Hovering rotor solutions by high-order methods on unstructured grids

This paper concerns the implementation and evaluation of high-order reconstruction schemes for predicting three well established hovering rotor flows i.e. Caradonna and Tung, PSP and UH-60A. Monotone Upstream Centred Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) and Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) spatial discretisation schemes, up to fourth-order, are employed to approximate the compressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in a rotating reference frame, on mixed-element unstructured grids. Various flow speed conditions are simulated including subsonic and transonic, with the latter stretching the discontinuities capturing abilities of the numerics. We consistently evaluate the accuracy, cost and robustness of the developed numerical framework by analysing the discretisation error with respect to the grid resolution. A thorough validation is conducted for all cases by comparing the obtained numerical solutions with experimental data points and relevant literatur

Comparing the performance of different thermoplastic matrix pre-impregnated materials

This work studies and compares the processability into final composite parts of three different pre-impregnated materials, produced by different wetting techniques. All studied pre-impregnated materials were based on a continuous glass fibers reinforced polypropylene matrix (GF/PP) system. One is a tape produced in a previous work by using the melting process (cross-head extrusion) and, from the other two produced by fiber/matrix intimate contact methods, one is a commercial available commingled fibers product and the other a towpreg produced by our own developed dry coating prototype line. Pultrusion and compression molding were the manufacturing methods selected to process all the pre-impregnated materials into final composite parts. The performance of the three studied GF/PP pre-impregnated materials was assessed by comparing final properties of the manufactured composite parts submitted to mechanical testing and microscopy analysis.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Parameterisation effect on the behaviour of a head-dependent hydro chain using a nonlinear model

This paper is on the problem of short-term hydro scheduling (STHS), particularly concerning a head-dependent hydro chain. We use a method based on nonlinear programming (NLP), namely quadratic programming, to consider hydroelectric power generation a function of water discharge and of the head. The method has been applied successfully to solve a test case based on a realistic cascaded hydro system with a negligible computational time requirement and is also applied to show that the role played by reservoirs in the hydro chain do not depend only on their relative position. As a new contribution to earlier studies, which presented reservoir operation rules mainly for medium and long-term planning procedures, we show that the physical data defining hydro chain parameters used in the nonlinear model have an effect on the STHS, implying different optimal storage trajectories for the reservoirs accordingly not only with their position in the hydro chain but also with the new parameterisation defining the data for the hydro system. Moreover, considering head dependency in the hydroelectric power generation, usually neglected for hydro plants with a large storage capacity, provides a better short-term management of the conversion of the potential energy available in the reservoirs into electric energy, which represents a major advantage for the hydroelectric utilities in a competitive electricity market

Short-term electricity prices forecasting in a competitive market: A neural network approach

This paper proposes a neural network approach for forecasting short-term electricity prices. Almost until the end of last century, electricity supply was considered a public service and any price forecasting which was undertaken tended to be over the longer term, concerning future fuel prices and technical improvements. Nowadays, short-term forecasts have become increasingly important since the rise of the competitive electricity markets. In this new competitive framework, short-term price forecasting is required by producers and consumers to derive their bidding strategies to the electricity market. Accurate forecasting tools are essential for producers to maximize their profits, avowing profit losses over the misjudgement of future price movements, and for consumers to maximize their utilities. A three-layered feedforward neural network, trained by the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, is used for forecasting next-week electricity prices. We evaluate the accuracy of the price forecasting attained with the proposed neural network approach, reporting the results from the electricity markets of mainland Spain and California

Unit Commitment in a Competitive and Emission Constrained Environment

This paper is on the unit commitment problem, considering not only the economic perspective, but also the environmental perspective. We propose a bi-objective approach to handle the problem with conflicting profit and emission objectives. Numerical results based on the standard IEEE 30-bus test system illustrate the proficiency of the proposed approach

Numerical investigation of full helicopter with and without the ground effect

In the present work, the aerodynamic performance of the full helicopter PSP in hover flight is investigated using a simplified concept of multiple reference frame (MRF) technique in the context of high-order Monotone Upstream Centred Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) cell-centred finite volume method. The predictions were obtained for two ground distances and several collective pitch angle at tip Mach number of 0.585. The calculations were made for both out-of-ground-effect (OGE) and in-ground-effect (IGE) cases and compared with experimental data in terms of pressure distribution and integrated thrust and torque and vortex system

Nonlinear optimization method for short-term hydro scheduling considering head-dependency

This paper is on the problem of short-term hydro scheduling, particularly concerning head-dependent reservoirs under competitive environment. We propose a new nonlinear optimization method to consider hydroelectric power generation as a function of water discharge and also of the head. Head-dependency is considered on short-term hydro scheduling in order to obtain more realistic and feasible results. The proposed method has been applied successfully to solve a case study based on one of the main Portuguese cascaded hydro systems, providing a higher profit at a negligible additional computation time in comparison with a linear optimization method that ignores head-dependency

A practical approach for profit-based unit commitment with emission limitations

This paper proposes a practical approach for profit-based unit commitment (PBUC) with emission limitations. Under deregulation, unit commitment has evolved from a minimum-cost optimisation problem to a profit-based optimisation problem. However, as a consequence of growing environmental concern, the impact of fossil-fuelled power plants must be considered, giving rise to emission limitations. The simultaneous address of the profit with the emission is taken into account in our practical approach by a multiobjective optimisation (MO) problem. Hence, trade-off Curves between profit and emission are obtained for different energy price profiles, in a way to aid decision-makers concerning emission allowance trading. Moreover, a new parameter is presented, ratio of change, and the corresponding gradient angle, enabling the proper selection of a compromise commitment for the units. A case study based on the standard IEEE 30-bus system is presented to illustrate the proficiency Of Our practical approach for the new competitive and environmentally constrained electricity supply industry

Influence of corrosion on the electrical and mechanical performance of hybrid busbars

This paper is focused on the electrical and mechanical performance of aluminum-copper hybrid busbars subjected to corrosion over time. Two different types of hybrid busbars with joints produced by conventional fastening with M8 hexagonal socket head bolt-nut pairs made from medium carbon steel and by a new injection lap riveting process with semi-tubular rivets made from the material of the softer conductor are used and subjected to salt spray and electrochemical tests. Electrical resistance measurements performed on hybrid busbars taken from the corrosion testing cabinet at the end of each exposure period allow concluding that the new injection lap riveted hybrid busbars have a better electrical performance over time due to the elimination of fasteners with a higher electrical resistivity than aluminum and copper and to the elimination of the aluminum-steel and copper-steel galvanic pairs. The capability of the injection lap riveted hybrid busbars to withstand shear forces after corrosion testing also revealed to be adequate and like those of the original (uncorroded) hybrid busbars.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio