Analysis of a Compact Squeeze Film Damper with Magneto Rheological Fluid

Rotor systems play vital role in many modern day machinery such as turbines, pumps, aeroengines, gyroscopes, to name a few. Due to unavoidable unbalance in the rotor systems, there are lateral and torsional vibrations. Ignoring these effects may cause the system serious damages, which sometimes lead to catastrophic failures. Vibration level in rotor systems is acceptable within a range. Focus in this work is to minimize the vibration level to the acceptable range. One of the ways vibration level can be minimised is by means of providing damping. To accomplish this task in this work a new concept squeeze film damper is made by electro discharge machining which is compact in configuration, is filled with magneto-rheological (MR) fluid and tested out on one support of a Jeffcott rotor. This compact squeeze film damper (SFD) produces damping in a compact volume of the device compared to a conventional SFD. MR fluid is a smart fluid, for which apparent viscosity changes with the application of external magnetic field. This compact damper with MR fluid provides the variable damping force, controlled by an external magnetic field. In this work, proportional controller has been used for providing the control feedback. This MR damper is seen to reduce vibrations in steady state and transient input to the Jeffcott rotor. Parametric study for important design parameters has been done with the help of the simulation model. These controlled dampers can be used for reducing vibrations under different operating conditions and also crossing critical speed

Load Flow Analysis with UPFC under Unsymmetrical Fault Condition

This paper addresses the comparative load flow analysis with and without Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) for six buses, three phase transmission line under unsymmetrical faults (L-G, L-L and L-L-G) in simulation model. Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is a typical Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) device playing a vital role as a stability aid for large transient disturbances in an interconnected power system. The main objective of this paper is to improve transient stability of the six bus system. Here active and reactive power on load bus of the system considered has been determined under different fault conditions. UPFC has been connected to the system and its effects on power flow and voltage profile of test system has been determined with various line data and bus data for six buses, three lines power system and simulation model by using simulation toolbox has been developed. In this work a versatile model is presented for UPFC inherent order to improve the transient stability and damp oscillation. Index Terms – Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), Control, simulation, transients, line to ground fault (L-G), double line to ground fault (L-L-G), double line fault (L-L

Daksha: On Alert for High Energy Transients

We present Daksha, a proposed high energy transients mission for the study of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources, and gamma ray bursts. Daksha will comprise of two satellites in low earth equatorial orbits, on opposite sides of earth. Each satellite will carry three types of detectors to cover the entire sky in an energy range from 1 keV to >1 MeV. Any transients detected on-board will be announced publicly within minutes of discovery. All photon data will be downloaded in ground station passes to obtain source positions, spectra, and light curves. In addition, Daksha will address a wide range of science cases including monitoring X-ray pulsars, studies of magnetars, solar flares, searches for fast radio burst counterparts, routine monitoring of bright persistent high energy sources, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and probing primordial black hole abundances through lensing. In this paper, we discuss the technical capabilities of Daksha, while the detailed science case is discussed in a separate paper.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Additional information about the mission is available at https://www.dakshasat.in

Modelling the effects of COVID-19 on travel mode choice behaviour in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented changes in the activity patterns and travel behaviour around the world. Some of these behavioural changes are in response to restrictive measures imposed by the Government (e.g. full or partial lock-downs), while others are driven by perceptions of own safety and/or commitment to slow down the spread (e.g. during the preceding and following period of a lock-down). Travel behaviour amidst the stricter of these measures is quite straightforward to predict as people have very limited choices, but it is more challenging to predict the behavioural changes in the absence of restrictive measures. The limited research so far has demonstrated that different socio-demographic groups of different countries have changed travel behaviour in response to COVID-19 in different ways. However, no studies to date have either (a) investigated the changes in travel behaviour in the context of the Global South, or (b) modelled the relationship between changes in transport mode usage and traveller characteristics in order to quantify the associated heterogeneity. In this paper, we address these two gaps by developing mathematical models to quantify the effect of the socio-demographic characteristics of the travellers on the mode-specific trip frequencies before (January 2020) and during the early stages of COVID-19 spread in India (March 2020). Primary data collected from 498 respondents participating in online surveys have been used to estimate multiple discrete choice extreme value (MDCEV) models in this regard. Results indicate – a) significant inertia to continue using the pre-COVID modes, and b) high propensity to shift to virtual (e.g. work from home, online shopping, etc.) and private modes (e.g. car, motorcycle) from shared ones (e.g. bus and ride-share options). The extent of inertia varies with the trip purpose (commute and discretionary) and trip lengths. The results also demonstrate significant heterogeneity based on age, income, and working status of the respondents. The findings will be directly useful for planners and policy-makers in India as well as some other countries of the Global South in better predicting the mode-specific demand levels and subsequently, making better investment and operational decisions during similar disruptions

Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action

The UN COP26 2021 conference on climate change offers the chance for world leaders to take action and make urgent and meaningful commitments to reducing emissions and limit global temperatures to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. Whilst the political aspects and subsequent ramifications of these fundamental and critical decisions cannot be underestimated, there exists a technical perspective where digital and IS technology has a role to play in the monitoring of potential solutions, but also an integral element of climate change solutions. We explore these aspects in this editorial article, offering a comprehensive opinion based insight to a multitude of diverse viewpoints that look at the many challenges through a technology lens. It is widely recognized that technology in all its forms, is an important and integral element of the solution, but industry and wider society also view technology as being part of the problem. Increasingly, researchers are referencing the importance of responsible digitalization to eliminate the significant levels of e-waste. The reality is that technology is an integral component of the global efforts to get to net zero, however, its adoption requires pragmatic tradeoffs as we transition from current behaviors to a more climate friendly society.</p

Properties and Astrophysical Implications of the 150 M_⊙ Binary Black Hole Merger GW190521

The gravitational-wave signal GW190521 is consistent with a binary black hole (BBH) merger source at redshift 0.8 with unusually high component masses, 85⁺²¹₋₁₄ M_⊙ and 66⁺¹⁷₋₁₈ M_⊙, compared to previously reported events, and shows mild evidence for spin-induced orbital precession. The primary falls in the mass gap predicted by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova theory, in the approximate range 65–120 M_⊙. The probability that at least one of the black holes in GW190521 is in that range is 99.0%. The final mass of the merger 142⁺²⁸₋₁₆ M_⊙) classifies it as an intermediate-mass black hole. Under the assumption of a quasi-circular BBH coalescence, we detail the physical properties of GW190521's source binary and its post-merger remnant, including component masses and spin vectors. Three different waveform models, as well as direct comparison to numerical solutions of general relativity, yield consistent estimates of these properties. Tests of strong-field general relativity targeting the merger-ringdown stages of the coalescence indicate consistency of the observed signal with theoretical predictions. We estimate the merger rate of similar systems to be 0.13_(-0.11)^(+0.30) Gpc⁻³ yr⁻¹. We discuss the astrophysical implications of GW190521 for stellar collapse and for the possible formation of black holes in the pair-instability mass gap through various channels: via (multiple) stellar coalescences, or via hierarchical mergers of lower-mass black holes in star clusters or in active galactic nuclei. We find it to be unlikely that GW190521 is a strongly lensed signal of a lower-mass black hole binary merger. We also discuss more exotic possible sources for GW190521, including a highly eccentric black hole binary, or a primordial black hole binary