Improved Sensor Fault-Tolerant Control Technique Applied to Three-Phase Induction Motor Drive

An improved fault-tolerant control (FTC) method using mathematical functions is applied to the induction motor drive (IMD) against current sensors and speed encoder failures, which occur when the sensor is disconnected or completely damaged. The IMD with two current sensors and an encoder is speed controlled based on the field-oriented control (FOC) technique in regular operation. In this paper, an FTC unit is implemented in the FOC controller to detect and solve the sensor fault to increase the reliability of the speed control process. The measured stator currents and the feedback speed signal are integrated into the diagnosis algorithms to create a sensor fault-tolerant control function. Three diagnosis functions operating in a defined sequence are proposed for determining the health status of current and speed sensors. The FTC function performs isolation and replaces the faulty sensor signals with the proper estimated signals; then, the IMD will operate in the corresponding sensorless mode. Simulations will be performed to verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method under various sensor faults

A Framework for Task-Based Flipped Classroom in EFL Education in Vietnam

When it comes to language teaching in general education in Vietnam, there are many challenges for teachers to overcome. Such as time constraints, examination wash-back effects, students’ demotivation and students’ individualization causes of learning. Various innovative teaching methods and approaches have been applied to address these concerns, such as task-based language learning and flipped classrooms (FCs). However, each mode of teaching has its advantages and disadvantages. Due to this, it is essential to carefully examine the combination of TBLT and the flipped classroom (FC). This paper reviews the effects of the implementation of task-based language learning in the clipped classroom, discusses the integration of both teaching approaches, and suggests the applied model for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Vietnam

Static and vibration analysis of isotropic and functionally graded sandwich plates using an edge-based MITC3 finite elements

Static and vibration analysis of isotropic and functionally graded sandwich plates using a higher-order shear deformation theory is presented in this paper. Lagrangian functional is used to derive the equations of motion. The mixed interpolation of tensorial components (MITC) approach and edge-based-strain technique is used to solve problems. A MITC3 three-node triangle element with 7 degree-of-freedoms per nodes that only requires the C0-type continuity is developed. Numerical results for isotropic and functionally graded sandwich plates with different boundary conditions are proposed to validate the developed theory and to investigate effects of material distribution, side-to-thickness ratio, thickness ratio of layers and boundary conditions on the deflection, stresses and natural frequencies of the plates

Radon Mass Exhalation Rates of Selected Building Materials in Tanzania

This study aimed at determining the mass radon exhalation rate of Tanzania Portland cements and their raw materials for assessment of the radiological hazards due to use of those materials in residential construction. The radon mass exhalation rate was measured by closed chamber coupled with the Pylon AB5 Ô and varied from 0.3 to 13 %. The estimated indoor radon concentrations and annual effective dose for tightly closed standard room were within the safe limits of radon potential health hazards of 600 Bq m-3 for dwellings and 1500 Bq m-3 for workplaces recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Key words. Building materials; Radon mass exhalation rate; Annual effective dose; Radiological hazard; Tanzani

Factors controlling 226Ra, 228Ra and their activity ratio in groundwater – an application in Polish Carpathian mineral waters

The influences of aquifer formations and water chemical composition on the occurrence and activity ratio of radium isotopes in groundwater are discussed. Based on the model of desorption/adsorption processes of natural radionuclides in the rock-water system, the concentrations of radium isotopes and their activity ratio in groundwater are evaluated by the numerical Monte Carlo method (MC). In cases where the groundwater is of a similar age, limited flow (up to several meters/year), the physical conditions and the uranium and thorium activity ratios in host water formations are similar, the activity concentrations of radium isotopes (226Ra, 228Ra) and their activity ratio (226Ra/228Ra) are the highest in the water of high desorption coefficient for chloride sodium water (domination of Cl− , Na+ ions), medium in water of moderate desorption (bicarbonate water – HCO3 − , Ca2+) and the lowest in waters with a low desorption coefficient (sulfate ions prevailing – SO4 2−, Ca2−). The statements are well confirmed in the case of the natural mineral waters from the Polish Outer Carpathians. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of the Polish Carpathians waters varies from several hundred milligrams per liter to several tens of thousands milligrams per liter. The minimum, maximum and average concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra and their activity ratio (226Ra/228Ra) are 82, 1340, 456 mBq/L, 19, 1240, 354 mBq/L and 0.89, 7.6 and 2.0 for chloride waters; 4, 140, 45.8 mBq/L, 12, 171, 62.7 mBq/L and 0.3, 1.7 and 0.70 for bicarbonate waters and 0.8, 9.3, 3.6 mBq/L, 5.3, 54, 20.1 mBq/L and 0.1, 1.0, 0.3 for sulfate ones, respectively. The desorption coefficients are the highest for the Cl-Na, moderate for the HCO3-Ca and the lowest for the SO4-Ca waters (in contrast to the adsorption properties of these waters)

Application of the improved four-node element MISQ24 for geometrically nonlinear analysis of plate/shell structures

In this paper the smoothed strain based four-node flat element MISQ24 with driiling degrees of freedom is extended for geometrically nonlinear analysis of plate and shell structures. The von-Karman's large deflection theory and the Total Lagrangian (TL) approach are employed in the formulation of the elements to describe small strain geometric nonlinearity with large deformations using the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The predictive capability of the present models is demonstrated by comparing the present results with analytical/experimental and other numerical solutions available in the literature. Numerical examples show that the presented formulations can prevent loss of accuracy in severely distorted meshes, and therefore, are superior to those of other quadrilateral elements with inplanes rotations

A robust diagnosis method for speed sensor fault based on stator currents in the RFOC induction motor drive

A valid diagnosis method for the speed sensor failure (SSF) is an essential requirement to ensure the reliability of Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) models in induction motor drive (IMD) systems. Most recent researches have focused on directly comparing the measured and estimated rotor speed signal to detect the speed sensor fault. However, using that such estimated value in both the fault diagnosis and the controller reconfiguration phases leads to the insufficient performance of FTC modes. In this paper, a novel diagnosis-technique based on the stator current model combined with a confusion prevention condition is proposed to detect the failure states of the speed sensor in the IMD systems. It helps the FTC mode to separate between the diagnosis and reconfiguration phases against a speed sensor fault. This proposed SSF diagnosis method can also effectively apply for IMs’ applications at the low-speed range where the speed sensor signal often suffers from noise. MATLAB/Simulink software has been used to implement the simulations in various speed ranges. The achieved results have demonstrated the capability and effectiveness of the proposed SSF method against speed sensor faults

An Improved Current-Sensorless Method for Induction Motor Drives Applying Hysteresis Current Controller

A novel strategy based on the feed-forward field-oriented control (FOC) method is proposed for the Hysteresis Current technique to control the induction motor (IM) drive without current sensors (CSs). A control scheme is proposed to estimate stator currents from reference rotor flux, rotor flux angle, and state variables as a replacement for the feedback-signal of CSs used in the hysteresis current controller (HCC). Here the rotor flux angle component is extracted from the feed-forward FOC loop. MATLAB/Simulink is applied to implement the simulations under many different operating conditions. The simulation results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method to obtain high performance in controlling the IM drives without the current sensors

Biocompatible chitosan-functionalized upconverting nanocomposites

Simultaneous integration of photon emission and biocompatibility into nanoparticles is an interesting strategy to develop applications of advanced optical materials. In this work, we present the synthesis of biocompatible optical nanocomposites from the combination of near-infrared luminescent lanthanide nanoparticles and water-soluble chitosan. NaYF4:Yb,Er upconverting nanocrystal guests and water-soluble chitosan hosts are prepared and integrated together into biofunctional optical composites. The control of aqueous dissolution, gelation, assembly, and drying of NaYF4:Yb,Er nanocolloids and chitosan liquids allowed us to design novel optical structures of spongelike aerogels and beadlike microspheres. Well-defined shape and near-infrared response lead upconverting nanocrystals to serve as photon converters to couple with plasmonic gold (Au) nanoparticles. Biocompatible chitosan-stabilized Au/NaYF4:Yb,Er nanocomposites are prepared to show their potential use in biomedicine as we find them exhibiting a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 0.58 mg mL–1 for chitosan-stabilized Au/NaYF4:Yb,Er nanorods versus 0.24 mg mL–1 for chitosan-stabilized NaYF4:Yb,Er after 24 h. As a result of their low cytotoxicity and upconverting response, these novel materials hold promise to be interesting for biomedicine, analytical sensing, and other applications

Nitrite metabolism of several bacterial strains isolated from abattoir and swine wastewater after biogas treatment

In nitrogen treatment with biological methods, nitrite metabolism is an intermediate process that facilitates other processes involving different bacteria strains. In this study, we isolated two nitrite-oxidising bacteria strains from abattoir wastewater and wastewater from biogas tanks of an industrial pig farm in Ha Tinh province. The bacteria strains grow, develop, and metabolise nitrite at pH 6–8 and 30–37 °C. The samples with the nitrite concentration up to 750 mg·L–1 were oxidised within four days of incubation, and the nitrite metabolism rate was proportional to the concentration of nitrite tested. Under severe conditions (salinity up to 3% NaCl, a low dissolved oxygen level of 0.1 mg·L–1), the two isolated bacterial strains exhibited their effective growth and nitrite metabolism capacity. The results enrich the database of nitrite-oxidising bacteria and are prospective in wastewater treatment