Improved decision support for engine-in-the-loop experimental design optimization

Experimental optimization with hardware in the loop is a common procedure in engineering and has been the subject of intense development, particularly when it is applied to relatively complex combinatorial systems that are not completely understood, or where accurate modelling is not possible owing to the dimensions of the search space. A common source of difficulty arises because of the level of noise associated with experimental measurements, a combination of limited instrument precision, and extraneous factors. When a series of experiments is conducted to search for a combination of input parameters that results in a minimum or maximum response, under the imposition of noise, the underlying shape of the function being optimized can become very difficult to discern or even lost. A common methodology to support experimental search for optimal or suboptimal values is to use one of the many gradient descent methods. However, even sophisticated and proven methodologies, such as simulated annealing, can be significantly challenged in the presence of noise, since approximating the gradient at any point becomes highly unreliable. Often, experiments are accepted as a result of random noise which should be rejected, and vice versa. This is also true for other sampling techniques, including tabu and evolutionary algorithms. After the general introduction, this paper is divided into two main sections (sections 2 and 3), which are followed by the conclusion. Section 2 introduces a decision support methodology based upon response surfaces, which supplements experimental management based on a variable neighbourhood search and is shown to be highly effective in directing experiments in the presence of a significant signal-to-noise ratio and complex combinatorial functions. The methodology is developed on a three-dimensional surface with multiple local minima, a large basin of attraction, and a high signal-to-noise ratio. In section 2, the methodology is applied to an automotive combinatorial search in the laboratory, on a real-time engine-in-the-loop application. In this application, it is desired to find the maximum power output of an experimental single-cylinder spark ignition engine operating under a quasi-constant-volume operating regime. Under this regime, the piston is slowed at top dead centre to achieve combustion in close to constant volume conditions. As part of the further development of the engine to incorporate a linear generator to investigate free-piston operation, it is necessary to perform a series of experiments with combinatorial parameters. The objective is to identify the maximum power point in the least number of experiments in order to minimize costs. This test programme provides peak power data in order to achieve optimal electrical machine design. The decision support methodology is combined with standard optimization and search methods – namely gradient descent and simulated annealing – in order to study the reductions possible in experimental iterations. It is shown that the decision support methodology significantly reduces the number of experiments necessary to find the maximum power solution and thus offers a potentially significant cost saving to hardware-in-the-loop experi- mentation

Methods of resistance estimation in permanent magnet synchronous motors for real-time thermal management

Real-time thermal management of electrical ma- chines relies on sufficiently accurate indicators of internal tem- perature. One indicator of temperature in a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is the stator winding resistance. Detection of PMSM winding resistance in the literature has been made on machines with relatively high resistances, where the resistive voltage vector is significant under load. This paper describes two techniques which can be applied to detect the winding resistance, through ‘Fixed Angle’ and ‘Fixed Mag- nitude’ current injection. Two further methods are described which discriminate injected current and voltages from motoring currents and voltages: ‘Unipolar’ and ‘Bipolar’ separation. These enable the resistance to be determined, and hence the winding temperature in permanent-magnet machines. These methods can be applied under load, and in a manner that does not disturb motor torque or speed. The method distinguishes between changes in the electro-motive force (EMF) constant and the resistive voltage. This paper introduces the techniques, whilst a companion paper covers the application of one of the methods to a PMSM drive system

Global search algorithm for optimal control

Random-search algorithm employs local and global properties to solve two-point boundary value problem in Pontryagin maximum principle for either fixed or variable end-time problems. Mixed boundary value problem is transformed to an initial value problem. Mapping between initial and terminal values utilizes hybrid computer

Fabrication and Electrical Characterization of Fully CMOS Si Single Electron Devices

We present electrical data of silicon single electron devices fabricated with CMOS techniques and protocols. The easily tuned devices show clean Coulomb diamonds at T = 30 mK and charge offset drift of 0.01 e over eight days. In addition, the devices exhibit robust transistor characteristics including uniformity within about 0.5 V in the threshold voltage, gate resistances greater than 10 G{\Omega}, and immunity to dielectric breakdown in electric fields as high as 4 MV/cm. These results highlight the benefits in device performance of a fully CMOS process for single electron device fabrication.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Nitric acid-organic mixtures surveyed for use in separation by anion exchange methods

Column elution-spectrographic analysis technique compares certain solvents directly to the methanol system, using inert rare earths instead of actinides. Distribution ratios for americium between 90 percent solvent, 10 percent 5 M nitric acid and Dowex 1 nitrate form resin for a large group of organics miscible in water was determined

p-wave Feshbach molecules

We have produced and detected molecules using a p-wave Feshbach resonance between 40K atoms. We have measured the binding energy and lifetime for these molecules and we find that the binding energy scales approximately linearly with magnetic field near the resonance. The lifetime of bound p-wave molecules is measured to be 1.0 +/- 0.1 ms and 2.3 +/- 0.2 ms for the m_l = +/- 1 and m_l = 0 angular momentum projections, respectively. At magnetic fields above the resonance, we detect quasi-bound molecules whose lifetime is set by the tunneling rate through the centrifugal barrier

Interactions between parental traits, environmental harshness and growth rate in determining telomere length in wild juvenile salmon

A larger body size confers many benefits, such as increased reproductive success, ability to evade predators and increased competitive ability and social status. However, individuals rarely maximise their growth rates, suggesting that this carries costs. One such cost could be faster attrition of the telomeres that cap the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and play an important role in chromosome protection. A relatively short telomere length is indicative of poor biological state, including poorer tissue and organ performance, reduced potential longevity and increased disease susceptibility. Telomere loss during growth may also be accelerated by environmental factors, but these have rarely been subjected to experimental manipulation in the natural environment. Using a wild system involving experimental manipulations of juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in Scottish streams, we found that telomere length in juvenile fish was influenced by parental traits and by direct environmental effects. We found that faster-growing fish had shorter telomeres and there was a greater cost (in terms of reduced telomere length) if the growth occurred in a harsher environment. We also found a positive association between offspring telomere length and the growth history of their fathers (but not mothers), represented by the number of years fathers had spent at sea. This suggests that there may be long term consequences of growth conditions and parental life history for individual longevity