ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF SMART WIND-TURBINE BLADES

Implementation of stable aeroelastic models with the ability to capture the complex features of Multi concept smartblades is a prime step in reducing the uncertainties that come along with blade dynamics. The numerical simulations of fluid structure interaction can thus be used to test a realistic scenarios comprising of full-scale blades at a reasonably low computational cost. A code which was a combination of two advanced numerical models was designed and was run with the help of paralell HPC supercomputer platform. The first model was based on a variation of dimensional reduction technique proposed by Hodges and Yu. This model was the one to record the structural response of heterogenous composite blades. This technique reduces the geometrical complexities of the heterogenous blade section into a stiffness matrix for an equivalent beam. This derived equivalent 1-D strain energy matrix is similar to the actual 3-D strain energy matrix in an asymptotic sense. As this 1-D matrix helps in accurately modeling the blade structure as a 1-D finite element problem, this substantially redues the computational effort and subsequently the computational cost that are required to model the structural dynamics at each step. Second model comprises of implementation of the Blade Element Momentum Theory. In this approach we map all the velocities and the forces with the help of orthogonal matrices that help in capturing the large deformations and the effects of rotations in calculating the aerodynamic forces. This ultimately helps us to take into account the complex flexo torsional deformations. In this thesis we have succesfully tested these computayinal tools developed by MTU’s research team lead by for the aero elastic analysis of wind-turbine blades. The validation in this thesis is majorly based on several experiments done on NREL-5MW blade, as this is widely accepted as a benchmark blade in the wind industry. Along with the use of this innovative model the internal blade structure was also changed to add up to the existing benefits of the already advanced numerical models

Measuring price elasticities of demand for outbound tourism using competitiveness indices

The real exchange rate (REX) has long been used as the proxy for prices in tourism demand models. However it has limitations, particularly when it comes to models of outbound tourism. As an alternative, a price competitiveness index (PCI) is developed and used as a proxy for prices in a model of outbound tourism from Australia. Results obtained show that while REX is statistically insignificant and yields a price elasticity of −0.002, PCI is significant and generates a price elasticity of −1.07. The results obtained show that PCI outperforms REX as the preferred price variable in modelling outbound demand on both theoretic and empirical grounds. Furthermore, this index can be used to monitor the inter-temporal competitiveness of a destination

Air Passenger Duty and Outbound Tourism Demand from the United Kingdom

On November 1, 1994 an Air Passenger Duty (APD) was introduced in the United Kingdom, and since, this tax continues to be controversial. This article examines the effect of the ADP on UK outbound tourism demand for 10 international destinations. An autoregressive distributed lag model is developed and income, price, and tax elasticities are estimated. The income and price elasticities obtained, ranged between 0.36 and 4.11 and −0.05 and −2.02, respectively. The estimated tax elasticities suggest that the implementation of APD had a negative effect on UK outbound travel for five destinations and the demand is inelastic to changes in taxes although the magnitudes vary across destinations. The general message is that although the stated objective of APD is to reduce travel and associated carbon emissions, the effectiveness of APD, however, has been marginal; travelers are prepared to pay more in the main to maintain their demand

Bottom of the Pyramid : profit versus welfare – metrics that matter

The research project investigated the trade-off between profit and social welfare objectives and whether metrics existed to measure the social welfare objectives set and the impact made. The study was conducted with leading brands within their respective categories and that are currently active in the South African BoP consumer market. The BoP market is widely recognised as an opportunity for business in developing markets to gain penetration of their brands and grow profits. How much of this ambition is married with social welfare objectives that aim to give back rather than just take out of the communities that they operate in? The challenge has been on what social impact to target and how to measure this. The research project was done using a quantitative research method, sampling brands that are within the top three sellers of their respective categories for LSM 1-4 consumers as measured by AMPS. This was supported by a thorough literature review to highlight the gaps that exist in the current way of interacting with BoP markets. The main finding is that profit is still the primary objective for most brands operating within this space and goals and associated social welfare metrics are still a distant third to marketing and business metrics measured within a business. The study ends with some recommendations for brand and business leaders to consider as they continue their incursions into BoP markets.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014.lmgibs2015Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)Unrestricte

Is the Migration-Tourism Relationship only about VFR?

This paper contributes to the literature on the linkages between tourism and migration. Though it is widely recognised that the two phenomena are closely linked, and that migration may induce visiting friends and relatives) tourism (VFR), there has been little econometric evaluation of the relationship. The present analysis draws upon Australian data to identify a strong quantitative link between migration and VFR tourism. It also demonstrates a strong link between migration and other forms of tourism. Indeed the latter are almost equally as strong as the links between migration and VFR tourism. This unexpected finding has implications for policymakers and for conceptualising the migration-tourism relationship

Consumption of Pop Culture and Tourism Demand:Through the lens of herding behaviour

Herding is a social phenomenon where individuals act collectively as part of a group and make decisions based on the behaviour and choices of others. In this study, we conceptualise herding behaviour on social media via a two-step flow communication model and measured through Google and YouTube search volume. The estimated herding behaviour is used to develop a novel index to measure the online consumption of Korean cultural products. Monthly data between 2013 and 2019 were used to analyse tourist arrivals from 10 countries. Findings confirm that Korean wave, captured by the index, is statistically significant in predicting tourist arrivals. The study provides a generalised proxy of cultural consumption, applicable to other destinations

A comparative analysis of tourism destination demand in Portugal

Tourism has experienced different levels of development in the different regions of Portugal. To frame this development, in this paper dynamic panel data models were estimated with the objective of explaining the evolution of international overnight stays in each region. Secondary data from 2000 to 2011 was used. The analysis includes the main tourism source markets for Portugal, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, France and Spain. The tourism literature suggests that, among others, the main determinants of tourism demand are income (GDP), household consumption, unemployment rate and the harmonised consumer price index. Per capita income, unemployment rate and final household consumption were identified as the most shared explanatory variables in each tourism region. However, in some regions, the high elasticity with respect to per capita income was confirmed, suggesting that tourism is a luxury good. It is observed that, although significant, the explanatory power of these variables varies according to the origin and the destination region considered. Findings suggest heterogeneous behaviour of the main international tourism demand by region. Furthermore, results also suggest some implications for public and private tourism authorities. Stakeholders can update the analysis, trends and forecasts of international tourism demand, put forward in the National Strategic Plan for Tourism for the period from 2013 to 2015, by taking into account the different macroeconomic variables that help explain international overnight stays in each region of Portugal. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved