battery storage on energy production, cost of energy, number of operational hours of diesel generators, fuel savings, and reduction of carbon emission for the given configurations. The simulation results indicate that the energy cost of the hybrid PV/diesel/battery system with 15% PV penetration, battery storage of 186.96 MWh, and energy demand of 32,962 MWh/day is $0.117/kWh

Atropisomerism in the 2-arylimino-N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiazoline series: Influence of hydrogen bonding on the racemization process

(Chemical Equation Presented) A series of original atropisomeric iminothiazolines 1 in which X = OH or (and) Y = OH were prepared from the corresponding methoxy precursors. The resolution of the atropisomeric enantiomers on chiral support is reported, and the barriers to enantiomerization are given. These barriers were determined either by off-line racemization studies or by treatment of the plateau-shape chromatogram during chromatography on chiral support. When X = OH, the barriers are quite low due to the development of a hydrogen bond between the proton of the OH group and the nitrogen of the imino group. For these compounds, plateau shape chromatograms were obtained during HPLC on chiral support. DFT calculations confirmed the occurrence of hydrogen bonding all along the rotation process and produced calculated barriers in close agreement with the experimental data. Compound 1i (OH, OH) in which both X and Y are hydroxy groups was particularly easy to prepare by demethylation with BBr3 of the dimethoxy precursor. Since the above-mentioned precursor is readily available from N,N′-bis(2- methoxyphenyl)thiourea and 1-chloropropan-2-one, 1i (OH, OH) is a good candidate for further functionalization. Atropisomerism in a 12-membered bridged bisether prepared from 1i (OH, OH) is reported as an illustrating example. © 2008 American Chemical Society.Peer Reviewe

Estimation of Solar Radiation on a PV Panel Surface with an Optimal Tilt Angle Using Electric Charged Particles Optimization

Solar energy is a promising renewable energy source that can fulfill the world’s current and future energy needs. The angle at which a photovoltaic (PV) panel faces the horizon determines the incidence of solar radiation. The incident solar radiation on PV panels could be optimized by adjusting their tilt angles and increasing the power output of the PV array. In this study, solar energy model-based research was conducted in the Saudi Arabian cities of Dhahran and Makkah. This study investigated the performance of a 1 kW monocrystalline silicon PV array in these cities. Analyzing the optimal tilt angle for efficiency and performance improvement of the PV panel is challenging. The optimal tilt angle is determined by combining the data of the Sun’s diffuse, direct radiation and the global horizontal Sun radiation. This research examined the four empirical models by applying the electric charged particle optimization (ECPO) algorithm to estimate the solar radiation on sloped surfaces. The model’s results were compared to the global horizontal solar radiation based on the daily mean solar radiation value in these cities. The Hay–Davies–Klucher–Reindel model presented the maximum amount of tilted surface solar radiation in the year and at different periods. In contrast, the Badescu model exhibited the weakest results of all the isotropic and anisotropic models. Finally, using the ECPO algorithm, all models indicated that tilted surfaces (IT) received more solar radiation than horizontal surfaces (Ig)

Wind Farm Layout Optimization/Expansion with Real Wind Turbines Using a Multi-Objective EA Based on an Enhanced Inverted Generational Distance Metric Combined with the Two-Archive Algorithm 2

In this paper, the Wind Farm Layout Optimization/Expansion (WFLO/E) problem is formulated in a multi-objective optimization way with specific constraints. Furthermore, a new approach is proposed and tested for the variable reduction technique in the WFLO/E problem. To solve this problem, a new method based on the hybridization of the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm Based on An Enhanced Inverted Generational Distance Metric (MOEA/IGD-NS) and the Two-Archive Algorithm 2 (Two Arch2) is developed. This approach is named (MOEA/IGD-NS/TA2). The performance of the proposed approach is tested against six case studies. For each case study, a set of solutions represented by the Pareto Front (PF) is obtained and analyzed. It can be concluded from the obtained results that the designer/planner has the freedom to select several configurations based on their experience and economic and technical constraints

Optimal sizing of hybrid photovoltaic/diesel/battery nanogrid using a parallel multiobjective PSO-based approach: Application to desert camping in Hafr Al-Batin city in Saudi Arabia

Designing a nanogrid involves intricate considerations. Its primary system components, including PV systems, inverter type and control, batteries, and diesel generator, always offer a trade-off among conflicting design objectives – the cost of electricity and reliability, for example. This research proposes a synergistic Parallel Multiobjective PSO-based approach (PMOPSO), a merger of four optimization methods to optimally design a hybrid photovoltaic/diesel/battery nanogrid. The merged approaches are the Speed-Constrained Multiobjective Particle Swarm Optimization (SMPSO), MultiObjective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm Based on Decomposition (MPSO-D), Novel multiobjective particle swarm optimization (NMPSO), and Competitive Mechanism-Based Multiobjective Particle Swarm Optimizer (CMPSO). The developed approach allows the designer/operator to test multiple component models based on cost and reliability and choose the design that gives the best-suited solution. The four combined algorithms are run in parallel, and the obtained solutions are aggregated together in an archive pool where only non-dominated solutions are kept. A desert camp in the sub-urban area of Hafr Al-Batin city, situated in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, is used as a test case. The approach obtains a well-spread and large Pareto Front (PF), offering many options (solutions) to the designer/operator in a single run. The results achieved a superior set of solutions than those obtained by using each of the four combined PSO-based algorithms individually. Therefore, the developed technique provides improved and viable design solutions for a hybrid nanogrid