Surrogate modeling of RF circuit blocks

Surrogate models are a cost-effective replacement for expensive computer simulations in design space exploration. Literature has already demonstrated the feasibility of accurate surrogate models for single radio frequency (RF) and microwave devices. Within the European Marie Curie project O-MOORE-NICE! (Operational Model Order Reduction for Nanoscale IC Electronics) we aim to investigate the feasibility of the surrogate modeling approach for entire RF circuit blocks. This paper presents an overview about the surrogate model type selection problem for low noise amplifier modeling

Prioritised objectives for model predictive control of building heating systems

Advantages of Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategies for control of building energy systems have been widely reported. A key requirement for successful realisation of such approaches is that strategies are formulated in such a way as to be easily adapted to fit a wide range of buildings with little commissioning effort. This paper introduces an MPC-based building heating strategy, whereby the (typically competing) objectives of energy and thermal comfort are optimised in a prioritised manner. The need for balancing weights in an objective function is eliminated, simplifying the design of the strategy. The problem is further divided into supply and demand problems, separating a high order linear optimisation from a low order nonlinear optimisation. The performance of the formulation is demonstrated in a simulation platform, which is trained to replicate the thermal dynamics of a real building using data taken from the building

Engineering Reconnaissance Following the October 2016 Central Italy Earthquakes - Version 2

Between August and November 2016, three major earthquake events occurred in Central Italy. The first event, with M6.1, took place on 24 August 2016, the second (M5.9) on 26 October, and the third (M6.5) on 30 October 2016. Each event was followed by numerous aftershocks. As shown in Figure 1.1, this earthquake sequence occurred in a gap between two earlier damaging events, the 1997 M6.1 Umbria-Marche earthquake to the north-west and the 2009 M6.1 L’Aquila earthquake to the south-east. This gap had been previously recognized as a zone of elevated risk (GdL INGV sul terremoto di Amatrice, 2016). These events occurred along the spine of the Apennine Mountain range on normal faults and had rake angles ranging from -80 to -100 deg, which corresponds to normal faulting. Each of these events produced substantial damage to local towns and villages. The 24 August event caused massive damages to the following villages: Arquata del Tronto, Accumoli, Amatrice, and Pescara del Tronto. In total, there were 299 fatalities (www.ilgiornale.it), generally from collapses of unreinforced masonry dwellings. The October events caused significant new damage in the villages of Visso, Ussita, and Norcia, although they did not produce fatalities, since the area had largely been evacuated. The NSF-funded Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) association, with co-funding from the B. John Garrick Institute for the Risk Sciences at UCLA and the NSF I/UCRC Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) at BYU, mobilized a US-based team to the area in two main phases: (1) following the 24 August event, from early September to early October 2016, and (2) following the October events, between the end of November and the beginning of December 2016. The US team worked in close collaboration with Italian researchers organized under the auspices of the Italian Geotechnical Society, the Italian Center for Seismic Microzonation and its Applications, the Consortium ReLUIS, Centre of Competence of Department of Civil Protection and the DIsaster RECovery Team of Politecnico di Torino. The objective of the Italy-US GEER team was to collect and document perishable data that is essential to advance knowledge of earthquake effects, which ultimately leads to improved procedures for characterization and mitigation of seismic risk. The Italy-US GEER team was multi-disciplinary, with expertise in geology, seismology, geomatics, geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering. The composition of the team was largely the same for the two mobilizations, particularly on the Italian side. Our approach was to combine traditional reconnaissance activities of on-ground recording and mapping of field conditions, with advanced imaging and damage detection routines enabled by state-of-the-art geomatics technology. GEER coordinated its reconnaissance activities with those of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), although the EERI mobilization to the October events was delayed and remains pending as of this writing (April 2017). For the August event reconnaissance, EERI focused on emergency response and recovery, in combination with documenting the effectiveness of public policies related to seismic retrofit. As such, GEER had responsibility for documenting structural damage patterns in addition to geotechnical effects. This report is focused on the reconnaissance activities performed following the October 2016 events. More information about the GEER reconnaissance activities and main findings following the 24 August 2016 event, can be found in GEER (2016). The objective of this document is to provide a summary of our findings, with an emphasis of documentation of data. In general, we do not seek to interpret data, but rather to present it as thoroughly as practical. Moreover, we minimize the presentation of background information already given in GEER (2016), so that the focus is on the effects of the October events. As such, this report and GEER (2016) are inseparable companion documents. Similar to reconnaissance activities following the 24 August 2016 event, the GEER team investigated earthquake effects on slopes, villages, and major infrastructure. Figure 1.2 shows the most strongly affected region and locations described subsequently pertaining to: 1. Surface fault rupture; 2. Recorded ground motions; 3. Landslides and rockfalls; 4. Mud volcanoes; 5. Investigated bridge structures; 6. Villages and hamlets for which mapping of building performance was performed

Model-Based Comparative Evaluation of Building and District Control-Oriented Energy Retrofit Scenarios

This paper presents work undertaken as part of the European H2020 project OptEEmAL (Optimized Energy Efficient Design Platform for Refurbishment at District Level), toward development of a decision-support platform for building and district refurbishment interventions. We describe a methodology for generation and evaluation of refurbishment scenarios for building and districts with particular emphasis on “active” energy conservation measures (i.e., installation or replacement of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems) and related controls. The impact of HVAC and controls on energy and economic key performance indicators are usually neglected or very simplified in existing energy simulation tools. We apply a model-based approach to evaluate key-performance indicators related to energy consumption and energy costs in buildings and districts, such that possible refurbishment alternatives can be easily evaluated, thereby showing how a smart decision support tool will allow stakeholders to compare multiple alternatives quickly. By considering relevant case studies at building and district level, including refurbishment of heating and cooling plants, we highlight, in a simulation-based study, how the deployment of efficiency-based controls enable significant energy savings thanks to the exploitation of the model-based approach. This way, additional motivations for energy savings and ultimately for new investments in energy-related technologies are provided

Towards the Integration of Flexible Green Hydrogen Demand and Production in Ireland: Opportunities, Barriers, and Recommendations

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2021 has set out ambitious targets for decarbonization across the energy, transport, heating and agriculture sectors. The Climate Action Plan followed the Climate Act 2021, which committed Ireland to a legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, and a reduction of 51% by 2030. Green hydrogen is recognized as one of the most promising technologies for enabling the decarbonization targets of economies across the globe, but significant challenges remain to its large-scale adoption. This research systematically investigates the barriers and opportunities to establishing a green hydrogen economy by 2050 in Ireland, by means of an analysis of the policies supporting the optimal development of an overall green hydrogen eco-system, in the context of other decarbonizing technologies, including green hydrogen production using renewable generation, distribution and delivery, and final consumption. The outcome of this analysis is a set of clear recommendations for the policymaker that will appropriately support the development of a green hydrogen market and eco-system in parallel with the development of other more mature low-carbon technologies. The analysis has been supplemented by an open “call for evidence,” which gathered relevant information about the future policy and roles of hydrogen involving the most prominent stakeholders of hydrogen in Ireland. Furthermore, the recommendations and conclusions from the research have been validated by this mechanism