Clustering analysis of railway driving missions with niching

A wide number of applications requires classifying or grouping data into a set of categories or clusters. Most popular clustering techniques to achieve this objective are K-means clustering and hierarchical clustering. However, both of these methods necessitate the a priori setting of the cluster number. In this paper, a clustering method based on the use of a niching genetic algorithm is presented, with the aim of finding the best compromise between the inter-cluster distance maximization and the intra-cluster distance minimization. This method is applied to three clustering benchmarks and to the classification of driving missions for railway applications

Signal synthesis by means of evolutionary algorithms

In this article, we investigate a procedure for generating signals with genetic algorithms. Signals are obtained from elementary patterns characterized by different degrees of freedom. These patterns are repeated and combined in order to reach specific signal shapes. The whole signal parametrization has to be determined by solving a difficult inverse problem of high dimensionality and strong multimodality. This can be carried out using evolutionary algorithms with the aim of finding all pattern configurations in the signal. The different signal synthesis schemes are evaluated, tested and applied to the generation of particular railway driving profiles

Synthesis of a compact wind profile using evolutionary algorithms for wind turbine system with storage

In this paper, the authors investigate two methodologies for synthesizing compact wind speed profiles by means of evolutionary algorithms. Such profile can be considered as input parameter in a prospective design process by optimization of a passive wind system with storage. Compact profiles are obtained by aggregating elementary patterns in order to fulfil some target indicators. The main difference between both methods presented in the paper is related to the choice of these indicators. In the first method, they are related to the storage system features while they only depend on wind features in the second

Integrated optimal design and sensitivity analysis of a stand alone wind turbine system with storage for rural electrification

In this paper, the authors investigate a robust Integrated Optimal Design (IOD) devoted to a passive wind turbine system with electrochemical storage bank: this stand alone system is dedicated to rural electrification. The aim of the IOD is to find the optimal combination and sizing among a set of system components that fulfils system requirements with the lowest system Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The passive wind system associated with the storage bank interacts with wind speed and load cycles. A set of passive wind turbines spread on a convenient power range (2 – 16 kW) are obtained through an IOD process at the device level detailed in previous papers. The system cost model is based on data sheets for the wind turbines and related to battery cycles for the storage bank. From the range of wind turbines, a “system level” optimization problem is stated and solved using an exhaustive search. The optimization results are finally exposed and discussed through a sensitivity analysis in order to extract the most robust solution versus environmental data variations among a set of good solutions

Sizing and Energy Management of a Hybrid Locomotive Based on Flywheel and Accumulators

The French National Railways Company (SNCF) is interested in the design of a hybrid locomotive based on various storage devices (accumulator, flywheel, and ultracapacitor) and fed by a diesel generator. This paper particularly deals with the integration of a flywheel device as a storage element with a reduced-power diesel generator and accumulators on the hybrid locomotive. First, a power flow model of energy-storage elements (flywheel and accumulator) is developed to achieve the design of the whole traction system. Then, two energy-management strategies based on a frequency approach are proposed. The first strategy led us to a bad exploitation of the flywheel, whereas the second strategy provides an optimal sizing of the storage device. Finally, a comparative study of the proposed structure with a flywheel and the existing structure of the locomotive (diesel generator, accumulators, and ultracapacitors) is presented

Traitement de la mission et des variables environnementales et intégration au processus de conception systémique

Ce travail présente une démarche méthodologique visant le «traitement de profils» de «mission» et plus généralement de «variables environnementales» (mission, gisement, conditions aux limites), démarche constituant la phase amont essentielle d’un processus de conception systémique. La «classification» et la «synthèse» des profils relatifs aux variables d’environnement du système constituent en effet une première étape inévitable permettant de garantir, dans une large mesure, la qualité du dispositif conçu et ce à condition de se baser sur des «indicateurs» pertinents au sens des critères et contraintes de conception. Cette approche s’inscrit donc comme un outil d’aide à la décision dans un contexte de conception systémique. Nous mettons en particulier l’accent dans cette thèse sur l’apport de notre approche dans le contexte de la conception par optimisation qui, nécessitant un grand nombre d’itérations (évaluation de solutions de conception), exige l’utilisation de «profils compacts» au niveau informationnel (temps, fréquence,…). Nous proposons dans une première phase d’étude, une démarche de «classification» et de «segmentation» des profils basée sur des critères de partitionnement. Cette étape permet de guider le concepteur vers le choix du nombre de dispositifs à concevoir pour sectionner les produits créés dans une gamme. Dans une deuxième phase d’étude, nous proposons un processus de «synthèse de profil compact», représentatif des données relatives aux variables environnementales étudiées et dont les indicateurs de caractérisation correspondent aux caractéristiques de référence des données réelles. Ce signal de durée réduite est obtenu par la résolution d’un problème inverse à l’aide d’un algorithme évolutionnaire en agrégeant des motifs élémentaires paramétrés (sinusoïde, segments, sinus cardinaux). Ce processus de «synthèse compacte» est appliqué ensuite sur des exemples de profils de missions ferroviaires puis sur des gisements éoliens (vitesse du vent) associés à la conception de chaînes éoliennes. Nous prouvons enfin que la démarche de synthèse de profil représentatif et compact accroît notablement l’efficacité de l’optimisation en minimisant le coût de calcul facilitant dès lors une approche de conception par optimisation. ABSTACT : This work presents a methodological approach aiming at analyzing and processing mission profiles and more generally environmental variables (e.g. solar or wind energy potential, temperature, boundary conditions) in the context of system design. This process constitutes a key issue in order to ensure system effectiveness with regards to design constraints and objectives. In this thesis, we pay a particular attention on the use of compact profiles for environmental variables in the frame of system level integrated optimal design, which requires a wide number of system simulations. In a first part, we propose a clustering approach based on partition criteria with the aim of analyzing mission profiles. This phase can help designers to identify different system configurations in compliance with the corresponding clusters: it may guide suppliers towards “market segmentation” not only fulfilling economic constraints but also technical design objectives. The second stage of the study proposes a synthesis process of a compact profile which represents the corresponding data of the studied environmental variable. This compact profile is generated by combining parameters and number of elementary patterns (segment, sine or cardinal sine) with regards to design indicators. These latter are established with respect to the main objectives and constraints associated to the designed system. All pattern parameters are obtained by solving the corresponding inverse problem with evolutionary algorithms. Finally, this synthesis process is applied to two different case studies. The first consists in the simplification of wind data issued from measurements in two geographic sites of Guadeloupe and Tunisia. The second case deals with the reduction of a set of railway mission profiles relative to a hybrid locomotive devoted to shunting and switching missions. It is shown from those examples that our approach leads to a wide reduction of the profiles associated with environmental variables which allows a significant decrease of the computational time in the context of an integrated optimal design process

Exploring the Impact of Serverless Computing on Peer To Peer Training Machine Learning

The increasing demand for computational power in big data and machine learning has driven the development of distributed training methodologies. Among these, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks provide advantages such as enhanced scalability and fault tolerance. However, they also encounter challenges related to resource consumption, costs, and communication overhead as the number of participating peers grows. In this paper, we introduce a novel architecture that combines serverless computing with P2P networks for distributed training and present a method for efficient parallel gradient computation under resource constraints. Our findings show a significant enhancement in gradient computation time, with up to a 97.34\% improvement compared to conventional P2P distributed training methods. As for costs, our examination confirmed that the serverless architecture could incur higher expenses, reaching up to 5.4 times more than instance-based architectures. It is essential to consider that these higher costs are associated with marked improvements in computation time, particularly under resource-constrained scenarios. Despite the cost-time trade-off, the serverless approach still holds promise due to its pay-as-you-go model. Utilizing dynamic resource allocation, it enables faster training times and optimized resource utilization, making it a promising candidate for a wide range of machine learning applications

Predictive fertilization models for potato crops using machine learning techniques in Moroccan Gharb region

Given the influence of several factors, including weather, soils, land management, genotypes, and the severity of pests and diseases, prescribing adequate nutrient levels is difficult. A potato’s performance can be predicted using machine learning techniques in cases when there is enough data. This study aimed to develop a highly precise model for determining the optimal levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium required to achieve both high-quality and high-yield potato crops, taking into account the impact of various environmental factors such as weather, soil type, and land management practices. We used 900 field experiments from Kaggle as part of a data set. We developed, evaluated, and compared prediction models of k-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear support vector machine (SVM), naive Bayes (NB) classifier, decision tree (DT) regressor, random forest (RF) regressor, and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). We used measures such as mean average error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), R-Squared (RS), and R2Root mean squared error (RMSE) to describe the model’s mistakes and prediction capacity. It turned out that the XGBoost model has the greatest R2, MSE and MAE values. Overall, the XGBoost model outperforms the other machine learning models. In the end, we suggested a hardware implementation to help farmers in the field

Sizing of a hybrid locomotive based on accumulators and ultracapacitors

In this paper, hybridization of a BB460000 locomotive is proposed integrating a reduced power diesel generator, batteries and ultracapacitors as storage elements. The power mission of the BB460000 locomotive is studied in order to analyze its ability to be hybridized and to identify the most critical mission. An energy management strategy based on a frequency sharing is proposed. It allows strongly decreasing the nominal power of the diesel generator. Then, through a power flow sizing model, the hybrid locomotive is sized with Ni–Cd batteries and ultracapacitors. The uselessness of ultracapacitors on energetic, geometrical, financial and lifetime plans is shown

From an integrated optimal design to a systemic optimization of a stand alone passive wind turbine system with storage

In this paper, the authors report the development of a Systemic Optimization Process (SOP) devoted to a passive wind turbine system with electrochemical storage bank. Aim of the SOP is to find the optimal combination and sizing among sets of system components, that meets the desired system requirements with the lowest system owning cost. The passive wind system associated to the storage bank interacts with wind and load cycles (deterministic data). Sets of passive wind turbines are obtained through an Integrated Optimal Design (IOD) process. The system cost model is inspired from constructor data for the wind turbines and related to the battery cycles for the storage bank. An optimization problem is developed and performed using an exhaustive search. The optimization results are finally exposed and discusse