Analysis and design of power management scheme for an on-board solar energy storage system

This paper investigates the power management issues in a mobile solar energy storage system. A multi-converter based energy storage system is proposed, in which solar power is the primary source while the grid or the diesel generator is selected as the secondary source. The existence of the secondary source facilitates the battery state of charge detection by providing a constant battery charging current. Converter modeling, multi-converter control system design, digital implementation and experimental verification are introduced and discussed in details. The prototype experiment indicates that the converter system can provide a constant charging current during solar converter maximum power tracking operation, especially during large solar power output variation, which proves the feasibility of the proposed design

Why doorstepping can increase household waste recycling

AbstractIn this study we report on a doorstepping intervention which produced a 12.5%, statistically significant, increase in the recycling capture rate. More importantly, we investigate why doorstepping caused the increase, through focus groups, structured interviews and questionnaires. By analyzing the findings with respect to a pragmatic set of eleven clusters of determinants of behaviour change, we find that social norms and emotion were important, with prompts as a more minor determinant. We can now plan further doorstepping knowing an emphasis on these is useful. Knowledge, skills, belief of consequences, belief of capability, action planning, role clarification, feedback, and motivation were determinant clusters found not to be important in this case.Recycling behaviour change interventions often do not generally produce transferable learning because they are usually presented as case studies and not broken down into key elements. Our analytical approach of breaking down a poorly defined activity – doorstepping – into elements which influence different clusters of determinants, and then exploring their separate impacts, allows some predictive planning and optimization for other interventions. The specific context here was residential food waste recycling in apartment blocks of communities in Shanghai, China

Perceived key elements of a successful residential food waste sorting program in urban apartments: stakeholder views

AbstractA large, successful, residential food waste sorting (recycling) program in urban high-density housing was studied to elicit perceptions of the key elements of its success. An embedded mixed-methods approach was used with rigorous quantitative measures of weights and compositions of the waste to confirm the success of the program, combined with in-depth semi-structured interviews of stakeholders to reveal their opinions of the elements key for success. The program produced a 70% food waste capture rate slowly decreasing to 45% over 54 weeks, with <1% contamination. The key elements for success were found to relate to clarification of roles and responsibilities, and the usefulness of a ‘broker’ (here, an NGO (non-governmental organisation)) to co-develop new boundaries for stakeholder responsibilities. Residents first needed to be convinced of the serious intention of the local government to implement the policy, but then viewed waste sorting as a civic duty. This is different to the moderator of “authority’ in earlier studies. The use of volunteers to demonstrate and interact on a personal level with residents was seen as a key element. The three month period of volunteer involvement was seen as key to good habit forming

Contact Deformation Behavior of an Elastic Silicone/SiC Abrasive in Grinding and Polishing

An elastic abrasive of the new type having the advantage of effectively controlled contact pressure and uniform deformation was developed. It provides complete lamination of the surface, effective treatment of the curved mold cavity, as well as improves the processing efficiency. It permits of fine cavity surface finishing.Розроблено пружний абразив нового типу, що дозволяє ефективно регулювати контактний тиск у поєднанні з рівномірним деформуванням. Пружний абразив забезпечує повне ламінування поверхні, збільшує ефективність обробки вигнутої порожнини ливарної форми та дозволяє виконувати тонку обробку поверхні порожнини.Разработан упругий абразив нового типа, позволяющий эффективно регулировать контактное давление в сочетании с равномерным деформированием. Упругий абразив обеспечивает полное ламинирование поверхности и эффективную обработку изогнутой полости литейной формы, а также позволяет выполнять тонкую отделочную обработку поверхности полости

Visual Prompts or Volunteer Models:An Experiment in Recycling

Successful long-term programs for urban residential food waste sorting are very rare, despite the established urgent need for them in cities for waste reduction, pollution reduction and circular resource economy reasons. This study meets recent calls to bridge policy makers and academics, and calls for more thorough analysis of operational work in terms of behavioral determinants, to move the fields on. It takes a key operational element of a recently reported successful food waste sorting program—manning of the new bins by volunteers—and considers the behavioral determinants involved in order to design a more scalable and cheaper alternative—the use of brightly colored covers with flower designs on three sides of the bin. The two interventions were tested in a medium-scale, real-life experimental set-up that showed that they had statistically similar results: high effective capture rates of 32%–34%, with low contamination rates. The success, low cost and simple implementation of the latter suggests it should be considered for large-scale use. Candidate behavioral determinants are prompts, emotion and knowledge for the yellow bin intervention, and for the volunteer intervention they are additionally social influence, modeling, role clarification, and moderators of messenger type and interpersonal or tailored messaging

Microstructure and Optical Properties of Tantalum Modified TiO2 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process

Tantalum doped TiO2 thin films ((TiO2)(1-x) (Ta2O5)(x), x = 0, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.8%) were prepared on ITO-coated substrates by means of the sol gel method and spin coating technology followed by rapid thermal annealing treatment (RTA). The effects of various processing parameters, including Ta content (x = 0-0.8%) and annealing temperature, on the growth and properties of thin films were investigated. Structural characteristics by X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the doping of Ta2O5 in the TiO2 without change the anatase structure of TiO2 thin films. The optical transmittance of (TiO2)(1-x) (Ta2O5) thin films decrease from 50% down to 20% with increasing the Ta2O5 concentrations from x = 0.00 to x = 0.8%. The absorption coefficient shows energy gap were decreased with increasing Ta2O5 content from 2.932 eV for x = 0.00 to 2.717 eV for x = 0.8%. Doping TiO2 with Ta2O5 can lower its band gap and shift its optical response to the visible region

Information strategy failure:personal interaction success, in urban residential food waste segregation

AbstractDirect measurements were taken of residential food waste sorting in a sample from over 5000 communities (5 million households) assigned to a pilot program delivered by government branches in Shanghai which relied on an information strategy for implementation. The results are compared to a population of N = 36 similar communities (36,000 households) assigned to a different program which involved considerable personal interaction. The results show that the information–based program communities did not noticeably sort their waste, whereas those given personal interaction approaches were very successful, with purity rates of 95%(8) and extra costs of about 50 RMB (8 USD) per household. This is a rare direct comparison of two different programs at such large scales, 6–36 months after launch, and suggests that personal interaction approaches should be considered by policy makers. Qualitative key informant interviews yielded data on each program's activities, which provide suggestions for further studies of the underlying behaviour change determinants involved

Process Analysis and Trial Tests for Hot-Rolled Stainless Steel/Carbon Steel Clad Plates

The trials of 304 stainless steel-clad plate made of plain Q345B carbon steel were performed on hot-rolling line of the Hesteel Group. After the two runs of pilot production, the key process parameters for the stainless steel/carbon steel clad plate were found to meet the GB/T 8165-2008 requirements. The interface shear strength of the clad plate was higher than 360 MPa, the yield strength of the final product was over 257 MPa, the clad plate tensile strength and elongation exceeded 351 MPa and 39.8%, respectively. The interpenetration of stainless steel and plain carbon steel layers was established to be complete, with the adequate composite interface. The tensile and shear properties of stainless steel-clad plates produced by the rolling process were at the same level as those obtained via the explosive method as an alternative, while their production cost were somewhat reduced.Проведено промышленное испытание листа, плакированного нержавеющей сталью 304 с обычной углеродистой сталью Q345B, с использованием линии горячей прокатки группы Hesteel. После двух этапов опытного производства было установлено, что основные техниРефераты ческие показатели производства листа удовлетворяют требованиям GB/T 8165 2008. Прочностьпри сдвиге на поверхности раздела плакированного листа превышала 360 МПа, предел текучести конечного продукта превышал 257 МПа, прочность при растяжении испытуемого материала превышала 351 МПа, а удлинение плакированного листа превышало 39,8%. Показано, что степень амальгамации слоя нержавеющей стали и нелегированной углеродистой стали была высокой, а поверхность раздела композита ровной и совершенной. Свойства при растяжении и сдвиге плакированных нержавеющей сталью листов, изготовленных с помощью процесса взрывной прокатки, соответствовали таковым, изготовленным путем взрывного процесса. Однако эффективность процесса взрывной прокатки существенно выше, чем взрывного процесса, при этом производственные затраты были гораздо меньше.Проведено промислове випробування листа, плакованого нержавіючої сталлю 304 зі звичайною вуглецевою сталлю Q345B, з використанням лінії гарячої прокатки групи Hesteel. Після двох етапів дослідного виробництва було встановлено, що основні технічні показники виробництва листа задовольняють вимогам GB/T 8165-2008. Міцність при зсуві на поверхні розділу плакованого листа перевищувала 360 МПа, межа плинності кінцевого продукту перевищував 257 МПа, міцність при розтягузі випробуваного матеріалу перевищувала 351 МПа, а подовження плакованого листа перевищувало 39,8%. Показано, що ступінь амальгамування шару нержавіючої сталі і нелегованої вуглецевої сталі була високою, а поверхня розділу композиту рівною і досконалою. Властивості при розтязі і зсуві плакованих нержавіючої сталлю листів, виготовлених за допомогою процесу вибуховий прокатки, відповідали таким, виготовленим шляхом вибухового процесу. Однак ефективність процесу вибуховий прокатки істотно вище, ніж вибухового процесу, при цьому виробничі витрати були набагато менше

Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2): morphological structures in the inner coma and rotation parameters

Extensive observations of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) were carried out between August 2004 and May 2005. The images obtained were used to investigate the comet's inner coma features at resolutions between 350 and 1500 km/pixel. A photometric analysis of the dust outflowing from the comet's nucleus and the study of the motion of the morphological structures in the inner coma indicated that the rotation period of the nucleus was most likely around 0.74 days. A thorough investigation of the inner coma morphology allowed us to observe two main active sources on the comet's nucleus, at a latitude of +85{\deg} \pm 5{\deg} and +45{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, respectively. Further sources have been observed, but their activity ran out quite rapidly over time; the most relevant was at latcom. = 25{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. Graphic simulations of the geometrical conditions of observation of the inner coma were compared with the images and used to determine a pole orientation at RA=95{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, Dec=+35{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. The comet's spin axis was lying nearly on the plane of the sky during the first decade of December 2004.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 3 table