Method of discrete modeling and its application to estimation of TF30 engine variables

A method of discrete modeling is presented that effectively isolates steady state model accuracy from dynamic model accuracy. The steady state model may be generated from the engine design equations with any desired degree of accuracy. The dynamic model is generated by applying a step disturbance of a manipulated variable to an open loop engine simulation. The sampled response of the variable is combined with the steady state model's response to form a set of weighting factors. These weighting factors are then used to weight past values of the manipulated variable, thus forming the dynamic model. The method is used to estimate various TF30-P-3 engine variables. A dynamic trim function is developed to compensate for the dynamic nonlinearities of the variables as well as for inaccuracies in dynamic definition. The trim function is shown to be realted to the square root of the sum of the squares of the weighting factors obtained at various engine operating conditions. Finally, the estimation of variables without dynamic modeling is discussed

Design and evaluation of a sensor fail-operational control system for a digitally controlled turbofan engine

A self-learning, sensor fail-operational, control system for the TF30-P-3 afterburning turbofan engine was designed and evaluated. The sensor fail-operational control system includes a digital computer program designed to operate in conjunction with the standard TF30-P-3 bill-of-materials control. Four engine measurements and two compressor face measurements are tested. If any engine measurements are found to have failed, they are replaced by values synthesized from computer-stored information. The control system was evaluated by using a realtime, nonlinear, hybrid computer engine simulation at sea level static condition, at a typical cruise condition, and at several extreme flight conditions. Results indicate that the addition of such a system can improve the reliability of an engine digital control system

Management Buyouts and Small Business Performance: An Exploratory Examination and Research Agenda

Management buyout activity is increasingly shifting from large firms to small firms. However, to date, little is known about how such activities impact the performance of small firms. This research has identified a sample of small firms that have undergone a management buyout and found that, relative to other firms in their respective industries, these small buyout firms experienced performance gains similar to those experienced in buyouts of larger firms. Suggestions for extending this area of research are made

Quantifying the potential exposure hazard due to energetic releases of CO2 from a failed sequestration well

AbstractWells are designed to bring fluids from depth to the earth’s surface quickly. As such they are the most likely pathway for CO2 to return to the surface in large quantities and present a hazard without adequate management. We surveyed oil industry experience of CO2 well failures, and separately, calculated the maximal CO2 flow rate from a 5000 ft depth supercritical CO2 reservoir. The calculated maximum of 20,000 tonne/day was set by the sound speed and the seven-inch well casing diameter, and was greater than any observed event. We used this flux to simulate atmospheric releases and the associated hazard utilizing the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) tools and real meteorology at a representative location in the High Plains of the United States. Three cases representing a maximum hazard day (quiet winds <1 m s−1 near the wellhead) and medium and minimal hazard days (average winds 3 m s−1 and 7 m s−1) were assessed. As expected for such large releases, there is a near-well hazard when there is little or no wind. In all three cases the hazardous Temporary Emergency Exposure Levels (TEEL) 2 or 3 only occurred within the first few hundreds of meters. Because the preliminary 3-D model runs may not have been run at high enough resolution to accurately simulate very small distances, we also used a simple Gaussian plume model to provide an upper bound on the distance at which hazardous conditions might exist. This extremely conservative model, which ignores inhomogeneity in the mean wind and turbulence fields, also predicts possible hazardous concentrations up to several hundred meters downwind from a maximal release

Mitigation of Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection in Venture Capital Financing: The Influence of the Country’s Institutional Setting

A venture capitalist (VC) needs to trade off benefits and costs when attempting to mitigate agency problems in their investor-investee relationship. We argue that signals of ventures complement the VC’s capacity to screen and conduct a due diligence during the pre-investment phase, but its attractiveness may diminish in institutional settings supporting greater transparency. Similarly, whereas a VC may opt for contractual covenants to curb potential opportunism by ventures in the post-investment phase, this may only be effective in settings supportive of shareholder rights enforcement. Using an international sample of VC contracts, our study finds broad support for these conjectures. It delineates theoretical and practical implications for how investors can best deploy their capital in different institutional settings whilst nurturing their relationships with entrepreneurs