Modelling the robustness properties of HVAC plant under feedback control

Most existing building simulation programs fail to capture sufficient of the underlying dynamics of nonlinear HVAC plant and some have restricted room space modelling capabilities for low-time-horizon analyses. In this work, a simplified model of a room space with hot water heating and a chilled ceiling system is developed for the main purpose of analysing control system response. The room model is based on a new approach to lumped capacitance modelling and the heating and chilled ceiling emitters are modelled using third-order descriptions. Control system components are treated in detail and both controllers are ‘tuned’ at a nominal region of plant operation using a gradient-descent-based optimization procedure. Robustness qualities of the controllers are analysed with reference to extremes in plant operating conditions. A key feature of the work is the transparency of the modelling procedure, designed to have appeal to researchers as well as practitioners involved with HVAC control system design problems

Thermal comfort based fuzzy logic control

Most heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control systems are considered as temperature control problems. In this work, the predicted mean vote (PMV) is used to control the indoor temperature of a space by setting it at a point where the PMV index becomes zero and the predicted percentage of persons dissatisfied (PPD) achieves a maximum threshold of 5%. This is achieved through the use of a fuzzy logic controller that takes into account a range of human comfort criteria in the formulation of the control action that should be applied to the heating system to bring the space to comfort conditions. The resulting controller is free of the set up and tuning problems that hinder conventional HVAC controllers. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy makes it possible to maximize the indoor thermal comfort and, correspondingly, a reduction in energy use of 20% was obtained for a typical 7-day winter period when compared with conventional control

Optimum design of a probe fed dual frequency patch antenna using genetic algorithm

Abstract: Recent research has concentrated on different designs in order to increase the bandwidth of patch antennas and thus improve functionality of wireless communication systems. An alternative approach as shown in this paper is to design a matched probe fed rectangular patch antenna which can operate at both dual frequency (1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz) and dual polarisation. In this design there are four variables, the two dimensions of the rectangular patch, ‘a ’ and ‘b ’ and position of the probe feed ‘Xp ’ and ‘YP’. As there is not a unique solution Genetic Algorithm (GA) was applied using two objective functions for the return loss at each frequency. The antenna was then modelled using AWR software and the predicted and practical results are shown to be in good agreement. Key Words: Genetic algorithm (GA), dual frequency, dual polarisation, probe fed patch antenn

Effect of losses in an active device and harmonic network on the efficiency of Class F and inverse Class F power amplifiers

High frequency class F and inverse class F power amplifiers obtain high efficiency of dc to ac power conversion, by reducing the overlap of voltage and current waveforms at the output of the active device, to ensure that the power dissipated in the resistance Ron of the active device is minimised. In this paper the active device is modelled as a switch in series with resistance Ron 0 to 5Ω. For ideal switch voltage / current waveforms and equal dc input power for both amplifiers the efficiency of power conversion is compared. To confirm the predicted results ideal lossless load harmonic networks using lumped elements were designed to meet all frequency conditions of the two amplifiers. These networks were done used in Advanced Design System (ADS) software for Ron=0, 2 and 4 Ω. The predicted efficiency for 2Ω and 4 Ω were 80% and 60% and the obtained simulation efficiency were 83.2% and 65.5% for class F amplifier. For the inverse class F amplifier the predicted efficiency was 87.3% and 74.5% and for the simulation results it was 87.26% and 74.4%. Above predicted and simulated results show that the resistance Ron has less effect on the efficiency of inverse class F than for class F amplifier. As lumped elements can not be used at high frequencies they were replaced initially with lossless transmission lines and then by microstrip lines to also investigate also how copper and dielectric losses affect the efficiency of power conversion

A control design for linear-time-delay systems

One outcome of a PhD project (David Tingey). Industrial systems which involve time delays are difficult to control in general. In addition, the presence of a time-delay may make a control loop unstable. In this work, a new stability criterion and control law is provided to control a class of time delay systems with delay in the state. The result has been applied to a mechanical system and can also be applied to flight and marine control. This work was done as a joint collaboration with Leeds Metropolitan University. This work is supported by the EPSRC case PhD studentship

Development of nanosecond range light sources for calibration of astroparticle cherenkov detectors

In this thesis the development of light emitting diodes (LED) is reviewed. The emphasis is put on devices emitting at the blue region of the spectrum. The physical characteristics of these devices are considered. The main interest is based around the ability of blue LEDs to generate nanosecond range optical flashes. The fast pulsing electronic circuits capable of driving the devices are also reviewed. These are complemented by the potentially exploitable techniques that could provide further benefits for required fast optical pulse generation. The simple, compact and inexpensive electronic oscillator for producing nanosecond range pulses is developed. The circuitry is adapted for generation of pulses necessary to switch on and assist with the turn off of blue InGaN based LEDs. The resulting nanosecond range blue optical pulses are suitable for, but not limited to, the calibration of scintillation counters. These devices used in neutrino detection experiments could provide a better understanding of cosmology and particle physics.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors—As Mitigation Tools for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sustainable Dairy Systems: A Review

peer-reviewedCurrently, nitrogen fertilizers are utilized to meet 48% of the total global food demand. The demand for nitrogen fertilizers is expected to grow as global populations continue to rise. The use of nitrogen fertilizers is associated with many negative environmental impacts and is a key source of greenhouse and harmful gas emissions. In recent years, urease and nitrification inhibitors have emerged as mitigation tools that are presently utilized in agriculture to prevent nitrogen losses and reduce greenhouse and harmful gas emissions that are associated with the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Both classes of inhibitor work by different mechanisms and have different physiochemical properties. Consequently, each class must be evaluated on its own merits. Although there are many benefits associated with the use of these inhibitors, little is known about their potential to enter the food chain, an event that may pose challenges to food safety. This phenomenon was highlighted when the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide was found as a residual contaminant in milk products in 2013. This comprehensive review aims to discuss the uses of inhibitor technologies in agriculture and their possible impacts on dairy product safety and quality, highlighting areas of concern with regards to the introduction of these inhibitor technologies into the dairy supply chain. Furthermore, this review discusses the benefits and challenges of inhibitor usage with a focus on EU regulations, as well as associated health concerns, chemical behavior, and analytical detection methods for these compounds within milk and environmental matrices.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irelan

Development of an Ultrasonic Airflow Measurement Device for Ducted Air

In this study, an in-duct ultrasonic airflow measurement device has been designed, developed and tested. The airflow measurement results for a small range of airflow velocities and temperatures show that the accuracy was better than 3.5% root mean square (RMS) when it was tested within a round or square duct compared to the in-line Venturi tube airflow meter used for reference. This proof of concept device has provided evidence that with further development it could be a low-cost alternative to pressure differential devices such as the orifice plate airflow meter for monitoring energy efficiency performance and reliability of ventilation systems. The design uses a number of techniques and design choices to provide solutions to lower the implementation cost of the device compared to traditional airflow meters. The design choices that were found to work well are the single sided transducer arrangement for a “V” shaped reflective path and the use of square wave transmitter pulses ending with the necessary 180° phase changed pulse train to suppress transducer ringing. The device is also designed so that it does not have to rely on high-speed analogue to digital converters (ADC) and intensive digital signal processing, so could be implemented using voltage comparators and low-cost microcontrollers