3D Dynamic Motion Planning for Robot-Assisted Cannula Flexible Needle Insertion into Soft Tissue

In robot-assisted needle-based medical procedures, insertion motion planning is a crucial aspect. 3D dynamic motion planning for a cannula flexible needle is challenging with regard to the nonholonomic motion of the needle tip, the presence of anatomic obstacles or sensitive organs in the needle path, as well as uncertainties due to the dynamic environment caused by the movements and deformations of the organs. The kinematics of the cannula flexible needle is calculated in this paper. Based on a rapid and robust static motion planning algorithm, referred to as greedy heuristic and reachability-guided rapidly-exploring random trees, a 3D dynamic motion planner is developed by using replanning. Aiming at the large detour problem, the convergence problem and the accuracy problem that replanning encounters, three novel strategies are proposed and integrated into the conventional replanning algorithm. Comparisons are made between algorithms with and without the strategies to verify their validity. Simulations showed that the proposed algorithm can overcome the above-noted problems to realize real-time replanning in a 3D dynamic environment, which is appropriate for intraoperative planning. © 2016 Author

Parallel experimental study of a novel super-thin thermal absorber based photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system against conventional photovoltaic (PV) system

Photovoltaic (PV) semiconductor degrades in performance due to temperature rise. A super thin-conductive thermal absorber is therefore developed to regulate the PV working temperature by retrofitting the existing PV panel into the photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) panel. This article presented the parallel comparative investigation of the two different systems through both laboratory and field experiments. The laboratory evaluation consisted of one PV panel and one PV/T panel respectively while the overall field system involved 15 stand-alone PV panels and 15 retrofitted PV/T panels. The laboratory testing results demonstrated the PV/T panel could achieve the electrical efficiency of about 16.8% (relatively 5% improvement comparing with the stand-alone PV panel), and yield an extra amount of heat with thermal efficiency of nearly 65%. The field testing results indicated that the hybrid PV/T panel could enhance the electrical return of PV panels by nearly 3.5%, and increase the overall energy output by nearly 324.3%. Further opportunities and challenges were then discussed from aspects of different PV/T stakeholders to accelerate the development. It is expected that such technology could become a significant solution to yield more electricity, offset heating load freely and reduce carbon footprint in contemporary energy environment

Case study of smart meter and in-home display for residential behavior change in Shanghai, China

Smart meters and in-home displays (IHD) have been recently adopted to help give residential consumers more control over energy consumption, and to help meet environmental and security of supply objectives. The paper aims to identify the effectiveness of smart meters and real-time IHDs in reducing Shanghai household energy consumption through a pilot investigation. The research results demonstrate the improved awareness, understanding, and attitudes towards the energy saving by smart meters and IHDs

Design, fabrication and experimental study of a novel loop-heat-pipe based solar thermal facade water heating system

This paper investigated a novel loop-heat-pipe based solar thermal facade heat-pump system for hot water from concept design, prototype fabrication and experimental test. Given the specific testing conditions, the solar thermal efficiency of the facade module achieved nearly 0.71 in average and the mean system's COP was about 5.0. It is expected that such novel LHP based solar thermal facade technology would further contributed to the development of the renewable (solar) driven heating/hot water service and therefore lead to significant environmental benefits

Wind direction fluctuation analysis for wind turbines

Fluctuations are a key characteristic of the wind resource. It is important to quantitatively analyze wind direction fluctuation due to its influence on the optimization of wind turbine yaw control. Based on wind resource data available from SCADA systems, a method is proposed to describe wind direction fluctuations in terms of fluctuation amplitude A and fluctuation duration T. A Weibull distribution is employed to fit the marginal probability density of both these two measures of wind direction fluctuations, and a mixed Copula used to connect the marginal distributions, establishing the joint probability density function. This representation has been verified through comparison with the real operating SCADA data. A set of indicators are extracted from the probability distribution which can accurately quantify the local wind direction fluctuation characteristics of a wind turbine. These indicators can be helpful in the optimization of the yaw control system parameters, facilitating an improvement in the power generating performance of the wind turbine

The early design stage of a novel Solar Thermal Façade (STF) for building integration: energy performance simulation and socio-economic analysis

This paper provides a feasibility study of a new solar thermal façade (STF) concept for building integration from both technical and economic aspects in Shanghai area of China. The whole set of technical evaluation and economic analysis was investigated through simulation of a reference DOE residential building model in IES-VE software and a dedicated dynamic business model consisting of several critical financial indexes. In order to figure out the cost effectiveness of the STF concept, research work consisted of: (1) exploring the overall feasibility, i.e. energy load, energy savings, operational cost and environmental benefits, and (2) investigating the financial outputs for investment decisions within three different purchase methods. This paper presents a multidisciplinary research method that is expected to be beneficial and supportive for the strategic decision at the early design stage and it also offers a different angle to assess the economic performance of the STF application

Assessment of the effectiveness of investment strategy in solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sector: a case study

Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is now promising to offer potential solutions for sustainable development, especially in China. A representative Chinese solar PV manufacturer - Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited (SFCE) - is therefore assessed in this paper, including (1) investment strategies in China's recent macroeconomic exposure; (2) the market exposure and vulnerability. The macroeconomic challenges in case of China's continuous GDP growth would have significant implications for SFCE's investment strategy. Although SFCE's vulnerability is high, it has mediated its macro exposure and protect itself by advanced non-pricing competition, product/service differentiation, vertical and horizontal integration, and high-profit diversification etc. The research result is expected to offer useful indications for solar PV companies to adapt and succeed in the future energy industry and simultaneously help the world to mitigate climate change

Parametric study of a novel gravity assisted loop heat pipe (galhp) with composite mesh-screen wick structure

This article carried out a parametric study of the thermal performance of a novel gravity assisted loop heat pipe (GALHP) with composite mesh-screen wick structure. A refined threeway structure with interior liquid-vapour separator was developed on top of the evaporator to enable a gravity-assisted operation, which not only simplified the corresponding wick structure but also eliminated the ‘dry-out’ potential in conventional GALHPs. A dedicated simulation model was developed on basis of the heat transfer and the flow characteristics derived from the governing equations of mass, energy, and momentum. This model has been validated by authors’ experiment work with the ability to predict the GALHP thermal performance at a reasonable accuracy. It was found that the GALHP thermal performance, represented by the reciprocal of overall thermal resistance, varies directly with applied heat load, evaporator diameter, vapour-liquid separator diameter, and mass flow rate of cooling fluid in the jacket, but inversely with condensation temperature. The research results will be useful for further design, optimisation, and application of such GALHP in the gravity-assisted circumstance.Papers presented to the 12th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Costa de Sol, Spain on 11-13 July 2016

Experimental study of a compact unglazed Solar Thermal Facade (STF) for energy-efficient buildings

This paper presents a real-time experimental measurement of a novel compact unglazed solar thermal facade (STF) system at outdoor environment in Shanghai, China for about a whole summer week. It demonstrates the daily average solar thermal efficiency fluctuated from 40% to 45.5%. The overall result indicates the advantages of the STF with simple structure, low cost and high feasibility in architectural design for energy-efficient building application, especially at future district or city levels