Multi-technology battery storage system for optimal demand-side management

Demand-side management (DSM) provides additional system flexibility for the electric energy environment. To enable the spread of DSM policies the use of automatic systems combined with a local battery energy storage system (BESS) is proposed. Following this statement, it has been developed and tested a 50 kVA low-cost multi-technology energy storage system, with a novel converter topology that permits the integration of multiple battery types or aging. It consists of a 50 kVA bidirectional three-level AC/DC converter for grid connection which feeds five 10 kW isolated bi-directional DC/DC battery converters, based on SiC and Si MOSFETs. The development leads in a pick-and-place system, adding interoperability, ease of connection and modularity

Heat transfer with phase change in a shell and tube latent heat storage unit

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.Concerning thermal energy storage, latent heat thermal energy storage is particularly attractive technique because it provides a high energy storage density. The development of a latent heat thermal energy storage system therefore involves first the understanding of heat transfer in the phase change materials (PCM) when they undergo solid-to-liquid phase transition in the required operating temperature range, and second, the design of the container for holding the PCM and the formulation of the phase change problem. The paper presents a study on the heat transfer mode of a PCM stored in a horizontal cylindrical shell and tube heat exchanger, being the PCM placed inside the tubes. For this purpose, an experimental bench has been developed to test the heat transfer process, coupled with a Ground-Source Heat Pump (GSHP), controlled by a computer program developed to manage the coupled GSHP+PCM system. The aim is to compute the heat transfer of the installation during the loading, storage and downloading energy processes. More precisely, the interest is to check experimentally to what extent some common hypothesis used for heat transfer calculations are valid or not. In particular: (i) Comparison between the radial and the axial heat transfer through the wall of the PCM tube; (ii) The temperature distribution of the heat transfer fluid in the central and peripheral locations; (iii) The heat transfer rate between the container and the ambient temperature. Results indicate that density gradients could occur during energy exchange between the heat transfer fluid and the PCM when melting or solidification are taking place, leading to modification of central flow with respect to peripheral flow. Also, the temperature gradients recorded in the axial direction during the change of phase were very small compared with those of that of the radial direction, indicating essentially a two-dimensional heat transfer mode.dc201

Lateral transport osteogenesis in maxillofacial oncology patients for rehabilitation with dental implants: a retrospective case series

Objectives: To report on the use of lateral transport osteogenesis in cancer patients after maxillo/mandibular resections and on the implant survival rate in the generated bone Material and Methods: Four patients treated using lateral transport osteogenesis entered this descriptive study and were retrospectively studied (mean age 55; range 41-62). Results: Reconstruction of segmentary defects after surgical and radiological cancer treatment on maxilla and mandible was achieved. No relevant intra- or post-operative complications occurred. No differences on implant survival were observed between patients who had received radiotherapy and those who had not. Conclusions: This approach can be considered a recommendable reconstructive option after oral cancer treatment 'including radiotherapy- particularly for high-surgical-risk, collaborative patients

Combination of X-ray crystallography, SAXS and DEER to obtain the structure of the FnIII-3,4 domains of integrin a6b4

Integrin alpha6beta4 is a major component of hemidesmosomes that mediate the stable anchorage of epithelial cells to the underlying basement membrane. Integrin alpha6beta4 has also been implicated in cell proliferation and migration and in carcinoma progression. The third and fourth fibronectin type III domains (FnIII-3,4) of integrin beta4 mediate binding to the hemidesmosomal proteins BPAG1e and BPAG2, and participate in signalling. Here, it is demonstrated that X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering and double electron– electron resonance (DEER) complement each other to solve the structure of the FnIII-3,4 region. The crystal structures of the individual FnIII-3 and FnIII-4 domains were solved and the relative arrangement of the FnIII domains was elucidated by combining DEER with site-directed spin labelling. Multiple structures of the interdomain linker were modelled by Monte Carlo methods complying with DEER constraints, and the final structures were selected against experimental scattering data. FnIII-3,4 has a compact and cambered flat structure with an evolutionary conserved surface that is likely to correspond to a protein-interaction site. Finally, this hybrid method is of general application for the study of other macromolecules and complexes

Phase diagram and influence of defects in the double perovskites

The phase diagram of the double perovskites of the type Sr_{2-x} La_x Fe Mo O_6 is analyzed, with and without disorder due to antisites. In addition to an homogeneous half metallic ferrimagnetic phase in the absence of doping and disorder, we find antiferromagnetic phases at large dopings, and other ferrimagnetic phases with lower saturation magnetization, in the presence of disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, some errata correcte

Platform for On-Board Real-Time Detection of Wet, Icy and Snowy Roads, using Tyre/Road Noise Analysis

In this paper, a new approach capable of detecting water, ice and snow on the road surface is shown, focusing on the hardware needed for the practica! implementation. Proposed platform uses a simple microphone and a general purpose microcontroller. The system is tightly integrated with vehicle ECUs (Eiectronic Control Units). A CAN bus allows it to read sorne of the variable dynamics provided by the sensors already installed in virtually every motor vehicle. Detector results are also published through the CAN bus to be displayed on the vehicle console and to be used by other ECUs. Proposed system is simple, cheap and easy to install. Initial tests for the wet/dry detector classes have shown a very high success rate