LTC and Switched Shunt Capacitor Scheduling in Smart Grid with Electric Vehicles and Wind Distributed Generation Systems

Future smart grids (SGs) are expected to include distributed generations (DG), plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and smart appliances, as well as nonlinear industrial loads that may decrease grid efficiency and deteriorate the quality of electric power. This paper performs optimal (load tap changer)LTC and switched shunt capacitor (SSC) in SGs with nonlinear loads, wind distributed generation (WDGs) systems and PEV charging at consumers’ premises and PEV charging stations (PEV-CSs). The substantial grid energy requirements at high PEV penetrations is assumed to be partially supplied by WDGs located within the distribution network. PEV charging is performed based on a recently proposed online maximum sensitivities selection based coordination algorithm (OL-MSSCA), nonlinear loads are assumed to inject low order odd current harmonics and WDGs are treated as negative PQ loads in the employed decoupled harmonic load flow (DHLF) algorithm. Simulations are performed for the modified IEEE 23kV distribution system with three WDGs, three PEV-CSs and 22 low voltage residential networks with PEVs. Impacts of PEV coordination and WDG on the LTC/SSC scheduling outcomes including grid losses, voltage profiles and THDs are investigated

End-user centred infrastructure operation: Towards integrated end-use service delivery

Reliable provision of water, energy and transportation, all supplied through infrastructure, is necessary for the most basic human and economic development to occur. Such development however, is not enabled by specific end-use products (e.g. litres of water, kWh of electricity, litres of diesel and petrol), or by infrastructure itself (i.e. the systems of energy, transport, digital information, water, waste and flood protection assets), but rather through the infrastructure end-use services (e.g. hygiene, thermal comfort, communication, or accessibility). The present form of infrastructure operation consists of supply systems provisioning unconstrained demand of end-use products, with larger consumption volumes corresponding to higher economic revenue. Providing infrastructure capacity to meet unmanaged growing demand is ultimately unsustainable, both in environmental and economic terms. Past research has focused on physical infrastructure assets on the one hand, and sustainable consumption and production on the other, often neglecting infrastructure end-use services. An important priority for sustainable infrastructure operation is therefore to analyse the infrastructure end-use service demands, and the variety of end-users’ wants and behaviours. This paper outlines the key aspects of an end-user and service-centred approach to infrastructure operation. It starts with an overview of relevant research areas and literature. It then describes the infrastructure end-use services provided by different infrastructure streams quantitatively, with the UK domestic sector as an illustration. Subsequently, insights into infrastructure integration at the end-user level are presented. Finally, the infrastructure end-use service perspective is described as a holistic framework for intervention: understanding technological changes in context, acting directly on end-use demand, and including social implications of service-based solutions

V2G application to frequency regulation in a microgrid using decentralized fuzzy controller

Frequency regulation is one of the main issues in power grids. Any load-generation imbalance that occurs in a power network, causes the frequency to deviate from its nominal value. During such transient conditions it is important to use a method to decrease frequency fluctuations and recover the power quality to network normal condition as quickly as possible. There are several solutions for frequency regulation. One of them is to use energy storage system (ESS) capacity to compensate the power shortage and load disturbances. Electric vehicles (EVs) can be seen as a mobile and controllable storage unit and the battery capacity can be used as a backup for power networks. The reverse flow of energy from vehicle to grid (V2G) can participate in frequency regulation. This paper presents a distributed fuzzy logic control (FLC) design for V2G application in frequency regulation. With FLC the power flow from the EVs to the grid is adjusted based on regulation demand and state of charge (SOC) of the vehicle battery

Turbo-Coded OFDM Transmission over a Nonlinear Channel

In this paper, deliberate level clipping and Turbo-coding are combined to achieve an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) transmission system with a low Peak-to-Average power Ratio (PAR) and a good performance. Using th

Engaging residents from different ethnic and language backgrounds in disaster preparedness

Modern societies are increasingly a melting pot of people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds which needs to be taken into consideration in disaster planning. People from different ethnic and language backgrounds are sometimes more vulnerable in a disaster due to a number of challenges including language barriers, cultural perceptions, social isolation, poor assimilation with the local community and distrust of authorities. The level of disaster preparedness differs significantly at a household level, yet there is little understanding of how an individual's attributes such as age, ethnicity, language skills and gender, influences and sustains the level of disaster preparedness. Past research has explored one or more of these attributes, but the relationship between ethnicity, language skills and disaster preparedness is least understood. To address this gap, this paper investigates how an individual's ethnicity and language skills influence their levels of disaster preparedness. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 180 residents from a variety of ethnic and language backgrounds in Logan City, a local government area in Australia. The survey results were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis, and suggest that ethnicity and English Language skills, accounted for significant variations in levels of disaster preparedness in the case study location. The findings suggest that policy makers need to give due consideration to how different ethnic groups understand and prepare for disasters, and to design disaster management and communication plans that cater for different language ability

The carbonation behaviour of slag-based concrete as a sustainable construction material for rigid road pavement

The carbonation of concrete in structures causes deterioration and a reduction in service life. Carbonation can increase the porosity and reduce the compressive strength in the carbonated zone of concrete. Various studies have been carried out to source alternative binder materials to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions arising from cement production. Sustainable concrete mixes incorporating supplementary cementitious material additions such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as an environmentally friendly solution to address the fly ash (FA) shortage and decarbonise the cement sector in Australia are becoming increasingly common. In recent times, fly ash supply has been less reliable. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) RMS QA specification 3211 specifies the use of varying quantities of GGBFS as a direct replacement for cement in concrete. The specification prescribes a minimum shrinkage limited ordinary Portland cement content to be used for the carbonation resistance formula to apply with slag-based concretes. However, there are currently some uncertainties regarding the applicability of this formula for high-volume slag use. Finding both the optimal and maximum contents of GGBFS is vital in establishing and validating the usefulness of this carbonation resistance formula. This study assesses the influence of GGBFS content impacting some of the key fresh (slump and air content) and hardened properties (compressive and flexural strengths), and time-dependent (drying shrinkage) and carbonation (carbonation depth and rate) behaviours, of slag-based concretes. The outcome of this research will provide practical solutions for TfNSW in terms of adopting high-volume slag concrete use in rigid road pavements in comparison to conventional OPC and FA-based concretes for adhering to the requirements of RMS QA specifications 3211 and R83

Evaluation of contrast sensitivity in thalassemic patients

Background and purpose: Threshold contrast sensitivity could be considered as an important indicator of visual function in thalassemic patients. In this study the threshold of contrast sensitivity was investigated in patients with major and minor thalassemia and normal individuals. Material & methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 patients of thalassemia major (Desferal dependent), 30 patients of thalassemia minor and 30 healthy individuals as control group. After determining the best-corrected vision, contrast sensitivity was measured using Freiburg Vision Test at frequencies of 1, 5, 15 cpd at distance of 4 meters. The results were then analyzed using SPSS. Results: Contrast sensitivity was higher in patients with thalassemia major at all spatial frequencies (P<0.001), however, there was no significant difference between minor and healthy subjects. We found no correlation between transfusion duration, dose of chelator and Ferritin with contrast sensitivity. Conclusion: Patients with thalassemia develop visual disorders that could result in reduction of contrast sensitivity. Therefore, contrast sensitivity testing could be of great benefit in detecting early changes in the visual function of beta-thalassemic patients

Antibacterial activity of indium curcumin and indium diacetylcurcumin

Studies on curcumin, the principal element of turmeric powder, have demonstrated several biological actions such as antibacterial activity. Evaluation of new analogs or new compounds of curcumin for theirantibacterial effect is interesting for researchers. In this in vitro study, we attempted to test the antibacterial activity of indium curcumin (In(CUR)3), indium diacetylcurcumin (In(DAC)3), and diacetylcurcumin (DAC) in comparison with curcumin. The action of these agents were examined on Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 14990), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Escerichia coli (ATCC 25922). Curcumin was effective against S. aureus and S. epidermidis, whereas In(DAC)3 showed activity against S. epidermidis and P. aeruginosa. The effect of In(DAC)3 on P. aeruginosa is an advantage. Strikingly, In(CUR)3 exhibited antibacterial activity on all the four mentioned strains. DAC did not show antibacterial effect on any of the four test bacteria.The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of curcumin was 187.5 ìg/ml for S. aureus, and 46.9 ìg/ml for S. epidermidis. However, the MIC of In(CUR)3 was lower for the same bacterial strains (93.8 ìg/ml forS.aureus and 23.4 ìg/ml for S. epidermidis). Therefore, In(CUR)3 was found to have more antibacterial effect than curcumin itself and could be a suitable candidate for further in vivo investigations

Disaster awareness and information seeking behaviour among residents from low socio-economic backgrounds

An individual&#039;s socio-economic status can increase their vulnerability to, and ability to prepare for and recover in the aftermath of a disaster. People from low socio-economic (LSE) backgrounds often face greater disaster risks, but are least prepared for disaster events due to a number of factors including a lack of housing affordability, low income and literacy levels. While there is an established relationship between a person&#039;s socio-economic status and disaster vulnerability, very little is understood about the disaster information seeking needs and preferences of LSE population groups and how this affects their levels of disaster awareness. This paper addresses this gap through a comparative study of LSE and non-LSE population groups to identify key disaster information sources and how it shapes levels of disaster awareness. A survey of 224 residents was conducted, and multivariate regression analysis of both LSE and non-LSE respondents revealed a trend of disaster passivity in both population groups. English language proficiency, occupation, familiarity with the local environment are the most important factors influencing disaster awareness among the LSE population groups. For non-LSE population groups, disaster awareness is gender-dependent with females showing higher levels of awareness. Overall, television was the most trusted information source regardless of socio-economic status. The results provide a better understanding of the underlying impact of socio-economic status on disaster awareness and information seeking behaviour, which can assist practitioners and policy makers in making informed decisions on disaster mitigation strategies to reduce the disaster risk vulnerability of targeted population groups

Creating a hierarchy of hazard control for urban stormwater management

Urban stormwater reuse is becoming increasingly prevalent to overcome the serious urban water scarcity being experienced around the world. Therefore, the adoption of reliable approaches to minimise the human health risk posed by pollutants commonly present in urban stormwater such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is critical for safe stormwater reuse. This study collected a total of 40 pollutant build-up samples and analysed the concentrations of nine heavy metals and 15 PAH species. Based on pollutant build-up data, pollutant concentrations in stormwater were estimated through modelling. Risk assessment was conducted using an existing model developed by previous studies. The study outcomes confirmed that simply evaluating the individual pollutant concentrations based on guideline threshold values cannot comprehensively estimate the overall human health risk posed by these pollutants