Smooth Regulation of DC Voltage in VSC-MTDC Systems Based on Optimal Adaptive Droop Control

DC voltage stability and power balance are the key conditions for stable operation of DC transmission systems. The droop control does not depend on inter-station communication and has the advantage of multi-station cooperative unbalanced power dissipation, which has been widely used in the voltage source converter based multi-terminal direct current (VSC-MTDC) system. However, its control will cause DC voltage deviation, and there are a series of problems such as unstable system control and overload operation of the VSC-station due to improper setting of droop coefficient. In this paper, the infeasibility of DC voltage error-free correction under droop control mode is theoretically analyzed, and a VSC-MTDC cooperative optimization droop control strategy with DC voltage "quasi-error-free" adjustment ability is proposed. The strategy adjusts the droop coefficient in real-time by monitoring the DC voltage deviation and the power margin of the VSC-station to solve the problem of voltage deviation caused by unbalanced power consumption. At the same time, an additional DC voltage stabilizer is designed to automatically adjust the power reference value and restore the DC voltage. Finally, a five-terminal VSC-MTDC system is built under PSCAD/EMTDC to verify the feasibility of the proposed strategy

Study on Wear Resistance of Nickel Cladding Layer with Imitation Shell Convex Strip Structure on the Surface of 7075 Aluminum Alloy Drill Pipe

In this study, a nickel cladding layer with a bionic convex strip structure was applied to the surface of an aluminum alloy drill pipe, and laser cladding technology was used to improve the wear resistance of the aluminum alloy drill pipe. Firstly, by observing the morphological characteristics of the shell surface, the ratio of the width of the convex strips to the spacing between the convex strips was obtained as 0.39–0.53, and thus a model of the bionic structure was constructed. Numerical simulations were performed, and the results showed that the wear of the bionic structure was reduced by 77.6% compared with that of the smooth structure. Subsequently, the cladding layers of both structures were coated on the drill pipe using nickel powder as the material, and wear tests were performed. The microstructure, composition, and hardness behavior of the cladding layers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, an X-ray diffractometer, and a microhardness tester. It was found that the cladding layer mainly consists of Al3Ni2, and there is a transition layer between the cladding layer and the aluminum alloy matrix, whose hardness is lower than that of Al3Ni2. In addition, the groove space can be formed between the convex strips, which effectively reduces the frequency of the debris flow. The results of the wear tests show that the wear of the cladding layer with the bionic structure is reduced by 74.0%. Similar results in numerical simulations and experiments verified that the designed cladding layer with a bionic convex strip structure can significantly improve the wear resistance of aluminum alloy drill pipes.© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Improved coordinated control strategy for VSC-MTDC system with DC voltage secondary regulation

Droop control is widely used in multi-terminal flexible DC (VSC-MTDC) transmission systems by virtue of the advantage of multi-station cooperative unbalanced power dissipation, however, the essence of the droop control strategy is to change the DC current to realize the unbalanced power dissipation, and the resulting DC voltage deviation will affect the normal operation of the system. Firstly, this paper theoretically analyses the working characteristics of the conventional droop control and proposes a control method to realize the quasi-differential-free regulation of DC voltage by translating the droop curve. Second, according to the power margin of the converter station, the feedforward compensation amount of each converter station is reasonably set to avoid the power impact on the converter station. Finally, for the problem that the actual value of DC voltage still deviates from the rated value, a control strategy containing secondary regulation of DC voltage is proposed to further restore the DC voltage to the initial value on the basis of ensuring the effect of power regulation, which improves the stability of the operation of the VSC-MTDC system. The final simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method

Non-contrast computed tomography-based radiomics for staging of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease

Rationale and introductionIt is of significance to assess the severity and predict the mortality of patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). In this double-center retrospective study, we developed and validated a radiomics nomogram for clinical management by using the ILD-GAP (gender, age, and pulmonary physiology) index system.Materials and methodsPatients with CTD-ILD were staged using the ILD-GAP index system. A clinical factor model was built by demographics and CT features, and a radiomics signature was developed using radiomics features extracted from CT images. Combined with the radiomics signature and independent clinical factors, a radiomics nomogram was constructed and evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The models were externally validated in dataset 2 to evaluate the model generalization ability using ROC analysis.ResultsA total of 245 patients from two clinical centers (dataset 1, n = 202; dataset 2, n = 43) were screened. Pack-years of smoking, traction bronchiectasis, and nine radiomics features were used to build the radiomics nomogram, which showed favorable calibration and discrimination in the training cohort {AUC, 0.887 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.827–0.940]}, the internal validation cohort [AUC, 0.885 (95% CI: 0.816–0.922)], and the external validation cohort [AUC, 0.85 (95% CI: 0.720–0.919)]. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the nomogram outperformed the clinical factor model and radiomics signature in terms of clinical usefulness.ConclusionThe CT-based radiomics nomogram showed favorable efficacy in predicting individual ILD-GAP stages

Essays on innovation strategies of entrepreneurs and startups

This dissertation examines the mechanisms and factors that influence the choice and application of innovation strategies by high-tech entrepreneurs. As the competitive advantage of high-tech startups mainly originates from its knowledge-related resources, that is, its social capital, intellectual property, and human capital. This dissertation elaborates on these three knowledge-related resources. In the first paper, Dr. Rothaermel and I posit that the less visible, informal knowledge networks of individuals are a relevant source of information that drives the formation of future alliances between firms. By employing social network theories, we tested how certain structural characteristics of an informal knowledge network, such as the extent to which information is diversified and the information processing capabilities of key individuals, are positively correlated with the formation of future alliances. The second paper discusses the influence of intellectual property on a startup. In this chapter, I explored the impact of a novel innovation on the probability of a successful exit, the likelihood of forming strategic alliances and how such alliances influence the exit activity, and the mode of exit along with its financial returns. The third paper addresses the heterogeneity of the performance of serial entrepreneurs by exploring the moderators of the relationship between entrepreneurial experience and firm performance. The results indicate that education positively moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial experience and venture performance through both the learning-by-doing process and the self-selection process.Ph.D

Design of an Educational Center for the Aldrich Astronomical Society

This project presents the design of a STEM educational center for Aldrich Astronomical Society (AAS) at Treasure valley, Oakham, MA. The group designed a structural system, evaluated appropriate mechanical systems, and developed architectural drawings for the proposed structure. The group created the design based on specified building codes and the needs of AAS. The group focused on establishing a net zero building by assessing effective insulation, ventilation, lighting, and abate the building’s energy consumption