Plug-and-play robust voltage control of DC microgrids

The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of linear time-invariant dynamical systems with polytopic uncertainty for modeling and control of islanded dc microgrids under plug-and-play (PnP) functionality of distributed generations (DGs). We develop a robust decentralized voltage control framework to ensure robust stability and reliable operation for islanded dc microgrids. The problem of voltage control of islanded dc microgrids with PnP operation of DGs is formulated as a convex optimization problem with structural constraints on some decision variables. The proposed control scheme offers several advantages including decentralized voltage control with no communication link, transient stability/performance, PnP capability, scalability of design, applicability to microgrids with general topology, and robustness to microgrid uncertainties. The effectiveness of the proposed control approach is evaluated through simulation studies carried out in MATLAB/SimPowerSystems Toolbox

Modularisation strategies in the AEC industry:a comparative analysis

Many industries have benefited from modularisation; while in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, the concept of modularisation is associated with dimensional coordination. This has added to an already extensive list of challenges due to market size and the concept of economies of scale in AEC industry, to name but a few. Moreover, there is a myth that the AEC industry is bound to stay associated with build-to-order or made-to-order approach caused the AEC industry to restrict modularisation to the component level. This changes the balance in favour of what this paper calls a bottom-up approach. On the other hand, a valid alternative strategy–referred to in this study as top-down strategy–remains very much underexploited. The clients, therefore, do not have a neutral means by which they can assess which strategy is in their best interest. Likewise, if a construction company plans to make a strategic move towards the principles of modularisation and off-site manufacturing, they do not have clear decision support tools. This study investigates these two main modularisation strategies in the AEC industry to provide some examples of successful cases regarding how, when and where such strategy have been applied by different construction companies in different cases. The collected and collated empirical data and the results from the interviews will help clients and companies to analyse their own cases and make operational decisions on how, when and where to best utilise the bottom-up and top-down modularisation techniques while considering the pros and cons of such decisions

The use of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair and regeneration: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The management of articular cartilage defects presents many clinical challenges due to its avascular, aneural and alymphatic nature. Bone marrow stimulation techniques, such as microfracture, are the most frequently used method in clinical practice however the resulting mixed fibrocartilage tissue which is inferior to native hyaline cartilage. Other methods have shown promise but are far from perfect. There is an unmet need and growing interest in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to improve the outcome for patients requiring cartilage repair. Many published reviews on cartilage repair only list human clinical trials, underestimating the wealth of basic sciences and animal studies that are precursors to future research. We therefore set out to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the translation of stem cell therapy to explore what research had been carried out at each of the stages of translation from bench-top (in vitro), animal (pre-clinical) and human studies (clinical) and assemble an evidence-based cascade for the responsible introduction of stem cell therapy for cartilage defects. This review was conducted in accordance to PRISMA guidelines using CINHAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Knowledge databases from 1st January 1900 to 30th June 2015. In total, there were 2880 studies identified of which 252 studies were included for analysis (100 articles for in vitro studies, 111 studies for animal studies; and 31 studies for human studies). There was a huge variance in cell source in pre-clinical studies both of terms of animal used, location of harvest (fat, marrow, blood or synovium) and allogeneicity. The use of scaffolds, growth factors, number of cell passages and number of cells used was hugely heterogeneous. SHORT CONCLUSIONS: This review offers a comprehensive assessment of the evidence behind the translation of basic science to the clinical practice of cartilage repair. It has revealed a lack of connectivity between the in vitro, pre-clinical and human data and a patchwork quilt of synergistic evidence. Drivers for progress in this space are largely driven by patient demand, surgeon inquisition and a regulatory framework that is learning at the same pace as new developments take place

Robust decentralized voltage control for uncertain DC microgrids

A decentralized voltage control scheme to achieve robust stability and robust performance of islanded direct current (DC) microgrids is presented in this paper. The investigated microgrid consists of multiple distributed generation (DG) units with a general topology, each one comprising a local uncertain ZIP (constant impedance (Z), constant current (I), and constant power (P)) load. The proposed controller confers the following main advantages: 1) the design procedure is scalable, 2) it has a completely decentralized structure, 3) it prepares stability and desirable performance of the nominal closed-loop microgrid, 4) it preserves robust stability as well as robust performance of microgrid system under different sources of uncertainty, including plug-and-play (PnP) functionalities of DGs, microgrid topology changes, uncertain ZIP load, and unmodeled load dynamics, 5) every local controller is the solution of a unique convex optimization problem, resulting in the optimal performance and robustness to several different successive changes. First, a linear time-invariant (LTI) state-space model is developed for each DG subsystem with capturing disturbances, and different uncertainty sources are modeled as a new single polytope. Then, all control objectives are converted into a robust dynamic output-feedback-based controller for an LTI polytopic system with performance criterion. Finally, the obtained nonconvex problem is reduced to a linear matrix inequality (LMI) based optimization problem. Several simulation case studies are carried out in MATLAB to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller

Plug-and-play voltage stabilization in inverter-interfaced microgrids via a robust control strategy

This paper proposes a decentralized control strategy for the voltage regulation of islanded inverter-interfaced microgrids. We show that an inverter-interfaced microgrid under plug-and-play (PnP) functionality of distributed generations (DGs) can be cast as a linear time-invariant system subject to polytopic-type uncertainty. Then, by virtue of this novel description and use of the results from theory of robust control, the microgrid control system guarantees stability and a desired performance even in the case of PnP operation of DGs. The robust controller is a solution of a convex optimization problem. The main properties of the proposed controller are that: 1) it is fully decentralized and local controllers of DGs that use only local measurements; 2) the controller guarantees the stability of the overall system; 3) the controller allows PnP functionality of DGs in microgrids; and 4) the controller is robust against microgrid topology change. Various case studies, based on time-domain simulations in MATLAB/SimPowerSystems Toolbox, are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed control strategy in terms of voltage tracking, microgrid topology change, PnP capability features, and load changes