Sample records for utility load management

  1. Load Management - Methods to Reduce Electric Utilities Peak Loads.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-08-01

    for electric utilities.1 The largest impact came in 1978 when the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act ( PURPA ) was enacted which required state...management option. 7 CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION Since PURPA was enacted in 1978, utilities have been required to investigate methods in which to more effectively

  2. Solar Heating And Cooling Of Buildings (SHACOB): Requirements definition and impact analysis-2. Volume 3: Customer load management systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cretcher, C. K.; Rountredd, R. C.

    1980-11-01

    Customer Load Management Systems, using off-peak storage and control at the residences, are analyzed to determine their potential for capacity and energy savings by the electric utility. Areas broadly representative of utilities in the regions around Washington, DC and Albuquerque, NM were of interest. Near optimum tank volumes were determined for both service areas, and charging duration/off-time were identified as having the greatest influence on tank performance. The impacts on utility operations and corresponding utility/customer economics were determined in terms of delta demands used to estimate the utilities' generating capacity differences between the conventional load management, (CLM) direct solar with load management (DSLM), and electric resistive systems. Energy differences are also determined. These capacity and energy deltas are translated into changes in utility costs due to penetration of the CLM or DSLM systems into electric resistive markets in the snapshot years of 1990 and 2000.

  3. Energy management of a university campus utilizing short-term load forecasting with an artificial neural network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palchak, David

    Electrical load forecasting is a tool that has been utilized by distribution designers and operators as a means for resource planning and generation dispatch. The techniques employed in these predictions are proving useful in the growing market of consumer, or end-user, participation in electrical energy consumption. These predictions are based on exogenous variables, such as weather, and time variables, such as day of week and time of day as well as prior energy consumption patterns. The participation of the end-user is a cornerstone of the Smart Grid initiative presented in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and is being made possible by the emergence of enabling technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure. The optimal application of the data provided by an advanced metering infrastructure is the primary motivation for the work done in this thesis. The methodology for using this data in an energy management scheme that utilizes a short-term load forecast is presented. The objective of this research is to quantify opportunities for a range of energy management and operation cost savings of a university campus through the use of a forecasted daily electrical load profile. The proposed algorithm for short-term load forecasting is optimized for Colorado State University's main campus, and utilizes an artificial neural network that accepts weather and time variables as inputs. The performance of the predicted daily electrical load is evaluated using a number of error measurements that seek to quantify the best application of the forecast. The energy management presented utilizes historical electrical load data from the local service provider to optimize the time of day that electrical loads are being managed. Finally, the utilization of forecasts in the presented energy management scenario is evaluated based on cost and energy savings.

  4. Electrical load management at the Goldstone DSN Complex

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rayburn, J. C.

    1981-01-01

    A Power Load Management Plan was deveoped which utilizes the unique power generating capabilities of the stations to reduce the stress on the local utility's reserve capacity and reduce the cost of electrical power at the stations. The plan has greatly reduced the cost of Goldstone electrical power by completely eliminating the use of commercial power during the local utility's high usage periods each day.

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ruth, M.; Pratt, A.; Lunacek, M.

    The combination of distributed energy resources (DER) and retail tariff structures to provide benefits to both utility consumers and the utilities is not well understood. To improve understanding, an Integrated Energy System Model (IESM) is being developed to simulate the physical and economic aspects of DER technologies, the buildings where they reside, and feeders servicing them. The IESM was used to simulate 20 houses with home energy management systems on a single feeder under a time-of-use (TOU) tariff to estimate economic and physical impacts on both the households and the distribution utilities. Home energy management systems (HEMS) reduce consumers’ electricmore » bills by precooling houses in the hours before peak electricity pricing. Utilization of HEMS reduce peak loads during high price hours but shifts it to hours with off-peak and shoulder prices, resulting in a higher peak load. used to simulate 20 houses with home energy management systems on a single feeder under a time-of-use (TOU) tariff to estimate economic and physical impacts on both the households and the distribution utilities. Home energy management systems (HEMS) reduce consumers’ electric bills by precooling houses in the hours before peak electricity pricing. Utilization of HEMS reduce peak loads during high price hours but shifts it to hours with off-peak and shoulder prices, resulting in a higher peak load.« less

  6. Fiber in the Local Loop: The Role of Electric Utilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meehan, Charles M.

    1990-01-01

    Electric utilities are beginning to make heavy use of fiber for a number of applications beyond transmission of voice and data among operating centers and plant facilities which employed fiber on the electric transmission systems. These additional uses include load management and automatic meter reading. Thus, utilities are beginning to place fiber on the electric distribution systems which, in many cases covers the same customer base as the "local loop". This shift to fiber on the distribution system is due to the advantages offered by fiber and because of congestion in the radio bands used for load management. This shift to fiber has been facilitated by a regulatory policy permitting utilities to lease reserve capacity on their fiber systems on an unregulated basis. This, in turn, has interested electric utilities in building fiber to their residential and commercial customers for voice, data and video. This will also provide for sophisticated load management systems and, possibly, generation of revenue.

  7. Load research manual. Volume 2: Fundamentals of implementing load research procedures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1980-11-01

    This manual will assist electric utilities and state regulatory authorities in investigating customer electricity demand as part of cost-of-service studies, rate design, marketing research, system design, load forecasting, rate reform analysis, and load management research. Load research procedures are described in detail. Research programs at three utilities are compared: Carolina Power and Light Company, Long Island Lighting Company, and Southern California Edison Company. A load research bibliography and glossaries of load research and statistical terms are also included.

  8. Residential load management system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Uhr, C.W.

    1986-03-01

    The MAX load management system marketed by the UHR Corporation is described. The system completely replaces conventional heating, cooling, and hot water equipment. It is designed to reduce significantly the home's peak demand during the electric utility's system-wide peak load periods while at the same time maintain the homeowner's comfort. The integration of microprocessor, thermal storage, and heat pump technologies allows for broad flexibility in terms of tailoring the system to a specific electric utility's needs. Twelve pilot systems installed in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, DC have been operational since early 1985. The test results to date have confirmedmore » both the system's load management capability and its comfort improvement characteristics. The fundamental characteristics and hardware for the system are described. 9 figures.« less

  9. Distributed photovoltaic system impact upon utility load/supply management practices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vachtsevanos, G. J.; Meliopoulos, A. P.; Paraskevopoulos, B. K.

    A methodology is described for simulation of the economic and technical factors of photovoltaic (PV) installations interfacing with utility load/management operations. A probabalistic technique is used to model the expected demand, reliability of the generating units, costs and profits from each unit, expected unserviced energy, and the loss of load probability. The available power from PV arrays is treated stochastically with statistical weighting on the basis of site meteorological data. The goal is to include the PV power while minimizing operational costs, taking into account the level of penetration of the total PV output. Two sample simulations for a utility with a diverse generating mix demonstrate that overall costs would decrease in both cases with PVs on-line through the emphasis on cheaper-fueled generators and peak-load shaving when possible.

  10. A Distributed Dynamic Programming-Based Solution for Load Management in Smart Grids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Wei; Xu, Yinliang; Li, Sisi; Zhou, MengChu; Liu, Wenxin; Xu, Ying

    2018-03-01

    Load management is being recognized as an important option for active user participation in the energy market. Traditional load management methods usually require a centralized powerful control center and a two-way communication network between the system operators and energy end-users. The increasing user participation in smart grids may limit their applications. In this paper, a distributed solution for load management in emerging smart grids is proposed. The load management problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem aiming at maximizing the overall utility of users while meeting the requirement for load reduction requested by the system operator, and is solved by using a distributed dynamic programming algorithm. The algorithm is implemented via a distributed framework and thus can deliver a highly desired distributed solution. It avoids the required use of a centralized coordinator or control center, and can achieve satisfactory outcomes for load management. Simulation results with various test systems demonstrate its effectiveness.

  11. Clinical Utility of Viral Load in Management of Cytomegalovirus Infection after Solid Organ Transplantation

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY The negative impact of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on transplant outcomes warrants efforts toward improving its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. During the last 2 decades, significant breakthroughs in diagnostic virology have facilitated remarkable improvements in CMV disease management. During this period, CMV nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) evolved to become one of the most commonly performed tests in clinical virology laboratories. NAT provides a means for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of CMV infection in transplant recipients. Viral quantification also introduced several principles of CMV disease management. Specifically, viral load has been utilized (i) for prognostication of CMV disease, (ii) to guide preemptive therapy, (iii) to assess the efficacy of antiviral treatment, (iv) to guide the duration of treatment, and (v) to indicate the risk of clinical relapse or antiviral drug resistance. However, there remain important limitations that require further optimization, including the interassay variability in viral load reporting, which has limited the generation of standardized viral load thresholds for various clinical indications. The recent introduction of an international reference standard should advance the major goal of uniform viral load reporting and interpretation. However, it has also become apparent that other aspects of NAT should be standardized, including sample selection, nucleic acid extraction, amplification, detection, and calibration, among others. This review article synthesizes the vast amount of information on CMV NAT and provides a timely review of the clinical utility of viral load testing in the management of CMV in solid organ transplant recipients. Current limitations are highlighted, and avenues for further research are suggested to optimize the clinical application of NAT in the management of CMV after transplantation. PMID:24092851

  12. Utilizing an Energy Management System with Distributed Resources to Manage Critical Loads and Reduce Energy Costs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-01

    peak shaving, conducting power factor correction, matching critical load to most efficient distributed resource, and islanding a system during...photovoltaic arrays during islanding, and power factor correction, the implementation of the ESS by itself is likely to prove cost prohibitive. The DOD...These functions include peak shaving, conducting power factor correction, matching critical load to most efficient distributed resource, and islanding a

  13. Effects of Home Energy Management Systems on Distribution Utilities and Feeders Under Various Market Structures: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ruth, Mark; Pratt, Annabelle; Lunacek, Monte

    2015-07-17

    The combination of distributed energy resources (DER) and retail tariff structures to provide benefits to both utility consumers and the utilities is poorly understood. To improve understanding, an Integrated Energy System Model (IESM) is being developed to simulate the physical and economic aspects of DER technologies, the buildings where they reside, and feeders servicing them. The IESM was used to simulate 20 houses with home energy management systems on a single feeder under a time of use tariff to estimate economic and physical impacts on both the households and the distribution utilities. HEMS reduce consumers’ electric bills by precooling housesmore » in the hours before peak electricity pricing. Household savings are greater than the reduction utility net revenue indicating that HEMS can provide a societal benefit providing tariffs are structured so that utilities remain solvent. Utilization of HEMS reduce peak loads during high price hours but shifts it to hours with off-peak and shoulder prices and resulting in a higher peak load.« less

  14. Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Review of Mechanisms, Assessment and Management.

    PubMed

    Grimaldi, Alison; Mellor, Rebecca; Hodges, Paul; Bennell, Kim; Wajswelner, Henry; Vicenzino, Bill

    2015-08-01

    Tendinopathy of the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus tendons is now recognized as a primary local source of lateral hip pain. The condition mostly occurs in mid-life both in athletes and in subjects who do not regularly exercise. Females are afflicted more than males. This condition interferes with sleep (side lying) and common weight-bearing tasks, which makes it a debilitating musculoskeletal condition with a significant impact. Mechanical loading drives the biological processes within a tendon and determines its structural form and load-bearing capacity. The combination of excessive compression and high tensile loads within tendons are thought to be most damaging. The available evidence suggests that joint position (particularly excessive hip adduction), together with muscle and bone elements, are key factors in gluteal tendinopathy. These factors provide a basis for a clinical reasoning process in the assessment and management of a patient presenting with localized lateral hip pain from gluteal tendinopathy. Currently, there is a lack of consensus as to which clinical examination tests provide best diagnostic utility. On the basis of the few diagnostic utility studies and the current understanding of the pathomechanics of gluteal tendinopathy, we propose that a battery of clinical tests utilizing a combination of provocative compressive and tensile loads is currently best practice in its assessment. Management of this condition commonly involves corticosteroid injection, exercise or shock wave therapy, with surgery reserved for recalcitrant cases. There is a dearth of evidence for any treatments, so the approach we recommend involves managing the load on the tendons through exercise and education on the underlying pathomechanics.

  15. The design of optimal electric power demand management contracts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fahrioglu, Murat

    1999-11-01

    Our society derives a quantifiable benefit from electric power. In particular, forced outages or blackouts have enormous consequences on society, one of which is loss of economic surplus. Electric utilities try to provide reliable supply of electric power to their customers. Maximum customer benefit derives from minimum cost and sufficient supply availability. Customers willing to share in "availability risk" can derive further benefit by participating in controlled outage programs. Specifically, whenever utilities foresee dangerous loading patterns, there is a need for a rapid reduction in demand either system-wide or at specific locations. The utility needs to get relief in order to solve its problems quickly and efficiently. This relief can come from customers who agree to curtail their loads upon request in exchange for an incentive fee. This thesis shows how utilities can get efficient load relief while maximizing their economic benefit. This work also shows how estimated customer cost functions can be calibrated, using existing utility data, to help in designing efficient demand management contracts. In order to design such contracts, optimal mechanism design is adopted from "Game Theory" and applied to the interaction between a utility and its customers. The idea behind mechanism design is to design an incentive structure that encourages customers to sign up for the right contract and reveal their true value of power. If a utility has demand management contracts with customers at critical locations, most operational problems can be solved efficiently. This thesis illustrates how locational attributes of customers incorporated into demand management contract design can have a significant impact in solving system problems. This kind of demand management contracts can also be used by an Independent System Operator (ISO). During times of congestion a loss of economic surplus occurs. When the market is too slow or cannot help relieve congestion, demand management can help solve the problem. Another tool the ISO requires for security purposes is reserves. Even though demand management contracts may not be a good substitute for spinning reserves, they are adequate to augment or replace supplemental and backup reserves.

  16. Using Forecasting to Predict Long-Term Resource Utilization for Web Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoas, Daniel W.

    2013-01-01

    Researchers have spent years understanding resource utilization to improve scheduling, load balancing, and system management through short-term prediction of resource utilization. Early research focused primarily on single operating systems; later, interest shifted to distributed systems and, finally, into web services. In each case researchers…

  17. Real-time information management environment (RIME)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeCleene, Brian T.; Griffin, Sean; Matchett, Garry; Niejadlik, Richard

    2000-08-01

    Whereas data mining and exploitation improve the quality and quantity of information available to the user, there remains a mission requirement to assist the end-user in managing the access to this information and ensuring that the appropriate information is delivered to the right user in time to make decisions and take action. This paper discusses TASC's federated architecture to next- generation information management, contrasts the approach against emerging technologies, and quantifies the performance gains. This architecture and implementation, known as Real-time Information Management Environment (RIME), is based on two key concepts: information utility and content-based channelization. The introduction of utility allows users to express the importance and delivery requirements of their information needs in the context of their mission. Rather than competing for resources on a first-come/first-served basis, the infrastructure employs these utility functions to dynamically react to unanticipated loading by optimizing the delivered information utility. Furthermore, commander's resource policies shape these functions to ensure that resources are allocated according to military doctrine. Using information about the desired content, channelization identifies opportunities to aggregate users onto shared channels reducing redundant transmissions. Hence, channelization increases the information throughput of the system and balances sender/receiver processing load.

  18. An assessment of solar hot water heating in the Washington, D.C. area - Implications for local utilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stuart, M. W.

    1980-04-01

    A survey of residential solar hot water heating in the Washington, D.C. area is presented with estimates of the total solar energy contribution per year. These estimates are examined in relation to a local utility's peak-load curves to determine the impact of a substantial increase in solar domestic hot water use over the next 20 yr in the area of utility management. The results indicate that a 10% market penetration of solar water heaters would have no detrimental effect on the utility's peak-load profile and could save several million dollars in new plant construction costs.

  19. Discussion series on PURPA related topics: load management

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sturgeon, J I

    The Discussion Series on PURPA Related Topics is composed of five volumes: Metering, Billing, Information to Customers, Load Management Techniques and Master Metering. These reports are based on twenty-five Demonstration and Implementation projects sponsored and directed during the past five years by the US Department of Energy, Office of Utility Systems. Each of the topics bears directly on one or more of the federal standards contained in the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). This volume, Load Management Techniques, relates primarily to the Time-of-Day rates standard, PURPA IB(d)3. The experiences related in this report deal, in part, withmore » the procedures and equipment which are affected when time-of-day rates are implemented. One goal of this report is to describe how people in a variety of settings have dealt with the many practical issues in load management. Another is to highlight the lessons and summarize the experiences of the Project participants. This report does not stand as a manual nor provide prescriptive guidelines on how to deal with the topic. Rather it offers an account for those charged with the responsibility of implementing PURPA requirements to learn from the insights and problems which occurred during the Rate Demonstration projects.« less

  20. Electric vehicle utilization for ancillary grid services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aziz, Muhammad

    2018-02-01

    Electric vehicle has been developed through several decades as transportation mean, without paying sufficient attention of its utilization for other purposes. Recently, the utilization of electric vehicle to support the grid electricity has been proposed and studied intensively. This utilization covers several possible services including electricity storage, spinning reserve, frequency and voltage regulation, and emergency energy supply. This study focuses on theoretical and experimental analysis of utilization of electric vehicles and their used batteries to support a small-scale energy management system. Charging rate of electric vehicle under different ambient temperature (seasonal condition) is initially analyzed to measure the correlation of charging rate, charging time, and state-of-charge. It is confirmed that charging under warmer condition (such as in summer or warmer region) shows higher charging rate than one in colder condition, therefore, shorter charging time can be achieved. In addition, in the demonstration test, each five electric vehicles and used batteries from the same electric vehicles are employed and controlled to support the electricity of the office building. The performance of the system is evaluated throughout a year to measure the load leveling effect during peak-load time. The results show that the targeted peak-load can be shaved well under certain calculated peak-shaving threshold. The finding confirms that the utilization of electric vehicle for supporting the electricity of grid or certain energy management system is feasible and deployable in the future.

  1. Space station electrical power distribution analysis using a load flow approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Emanuel, Ervin M.

    1987-01-01

    The space station's electrical power system will evolve and grow in a manner much similar to the present terrestrial electrical power system utilities. The initial baseline reference configuration will contain more than 50 nodes or busses, inverters, transformers, overcurrent protection devices, distribution lines, solar arrays, and/or solar dynamic power generating sources. The system is designed to manage and distribute 75 KW of power single phase or three phase at 20 KHz, and grow to a level of 300 KW steady state, and must be capable of operating at a peak of 450 KW for 5 to 10 min. In order to plan far into the future and keep pace with load growth, a load flow power system analysis approach must be developed and utilized. This method is a well known energy assessment and management tool that is widely used throughout the Electrical Power Utility Industry. The results of a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of an Electrical Distribution System Analysis Program (EDSA) is discussed. Its potential use as an analysis and design tool for the 20 KHz space station electrical power system is addressed.

  2. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parmesano, Hethie; Kury, Theodore J.

    The price of CO{sub 2} emissions allowances affects the structure of the utility's costs, which has implications for rate design and load management programs. Depending on the design of the program to recover these costs, utility total revenue requirements - and the rate design utilized to recover these requirements - may be impacted. A new way to think about rate design may be required. (author)

  3. Modeling and Analysis of Commercial Building Electrical Loads for Demand Side Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berardino, Jonathan

    In recent years there has been a push in the electric power industry for more customer involvement in the electricity markets. Traditionally the end user has played a passive role in the planning and operation of the power grid. However, many energy markets have begun opening up opportunities to consumers who wish to commit a certain amount of their electrical load under various demand side management programs. The potential benefits of more demand participation include reduced operating costs and new revenue opportunities for the consumer, as well as more reliable and secure operations for the utilities. The management of these load resources creates challenges and opportunities to the end user that were not present in previous market structures. This work examines the behavior of commercial-type building electrical loads and their capacity for supporting demand side management actions. This work is motivated by the need for accurate and dynamic tools to aid in the advancement of demand side operations. A dynamic load model is proposed for capturing the response of controllable building loads. Building-specific load forecasting techniques are developed, with particular focus paid to the integration of building management system (BMS) information. These approaches are tested using Drexel University building data. The application of building-specific load forecasts and dynamic load modeling to the optimal scheduling of multi-building systems in the energy market is proposed. Sources of potential load uncertainty are introduced in the proposed energy management problem formulation in order to investigate the impact on the resulting load schedule.

  4. High power solar array switching regulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, D. K.; Cassinelli, J.; Valgora, M.

    1981-01-01

    It is pointed out that spacecraft utilization projections for the 1980s and beyond show a trend toward extended lifetimes and larger electric power systems. The need for improved power management and energy transfer arising in connection with this trend has resulted in the conduction of a Solar Array Switching Power Management study. A description is presented of initial development work performed in the study, taking into account the characteristics for three mission classes. Attention is given to the manned LEO platform (250-kW average load), the unmanned GEO platform (50-kW average load), and an ion propulsion orbit transfer vehicle (50- to 250 kW load).

  5. Instrumentation, control and data management for the MIST (Modular Integrated Utility System) Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celino, V. A.

    1977-01-01

    An appendix providing the technical data required for computerized control and/or monitoring of selected MIST subsystems is presented. Specific computerized functions to be performed are as follows: (1) Control of the MIST heating load simulator and monitoring of the diesel engine generators' cooling system; (2) Control of the MIST heating load simulator and MIST heating subsystem including the heating load simulator; and (3) Control of the MIST air conditioning load simulator subsystem and the MIST air conditioning subsystem, including cold thermal storage and condenser water flows.

  6. Improving laboratory efficiencies to scale-up HIV viral load testing.

    PubMed

    Alemnji, George; Onyebujoh, Philip; Nkengasong, John N

    2017-03-01

    Viral load measurement is a key indicator that determines patients' response to treatment and risk for disease progression. Efforts are ongoing in different countries to scale-up access to viral load testing to meet the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS target of achieving 90% viral suppression among HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. However, the impact of these initiatives may be challenged by increased inefficiencies along the viral load testing spectrum. This will translate to increased costs and ineffectiveness of scale-up approaches. This review describes different parameters that could be addressed across the viral load testing spectrum aimed at improving efficiencies and utilizing test results for patient management. Though progress is being made in some countries to scale-up viral load, many others still face numerous challenges that may affect scale-up efficiencies: weak demand creation, ineffective supply chain management systems; poor specimen referral systems; inadequate data and quality management systems; and weak laboratory-clinical interface leading to diminished uptake of test results. In scaling up access to viral load testing, there should be a renewed focus to address efficiencies across the entire spectrum, including factors related to access, uptake, and impact of test results.

  7. Method to Increase Performance of Foil Bearings Through Passive Thermal Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bruckner, Robert

    2013-01-01

    This invention is a new approach to designing foil bearings to increase their load capacity and improve their reliability through passive thermal management. In the present case, the bearing is designed in such a way as to prevent the carryover of lubricant from the exit of one sector to the inlet of the ensuing sector of the foil bearing. When such passive thermal management techniques are used, bearing load capacity is improved by multiples, and reliability is enhanced when compared to current foil bearings. This concept has recently been tested and validated, and shows that load capacity performance of foil bearings can be improved by a factor of two at relatively low speeds with potentially greater relative improvements at higher speeds. Such improvements in performance with respect to speed are typical of foil bearings. Additionally, operation of these newly conceived bearings shows much more reliability and repeatable performance. This trait can be exploited in machine design to enhance safety, reliability, and overall performance. Finally, lower frictional torque has been demonstrated when operating at lower (non-load capacity) loads, thus providing another improvement above the current state of the art. The objective of the invention is to incorporate features into a foil bearing that both enhance passive thermal management and temperature control, while at the same time improve the hydrodynamic (load capacity) performance of the foil bearing. Foil bearings are unique antifriction devices that can utilize the working fluid of a machine as a lubricant (typically air for turbines and motors, liquids for pumps), and as a coolant to remove excess energy due to frictional heating. The current state of the art of foil bearings utilizes forced cooling of the bearing and shaft, which represents poor efficiency and poor reliability. This invention embodies features that utilize the bearing geometry in such a manner as to both support load and provide an inherent and passive cooling mechanism. This cooling mechanism functions in such a way as to prevent used (higher temperature) lubricant from being carried over from the exit of one sector into the entry of the next sector of the foil bearing. The disclosed innovation is an improved foil bearing design that reduces or eliminates the need for force cooling of the bearing, while at the same time improving the load capacity of the bearing by at least a factor of two. These improvements are due to the elimination of lubricant carryover from the trailing edge of one sector into the leading edge of the next, and the mixing of used lubricant with the surrounding ambient fluid.

  8. The effect of salvage logging on surface fuel loads and fuel moisture in beetle-infested lodgepole pine forests

    Treesearch

    Paul R. Hood; Kellen N. Nelson; Charles C. Rhoades; Daniel B. Tinker

    2017-01-01

    Widespread tree mortality from mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks has prompted forest management activities to reduce crown fire hazard in the Rocky Mountain region. However, little is known about how beetle-related salvage logging and biomass utilization options affect woody surface fuel loads and fuel moisture dynamics. We compared...

  9. Road map to Title I of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Partridge, W.

    1979-01-18

    Within the next two years all electric utilities retailing over 500 million kilowatts per year will be forced into rate-making proceedings or public hearings to meet the requirements of Title I of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. In these proceedings they will be required to consider the application of Federal requirements for lifeline rates, class rates based on cost of service, declining block rates, time-of-day rates, seasonal rates, interruptible rates, load management techniques, prohibitions on master metering, restrictions on use of automatic adjustment clauses, provision of consumer information, termination procedures, and restrictions on advertising. The act hasmore » immediate, significant implications for electric utility management.« less

  10. Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

    DOE PAGES

    Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

    2016-08-24

    This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. Finally, the results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

  11. Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

    This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. Finally, the results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

  12. Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

    This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. The results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

  13. Power control and management of the grid containing largescale wind power systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aula, Fadhil Toufick

    The ever increasing demand for electricity has driven many countries toward the installation of new generation facilities. However, concerns such as environmental pollution and global warming issues, clean energy sources, high costs associated with installation of new conventional power plants, and fossil fuels depletion have created many interests in finding alternatives to conventional fossil fuels for generating electricity. Wind energy is one of the most rapidly growing renewable power sources and wind power generations have been increasingly demanded as an alternative to the conventional fossil fuels. However, wind power fluctuates due to variation of wind speed. Therefore, large-scale integration of wind energy conversion systems is a threat to the stability and reliability of utility grids containing these systems. They disturb the balance between power generation and consumption, affect the quality of the electricity, and complicate load sharing and load distribution managing and planning. Overall, wind power systems do not help in providing any services such as operating and regulating reserves to the power grid. In order to resolve these issues, research has been conducted in utilizing weather forecasting data to improve the performance of the wind power system, reduce the influence of the fluctuations, and plan power management of the grid containing large-scale wind power systems which consist of doubly-fed induction generator based energy conversion system. The aims of this research, my dissertation, are to provide new methods for: smoothing the output power of the wind power systems and reducing the influence of their fluctuations, power managing and planning of a grid containing these systems and other conventional power plants, and providing a new structure of implementing of latest microprocessor technology for controlling and managing the operation of the wind power system. In this research, in order to reduce and smooth the fluctuations, two methods are presented. The first method is based on a de-loaded technique while the other method is based on utilizing multiple storage facilities. The de-loaded technique is based on characteristics of the power of a wind turbine and estimation of the generated power according to weather forecasting data. The technique provides a reference power by which the wind power system will operate and generate a smooth power. In contrast, utilizing storage facilities will allow the wind power system to operate at its maximum tracking power points' strategy. Two types of energy storages are considered in this research, battery energy storage system (BESS) and pumped-hydropower storage system (PHSS), to suppress the output fluctuations and to support the wind power system to follow the system load demands. Furthermore, this method provides the ability to store energy when there is a surplus of the generated power and to reuse it when there is a shortage of power generation from wind power systems. Both methods are new in terms of utilizing of the techniques and wind speed data. A microprocessor embedded system using an IntelRTM Atom(TM) processor is presented for controlling the wind power system and for providing the remote communication for enhancing the operation of the individual wind power system in a wind farm. The embedded system helps the wind power system to respond and to follow the commands of the central control of the power system. Moreover, it enhances the performance of the wind power system through self-managing, self-functioning, and self-correcting. Finally, a method of system power management and planning is modeled and studied for a grid containing large-scale wind power systems. The method is based on a new technique through constructing a new load demand curve (NLDC) from merging the estimation of generated power from wind power systems and forecasting of the load. To summarize, the methods and their results presented in this dissertation, enhance the operation of the large-scale wind power systems and reduce their drawbacks on the operation of the power grid.

  14. Thermal management of batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gibbard, H. F.; Chen, C.-C.

    Control of the internal temperature during high rate discharge or charge can be a major design problem for large, high energy density battery systems. A systematic approach to the thermal management of such systems is described for different load profiles based on: thermodynamic calculations of internal heat generation; calorimetric measurements of heat flux; analytical and finite difference calculations of the internal temperature distribution; appropriate system designs for heat removal and temperature control. Examples are presented of thermal studies on large lead-acid batteries for electrical utility load levelling and nickel-zinc and lithium-iron sulphide batteries for electric vehicle propulsion.

  15. Thru-life impacts of driver aggression, climate, cabin thermal management, and battery thermal management on battery electric vehicle utility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neubauer, Jeremy; Wood, Eric

    2014-08-01

    Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer the potential to reduce both oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions, but have a limited utility that is affected by driver aggression and effects of climate-both directly on battery temperature and indirectly through the loads of cabin and battery thermal management systems. Utility is further affected as the battery wears through life in response to travel patterns, climate, and other factors. In this paper we apply the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Battery Lifetime Analysis and Simulation Tool for Vehicles (BLAST-V) to examine the sensitivity of BEV utility to driver aggression and climate effects over the life of the vehicle. We find the primary challenge to cold-climate BEV operation to be inefficient cabin heating systems, and to hot-climate BEV operation to be high peak on-road battery temperatures and excessive battery degradation. Active cooling systems appear necessary to manage peak battery temperatures of aggressive, hot-climate drivers, which can then be employed to maximize thru-life vehicle utility.

  16. Load Forecasting in Electric Utility Integrated Resource Planning

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carvallo, Juan Pablo; Larsen, Peter H.; Sanstad, Alan H

    Integrated resource planning (IRP) is a process used by many vertically-integrated U.S. electric utilities to determine least-cost/risk supply and demand-side resources that meet government policy objectives and future obligations to customers and, in many cases, shareholders. Forecasts of energy and peak demand are a critical component of the IRP process. There have been few, if any, quantitative studies of IRP long-run (planning horizons of two decades) load forecast performance and its relationship to resource planning and actual procurement decisions. In this paper, we evaluate load forecasting methods, assumptions, and outcomes for 12 Western U.S. utilities by examining and comparing plansmore » filed in the early 2000s against recent plans, up to year 2014. We find a convergence in the methods and data sources used. We also find that forecasts in more recent IRPs generally took account of new information, but that there continued to be a systematic over-estimation of load growth rates during the period studied. We compare planned and procured resource expansion against customer load and year-to-year load growth rates, but do not find a direct relationship. Load sensitivities performed in resource plans do not appear to be related to later procurement strategies even in the presence of large forecast errors. These findings suggest that resource procurement decisions may be driven by other factors than customer load growth. Our results have important implications for the integrated resource planning process, namely that load forecast accuracy may not be as important for resource procurement as is generally believed, that load forecast sensitivities could be used to improve the procurement process, and that management of load uncertainty should be prioritized over more complex forecasting techniques.« less

  17. Dynamic Load-Balancing for Distributed Heterogeneous Computing of Parallel CFD Problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ecer, A.; Chien, Y. P.; Boenisch, T.; Akay, H. U.

    2000-01-01

    The developed methodology is aimed at improving the efficiency of executing block-structured algorithms on parallel, distributed, heterogeneous computers. The basic approach of these algorithms is to divide the flow domain into many sub- domains called blocks, and solve the governing equations over these blocks. Dynamic load balancing problem is defined as the efficient distribution of the blocks among the available processors over a period of several hours of computations. In environments with computers of different architecture, operating systems, CPU speed, memory size, load, and network speed, balancing the loads and managing the communication between processors becomes crucial. Load balancing software tools for mutually dependent parallel processes have been created to efficiently utilize an advanced computation environment and algorithms. These tools are dynamic in nature because of the chances in the computer environment during execution time. More recently, these tools were extended to a second operating system: NT. In this paper, the problems associated with this application will be discussed. Also, the developed algorithms were combined with the load sharing capability of LSF to efficiently utilize workstation clusters for parallel computing. Finally, results will be presented on running a NASA based code ADPAC to demonstrate the developed tools for dynamic load balancing.

  18. A study of a space communication system for the control and monitoring of the electric distribution system. Volume 2: Supporting data and analyses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaisnys, A.

    1980-01-01

    It is technically feasible to design a satellite communication system to serve the United States electric utility industry's needs relative to load management, real-time operations management, remote meter reading and to determine the costs of various elements of the system. The functions associated with distribution automation and control and communication system requirements are defined. Factors related to formulating viable communication concepts, the relationship of various design factors to utility operating practices, and the results of the cost analysis are discussed The system concept and several ways in which the concept could be integrated into the utility industry are described.

  19. Energy Power Research Institute Shows Benefits of Grid-Connected Devices at

    Science.gov Websites

    product availability. With real-time status monitoring of the connected devices, a utility system could be devices, this approach can provide grid operators or other load management systems with real-time measure

  20. Foresee: A user-centric home energy management system for energy efficiency and demand response

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jin, Xin; Baker, Kyri A.; Christensen, Dane T.

    This paper presents foresee, a user-centric home energy management system that can help optimize how a home operates to concurrently meet users' needs, achieve energy efficiency and commensurate utility cost savings, and reliably deliver grid services based on utility signals. Foresee is built on a multiobjective model predictive control framework, wherein the objectives consist of energy cost, thermal comfort, user convenience, and carbon emission. Foresee learns user preferences on different objectives and acts on their behalf to operate building equipment, such as home appliances, photovoltaic systems, and battery storage. In this work, machine-learning algorithms were used to derive data-driven appliancemore » models and usage patterns to predict the home's future energy consumption. This approach enables highly accurate predictions of comfort needs, energy costs, environmental impacts, and grid service availability. Simulation studies were performed on field data from a residential building stock data set collected in the Pacific Northwest. Results indicated that foresee generated up to 7.6% whole-home energy savings without requiring substantial behavioral changes. When responding to demand response events, foresee was able to provide load forecasts upon receipt of event notifications and delivered the committed demand response services with 10% or fewer errors. Foresee fully utilized the potential of the battery storage and controllable building loads and delivered up to 7.0-kW load reduction and 13.5-kW load increase. As a result, these benefits are provided while maintaining the occupants' thermal comfort or convenience in using their appliances.« less

  1. Foresee: A user-centric home energy management system for energy efficiency and demand response

    DOE PAGES

    Jin, Xin; Baker, Kyri A.; Christensen, Dane T.; ...

    2017-08-23

    This paper presents foresee, a user-centric home energy management system that can help optimize how a home operates to concurrently meet users' needs, achieve energy efficiency and commensurate utility cost savings, and reliably deliver grid services based on utility signals. Foresee is built on a multiobjective model predictive control framework, wherein the objectives consist of energy cost, thermal comfort, user convenience, and carbon emission. Foresee learns user preferences on different objectives and acts on their behalf to operate building equipment, such as home appliances, photovoltaic systems, and battery storage. In this work, machine-learning algorithms were used to derive data-driven appliancemore » models and usage patterns to predict the home's future energy consumption. This approach enables highly accurate predictions of comfort needs, energy costs, environmental impacts, and grid service availability. Simulation studies were performed on field data from a residential building stock data set collected in the Pacific Northwest. Results indicated that foresee generated up to 7.6% whole-home energy savings without requiring substantial behavioral changes. When responding to demand response events, foresee was able to provide load forecasts upon receipt of event notifications and delivered the committed demand response services with 10% or fewer errors. Foresee fully utilized the potential of the battery storage and controllable building loads and delivered up to 7.0-kW load reduction and 13.5-kW load increase. As a result, these benefits are provided while maintaining the occupants' thermal comfort or convenience in using their appliances.« less

  2. Electric utility of the year for 1984: Potomac Electric Power

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1984-11-01

    High performance, efficiency improvements, a modest construction program, a clear balance sheet, and an effort to expend power plant life were among the qualities that earned Potomac Electric Power (PEPCO) the title of 1984 Utility of the Year. Other key elements in the utility's selection were its strategy for purchasing power, a load management plan, diversified investments into subsidiary businesses, community concern that considers the aesthetics of transmission facilities, and its interest in personnel development, especially among minorities. 3 figures.

  3. Impact of remote sensing upon the planning, management and development of water resources. Summary of computers and computer growth trends for hydrologic modeling and the input of ERTS image data processing load

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Castruccio, P. A.; Loats, H. L., Jr.

    1975-01-01

    An analysis of current computer usage by major water resources users was made to determine the trends of usage and costs for the principal hydrologic users/models. The laws and empirical relationships governing the growth of the data processing loads were described and applied to project the future data loads. Data loads for ERTS CCT image processing were computed and projected through the 1985 era. The analysis showns significant impact due to the utilization and processing of ERTS CCT's data.

  4. Application of Hybrid Optimization-Expert System for Optimal Power Management on Board Space Power Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Momoh, James; Chattopadhyay, Deb; Basheer, Omar Ali AL

    1996-01-01

    The space power system has two sources of energy: photo-voltaic blankets and batteries. The optimal power management problem on-board has two broad operations: off-line power scheduling to determine the load allocation schedule of the next several hours based on the forecast of load and solar power availability. The nature of this study puts less emphasis on speed requirement for computation and more importance on the optimality of the solution. The second category problem, on-line power rescheduling, is needed in the event of occurrence of a contingency to optimally reschedule the loads to minimize the 'unused' or 'wasted' energy while keeping the priority on certain type of load and minimum disturbance of the original optimal schedule determined in the first-stage off-line study. The computational performance of the on-line 'rescheduler' is an important criterion and plays a critical role in the selection of the appropriate tool. The Howard University Center for Energy Systems and Control has developed a hybrid optimization-expert systems based power management program. The pre-scheduler has been developed using a non-linear multi-objective optimization technique called the Outer Approximation method and implemented using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). The optimization model has the capability of dealing with multiple conflicting objectives viz. maximizing energy utilization, minimizing the variation of load over a day, etc. and incorporates several complex interaction between the loads in a space system. The rescheduling is performed using an expert system developed in PROLOG which utilizes a rule-base for reallocation of the loads in an emergency condition viz. shortage of power due to solar array failure, increase of base load, addition of new activity, repetition of old activity etc. Both the modules handle decision making on battery charging and discharging and allocation of loads over a time-horizon of a day divided into intervals of 10 minutes. The models have been extensively tested using a case study for the Space Station Freedom and the results for the case study will be presented. Several future enhancements of the pre-scheduler and the 'rescheduler' have been outlined which include graphic analyzer for the on-line module, incorporating probabilistic considerations, including spatial location of the loads and the connectivity using a direct current (DC) load flow model.

  5. Energy management system turns data into market info

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Traynor, P.J.; Ackerman, W.J.

    1996-09-01

    The designers claim that Wisconsin Power & Light Co`s new energy management system is the first system of its type in the world in terms of the comprehensiveness and scope of its stored and retrievable data. Furthermore, the system`s link to the utility`s generating assets enables powerplant management to dispatch generation resources based on up-to-date unit characteristics. That means that the new system gives WP&L a competitive tool to optimize operations as well as fine-tune its EMS based on timely load and unit response information. Additionally, the EMS gives WP&L insight into the complex issues related to the unbundling ofmore » generation resources.« less

  6. LINKING WATERSHED MANAGEMENT WITH STREAM ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Reducing the loading of ’stressors‚ (pollutants) from watershed lands to streams and lakes is the concern of a broad range of environmental stakeholders—including local and state governments, utilities, farm collectives, construction firms—and even homeowners. Their adoption of E...

  7. Implementing a voluntary, nonregulatory approach to nitrogen management in Tampa Bay, FL: a public/private partnership.

    PubMed

    Greening, H; DeGrove, B D

    2001-11-14

    Participants in the Tampa Bay Estuary Program have agreed to adopt nitrogen-loading targets for Tampa Bay based on the water-quality and related light requirements of underwater seagrasses. Based on modeling results, it appears that light levels can be maintained at necessary levels by "holding the line" at existing nitrogen loadings; however, this goal may be difficult to achieve given the 20% increase in the watershed"s human population and associated 7% increase in nitrogen loading that are projected to occur over the next 20 years. To address the long-term management of nitrogen sources, a nitrogen management consortium of local electric utilities, industries, and agricultural interests, as well as local governments and regulatory agency representatives, has developed a consortium action plan to address the target load reduction needed to "hold the line" at 1992 to 1994 levels. To date, implemented and planned projects collated in the Consortium Action Plan meet and exceed the agreed-upon nitrogen-loading reduction goal. An example of the success of the private partnership aspect of this program can be seen in three phosphate fertilizer mining and manufacturing companies with facilities located on Tampa Bay. These companies are participants in the Estuary Program and the Nitrogen Management Consortium to provide support and input for a program that advocates voluntary, nonregulatory cooperation to reach environmental goals.

  8. Linear Quadratic Tracking Design for a Generic Transport Aircraft with Structural Load Constraints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burken, John J.; Frost, Susan A.; Taylor, Brian R.

    2011-01-01

    When designing control laws for systems with constraints added to the tracking performance, control allocation methods can be utilized. Control allocations methods are used when there are more command inputs than controlled variables. Constraints that require allocators are such task as; surface saturation limits, structural load limits, drag reduction constraints or actuator failures. Most transport aircraft have many actuated surfaces compared to the three controlled variables (such as angle of attack, roll rate & angle of side slip). To distribute the control effort among the redundant set of actuators a fixed mixer approach can be utilized or online control allocation techniques. The benefit of an online allocator is that constraints can be considered in the design whereas the fixed mixer cannot. However, an online control allocator mixer has a disadvantage of not guaranteeing a surface schedule, which can then produce ill defined loads on the aircraft. The load uncertainty and complexity has prevented some controller designs from using advanced allocation techniques. This paper considers actuator redundancy management for a class of over actuated systems with real-time structural load limits using linear quadratic tracking applied to the generic transport model. A roll maneuver example of an artificial load limit constraint is shown and compared to the same no load limitation maneuver.

  9. Forecasting staffing needs for productivity management in hospital laboratories.

    PubMed

    Pang, C Y; Swint, J M

    1985-12-01

    Daily and weekly prediction models are developed to help forecast hospital laboratory work load for the entire laboratory and individual sections of the laboratory. The models are tested using historical data obtained from hospital census and laboratory log books of a 90-bed southwestern hospital. The results indicate that the predictor variables account for 50%, 81%, 56%, and 82% of the daily work load variation for chemistry, hematology, and microbiology sections, and for the entire laboratory, respectively. Equivalent results for the weekly model are 53%, 72%, 12%, and 78% for the same respective sections. On the basis of the predicted work load, staffing assessment is made and a productivity monitoring system constructed. The purpose of such a system is to assist laboratory management in efforts to utilize laboratory manpower in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

  10. Modeling catchment nutrients and sediment loads to inform regional management of water quality in coastal-marine ecosystems: a comparison of two approaches.

    PubMed

    Álvarez-Romero, Jorge G; Wilkinson, Scott N; Pressey, Robert L; Ban, Natalie C; Kool, Johnathan; Brodie, Jon

    2014-12-15

    Human-induced changes in flows of water, nutrients, and sediments have impacts on marine ecosystems. Quantifying these changes to systematically allocate management actions is a priority for many areas worldwide. Modeling nutrient and sediment loads and contributions from subcatchments can inform prioritization of management interventions to mitigate the impacts of land-based pollution on marine ecosystems. Among the catchment models appropriate for large-scale applications, N-SPECT and SedNet have been used to prioritize areas for management of water quality in coastal-marine ecosystems. However, an assessment of their relative performance, parameterization, and utility for regional-scale planning is needed. We examined how these considerations can influence the choice between the two models and the areas identified as priorities for management actions. We assessed their application in selected catchments of the Gulf of California, where managing land-based threats to marine ecosystems is a priority. We found important differences in performance between models. SedNet consistently estimated spatial variations in runoff with higher accuracy than N-SPECT and modeled suspended sediment (TSS) loads mostly within the range of variation in observed loads. N-SPECT overestimated TSS loads by orders of magnitude when using the spatially-distributed sediment delivery ratio (SDR), but outperformed SedNet when using a calibrated SDR. Differences in subcatchments' contribution to pollutant loads were principally due to explicit representation of sediment sinks and particulate nutrients by SedNet. Improving the floodplain extent model, and constraining erosion estimates by local data including gully erosion in SedNet, would improve results of this model and help identify effective management responses. Differences between models in the patterns of modeled pollutant supply were modest, but significantly influenced the prioritization of subcatchments for management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Intelligent Energy Management System for PV-Battery-based Microgrids in Future DC Homes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chauhan, R. K.; Rajpurohit, B. S.; Gonzalez-Longatt, F. M.; Singh, S. N.

    2016-06-01

    This paper presents a novel intelligent energy management system (IEMS) for a DC microgrid connected to the public utility (PU), photovoltaic (PV) and multi-battery bank (BB). The control objectives of the proposed IEMS system are: (i) to ensure the load sharing (according to the source capacity) among sources, (ii) to reduce the power loss (high efficient) in the system, and (iii) to enhance the system reliability and power quality. The proposed IEMS is novel because it follows the ideal characteristics of the battery (with some assumptions) for the power sharing and the selection of the closest source to minimize the power losses. The IEMS allows continuous and accurate monitoring with intelligent control of distribution system operations such as battery bank energy storage (BBES) system, PV system and customer utilization of electric power. The proposed IEMS gives the better operational performance for operating conditions in terms of load sharing, loss minimization, and reliability enhancement of the DC microgrid.

  12. Pacific Northwest GridWise™ Testbed Demonstration Projects; Part I. Olympic Peninsula Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hammerstrom, Donald J.; Ambrosio, Ron; Carlon, Teresa A.

    2008-01-09

    This report describes the implementation and results of a field demonstration wherein residential electric water heaters and thermostats, commercial building space conditioning, municipal water pump loads, and several distributed generators were coordinated to manage constrained feeder electrical distribution through the two-way communication of load status and electric price signals. The field demonstration took place in Washington and Oregon and was paid for by the U.S. Department of Energy and several northwest utilities. Price is found to be an effective control signal for managing transmission or distribution congestion. Real-time signals at 5-minute intervals are shown to shift controlled load in time.more » The behaviors of customers and their responses under fixed, time-of-use, and real-time price contracts are compared. Peak loads are effectively reduced on the experimental feeder. A novel application of portfolio theory is applied to the selection of an optimal mix of customer contract types.« less

  13. Analysis of stationary fuel cell dynamic ramping capabilities and ultra capacitor energy storage using high resolution demand data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meacham, James R.; Jabbari, Faryar; Brouwer, Jacob; Mauzey, Josh L.; Samuelsen, G. Scott

    Current high temperature fuel cell (HTFC) systems used for stationary power applications (in the 200-300 kW size range) have very limited dynamic load following capability or are simply base load devices. Considering the economics of existing electric utility rate structures, there is little incentive to increase HTFC ramping capability beyond 1 kWs -1 (0.4% s -1). However, in order to ease concerns about grid instabilities from utility companies and increase market adoption, HTFC systems will have to increase their ramping abilities, and will likely have to incorporate electrical energy storage (EES). Because batteries have low power densities and limited lifetimes in highly cyclic applications, ultra capacitors may be the EES medium of choice. The current analyses show that, because ultra capacitors have a very low energy storage density, their integration with HTFC systems may not be feasible unless the fuel cell has a ramp rate approaching 10 kWs -1 (4% s -1) when using a worst-case design analysis. This requirement for fast dynamic load response characteristics can be reduced to 1 kWs -1 by utilizing high resolution demand data to properly size ultra capacitor systems and through demand management techniques that reduce load volatility.

  14. Effects of Demand Response on Retail and Wholesale Power Markets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chassin, David P.; Kalsi, Karanjit

    2012-07-26

    Demand response has grown to be a part of the repertoire of resources used by utilities to manage the balance between generation and load. In recent years, advances in communications and control technology have enabled utilities to consider continuously controlling demand response to meet generation, rather than the other way around. This paper discusses the economic applications of a general method for load resource analysis that parallels the approach used to analyze generation resources and uses the method to examine the results of the US Department of Energy’s Olympic Peninsula Demonstration Testbed. A market-based closed-loop system of controllable assets ismore » discussed with necessary and sufficient conditions on system controllability, observability and stability derived.« less

  15. Federal Emergency Management Information System (FEMIS) system administration guide. Version 1.3

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burford, M.J.; Burnett, R.A.; Downing, T.R.

    The Federal Emergency Management Information System (FEMIS) is an emergency management planning and analysis tool that was developed by the (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) (PNNL) under the direction of the U.S. Army Chemical Biological Defense Command. The FEMIS System Administration Guide defines FEMIS hardware and software requirements and gives instructions for installing the FEMIS software package. 91 This document also contains information on the following: software installation for the FEMIS data servers, communication server, mail server, and the emergency management workstations; distribution media loading and FEMIS installation validation and troubleshooting; and system management of FEMIS users, login, privileges, and usage.more » The system administration utilities (tools), available in the FEMIS client software, are described for user accounts and site profile. This document also describes the installation and use of system and database administration utilities that will assist in keeping the FEMIS system running in an operational environment.« less

  16. Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Approaches for Disaggregated Energy Sensing: A Survey

    PubMed Central

    Zoha, Ahmed; Gluhak, Alexander; Imran, Muhammad Ali; Rajasegarar, Sutharshan

    2012-01-01

    Appliance Load Monitoring (ALM) is essential for energy management solutions, allowing them to obtain appliance-specific energy consumption statistics that can further be used to devise load scheduling strategies for optimal energy utilization. Fine-grained energy monitoring can be achieved by deploying smart power outlets on every device of interest; however it incurs extra hardware cost and installation complexity. Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) is an attractive method for energy disaggregation, as it can discern devices from the aggregated data acquired from a single point of measurement. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of NILM system and its associated methods and techniques used for disaggregated energy sensing. We review the state-of-the art load signatures and disaggregation algorithms used for appliance recognition and highlight challenges and future research directions. PMID:23223081

  17. Impact of Parameter Uncertainty Assessment of Critical SWAT Output Simulations

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Watershed models are increasingly being utilized to evaluate alternate management scenarios for improving water quality. The concern for using these tools in extensive programs such as the National Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program is that the certainty of model results and efficacy of managem...

  18. Irrigation potential of suspended solids and nutrients from tailwater recovery systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (Mississippi Delta), best management practices (BMP) are being utilized to mitigate nutrient loading from agricultural landscapes to downstream waters. This study was conducted to determine the potential to use solids, P and N captured by tailwater recove...

  19. Three empirical essays on energy and labor economics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chow, Melissa

    This dissertation analyzes the differences between private and non-private firms in two contexts. Chapters 1 and 2 examine the electricity industry in the United States and the motivation behind electric utilities' usage of demand side management programs. The first chapter focuses on load management programs, which decrease electricity demand during the peak hours of the day. It looks into the impact of a plausibly exogenous decrease in natural gas prices on the utilization and capacity of these programs. The second chapter analyzes the relationship between electricity market deregulation and electric utilities' energy efficiency activity. The third chapter investigates the impact of Chinese enterprise restructuring on employment, wage bills, and productivity. All three chapters show that different objectives due to ownership type lead to differences in firm behavior.

  20. Application of Distribution Transformer Thermal Life Models to Electrified Vehicle Charging Loads Using Monte-Carlo Method: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuss, M.; Markel, T.; Kramer, W.

    Concentrated purchasing patterns of plug-in vehicles may result in localized distribution transformer overload scenarios. Prolonged periods of transformer overloading causes service life decrements, and in worst-case scenarios, results in tripped thermal relays and residential service outages. This analysis will review distribution transformer load models developed in the IEC 60076 standard, and apply the model to a neighborhood with plug-in hybrids. Residential distribution transformers are sized such that night-time cooling provides thermal recovery from heavy load conditions during the daytime utility peak. It is expected that PHEVs will primarily be charged at night in a residential setting. If not managed properly,more » some distribution transformers could become overloaded, leading to a reduction in transformer life expectancy, thus increasing costs to utilities and consumers. A Monte-Carlo scheme simulated each day of the year, evaluating 100 load scenarios as it swept through the following variables: number of vehicle per transformer, transformer size, and charging rate. A general method for determining expected transformer aging rate will be developed, based on the energy needs of plug-in vehicles loading a residential transformer.« less

  1. Solar heating and the electric utilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maidique, M. A.; Woo, B.

    1980-05-01

    The article considers the effect of widespread use of solar thermal systems on the role of electric utilities, emphasizing the foreseen short term economic problems. While the average electricity demand will be reduced, infrequent high demand peaks could occur when on nights and certain days, solar users with inadequate storage capacity are forced to depend upon conventional energy sources. Since utility costs are closely related to changes in peak demands, the modification of electricity rate structures as a load management technique is discussed. Some advantages of wide solar energy application for electric utilities are cited including the possibility of their key role in the development of solar heating.

  2. The Three R's of Utility Savings: Rate Reduction, Rebates and Retrofit.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petiunas, Raymond V.

    1993-01-01

    An effective way to increase electricity energy savings for school districts is to integrate rate case participation (rate reduction) with conservation and load-management efforts (rebates) and retrofit operations, to obtain a total energy cost reduction package. Describes how a Pennsylvania consortium of school districts saved its member…

  3. Regenerable sorbent technique for capturing CO.sub.2 using immobilized amine sorbents

    DOEpatents

    Pennline, Henry W; Hoffman, James S; Gray, McMahan L; Fauth, Daniel J; Resnik, Kevin P

    2013-08-06

    The disclosure provides a CO.sub.2 absorption method using an amine-based solid sorbent for the removal of carbon dioxide from a gas stream. The method disclosed mitigates the impact of water loading on regeneration by utilizing a conditioner following the steam regeneration process, providing for a water loading on the amine-based solid sorbent following CO.sub.2 absorption substantially equivalent to the moisture loading of the regeneration process. This assists in optimizing the CO.sub.2 removal capacity of the amine-based solid sorbent for a given absorption and regeneration reactor size. Management of the water loading in this manner allows regeneration reactor operation with significant mitigation of energy losses incurred by the necessary desorption of adsorbed water.

  4. Hydro pumped storage, international experience: An overview of ASCE task committee report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Makarechian, A.H.; Rummel, G.

    1995-12-31

    This paper presents an overview of a report that is being prepared by ASCE Task Committee on Pumped Storage, International Experience. The reader is referred to the committee report that will be available in 1996. Many pumped storage projects in Europe, but particularly in Japan are becoming an indispensable resource in management of loads and resources on the electrical system. They serve to enhance reliability of the system and to provide for efficient utilization of thermal resources. Pumped storage is increasingly being used as a system management tool. To serve such purposes and to function in this key role, pumpedmore » storage projects are designed for very fast loading and unloading, for very fast mode reversals from pumping to generating and visa versa, for synchronous generation, and more importantly for load ramping during the pumping mode. This is achieved by use of variable-speed pump turbine units. The use of variable-speed units has proven so successful in Japan that many older projects are retrofitted with this new feature. Other interesting equipment applications are discussed including utilization of multi-stage unregulated pump turbines for very high heads (up to 1,250 m), and continued extension of the experience for high head reversible Francis unit, currently in excess of 750 m.« less

  5. Energy Management Policies in Distributed Residential Energy Systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Duan, Sisi; Sun, Jingtao

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we study energy management problems in communities with several neighborhood-level Residential Energy Systems (RESs). We consider control problems from both community level and residential level to handle external changes such as restriction on peak demand and restriction on the total demand from the electricity grid. We propose three policies to handle the problems at community level. Based on the collected data from RESs such as predicted energy load, the community controller analyzes the policies, distribute the results to the RES, and each RES can then control and schedule its own energy load based on different coordination functions.more » We utilize a framework to integrate both policy analysis and coordination of functions. With the use of our approach, we show that the policies are useful to resolve the challenges of energy management under external changes.« less

  6. Managing time-substitutable electricity usage using dynamic controls

    DOEpatents

    Ghosh, Soumyadip; Hosking, Jonathan R.; Natarajan, Ramesh; Subramaniam, Shivaram; Zhang, Xiaoxuan

    2017-02-07

    A predictive-control approach allows an electricity provider to monitor and proactively manage peak and off-peak residential intra-day electricity usage in an emerging smart energy grid using time-dependent dynamic pricing incentives. The daily load is modeled as time-shifted, but cost-differentiated and substitutable, copies of the continuously-consumed electricity resource, and a consumer-choice prediction model is constructed to forecast the corresponding intra-day shares of total daily load according to this model. This is embedded within an optimization framework for managing the daily electricity usage. A series of transformations are employed, including the reformulation-linearization technique (RLT) to obtain a Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) model representation of the resulting nonlinear optimization problem. In addition, various regulatory and pricing constraints are incorporated in conjunction with the specified profit and capacity utilization objectives.

  7. Managing time-substitutable electricity usage using dynamic controls

    DOEpatents

    Ghosh, Soumyadip; Hosking, Jonathan R.; Natarajan, Ramesh; Subramaniam, Shivaram; Zhang, Xiaoxuan

    2017-02-21

    A predictive-control approach allows an electricity provider to monitor and proactively manage peak and off-peak residential intra-day electricity usage in an emerging smart energy grid using time-dependent dynamic pricing incentives. The daily load is modeled as time-shifted, but cost-differentiated and substitutable, copies of the continuously-consumed electricity resource, and a consumer-choice prediction model is constructed to forecast the corresponding intra-day shares of total daily load according to this model. This is embedded within an optimization framework for managing the daily electricity usage. A series of transformations are employed, including the reformulation-linearization technique (RLT) to obtain a Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) model representation of the resulting nonlinear optimization problem. In addition, various regulatory and pricing constraints are incorporated in conjunction with the specified profit and capacity utilization objectives.

  8. CERES AuTomAted job Loading SYSTem (CATALYST): An automated workflow manager for satellite data production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gleason, J. L.; Hillyer, T. N.; Wilkins, J.

    2012-12-01

    The CERES Science Team integrates data from 5 CERES instruments onboard the Terra, Aqua and NPP missions. The processing chain fuses CERES observations with data from 19 other unique sources. The addition of CERES Flight Model 5 (FM5) onboard NPP, coupled with ground processing system upgrades further emphasizes the need for an automated job-submission utility to manage multiple processing streams concurrently. The operator-driven, legacy-processing approach relied on manually staging data from magnetic tape to limited spinning disk attached to a shared memory architecture system. The migration of CERES production code to a distributed, cluster computing environment with approximately one petabyte of spinning disk containing all precursor input data products facilitates the development of a CERES-specific, automated workflow manager. In the cluster environment, I/O is the primary system resource in contention across jobs. Therefore, system load can be maximized with a throttling workload manager. This poster discusses a Java and Perl implementation of an automated job management tool tailored for CERES processing.

  9. Wind Energy Conference, Boulder, Colo., April 9-11, 1980, Technical Papers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1980-03-01

    Papers are presented concerning the technology, and economics of wind energy conversion systems. Specific topics include the aerodynamic analysis of the Darrieus rotor, the numerical calculation of the flow near horizontal-axis wind turbine rotors, the calculation of dynamic wind turbine rotor loads, markets for wind energy systems, an oscillating-wing windmill, wind tunnel tests of wind rotors, wind turbine generator wakes, the application of a multi-speed electrical generator to wind turbines, the feasibility of wind-powered systems for dairy farms, and wind characteristics over uniform and complex terrain. Attention is also given to performance tests of the DOE/NASA MOD-1 2000-kW wind turbine generator, the assessment of utility-related test data, offshore wind energy conversion systems, and the optimization of wind energy utilization economics through load management.

  10. Smart Grid Enabled EVSE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None, None

    2015-01-12

    The combined team of GE Global Research, Federal Express, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Consolidated Edison has successfully achieved the established goals contained within the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Capable Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment funding opportunity. The final program product, shown charging two vehicles in Figure 1, reduces by nearly 50% the total installed system cost of the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) as well as enabling a host of new Smart Grid enabled features. These include bi-directional communications, load control, utility message exchange and transaction management information. Using the new charging system, Utilities or energy service providers willmore » now be able to monitor transportation related electrical loads on their distribution networks, send load control commands or preferences to individual systems, and then see measured responses. Installation owners will be able to authorize usage of the stations, monitor operations, and optimally control their electricity consumption. These features and cost reductions have been developed through a total system design solution.« less

  11. A future Demand Side Management (DSM) opportunity for utility as variable renewable penetrate scale up using agriculture.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ines, A.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Modi, V.; Robertson, A. W.; Lall, U.; Kocaman Ayse, S.; Chaudhary, S.; Kumar, A.; Ganapathy, A.; Kumar, A.; Mishra, V.

    2015-12-01

    Energy demand management, also known as demand side management (DSM), is the modification of consumer demand for energy through various methods such as smart metering, incentive based schemes, payments for turning off loads or rescheduling loads. Usually, the goal of demand side management is to encourage the consumer to use less power during periods of peak demand, or to move the time of energy use to off-peak times. Peak demand management does not necessarily decrease total energy consumption, but could be expected to reduce the need for investments in networks and/or power plants for meeting peak demands. Electricity use can vary dramatically on short and medium time frames, and the pricing system may not reflect the instantaneous cost as additional higher-cost that are brought on-line. In addition, the capacity or willingness of electricity consumers to adjust to prices by altering elasticity of demand may be low, particularly over short time frames. In the scenario of Indian grid setup, the retail customers do not follow real-time pricing and it is difficult to incentivize the utility companies for continuing the peak demand supply. A question for the future is how deeper penetration of renewable will be handled? This is a challenging problem since one has to deal with high variability, while managing loss of load probabilities. In the case of managing the peak demand using agriculture, in the future as smart metering matures with automatic turn on/off for a pump, it will become possible to provide an ensured amount of water or energy to the farmer while keeping the grid energized for 24 hours. Supply scenarios will include the possibility of much larger penetration of solar and wind into the grid. While, in absolute terms these sources are small contributors, their role will inevitably grow but DSM using agriculture could help reduce the capital cost. The other option is of advancing or delaying pump operating cycle even by several hours, will still ensure soil moisture requirements met while, balancing the overall system load with generation, reducing critical power mismatches. Through this presentation the author will describe different techniques and results from field experiments in India.

  12. Method of energy load management using PCM for heating and cooling of buildings

    DOEpatents

    Stovall, T.K.; Tomlinson, J.J.

    1996-03-26

    A method is described for energy load management for the heating and cooling of a building. The method involves utilizing a wallboard as a portion of the building, the wallboard containing about 5 to about 30 wt.% phase change material such that melting of the phase change material occurs during a rise in temperature within the building to remove heat from the air, and a solidification of the phase change material occurs during a lowering of the temperature to dispense heat into the air. At the beginning of either of these cooling or heating cycles, the phase change material is preferably ``fully charged``. In preferred installations one type of wallboard is used on the interior surfaces of exterior walls, and another type as the surface on interior walls. The particular PCM is chosen for the desired wall and room temperature of these locations. In addition, load management is achieved by using PCM-containing wallboards that form cavities of the building such that the cavities can be used for the air handling duct and plenum system of the building. Enhanced load management is achieved by using a thermostat with reduced dead band of about the upper half of a normal dead band of over three degrees. In some applications, air circulation at a rate greater than normal convection provides additional comfort. 7 figs.

  13. Method of energy load management using PCM for heating and cooling of buildings

    DOEpatents

    Stovall, Therese K.; Tomlinson, John J.

    1996-01-01

    A method of energy load management for the heating and cooling of a building. The method involves utilizing a wallboard as a portion of the building, the wallboard containing about 5 to about 30 wt. % a phase change material such that melting of the phase change material occurs during a rise in temperature within the building to remove heat from the air, and a solidification of the phase change material occurs during a lowering of the temperature to dispense heat into the air. At the beginning of either of these cooling or heating cycles, the phase change material is preferably "fully charged". In preferred installations one type of wallboard is used on the interior surfaces of exterior walls, and another type as the surface on interior walls. The particular PCM is chosen for the desired wall and room temperature of these locations. In addition, load management is achieved by using PCM-containing wallboard that form cavities of the building such that the cavities can be used for the air handling duct and plenum system of the building. Enhanced load management is achieved by using a thermostat with reduced dead band of about the upper half of a normal dead band of over three degree. In some applications, air circulation at a rate greater than normal convection provides additional comfort.

  14. Method of energy load management using PCM for heating and cooling of buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stovall, T.K.; Tomlinson, J.J.

    1996-03-26

    A method is described for energy load management for the heating and cooling of a building. The method involves utilizing a wallboard as a portion of the building, the wallboard containing about 5 to about 30 wt.% phase change material such that melting of the phase change material occurs during a rise in temperature within the building to remove heat from the air, and a solidification of the phase change material occurs during a lowering of the temperature to dispense heat into the air. At the beginning of either of these cooling or heating cycles, the phase change material ismore » preferably ``fully charged``. In preferred installations one type of wallboard is used on the interior surfaces of exterior walls, and another type as the surface on interior walls. The particular PCM is chosen for the desired wall and room temperature of these locations. In addition, load management is achieved by using PCM-containing wallboards that form cavities of the building such that the cavities can be used for the air handling duct and plenum system of the building. Enhanced load management is achieved by using a thermostat with reduced dead band of about the upper half of a normal dead band of over three degrees. In some applications, air circulation at a rate greater than normal convection provides additional comfort. 7 figs.« less

  15. Application of the ReNuMa model in the Sha He river watershed: tools for watershed environmental management.

    PubMed

    Sha, Jian; Liu, Min; Wang, Dong; Swaney, Dennis P; Wang, Yuqiu

    2013-07-30

    Models and related analytical methods are critical tools for use in modern watershed management. A modeling approach for quantifying the source apportionment of dissolved nitrogen (DN) and associated tools for examining the sensitivity and uncertainty of the model estimates were assessed for the Sha He River (SHR) watershed in China. The Regional Nutrient Management model (ReNuMa) was used to infer the primary sources of DN in the SHR watershed. This model is based on the Generalized Watershed Loading Functions (GWLF) and the Net Anthropogenic Nutrient Input (NANI) framework, modified to improve the characterization of subsurface hydrology and septic system loads. Hydrochemical processes of the SHR watershed, including streamflow, DN load fluxes, and corresponding DN concentration responses, were simulated following calibrations against observations of streamflow and DN fluxes. Uncertainty analyses were conducted with a Monte Carlo analysis to vary model parameters for assessing the associated variations in model outputs. The model performed accurately at the watershed scale and provided estimates of monthly streamflows and nutrient loads as well as DN source apportionments. The simulations identified the dominant contribution of agricultural land use and significant monthly variations. These results provide valuable support for science-based watershed management decisions and indicate the utility of ReNuMa for such applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Foundational Report Series: Advanced Distribution Management Systems for Grid Modernization, DMS Integration of Distributed Energy Resources and Microgrids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Singh, Ravindra; Reilly, James T.; Wang, Jianhui

    Deregulation of the electric utility industry, environmental concerns associated with traditional fossil fuel-based power plants, volatility of electric energy costs, Federal and State regulatory support of “green” energy, and rapid technological developments all support the growth of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) in electric utility systems and ensure an important role for DERs in the smart grid and other aspects of modern utilities. DERs include distributed generation (DG) systems, such as renewables; controllable loads (also known as demand response); and energy storage systems. This report describes the role of aggregators of DERs in providing optimal services to distribution networks, through DERmore » monitoring and control systems—collectively referred to as a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS)—and microgrids in various configurations.« less

  17. A novel microgrid demand-side management system for manufacturing facilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harper, Terance J.

    Thirty-one percent of annual energy consumption in the United States occurs within the industrial sector, where manufacturing processes account for the largest amount of energy consumption and carbon emissions. For this reason, energy efficiency in manufacturing facilities is increasingly important for reducing operating costs and improving profits. Using microgrids to generate local sustainable power should reduce energy consumption from the main utility grid along with energy costs and carbon emissions. Also, microgrids have the potential to serve as reliable energy generators in international locations where the utility grid is often unstable. For this research, a manufacturing process that had approximately 20 kW of peak demand was matched with a solar photovoltaic array that had a peak output of approximately 3 KW. An innovative Demand-Side Management (DSM) strategy was developed to manage the process loads as part of this smart microgrid system. The DSM algorithm managed the intermittent nature of the microgrid and the instantaneous demand of the manufacturing process. The control algorithm required three input signals; one from the microgrid indicating the availability of renewable energy, another from the manufacturing process indicating energy use as a percent of peak production, and historical data for renewable sources and facility demand. Based on these inputs the algorithm had three modes of operation: normal (business as usual), curtailment (shutting off non-critical loads), and energy storage. The results show that a real-time management of a manufacturing process with a microgrid will reduce electrical consumption and peak demand. The renewable energy system for this research was rated to provide up to 13% of the total manufacturing capacity. With actively managing the process loads with the DSM program alone, electrical consumption from the utility grid was reduced by 17% on average. An additional 24% reduction was accomplished when the microgrid and DSM program was enabled together, resulting in a total reduction of 37%. On average, peak demand was reduced by 6%, but due to the intermittency of the renewable source and the billing structure for peak demand, only a 1% reduction was obtained. During a billing period, it only takes one day when solar irradiance is poor to affect the demand reduction capabilities. To achieve further demand reduction, energy storage should be introduced and integrated.

  18. Load research manual. Volume 3: Load research for advanced technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1980-11-01

    Technical guidelines for electric utility load research are presented. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms. Special load research procedures are presented for solar, wind, and cogeneration technologies.

  19. Distributed utility technology cost, performance, and environmental characteristics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wan, Y; Adelman, S

    1995-06-01

    Distributed Utility (DU) is an emerging concept in which modular generation and storage technologies sited near customer loads in distribution systems and specifically targeted demand-side management programs are used to supplement conventional central station generation plants to meet customer energy service needs. Research has shown that implementation of the DU concept could provide substantial benefits to utilities. This report summarizes the cost, performance, and environmental and siting characteristics of existing and emerging modular generation and storage technologies that are applicable under the DU concept. It is intended to be a practical reference guide for utility planners and engineers seeking informationmore » on DU technology options. This work was funded by the Office of Utility Technologies of the US Department of Energy.« less

  20. Evaluation of sampling strategies to estimate crown biomass

    Treesearch

    Krishna P Poudel; Hailemariam Temesgen; Andrew N Gray

    2015-01-01

    Depending on tree and site characteristics crown biomass accounts for a significant portion of the total aboveground biomass in the tree. Crown biomass estimation is useful for different purposes including evaluating the economic feasibility of crown utilization for energy production or forest products, fuel load assessments and fire management strategies, and wildfire...

  1. Dispatch Strategy Development for Grid-tied Household Energy Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cardwell, Joseph

    The prevalence of renewable generation will increase in the next several decades and offset conventional generation more and more. Yet this increase is not coming without challenges. Solar, wind, and even some water resources are intermittent and unpredictable, and thereby create scheduling challenges due to their inherent "uncontrolled" nature. To effectively manage these distributed renewable assets, new control algorithms must be developed for applications including energy management, bridge power, and system stability. This can be completed through a centralized control center though efforts are being made to parallel the control architecture with the organization of the renewable assets themselves--namely, distributed controls. Building energy management systems are being employed to control localized energy generation, storage, and use to reduce disruption on the net utility load. One such example is VOLTTRONTM, an agent-based platform for building energy control in real time. In this thesis, algorithms developed in VOLTTRON simulate a home energy management system that consists of a solar PV array, a lithium-ion battery bank, and the grid. Dispatch strategies are implemented to reduce energy charges from overall consumption (/kWh) and demand charges (/kW). Dispatch strategies for implementing storage devices are tuned on a month-to-month basis to provide a meaningful economic advantage under simulated scenarios to explore algorithm sensitivity to changing external factors. VOLTTRON agents provide automated real-time optimization of dispatch strategies to efficiently manage energy supply and demand, lower consumer costs associated with energy usage, and reduce load on the utility grid.

  2. Real power regulation for the utility power grid via responsive loads

    DOEpatents

    McIntyre, Timothy J [Knoxville, TN; Kirby, Brendan J [Knoxville, TN; Kisner, Roger A

    2009-05-19

    A system for dynamically managing an electrical power system that determines measures of performance and control criteria for the electric power system, collects at least one automatic generation control (AGC) input parameter to at least one AGC module and at least one automatic load control (ALC) input parameter to at least one ALC module, calculates AGC control signals and loads as resources (LAR) control signals in response to said measures of performance and control criteria, propagates AGC control signals to power generating units in response to control logic in AGC modules, and propagates LAR control signals to at least one LAR in response to control logic in ALC modules.

  3. Evaluating the Magnitude and Duration of Cold Load Pick-up on Residential Distribution Feeders Using Multi-State Load Models

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schneider, Kevin P.; Sortomme, Eric; Venkata, S. S.

    The increased level of demand that is associated with the restoration of service after an outage, Cold Load Pick-Up (CLPU), can be significantly higher than pre-outage levels, even exceeding the normal distribution feeder peak demand. These high levels of demand can delay restoration efforts and in extreme cases damage equipment. The negative impacts of CLPU can be mitigated with strategies that restore the feeder in sections, minimizing the load current. The challenge for utilities is to manage the current level on critical equipment while minimizing the time to restore service to all customers. Accurately modeling CLPU events is the firstmore » step in developing improved restoration strategies that minimize restoration times. This paper presents a new method for evaluating the magnitude of the CLPU peak, and its duration, using multi-state load models. The use of multi-state load models allows for a more accurate representation of the end-use loads that are present on residential distribution feeders.« less

  4. Utilization of common ditch vegetation in the reduction of fipronil and its sulfone metabolite.

    PubMed

    Kröger, Robert; Moore, Matt T

    2008-12-01

    Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, and its oxidative sulfone metabolite are two potential pollutants from treated rice and cotton production. A consequence of these pollutants occurring in surface runoff is degradation of downstream aquatic ecosystems. Utilization of primary intercept drainage ditches as management practices to reduce fipronil concentrations and loads has not been examined. This study used ditch mesocosms planted with monospecific stands of common emergent wetland vegetation to determine if certain plant species were more proficient in fipronil mitigation. Three replicates of four plant species were compared against a non-vegetated control to determine differences in water column outflow concentrations (microg L(-1)) and loads (microg). There were no significant differences between vegetated and control treatments in outflow concentrations (F = 0.35, P = 0.836) and loads (F = 0.35, P = 0.836). The range of fipronil reduction was 28-45% for both concentration and load. Unlike fipronil, fipronil sulfone concentrations and load increased by 96-328%. The increase in fipronil sulfone was hypothesized as a direct consequence of oxidation of fipronil within each mesocosm. The type of ditch vegetation had no effect on fipronil reduction. Future research needs to examine initial concentrations and hydraulic retention times to examine potential changes in reduction capacities.

  5. Reducing insecticide and fungicide loads in runoff from plastic mulch with vegetative-covered furrows.

    PubMed

    Rice, Pamela J; Harman-Fetcho, Jennifer A; Sadeghi, Ali M; McConnell, Laura L; Coffman, C Benjamin; Teasdale, John R; Abdul-Baki, Aref; Starr, James L; McCarty, Gregory W; Herbert, Rachel R; Hapeman, Cathleen J

    2007-02-21

    A common management practice for the production of fresh-market vegetables utilizes polyethylene (plastic) mulch because it increases soil temperature, decreases weed pressure, maintains soil moisture, and minimizes soil contact with the product. However, rain events afford much more erosion and runoff because 50-75% of the field is covered with an impervious surface. A plot study was conducted to compare and to quantify the off-site movement of soil, insecticides, and fungicides associated with runoff from plots planted with Sunbeam tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) using the conventional polyethylene mulch management practice vs an alternative management practice-polyethylene mulch-covered beds with cereal rye (Secale cereale) planted in the furrows between the beds. The use of cereal rye-covered furrows with the conventional polyethylene system decreased runoff volume by more than 40%, soil erosion by more than 80%, and pesticide loads by 48-74%. Results indicate that vegetative furrows are critical to minimizing the negative aspects of this management practice.

  6. Load research manual. Volume 3. Load research for advanced technologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.

    1980-11-01

    This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms. In Volume 3, special load research procedures are presented for solar, wind, and cogeneration technologies.

  7. Smart Grid Risk Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abad Lopez, Carlos Adrian

    Current electricity infrastructure is being stressed from several directions -- high demand, unreliable supply, extreme weather conditions, accidents, among others. Infrastructure planners have, traditionally, focused on only the cost of the system; today, resilience and sustainability are increasingly becoming more important. In this dissertation, we develop computational tools for efficiently managing electricity resources to help create a more reliable and sustainable electrical grid. The tools we present in this work will help electric utilities coordinate demand to allow the smooth and large scale integration of renewable sources of energy into traditional grids, as well as provide infrastructure planners and operators in developing countries a framework for making informed planning and control decisions in the presence of uncertainty. Demand-side management is considered as the most viable solution for maintaining grid stability as generation from intermittent renewable sources increases. Demand-side management, particularly demand response (DR) programs that attempt to alter the energy consumption of customers either by using price-based incentives or up-front power interruption contracts, is more cost-effective and sustainable in addressing short-term supply-demand imbalances when compared with the alternative that involves increasing fossil fuel-based fast spinning reserves. An essential step in compensating participating customers and benchmarking the effectiveness of DR programs is to be able to independently detect the load reduction from observed meter data. Electric utilities implementing automated DR programs through direct load control switches are also interested in detecting the reduction in demand to efficiently pinpoint non-functioning devices to reduce maintenance costs. We develop sparse optimization methods for detecting a small change in the demand for electricity of a customer in response to a price change or signal from the utility, dynamic learning methods for scheduling the maintenance of direct load control switches whose operating state is not directly observable and can only be inferred from the metered electricity consumption, and machine learning methods for accurately forecasting the load of hundreds of thousands of residential, commercial and industrial customers. These algorithms have been implemented in the software system provided by AutoGrid, Inc., and this system has helped several utilities in the Pacific Northwest, Oklahoma, California and Texas, provide more reliable power to their customers at significantly reduced prices. Providing power to widely spread out communities in developing countries using the conventional power grid is not economically feasible. The most attractive alternative source of affordable energy for these communities is solar micro-grids. We discuss risk-aware robust methods to optimally size and operate solar micro-grids in the presence of uncertain demand and uncertain renewable generation. These algorithms help system operators to increase their revenue while making their systems more resilient to inclement weather conditions.

  8. Load research manual. Volume 1. Load research procedures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.

    1980-11-01

    This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. In Volumes 1 and 2, procedures are suggested for determining data requirements for load research, establishing the size and customer composition of a load survey sample, selecting and using equipment to record customer electricity usage, processing data tapes from the recording equipment, and analyzing the data. Statistical techniques used in customer sampling are discussedmore » in detail. The costs of load research also are estimated, and ongoing load research programs at three utilities are described. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms.« less

  9. Operational experience and performance characteristics of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery energy-storage system for providing the customer with critical load protection and energy-management benefits at a lead-recycling plant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hunt, G. W.

    The Power Control Division of GNB Technologies, commissioned on May 13, 1996 a new facility which houses a 5-MW battery energy-storage system (BESS) at GNB's Lead Recycling Centre in Vernon, CA. When the plant loses utility power (which typically happens two or three times a year), the BESS will provide up to 5 MW of power at 4160 VAC in support of all the plant loads. Since the critical loads are not isolated, it is necessary to carry the entire plant load (maximum of 5 MVA) for a short period immediately following an incident until non-critical loads have been automatically shed. Plant loading typically peaks at 3.5 MVA with critical loads of about 2.1 MVA. The BESS also provides the manufacturing plant with customer-side-of-the-meter energy management options to reduce its energy demand during peak periods of the day. The BESS has provided a reduction in monthly electric bills through daily peak-shaving. By design, the battery can provide up to 2.5 MWh of energy and still retain 2.5 MWh of capacity in reserve to handle the possibility of a power outage in protecting the critical loads for up to 1 h. By storing energy from the utility during off-peak hours of the night in the batteries when the cost is low (US4.5¢ per kWh), GNB can then discharge this energy during high demand periods of the day (US14.50 per kW). For example, by reducing its peak demand by 300 kW, the lead-recycling centre can save over US4000 per month in its electric bills. The BESS at Vernon represents a first large-scale use of valve-regulated lead-acid batteries in such a demanding application. This paper presents a summary of the operational experience and performance characteristics of the BESS over the past 2 years.

  10. Perioperative management of a child with glutaric aciduria type I undergoing cardiac surgery.

    PubMed

    Kölker, Stefan; Eichhorn, Joachim; Sebening, Christian; Klein, Berthold; Springer, Wolfgang; Bopp, Christian; Rauch, Helmut

    2013-10-01

    Patients with glutaric aciduria type I are at risk for acute striatal injury precipitated by catabolic stress. Here, we report the successful interdisciplinary anesthetic and perioperative management of a child with glutaric aciduria type I undergoing cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. Given the central focus on prevention of acute striatal injury, our anesthetic strategy emphasized avoiding a high protein load, high-dose inotropics, especially epinephrine (associated with impaired glucose utilization), deliberate hyperventilation, and other interventions associated with systemic inflammatory response.

  11. Terminal area energy management regime investigations utilizing an 0.030-scale model (47-0) of the space shuttle vehicle orbiter configuration 140A/B/C/R in the Ames Research Center 11 x 11 foot transonic wind tunnel (OA148), volume 5

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hawthorne, P. J.

    1976-01-01

    Data obtained in wind tunnel test OA148 are presented. The objectives of the test series were to: (1) obtain pressure distributions, forces and moments over the vehicle 5 orbiter in the thermal area energy management (TAEM) and approach phases of flight; (2) obtain elevon and rudder hinge moments in the TAEM and approach phases of flight; (3) obtain body flap and elevon loads for verification of loads balancing with integrated pressure distributions; and (4) obtain pressure distributions near the short OMS pods in the high subsonic, transonic and low supersonic Mach number regimes.

  12. SLA Negotiation for VO Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paurobally, Shamimabi

    Resource management systems are changing from localized resources and services towards virtual organizations (VOs) sharing millions of heterogeneous resources across multiple organizations and domains. The virtual organizations and usage models include a variety of owners and consumers with different usage, access policies, cost models, varying loads, requirements and availability. The stakeholders have private utility functions that must be satisfied and possibly maximized.

  13. Load research manual. Volume 2. Fundamentals of implementing load research procedures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.

    This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. In Volumes 1 and 2, procedures are suggested for determining data requirements for load research, establishing the size and customer composition of a load survey sample, selecting and using equipment to record customer electricity usage, processing data tapes from the recording equipment, and analyzing the data. Statistical techniques used in customer sampling are discussedmore » in detail. The costs of load research also are estimated, and ongoing load research programs at three utilities are described. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms.« less

  14. Helium process cycle

    DOEpatents

    Ganni, Venkatarao

    2008-08-12

    A unique process cycle and apparatus design separates the consumer (cryogenic) load return flow from most of the recycle return flow of a refrigerator and/or liquefier process cycle. The refrigerator and/or liquefier process recycle return flow is recompressed by a multi-stage compressor set and the consumer load return flow is recompressed by an independent consumer load compressor set that maintains a desirable constant suction pressure using a consumer load bypass control valve and the consumer load return pressure control valve that controls the consumer load compressor's suction pressure. The discharge pressure of this consumer load compressor is thereby allowed to float at the intermediate pressure in between the first and second stage recycle compressor sets. Utilizing the unique gas management valve regulation, the unique process cycle and apparatus design in which the consumer load return flow is separate from the recycle return flow, the pressure ratios of each recycle compressor stage and all main pressures associated with the recycle return flow are allowed to vary naturally, thus providing a naturally regulated and balanced floating pressure process cycle that maintains optimal efficiency at design and off-design process cycle capacity and conditions automatically.

  15. Helium process cycle

    DOEpatents

    Ganni, Venkatarao

    2007-10-09

    A unique process cycle and apparatus design separates the consumer (cryogenic) load return flow from most of the recycle return flow of a refrigerator and/or liquefier process cycle. The refrigerator and/or liquefier process recycle return flow is recompressed by a multi-stage compressor set and the consumer load return flow is recompressed by an independent consumer load compressor set that maintains a desirable constant suction pressure using a consumer load bypass control valve and the consumer load return pressure control valve that controls the consumer load compressor's suction pressure. The discharge pressure of this consumer load compressor is thereby allowed to float at the intermediate pressure in between the first and second stage recycle compressor sets. Utilizing the unique gas management valve regulation, the unique process cycle and apparatus design in which the consumer load return flow is separate from the recycle return flow, the pressure ratios of each recycle compressor stage and all main pressures associated with the recycle return flow are allowed to vary naturally, thus providing a naturally regulated and balanced floating pressure process cycle that maintains optimal efficiency at design and off-design process cycle capacity and conditions automatically.

  16. Predicting physiological capacity of human load carriage - a review.

    PubMed

    Drain, Jace; Billing, Daniel; Neesham-Smith, Daniel; Aisbett, Brad

    2016-01-01

    This review article aims to evaluate a proposed maximum acceptable work duration model for load carriage tasks. It is contended that this concept has particular relevance to physically demanding occupations such as military and firefighting. Personnel in these occupations are often required to perform very physically demanding tasks, over varying time periods, often involving load carriage. Previous research has investigated concepts related to physiological workload limits in occupational settings (e.g. industrial). Evidence suggests however, that existing (unloaded) workload guidelines are not appropriate for load carriage tasks. The utility of this model warrants further work to enable prediction of load carriage durations across a range of functional workloads for physically demanding occupations. If the maximum duration for which personnel can physiologically sustain a load carriage task could be accurately predicted, commanders and supervisors could better plan for and manage tasks to ensure operational imperatives were met whilst minimising health risks for their workers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Load flow and state estimation algorithms for three-phase unbalanced power distribution systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madvesh, Chiranjeevi

    Distribution load flow and state estimation are two important functions in distribution energy management systems (DEMS) and advanced distribution automation (ADA) systems. Distribution load flow analysis is a tool which helps to analyze the status of a power distribution system under steady-state operating conditions. In this research, an effective and comprehensive load flow algorithm is developed to extensively incorporate the distribution system components. Distribution system state estimation is a mathematical procedure which aims to estimate the operating states of a power distribution system by utilizing the information collected from available measurement devices in real-time. An efficient and computationally effective state estimation algorithm adapting the weighted-least-squares (WLS) method has been developed in this research. Both the developed algorithms are tested on different IEEE test-feeders and the results obtained are justified.

  18. [Estimation of nonpoint source pollutant loads and optimization of the best management practices (BMPs) in the Zhangweinan River basin].

    PubMed

    Xu, Hua-Shan; Xu, Zong-Xue; Liu, Pin

    2013-03-01

    One of the key techniques in establishing and implementing TMDL (total maximum daily load) is to utilize hydrological model to quantify non-point source pollutant loads, establish BMPs scenarios, reduce non-point source pollutant loads. Non-point source pollutant loads under different years (wet, normal and dry year) were estimated by using SWAT model in the Zhangweinan River basin, spatial distribution characteristics of non-point source pollutant loads were analyzed on the basis of the simulation result. During wet years, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) accounted for 0.07% and 27.24% of the total non-point source pollutant loads, respectively. Spatially, agricultural and residential land with steep slope are the regions that contribute more non-point source pollutant loads in the basin. Compared to non-point source pollutant loads with those during the baseline period, 47 BMPs scenarios were set to simulate the reduction efficiency of different BMPs scenarios for 5 kinds of pollutants (organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus and mineral phosphorus) in 8 prior controlled subbasins. Constructing vegetation type ditch was optimized as the best measure to reduce TN and TP by comparing cost-effective relationship among different BMPs scenarios, and the costs of unit pollutant reduction are 16.11-151.28 yuan x kg(-1) for TN, and 100-862.77 yuan x kg(-1) for TP, which is the most cost-effective measure among the 47 BMPs scenarios. The results could provide a scientific basis and technical support for environmental protection and sustainable utilization of water resources in the Zhangweinan River basin.

  19. Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis for Launch Vehicles with Varying Payloads and Adapters for Structural Dynamics and Loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGhee, David S.; Peck, Jeff A.; McDonald, Emmett J.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis (PSA) methods and tools in an effort to understand their utility in vehicle loads and dynamic analysis. Specifically, this study addresses how these methods may be used to establish limits on payload mass and cg location and requirements on adaptor stiffnesses while maintaining vehicle loads and frequencies within established bounds. To this end, PSA methods and tools are applied to a realistic, but manageable, integrated launch vehicle analysis where payload and payload adaptor parameters are modeled as random variables. This analysis is used to study both Regional Response PSA (RRPSA) and Global Response PSA (GRPSA) methods, with a primary focus on sampling based techniques. For contrast, some MPP based approaches are also examined.

  20. Tile-based Level of Detail for the Parallel Age

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Niski, K; Cohen, J D

    Today's PCs incorporate multiple CPUs and GPUs and are easily arranged in clusters for high-performance, interactive graphics. We present an approach based on hierarchical, screen-space tiles to parallelizing rendering with level of detail. Adapt tiles, render tiles, and machine tiles are associated with CPUs, GPUs, and PCs, respectively, to efficiently parallelize the workload with good resource utilization. Adaptive tile sizes provide load balancing while our level of detail system allows total and independent management of the load on CPUs and GPUs. We demonstrate our approach on parallel configurations consisting of both single PCs and a cluster of PCs.

  1. Collectives for Multiple Resource Job Scheduling Across Heterogeneous Servers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tumer, K.; Lawson, J.

    2003-01-01

    Efficient management of large-scale, distributed data storage and processing systems is a major challenge for many computational applications. Many of these systems are characterized by multi-resource tasks processed across a heterogeneous network. Conventional approaches, such as load balancing, work well for centralized, single resource problems, but breakdown in the more general case. In addition, most approaches are often based on heuristics which do not directly attempt to optimize the world utility. In this paper, we propose an agent based control system using the theory of collectives. We configure the servers of our network with agents who make local job scheduling decisions. These decisions are based on local goals which are constructed to be aligned with the objective of optimizing the overall efficiency of the system. We demonstrate that multi-agent systems in which all the agents attempt to optimize the same global utility function (team game) only marginally outperform conventional load balancing. On the other hand, agents configured using collectives outperform both team games and load balancing (by up to four times for the latter), despite their distributed nature and their limited access to information.

  2. Current limiting remote power control module

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hopkins, Douglas C.

    1990-01-01

    The power source for the Space Station Freedom will be fully utilized nearly all of the time. As such, any loads on the system will need to operate within expected limits. Should any load draw an inordinate amount of power, the bus voltage for the system may sag and disrupt the operation of other loads. To protect the bus and loads some type of power interface between the bus and each load must be provided. This interface is most crucial when load faults occur. A possible system configuration is presented. The proposed interface is the Current Limiting Remote Power Controller (CL-RPC). Such an interface should provide the following power functions: limit overloading and resulting undervoltage; prevent catastrophic failure and still provide for redundancy management within the load; minimize cable heating; and provide accurate current measurement. A functional block diagram of the power processing stage of a CL-RPC is included. There are four functions that drive the circuit design: rate control of current; current sensing; the variable conductance switch (VCS) technology; and the algorithm used for current limiting. Each function is discussed separately.

  3. Guide to purchasing electricity and gas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cunningham, P.R.; Burrell, D.

    1999-09-01

    An issue which now faces all energy users is understanding the specifics of the impact of the deregulation of the electric and natural gas industries. This book was written to help one understand the forces behind deregulation, and how one can use this knowledge now to negotiate lower utility rates, even if deregulation has not been fully implemented in one`s area. Readers will learn how coordinating new rate packages with the management of in-house loads can multiply savings. Essential ingredients to successful negotiation are clearly outlined, including assessing the alternatives for both load management and supply, understanding interruptible rate options,more » doing homework on ongoing deregulation activities, finding out who makes the decisions and working directly with them, and hands-on involvement in fine tuning the final contract. Case studies are also included.« less

  4. An Enhanced Adaptive Management Approach for Remediation of Legacy Mercury in the South River

    PubMed Central

    Foran, Christy M.; Baker, Kelsie M.; Grosso, Nancy R.; Linkov, Igor

    2015-01-01

    Uncertainties about future conditions and the effects of chosen actions, as well as increasing resource scarcity, have been driving forces in the utilization of adaptive management strategies. However, many applications of adaptive management have been criticized for a number of shortcomings, including a limited ability to learn from actions and a lack of consideration of stakeholder objectives. To address these criticisms, we supplement existing adaptive management approaches with a decision-analytical approach that first informs the initial selection of management alternatives and then allows for periodic re-evaluation or phased implementation of management alternatives based on monitoring information and incorporation of stakeholder values. We describe the application of this enhanced adaptive management (EAM) framework to compare remedial alternatives for mercury in the South River, based on an understanding of the loading and behavior of mercury in the South River near Waynesboro, VA. The outcomes show that the ranking of remedial alternatives is influenced by uncertainty in the mercury loading model, by the relative importance placed on different criteria, and by cost estimates. The process itself demonstrates that a decision model can link project performance criteria, decision-maker preferences, environmental models, and short- and long-term monitoring information with management choices to help shape a remediation approach that provides useful information for adaptive, incremental implementation. PMID:25665032

  5. Modeling urban storm rainfall runoff from diverse underlying surfaces and application for control design in Beijing.

    PubMed

    Ouyang, Wei; Guo, Bobo; Hao, Fanghua; Huang, Haobo; Li, Junqi; Gong, Yongwei

    2012-12-30

    Managing storm rainfall runoff is paramount in semi-arid regions with urban development. In Beijing, pollution prevention in urban storm runoff and storm water utilization has been identified as the primary strategy for urban water management. In this paper, we sampled runoff during storm rainfall events and analyzed the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) in the runoff. Furthermore, the first flush effect of storm rainfall from diverse underlying surfaces was also analyzed. With the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), the different impervious rates of underlying surfaces during the storm runoff process were expressed. The removal rates of three typical pollutants and their interactions with precipitation and underlying surfaces were identified. From these rates, the scenarios regarding the urban storm runoff pollution loading from different designs of underlying previous rates were assessed with the SWMM. First flush effect analysis showed that the first 20% of the storm runoff should be discarded, which can help in utilizing the storm water resource. The results of this study suggest that the SWMM can express in detail the storm water pollution patterns from diverse underlying surfaces in Beijing, which significantly affected water quality. The scenario analysis demonstrated that impervious rate adjustment has the potential to reduce runoff peak and decrease pollution loading. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Smart Grid Constraint Violation Management for Balancing and Regulating Purposes

    DOE PAGES

    Bhattarai, Bishnu; Kouzelis, Konstantinos; Mendaza, Iker; ...

    2017-03-29

    The gradual active load penetration in low voltage distribution grids is expected to challenge their network capacity in the near future. Distribution system operators should for this reason resort to either costly grid reinforcements or to demand side management mechanisms. Since demand side management implementation is usually cheaper, it is also the favorable solution. To this end, this article presents a framework for handling grid limit violations, both voltage and current, to ensure a secure and qualitative operation of the distribution grid. This framework consists of two steps, namely a proactive centralized and subsequently a reactive decentralized control scheme. Themore » former is employed to balance the one hour ahead load while the latter aims at regulating the consumption in real-time. In both cases, the importance of fair use of electricity demand flexibility is emphasized. Thus, it is demonstrated that this methodology aids in keeping the grid status within preset limits while utilizing flexibility from all flexibility participants.« less

  7. River water quality management considering agricultural return flows: application of a nonlinear two-stage stochastic fuzzy programming.

    PubMed

    Tavakoli, Ali; Nikoo, Mohammad Reza; Kerachian, Reza; Soltani, Maryam

    2015-04-01

    In this paper, a new fuzzy methodology is developed to optimize water and waste load allocation (WWLA) in rivers under uncertainty. An interactive two-stage stochastic fuzzy programming (ITSFP) method is utilized to handle parameter uncertainties, which are expressed as fuzzy boundary intervals. An iterative linear programming (ILP) is also used for solving the nonlinear optimization model. To accurately consider the impacts of the water and waste load allocation strategies on the river water quality, a calibrated QUAL2Kw model is linked with the WWLA optimization model. The soil, water, atmosphere, and plant (SWAP) simulation model is utilized to determine the quantity and quality of each agricultural return flow. To control pollution loads of agricultural networks, it is assumed that a part of each agricultural return flow can be diverted to an evaporation pond and also another part of it can be stored in a detention pond. In detention ponds, contaminated water is exposed to solar radiation for disinfecting pathogens. Results of applying the proposed methodology to the Dez River system in the southwestern region of Iran illustrate its effectiveness and applicability for water and waste load allocation in rivers. In the planning phase, this methodology can be used for estimating the capacities of return flow diversion system and evaporation and detention ponds.

  8. Monitor-based evaluation of pollutant load from urban stormwater runoff in Beijing.

    PubMed

    Liu, Y; Che, W; Li, J

    2005-01-01

    As a major pollutant source to urban receiving waters, the non-point source pollution from urban runoff needs to be well studied and effectively controlled. Based on monitoring data from urban runoff pollutant sources, this article describes a systematic estimation of total pollutant loads from the urban areas of Beijing. A numerical model was developed to quantify main pollutant loads of urban runoff in Beijing. A sub-procedure is involved in this method, in which the flush process influences both the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. A statistics-based method was applied in computing the annual pollutant load as an output of the runoff. The proportions of pollutant from point-source and non-point sources were compared. This provides a scientific basis for proper environmental input assessment of urban stormwater pollution to receiving waters, improvement of infrastructure performance, implementation of urban stormwater management, and utilization of stormwater.

  9. Anion permselective membrane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hodgdon, R. B.; Waite, W. A.; Alexander, S. S.

    1984-01-01

    Two polymer ion exchange membranes were synthesized to fulfill the needs of both electrical resistivity and anolyte/catholyte separation for utility load leveling utilizing the DOE/NASA mixed electrolyte REDOX battery. Both membranes were shown to meet mixed electrolyte utility load leveling criteria. Several modifications of an anion exchange membrane failed to meet utility load leveling REDOX battery criteria using the unmixed electrolyte REDOX cell.

  10. Unstructured P2P Network Load Balance Strategy Based on Multilevel Partitioning of Hypergraph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Lv; Chunlin, Gao; Kaiyang, Ma

    2017-05-01

    With rapid development of computer performance and distributed technology, P2P-based resource sharing mode plays important role in Internet. P2P network users continued to increase so the high dynamic characteristics of the system determine that it is difficult to obtain the load of other nodes. Therefore, a dynamic load balance strategy based on hypergraph is proposed in this article. The scheme develops from the idea of hypergraph theory in multilevel partitioning. It adopts optimized multilevel partitioning algorithms to partition P2P network into several small areas, and assigns each area a supernode for the management and load transferring of the nodes in this area. In the case of global scheduling is difficult to be achieved, the priority of a number of small range of load balancing can be ensured first. By the node load balance in each small area the whole network can achieve relative load balance. The experiments indicate that the load distribution of network nodes in our scheme is obviously compacter. It effectively solves the unbalanced problems in P2P network, which also improve the scalability and bandwidth utilization of system.

  11. Pressure reducing capacity of felt: a feasibility study using a new portable system with thin sensors.

    PubMed

    Deschamps, Kevin; Messier, Benjamin

    2015-03-01

    Pressure redistribution and off-loading is a vital component in the management of the foot in diabetes. In the present study, a new portable system encompassing thin piezoresistors was tested for clinical utility and efficacy with respect to a commonly used pressure relieving dressing for the foot in diabetes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. PHM Enabled Autonomous Propellant Loading Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, Mark; Figueroa, Fernando

    2017-01-01

    The utility of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) software capability applied to Autonomous Operations (AO) remains an active research area within aerospace applications. The ability to gain insight into which assets and subsystems are functioning properly, along with the derivation of confident predictions concerning future ability, reliability, and availability, are important enablers for making sound mission planning decisions. When coupled with software that fully supports mission planning and execution, an integrated solution can be developed that leverages state assessment and estimation for the purposes of delivering autonomous operations. The authors have been applying this integrated, model-based approach to the autonomous loading of cryogenic spacecraft propellants at Kennedy Space Center.

  13. Stochastic and Statistical Analysis of Utility Revenues and Weather Data Analysis for Consumer Demand Estimation in Smart Grids

    PubMed Central

    Ali, S. M.; Mehmood, C. A; Khan, B.; Jawad, M.; Farid, U; Jadoon, J. K.; Ali, M.; Tareen, N. K.; Usman, S.; Majid, M.; Anwar, S. M.

    2016-01-01

    In smart grid paradigm, the consumer demands are random and time-dependent, owning towards stochastic probabilities. The stochastically varying consumer demands have put the policy makers and supplying agencies in a demanding position for optimal generation management. The utility revenue functions are highly dependent on the consumer deterministic stochastic demand models. The sudden drifts in weather parameters effects the living standards of the consumers that in turn influence the power demands. Considering above, we analyzed stochastically and statistically the effect of random consumer demands on the fixed and variable revenues of the electrical utilities. Our work presented the Multi-Variate Gaussian Distribution Function (MVGDF) probabilistic model of the utility revenues with time-dependent consumer random demands. Moreover, the Gaussian probabilities outcome of the utility revenues is based on the varying consumer n demands data-pattern. Furthermore, Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) simulations are performed that validated the factor of accuracy in the aforesaid probabilistic demand-revenue model. We critically analyzed the effect of weather data parameters on consumer demands using correlation and multi-linear regression schemes. The statistical analysis of consumer demands provided a relationship between dependent (demand) and independent variables (weather data) for utility load management, generation control, and network expansion. PMID:27314229

  14. Stochastic and Statistical Analysis of Utility Revenues and Weather Data Analysis for Consumer Demand Estimation in Smart Grids.

    PubMed

    Ali, S M; Mehmood, C A; Khan, B; Jawad, M; Farid, U; Jadoon, J K; Ali, M; Tareen, N K; Usman, S; Majid, M; Anwar, S M

    2016-01-01

    In smart grid paradigm, the consumer demands are random and time-dependent, owning towards stochastic probabilities. The stochastically varying consumer demands have put the policy makers and supplying agencies in a demanding position for optimal generation management. The utility revenue functions are highly dependent on the consumer deterministic stochastic demand models. The sudden drifts in weather parameters effects the living standards of the consumers that in turn influence the power demands. Considering above, we analyzed stochastically and statistically the effect of random consumer demands on the fixed and variable revenues of the electrical utilities. Our work presented the Multi-Variate Gaussian Distribution Function (MVGDF) probabilistic model of the utility revenues with time-dependent consumer random demands. Moreover, the Gaussian probabilities outcome of the utility revenues is based on the varying consumer n demands data-pattern. Furthermore, Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) simulations are performed that validated the factor of accuracy in the aforesaid probabilistic demand-revenue model. We critically analyzed the effect of weather data parameters on consumer demands using correlation and multi-linear regression schemes. The statistical analysis of consumer demands provided a relationship between dependent (demand) and independent variables (weather data) for utility load management, generation control, and network expansion.

  15. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhattarai, Bishnu; Kouzelis, Konstantinos; Mendaza, Iker

    The gradual active load penetration in low voltage distribution grids is expected to challenge their network capacity in the near future. Distribution system operators should for this reason resort to either costly grid reinforcements or to demand side management mechanisms. Since demand side management implementation is usually cheaper, it is also the favorable solution. To this end, this article presents a framework for handling grid limit violations, both voltage and current, to ensure a secure and qualitative operation of the distribution grid. This framework consists of two steps, namely a proactive centralized and subsequently a reactive decentralized control scheme. Themore » former is employed to balance the one hour ahead load while the latter aims at regulating the consumption in real-time. In both cases, the importance of fair use of electricity demand flexibility is emphasized. Thus, it is demonstrated that this methodology aids in keeping the grid status within preset limits while utilizing flexibility from all flexibility participants.« less

  16. Mathematical Model and Artificial Intelligent Techniques Applied to a Milk Industry through DSM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babu, P. Ravi; Divya, V. P. Sree

    2011-08-01

    The resources for electrical energy are depleting and hence the gap between the supply and the demand is continuously increasing. Under such circumstances, the option left is optimal utilization of available energy resources. The main objective of this chapter is to discuss about the Peak load management and overcome the problems associated with it in processing industries such as Milk industry with the help of DSM techniques. The chapter presents a generalized mathematical model for minimizing the total operating cost of the industry subject to the constraints. The work presented in this chapter also deals with the results of application of Neural Network, Fuzzy Logic and Demand Side Management (DSM) techniques applied to a medium scale milk industrial consumer in India to achieve the improvement in load factor, reduction in Maximum Demand (MD) and also the consumer gets saving in the energy bill.

  17. Refrigerated Warehouse Demand Response Strategy Guide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scott, Doug; Castillo, Rafael; Larson, Kyle

    This guide summarizes demand response measures that can be implemented in refrigerated warehouses. In an appendix, it also addresses related energy efficiency opportunities. Reducing overall grid demand during peak periods and energy consumption has benefits for facility operators, grid operators, utility companies, and society. State wide demand response potential for the refrigerated warehouse sector in California is estimated to be over 22.1 Megawatts. Two categories of demand response strategies are described in this guide: load shifting and load shedding. Load shifting can be accomplished via pre-cooling, capacity limiting, and battery charger load management. Load shedding can be achieved by lightingmore » reduction, demand defrost and defrost termination, infiltration reduction, and shutting down miscellaneous equipment. Estimation of the costs and benefits of demand response participation yields simple payback periods of 2-4 years. To improve demand response performance, it’s suggested to install air curtains and another form of infiltration barrier, such as a rollup door, for the passageways. Further modifications to increase efficiency of the refrigeration unit are also analyzed. A larger condenser can maintain the minimum saturated condensing temperature (SCT) for more hours of the day. Lowering the SCT reduces the compressor lift, which results in an overall increase in refrigeration system capacity and energy efficiency. Another way of saving energy in refrigerated warehouses is eliminating the use of under-floor resistance heaters. A more energy efficient alternative to resistance heaters is to utilize the heat that is being rejected from the condenser through a heat exchanger. These energy efficiency measures improve efficiency either by reducing the required electric energy input for the refrigeration system, by helping to curtail the refrigeration load on the system, or by reducing both the load and required energy input.« less

  18. Residential Simulation Tool

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Starke, Michael R; Abdelaziz, Omar A; Jackson, Rogerick K

    Residential Simulation Tool was developed to understand the impact of residential load consumption on utilities including the role of demand response. This is complicated as many different residential loads exist and are utilized for different purposes. The tool models human behavior and contributes this to load utilization, which contributes to the electrical consumption prediction by the tool. The tool integrates a number of different databases from Department of Energy and other Government websites to support the load consumption prediction.

  19. Texas Disasters II: Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assist the Texas Forest Service in Mapping and Analyzing Fuel Loads and Phenology in Texas Grasslands

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brooke, Michael; Williams, Meredith; Fenn, Teresa

    2016-01-01

    The risk of severe wildfires in Texas has been related to weather phenomena such as climate change and recent urban expansion into wild land areas. During recent years, Texas wild land areas have experienced sequences of wet and dry years that have contributed to increased wildfire risk and frequency. To prevent and contain wildfires, the Texas Forest Service (TFS) is tasked with evaluating and reducing potential fire risk to better manage and distribute resources. This task is made more difficult due to the vast and varied landscape of Texas. The TFS assesses fire risk by understanding vegetative fuel types and fuel loads. To better assist the TFS, NASA Earth observations, including Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Specrtoradiometer (MODIS) data, were analyzed to produce maps of vegetation type and specific vegetation phenology as it related to potential wildfire fuel loads. Fuel maps from 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 fire seasons, created by the Texas Disasters I project, were used and provided alternating, complementary map indicators of wildfire risk in Texas. The TFS will utilize the end products and capabilities to evaluate and better understand wildfire risk across Texas.

  20. Impacts of demand response and renewable generation in electricity power market

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Zhechong

    This thesis presents the objective of the research which is to analyze the impacts of uncertain wind power and demand response on power systems operation and power market clearing. First, in order to effectively utilize available wind generation, it is usually given the highest priority by assigning zero or negative energy bidding prices when clearing the day-ahead electric power market. However, when congestion occurs, negative wind bidding prices would aggravate locational marginal prices (LMPs) to be negative in certain locations. A load shifting model is explored to alleviate possible congestions and enhance the utilization of wind generation, by shifting proper amount of load from peak hours to off peaks. The problem is to determine proper amount of load to be shifted, for enhancing the utilization of wind generation, alleviating transmission congestions, and making LMPs to be non-negative values. The second piece of work considered the price-based demand response (DR) program which is a mechanism for electricity consumers to dynamically manage their energy consumption in response to time-varying electricity prices. It encourages consumers to reduce their energy consumption when electricity prices are high, and thereby reduce the peak electricity demand and alleviate the pressure to power systems. However, it brings additional dynamics and new challenges on the real-time supply and demand balance. Specifically, price-sensitive DR load levels are constantly changing in response to dynamic real-time electricity prices, which will impact the economic dispatch (ED) schedule and in turn affect electricity market clearing prices. This thesis adopts two methods for examining the impacts of different DR price elasticity characteristics on the stability performance: a closed-loop iterative simulation method and a non-iterative method based on the contraction mapping theorem. This thesis also analyzes the financial stability of DR load consumers, by incorporating explicit LMP formulations and consumer payment requirements into the network-constrained unit commitment (NCUC) problem. The proposed model determines the proper amount of DR loads to be shifted from peak hours to off-peaks under ISO's direct load control, for reducing the operation cost and ensuring that consumer payments of DR loads will not deteriorate significantly after load shifting. Both MINLP and MILP models are discussed, and improved formulation strategies are presented.

  1. Automated distribution system management for multichannel space power systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fleck, G. W.; Decker, D. K.; Graves, J.

    1983-01-01

    A NASA sponsored study of space power distribution system technology is in progress to develop an autonomously managed power system (AMPS) for large space power platforms. The multichannel, multikilowatt, utility-type power subsystem proposed presents new survivability requirements and increased subsystem complexity. The computer controls under development for the power management system must optimize the power subsystem performance and minimize the life cycle cost of the platform. A distribution system management philosophy has been formulated which incorporates these constraints. Its implementation using a TI9900 microprocessor and FORTH as the programming language is presented. The approach offers a novel solution to the perplexing problem of determining the optimal combination of loads which should be connected to each power channel for a versatile electrical distribution concept.

  2. Utilities bullish on meter-reading technology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Garner, W.L.

    1995-01-15

    By the end of 1996, the 400,000 customers of Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCPL) will have their electric meters read by a real-time wireless network that will relay electrical consumption readings back to computers at the utility`s customer service office. KCPL`s executives believe the new radio and cellular network will greatly improve the company`s ability to control its power distribution, manage its load requirements, monitor outages, and in the near future, allow time-of-use and offpeak pricing. The KCPL system represents the first systemwide, commercial application of wireless automated meter reading (AMR) by a U.S. utility. The article alsomore » describes other AMR systems for reading water and gas meters, along with saying that $18 billion in future power plant investments can be avoided by using time-of-use pricing for residential customers.« less

  3. Advanced medium-voltage bidirectional dc-dc conversion systems for future electric energy delivery and management systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Haifeng

    2011-12-01

    The distributed renewable energy generation and utilization are constantly growing, and are expected to be integrated with the conventional grid. The growing pressure for innovative solutions will demand power electronics to take an even larger role in future electric energy delivery and management systems, since power electronics are required for the conversion and control of electric energy by most dispersed generation systems Furthermore, power electronics systems can provide additional intelligent energy management, grid stability and power quality capabilities. Medium-voltage isolated dc-dc converter will become one of the key interfaces for grid components with moderate power ratings. To address the demand of medium voltage (MV) and high power capability for future electric energy delivery and management systems, the power electronics community and industry have been reacting in two different ways: developing semiconductor technology or directly connecting devices in series/parallel to reach higher nominal voltages and currents while maintaining conventional converter topologies; and by developing new converter topologies with traditional semiconductor technology, known as multilevel converters or modular converters. The modular approach uses the well-known, mature, and cheaper power semiconductor devices by adopting new converter topologies. The main advantages of the modular approach include: significant improvement in reliability by introducing desired level of redundancy; standardization of components leading to reduction in manufacturing cost and time; power systems can be easily reconfigured to support varying input-output specifications; and possibly higher efficiency and power density of the overall system. Input-series output-parallel (ISOP) modular configuration is a good choice to realize MV to low voltage (LV) conversion for utility application. However, challenges still remain. First of all, for the high-frequency MV utility application, the low switching loss and conduction loss are must-haves for high efficiency, while bidirectional power flow capability is a must for power management requirement. To address the demand, the phase-shift dual-halfbridge (DHB) is proposed as the constituent module of ISOP configuration for MV application. The proposed ISOP DHB converter employs zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) technique combined with LV MOSFETs to achieve low switching and conduction losses under high frequency operation, and therefore high efficiency and high power density, and bidirectional power flow as well. Secondly, a large load range of high efficiency is desired rather than only a specific load point due to the continuous operation and large load variation range of utility application, which is of high importance because of the rising energy cost. This work proposes a novel DHB converter with an adaptive commutation inductor. By utilizing an adaptive inductor as the main energy transfer element, the output power can be controlled by not only the phase shift but also the commutation inductance, which allows the circulating energy to be optimized for different load conditions to maintain ZVS under light load conditions and minimize additional conduction losses under heavy load conditions as well. As a result, the efficiency at both light and heavy load can be significantly improved compared with the conventional DHB converter, and therefore extended high-efficiency range can be achieved. In addition, current stress of switch devices can be reduced. The theoretical analysis is presented and validated by the experimental results on a 50 kHz, 1 kW dc-dc converter module. Thirdly, input-voltage sharing and output-current sharing are critical to assure the advantages of the ISOP modular configuration. To solve this issue, an identically distributed control scheme is proposed in this work. The proposed control scheme, using only one distributed voltage loop to realize both input-voltage and output-current sharing, provides plug-and-play capability, possible high-level fault tolerance, and easy implementation. Another unique advantage of the proposed ISOP DHB converter is the power rating can be easily extended further by directly connecting multiple ISOP DHB converters in input-parallel-outparallel (IPOP) while no additional control is needed. The proposed control scheme is elaborated using the large-signal average model. Further, the stability of the control schemes is analyzed in terms of the constituent modules' topology as well as the configuration, and then an important fact that the stability of control scheme depends on not only the configuration but also the constituent module topology is first revealed in this work. Finally, the simulation and experimental results of an ISOP DHB converter consisting of three modules are presented to verify the proposed control scheme and the high frequency high efficiency operation.

  4. Implementation of a data management software system for SSME test history data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abernethy, Kenneth

    1986-01-01

    The implementation of a software system for managing Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test/flight historical data is presented. The software system uses the database management system RIM7 for primary data storage and routine data management, but includes several FORTRAN programs, described here, which provide customized access to the RIM7 database. The consolidation, modification, and transfer of data from the database THIST, to the RIM7 database THISRM is discussed. The RIM7 utility modules for generating some standard reports from THISRM and performing some routine updating and maintenance are briefly described. The FORTRAN accessing programs described include programs for initial loading of large data sets into the database, capturing data from files for database inclusion, and producing specialized statistical reports which cannot be provided by the RIM7 report generator utility. An expert system tutorial, constructed using the expert system shell product INSIGHT2, is described. Finally, a potential expert system, which would analyze data in the database, is outlined. This system could use INSIGHT2 as well and would take advantage of RIM7's compatibility with the microcomputer database system RBase 5000.

  5. [Mapping Critical Loads of Heavy Metals for Soil Based on Different Environmental Effects].

    PubMed

    Shi, Ya-xing; Wu, Shao-hua; Zhou, Sheng-lu; Wang, Chun-hui; Chen, Hao

    2015-12-01

    China's rapid development of industrialization and urbanization causes the growing problem of heavy metal pollution of soil, threatening environment and human health. Therefore, prevention and management of heavy metal pollution become particularly important. Critical loads of heavy metals are an important management tool that can be utilized to prevent the occurrence of heavy metal pollution. Our study was based on three cases: status balance, water environmental effects and health risks. We used the steady-state mass balance equation to calculate the critical loads of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn at different effect levels and analyze the values and spatial variation of critical loads. In addition, we used the annual input fluxes of heavy metals of the agro-ecosystem in the Yangtze River delta and China to estimate the proportion of area with exceedance of critical loads. The results demonstrated that the critical load value of Cd was the minimum, and the values of Cu and Zn were lager. There were spatial differences among the critical loads of four elements in the study area, lower critical loads areas mainly occurred in woodland and high value areas distributed in the east and southwest of the study area, while median values and the medium high areas mainly occurred in farmland. Comparing the input fluxes of heavy metals, we found that Pb and Zn in more than 90% of the area exceeded the critical loads under different environmental effects in the study area. The critical load exceedance of Cd mainly occurred under the status balance and the water environmental effect, while Cu under the status balance and water environmental effect with a higher proportion of exceeded areas. Critical loads of heavy metals at different effect levels in this study could serve as a reference from effective control of the emissions of heavy metals and to prevent the occurrence of heavy metal pollution.

  6. Effects of crop load on distribution and utilization of 13C and 15N and fruit quality for dwarf apple trees.

    PubMed

    Ding, Ning; Chen, Qian; Zhu, Zhanling; Peng, Ling; Ge, Shunfeng; Jiang, Yuanmao

    2017-10-26

    In order to define the effects of fruit crop load on the distribution and utilization of carbon and nitrogen in dwarf apple trees, we conducted three crop load levels (High-crop load, 6 fruits per trunk cross-sectional area (cm 2 , TCA)), Medium-crop load (4 fruits cm -2 TCA), Low-crop load (2 fruits cm -2 TCA)) in 2014 and 2015. The results indicated that the 15 N derived from fertilizer (Ndff) values of fruits decreased with the reduction of crop load, but the Ndff values of annual branches, leaves and roots increased. The plant 15 N-urea utilization rates on Medium and Low-crop load were 1.12-1.35 times higher than the High-crop load. With the reduction of crop load, the distribution rate of 13 C and 15 N in fruits was gradually reduced, but in contrast, the distribution of 13 C and 15 N gradually increased in annual branches, leaves and roots. Compared with High-crop load, the Medium and Low-crop load significantly improved fruit quality p < 0.05. Hence, controlling fruit load effectively regulated the distribution of carbon and nitrogen in plants, improved the nitrogen utilization rate and fruit quality. The appropriate crop load level for mature M.26 interstocks apple orchards was deemed to be 4.0 fruits cm -2 TCA.

  7. Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    An assessment of NASA's safety performance for 1983 affirms that NASA Headquarters and Center management teams continue to hold the safety of manned flight to be their prime concern, and that essential effort and resources are allocated for maintaining safety in all of the development and operational programs. Those conclusions most worthy of NASA management concentration are given along with recommendations for action concerning; product quality and utility; space shuttle main engine; landing gear; logistics and management; orbiter structural loads, landing speed, and pitch control; the shuttle processing contractor; and the safety of flight operations. It appears that much needs to be done before the Space Transportation System can achieve the reliability necessary for safe, high rate, low cost operations.

  8. Improvement of the Measurement Range and Temperature Characteristics of a Load Sensor Using a Quartz Crystal Resonator with All Crystal Layer Components.

    PubMed

    Murozaki, Yuichi; Sakuma, Shinya; Arai, Fumihito

    2017-05-08

    Monitoring multiple biosignals, such as heart rate, respiration cycle, and weight transitions, contributes to the health management of individuals. Specifically, it is possible to measure multiple biosignals using load information obtained through contact with the environment, such as a chair and bed, in daily use. A wide-range load sensor is essential since load information contains multiple biosignals with various load ranges. In this study, a load sensor is presented by using a quartz crystal resonator (QCR) with a wide measurement range of 1.5 × 10⁶ (0.4 mN to 600 N), and its temperature characteristic of load is improved to -7 Hz/°C (-18 mN/°C). In order to improve the measurement range of the load, a design method of this sensor is proposed by restraining the buckling of QCR and by using a thinner QCR. The proposed sensor allows a higher allowable load with high sensitivity. The load sensor mainly consists of three layers, namely a QCR layer and two holding layers. As opposed to the conventional holding layer composed of silicon, quartz crystal is utilized for the holding layers to improve the temperature characteristic of the load sensor. In the study, multiple biosignals, such as weight and pulse, are detected by using a fabricated sensor.

  9. A conceptual cross-scale approach for linking empirical discharge measurements and regional groundwater models with application to legacy nitrogen transport and coastal nitrogen management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barclay, J. R.; Helton, A. M.; Starn, J. J.; Briggs, M. A.

    2016-12-01

    Despite years of management, seasonal hypoxia from excess nitrogen (N) is a pervasive problem in many coastal waters. Current approaches to managing coastal eutrophication in the United States (USA) focus on surface runoff and river transport of nutrients, and often assume that groundwater N is at steady state. This is not necessarily the case, as terrestrial N inputs are affected by changing land use and nutrient management practices. Furthermore, approximately 70% of surface water in the USA is derived from groundwater and there is widespread N contamination in many of our nation's aquifers. Nitrogen export via groundwater discharge to streams during baseflow may be the reason many impaired coastal systems show little improvement. There is a critical need to develop approaches that consider the effects of groundwater transport on N loading to surface waters. Aquifer transport times, which can be decades or even centuries longer than surface water transport times, introduce lags between changes in terrestrial management and reductions in coastal loads. Ignoring these lags can lead to overly ambitious and unrealistic load reduction goals, or incorrect conclusions regarding the effectiveness of management strategies. Additionally, regional groundwater models typically have a coarse resolution that makes it difficult to incorporate fine-scale processes that drive N transformations, such as groundwater-surface water exchange across steep redox gradients at stream bed interfaces. Despite this challenge, representing these important fine-scale processes well is essential to modeling groundwater transport of N across regional scales and to making informed management decisions. We present 1) a conceptual approach to linking regional models and fine-scale empirical measurements, and 2) preliminary groundwater flow and transport model results for the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers in Connecticut, USA. Our cross-scale approach utilizes thermal infrared imaging and vertical temperature profiling to calculate groundwater discharge and to iteratively refine and downscale the groundwater flow model. Model results may improve management of N loading from groundwater to sensitive coastal systems, such as the Long Island Sound.

  10. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Eto, Joe; Eto, Joe; Lesieutre, Bernard

    The increased need to manage California?s electricity grid in real time is a result of the ongoing transition from a system operated by vertically-integrated utilities serving native loads to one operated by an independent system operator supporting competitive energy markets. During this transition period, the traditional approach to reliability management -- construction of new transmission lines -- has not been pursued due to unresolved issues related to the financing and recovery of transmission project costs. In the absence of investments in new transmission infrastructure, the best strategy for managing reliability is to equip system operators with better real-time information aboutmore » actual operating margins so that they can better understand and manage the risk of operating closer to the edge. A companion strategy is to address known deficiencies in offline modeling tools that are needed to ground the use of improved real-time tools. This project: (1) developed and conducted first-ever demonstrations of two prototype real-time software tools for voltage security assessment and phasor monitoring; and (2) prepared a scoping study on improving load and generator response models. Additional funding through two separate subsequent work authorizations has already been provided to build upon the work initiated in this project.« less

  11. Experimental Verification and Integration of a Next Generation Smart Power Management System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clemmer, Tavis B.

    With the increase in energy demand by the residential community in this country and the diminishing fossil fuel resources being used for electric energy production there is a need for a system to efficiently manage power within a residence. The Smart Green Power Node (SGPN) is a next generation energy management system that automates on-site energy production, storage, consumption, and grid usage to yield the most savings for both the utility and the consumer. Such a system automatically manages on-site distributed generation sources such as a PhotoVoltaic (PV) input and battery storage to curtail grid energy usage when the price is high. The SGPN high level control features an advanced modular algorithm that incorporates weather data for projected PV generation, battery health monitoring algorithms, user preferences for load prioritization within the home in case of an outage, Time of Use (ToU) grid power pricing, and status of on-site resources to intelligently schedule and manage power flow between the grid, loads, and the on-site resources. The SGPN has a scalable, modular architecture such that it can be customized for user specific applications. This drove the topology for the SGPN which connects on-site resources at a low voltage DC microbus; a two stage bi-directional inverter/rectifier then couples the AC load and residential grid connect to on-site generation. The SGPN has been designed, built, and is undergoing testing. Hardware test results obtained are consistent with the design goals set and indicate that the SGPN is a viable system with recommended changes and future work.

  12. Best Management Practices for sediment control in a Mediterranean agricultural watershed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdelwahab, Ossama M. M.; Bingner, Ronald L.; Milillo, Fabio; Gentile, Francesco

    2015-04-01

    Soil erosion can lead to severe destruction of agricultural sustainability that affects not only productivity, but the entire ecosystem in the neighboring areas. Sediments transported together with the associated nutrients and chemicals can significantly impact downstream water bodies. Various conservation and management practices implemented individually or integrated together as a system can be used to reduce the negative impacts on agricultural watersheds from soil erosion. Hydrological models are useful tools for decision makers when selecting the most effective combination of management practices to reduce pollutant loads within a watershed system. The Annualized Agricultural Non-point Source (AnnAGNPS) pollutant loading management model can be used to analyze the effectiveness of diverse management and conservation practices that can control or reduce the impact of soil erosion processes and subsequent sediment loads in agricultural watersheds. A 506 km2 Mediterranean medium-size watershed (Carapelle) located in Apulia, Southern Italy was used as a case study to evaluate the model and best management practices (BMPs) for sediment load control. A monitoring station located at the Ordona bridge has been instrumented to continuously monitor stream flow and suspended sediment loads. The station has been equipped with an ultrasound stage meter and a stage recorder to monitor stream flow. An infrared optic probe was used to measure suspended sediment concentrations (Gentile et al., 2010 ). The model was calibrated and validated in the Carapelle watershed on an event basis (Bisantino et al., 2013), and the validated model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs on sediment reduction. Various management practices were investigated including evaluating the impact on sediment load of: (1) converting all cropland areas into forest and grass covered conditions; (2) converting the highest eroding cropland areas to forest or grass covered conditions; and (3) utilizing a crop rotation of wheat and forage crops (Abdelwahab et al., 2014). Further evaluations include scenarios with additional improvements in the input data, in particular better reflecting the management operations within model input parameters used to represent the current conditions applied in the watershed, and the study of the efficiency of the model in predicting runoff and sediment loads at a monthly and annual scale using un-calibrated parameters. The effect of riparian buffers as a natural trap that reduce runoff and increase the in-situ sediment deposition are also investigated. Acknowledgements This work is carried out in the framework of the Italian Research Project of Relevant Interest (PRIN2010-2011), prot. 20104ALME4, "National network for monitoring, modeling, and sustainable management of erosion processes in agricultural land and hilly-mountainous area" National Coordinator prof. Mario Lenzi (University of Padova). References Gentile F., Bisantino T., Corbino R., Milillo F., Romano G., Trisorio Liuzzi G. (2010) Monitoring and analysis of suspended sediment transport dynamics in the Carapelle torrent (southern Italy). Catena 80, 1-8, doi:10.1016/j.catena.2009.08.004. Bisantino T., Bingner R., Chouaib W., Gentile F., Trisorio Liuzzi G. (2013) Estimation of runoff, peak discharge and sediment load at the event scale in a medium-size Mediterranean watershed using the AnnAGNPS model. Land Degradation & Development, wileyonlinelibrary.com, doi: 10.1002/ldr.2213. Abdelwahab O.M.M., Bingner R.L., Milillo F., Gentile F. (2014) Effectiveness of alternative management scenarios on the sediment load in a Mediterranean agricultural watershed. Journal of Agricultural Engineering, vol. XLV:430, 125-136, doi: 10.4081/jae.2014.430.

  13. Alternative Fuels Data Center

    Science.gov Websites

    Utility Company Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Load Projection Requirement The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority requires electric distribution companies to integrate EV charging load projections into the EV charging load projections for the company's distribution planning. (Reference Connecticut

  14. MIRADS-2 Implementation Manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    The Marshall Information Retrieval and Display System (MIRADS) which is a data base management system designed to provide the user with a set of generalized file capabilities is presented. The system provides a wide variety of ways to process the contents of the data base and includes capabilities to search, sort, compute, update, and display the data. The process of creating, defining, and loading a data base is generally called the loading process. The steps in the loading process which includes (1) structuring, (2) creating, (3) defining, (4) and implementing the data base for use by MIRADS are defined. The execution of several computer programs is required to successfully complete all steps of the loading process. This library must be established as a cataloged mass storage file as the first step in MIRADS implementation. The procedure for establishing the MIRADS Library is given. The system is currently operational for the UNIVAC 1108 computer system utilizing the Executive Operating System. All procedures relate to the use of MIRADS on the U-1108 computer.

  15. Reducing Gridlock on the Grid: Utility Trends in Managing Peak Electric Load through Residential Demand Response

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDonald, Betsy

    Utilities across the United States are piloting residential demand response programs to help manage peak electric demand. Using publicly available program evaluations, this thesis analyzes nine such programs to uncover and synthesize the range of program offerings, goals, enrollment strategies, and customer experiences. This review reveals that program participation, components, and results differ based on a variety of factors, including geographic characteristics, program goals, and implementation strategies. The diversity of program designs and evaluation findings suggests an underlying tension between the need to generate cost-effective program impacts and the desire to increase accessibility so that program benefits are not exclusive to certain segments of the population. For more significant and impactful engagement, program goals may need to shift. State level policy support could help shift program goals toward increasing program accessibility. Future research should explore creative strategies that target existing barriers and allow for more inclusive deployment.

  16. Cognitive Load Imposed by Knobology May Adversely Affect Learners' Perception of Utility in Using Ultrasonography to Learn Physical Examination Skills, but Not Anatomy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jamniczky, Heather A.; McLaughlin, Kevin; Kaminska, Malgorzata E.; Raman, Maitreyi; Somayaji, Ranjani; Wright, Bruce; Ma, Irene W. Y.

    2015-01-01

    Ultrasonography is increasingly used for teaching anatomy and physical examination skills but its effect on cognitive load is unknown. This study aimed to determine ultrasound's perceived utility for learning, and to investigate the effect of cognitive load on its perceived utility. Consenting first-year medical students (n?=?137) completed…

  17. A Utility Model for Teaching Load Decisions in Academic Departments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Massey, William F.; Zemsky, Robert

    1997-01-01

    Presents a utility model for academic department decision making and describes the structural specifications for analyzing it. The model confirms the class-size utility asymmetry predicted by the authors' academic rachet theory, but shows that marginal utility associated with college teaching loads is always negative. Curricular structure and…

  18. Mechanics of Flapping Flight: Analytical Formulations of Unsteady Aerodynamics, Kinematic Optimization, Flight Dynamics, and Control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taneja, Jayant Kumar

    Electricity is an indispensable commodity to modern society, yet it is delivered via a grid architecture that remains largely unchanged over the past century. A host of factors are conspiring to topple this dated yet venerated design: developments in renewable electricity generation technology, policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and advances in information technology for managing energy systems. Modern electric grids are emerging as complex distributed systems in which a portfolio of power generation resources, often incorporating fluctuating renewable resources such as wind and solar, must be managed dynamically to meet uncontrolled, time-varying demand. Uncertainty in both supply and demand makes control of modern electric grids fundamentally more challenging, and growing portfolios of renewables exacerbate the challenge. We study three electricity grids: the state of California, the province of Ontario, and the country of Germany. To understand the effects of increasing renewables, we develop a methodology to scale renewables penetration. Analyzing these grids yields key insights about rigid limits to renewables penetration and their implications in meeting long-term emissions targets. We argue that to achieve deep penetration of renewables, the operational model of the grid must be inverted, changing the paradigm from load-following supplies to supply-following loads. To alleviate the challenge of supply-demand matching on deeply renewable grids, we first examine well-known techniques, including altering management of existing supply resources, employing utility-scale energy storage, targeting energy efficiency improvements, and exercising basic demand-side management. Then, we create several instantiations of supply-following loads -- including refrigerators, heating and cooling systems, and laptop computers -- by employing a combination of sensor networks, advanced control techniques, and enhanced energy storage. We examine the capacity of each load for supply-following and study the behaviors of populations of these loads, assessing their potential at various levels of deployment throughout the California electricity grid. Using combinations of supply-following strategies, we can reduce peak natural gas generation by 19% on a model of the California grid with 60% renewables. We then assess remaining variability on this deeply renewable grid incorporating supply-following loads, characterizing additional capabilities needed to ensure supply-demand matching in future sustainable electricity grids.

  19. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    This bibliography provides documentation for use by state public utility commissions and major nonregulated utilities in evaluating the applicability of a wide range of electric utility rate design and regulatory concepts in light of certain regulatory objectives. Part I, Utility Regulatory Objectives, contains 2084 citations on conservation of energy and capital; efficient use of facilities and resources; and equitable rates to electricity consumers. Part II, Rate Design Concepts, contains 1238 citations on time-of-day rates; seasonally-varying rates; cost-of-service rates; interruptible rates (including the accompanying use of load management techniques); declining block rates; and lifeline rates. Part III, Regulatory Concepts, contains 1282more » references on restrictions on master metering; procedures for review of automatic adjustment clauses; prohibitions of rate or regulatory discrimination against solar, wind, or other small energy systems; treatment of advertising expenses; and procedures to protect ratepayers from abrupt termination of service.« less

  20. Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Loading Tool (MDMLT)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, Lenox Allen; Hale, Elizabeth; Martella, Robert; Gyorfi, Ryan

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the MDMLT is to improve the reliability and speed of loading multiplexers/demultiplexers (MDMs) in the Software Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) by automating the configuration management (CM) of the loads in the MDMs, automating the loading procedure, and providing the capability to load multiple or all MDMs concurrently. This loading may be accomplished in parallel, or single MDMs (remote). The MDMLT is a Web-based tool that is capable of loading the entire International Space Station (ISS) MDM configuration in parallel. It is able to load Flight Equivalent Units (FEUs), enhanced, standard, and prototype MDMs as well as both EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) and SSMMU (Solid State Mass Memory Unit) (MASS Memory). This software has extensive configuration management to track loading history, and the performance improvement means of loading the entire ISS MDM configuration of 49 MDMs in approximately 30 minutes, as opposed to 36 hours, which is what it took previously utilizing the flight method of S-Band uplink. The laptop version recently added to the MDMLT suite allows remote lab loading with the CM of information entered into a common database when it is reconnected to the network. This allows the program to reconfigure the test rigs quickly between shifts, allowing the lab to support a variety of onboard configurations during a single day, based on upcoming or current missions. The MDMLT Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) supports a Web-based command and control interface to the user. An interface to the SDIL File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server is supported to import Integrated Flight Loads (IFLs) and Internal Product Release Notes (IPRNs) into the database. An interface to the Monitor and Control System (MCS) is supported to control the power state, and to enable or disable the debug port of the MDMs to be loaded. Two direct interfaces to the MDM are supported: a serial interface (debug port) to receive MDM memory dump data and the calculated checksum, and the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) to transfer load files to MDMs with hard disks. File transfer from the MDM Loading Tool to EEPROM within the MDM is performed via the MILSTD- 1553 bus, making use of the Real- Time Input/Output Processors (RTIOP) when using the rig-based MDMLT, and via a bus box when using the laptop MDMLT. The bus box is a cost-effective alternative to PC-1553 cards for the laptop. It is noted that this system can be modified and adapted to any avionic laboratory for spacecraft computer loading, ship avionics, or aircraft avionics where multiple configurations and strong configuration management of software/firmware loads are required.

  1. Experience with ethylene plant computer control

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nasi, M.; Darby, M.L.; Sourander, M.

    This article discusses the control strategies, results and opinions of management and operations of a computer based ethylene plant control system. The ethylene unit contains 9 cracking heaters, and its nameplate capacity is 200,000 tpa ethylene. Reports on control performance during different unit loading and using different feedstock types. By converting the yield and utility consumption benefits due to computer control into monetary units, the payback time of the system is less than 2 yrs.

  2. Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Automated Demand Response in Industrial Refrigerated Warehouses in California

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lekov, Alex; Thompson, Lisa; McKane, Aimee

    2009-05-11

    This report summarizes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's research to date in characterizing energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities for industrial refrigerated warehouses in California. The report describes refrigerated warehouses characteristics, energy use and demand, and control systems. It also discusses energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities and provides analysis results from three demand response studies. In addition, several energy efficiency, load management, and demand response case studies are provided for refrigerated warehouses. This study shows that refrigerated warehouses can be excellent candidates for open automated demand response and that facilities which have implemented energy efficiencymore » measures and have centralized control systems are well-suited to shift or shed electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. Control technologies installed for energy efficiency and load management purposes can often be adapted for open automated demand response (OpenADR) at little additional cost. These improved controls may prepare facilities to be more receptive to OpenADR due to both increased confidence in the opportunities for controlling energy cost/use and access to the real-time data.« less

  3. Assessing diabetes practices in clinical settings: precursor to building community partnerships around disease management.

    PubMed

    Prochaska, John D; Mier, Nelda; Bolin, Jane N; Hora, Kerrie L; Clark, Heather R; Ory, Marcia G

    2009-12-01

    Many recommended best practices exist for clinical and community diabetes management and prevention. However, in many cases, these recommendations are not being fully utilized. It is useful to gain a sense of currently utilized and needed practices when beginning a partnership building effort to ameliorate such practice problems. The purpose of this study was to assess current practices in clinical settings within the Brazos Valley in preparation for beginning a community-based participatory research project on improving diabetes prevention and management in this region. Fifty-seven physicians with admission privileges to a regional health system were faxed a survey related to current diabetes patient loads, knowledge and implementation of diabetes-related best practices, and related topics. Both qualitative and quantitative examination of the data was conducted. Fifteen percent of responding providers indicated they implemented diabetes prevention best practices, with significant differences between primary-care physicians and specialists. Respondents indicated a need for educational and counseling resources, as well as an increased health-care workforce in the region. The utilization of a faxed-based survey proved an effective means for assessing baseline data as well as serving as a catalyst for further discussion around coalition development. Results indicated a strong need for both clinical and community-based services regarding diabetes prevention and management, and provided information and insight to begin focused community dialogue around diabetes prevention and management needs across the region. Other sites seeking to begin similar projects may benefit from a similar process.

  4. Daylighting as a design and energy strategy: Overview of opportunities and conflicts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selkowitz, S.

    1981-06-01

    The potentials and problems associated with using daylight both to improve visual performance and interior aesthetics and to reduce electrical lighting energy consumption and peak electric loads are reviewed. Use of daylighting as a design strategy is not always synonymous with effective use of daylighting as an energy-saving strategy unless both approaches are jointly pursued by the design team. Criteria for visual performance, disability and discomfort glare, historical perspectives on daylight utilization, building form as a limit to daylight penetration, beam sunlighting strategies, luminous efficacy of daylight versus efficient electric light sources, comparative thermal impacts, peak load and load management potential, and nonenergy benefits are reviewed. Although the energy benefits of daylighting can be oversold, it is concluded that in most cases a solid understanding of the energy and design issues should produce energy efficiency and pleasing working environments.

  5. Testing activities at the National Battery Test Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hornstra, F.; Deluca, W. H.; Mulcahey, T. P.

    The National Battery Test Laboratory (NBTL) is an Argonne National Laboratory facility for testing, evaluating, and studying advanced electric storage batteries. The facility tests batteries developed under Department of Energy programs and from private industry. These include batteries intended for future electric vehicle (EV) propulsion, electric utility load leveling (LL), and solar energy storage. Since becoming operational, the NBTL has evaluated well over 1400 cells (generally in the form of three- to six-cell modules, but up to 140-cell batteries) of various technologies. Performance characterization assessments are conducted under a series of charge/discharge cycles with constant current, constant power, peak power, and computer simulated dynamic load profile conditions. Flexible charging algorithms are provided to accommodate the specific needs of each battery under test. Special studies are conducted to explore and optimize charge procedures, to investigate the impact of unique load demands on battery performance, and to analyze the thermal management requirements of battery systems.

  6. Design and Optimization of Slot Aluminum Alloy Connectors of Photovoltaics Applied to High-rise Building Facades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Ya-Wei; Zhang, Hong-Mei; Dong, Jin-Zhi; Shi, Zhen-Hua

    2016-05-01

    Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is a resort to save energy and reduce heat gain of buildings, utilize new and renewable energy, solve environment problems and alleviate electricity shortage in large cities. The area needed to generate power makes facade integrated photovoltaic panel a superb choice, especially in high-rise buildings. Numerous scholars have hitherto explored Building Facade Integrated Photovoltaic, however, focusing mainly on thermal performance, which fails to ensure seismic safety of high-rise buildings integrated photovoltaic. Based on connecting forms of the glass curtain wall, a connector jointing photovoltaic panel and facade was designed, which underwent loading position and size optimization. Static loading scenarios were conducted to test and verify the connector's mechanical properties under gravity and wind loading by means of HyperWorks. Compared to the unoptimized design, the optimized one saved material and managed to reduce maximum deflection by 74.64%.

  7. Vacuum-assisted cell loading enables shear-free mammalian microfluidic culture

    PubMed Central

    Kolnik, Martin; Tsimring, Lev S; Hasty, Je

    2012-01-01

    Microfluidic perfusion cultures for mammalian cells provide a novel means for probing single-cell behavior but require the management of culture parameters such as flow-induced shear stress. Methods to eliminate shear stress generally focus on capturing cells in regions with high resistance to fluid flow. Here, we present a novel trapping design to easily and reliably load a high density of cells into culture chambers that are extremely isolated from potentially damaging flow effects. We utilize a transient on-chip vacuum to remove air from the culture chambers and rapidly replace the volume with a liquid cell suspension. We demonstrate the ability of this simple and robust method to load and culture three commonly used cell lines. We show how the incorporation of an on-chip function generator can be used for dynamic stimulation of cells during long-term continuous perfusion culture. PMID:22961584

  8. Evaluation of overweight load routing on buried utility facilities

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-02-01

    Overweight traffic movements can negatively affect pavement integrity and quality. However, it is less : known to what degree buried utility plant along and across the right of way is affected by these overweight : loads, especially if the utility fa...

  9. A multi-stakeholder framework for urban runoff quality management: Application of social choice and bargaining techniques.

    PubMed

    Ghodsi, Seyed Hamed; Kerachian, Reza; Zahmatkesh, Zahra

    2016-04-15

    In this paper, an integrated framework is proposed for urban runoff management. To control and improve runoff quality and quantity, Low Impact Development (LID) practices are utilized. In order to determine the LIDs' areas and locations, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II), which considers three objective functions of minimizing runoff volume, runoff pollution and implementation cost of LIDs, is utilized. In this framework, the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used for stream flow simulation. The non-dominated solutions provided by the NSGA-II are considered as management scenarios. To select the most preferred scenario, interactions among the main stakeholders in the study area with conflicting utilities are incorporated by utilizing bargaining models including a non-cooperative game, Nash model and social choice procedures of Borda count and approval voting. Moreover, a new social choice procedure, named pairwise voting method, is proposed and applied. Based on each conflict resolution approach, a scenario is identified as the ideal solution providing the LIDs' areas, locations and implementation cost. The proposed framework is applied for urban water quality and quantity management in the northern part of Tehran metropolitan city, Iran. Results show that the proposed pairwise voting method tends to select a scenario with a higher percentage of reduction in TSS (Total Suspended Solid) load and runoff volume, in comparison with the Borda count and approval voting methods. Besides, the Nash method presents a management scenario with the highest cost for LIDs' implementation and the maximum values for percentage of runoff volume reduction and TSS removal. The results also signify that selection of an appropriate management scenario by stakeholders in the study area depends on the available financial resources and the relative importance of runoff quality improvement in comparison with reducing the runoff volume. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. System load forecasts for an electric utility. [Hourly loads using Box-Jenkins method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Uri, N.D.

    This paper discusses forecasting hourly system load for an electric utility using Box-Jenkins time-series analysis. The results indicate that a model based on the method of Box and Jenkins, given its simplicity, gives excellent results over the forecast horizon.

  11. Procuring load curtailment from local customers under uncertainty.

    PubMed

    Mijatović, Aleksandar; Moriarty, John; Vogrinc, Jure

    2017-08-13

    Demand side response (DSR) provides a flexible approach to managing constrained power network assets. This is valuable if future asset utilization is uncertain. However there may be uncertainty over the process of procurement of DSR from customers. In this context we combine probabilistic modelling, simulation and optimization to identify economically optimal procurement policies from heterogeneous customers local to the asset, under chance constraints on the adequacy of the procured DSR. Mathematically this gives rise to a search over permutations, and we provide an illustrative example implementation and case study.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  12. Environmental control/life support system for Space Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, C. W.; Heppner, D. B.; Schubert, F. H.; Dahlhausen, M. J.

    1986-01-01

    The functional, operational, and design load requirements for the Environmental Control/Life Support System (ECLSS) are described. The ECLSS is divided into two groups: (1) an atmosphere management group and (2) a water and waste management group. The interaction between the ECLSS and the Space Station Habitability System is examined. The cruciform baseline station design, the delta and big T module configuration, and the reference Space Station configuration are evaluated in terms of ECLSS requirements. The distribution of ECLSS equipment in a reference Space Station configuration is studied as a function of initial operating conditions and growth orbit capabilities. The benefits of water electrolysis as a Space Station utility are considered.

  13. A study of a space communication system for the control and monitoring of the electric distribution system. Volume 1: Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaisnys, A.

    1980-01-01

    It is technically feasible to design a satellite communication system to serve the United States electric utility industry's needs relative to load management, real-time operations management, remote meter reading, and to determine the costs of various elements of the system. A definition of distribution control and monitoring functions is given. Associated communications traffic is quantified. A baseline conceptual design in terms of operating capability and equipment is described, important factors to be considered in designing a system are examined, and preliminary cost data are provided. Factors associated with implementation are discussed and conclusions and recommendations are listed.

  14. Terminal area energy management regime investigations utilizing an 0.030-scale model (47-0) of the space shuttle vehicle orbiter configuration 140A/B/C/R in the Ames Research Center 11 x 11 foot transonic wind tunnel (OH/48)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hawthorne, P. J.

    1976-01-01

    Data obtained in a wind tunnel test were examined to: (1) obtain pressure distributions, forces and moments over the vehicle 5 Orbiter in the terminal area energy management (TAEM) and approach phases of flight; (2) obtain elevon and rudder hinge moments in the TAEM and approach phases of flight; (3) obtain body flap and elevon loads for verification of loads balancing with integrated pressure distributions; and (4) obtain pressure distributions near the short OMS pods in the high subsonic, transonic and low supersonic Mach number regimes. Testing was conducted over a Mach number range from 0.6 to 1.4 with Reynolds number variations from 7.57 x 1 million to 2.74 x 1 million per foot. Model angle of attack was varied from -4 to 16 degrees and angles of sideslip ranged from -8 to 8 degrees.

  15. Development of an integrated utilities billing management system for the Navy Public Works Center San Diego, California

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Monsabert, S. de; Lemmer, H.; Dinwiddie, D.

    1995-10-01

    In the past, most buildings, structures, and ship visits were not metered, and flat estimates were calculated based on various estimating techniques. The decomposition process was further complicated by the fact that many of the meters monitor consumption values only and do not provide demand or time of use data. This method of billing provides no incentives to the PWC customers to implement energy conservation programs, including load shedding, Energy Monitoring and Control Systems (EMCS), building shell improvements, low flow toilets and shower heads, efficient lighting systems, or other energy savings alternatives. Similarly, the method had no means of adjustmentmore » for seasonal or climatic variations outside of the norm. As an alternative to flat estimates, the Customized Utility Billing Integrated Control (CUBIC) system and the Graphical Data Input System (GDIS) were developed to better manage the data to the major claimant area users based on utilities usage factors, building size, weather data, and hours of operation. GDIS is a graphical database that assists PWC engineers in the development and maintenance of single-line utility diagrams of the facilities and meters. It functions as a drawing associate system and is written in AutoLISP for AutoCAD version 12. GDIS interprets the drawings and provides the facility-to-meter and meter-to-meter hierarchy data that are used by the CUBIC to allocate the billings. This paper reviews the design, development and implementation aspects of CUBIC/GDIS and discusses the benefits of this improved utilities management system.« less

  16. Digital data processing system dynamic loading analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lagas, J. J.; Peterka, J. J.; Tucker, A. E.

    1976-01-01

    Simulation and analysis of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Digital Data Processing System (DDPS) are reported. The mated flight and postseparation flight phases of the space shuttle's approach and landing test configuration were modeled utilizing the Information Management System Interpretative Model (IMSIM) in a computerized simulation modeling of the ALT hardware, software, and workload. System requirements simulated for the ALT configuration were defined. Sensitivity analyses determined areas of potential data flow problems in DDPS operation. Based on the defined system requirements and the sensitivity analyses, a test design is described for adapting, parameterizing, and executing the IMSIM. Varying load and stress conditions for the model execution are given. The analyses of the computer simulation runs were documented as results, conclusions, and recommendations for DDPS improvements.

  17. Space shuttle orbiter digital data processing system timing sensitivity analysis OFT ascent phase

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lagas, J. J.; Peterka, J. J.; Becker, D. A.

    1977-01-01

    Dynamic loads were investigated to provide simulation and analysis of the space shuttle orbiter digital data processing system (DDPS). Segments of the ascent test (OFT) configuration were modeled utilizing the information management system interpretive model (IMSIM) in a computerized simulation modeling of the OFT hardware and software workload. System requirements for simulation of the OFT configuration were defined, and sensitivity analyses determined areas of potential data flow problems in DDPS operation. Based on the defined system requirements and these sensitivity analyses, a test design was developed for adapting, parameterizing, and executing IMSIM, using varying load and stress conditions for model execution. Analyses of the computer simulation runs are documented, including results, conclusions, and recommendations for DDPS improvements.

  18. Demand Side Management: An approach to peak load smoothing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Prachi

    A preliminary national-level analysis was conducted to determine whether Demand Side Management (DSM) programs introduced by electric utilities since 1992 have made any progress towards their stated goal of reducing peak load demand. Estimates implied that DSM has a very small effect on peak load reduction and there is substantial regional and end-user variability. A limited scholarly literature on DSM also provides evidence in support of a positive effect of demand response programs. Yet, none of these studies examine the question of how DSM affects peak load at the micro-level by influencing end-users' response to prices. After nearly three decades of experience with DSM, controversy remains over how effective these programs have been. This dissertation considers regional analyses that explore both demand-side solutions and supply-side interventions. On the demand side, models are estimated to provide in-depth evidence of end-user consumption patterns for each North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) region, helping to identify sectors in regions that have made a substantial contribution to peak load reduction. The empirical evidence supports the initial hypothesis that there is substantial regional and end-user variability of reductions in peak demand. These results are quite robust in rapidly-urbanizing regions, where air conditioning and lighting load is substantially higher, and regions where the summer peak is more pronounced than the winter peak. It is also evident from the regional experiences that active government involvement, as shaped by state regulations in the last few years, has been successful in promoting DSM programs, and perhaps for the same reason we witness an uptick in peak load reductions in the years 2008 and 2009. On the supply side, we estimate the effectiveness of DSM programs by analyzing the growth of capacity margin with the introduction of DSM programs. The results indicate that DSM has been successful in offsetting the need for additional production capacity by the means of demand response measures, but the success is limited to only a few regions. The rate of progress in the future will depend on a wide range of improved technologies and a continuous government monitoring for successful adoption of demand response programs to manage growing energy demand.

  19. Federal Emergency Management Information System (FEMIS) system administration guide. Version 1.4

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arp, J.A.; Burnett, R.A.; Downing, T.R.

    The Federal Emergency Management Information System (FEMIS) is an emergency management planning and analysis tool that was developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) under the direction of the US Army Chemical Biological Defense Command. The FEMIS System Administration Guide defines FEMIS hardware and software requirements and gives instructions for installing the FEMIS software package. This document also contains information on the following: software installation for the FEMIS data servers, communication server, mail server, and the emergency management workstations; distribution media loading and FEMIS installation validation and troubleshooting; and system management of FEMIS users, login privileges, and usage. Themore » system administration utilities (tools), available in the FEMIS client software, are described for user accounts and site profile. This document also describes the installation and use of system and database administration utilities that will assist in keeping the FEMIS system running in an operational environment. The FEMIS system is designed for a single Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) site that has multiple Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). Each EOC has personal computers (PCs) that emergency planners and operations personnel use to do their jobs. These PCs are connected via a local area network (LAN) to servers that provide EOC-wide services. Each EOC is interconnected to other EOCs via telecommunications links.« less

  20. Energy management and control of active distribution systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shariatzadeh, Farshid

    Advancements in the communication, control, computation and information technologies have driven the transition to the next generation active power distribution systems. Novel control techniques and management strategies are required to achieve the efficient, economic and reliable grid. The focus of this work is energy management and control of active distribution systems (ADS) with integrated renewable energy sources (RESs) and demand response (DR). Here, ADS mean automated distribution system with remotely operated controllers and distributed energy resources (DERs). DER as active part of the next generation future distribution system includes: distributed generations (DGs), RESs, energy storage system (ESS), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and DR. Integration of DR and RESs into ADS is critical to realize the vision of sustainability. The objective of this dissertation is the development of management architecture to control and operate ADS in the presence of DR and RES. One of the most challenging issues for operating ADS is the inherent uncertainty of DR and RES as well as conflicting objective of DER and electric utilities. ADS can consist of different layers such as system layer and building layer and coordination between these layers is essential. In order to address these challenges, multi-layer energy management and control architecture is proposed with robust algorithms in this work. First layer of proposed multi-layer architecture have been implemented at the system layer. Developed AC optimal power flow (AC-OPF) generates fair price for all DR and non-DR loads which is used as a control signal for second layer. Second layer controls DR load at buildings using a developed look-ahead robust controller. Load aggregator collects information from all buildings and send aggregated load to the system optimizer. Due to the different time scale at these two management layers, time coordination scheme is developed. Robust and deterministic controllers are developed to maximize the energy usage from rooftop photovoltaic (PV) generation locally and minimize heat-ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consumption while maintaining inside temperature within comfort zone. The performance of the developed multi-layer architecture has been analyzed using test case studies and results show the robustness of developed controller in the presence of uncertainty.

  1. A program for calculating load coefficient matrices utilizing the force summation method, L218 (LOADS). Volume 2: Supplemental system design and maintenance document

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, L. R.; Miller, R. D.

    1979-01-01

    The LOADS computer program L218 which calculates dynamic load coefficient matrices utilizing the force summation method is described. The load equations are derived for a flight vehicle in straight and level flight and excited by gusts and/or control motions. In addition, sensor equations are calculated for use with an active control system. The load coefficient matrices are calculated for the following types of loads: (1) translational and rotational accelerations, velocities, and displacements; (2) panel aerodynamic forces; (3) net panel forces; and (4) shears, bending moments, and torsions.

  2. Final Technical Report for Contract No. DE-EE0006332, "Integrated Simulation Development and Decision Support Tool-Set for Utility Market and Distributed Solar Power Generation"

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cormier, Dallas; Edra, Sherwin; Espinoza, Michael

    This project will enable utilities to develop long-term strategic plans that integrate high levels of renewable energy generation, and to better plan power system operations under high renewable penetration. The program developed forecast data streams for decision support and effective integration of centralized and distributed solar power generation in utility operations. This toolset focused on real time simulation of distributed power generation within utility grids with the emphasis on potential applications in day ahead (market) and real time (reliability) utility operations. The project team developed and demonstrated methodologies for quantifying the impact of distributed solar generation on core utility operations,more » identified protocols for internal data communication requirements, and worked with utility personnel to adapt the new distributed generation (DG) forecasts seamlessly within existing Load and Generation procedures through a sophisticated DMS. This project supported the objectives of the SunShot Initiative and SUNRISE by enabling core utility operations to enhance their simulation capability to analyze and prepare for the impacts of high penetrations of solar on the power grid. The impact of high penetration solar PV on utility operations is not only limited to control centers, but across many core operations. Benefits of an enhanced DMS using state-of-the-art solar forecast data were demonstrated within this project and have had an immediate direct operational cost savings for Energy Marketing for Day Ahead generation commitments, Real Time Operations, Load Forecasting (at an aggregate system level for Day Ahead), Demand Response, Long term Planning (asset management), Distribution Operations, and core ancillary services as required for balancing and reliability. This provided power system operators with the necessary tools and processes to operate the grid in a reliable manner under high renewable penetration.« less

  3. Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS): adding functionality while maintaining reliability and economics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bower, Ward

    2011-09-01

    An overview of the activities and progress made during the US DOE Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) solicitation, while maintaining reliability and economics is provided. The SEGIS R&D opened pathways for interconnecting PV systems to intelligent utility grids and micro-grids of the future. In addition to new capabilities are "value added" features. The new hardware designs resulted in smaller, less material-intensive products that are being viewed by utilities as enabling dispatchable generation and not just unpredictable negative loads. The technical solutions enable "advanced integrated system" concepts and "smart grid" processes to move forward in a faster and focused manner. The advanced integrated inverters/controllers can now incorporate energy management functionality, intelligent electrical grid support features and a multiplicity of communication technologies. Portals for energy flow and two-way communications have been implemented. SEGIS hardware was developed for the utility grid of today, which was designed for one-way power flow, for intermediate grid scenarios, AND for the grid of tomorrow, which will seamlessly accommodate managed two-way power flows as required by large-scale deployment of solar and other distributed generation. The SEGIS hardware and control developed for today meets existing standards and codes AND provides for future connections to a "smart grid" mode that enables utility control and optimized performance.

  4. Electric load shape benchmarking for small- and medium-sized commercial buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Luo, Xuan; Hong, Tianzhen; Chen, Yixing

    Small- and medium-sized commercial buildings owners and utility managers often look for opportunities for energy cost savings through energy efficiency and energy waste minimization. However, they currently lack easy access to low-cost tools that help interpret the massive amount of data needed to improve understanding of their energy use behaviors. Benchmarking is one of the techniques used in energy audits to identify which buildings are priorities for an energy analysis. Traditional energy performance indicators, such as the energy use intensity (annual energy per unit of floor area), consider only the total annual energy consumption, lacking consideration of the fluctuation ofmore » energy use behavior over time, which reveals the time of use information and represents distinct energy use behaviors during different time spans. To fill the gap, this study developed a general statistical method using 24-hour electric load shape benchmarking to compare a building or business/tenant space against peers. Specifically, the study developed new forms of benchmarking metrics and data analysis methods to infer the energy performance of a building based on its load shape. We first performed a data experiment with collected smart meter data using over 2,000 small- and medium-sized businesses in California. We then conducted a cluster analysis of the source data, and determined and interpreted the load shape features and parameters with peer group analysis. Finally, we implemented the load shape benchmarking feature in an open-access web-based toolkit (the Commercial Building Energy Saver) to provide straightforward and practical recommendations to users. The analysis techniques were generic and flexible for future datasets of other building types and in other utility territories.« less

  5. Electric load shape benchmarking for small- and medium-sized commercial buildings

    DOE PAGES

    Luo, Xuan; Hong, Tianzhen; Chen, Yixing; ...

    2017-07-28

    Small- and medium-sized commercial buildings owners and utility managers often look for opportunities for energy cost savings through energy efficiency and energy waste minimization. However, they currently lack easy access to low-cost tools that help interpret the massive amount of data needed to improve understanding of their energy use behaviors. Benchmarking is one of the techniques used in energy audits to identify which buildings are priorities for an energy analysis. Traditional energy performance indicators, such as the energy use intensity (annual energy per unit of floor area), consider only the total annual energy consumption, lacking consideration of the fluctuation ofmore » energy use behavior over time, which reveals the time of use information and represents distinct energy use behaviors during different time spans. To fill the gap, this study developed a general statistical method using 24-hour electric load shape benchmarking to compare a building or business/tenant space against peers. Specifically, the study developed new forms of benchmarking metrics and data analysis methods to infer the energy performance of a building based on its load shape. We first performed a data experiment with collected smart meter data using over 2,000 small- and medium-sized businesses in California. We then conducted a cluster analysis of the source data, and determined and interpreted the load shape features and parameters with peer group analysis. Finally, we implemented the load shape benchmarking feature in an open-access web-based toolkit (the Commercial Building Energy Saver) to provide straightforward and practical recommendations to users. The analysis techniques were generic and flexible for future datasets of other building types and in other utility territories.« less

  6. Watershed Effects on Streamflow Quantity and Quality in Six Watersheds of Gwinnett County, Georgia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Landers, Mark N.; Ankcorn, Paul D.; McFadden, Keith W.

    2007-01-01

    Watershed management is critical for the protection and enhancement of streams that provide multiple benefits for Gwinnett County, Georgia, and downstream communities. Successful watershed management requires an understanding of how stream quality is affected by watershed characteristics. The influence of watershed characteristics on stream quality is complex, particularly for the nonpoint sources of pollutants that affect urban watersheds. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (formerly known as Public Utilities), established a water-quality monitoring program during late 1996 to collect comprehensive, consistent, high-quality data for use by watershed managers. Between 1996 and 2003, more than 10,000 analyses were made for more than 430 water-quality samples. Continuous-flow and water-quality data have been collected since 1998. Loads have been computed for selected constituents from 1998 to 2003. Changing stream hydrology is a primary driver for many other water-quality and aquatic habitat effects. Primary factors affecting stream hydrology (after watershed size and climate) within Gwinnett County are watershed slope and land uses. For the six study watersheds in Gwinnett County, watershedwide imperviousness up to 12 percent does not have a well-defined influence on stream hydrology, whereas two watersheds with 21- and 35-percent impervious area are clearly impacted. In the stream corridor, however, imperviousness from 1.6 to 4.4 percent appears to affect baseflow and stormflow for all six watersheds. Relations of concentrations to discharge are used to develop regression models to compute constituent loads using the USGS LOAD ESTimator model. A unique method developed in this study is used to calibrate the model using separate baseflow and stormflow sample datasets. The method reduced model error and provided estimates of the load associated with the baseflow and stormflow parts of the hydrograph. Annual load of total suspended sediment is a performance criterion in Gwinnett County's Watershed Protection Plan. Median concentrations of total suspended solids in stormflow range from 30 to 180 times greater than in baseflow. This increase in total suspended solids concentration with increasing discharge has a multiplied effect on total suspended solids load, 97 to 99 percent of which is transported during stormflow. Annual total suspended solids load is highly dependent on annual precipitation; between 1998 and 2003 load for the wettest year was up to 28 times greater than for the driest year. Average annual total suspended solids yield from 1998-2003 in the six watersheds increased with high-density and transportation/utility land uses, and generally decreased with low-density residential, estate/park, and undeveloped land uses. Watershed characteristics also were related to annual loads of total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen, total dissolved solids, biochemical oxygen demand, and total zinc, as well as stream alkalinity. Flow-adjusted total suspended solids, total phosphorus, and total zinc stormflow concentrations between 1996 and 2003 have a seasonal pattern in five of the six watersheds. Flow-adjusted concentrations typically peak during late summer, between July and August. The seasonal pattern is stronger for more developed watersheds and may be related to seasonal land-disturbance activities and/or to seasonal rainfall intensity, both of which increase in summer. Adjusting for seasonality in the computation of constituent load caused the standard error of annual total suspended solids load to improve by an average of 11 percent, and increased computed summer total suspended solids loads by an average of 45 percent and decreased winter total suspended solids loads by an average of 40 percent. Total annual loads changed by less than 5 percent on the average. Graphical and statistical analyses do not indicate a time tre

  7. Long term load forecasting accuracy in electric utility integrated resource planning

    DOE PAGES

    Carvallo, Juan Pablo; Larsen, Peter H.; Sanstad, Alan H.; ...

    2018-05-23

    Forecasts of electricity consumption and peak demand over time horizons of one or two decades are a key element in electric utilities’ meeting their core objective and obligation to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supplies for their customers while complying with a range of energy and environmental regulations and policies. These forecasts are an important input to integrated resource planning (IRP) processes involving utilities, regulators, and other stake-holders. Despite their importance, however, there has been little analysis of long term utility load forecasting accuracy. We conduct a retrospective analysis of long term load forecasts on twelve Western U. S. electricmore » utilities in the mid-2000s to find that most overestimated both energy consumption and peak demand growth. A key reason for this was the use of assumptions that led to an overestimation of economic growth. We find that the complexity of forecast methods and the accuracy of these forecasts are mildly correlated. In addition, sensitivity and risk analysis of load growth and its implications for capacity expansion were not well integrated with subsequent implementation. As a result, we review changes in the utilities load forecasting methods over the subsequent decade, and discuss the policy implications of long term load forecast inaccuracy and its underlying causes.« less

  8. Long term load forecasting accuracy in electric utility integrated resource planning

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carvallo, Juan Pablo; Larsen, Peter H.; Sanstad, Alan H.

    Forecasts of electricity consumption and peak demand over time horizons of one or two decades are a key element in electric utilities’ meeting their core objective and obligation to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supplies for their customers while complying with a range of energy and environmental regulations and policies. These forecasts are an important input to integrated resource planning (IRP) processes involving utilities, regulators, and other stake-holders. Despite their importance, however, there has been little analysis of long term utility load forecasting accuracy. We conduct a retrospective analysis of long term load forecasts on twelve Western U. S. electricmore » utilities in the mid-2000s to find that most overestimated both energy consumption and peak demand growth. A key reason for this was the use of assumptions that led to an overestimation of economic growth. We find that the complexity of forecast methods and the accuracy of these forecasts are mildly correlated. In addition, sensitivity and risk analysis of load growth and its implications for capacity expansion were not well integrated with subsequent implementation. As a result, we review changes in the utilities load forecasting methods over the subsequent decade, and discuss the policy implications of long term load forecast inaccuracy and its underlying causes.« less

  9. Energy services in the information age: The convergence of energy, communications, and information technologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Centolella, P.A.

    1998-07-01

    Most of the economic efficiency benefits of electric restructuring--consumer choice based on price and risk preferences, efficient capacity utilization, capacity expansion that reflects marketability, and innovative products--depend upon consumer access to information and opportunities to respond to time- and location-specific prices and customized products. Information and communications technologies from back-room data management centers to intelligent consumer gateways will play an essential role in marketing energy services in a retail access environment. This paper describes the role of information and communications technology in electric industry restructuring and retailing of energy services. It includes a survey of economic analyses on the likelymore » variability in competitive generation prices and consumer responses if such prices are effectively communicated. The paper describes the potential benefits and cost savings associated with flexible consumer responses to price variability. It identifies consumer loads and preferences. Finally, the paper describes the building blocks of information systems being developed to facilitate price-responsive energy management and provide a range of other energy services. Intelligent gateways, analytical tools for facility load prediction and optimizing energy management responses, and electronic commerce applications are discussed.« less

  10. CMV viral load measurements in whole blood and plasma--which is best following renal transplantation?

    PubMed

    Barrett-Muir, W; Breuer, J; Millar, C; Thomas, J; Jeffries, D; Yaqoob, M; Aitken, C

    2000-07-15

    Quantitative commercial assays for cytomegalovirus (CMV) detection have recently been developed. Their role in the management of patients after transplantation needs to be evaluated. Widespread use of these assays will allow for comparison of results between centers and meaningful interpretation of the significance of viral load measurements. Sequential samples from 52 patients after renal transplantation were tested in the murex hybrid capture assay (HCA) and the Roche Amplicor CMV DNA assay (QPCR) and correlated with the development of CMV disease. A comparison of viral loads in plasma and whole blood was also made. Both assays were sensitive and detected all cases of CMV disease. The specificity and positive predictive value increased from 0.34 and 0.36 to 0.85 and 0.96 for the HCA and 0.37, 0.37 to 0.72 and 0.63 for the QPCR following a receiver operator curve analysis. Higher viral loads were measured using the HCA compared to the QPCR. Response to ganciclovir was associated with a greater than 80% reduction in viral load by HCA or greater than 70% using the QPCR. Both assays were highly sensitive. By using a receiver operator curve analysis a cutoff viral load can be determined which maximizes the clinical utility of these assays.

  11. Statistically extracted fundamental watershed variables for estimating the loads of total nitrogen in small streams

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kronholm, Scott C.; Capel, Paul D.; Terziotti, Silvia

    2016-01-01

    Accurate estimation of total nitrogen loads is essential for evaluating conditions in the aquatic environment. Extrapolation of estimates beyond measured streams will greatly expand our understanding of total nitrogen loading to streams. Recursive partitioning and random forest regression were used to assess 85 geospatial, environmental, and watershed variables across 636 small (<585 km2) watersheds to determine which variables are fundamentally important to the estimation of annual loads of total nitrogen. Initial analysis led to the splitting of watersheds into three groups based on predominant land use (agricultural, developed, and undeveloped). Nitrogen application, agricultural and developed land area, and impervious or developed land in the 100-m stream buffer were commonly extracted variables by both recursive partitioning and random forest regression. A series of multiple linear regression equations utilizing the extracted variables were created and applied to the watersheds. As few as three variables explained as much as 76 % of the variability in total nitrogen loads for watersheds with predominantly agricultural land use. Catchment-scale national maps were generated to visualize the total nitrogen loads and yields across the USA. The estimates provided by these models can inform water managers and help identify areas where more in-depth monitoring may be beneficial.

  12. Building heating and cooling applications thermal energy storage program overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eissenberg, D. M.

    1980-01-01

    Thermal energy storage technology and development of building heating and cooling applications in the residential and commercial sectors is outlined. Three elements are identified to undergo an applications assessment, technology development, and demonstration. Emphasis is given to utility load management thermal energy system application where the stress is on the 'customer side of the meter'. Thermal storage subsystems for space conditioning and conservation means of increased thermal mass within the building envelope and by means of low-grade waste heat recovery are covered.

  13. Power system security enhancement through direct non-disruptive load control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramanathan, Badri Narayanan

    The transition to a competitive market structure raises significant concerns regarding reliability of the power grid. A need to build tools for security assessment that produce operating limit boundaries for both static and dynamic contingencies is recognized. Besides, an increase in overall uncertainty in operating conditions makes corrective actions at times ineffective leaving the system vulnerable to instability. The tools that are in place for stability enhancement are mostly corrective and suffer from lack of robustness to operating condition changes. They often pose serious coordination challenges. With deregulation, there have also been ownership and responsibility issues associated with stability controls. However, the changing utility business model and the developments in enabling technologies such as two-way communication, metering, and control open up several new possibilities for power system security enhancement. This research proposes preventive modulation of selected loads through direct control for power system security enhancement. Two main contributions of this research are the following: development of an analysis framework and two conceptually different analysis approaches for load modulation to enhance oscillatory stability, and the development and study of algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads. The underlying analysis framework is based on the Structured Singular Value (SSV or mu) theory. Based on the above framework, two fundamentally different approaches towards analysis of the amount of load modulation for desired stability performance have been developed. Both the approaches have been tested on two different test systems: CIGRE Nordic test system and an equivalent of the Western Electric Coordinating Council test system. This research also develops algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads that use the results of the analysis. In line with some recent load management programs executed by utilities, two different algorithms based on dynamic programming are proposed for air-conditioner loads, while a decision-tree based algorithm is proposed for water-heater loads. An optimization framework has been developed employing the above algorithms. Monte Carlo simulations have been performed using this framework with the objective of studying the impact of different parameters and constraints on the effectiveness as well as the effect of control. The conclusions drawn from this research strongly advocate direct load control for stability enhancement from the perspectives of robustness and coordination, as well as economic viability and the developments towards availability of the institutional framework for load participation in providing system reliability services.

  14. Pollen Foraging Differences Among Three Managed Pollinators in the Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Agroecosystem.

    PubMed

    Bobiwash, Kyle; Uriel, Yonathan; Elle, Elizabeth

    2018-02-09

    Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum (Gray), production in British Columbia is dependent upon insect pollination for fruit yield with particular cultivars demonstrating low yields due to poor pollination. New managed species of pollinators are being developed to provide farmers with managed pollinator options beyond Apis mellifera (Linnaeus). Pollinators in highbush blueberry agricultural systems encounter a variety of nontarget floral resources that may affect the pollination received by the crop. Our study analyzed the differences in pollen foraging of honey bees and two species of managed bumblebees across nine farm sites. Corbicular pollen loads from pollen foraging workers were removed and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Of the three managed pollinators, the corbicular pollen loads of Bombus huntii (Greene) contained the most blueberry pollen (52.1%), three times as much as the two other managed bee species. Fifteen morphotypes of pollen were identified from all foraging workers with Rosaceae being the most frequently gathered overall pollen type (n = 74). The noncrop pollen identified in our samples derived from plant species not common as weedy species in the agroecosystem suggesting that floral resource diversity outside of the farm boundaries is important to pollinators. The three managed species in our blueberry fields utilized floral resources differentially underscoring the importance of pollinator species' characteristics and large-scale floral resource landscape in developing new managed pollinators and pollination strategies. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Open Automated Demand Response in Wastewater Treatment Facilities in California -- Phase I Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lekov, Alex; Thompson, Lisa; McKane, Aimee

    This report summarizes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory?s research to date in characterizing energy efficiency and automated demand response opportunities for wastewater treatment facilities in California. The report describes the characteristics of wastewater treatment facilities, the nature of the wastewater stream, energy use and demand, as well as details of the wastewater treatment process. It also discusses control systems and energy efficiency and automated demand response opportunities. In addition, several energy efficiency and load management case studies are provided for wastewater treatment facilities.This study shows that wastewater treatment facilities can be excellent candidates for open automated demand response and thatmore » facilities which have implemented energy efficiency measures and have centralized control systems are well-suited to shift or shed electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. Control technologies installed for energy efficiency and load management purposes can often be adapted for automated demand response at little additional cost. These improved controls may prepare facilities to be more receptive to open automated demand response due to both increased confidence in the opportunities for controlling energy cost/use and access to the real-time data.« less

  16. A decision support system for adaptive real-time management ofseasonal wetlands in California

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Quinn, Nigel W.T.; Hanna, W. Mark

    This paper describes the development of a comprehensive flow and salinity monitoring system and application of a decision support system (DSS) to improve management of seasonal wetlands in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates salinity discharges from non-point sources to the San Joaquin River using a procedure known as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) to allocate the assimilative capacity of the River for salt among watershed sources. Management of wetland sources of salt load will require the development of monitoring systems, more integrative management strategies and coordination with other entities. To obtain local cooperationmore » the Grassland Water District, whose primary function is to supply surface water to private duck clubs and managed wetlands, needs to communicate to local landowners the likely impacts of salinity regulation on the long term health and function of wildfowl habitat. The project described in this paper will also provide this information. The models that form the backbone of the DSS develop salinity balances at both a regional and local scale. The regional scale concentrates on deliveries to and exports from the Grasland Water District while the local scale focuses on an individual wetland unit where more intensive monitoring is being conducted. The design of the DSS is constrained to meet the needs of busy wetland managers and is being designed from the bottom up utilizing tools and procedures familiar to these individuals.« less

  17. Electric load management and energy conservation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kheir, N. A.

    1976-01-01

    Electric load management and energy conservation relate heavily to the major problems facing power industry at present. The three basic modes of energy conservation are identified as demand reduction, increased efficiency and substitution for scarce fuels. Direct and indirect load management objectives are to reduce peak loads and have future growth in electricity requirements in such a manner to cause more of it to fall off the system's peak. In this paper, an overview of proposed and implemented load management options is presented. Research opportunities exist for the evaluation of socio-economic impacts of energy conservation and load management schemes specially on the electric power industry itself.

  18. 75 FR 65012 - Nationwide Categorical Waivers Under Section 1605 (Buy American) of the American Recovery and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-21

    ... location and via the Internet; (4) load Management Ripple Control Receivers for an existing load management... central location and via the Internet; (4) Load Management Ripple Control Receivers for an existing load...

  19. Stability testing and analysis of a PMAD dc test bed for the Space Station Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Button, Robert M.; Brush, Andrew S.

    1992-01-01

    The Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) dc Test Bed at the NASA Lewis Research Center is introduced. Its usefulness to the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power (EPS) development and design are discussed in context of verifying system stability. Stability criteria developed by Middlebrook and Cuk are discussed as they apply to constant power dc to dc converters exhibiting negative input impedance at low frequencies. The utility-type Secondary Subsystem is presented and each component is described. The instrumentation used to measure input and output impedance under load is defined. Test results obtained from input and output impedance measurements of test bed components are presented. It is shown that the PMAD dc Test Bed Secondary Subsystem meets the Middlebrook stability criterion for certain loading conditions.

  20. Stability Testing and Analysis of a PMAD DC Test Bed for the Space Station Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Button, Robert M.; Brush, Andrew S.

    1992-01-01

    The Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) DC Test Bed at the NASA Lewis Research Center is introduced. Its usefulness to the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power (EPS) development and design are discussed in context of verifying system stability. Stability criteria developed by Middlebrook and Cuk are discussed as they apply to constant power DC to DC converters exhibiting negative input impedance at low frequencies. The utility-type Secondary Subsystem is presented and each component is described. The instrumentation used to measure input and output impedance under load is defined. Test results obtained from input and output impedance measurements of test bed components are presented. It is shown that the PMAD DC Test Bed Secondary Subsystem meets the Middlebrook stability criterion for certain loading conditions.

  1. Transformer overload and bubble evolution: Proceedings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Addis, G.; Lindgren, S.

    1988-06-01

    The EPRI workshop on Transformer Overload Characteristics and Bubble Evolution was held to review the findings of investigations over the past 7-8 years to determine whether enough information is now available for utilities to establish safe loading practices. Sixteen papers were presented, including a utility review, physical and dielectric effects of gas and bubble formation from cellulose insulated transformers, transformer life characteristics, gas bubble studies and impulse test on distribution transformers, mathematical modeling of bubble evolution, transformer overload characteristics, variation of PD-strength for oil-paper insulation, survey on maximum safe operating hot spot temperature, and overload management. The meeting concluded withmore » a general discussion covering the existing state of knowledge and the need for additional research. Sixteen papers have been cataloged separately.« less

  2. Intelligent Resource Management for Local Area Networks: Approach and Evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meike, Roger

    1988-01-01

    The Data Management System network is a complex and important part of manned space platforms. Its efficient operation is vital to crew, subsystems and experiments. AI is being considered to aid in the initial design of the network and to augment the management of its operation. The Intelligent Resource Management for Local Area Networks (IRMA-LAN) project is concerned with the application of AI techniques to network configuration and management. A network simulation was constructed employing real time process scheduling for realistic loads, and utilizing the IEEE 802.4 token passing scheme. This simulation is an integral part of the construction of the IRMA-LAN system. From it, a causal model is being constructed for use in prediction and deep reasoning about the system configuration. An AI network design advisor is being added to help in the design of an efficient network. The AI portion of the system is planned to evolve into a dynamic network management aid. The approach, the integrated simulation, project evolution, and some initial results are described.

  3. Energy service companies -- The sky's the limit

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fraser, M.; Montross, C.

    The term ESCO has a different meaning to different people. Increasingly, the term is used in its broadest sense to describe any company providing services related to a customer's energy acquisition and use. Previously, the term ESCO was synonymous with contractors who installed new equipment that was paid for by the energy cost savings that resulted. As a result of competition, restructuring and de-regulation of the electricity and gas sectors, the range of firms offering energy services now includes: local utilities using services to retain customers, remote utilities offering services to customers outside their franchise as a door opener tomore » future commodity sales, local and remote utilities who see services as a more lucrative growth opportunity than commodities or transportation of the commodity, facility managers taking advantage of outsourcing trends and using energy management to reduce costs, power marketers, power brokers, aggregators combining energy analysis to segment their customers with processes to identify potential conservation and load management opportunities, cogeneration developers, and agents who help their customers navigate the uncharted waters of the deregulated energy business. This paper will review the impact of the broader definition of ESCOs with a view toward forecasting future trends in the industry including consideration of the fact that the term, energy service, may, itself, be too narrow a definition for a successful business of industry.« less

  4. Utilization of legacy P in soils, a strategic approach meeting the 40% loading reduction goal while sustaining agricultural production in the Lake Erie basin?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Tiequan; Tan, Chin, S.; Wang, Yutao; Welacky, Tom

    2017-04-01

    Legacy phosphorus (P) in agricultural lands has been deemed the major source contributing to eutrophication of the Lake Erie. Canada and USA bilateral governments have set up a goal of 40% P loading reduction by 2025. Soil P draw-down (PDD) is a potential beneficial management practice for high P soils to overcome legacy P effect and mitigate soil P loss. A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of PDD on crop yields, soil test P change, and soil P losses in both surface runoff and tile drainage under a corn-soybean rotation in a Brookston clay loam soil in a 9-year period from 2008 to 2016. Both yields of corn and soybean with PDD were highly identical to those with continuous P addition (CPA). Soil Olsen P with PDD declined with time at about 2.3 mg P kg-1 year-1, while with CPA it remained unchanged. Relative to CPA, PDD significantly decreased dissolved P and particular P losses, eventually the total P loss by 36%. In addition, farmers' production profitability increased by 15% through savings in investment for P fertilizer. The results indicate that utilization of soil legacy P can be an effective approach that enables us to reach the agri-P loading reduction goal, while improving production profitability and conserving world P resource.

  5. 2006 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

    2006-03-01

    The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (White Book), which is published annually by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), establishes one of the planning bases for supplying electricity to customers. The White Book contains projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, along with relevant definitions and explanations. The White Book also contains information obtained from formalized resource planning reports and data submittals including those from individual utilities, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (Council), and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC). The White Book is not an operational planning guide, nor is it used for determiningmore » BPA revenues, although the database that generates the data for the White Book analysis contributes to the development of BPA's inventory and ratemaking processes. Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) is based on a set of criteria different from that used for resource planning decisions. Operational planning is dependent upon real-time or near-term knowledge of system conditions that include expectations of river flows and runoff, market opportunities, availability of reservoir storage, energy exchanges, and other factors affecting the dynamics of operating a power system. The load resource balance of both the Federal system and the region is determined by comparing resource availability to an expected level of total retail electricity consumption. Resources include projected energy capability plus contract purchases. Loads include a forecast of retail obligations plus contract obligations. Surplus energy is available when resources are greater than loads. This surplus energy could be marketed to increase revenues. Energy deficits occur when resources are less than loads. These energy deficits will be met by any combination of the following: better-than-critical water conditions, demand-side management and conservation programs, permanent loss of loads due to economic conditions or closures, additional contract purchases, and/or the addition of new generating resources. This study incorporates information on Pacific Northwest (PNW) regional retail loads, contract obligations, and contract resources. This loads and resources analysis simulates the operation of the power system in the PNW. The simulated hydro operation incorporates plant characteristics, streamflows, and non-power requirements from the current Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA). Additional resource capability estimates were provided by BPA, PNW Federal agency, public agency, cooperative, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), and investor-owned utility (IOU) customers furnished through annual PNUCC data submittals for 2005 and/or direct submittals to BPA. The 2006 White Book is presented in two documents: (1) this summary document of Federal system and PNW region loads and resources, and (2) a technical appendix which presents regional loads, grouped by major PNW utility categories, and detailed contract and resource information. The technical appendix is available only in electronic form. Individual customer information for marketer contracts is not detailed due to confidentiality agreements. The 2006 White Book analysis updates the 2004 White Book. This analysis shows projections of the Federal system and region's yearly average annual energy consumption and resource availability for the study period, OY 2007-2016. The study also presents projections of Federal system and region expected 1-hour monthly peak demand, monthly energy demand, monthly 1-hour peak generating capability, and monthly energy generation for OY 2007, 2011, and 2016. BPA is investigating a new approach in capacity planning depicting the monthly Federal system 120-hour peak generating capability and 120-hour peak surplus/deficit for OY 2007, 2011, and 2016. This document analyzes the PNW's projected loads and available generating resources in two parts: (1) the loads and resources of the Federal system, for which BPA is the marketing agency; and (2) the larger PNW regional power system loads and resources that include the Federal system as well other PNW entities.« less

  6. Optimization of tetracycline hydrochloride adsorption on amino modified SBA-15 using response surface methodology.

    PubMed

    Hashemikia, Samaneh; Hemmatinejad, Nahid; Ahmadi, Ebrahim; Montazer, Majid

    2015-04-01

    Several researchers are focused on preparation of mesoporous silica as drug carriers with high loading efficiency to control or sustain the drug release. Carriers with highly loaded drug are utilized to minimize the time of drug intake. In this study, amino modified SBA-15 was synthesized through grafting with amino propyl triethoxy silane and then loaded with tetracycline hydrochloride. The drug loading was optimized by using the response surface method considering various factors including drug to silica ratio, operation time, and temperature. The drug to silica ratio indicated as the most influential factor on the drug loading yield. Further, a quadratic polynomial equation was developed to predict the loading percentage. The experimental results indicated reasonable agreement with the predicted values. The modified and drug loaded mesoporous particles were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis and N2 adsorption-desorption. The release profiles of tetracycline-loaded particles were studied in different pH. Also, Higuchi equation was used to analyze the release profile of the drug and to evaluate the kinetic of drug release. The drug release rate followed the conventional Higuchi model that could be controlled by amino-functionalized SBA-15. Further, the drug delivery system based on amino modified SBA-15 exhibits novel features with an appropriate usage as an anti-bacterial drug delivery system with effective management of drug adsorption and release. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Aggregate Load Controllers and Associated Methods

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chassin, David P.

    Aggregate load controllers and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a method of operating an aggregate load controller includes using an aggregate load controller having an initial state, applying a stimulus to a plurality of thermostatic controllers which are configured to control a plurality of respective thermostatic loads which receive electrical energy from an electrical utility to operate in a plurality of different operational modes, accessing data regarding a response of the thermostatic loads as a result of the applied stimulus, using the data regarding the response, determining a value of at least one design parameter of themore » aggregate load controller, and using the determined value of the at least one design parameter, configuring the aggregate load controller to control amounts of the electrical energy which are utilized by the thermostatic loads.« less

  8. Demand side management in recycling and electricity retail pricing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazan, Osman

    This dissertation addresses several problems from the recycling industry and electricity retail market. The first paper addresses a real-life scheduling problem faced by a national industrial recycling company. Based on their practices, a scheduling problem is defined, modeled, analyzed, and a solution is approximated efficiently. The recommended application is tested on the real-life data and randomly generated data. The scheduling improvements and the financial benefits are presented. The second problem is from electricity retail market. There are well-known patterns in daily usage in hours. These patterns change in shape and magnitude by seasons and days of the week. Generation costs are multiple times higher during the peak hours of the day. Yet most consumers purchase electricity at flat rates. This work explores analytic pricing tools to reduce peak load electricity demand for retailers. For that purpose, a nonlinear model that determines optimal hourly prices is established based on two major components: unit generation costs and consumers' utility. Both are analyzed and estimated empirically in the third paper. A pricing model is introduced to maximize the electric retailer's profit. As a result, a closed-form expression for the optimal price vector is obtained. Possible scenarios are evaluated for consumers' utility distribution. For the general case, we provide a numerical solution methodology to obtain the optimal pricing scheme. The models recommended are tested under various scenarios that consider consumer segmentation and multiple pricing policies. The recommended model reduces the peak load significantly in most cases. Several utility companies offer hourly pricing to their customers. They determine prices using historical data of unit electricity cost over time. In this dissertation we develop a nonlinear model that determines optimal hourly prices with parameter estimation. The last paper includes a regression analysis of the unit generation cost function obtained from Independent Service Operators. A consumer experiment is established to replicate the peak load behavior. As a result, consumers' utility function is estimated and optimal retail electricity prices are computed.

  9. Study protocol: a mixed methods feasibility study for a loaded self-managed exercise programme for patellofemoral pain.

    PubMed

    Smith, Benjamin E; Hendrick, Paul; Bateman, Marcus; Moffatt, Fiona; Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Selfe, James; Smith, Toby O; Logan, Pip

    2018-01-01

    Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is one of the most common forms of knee pain in adults under the age of 40, with a prevalence of 23% in the general population. The long-term prognosis is poor, with only one third of people pain-free 1 year after diagnosis. The biomedical model of pain in relation to persistent PFP has recently been called into question. It has been suggested that interventions for chronic musculoskeletal conditions should consider alternative mechanisms of action, beyond muscles and joints. Modern treatment therapies should consider desensitising strategies, with exercises that target movements and activities patients find fearful and painful. High-quality research on exercise prescription in relation to pain mechanisms, not directed at specific tissue pathology, and dose response clearly warrants further investigation. Our primary aim is to establish the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a definitive RCT which will evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a loaded self-managed exercise programme for people with patellofemoral pain. This is a single-centred, multiphase, sequential, mixed-methods trial that will evaluate the feasibility of running a definitive large-scale randomised controlled trial of a loaded self-managed exercise programme versus usual physiotherapy. Initially, 8-10 participants with a minimum 3-month history of PFP will be recruited from an NHS physiotherapy waiting list and interviewed. Participants will be invited to discuss perceived barriers and facilitators to exercise engagement, and the meaning and impact of PFP. Then, 60 participants will be recruited in the same manner for the main phase of the feasibility trial. A web-based service will randomise patients to a loaded self-managed exercise programme or usual physiotherapy. The loaded self-managed exercise programme is aimed at addressing lower limb knee and hip weakness and is positioned within a framework of reducing fear/avoidance with an emphasis on self-management. Baseline assessment will include demographic data, average pain within the last week (VAS), fear avoidance behaviours, catastrophising, self-efficacy, sport and leisure activity participation, and general quality of life. Follow-up will be 3 and 6 months. The analysis will focus on descriptive statistics and confidence intervals. The qualitative components will follow a thematic analysis approach. This study will evaluate the feasibility of running a definitive large-scale trial on patients with patellofemoral pain, within the NHS in the UK. We will identify strengths and weaknesses of the proposed protocol and the utility and characteristics of the outcome measures. The results from this study will inform the design of a multicentre trial. ISRCTN35272486.

  10. New Tools for Managing Agricultural P

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nieber, J. L.; Baker, L. A.; Peterson, H. M.; Ulrich, J.

    2014-12-01

    Best management practices (BMPs) generally focus on retaining nutrients (especially P) after they enter the watershed. This approach is expensive, unsustainable, and has not led to reductions of P pollution at large scales (e.g., Mississippi River). Although source reduction, which results in reducing inputs of nutrients to a watershed, has long been cited as a preferred approach, we have not had tools to guide source reduction efforts at the watershed level. To augment conventional TMDL tools, we developed an "actionable" watershed P balance approach, based largely on watershed-specific information, yet simple enough to be utilized as a practical tool. Interviews with farmers were used to obtain detailed farm management data, data from livestock permits were adjusted based on site visits, stream P fluxes were calculated from 3 years of monitoring data, and expert knowledge was used to model P fluxes through animal operations. The overall P use efficiency. Puse was calculated as the sum of deliberate exports (P in animals, milk, eggs, and crops) divided by deliberate inputs (P inputs of fertilizer, feed, and nursery animals x 100. The crop P use efficiency was 1.7, meaning that more P was exported as products that was deliberately imported; we estimate that this mining would have resulted in a loss of 6 mg P/kg across the watershed. Despite the negative P balance, the equivalent of 5% of watershed input was lost via stream export. Tile drainage, the presence of buffer strips, and relatively flat topography result in dominance of P loads by ortho-P (66%) and low particulate P. This, together with geochemical analysis (ongoing) suggest that biological processes may be at least as important as sediment transport in controlling P loads. We have developed a P balance calculator tool to enable watershed management organizations to develop watershed P balances and identify opportunities for improving the efficiency of P utilization.

  11. The Utility of a Syndemic Framework in Understanding Chronic Disease Management Among HIV-Infected and Type 2 Diabetic Men Who Have Sex with Men.

    PubMed

    Byg, Blaire; Bazzi, Angela Robertson; Funk, Danielle; James, Bonface; Potter, Jennifer

    2016-12-01

    Syndemic theory posits that epidemics of multiple physical and psychosocial problems co-occur among disadvantaged groups due to adverse social conditions. Although sexual minority populations are often stigmatized and vulnerable to multiple health problems, the syndemic perspective has been underutilized in understanding chronic disease. To assess the potential utility of this perspective in understanding the management of co-occurring HIV and Type 2 diabetes, we used linear regression to examine glycemic control (A1c) among men who have sex with men (MSM) with both HIV and Type 2 diabetes (n = 88). Bivariable linear regression explored potential syndemic correlates of inadequate glycemic control. Compared to those with adequate glycemic control (A1c ≤ 7.5 %), more men with inadequate glycemic control (A1c > 7.5 %) had hypertension (70 vs. 46 %, p = 0.034), high triglycerides (93 vs. 61 %, p = 0.002), depression (67 vs. 39 %, p = 0.018), current substance abuse (15 vs. 2 %, p = 0.014), and detectable levels of HIV (i.e., viral load ≥75 copies per ml blood; 30 vs. 10 %, p = 0.019). In multivariable regression controlling for age, the factors that were independently associated with higher A1c were high triglycerides, substance use, and detectable HIV viral load, suggesting that chronic disease management among MSM is complex and challenging for patients and providers. Findings also suggest that syndemic theory can be a clarifying lens for understanding chronic disease management among sexual minority stigmatized populations. Interventions targeting single conditions may be inadequate when multiple conditions co-occur; thus, research using a syndemic framework may be helpful in identifying intervention strategies that target multiple co-occurring conditions.

  12. Residential Consumer-Centric Demand-Side Management Based on Energy Disaggregation-Piloting Constrained Swarm Intelligence: Towards Edge Computing

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Yu-Chen

    2018-01-01

    The emergence of smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices has highly favored the realization of smart homes in a down-stream sector of a smart grid. The underlying objective of Demand Response (DR) schemes is to actively engage customers to modify their energy consumption on domestic appliances in response to pricing signals. Domestic appliance scheduling is widely accepted as an effective mechanism to manage domestic energy consumption intelligently. Besides, to residential customers for DR implementation, maintaining a balance between energy consumption cost and users’ comfort satisfaction is a challenge. Hence, in this paper, a constrained Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-based residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method is proposed. The method can be further featured with edge computing. In contrast with cloud computing, edge computing—a method of optimizing cloud computing technologies by driving computing capabilities at the IoT edge of the Internet as one of the emerging trends in engineering technology—addresses bandwidth-intensive contents and latency-sensitive applications required among sensors and central data centers through data analytics at or near the source of data. A non-intrusive load-monitoring technique proposed previously is utilized to automatic determination of physical characteristics of power-intensive home appliances from users’ life patterns. The swarm intelligence, constrained PSO, is used to minimize the energy consumption cost while considering users’ comfort satisfaction for DR implementation. The residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method proposed in this paper is evaluated under real-time pricing with inclining block rates and is demonstrated in a case study. The experimentation reported in this paper shows the proposed residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method can re-shape loads by home appliances in response to DR signals. Moreover, a phenomenal reduction in peak power consumption is achieved by 13.97%. PMID:29702607

  13. Terminal area energy management regime investigations utilizing an 0.030-scale model (47-0) of the space shuttle vehicle orbiter configuration 140A/B/C/R in the Ames Research Center 11 x 11 foot transonic wind tunnel (0A148), volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hawthorne, P. J.

    1976-01-01

    Data obtained in wind tunnel tests are presented. The objectives of the tests were to: (1) obtain pressure distributions, forces and moments over the vehicle 5 Orbiter in the terminal area energy management (TAEM) and approach phases of flight; (2) obtain elevon and rudder hinge moments in the TAEM and approach phases of flight; (3) obtain body flap and elevon loads for verification of loads balancing with integrated pressure distributions; and (4) obtain pressure distributions near the short OMS pods in the high subsonic, transonic and low supersonic Mach number regimes. Testing was conducted over a Mach number range from 0.6 to 1.4 with Reynolds number variations from 4.57 million to 2.74 million per foot. Model angle-of-attack was varied from -4 to 16 degrees and angles of side slip ranged from -8 to 8 degrees.

  14. Detection of drug resistance mutations at low plasma HIV-1 RNA load in a European multicentre cohort study.

    PubMed

    Prosperi, Mattia C F; Mackie, Nicola; Di Giambenedetto, Simona; Zazzi, Maurizio; Camacho, Ricardo; Fanti, Iuri; Torti, Carlo; Sönnerborg, Anders; Kaiser, Rolf; Codoñer, Francisco M; Van Laethem, Kristel; Bansi, Loveleen; van de Vijver, David A M C; Geretti, Anna Maria; De Luca, Andrea

    2011-08-01

    Guidelines indicate a plasma HIV-1 RNA load of 500-1000 copies/mL as the minimal threshold for antiretroviral drug resistance testing. Resistance testing at lower viral load levels may be useful to guide timely treatment switches, although data on the clinical utility of this remain limited. We report here the influence of viral load levels on the probability of detecting drug resistance mutations (DRMs) and other mutations by routine genotypic testing in a large multicentre European cohort, with a focus on tests performed at a viral load <1000 copies/mL. A total of 16 511 HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and protease sequences from 11 492 treatment-experienced patients were identified, and linked to clinical data on viral load, CD4 T cell counts and antiretroviral treatment history. Test results from 3162 treatment-naive patients served as controls. Multivariable analysis was employed to identify predictors of reverse transcriptase and protease DRMs. Overall, 2500/16 511 (15.14%) test results were obtained at a viral load <1000 copies/mL. Individuals with viral load levels of 1000-10000 copies/mL showed the highest probability of drug resistance to any drug class. Independently from other measurable confounders, treatment-experienced patients showed a trend for DRMs and other mutations to decrease at viral load levels <500 copies/mL. Genotypic testing at low viral load may identify emerging antiretroviral drug resistance at an early stage, and thus might be successfully employed in guiding prompt management strategies that may reduce the accumulation of resistance and cross-resistance, viral adaptive changes, and larger viral load increases.

  15. Cathode Loading Effect on Sulfur Utilization in Lithium–Sulfur Battery

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sun, Ke; Liu, Helen; Gan, Hong

    The Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) battery is under intensive research in recent years due to its potential to provide higher energy density and lower cost than the current state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery technology. To meet cost target for transportation application, high sulfur loading up to 8 mAh cm -2 is predicted by modeling. In this work, we have investigated the sulfur loading effect on the galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling performance of Li-S cells with theoretical sulfur loading ranging from 0.5 mAh cm -2 to 7.5 mAh cm -2. We found that the low sulfur utilization of electrodes with sulfur loading of > 3.0 mAhmore » cm-2 is due to their inability to deliver capacities at the 2.1V voltage plateau, which corresponds to the conversion of soluble Li 2S 4 to insoluble Li 2S 2/Li 2S. This electrochemical conversion process recovers to deliver the expected sulfur utilization after several activation cycles for electrodes with sulfur loading up to 4.5 mAh cm -2. For electrodes with 7.0 mAh cm -2 loading, no sulfur utilization recovery was observed for 100 cycles. The root cause of this phenomenon is elucidated by SEM/EDS and EIS investigation. Carbon interlayer cell design and low rate discharge activation are demonstrated to be effective mitigation methods.« less

  16. Cathode Loading Effect on Sulfur Utilization in Lithium–Sulfur Battery

    DOE PAGES

    Sun, Ke; Liu, Helen; Gan, Hong

    2016-05-01

    The Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) battery is under intensive research in recent years due to its potential to provide higher energy density and lower cost than the current state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery technology. To meet cost target for transportation application, high sulfur loading up to 8 mAh cm -2 is predicted by modeling. In this work, we have investigated the sulfur loading effect on the galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling performance of Li-S cells with theoretical sulfur loading ranging from 0.5 mAh cm -2 to 7.5 mAh cm -2. We found that the low sulfur utilization of electrodes with sulfur loading of > 3.0 mAhmore » cm-2 is due to their inability to deliver capacities at the 2.1V voltage plateau, which corresponds to the conversion of soluble Li 2S 4 to insoluble Li 2S 2/Li 2S. This electrochemical conversion process recovers to deliver the expected sulfur utilization after several activation cycles for electrodes with sulfur loading up to 4.5 mAh cm -2. For electrodes with 7.0 mAh cm -2 loading, no sulfur utilization recovery was observed for 100 cycles. The root cause of this phenomenon is elucidated by SEM/EDS and EIS investigation. Carbon interlayer cell design and low rate discharge activation are demonstrated to be effective mitigation methods.« less

  17. Application of the dynamically allocated virtual clustering management system to emulated tactical network experimentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marcus, Kelvin

    2014-06-01

    The U.S Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has built a "Network Science Research Lab" to support research that aims to improve their ability to analyze, predict, design, and govern complex systems that interweave the social/cognitive, information, and communication network genres. Researchers at ARL and the Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS-CTA), a collaborative research alliance funded by ARL, conducted experimentation to determine if automated network monitoring tools and task-aware agents deployed within an emulated tactical wireless network could potentially increase the retrieval of relevant data from heterogeneous distributed information nodes. ARL and NS-CTA required the capability to perform this experimentation over clusters of heterogeneous nodes with emulated wireless tactical networks where each node could contain different operating systems, application sets, and physical hardware attributes. Researchers utilized the Dynamically Allocated Virtual Clustering Management System (DAVC) to address each of the infrastructure support requirements necessary in conducting their experimentation. The DAVC is an experimentation infrastructure that provides the means to dynamically create, deploy, and manage virtual clusters of heterogeneous nodes within a cloud computing environment based upon resource utilization such as CPU load, available RAM and hard disk space. The DAVC uses 802.1Q Virtual LANs (VLANs) to prevent experimentation crosstalk and to allow for complex private networks. Clusters created by the DAVC system can be utilized for software development, experimentation, and integration with existing hardware and software. The goal of this paper is to explore how ARL and the NS-CTA leveraged the DAVC to create, deploy and manage multiple experimentation clusters to support their experimentation goals.

  18. A framework for a diabetes mellitus disease management system in southern Israel.

    PubMed

    Fox, Matthew A; Harman-Boehm, Ilana; Weitzman, Shimon; Zelingher, Julian

    2002-01-01

    Chronic diseases are a significant burden on western healthcare systems and national economies. It has been suggested that automated disease management for chronic disease, like diabetes mellitus (DM), improves the quality of care and reduces inappropriate utilization of diagnostic and therapeutic measures. We have designed a comprehensive DM Disease Management system for the Negev region in southern Israel. This system takes advantage of currently used clinical and administrative information systems. Algorithms for DM disease management have been created based on existing and accepted Israeli guidelines. All data fields and tables in the source information systems have been analyzed, and interfaces for periodic data loads from these systems have been specified. Based on this data, four subsets of decision support algorithms have been developed. The system generates alerts in these domains to multiple end users. We plan to use the products of this information system analysis and disease management specification in the actual development process of such a system shortly.

  19. A program for calculating load coefficient matrices utilizing the force summation method, L218 (LOADS). Volume 1: Engineering and usage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, R. D.; Anderson, L. R.

    1979-01-01

    The LOADS program L218, a digital computer program that calculates dynamic load coefficient matrices utilizing the force summation method, is described. The load equations are derived for a flight vehicle in straight and level flight and excited by gusts and/or control motions. In addition, sensor equations are calculated for use with an active control system. The load coefficient matrices are calculated for the following types of loads: translational and rotational accelerations, velocities, and displacements; panel aerodynamic forces; net panel forces; shears and moments. Program usage and a brief description of the analysis used are presented. A description of the design and structure of the program to aid those who will maintain and/or modify the program in the future is included.

  20. Utilizing Photogrammetry and Strain Gage Measurement to Characterize Pressurization of an Inflatable Module

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Valle, Gerard D.; Selig, Molly; Litteken, Doug; Oliveras, Ovidio

    2012-01-01

    This paper documents the integration of a large hatch penetration into an inflatable module. This paper also documents the comparison of analytical load predictions with measured results utilizing strain measurement. Strain was measured by utilizing photogrammetric measurement and through measurement obtained from strain gages mounted to selected clevises that interface with the structural webbings. Bench testing showed good correlation between strain measurement obtained from an extensometer and photogrammetric measurement especially after the fabric has transitioned through the low load/high strain region of the curve. Test results for the full-scale torus showed mixed results in the lower load and thus lower strain regions. Overall strain, and thus load, measured by strain gages and photogrammetry tracked fairly well with analytical predictions. Methods and areas of improvements are discussed.

  1. Energy Systems Integration: NREL + HECO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hawaiian Electric Companies' (HECO) customers are among the nation's fastest-adopters of solar PV systems. For HECO, the increased daytime PV generation raises feeder voltage profiles. Emerging technologies such as advanced PV inverters, battery storage, electric vehicles, and controllable loads also have an impact on voltage profiles. From the utility's perspective, it is yet unclear how to effectively manage these customer-sited resources. NREL is helping HECO understand its options by validating several voltage regulation strategies, making specific use of advanced inverters with voltage support functions, and their integration with other controllable sources.

  2. Structural Analysis Methods for Structural Health Management of Future Aerospace Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tessler, Alexander

    2007-01-01

    Two finite element based computational methods, Smoothing Element Analysis (SEA) and the inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM), are reviewed, and examples of their use for structural health monitoring are discussed. Due to their versatility, robustness, and computational efficiency, the methods are well suited for real-time structural health monitoring of future space vehicles, large space structures, and habitats. The methods may be effectively employed to enable real-time processing of sensing information, specifically for identifying three-dimensional deformed structural shapes as well as the internal loads. In addition, they may be used in conjunction with evolutionary algorithms to design optimally distributed sensors. These computational tools have demonstrated substantial promise for utilization in future Structural Health Management (SHM) systems.

  3. Utility aspects of space power: Load management versus source management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walls, B.

    1995-01-01

    Electrical power, as an area of study, is relatively young as compared to language, chemistry, physics, mathematics, philosophy, metallurgy, textiles, transportation, or farming. Practically all of the technology that has enabled the huge, continent-spanning power grids that have become ubiquitous in developed countries was developed in the last 150 years. In fact, Tesla's advocacy of alternating current for transmission just won out in the beginning of this century. Despite the novelty of the field as a whole, space power applications are, of course, much newer. This paper looks at the history of space power, and compares it to its older sibling on earth, forming a basis for determining appropriate transitions of technology from the terrestrial realm to space applications.

  4. Groundwater pumping effects on contaminant loading management in agricultural regions.

    PubMed

    Park, Dong Kyu; Bae, Gwang-Ok; Kim, Seong-Kyun; Lee, Kang-Kun

    2014-06-15

    Groundwater pumping changes the behavior of subsurface water, including the location of the water table and characteristics of the flow system, and eventually affects the fate of contaminants, such as nitrate from agricultural fertilizers. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate the importance of considering the existing pumping conditions for contaminant loading management and to develop a management model to obtain a contaminant loading design more appropriate and practical for agricultural regions where groundwater pumping is common. Results from this study found that optimal designs for contaminant loading could be determined differently when the existing pumping conditions were considered. This study also showed that prediction of contamination and contaminant loading management without considering pumping activities might be unrealistic. Motivated by these results, a management model optimizing the permissible on-ground contaminant loading mass together with pumping rates was developed and applied to field investigation and monitoring data from Icheon, Korea. The analytical solution for 1-D unsaturated solute transport was integrated with the 3-D saturated solute transport model in order to approximate the fate of contaminants loaded periodically from on-ground sources. This model was further expanded to manage agricultural contaminant loading in regions where groundwater extraction tends to be concentrated in a specific period of time, such as during the rice-growing season, using a method that approximates contaminant leaching to a fluctuating water table. The results illustrated that the simultaneous management of groundwater quantity and quality was effective and appropriate to the agricultural contaminant loading management and the model developed in this study, which can consider time-variant pumping, could be used to accurately estimate and to reasonably manage contaminant loading in agricultural areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. High power density proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murphy, Oliver J.; Hitchens, G. Duncan; Manko, David J.

    1993-01-01

    Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells use a perfluorosulfonic acid solid polymer film as an electrolyte which simplifies water and electrolyte management. Their thin electrolyte layers give efficient systems of low weight, and their materials of construction show extremely long laboratory lifetimes. Their high reliability and their suitability for use in a microgravity environment makes them particularly attractive as a substitute for batteries in satellites utilizing high-power, high energy-density electrochemical energy storage systems. In this investigation, the Dow experimental PEM (XUS-13204.10) and unsupported high platinum loading electrodes yielded very high power densities, of the order of 2.5 W cm(exp -2). A platinum black loading of 5 mg per cm(exp 2) was found to be optimum. On extending the three-dimensional reaction zone of fuel cell electrodes by impregnating solid polymer electrolyte into the electrode structures, Nafion was found to give better performance than the Dow experimental PEM. The depth of penetration of the solid polymer electrolyte into electrode structures was 50-70 percent of the thickness of the platinum-catalyzed active layer. However, the degree of platinum utilization was only 16.6 percent and the roughness factor of a typical electrode was 274.

  6. 14 CFR 23.365 - Pressurized cabin loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... landing. (d) The airplane structure must be strong enough to withstand the pressure differential loads... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23... structure must be strong enough to withstand the flight loads combined with pressure differential loads from...

  7. Load power device, system and method of load control and management employing load identification

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Yi; Luebke, Charles John; Schoepf, Thomas J.

    A load power device includes a power input, at least one power output for at least one load, a plurality of sensors structured to sense voltage and current at the at least one power output, and a processor. The processor provides: (a) load identification based upon the sensed voltage and current, and (b) load control and management based upon the load identification.

  8. 29 CFR 1919.76 - Safe working load reduction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... load reduction. (a) If the operation in which equipment is engaged never utilizes more than a fraction... physically capable of operation at the original load rating and the load reduction is not for the purpose of...

  9. Customer response to day-ahead wholesale market electricity prices: Case study of RTP program experience in New York

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Goldman, C.; Hopper, N.; Sezgen, O.

    2004-07-01

    There is growing interest in policies, programs and tariffs that encourage customer loads to provide demand response (DR) to help discipline wholesale electricity markets. Proposals at the retail level range from eliminating fixed rate tariffs as the default service for some or all customer groups to reinstituting utility-sponsored load management programs with market-based inducements to curtail. Alternative rate designs include time-of-use (TOU), day-ahead real-time pricing (RTP), critical peak pricing, and even pricing usage at real-time market balancing prices. Some Independent System Operators (ISOs) have implemented their own DR programs whereby load curtailment capabilities are treated as a system resource andmore » are paid an equivalent value. The resulting load reductions from these tariffs and programs provide a variety of benefits, including limiting the ability of suppliers to increase spot and long-term market-clearing prices above competitive levels (Neenan et al., 2002; Boren stein, 2002; Ruff, 2002). Unfortunately, there is little information in the public domain to characterize and quantify how customers actually respond to these alternative dynamic pricing schemes. A few empirical studies of large customer RTP response have shown modest results for most customers, with a few very price-responsive customers providing most of the aggregate response (Herriges et al., 1993; Schwarz et al., 2002). However, these studies examined response to voluntary, two-part RTP programs implemented by utilities in states without retail competition.1 Furthermore, the researchers had limited information on customer characteristics so they were unable to identify the drivers to price response. In the absence of a compelling characterization of why customers join RTP programs and how they respond to prices, many initiatives to modernize retail electricity rates seem to be stymied.« less

  10. Load Model Verification, Validation and Calibration Framework by Statistical Analysis on Field Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiao, Xiangqing; Liao, Yuan; Nguyen, Thai

    2017-11-01

    Accurate load models are critical for power system analysis and operation. A large amount of research work has been done on load modeling. Most of the existing research focuses on developing load models, while little has been done on developing formal load model verification and validation (V&V) methodologies or procedures. Most of the existing load model validation is based on qualitative rather than quantitative analysis. In addition, not all aspects of model V&V problem have been addressed by the existing approaches. To complement the existing methods, this paper proposes a novel load model verification and validation framework that can systematically and more comprehensively examine load model's effectiveness and accuracy. Statistical analysis, instead of visual check, quantifies the load model's accuracy, and provides a confidence level of the developed load model for model users. The analysis results can also be used to calibrate load models. The proposed framework can be used as a guidance to systematically examine load models for utility engineers and researchers. The proposed method is demonstrated through analysis of field measurements collected from a utility system.

  11. Power system monitoring and source control of the Space Station Freedom DC power system testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kimnach, Greg L.; Baez, Anastacio N.

    1992-01-01

    Unlike a terrestrial electric utility which can purchase power from a neighboring utility, the Space Station Freedom (SSF) has strictly limited energy resources; as a result, source control, system monitoring, system protection, and load management are essential to the safe and efficient operation of the SSF Electric Power System (EPS). These functions are being evaluated in the DC Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) Testbed which NASA LeRC has developed at the Power System Facility (PSF) located in Cleveland, Ohio. The testbed is an ideal platform to develop, integrate, and verify power system monitoring and control algorithms. State Estimation (SE) is a monitoring tool used extensively in terrestrial electric utilities to ensure safe power system operation. It uses redundant system information to calculate the actual state of the EPS, to isolate faulty sensors, to determine source operating points, to verify faults detected by subsidiary controllers, and to identify high impedance faults. Source control and monitoring safeguard the power generation and storage subsystems and ensure that the power system operates within safe limits while satisfying user demands with minimal interruptions. System monitoring functions, in coordination with hardware implemented schemes, provide for a complete fault protection system. The objective of this paper is to overview the development and integration of the state estimator and the source control algorithms.

  12. Power system monitoring and source control of the Space Station Freedom dc-power system testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kimnach, Greg L.; Baez, Anastacio N.

    1992-01-01

    Unlike a terrestrial electric utility which can purchase power from a neighboring utility, the Space Station Freedom (SSF) has strictly limited energy resources; as a result, source control, system monitoring, system protection, and load management are essential to the safe and efficient operation of the SSF Electric Power System (EPS). These functions are being evaluated in the dc Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) Testbed which NASA LeRC has developed at the Power System Facility (PSF) located in Cleveland, Ohio. The testbed is an ideal platform to develop, integrate, and verify power system monitoring and control algorithms. State Estimation (SE) is a monitoring tool used extensively in terrestrial electric utilities to ensure safe power system operation. It uses redundant system information to calculate the actual state of the EPS, to isolate faulty sensors, to determine source operating points, to verify faults detected by subsidiary controllers, and to identify high impedance faults. Source control and monitoring safeguard the power generation and storage subsystems and ensure that the power system operates within safe limits while satisfying user demands with minimal interruptions. System monitoring functions, in coordination with hardware implemented schemes, provide for a complete fault protection system. The objective of this paper is to overview the development and integration of the state estimator and the source control algorithms.

  13. Visualizing and Integrating AFSCN Utilization into a Common Operational Picture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hays, B.; Carlile, A.; Mitchell, T.

    The Department of Defense (DoD) and the 50th Space Network Operations Group Studies and Analysis branch (50th SCS/SCXI), located at Schriever AFB Colorado, face the unique challenge of forecasting the expected near term and future utilization of the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The forecasting timeframe covers the planned load from the current date to ten years out. The various satellite missions, satellite requirements, orbital regions, and ground architecture dynamics provide the model inputs and constraints that are used in generating the forecasted load. The AFSCN is the largest network the Air Force uses to control satellites worldwide. Each day, network personnel perform over 500 scheduled events-from satellite maneuvers to critical data downloads. The Forecasting Objective is to provide leadership with the insights necessary to manage the network today and tomorrow. For both today's needs and future needs, SCXI develops AFSCN utilization forecasts to optimize the ground system's coverage and capacity to meet user satellite requirements. SCXI also performs satellite program specific studies to determine network support feasibility. STK and STK Scheduler form the core of the tools used by SCXI. To establish this tool suite, we had to evaluate, evolve, and validate both the COTS products and our own developed code and processes. This began with calibrating the network model to emulate the real life scheduling environment of the AFSCN. Multiple STK Scheduler optimizing (de-confliction) algorithms, including Multi-Pass, Sequential, Random, and Neural, were evaluated and adjusted to determine applicability to the model and the accuracy of the prediction. Additionally, the scheduling Figure of Merit (FOM), which permits custom weighting of various parameters, was analyzed and tested to achieve the most accurate real life result. With the inherent capabilities of STK and the ability to wrap and automate output, SCXI is now able to visually communicate satellite loads in a manner never seen before in AFSCN management meetings. Scenarios such as regional antenna load stress, satellite missed opportunities, and the overall network "big picture" can be visually displayed in 3D versus the textual and line graph methods used for many years. This is the first step towards an integrated space awareness picture with an operational focus. SCXI is working on taking the visual forecast concept farther and begin fusing multiple sources of data to build a 50 SW Common Operating Picture (COP). The vision is to integrate more effective orbital determination processes, resource outages, current and forecasted satellite mission requirements, and future architectural changes into a real-time visual status to enable quick and responsive decisions. This COP would be utilized in a Wing Operations Center to provide up to the minute network status on where satellites are, which ground resources are in contact with them, and what resources are down. The ability to quickly absorb and process this data will enhance decision analysis and save valuable time in both day to day operations and wartime scenarios.

  14. Molecular diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis: Does adjustment for total bacterial load or human cellular content improve diagnostic performance?

    PubMed

    Plummer, E L; Garland, S M; Bradshaw, C S; Law, M G; Vodstrcil, L A; Hocking, J S; Fairley, C K; Tabrizi, S N

    2017-02-01

    We investigated the utility of quantitative PCR assays for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis and found that while the best model utilized bacterial copy number adjusted for total bacterial load (sensitivity=98%, specificity=93%, AUC=0.95[95%CI=0.93,0.97]), adjusting for total bacterial or human cell load did not consistently increase the diagnostic performance of the assays. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Intelligent automotive battery systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witehira, P.

    A single power-supply battery is incompatible with modern vehicles. A one-cmbination 12 cell/12 V battery, developed by Power Beat International Limited (PBIL), is described. The battery is designed to be a 'drop in' replacement for existing batteries. The cell structures, however, are designed according to load function, i.e., high-current shallow-discharge cycles and low-current deep-discharge cycles. The preferred energy discharge management logic and integration into the power distribution network of the vehicle to provide safe user-friendly usage is described. The system is designed to operate transparent to the vehicle user. The integrity of the volatile high-current cells is maintained by temperature-sensitive voltage control and discharge management. The deep-cycle cells can be fully utilized without affecting startability under extreme conditions. Electric energy management synchronization with engine starting will provide at least 6% overall reduction in hydrocarbon emissions using an intelligent on-board power-supply technology developed by PBIL.

  16. Estimating the Impacts of Direct Load Control Programs Using GridPIQ, a Web-Based Screening Tool

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pal, Seemita; Thayer, Brandon L.; Barrett, Emily L.

    In direct load control (DLC) programs, utilities can curtail the demand of participating loads to contractually agreed-upon levels during periods of critical peak load, thereby reducing stress on the system, generation cost, and required transmission and generation capacity. Participating customers receive financial incentives. The impacts of implementing DLC programs extend well beyond peak shaving. There may be a shift of load proportional to the interrupted load to the times before or after a DLC event, and different load shifts have different consequences. Tools that can quantify the impacts of such programs on load curves, peak demand, emissions, and fossil fuelmore » costs are currently lacking. The Grid Project Impact Quantification (GridPIQ) screening tool includes a Direct Load Control module, which takes into account project-specific inputs as well as the larger system context in order to quantify the impacts of a given DLC program. This allows users (utilities, researchers, etc.) to test and compare different program specifications and their impacts.« less

  17. Bulk electric system reliability evaluation incorporating wind power and demand side management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Dange

    Electric power systems are experiencing dramatic changes with respect to structure, operation and regulation and are facing increasing pressure due to environmental and societal constraints. Bulk electric system reliability is an important consideration in power system planning, design and operation particularly in the new competitive environment. A wide range of methods have been developed to perform bulk electric system reliability evaluation. Theoretically, sequential Monte Carlo simulation can include all aspects and contingencies in a power system and can be used to produce an informative set of reliability indices. It has become a practical and viable tool for large system reliability assessment technique due to the development of computing power and is used in the studies described in this thesis. The well-being approach used in this research provides the opportunity to integrate an accepted deterministic criterion into a probabilistic framework. This research work includes the investigation of important factors that impact bulk electric system adequacy evaluation and security constrained adequacy assessment using the well-being analysis framework. Load forecast uncertainty is an important consideration in an electrical power system. This research includes load forecast uncertainty considerations in bulk electric system reliability assessment and the effects on system, load point and well-being indices and reliability index probability distributions are examined. There has been increasing worldwide interest in the utilization of wind power as a renewable energy source over the last two decades due to enhanced public awareness of the environment. Increasing penetration of wind power has significant impacts on power system reliability, and security analyses become more uncertain due to the unpredictable nature of wind power. The effects of wind power additions in generating and bulk electric system reliability assessment considering site wind speed correlations and the interactive effects of wind power and load forecast uncertainty on system reliability are examined. The concept of the security cost associated with operating in the marginal state in the well-being framework is incorporated in the economic analyses associated with system expansion planning including wind power and load forecast uncertainty. Overall reliability cost/worth analyses including security cost concepts are applied to select an optimal wind power injection strategy in a bulk electric system. The effects of the various demand side management measures on system reliability are illustrated using the system, load point, and well-being indices, and the reliability index probability distributions. The reliability effects of demand side management procedures in a bulk electric system including wind power and load forecast uncertainty considerations are also investigated. The system reliability effects due to specific demand side management programs are quantified and examined in terms of their reliability benefits.

  18. Effect of Students' Perceptions of Course Load on Test Anxiety

    PubMed Central

    Sansgiry, Sujit S.; Sail, Kavita

    2006-01-01

    Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the association between student perceptions of course load, their ability to manage time, and test anxiety. Methods A survey was self-administered to all students (professional years 1 through 4) enrolled in the PharmD curriculum at the University of Houston (2001) with items measuring test anxiety, perceived course load, and ability to manage time. Results One hundred ninety-eight students participated in the survey (response rate P1 = 48%, P2 = 52%, P3 = 52%, P4 = 72%). There was a significant difference in students' perception of course load, ability to manage time, and test anxiety scores across the 4 years. Test anxiety was positively correlated with students' perceptions of course load and negatively related to their ability to manage time with course work. Conclusions Students' perception of course load and their ability to manage time with their course work is associated with test anxiety. Future studies should evaluate the role of stress/time management programs to reduce stress and anxiety. PMID:17149404

  19. Effect of students' perceptions of course load on test anxiety.

    PubMed

    Sansgiry, Sujit S; Sail, Kavita

    2006-04-15

    The objective of this study was to examine the association between student perceptions of course load, their ability to manage time, and test anxiety. A survey was self-administered to all students (professional years 1 through 4) enrolled in the PharmD curriculum at the University of Houston (2001) with items measuring test anxiety, perceived course load, and ability to manage time. One hundred ninety-eight students participated in the survey (response rate P1 = 48%, P2 = 52%, P3 = 52%, P4 = 72%). There was a significant difference in students' perception of course load, ability to manage time, and test anxiety scores across the 4 years. Test anxiety was positively correlated with students' perceptions of course load and negatively related to their ability to manage time with course work. Students' perception of course load and their ability to manage time with their course work is associated with test anxiety. Future studies should evaluate the role of stress/time management programs to reduce stress and anxiety.

  20. The Future of Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs in the United States: Projected Spending and Savings to 2025

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barbose, Galen; Goldman, Charles; Hoffman, Ian

    2012-09-11

    We develop projections of future spending on, and savings from, energy efficiency programs funded by electric and gas utility customers in the United States, under three scenarios through 2025. Our analysis, which updates a previous LBNL study, relies on detailed bottom-up modeling of current state energy efficiency policies, regulatory decisions, and demand-side management and utility resource plans. The three scenarios are intended to represent a range of potential outcomes under the current policy environment (i.e., without considering possible major new policy developments). By 2025, spending on electric and gas efficiency programs (excluding load management programs) is projected to double frommore » 2010 levels to $9.5 billion in the medium case, compared to $15.6 billion in the high case and $6.5 billion in the low case. Compliance with statewide legislative or regulatory savings or spending targets is the primary driver for the increase in electric program spending through 2025, though a significant share of the increase is also driven by utility DSM planning activity and integrated resource planning. Our analysis suggests that electric efficiency program spending may approach a more even geographic distribution over time in terms of absolute dollars spent, with the Northeastern and Western states declining from over 70% of total U.S. spending in 2010 to slightly more than 50% in 2025, with the South and Midwest splitting the remainder roughly evenly. Under our medium case scenario, annual incremental savings from customer-funded electric energy efficiency programs increase from 18.4 TWh in 2010 in the U.S. (which is about 0.5% of electric utility retail sales) to 28.8 TWh in 2025 (0.8% of retail sales). These savings would offset the majority of load growth in the Energy Information Administration’s most recent reference case forecast, given specific assumptions about the extent to which future energy efficiency program savings are captured in that forecast. However, the pathway that customer-funded efficiency programs ultimately take will depend on a series of key challenges and uncertainties associated both with the broader market and policy context and with the implementation and regulatory oversight of the energy efficiency programs themselves.« less

  1. Comparison of slope instability screening tools following a large storm event and application to forest management and policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whittaker, Kara A.; McShane, Dan

    2012-04-01

    The objective of this study was to assess and compare the ability of two slope instability screening tools developed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to assess landslide risks associated with forestry activities. HAZONE is based on a semi-quantitative method that incorporates the landslide frequency rate and landslide area rate for delivery of mapped landforms. SLPSTAB is a GIS-based model of inherent landform characteristics that utilizes slope geometry derived from DEMs and climatic data. Utilization of slope instability screening tools by geologists, land managers, and regulatory agencies can reduce the frequency and magnitude of landslides. Aquatic habitats are negatively impacted by elevated rates and magnitudes of landslides associated with forest management practices due to high sediment loads and alteration of stream channels and morphology. In 2007 a large storm with heavy rainfall impacted southwestern Washington State trigging over 2500 landslides. This storm event and accompanying landslides provides an opportunity to assess the slope stability screening tools developed by WDNR. Landslide density (up to 6.5 landslides per km2) from the storm was highest in the areas designated by the screening tools as high hazard areas, and both of the screening tools were equal in their ability to predict landslide locations. Landslides that initiated in low hazard areas may have resulted from a variety of site-specific factors that deviated from assumed model values, from the inadequate identification of potentially unstable landforms due to low resolution DEMs, or from the inadequate implementation of the state Forest Practices Rules. We suggest that slope instability screening tools can be better utilized by forest management planners and regulators to meet policy goals regarding minimizing landslide rates and impacts to sensitive aquatic species.

  2. Techniques for detecting effects of urban and rural land-use practices on stream-water chemistry in selected watersheds in Texas, Minnesota,and Illinois

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walker, J.F.

    1993-01-01

    Selected statistical techniques were applied to three urban watersheds in Texas and Minnesota and three rural watersheds in Illinois. For the urban watersheds, single- and paired-site data-collection strategies were considered. The paired-site strategy was much more effective than the singlesite strategy for detecting changes. Analysis of storm load regression residuals demonstrated the potential utility of regressions for variability reduction. For the rural watersheds, none of the selected techniques were effective at identifying changes, primarily due to a small degree of management-practice implementation, potential errors introduced through the estimation of storm load, and small sample sizes. A Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis was used to determine the percent change in water chemistry that could be detected for each watershed. In most instances, the use of regressions improved the ability to detect changes.

  3. Innovative Stormwater Quality Tools by SARA for Holistic Watershed Master Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thomas, S. M.; Su, Y. C.; Hummel, P. R.

    2016-12-01

    Stormwater management strategies such as Best Management Practices (BMP) and Low-Impact Development (LID) have increasingly gained attention in urban runoff control, becoming vital to holistic watershed master plans. These strategies can help address existing water quality impairments and support regulatory compliance, as well as guide planning and management of future development when substantial population growth and urbanization is projected to occur. However, past efforts have been limited to qualitative planning due to the lack of suitable tools to conduct quantitative assessment. The San Antonio River Authority (SARA), with the assistance of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) and AQUA TERRA Consultants (a division of RESPEC), developed comprehensive hydrodynamic and water quality models using the Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) for several urban watersheds in the San Antonio River Basin. These models enabled watershed management to look at water quality issues on a more refined temporal and spatial scale than the limited monitoring data. They also provided a means to locate and quantify potential water quality impairments and evaluate the effects of mitigation measures. To support the models, a suite of software tools were developed. including: 1) SARA Timeseries Utility Tool for managing and processing of large model timeseries files, 2) SARA Load Reduction Tool to determine load reductions needed to achieve screening levels for each modeled constituent on a sub-basin basis, and 3) SARA Enhanced BMP Tool to determine the optimal combination of BMP types and units needed to achieve the required load reductions. Using these SARA models and tools, water quality agencies and stormwater professionals can determine the optimal combinations of BMP/LID to accomplish their goals and save substantial stormwater infrastructure and management costs. The tools can also help regulators and permittees evaluate the feasibility of achieving compliance using BMP/LID. The project has gained national attention, being showcased in multiple newsletters, professional magazines, and conference presentations. The project also won the Texas American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Gold Medal Award and the ACEC National Recognition Award in 2016.

  4. Utilizing Photogrammetry and Strain Gage Measurement to Characterize Pressurization of Inflatable Modules

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mohammed, Anil

    2011-01-01

    This paper focuses on integrating a large hatch penetration into inflatable modules of various constructions. This paper also compares load predictions with test measurements. The strain was measured by utilizing photogrammetric methods and strain gages mounted to select clevises that interface with the structural webbings. Bench testing showed good correlation between strain data collected from an extensometer and photogrammetric measurements, even when the material transitioned from the low load to high load strain region of the curve. The full-scale torus design module showed mixed results as well in the lower load and high strain regions. After thorough analysis of photogrammetric measurements, strain gage measurements, and predicted load, the photogrammetric measurements seem to be off by a factor of two.

  5. 14 CFR 23.485 - Side load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Side load conditions. 23.485 Section 23.485... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Ground Loads § 23.485 Side load conditions. (a) For the side load condition, the airplane is assumed to be in a level attitude...

  6. 14 CFR 23.485 - Side load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Side load conditions. 23.485 Section 23.485... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Ground Loads § 23.485 Side load conditions. (a) For the side load condition, the airplane is assumed to be in a level attitude...

  7. 14 CFR 23.485 - Side load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Side load conditions. 23.485 Section 23.485... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Ground Loads § 23.485 Side load conditions. (a) For the side load condition, the airplane is assumed to be in a level attitude...

  8. 76 FR 16250 - Planning Resource Adequacy Assessment Reliability Standard

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-23

    ..., to utilize a ``one day in ten years'' loss of load criterion, and to document and post load and...'' loss of load criterion, and to document and post load and resource capability in each area or..., based on ``one day in ten years'' loss of load expectation principles, for the analysis, assessment and...

  9. Missouri | Solar Research | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    previous calendar year, 1% of utility's single-hour peak load (annually) and 5% of utility's single-hour peak load Credit: Net excess generation is credited at avoided-cost rate RECs: Renewable energy size limit: 100 kW Liability insurance: There are no requirements for systems <10 kW; systems >10

  10. Concurrent Image Processing Executive (CIPE). Volume 1: Design overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Meemong; Groom, Steven L.; Mazer, Alan S.; Williams, Winifred I.

    1990-01-01

    The design and implementation of a Concurrent Image Processing Executive (CIPE), which is intended to become the support system software for a prototype high performance science analysis workstation are described. The target machine for this software is a JPL/Caltech Mark 3fp Hypercube hosted by either a MASSCOMP 5600 or a Sun-3, Sun-4 workstation; however, the design will accommodate other concurrent machines of similar architecture, i.e., local memory, multiple-instruction-multiple-data (MIMD) machines. The CIPE system provides both a multimode user interface and an applications programmer interface, and has been designed around four loosely coupled modules: user interface, host-resident executive, hypercube-resident executive, and application functions. The loose coupling between modules allows modification of a particular module without significantly affecting the other modules in the system. In order to enhance hypercube memory utilization and to allow expansion of image processing capabilities, a specialized program management method, incremental loading, was devised. To minimize data transfer between host and hypercube, a data management method which distributes, redistributes, and tracks data set information was implemented. The data management also allows data sharing among application programs. The CIPE software architecture provides a flexible environment for scientific analysis of complex remote sensing image data, such as planetary data and imaging spectrometry, utilizing state-of-the-art concurrent computation capabilities.

  11. Agricultural utilization of biosolids: A review on potential effects on soil and plant grown.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Bhavisha; Sarkar, Abhijit; Singh, Pooja; Singh, Rajeev Pratap

    2017-06-01

    Environmental and economic implications linked with the proper ecofriendly disposal of modern day wastes, has made it essential to come up with alternative waste management practices that reduce the environmental pressures resulting from unwise disposal of such wastes. Urban wastes like biosolids are loaded with essential plant nutrients. In this view, agricultural use of biosolids would enable recycling of these nutrients and could be a sustainable approach towards management of this hugely generated waste. Therefore biosolids i.e. sewage sludge can serve as an important resource for agricultural utilization. Biosolids are characterized by the occurrence of beneficial plant nutrients (essential elements and micro and macronutrients) which can make help them to work as an effective soil amendment, thereby minimizing the reliance on chemical fertilizers. However, biosolids might contain toxic heavy metals that may limit its usage in the cropland. Heavy metals at higher concentration than the permissible limits may lead to food chain contamination and have fatal consequences. Biosolids amendment in soil can improve physical and nutrient property of soil depending on the quantity and portion of the mixture. Hence, biosolids can be a promising soil ameliorating supplement to increase plant productivity, reduce bioavailability of heavy metals and also lead to effective waste management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Optimization of hybrid power system composed of SMES and flywheel MG for large pulsed load

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niiyama, K.; Yagai, T.; Tsuda, M.; Hamajima, T.

    2008-09-01

    A superconducting magnetic storage system (SMES) has some advantages such as rapid large power response and high storage efficiency which are superior to other energy storage systems. A flywheel motor generator (FWMG) has large scaled capacity and high reliability, and hence is broadly utilized for a large pulsed load, while it has comparatively low storage efficiency due to high mechanical loss compared with SMES. A fusion power plant such as International Thermo-Nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) requires a large and long pulsed load which causes a frequency deviation in a utility power system. In order to keep the frequency within an allowable deviation, we propose a hybrid power system for the pulsed load, which equips the SMES and the FWMG with the utility power system. We evaluate installation cost and frequency control performance of three power systems combined with energy storage devices; (i) SMES with the utility power, (ii) FWMG with the utility power, (iii) both SMES and FWMG with the utility power. The first power system has excellent frequency power control performance but its installation cost is high. The second system has inferior frequency control performance but its installation cost is the lowest. The third system has good frequency control performance and its installation cost is attained lower than the first power system by adjusting the ratio between SMES and FWMG.

  13. Autonomous distributed self-organization for mobile wireless sensor networks.

    PubMed

    Wen, Chih-Yu; Tang, Hung-Kai

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents an adaptive combined-metrics-based clustering scheme for mobile wireless sensor networks, which manages the mobile sensors by utilizing the hierarchical network structure and allocates network resources efficiently A local criteria is used to help mobile sensors form a new cluster or join a current cluster. The messages transmitted during hierarchical clustering are applied to choose distributed gateways such that communication for adjacent clusters and distributed topology control can be achieved. In order to balance the load among clusters and govern the topology change, a cluster reformation scheme using localized criterions is implemented. The proposed scheme is simulated and analyzed to abstract the network behaviors in a number of settings. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provides efficient network topology management and achieves high scalability in mobile sensor networks.

  14. Incentive-compatible demand-side management for smart grids based on review strategies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jie; van der Schaar, Mihaela

    2015-12-01

    Demand-side load management is able to significantly improve the energy efficiency of smart grids. Since the electricity production cost depends on the aggregate energy usage of multiple consumers, an important incentive problem emerges: self-interested consumers want to increase their own utilities by consuming more than the socially optimal amount of energy during peak hours since the increased cost is shared among the entire set of consumers. To incentivize self-interested consumers to take the socially optimal scheduling actions, we design a new class of protocols based on review strategies. These strategies work as follows: first, a review stage takes place in which a statistical test is performed based on the daily prices of the previous billing cycle to determine whether or not the other consumers schedule their electricity loads in a socially optimal way. If the test fails, the consumers trigger a punishment phase in which, for a certain time, they adjust their energy scheduling in such a way that everybody in the consumer set is punished due to an increased price. Using a carefully designed protocol based on such review strategies, consumers then have incentives to take the socially optimal load scheduling to avoid entering this punishment phase. We rigorously characterize the impact of deploying protocols based on review strategies on the system's as well as the users' performance and determine the optimal design (optimal billing cycle, punishment length, etc.) for various smart grid deployment scenarios. Even though this paper considers a simplified smart grid model, our analysis provides important and useful insights for designing incentive-compatible demand-side management schemes based on aggregate energy usage information in a variety of practical scenarios.

  15. Load speed regulation in compliant mechanical transmission systems using feedback and feedforward control actions.

    PubMed

    Raul, P R; Dwivedula, R V; Pagilla, P R

    2016-07-01

    The problem of controlling the load speed of a mechanical transmission system consisting of a belt-pulley and gear-pair is considered. The system is modeled as two inertia (motor and load) connected by a compliant transmission. If the transmission is assumed to be rigid, then using either the motor or load speed feedback provides the same result. However, with transmission compliance, due to belts or long shafts, the stability characteristics and performance of the closed-loop system are quite different when either motor or load speed feedback is employed. We investigate motor and load speed feedback schemes by utilizing the singular perturbation method. We propose and discuss a control scheme that utilizes both motor and load speed feedback, and design an adaptive feedforward action to reject load torque disturbances. The control algorithms are implemented on an experimental platform that is typically used in roll-to-roll manufacturing and results are shown and discussed. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Dynamic Energy Management System for a Smart Microgrid.

    PubMed

    Venayagamoorthy, Ganesh Kumar; Sharma, Ratnesh K; Gautam, Prajwal K; Ahmadi, Afshin

    2016-08-01

    This paper presents the development of an intelligent dynamic energy management system (I-DEMS) for a smart microgrid. An evolutionary adaptive dynamic programming and reinforcement learning framework is introduced for evolving the I-DEMS online. The I-DEMS is an optimal or near-optimal DEMS capable of performing grid-connected and islanded microgrid operations. The primary sources of energy are sustainable, green, and environmentally friendly renewable energy systems (RESs), e.g., wind and solar; however, these forms of energy are uncertain and nondispatchable. Backup battery energy storage and thermal generation were used to overcome these challenges. Using the I-DEMS to schedule dispatches allowed the RESs and energy storage devices to be utilized to their maximum in order to supply the critical load at all times. Based on the microgrid's system states, the I-DEMS generates energy dispatch control signals, while a forward-looking network evaluates the dispatched control signals over time. Typical results are presented for varying generation and load profiles, and the performance of I-DEMS is compared with that of a decision tree approach-based DEMS (D-DEMS). The robust performance of the I-DEMS was illustrated by examining microgrid operations under different battery energy storage conditions.

  17. Cue Utilization and Cognitive Load in Novel Task Performance

    PubMed Central

    Brouwers, Sue; Wiggins, Mark W.; Helton, William; O’Hare, David; Griffin, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    This study was designed to examine whether differences in cue utilization were associated with differences in performance during a novel, simulated rail control task, and whether these differences reflected a reduction in cognitive load. Two experiments were conducted, the first of which involved the completion of a 20-min rail control simulation that required participants to re-route trains that periodically required a diversion. Participants with a greater level of cue utilization recorded a consistently greater response latency, consistent with a strategy that maintained accuracy, but reduced the demands on cognitive resources. In the second experiment, participants completed the rail task, during which a concurrent, secondary task was introduced. The results revealed an interaction, whereby participants with lesser levels of cue utilization recorded an increase in response latency that exceeded the response latency recorded for participants with greater levels of cue utilization. The relative consistency of response latencies for participants with greater levels of cue utilization, across all blocks, despite the imposition of a secondary task, suggested that those participants with greater levels of cue utilization had adopted a strategy that was effectively minimizing the impact of additional sources of cognitive load on their performance. PMID:27064669

  18. Use of the AGNPS model to assess impacts of development and best management practices in an urban watershed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cross, J. A.

    2006-12-01

    A Geographical Information System (GIS) is an invaluable tool in the estimation of land use changes and spatial variability in urban areas. (Non-Point Source (NPS) models provide hypothetical opportunities to assess impacts which storm water management strategies and land use changes have on watersheds by predicting loadings on a watershed scale. This study establishes a methodology for analyzing land use changes and management associated with them by utilizing a GIS analysis of impervious surfaces and AGricultural Non- Point Source (AGNPS) modeling. The GIS analysis of Total Impervious Area (TIA) was used to quantify increases in development and provided land use data for use in AGNPS modeling in a small artificially- delineated urban watershed. AGNPS modeling was executed in several different scenarios to predict changes in NPS loadings associated with increases in TIA and its subsequent management in a small artificially- delineated urban watershed. Data editing, creation and extracting was completed using ArcView (3.2) GeoMedia (6) GIS systems. The GIS analysis quantified the increase in urbanization via TIA within the Bluebonnet Swamp Watershed (BSW) in East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP), Louisiana. The BSW had significant increases in urbanization in the 8 year time span of 1996 2004 causing and increase in quantity and decrease in quality of subsequent runoff. Datasets made available from the GIS analysis included TIA and the change in percentage from 1996 to 2004. This information is fundamental for the AGNPS model because it was used to calculate TIA percentages within each AGNPS cell. A 30 year daily climate file was used to execute AGNPS in different land use and storm water management scenarios within the 1100 acre BSW. Runoff qualities and quantities were then compared for different periods of 1996 and 2004. Predictions of sediment, erosion and runoff were compared according by scenario year. Management practices were also simulated by changing the Runoff Curve Number (RCN) within AGNPS and their results were also compared. This study provides an aid to planners and managers in estimating increases in urbanization by artificially- delineated watershed. It also in illustrates how to use AGNPS to predict NPS pollution and the influence that change in TIA, land use and storm water management strategies have on sediment loadings, erosion and runoff in a watershed.

  19. Recovery Act. Advanced Load Identification and Management for Buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Yi; Casey, Patrick; Du, Liang

    2014-02-12

    In response to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE)’s goal of achieving market ready, net-zero energy residential and commercial buildings by 2020 and 2025, Eaton partnered with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Georgia Institute of Technology to develop an intelligent load identification and management technology enabled by a novel “smart power strip” to provide critical intelligence and information to improve the capability and functionality of building load analysis and building power management systems. Buildings account for 41% of the energy consumption in the United States, significantly more than either transportation or industrial. Within the buildingmore » sector, plug loads account for a significant portion of energy consumption. Plug load consumes 15-20% of building energy on average. As building managers implement aggressive energy conservation measures, the proportion of plug load energy can increase to as much as 50% of building energy leaving plug loads as the largest remaining single source of energy consumption. This project focused on addressing plug-in load control and management to further improve building energy efficiency accomplished through effective load identification. The execution of the project falls into the following three major aspects; An intelligent load modeling, identification and prediction technology was developed to automatically determine the type, energy consumption, power quality, operation status and performance status of plug-in loads, using electric waveforms at a power outlet level. This project demonstrated the effectiveness of the developed technology through a large set of plug-in loads measurements and testing; A novel “Smart Power Strip (SPS) / Receptacle” prototype was developed to act as a vehicle to demonstrate the feasibility of load identification technology as a low-cost, embedded solution; and Market environment for plug-in load control and management solutions, in particular, advanced power strips (APSs) was studied. The project evaluated the market potential for Smart Power Strips (SPSs) with load identification and the likely impact of a load identification feature on APS adoption and effectiveness. The project also identified other success factors required for widespread APS adoption and market acceptance. Even though the developed technology is applicable for both residential and commercial buildings, this project is focused on effective plug-in load control and management for commercial buildings, accomplished through effective load identification. The project has completed Smart Receptacle (SR) prototype development with integration of Load ID, Control/Management, WiFi communication, and Web Service. Twenty SR units were built, tested, and demonstrated in the Eaton lab; eight SR units were tested in the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) for one-month of field testing. Load ID algorithm testing for extended load sets was conducted within the Eaton facility and at local university campuses. This report is to summarize the major achievements, activities, and outcomes under the execution of the project.« less

  20. Man-rated flight software for the F-8 DFBW program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bairnsfather, R. R.

    1976-01-01

    The design, implementation, and verification of the flight control software used in the F-8 DFBW program are discussed. Since the DFBW utilizes an Apollo computer and hardware, the procedures, controls, and basic management techniques employed are based on those developed for the Apollo software system. Program assembly control, simulator configuration control, erasable-memory load generation, change procedures and anomaly reporting are discussed. The primary verification tools are described, as well as the program test plans and their implementation on the various simulators. Failure effects analysis and the creation of special failure generating software for testing purposes are described.

  1. Efficient phosphorus management practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Daroub, S. H.; Alvarez, O.; Tootoonchi, M.; Capasso, J.

    2016-12-01

    In the 450,000 acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of South Florida, farming practices have long been mindful of phosphorus (P) management as it relates to sufficiency and efficiency of P utilization. Over two decades of P best management practices have resulted in 3001 metric-ton of P load reduction from the EAA to downstream ecosystems. During the summer, more than 50,000 acres of fallow sugarcane land is available for rice production. The net value of growing flooded rice in the EAA as a rotational crop with sugarcane far exceeds its monetary return. Soil conservation, improvement in tilth and P load reduction are only some of the benefits. With no P fertilizer applied, a two-year field trial on flooded rice showed improved outflow P concentrations by up to 40% as a result of particulate setting and plant P uptake. Harvested whole grain rice can effectively remove a significant amount of P from a rice field per growing season. In parts of the EAA where soils are sandy, the application of using locally derived organic amendments as potential P fertilizer has gained interest over the past few years. The use of local agricultural and urban organic residues as amendments in sandy soils of South Florida provide options to enhance soil properties and improve sugarcane yields, while reducing waste and harmful effects of agricultural production on the environment. A lysimeter study conducted to determine the effect of mill ash and three types of biochar (rice hulls, yard waste, horse bedding) on sugarcane yields, soil properties, and drainage water quality in sandy soils showed that mill ash and rice hull biochar increased soil TP, Mehlich 3-P (M3-P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to the control. TP and M3-P content remained constant after 9 months, CEC showed a significant increase over time with rich hull biochar addition. Future projects include the utilization of aquatic vegetation, such as chara and southern naiad as bio-filters in farm ditches to reduce P load. This will be achieved by circulating high P concentration farm canal water through the ditches prior to being discharged off site. Optimizing the flow through the ditches will allow the aquatic vegetation to uptake P. The vegetation will ultimately be harvested and incorporated back on to the fields.

  2. 14 CFR 23.511 - Ground load; unsymmetrical loads on multiple-wheel units.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER... distribution, to the dual wheels and tires in each dual wheel landing gear unit. (c) Deflated tire loads. For...

  3. Cognitive load imposed by knobology may adversely affect learners' perception of utility in using ultrasonography to learn physical examination skills, but not anatomy.

    PubMed

    Jamniczky, Heather A; McLaughlin, Kevin; Kaminska, Malgorzata E; Raman, Maitreyi; Somayaji, Ranjani; Wright, Bruce; Ma, Irene W Y

    2015-01-01

    Ultrasonography is increasingly used for teaching anatomy and physical examination skills but its effect on cognitive load is unknown. This study aimed to determine ultrasound's perceived utility for learning, and to investigate the effect of cognitive load on its perceived utility. Consenting first-year medical students (n = 137) completed ultrasound training that includes a didactic component and four ultrasound-guided anatomy and physical examination teaching sessions. Learners then completed a survey on comfort with physical examination techniques (three items; alpha = 0.77), perceived utility of ultrasound in learning (two items; alpha = 0.89), and cognitive load on ultrasound use [measured with a validated nine-point scale (10 items; alpha = 0.88)]. Learners found ultrasound useful for learning for both anatomy and physical examination (mean 4.2 ± 0.9 and 4.4 ± 0.8, respectively; where 1 = very useless and 5 = very useful). Principal components analysis on the cognitive load survey revealed two factors, "image interpretation" and "basic knobology," which accounted for 60.3% of total variance. Weighted factor scores were not associated with perceived utility in learning anatomy (beta = 0.01, P = 0.62 for "image interpretation" and beta = -0.04, P = 0.33 for "basic knobology"). However, factor score on "knobology" was inversely associated with perceived utility for learning physical examination (beta = -0.06; P = 0.03). While a basic introduction to ultrasound may suffice for teaching anatomy, more training may be required for teaching physical examination. Prior to teaching physical examination skills with ultrasonography, we recommend ensuring that learners have sufficient knobology skills. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

  4. Demand response-enabled model predictive HVAC load control in buildings using real-time electricity pricing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avci, Mesut

    A practical cost and energy efficient model predictive control (MPC) strategy is proposed for HVAC load control under dynamic real-time electricity pricing. The MPC strategy is built based on a proposed model that jointly minimizes the total energy consumption and hence, cost of electricity for the user, and the deviation of the inside temperature from the consumer's preference. An algorithm that assigns temperature set-points (reference temperatures) to price ranges based on the consumer's discomfort tolerance index is developed. A practical parameter prediction model is also designed for mapping between the HVAC load and the inside temperature. The prediction model and the produced temperature set-points are integrated as inputs into the MPC controller, which is then used to generate signal actions for the AC unit. To investigate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a simulation based experimental analysis is presented using real-life pricing data. An actual prototype for the proposed HVAC load control strategy is then built and a series of prototype experiments are conducted similar to the simulation studies. The experiments reveal that the MPC strategy can lead to significant reductions in overall energy consumption and cost savings for the consumer. Results suggest that by providing an efficient response strategy for the consumers, the proposed MPC strategy can enable the utility providers to adopt efficient demand management policies using real-time pricing. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to display the economic feasibility of implementing such a controller as part of a building energy management system, and the payback period is identified considering cost of prototype build and cost savings to help the adoption of this controller in the building HVAC control industry.

  5. Evaluating the ability of artificial neural network and PCA-M5P models in predicting leachate COD load in landfills.

    PubMed

    Azadi, Sama; Amiri, Hamid; Rakhshandehroo, G Reza

    2016-09-01

    Waste burial in uncontrolled landfills can cause serious environmental damages and unpleasant consequences. Leachates produced in landfills have the potential to contaminate soil and groundwater resources. Leachate management is one of the major issues with respect to landfills environmental impacts. Improper design of landfills can lead to leachate spread in the environment, and hence, engineered landfills are required to have leachate monitoring programs. The high cost of such programs may be greatly reduced and cost efficiency of the program may be optimized if one can predict leachate contamination level and foresee management and treatment strategies. The aim of this study is to develop two expert systems consisting of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Principal Component Analysis-M5P (PCA-M5P) models to predict Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) load in leachates produced in lab-scale landfills. Measured data from three landfill lysimeters, including rainfall depth, number of days after waste deposition, thickness of top and bottom Compacted Clay Liners (CCLs), and thickness of top cover over the lysimeter, were utilized to develop, train, validate, and test the expert systems and predict the leachate COD load. Statistical analysis of the prediction results showed that both models possess good prediction ability with a slight superiority for ANN over PCA-M5P. Based on test datasets, the mean absolute percentage error for ANN and PCA-M5P models were 4% and 12%, respectively, and the correlation coefficient for both models was greater than 0.98. Developed models may be used as a rough estimate for leachate COD load prediction in primary landfill designs, where the effect of a top and/or bottom liner is disputed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Electrical Load and Energy Management. Course Outline and Instructional Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Paul

    Presented are 13 lecture outlines with accompanying handouts and reference lists for teaching school administrators and maintenance personnel the use of electrical load management as an energy conservation tool. To aid course participants in making cost effective use of electrical power, methods of load management in a variety of situations are…

  7. System Assessment of a High Power 3-U CubeSat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaw, Katie

    2016-01-01

    The Advanced eLectrical Bus (ALBus) CubeSat project is a technology demonstration mission of a 3-UCubeSat with an advanced, digitally controlled electrical power system capability and novel use of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) technology for reliable deployable solar array mechanisms. The objective of the project is to, through an on orbit demonstration, advance the state of power management and distribution (PMAD) capabilities to enable future missions requiring higher power, flexible and reliable power systems. The goals of the mission include demonstration of: 100 Watt distribution to a target electrical load, efficient battery charging in the orbital environment, flexible power system distribution interfaces, adaptation of power system control on orbit, and reliable deployment of solar arrays and antennas utilizing re-settable SMA mechanisms. The power distribution function of the ALBus PMAD system is unique in the total power to target load capability of 100 W, the flexibility to support centralized or point-to-load regulation and ability to respond to fast transient power requirements. Power will be distributed from batteries at 14.8 V, 6.5 A to provide 100 W of power directly to a load. The deployable solar arrays utilize NASA Glenn Research Center superelastic and activated Nitinol(Nickel-Titanium alloy) Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) technology for hinges and a retention and release mechanism. The deployable solar array hinge design features utilization of the SMA material properties for dual purpose. The hinge uses the shape memory properties of the SMA to provide the spring force to deploy the arrays. The electrical conductivity properties of the SMA also enables the design to provide clean conduits for power transfer from the deployable arrays to the power management system. This eliminates the need for electrical harnesses between the arrays and the PMAD system in the ALBus system design. The uniqueness of the SMA retention and release mechanism design is the ability to reset the mechanism, allowing functional tests of the mechanisms prior to flight with no degradation of performance. The project is currently in preparation at the NASA Glenn Research Center for a launch in late calendar year of 2017. The 100 Watt power distribution and dual purpose, re-settable SMA mechanisms introduced several system level challenges due to the physical constraints in volume, mass and surface area of 3-U CubeSats. Several trade studies and design cycles have been completed to develop a system which supports the project objectives. This paper is a report on the results of the system level trade studies and assessments. The results include assessment of options for thermal control of 100 Watts of power dissipation, data from system analyses and engineering development tests, limitations of the 3-U system and extensibility to larger scale CubeSat missions.

  8. Web-based monitoring and management system for integrated enterprise-wide imaging networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Keith; Slik, David; Lam, Alvin; Ng, Won

    2003-05-01

    Mass proliferation of IP networks and the maturity of standards has enabled the creation of sophisticated image distribution networks that operate over Intranets, Extranets, Communities of Interest (CoI) and even the public Internet. Unified monitoring, provisioning and management of such systems at the application and protocol levels represent a challenge. This paper presents a web based monitoring and management tool that employs established telecom standards for the creation of an open system that enables proactive management, provisioning and monitoring of image management systems at the enterprise level and across multi-site geographically distributed deployments. Utilizing established standards including ITU-T M.3100, and web technologies such as XML/XSLT, JSP/JSTL, and J2SE, the system allows for seamless device and protocol adaptation between multiple disparate devices. The goal has been to develop a unified interface that provides network topology views, multi-level customizable alerts, real-time fault detection as well as real-time and historical reporting of all monitored resources, including network connectivity, system load, DICOM transactions and storage capacities.

  9. System dynamics model of taxi management in metropolises: Economic and environmental implications for Beijing.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hao; Zhang, Kai; Chen, Junhua; Wang, Zhifeng; Li, Guijun; Yang, Yuqi

    2018-05-01

    Taxis are an important component of urban passenger transport. Research on the daily dispatching of taxis and the utility of governmental management is important for the improvement of passenger travel, taxi driver income and environmental impacts. However, urban taxi management is a complex and dynamic system that is affected by many factors, and positive/negative feedback relationships and nonlinear interactions exist between each subsystem and variable. Therefore, conventional research methods can hardly depict its characteristics comprehensively. To bridge this gap, this paper develops a system dynamics model of urban taxi management, in which the empty-loaded rate and total demand are selected as key factors affecting taxi dispatching, and the impacts of taxi fares on driver income and travel demand are taken into account. After the validation of the model, taxi operations data derived from a prior analysis of origin-destination data of Beijing taxis are used as input for the model to simulate the taxi market in Beijing. Finally, economic and environmental implications are provided for the government to optimise policies on taxi management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Developing a GIS based integrated approach to flood management in Trinidad, West Indies.

    PubMed

    Ramlal, Bheshem; Baban, Serwan M J

    2008-09-01

    Trinidad and Tobago is plagued with a perennial flooding problem. The higher levels of rainfall in the wet season often lead to extensive flooding in the low-lying areas of the country. This has lead to significant damage to livestock, agricultural produce, homes and businesses particularly in the Caparo River Basin. Clearly, there is a need for developing flood mitigation and management strategies to manage flooding in the areas most affected. This paper utilizes geographic information systems to map the extent of the flooding, estimate soil loss due to erosion and estimate sediment loading in the rivers in the Caparo River Basin. In addition, the project required the development of a watershed management plan and a flood control plan. The results indicate that flooding was caused by several factors including clear cutting of vegetative cover, especially in areas of steep slopes that lead to sediment filled rivers and narrow waterways. Other factors include poor agricultural practices, and uncontrolled development in floodplains. Recommendations to manage floods in the Caparo River Basin have been provided.

  11. NASA Products to Enhance Energy Utility Load Forecasting

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lough, G.; Zell, E.; Engel-Cox, J.; Fungard, Y.; Jedlovec, G.; Stackhouse, P.; Homer, R.; Biley, S.

    2012-01-01

    Existing energy load forecasting tools rely upon historical load and forecasted weather to predict load within energy company service areas. The shortcomings of load forecasts are often the result of weather forecasts that are not at a fine enough spatial or temporal resolution to capture local-scale weather events. This project aims to improve the performance of load forecasting tools through the integration of high-resolution, weather-related NASA Earth Science Data, such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. Three companies are participating in operational testing one natural gas company, and two electric providers. Operational results comparing load forecasts with and without NASA weather forecasts have been generated since March 2010. We have worked with end users at the three companies to refine selection of weather forecast information and optimize load forecast model performance. The project will conclude in 2012 with transitioning documented improvements from the inclusion of NASA forecasts for sustained use by energy utilities nationwide in a variety of load forecasting tools. In addition, Battelle has consulted with energy companies nationwide to document their information needs for long-term planning, in light of climate change and regulatory impacts.

  12. Development of a self-managed loaded exercise programme for rotator cuff tendinopathy.

    PubMed

    Littlewood, Chris; Malliaras, Peter; Mawson, Sue; May, Stephen; Walters, Stephen

    2013-12-01

    This paper describes a self-managed loaded exercise programme which has been designed to address the pain and disability associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy. The intervention has been developed with reference to current self-management theory and with reference to the emerging benefit of loaded exercise for tendinopathy. This self-managed loaded exercise programme is being evaluated within the mixed methods SELF study (ISRCTN 84709751) which includes a pragmatic randomised controlled trial conducted within the UK National Health Service. Copyright © 2012 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. VOLTTRON-Based System for Providing Ancillary Services with Residential Building Loads

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jin, Xin

    2016-07-01

    Ancillary services entail controlled modulation of building equipment to maintain a stable balance of generation and load in the power system. Ancillary services include frequency regulation and contingency reserves, whose acting time ranges from several seconds to several minutes. Many pilot studies have been implemented to use industrial loads to provide ancillary services, and some have explored services from commercial building loads or electric vehicle charging loads. Residential loads, such as space conditioning and water heating, represent a largely untapped resource for providing ancillary services. The residential building sector accounts for a significant fraction of the total electricity use inmore » the United States. Many loads in residential buildings are flexible and could potentially be curtailed or shifted at the request of the grid. However, there are many barriers that prevent residential loads being widely used for ancillary services. One of the major technical barriers is the lack of communication capabilities between end-use devices and the grid. End-use devices need to be able to receive the automatic generation control (AGC) signal from the grid operator and supply certain types of telemetry to verify response. With the advance of consumer electronics, communication-enabled, or 'connected,' residential equipment has emerged to overcome the communication barrier. However, these end-use devices have introduced a new interoperability challenge due to the existence of numerous standards and communication protocols among different end devices. In this paper, we present a VOLTTRON-based system that overcomes these technical challenges and provides ancillary services with residential loads. VOLTTRON is an open-source control and sensing platform for building energy management, facilitating interoperability solutions for end devices. We have developed drivers to communicate and control different types of end devices through standard-based interfaces, manufacturer-provided application programming interfaces, and proprietary communication interfaces. We document the ability to manage nine appliances, using four different standards or proprietary communication methods. A hardware-in-the-loop test was performed in a laboratory environment where the loads of a laboratory home and a large number of simulated homes are controlled by an aggregator. Upon receipt of an AGC signal, the VOLTTRON home energy management system (HEMS) of the laboratory home adjusts the end-device controls based on the comfort criteria set by the end users and sends telemetry to the aggregator to verify response. The aggregator then sends the AGC signal to other simulated homes in attempts to match the utility request as closely as possible. Frequency regulation is generally considered a higher value service than other ancillary services but it is also more challenging due to the constraint of short response time. A frequency regulation use case has been implemented with the regulation signals sent every 10 seconds. Experimental results indicate that the VOLTTRON-controlled residential loads are able to be controlled with sufficient fidelity to enable an aggregator to meet frequency regulation requirements. Future work is warranted, such as understanding the impact of this type of control on equipment life, and market requirements needed to open up residential loads to ancillary service aggregators.« less

  14. 2003 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

    2003-12-01

    The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (White Book), which is published annually by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), establishes one of the planning bases for supplying electricity to customers. The White Book contains projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, along with relevant definitions and explanations. The White Book also contains information obtained from formalized resource planning reports and data submittals including those from individual utilities, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (Council), and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC). The White Book is not an operational planning guide, nor is it used for determiningmore » BPA revenues, although the database that generates the data for the White Book analysis contributes to the development of BPA's inventory and ratemaking processes. Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) is based on a set of criteria different from that used for resource planning decisions. Operational planning is dependent upon real-time or near-term knowledge of system conditions that include expectations of river flows and runoff, market opportunities, availability of reservoir storage, energy exchanges, and other factors affecting the dynamics of operating a power system. In this loads and resources study, resource availability is compared to an expected level of total retail electricity consumption. The forecasted annual energy electricity retail load plus contract obligations are subtracted from the sum of the projected annual energy capability of existing resources and contract purchases to determine whether BPA and/or the region will be surplus or deficit. Surplus energy is available when resources are greater than loads. This energy could be marketed to increase revenues. Deficits occur when resources are less than loads. Energy deficits could be met by any combination of the following: better-than-critical water conditions, demand-side management and conservation programs, permanent loss of a load (i.e., due to economic conditions or closures), additional contract purchases, and/or new generating resources. The loads and resources analysis in this study simulates the operation of the power system under the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA). The PNCA defines the planning and operation of seventeen U.S. Pacific Northwest utilities and other parties with generating facilities within the region's hydroelectric (hydro) system. The hydroregulation study used for the 2003 White Book incorporates measures from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries) Biological Opinion dated December 2000, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2000 Biological Opinion (2000 FCRPS BiOps) for the Snake River and Columbia River projects. These measures include: (1) Increased flow augmentation for juvenile fish migrations in the Snake and Columbia rivers in the spring and summer; (2) Mandatory spill requirements at the Lower Snake and Columbia dams to provide for non-turbine passage routes for juvenile fish migrants; and (3) Additional flows for Kootenai River white sturgeon in the spring. The hydroregulation criteria for this analysis includes: an updated Detailed Operation Plan for Treaty reservoirs for Operating Year (OY) 2004, updated PNCA planning criteria for OY 2003, and revised juvenile fish bypass spill levels for 2000 FCRPS BiOps implementation. The 2003 White Book is presented in two documents: (1) this summary document of Federal system and PNW region loads and resources, and (2) a technical appendix which presents regional loads, grouped by major PNW utility categories, and detailed contract and resource information. The technical appendix is available only in electronic form. Individual customer information regarding marketer contracts is not detailed due to confidentiality agreements. The 2003 White Book analysis updates the December 2002 White Book. This analysis projects the yearly average energy consumption and resource availability for the study period, OY 2005 through 2014. The study shows the Federal system's and the region's expected monthly peak demand, monthly energy demand, monthly peak generating capability, and monthly energy generation for OY 2005, 2009, and 2014. The Federal system and regional monthly capacity surplus/deficit projections are summarized for the 10 operating years of the study period. This document analyzes the PNW's projected loads and available generating resources in two parts: (1) the loads and resources of the Federal system, for which BPA is the marketing agency; and (2) the larger PNW regional power system loads and resources that include the Federal system as well other PNW entities.« less

  15. 2004 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

    2004-12-01

    The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (White Book), which is published annually by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), establishes one of the planning bases for supplying electricity to customers. The White Book contains projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, along with relevant definitions and explanations. The White Book also contains information obtained from formalized resource planning reports and data submittals including those from individual utilities, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (Council), and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC). The White Book is not an operational planning guide, nor is it used for determiningmore » BPA revenues, although the database that generates the data for the White Book analysis contributes to the development of BPA's inventory and ratemaking processes. Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) is based on a set of criteria different from that used for resource planning decisions. Operational planning is dependent upon real-time or near-term knowledge of system conditions that include expectations of river flows and runoff, market opportunities, availability of reservoir storage, energy exchanges, and other factors affecting the dynamics of operating a power system. The load resource balance of BPA and/or the region is determined by comparing resource availability to an expected level of total retail electricity consumption. Resources include projected energy capability plus contract purchases. Loads include a forecast of retail obligations plus contract obligations. Surplus energy is available when resources are greater than loads. This energy could be marketed to increase revenues. Energy deficits occur when resources are less than loads. These deficits could be met by any combination of the following: better-than-critical water conditions, demand-side management and conservation programs, permanent loss of loads due to economic conditions or closures, additional contract purchases, and/or the addition of new generating resources. The loads and resources analysis in this study simulates the operation of the power system under the current Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA). The PNCA defines the planning and operation of seventeen U.S. Pacific Northwest utilities and other parties with generating facilities within the region's hydroelectric (hydro) system. The hydroregulation study used for the 2004 White Book incorporates measures from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries) Biological Opinion dated December 2000, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2000 Biological Opinion (2000 FCRPS BiOps) for the Snake River and Columbia River projects. These measures include: (1) Increased flow augmentation for juvenile fish migrations in the Snake and Columbia rivers in the spring and summer; (2) Mandatory spill requirements at the Lower Snake and Columbia dams to provide for non-turbine passage routes for juvenile fish migrants; and (3) Additional flows for Kootenai River white sturgeon in the spring; The hydroregulation criteria for this analysis includes the following: (1) Detailed Operation Plan operation for Treaty reservoirs for Operating Year (OY) 2004; (2) PNCA planning criteria for OY 2004; and (3) Juvenile fish bypass spill levels for 2000 FCRPS BiOps implementation. The 2004 White Book is presented in two documents: (1) this summary document of Federal system and PNW region loads and resources, and (2) a technical appendix which presents regional loads, grouped by major PNW utility categories, and detailed contract and resource information. The technical appendix is available only in electronic form. Individual customer information for marketer contracts is not detailed due to confidentiality agreements. The 2004 White Book analysis updates the 2003 White Book. This analysis projects the yearly average energy consumption and resource availability for the study period, OY 2006 through 2015. The study shows the Federal system's and the region's expected monthly peak demand, monthly energy demand, monthly peak generating capability, and monthly energy generation for OY 2006, 2010, and 2015. The Federal system and regional monthly capacity surplus/deficit projections are summarized for the 10 operating years of the study period. This document analyzes the PNW's projected loads and available generating resources in two parts: (1) the loads and resources of the Federal system, for which BPA is the marketing agency; and (2) the larger PNW regional power system loads and resources that include the Federal system as well other PNW entities.« less

  16. 14 CFR 23.521 - Water load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Water load conditions. 23.521 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 23.521 Water load conditions. (a) The structure of seaplanes and amphibians must be designed for water...

  17. Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    These slide sets describe the OCLA formulation and associated algorithms as a set of new technologies in the first practical application of load limiting flight control utilizing load feedback as a primary control measurement. Slide set one describes Experiment Development and slide set two describes Flight-Test Performance.

  18. 14 CFR 23.681 - Limit load static tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.681 Limit load static tests. (a) Compliance with the limit load requirements of this... loading in the control system; and (2) Each fitting, pulley, and bracket used in attaching the system to...

  19. 14 CFR 23.681 - Limit load static tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.681 Limit load static tests. (a) Compliance with the limit load requirements of this... loading in the control system; and (2) Each fitting, pulley, and bracket used in attaching the system to...

  20. 14 CFR 23.681 - Limit load static tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.681 Limit load static tests. (a) Compliance with the limit load requirements of this... loading in the control system; and (2) Each fitting, pulley, and bracket used in attaching the system to...

  1. 14 CFR 23.681 - Limit load static tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.681 Limit load static tests. (a) Compliance with the limit load requirements of this... loading in the control system; and (2) Each fitting, pulley, and bracket used in attaching the system to...

  2. 14 CFR 23.681 - Limit load static tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.681 Limit load static tests. (a) Compliance with the limit load requirements of this... loading in the control system; and (2) Each fitting, pulley, and bracket used in attaching the system to...

  3. 14 CFR 23.521 - Water load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Water load conditions. 23.521 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 23.521 Water load conditions. (a) The structure of seaplanes and amphibians must be designed for water...

  4. 14 CFR 23.521 - Water load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Water load conditions. 23.521 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 23.521 Water load conditions. (a) The structure of seaplanes and amphibians must be designed for water...

  5. 14 CFR 23.521 - Water load conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Water load conditions. 23.521 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Water Loads § 23.521 Water load conditions. (a) The structure of seaplanes and amphibians must be designed for water...

  6. Residential Consumer-Centric Demand-Side Management Based on Energy Disaggregation-Piloting Constrained Swarm Intelligence: Towards Edge Computing.

    PubMed

    Lin, Yu-Hsiu; Hu, Yu-Chen

    2018-04-27

    The emergence of smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices has highly favored the realization of smart homes in a down-stream sector of a smart grid. The underlying objective of Demand Response (DR) schemes is to actively engage customers to modify their energy consumption on domestic appliances in response to pricing signals. Domestic appliance scheduling is widely accepted as an effective mechanism to manage domestic energy consumption intelligently. Besides, to residential customers for DR implementation, maintaining a balance between energy consumption cost and users’ comfort satisfaction is a challenge. Hence, in this paper, a constrained Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-based residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method is proposed. The method can be further featured with edge computing. In contrast with cloud computing, edge computing—a method of optimizing cloud computing technologies by driving computing capabilities at the IoT edge of the Internet as one of the emerging trends in engineering technology—addresses bandwidth-intensive contents and latency-sensitive applications required among sensors and central data centers through data analytics at or near the source of data. A non-intrusive load-monitoring technique proposed previously is utilized to automatic determination of physical characteristics of power-intensive home appliances from users’ life patterns. The swarm intelligence, constrained PSO, is used to minimize the energy consumption cost while considering users’ comfort satisfaction for DR implementation. The residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method proposed in this paper is evaluated under real-time pricing with inclining block rates and is demonstrated in a case study. The experimentation reported in this paper shows the proposed residential consumer-centric load-scheduling method can re-shape loads by home appliances in response to DR signals. Moreover, a phenomenal reduction in peak power consumption is achieved by 13.97%.

  7. Optimization and Performance Study of Select Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technologies for Commercial Buildings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamal, Rajeev

    Buildings contribute a significant part to the electricity demand profile and peak demand for the electrical utilities. The addition of renewable energy generation adds additional variability and uncertainty to the power system. Demand side management in the buildings can help improve the demand profile for the utilities by shifting some of the demand from peak to off-peak times. Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning contribute around 45% to the overall demand of a building. This research studies two strategies for reducing the peak as well as shifting some demand from peak to off-peak periods in commercial buildings: 1. Use of gas heat pumps in place of electric heat pumps, and 2. Shifting demand for air conditioning from peak to off-peak by thermal energy storage in chilled water and ice. The first part of this study evaluates the field performance of gas engine-driven heat pumps (GEHP) tested in a commercial building in Florida. Four GEHP units of 8 Tons of Refrigeration (TR) capacity each providing air-conditioning to seven thermal zones in a commercial building, were instrumented for measuring their performance. The operation of these GEHPs was recorded for ten months, analyzed and compared with prior results reported in the literature. The instantaneous COPunit of these systems varied from 0.1 to 1.4 during typical summer week operation. The COP was low because the gas engines for the heat pumps were being used for loads that were much lower than design capacity which resulted in much lower efficiencies than expected. The performance of equivalent electric heat pump was simulated from a building energy model developed to mimic the measured building loads. An economic comparison of GEHPs and conventional electrical heat pumps was done based on the measured and simulated results. The average performance of the GEHP units was estimated to lie between those of EER-9.2 and EER-11.8 systems. The performance of GEHP systems suffers due to lower efficiency at part load operation. The study highlighted the need for optimum system sizing for GEHP/HVAC systems to meet the building load to obtain better performance in buildings. The second part of this study focusses on using chilled water or ice as thermal energy storage for shifting the air conditioning load from peak to off-peak in a commercial building. Thermal energy storage can play a very important role in providing demand-side management for diversifying the utility demand from buildings. Model of a large commercial office building is developed with thermal storage for cooling for peak power shifting. Three variations of the model were developed and analyzed for their performance with 1) ice storage, 2) chilled water storage with mixed storage tank and 3) chilled water storage with stratified tank, using EnergyPlus 8.5 software developed by the US Department of Energy. Operation strategy with tactical control to incorporate peak power schedule was developed using energy management system (EMS). The modeled HVAC system was optimized for minimum cost with the optimal storage capacity and chiller size using JEPlus. Based on the simulation, an optimal storage capacity of 40-45 GJ was estimated for the large office building model along with 40% smaller chiller capacity resulting in higher chiller part-load performance. Additionally, the auxiliary system like pump and condenser were also optimized to smaller capacities and thus resulting in less power demand during operation. The overall annual saving potential was found in the range of 7-10% for cooling electricity use resulting in 10-17% reduction in costs to the consumer. A possible annual peak shifting of 25-78% was found from the simulation results after comparing with the reference models. Adopting TES in commercial buildings and achieving 25% peak shifting could result in a reduction in peak summer demand of 1398 MW in Tampa.

  8. Active Response Gravity Offload and Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dungan, Larry K. (Inventor); Lieberman, Asher P. (Inventor); Shy, Cecil (Inventor); Bankieris, Derek R. (Inventor); Valle, Paul S. (Inventor); Redden, Lee (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    A variable gravity field simulator can be utilized to provide three dimensional simulations for simulated gravity fields selectively ranging from Moon, Mars, and micro-gravity environments and/or other selectable gravity fields. The gravity field simulator utilizes a horizontally moveable carriage with a cable extending from a hoist. The cable can be attached to a load which experiences the effects of the simulated gravity environment. The load can be a human being or robot that makes movements that induce swinging of the cable whereby a horizontal control system reduces swinging energy. A vertical control system uses a non-linear feedback filter to remove noise from a load sensor that is in the same frequency range as signals from the load sensor.

  9. Transport aircraft loading and balancing system: Using a CLIPS expert system for military aircraft load planning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Richardson, J.; Labbe, M.; Belala, Y.; Leduc, Vincent

    1994-01-01

    The requirement for improving aircraft utilization and responsiveness in airlift operations has been recognized for quite some time by the Canadian Forces. To date, the utilization of scarce airlift resources has been planned mainly through the employment of manpower-intensive manual methods in combination with the expertise of highly qualified personnel. In this paper, we address the problem of facilitating the load planning process for military aircraft cargo planes through the development of a computer-based system. We introduce TALBAS (Transport Aircraft Loading and BAlancing System), a knowledge-based system designed to assist personnel involved in preparing valid load plans for the C130 Hercules aircraft. The main features of this system which are accessible through a convivial graphical user interface, consists of the automatic generation of valid cargo arrangements given a list of items to be transported, the user-definition of load plans and the automatic validation of such load plans.

  10. Augmentation of the space station module power management and distribution breadboard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walls, Bryan; Hall, David K.; Lollar, Louis F.

    1991-01-01

    The space station module power management and distribution (SSM/PMAD) breadboard models power distribution and management, including scheduling, load prioritization, and a fault detection, identification, and recovery (FDIR) system within a Space Station Freedom habitation or laboratory module. This 120 VDC system is capable of distributing up to 30 kW of power among more than 25 loads. In addition to the power distribution hardware, the system includes computer control through a hierarchy of processes. The lowest level consists of fast, simple (from a computing standpoint) switchgear that is capable of quickly safing the system. At the next level are local load center processors, (LLP's) which execute load scheduling, perform redundant switching, and shed loads which use more than scheduled power. Above the LLP's are three cooperating artificial intelligence (AI) systems which manage load prioritizations, load scheduling, load shedding, and fault recovery and management. Recent upgrades to hardware and modifications to software at both the LLP and AI system levels promise a drastic increase in speed, a significant increase in functionality and reliability, and potential for further examination of advanced automation techniques. The background, SSM/PMAD, interface to the Lewis Research Center test bed, the large autonomous spacecraft electrical power system, and future plans are discussed.

  11. An analysis of the factors influencing demand-side management activity in the electric utility industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bock, Mark Joseph

    Demand-side management (DSM), defined as the "planning, implementation, and monitoring of utility activities designed to encourage consumers to modify their pattern of electricity usage, including the timing and level of electricity demand," is a relatively new concept in the U.S. electric power industry. Nevertheless, in twenty years since it was first introduced, utility expenditures on DSM programs, as well as the number of such programs, have grown rapidly. At first glance, it may seem peculiar that a firm would actively attempt to reduce demand for its primary product. There are two primary explanations as to why a utility might pursue DSM: regulatory mandate, and self-interest. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the impact these influences have on the amount of DSM undertaken by utilities. This research is important for two reasons. First, it provides insight into whether DSM will continue to exist as competition becomes more prevalent in the industry. Secondly, it is important because no one has taken a comprehensive look at firm-level DSM activity on an industry-wide basis. The primary data set used in this dissertation is the U.S. Department of Energy's Annual Electric Utility Report, Form EIA-861, which represents the most comprehensive data set available for analyzing DSM activity in the U.S. There are four measures of DSM activity in this data set: (1) utility expenditures on DSM programs; (2) energy savings by DSM program participants; and (3) the actual and (4) the potential reductions in peak load resulting from utility DSM measures. Each is used as the dependent variable in an econometric analysis where independent variables include various utility characteristics, regulatory characteristics, and service territory and customer characteristics. In general, the results from the econometric analysis suggest that in 1993, DSM activity was primarily the result of regulatory pressure. All of the evidence suggests that if DSM continues to exist in a deregulated environment, it will be at a greatly reduced level. This conclusion holds unless utilities see advantages to DSM as a marketing tool to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

  12. Gauging the Effects of Self-efficacy, Social Support, and Coping Style on Self-management Behaviors in Chinese Cancer Survivors.

    PubMed

    Geng, Zhaohui; Ogbolu, Yolanda; Wang, Jichuan; Hinds, Pamela S; Qian, Huijuan; Yuan, Changrong

    2018-02-14

    Better self-management control in cancer survivors would benefit their functional status, quality of life, and health service utilization. Factors such as self-efficacy, social support, and coping style are important predictors of self-management behaviors of cancer survivors; however, the impact of these factors on self-management behaviors has not yet been empirically tested in Chinese cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to examine how self-efficacy, social support, and coping style affect specific self-management behaviors. A secondary data analysis was completed from a cross-sectional study. A total of 764 cancer survivors were recruited in the study. Validated instruments were used to assess patients' self-efficacy, social support, and coping style. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesis. The SEM model fits the data very well, with root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) of 0.034; close-fit test cannot reject the hypothesis of root mean square error of approximation of 0.05 or less, comparative fit index of 0.91, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.90, and weighted root mean square residual of 0.82. For the measurement models in the SEM, all items loaded highly on their underlying first-order factors, and the first-order factors loaded highly on their underlying second-order factors (self-efficacy and social support, respectively). The model demonstrated that self-efficacy and social support directly and indirectly, via coping style, affect 3 self-management behaviors (ie, communication, exercise, and information seeking). Our results provide evidence that self-efficacy and social support impose significant direct effects, as well as indirect effects via copying style, on the self-management of cancer survivors. Our findings may help nurses to further improve their care of cancer survivors in terms of their self-management behaviors, specifically communication, exercise, and information seeking.

  13. High Pt utilization PEMFC electrode obtained by alternative ion-exchange/electrodeposition.

    PubMed

    Chen, Siguo; Wei, Zidong; Li, Hua; Li, Li

    2010-12-14

    High Pt utilization PEMFC electrodes were prepared by an alternative ion-exchange/electrodeposition (AIEE) technique. The results demonstrated that the MEA employing an AIEE electrode with a Pt loading of 0.014 mg Pt cm(-2) exhibits performance approximately 2.2 times larger than that employing a conventional Nafion-bonded Pt/C electrode with a same Pt loading.

  14. PS3-21: Extracting Utilization Data from Clarity into VDW Using Oracle and SAS

    PubMed Central

    Chimmula, Srivardhan

    2013-01-01

    Background/Aims The purpose of the presentation is to demonstrate how we use SAS and Oracle to load VDW_Utilization, VDW_DX, and VDW_PX tables from Clarity at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Division of Research (DOR) site. Methods DOR uses the best of Oracle PL/ SQL and SAS capabilities in building Extract Transform and Load (ETL) processes. These processes extract patient encounter, diagnosis, and procedure data from Teradata-based Clarity. The data is then transformed to fit HMORN’s VDW definitions of the table. This data is then loaded into the Oracle-based VDW table on DOR’s research database and then finally a copy of the table is also created as a SAS dataset. Results DOR builds robust and efficient ETL processes that refresh VDW Utilization table on a monthly basis processing millions of records/observations. The ETL processes have the capability to identify daily changes in Clarity and update the VDW tables on a daily basis. Conclusions KPNC DOR combines the best of both Oracle and SAS worlds to build ETL processes that load the data into VDW Utilization tables efficiently.

  15. Is burnout related to allostatic load?

    PubMed

    Langelaan, Saar; Bakker, Arnold B; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; van Rhenen, Willem; van Doornen, Lorenz J P

    2007-01-01

    Burnout has a negative impact on physical health, but the mechanisms underlying this relation remain unclear. To elucidate these mechanisms, possible mediating physiological systems or risk factors for adverse health in burned-out employees should be investigated. The aim of the present study among 290 Dutch managers was to explore whether allostatic load mediates the relationship between burnout and physical health. Burned-out managers, as identified with the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS), were compared with a healthy control group with regard to their allostatic load. The allostatic load index included eight parameters: Body-mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), C-reactive protein (CRP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and glucose. Contrary to expectations, burned-out managers did not differ from healthy managers with regard to their scores on the allostatic load index. An additional analysis, using groups of managers in the extreme deciles of exhaustion (the core symptom of burnout), did also not reveal differences in allostatic load. Burnout seems not to be associated with this proxy measure of allostatic load. The mediating physiological mechanisms between burnout and objective physical health remain to be elucidated.

  16. Load cell having strain gauges of arbitrary location

    DOEpatents

    Spletzer, Barry [Albuquerque, NM

    2007-03-13

    A load cell utilizes a plurality of strain gauges mounted upon the load cell body such that there are six independent load-strain relations. Load is determined by applying the inverse of a load-strain sensitivity matrix to a measured strain vector. The sensitivity matrix is determined by performing a multivariate regression technique on a set of known loads correlated to the resulting strains. Temperature compensation is achieved by configuring the strain gauges as co-located orthogonal pairs.

  17. 14 CFR 23.785 - Seats, berths, litters, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... combination of structural analysis and static load tests to limit load; or (3) Static load tests to ultimate... OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY... resulting from the ultimate static load factors prescribed in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occupant...

  18. 14 CFR 23.785 - Seats, berths, litters, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... combination of structural analysis and static load tests to limit load; or (3) Static load tests to ultimate... OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY... resulting from the ultimate static load factors prescribed in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occupant...

  19. 14 CFR 23.785 - Seats, berths, litters, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... combination of structural analysis and static load tests to limit load; or (3) Static load tests to ultimate... OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY... resulting from the ultimate static load factors prescribed in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occupant...

  20. 14 CFR 23.785 - Seats, berths, litters, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... combination of structural analysis and static load tests to limit load; or (3) Static load tests to ultimate... OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY... resulting from the ultimate static load factors prescribed in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occupant...

  1. 14 CFR 23.785 - Seats, berths, litters, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... combination of structural analysis and static load tests to limit load; or (3) Static load tests to ultimate... OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY... resulting from the ultimate static load factors prescribed in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occupant...

  2. Alternate Methods in Refining the SLS Nozzle Plug Loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burbank, Scott; Allen, Andrew

    2013-01-01

    Numerical analysis has shown that the SLS nozzle environmental barrier (nozzle plug) design is inadequate for the prelaunch condition, which consists of two dominant loads: 1) the main engines startup pressure and 2) an environmentally induced pressure. Efforts to reduce load conservatisms included a dynamic analysis which showed a 31% higher safety factor compared to the standard static analysis. The environmental load is typically approached with a deterministic method using the worst possible combinations of pressures and temperatures. An alternate probabilistic approach, utilizing the distributions of pressures and temperatures, resulted in a 54% reduction in the environmental pressure load. A Monte Carlo simulation of environmental load that used five years of historical pressure and temperature data supported the results of the probabilistic analysis, indicating the probabilistic load is reflective of a 3-sigma condition (1 in 370 probability). Utilizing the probabilistic load analysis eliminated excessive conservatisms and will prevent a future overdesign of the nozzle plug. Employing a similar probabilistic approach to other design and analysis activities can result in realistic yet adequately conservative solutions.

  3. Mathematical modeling of a primary zinc/air battery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mao, Z.; White, R. E.

    1992-01-01

    The mathematical model developed by Sunu and Bennion has been extended to include the separator, precipitation of both solid ZnO and K2Zn(OH)4, and the air electrode, and has been used to investigate the behavior of a primary Zn-Air battery with respect to battery design features. Predictions obtained from the model indicate that anode material utilization is predominantly limited by depletion of the concentration of hydroxide ions. The effect of electrode thickness on anode material utilization is insignificant, whereas material loading per unit volume has a great effect on anode material utilization; a higher loading lowers both the anode material utilization and delivered capacity. Use of a thick separator will increase the anode material utilization, but may reduce the cell voltage.

  4. Managing the space-time-load continuum in TMDL planning: A case study for understanding groundwater loads through advanced mapping techniques

    EPA Science Inventory

    The lag time between groundwater recharge and discharge in a watershed and the potential groundwater load to streams is an important factor in forecasting responses to future land use practices. We call this concept managing the “space-time-load continuum”. It’s understood that i...

  5. Improvement of Productivity in TIG Welding Plant by Equipment Design in Orbit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gnanavel, C.; Saravanan, R.; Chandrasekaran, M.; Jayakanth, J. J.

    2017-03-01

    Measurements and improvements are very indispensable task at all levels of management. Here some samples are, at operator level: Measuring operating parameters to ensure OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and measuring Q components performance to ensure quality, at supervisory level: measuring operator’s performance to ensure labour utility at managerial level: production and productivity measurements and at top level capital and capacity utilization. An often accepted statement is “Improvement is impossible without measurement”. Measurements often referred as observation. The case study was conducted at Government Boiler factory in India. The scientific approach followed for indentifying non value added activities. Personalised new equipment designed and installed to achieve productivity improvement of 85% for a day. The new equipment can serve 360o around its axis hence it simplified loading and unloading procedures as well as reduce their times and ensured effective space and time.

  6. Rigid endosseous implant utilized as anchorage to protract molars and close an atrophic extraction site.

    PubMed

    Roberts, W E; Marshall, K J; Mozsary, P G

    1990-01-01

    A two-stage endosseous implant, placed in the retromolar area of the mandible was utilized as rigid anchorage to translate two molars 10-12 millimeters mesially into an atrophic endentulous ridge. Despite substantial anchorage demand over a three year period, the endosseous implant remained rigid ("osseointegrated"). At the end of treatment the implant and adjacent, intravitally labeled bone were recovered. Microradiographic and polarized light analyses revealed that about 80 percent of the endosseous portion of the implant was in direct contact with mature lamellar bone. Bone labels demonstrated a remarkably high remodeling rate (about 30 percent/year) for cortical bone within 0.5 millimeter of the interface. Continuous remodeling may be the long-term mechanism whereby loaded implants resist bone fatigue and maintain "osseointegration." Clinical use of orthodontic implants, placed outside the dental arches, requires careful attention to soft tissue management.

  7. Allocation of surgical procedures to operating rooms.

    PubMed

    Ozkarahan, I

    1995-08-01

    Reduction of health care costs is of paramount importance in our time. This paper is a part of the research which proposes an expert hospital decision support system for resource scheduling. The proposed system combines mathematical programming, knowledge base, and database technologies, and what is more, its friendly interface is suitable for any novice user. Operating rooms in hospitals represent big investments and must be utilized efficiently. In this paper, first a mathematical model similar to job shop scheduling models is developed. The model loads surgical cases to operating rooms by maximizing room utilization and minimizing overtime in a multiple operating room setting. Then a prototype expert system which replaces the expertise of the operations research analyst for the model, drives the modelbase, database, and manages the user dialog is developed. Finally, an overview of the sequencing procedures for operations within an operating room is also presented.

  8. Management of marine cage aquaculture. Environmental carrying capacity method based on dry feed conversion rate.

    PubMed

    Cai, Huiwen; Sun, Yinglan

    2007-11-01

    Marine cage aquaculture produces a large amount of waste that is released directly into the environment. To effectively manage the mariculture environment, it is important to determine the carrying capacity of an aquaculture area. In many Asian countries trash fish is dominantly used in marine cage aquaculture, which contains more water than pellet feed. The traditional nutrient loading analysis is for pellet feed not for trash fish feed. So, a more critical analysis is necessary in trash fish feed culturing areas. Corresponding to FCR (feed conversion rate), dry feed conversion rate (DFCR) was used to analyze the nutrient loadings from marine cage aquaculture where trash fish is used. Based on the hydrodynamic model and the mass transport model in Xiangshan Harbor, the relationship between the water quality and the waste discharged from cage aquaculture has been determined. The environmental carrying capacity of the aquaculture sea area was calculated by applying the models noted above. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the water quality parameters considered in this study. The simulated results show that the maximum nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were 0.216 mg/L and 0.039 mg/L, respectively. In most of the sea area, the nutrient concentrations were higher than the water quality standard. The calculated environmental carrying capacity of nitrogen and phosphorus in Xiangshan Harbor were 1,107.37 t/yr and 134.35 t/yr, respectively. The waste generated from cage culturing in 2000 has already exceeded the environmental carrying capacity. Unconsumed feed has been identified as the most important origin of all pollutants in cage culturing systems. It suggests the importance of increasing the feed utilization and improving the feed composition on the basis of nutrient requirement. For the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry, it is an effective management measure to keep the stocking density and pollution loadings below the environmental carrying capacity. The DFCR-based nutrient loadings analysis indicates, in trash fish feed culturing areas, that it is more critical and has been proved to be a valuable loading calculation method. The modeling approach for Xiangshan Harbor presented in this paper is a cost-effective method for assessing the environmental impact and determining the capacity. Carrying capacity information can give scientific suggestions for the sustainable management of aquaculture environments. It has been proved that numerical models were convenient tools to predict the environmental carrying capacity. The development of models coupled with dynamic and aquaculture ecology is a requirement of further research. Such models can also be useful in monitoring the ecological impacts caused by mariculture activities.

  9. Impacts of Stormwater Management Measures on E. coli and Enterococci Populations in Stormwater Effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wildey, R. A.; Ballestero, T. P.; Roseen, R. M.; Houle, J.

    2005-05-01

    In our efforts to improve the quality of runoff entering our streams and waterways, stormwater management measures (or BMPs) are being implemented at a rapid pace. Usually designed to treat one or more specific types of contamination or loading, these measures may have unintended consequences that are not well understood. One issue that has not been fully explored is the potential effect these systems have on microbial contamination of the treated runoff. This study evaluates 11 types of treatment systems and their impact on E. coli and Enterococci contamination. Recent research has demonstrated that near-shore sediment may act as a continuous source of bacterial loading in the overlying waters, rather than bacterial loading being solely a temporal, storm-driven phenomenon. Similarly, stormwater management measures that utilize a soil media for filtration or incorporate a sediment sump may also provide conditions conducive to the incubation of fecal coliforms that can then be released into the environment during runoff events. Following with EPA regulatory guidelines for receiving waters, E. coli and Enterococci are used as surrogates for the presence of other potential disease-causing pathogens typically associated with mammalian and avian enteric bacteria. The stormwater management measures being investigated include: subsurface infiltration, surface sand filter, standard detention pond, bioretention area, hydrodynamic separation, subsurface gravel wetland, street sweeping, and vegetated swale. An adjacent porous parking area and a standard asphalt lot that drains to a tree filter are similarly monitored. Influent is supplied by runoff generated by a 9-acre commuter parking lot at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. This influent is distributed equally to the different treatment devices that operate in parallel. Water quality parameters (DO, pH, specific conductivity, temperature) and flow are continuously monitored upstream from the distribution chamber (influent) and downstream from each device (effluent). Automated samplers are used to collect samples during storm events and grab samples are taken between storm events to evaluate the effect of each device or BMP on bacterial populations. Initial data indicate that influent concentrations of fecal coliforms for this parking area often exceed EPA limits for Class A waterbodies. Several of the treatment units appear to substantially reduce (>90% reduction) bacterial loading, while others appear to increase loading during some storm events (>500% increase). This study is on-going and additional sample events from the Spring of 2005 will also be presented.

  10. Development of Ciprofloxacin-loaded contact lenses using fluorous chemistry

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Zhiling; Li, Siheng; McDermott, Alison M.

    2017-01-01

    In this work, we developed a simple method to load drugs into commercially available contact lenses utilizing fluorous chemistry. We demonstrated this method using model compounds including fluorous-tagged fluorescein and antibiotic ciprofloxacin. We showed that fluorous interactions facilitated the loading of model molecules into fluorocarbon-containing contact lenses, and that the release profiles exhibited sustained release. Contact lenses loaded with fluorous-tagged ciprofloxacin exhibited antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro, while no cytotoxicity towards human corneal epithelial cells was observed. To mimic the tear turnover, we designed a porcine eye infection model under flow conditions. Significantly, the modified lenses also exhibited antimicrobial efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the ex vivo infection model. Overall, utilizing fluorous chemistry, we can construct a drug delivery system that exhibits high drug loading capacity, sustained drug release, and robust biological activity. PMID:28188995

  11. Development of emergency department load relief area--gauging benefits in empirical terms.

    PubMed

    Rasheed, Farrukh; Lee, Young Hoon; Kim, Seung Ho; Park, In Cheol

    2012-12-01

    The primary goal of this investigation was to develop a simulation model to evaluate the various internal and external factors affecting patient flow and crowding in the emergency department (ED). In addition, a few recommendations are proposed to reconfigure the patient flow to improve ED capacity while maintaining service quality. In this research, we present a simulation study conducted in the ED at the "S Hospital" located in Seoul. Based on patient flow data and process analysis, a simulation model of patient throughput in the ED has been developed. We evaluated simulations of diverting the specific patient load in the light of our proposed recommendations to a separately managed area named as the ED load relief area (ED-LRA) and analyzing potential effects on overall length of stay (LOS) and waiting time (WT). What-if analyses have been proposed to identify key issues and investigate the improvements as per our proposed recommendations. The simulation results suggest that specific patient load diversion is needed to ensure desired outcomes. With the diversion of specific patient load to ED-LRA, there is a reduction of 40.60% in mean LOS and 42.5% in WT with improved resource utilization. As a result, opening of an ED-LRA is justified. Real-world systems are often too intricate for analytical models and often too expensive to trial with directly. Simulation models allow the modeling of this intricacy and enable experimentation to make inferences about how the actual system might perform. Our simulation study modeled that diverting the specific patient load to ED-LRA produced an improvement in overall ED's LOS and WT.

  12. Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Application of N-Acetyl Glucosamine.

    PubMed

    Aliasgharlou, Lavin; Ghanbarzadeh, Saeed; Azimi, Hamideh; Zarrintan, Mohammad Hossein; Hamishehkar, Hamed

    2016-12-01

    Purpose: Hyperpigmentation occurs when melanin is overproduced in certain spots on the skin and is one of the most challenging skin conditions to treat. Although it is usually harmless, for cosmetic reasons, it is dreadfully bothersome to those who undergo it. It was reported that N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAGA) prevents melanin synthesis and alters the expression of numerous genes related to pigmentation. In spite of these advantages, NAGA cannot be employed in topical formulations due to its extremely polar characteristics. Nanoparticles, especially lipid-based ones, have been introduced as an efficient carrier for dermal drug delivery. Methods: The aim of the present study was to load adequate hydrophilic NAGA to the lipophilic nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for potential dermal application. NAGA-loaded NLCs were formulated, using hot homogenization technique, and the characteristics of the optimized formulation were analyzed by laser light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy methods. Loading capacity percentage and in vitro release study were carried out by applying a validated HPLC method. The optimum formulation was utilized for the in vivo skin lightening evaluations in healthy volunteers. Results: NAGA-loaded NLCs demonstrated promising results (the size of 190 nm, narrow size distribution, loading capacity of 9%, and appropriate NAGA release profile) suitable for dermal delivery. XRD results exhibited a dramatic reduction in the crystalline structure of encapsulated NAGA. Dermoscopy images indicated a considerable decline in melanin distribution pattern in the majority of the cases treated with NAGA-loaded NLCs. Conclusion: Thus, this study has opened new horizons for the potential use of lipid based nanoparticles in the managing of hyperpigmentation.

  13. Environmental performance of household waste management in Europe - An example of 7 countries.

    PubMed

    Andreasi Bassi, Susanna; Christensen, Thomas H; Damgaard, Anders

    2017-11-01

    An attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) of the management of 1ton of household waste was conducted in accordance with ISO 14044:2006 and the ILCD Handbook for seven European countries, namely Germany, Denmark, France, UK, Italy, Poland and Greece, representing different household waste compositions, waste management practices, technologies, and energy systems. National data were collected from a range of sources regarding household waste composition, household sorting efficiency, collection, waste treatments, recycling, electricity and heat composition, and technological efficiencies. The objective was to quantify the environmental performance in the different countries, in order to analyze the sources of the main environmental impacts and national differences which affect the results. In most of the seven countries, household waste management provides environmental benefits when considering the benefits of recycling of materials and recovering and utilization of energy. Environmental benefits come from paper recycling and, to a lesser extent, the recycling of metals and glass. Waste-to-energy plants can lead to an environmental load (as in France) or a saving (Germany and Denmark), depending mainly on the composition of the energy being substituted. Sensitivity analysis and a data quality assessment identified a range of critical parameters, suggesting from where better data should be obtained. The study concluded that household waste management is environmentally the best in European countries with a minimum reliance on landfilling, also induced by the implementation of the Waste Hierarchy, though environmental performance does not correlate clearly with the rate of material recycling. From an environmental point of view, this calls for a change in the waste management paradigm, with less focus on where the waste is routed and more of a focus on the quality and utilization of recovered materials and energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Implementing Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) with State of the Art PT&I Technologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hollis, Sean; Sasser, Chase

    2016-01-01

    Building on the work that was started two decades ago, Jacobs Space Operations Group has utilized state of the art PTI technologies to assess the current condition of the assets they manage under the Test and Operations Support Contract (TOSC). Specifically, the Asset Management department leveraged the benefits of ultrasound technology to quantify a motor issue in the Liquid Oxygen Storage Area, and troubleshoot the sources prior to loading the tank to perform Verification and Validation (VV) activities. This technology was efficient, easy to implement, and provided system engineers with data on a possible source of the problem. In situations where legacy motors are exhibiting unexpected noises, it may seem easier to remove and refurbish the motor and replace the bearings because that solution resolves most of the common causes of the noise. However, that solution would have involved additional spending and may not have solved issues stemming from the foundation, if those existed. By utilizing the ultrasound equipment provided by UE Systems, the sound profiles allowed Jacobs TOSC team to determine that the issue resembled a faulty bearing. After replacing the bearing, the unexpected noise ceased.

  15. Relationship between symptom load of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life, work productivity, resource utilization and concomitant diseases: survey of a US cohort.

    PubMed

    Wahlqvist, P; Karlsson, M; Johnson, D; Carlsson, J; Bolge, S C; Wallander, M-A

    2008-05-01

    Analysis of the burden of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in relation to the severity and frequency of symptoms is essential to identify individuals and groups in whom targeted management is justified. To describe the relationship between symptoms of GERD and self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQL), work productivity, healthcare utilization and concomitant diseases. US respondents to the Internet-based 2004 National Health and Wellness Survey who had self-reported GERD (n = 10,028, mean age: 52 years, 58% female) were age- and gender-matched to a control group without GERD (n = 10,028). Respondents with GERD were classified according to symptom severity and frequency. HRQL and productivity were assessed using the Short-Form 8 survey (SF-8) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, respectively. Symptom frequency increased with increasing symptom severity. Compared with controls, respondents with GERD had more concomitant diseases [mean difference (MD): 1.6], lower SF-8 physical and mental health scores (MD: 4.1 units and 3.1 units, respectively), increased absenteeism (MD: 0.9 h/week), reduced percent productivity at work (MD: 7.5%) and increased healthcare utilization. All tested variables deteriorated with increasing symptom severity and/or frequency. Increasing severity and frequency of GERD symptoms is associated with more concomitant diseases, lower HRQL, lower work productivity and increased healthcare utilization, suggesting that patients with moderate or severe GERD should receive targeted management with the most effective treatment strategies.

  16. Mechanics of Failure of High Temperature Metal Matrix Composites

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-12-22

    by two inhomogeneities that sustain an eigenstrain loading, proportional to the difference of fiber/matrx thermal expansion coefficients. Utilizing the...appropriate eigenstrain field. sustained by the fiber cross sections. Our primary interest is to determine how the fiber interaction relates to the local...inhomogeneities (fiber cross sections). with a central distance c. undergo an eigenstrain loading. Utilizing the di. -Sacement potentials approach. an

  17. Prediction of diffuse organic micropollutant loads in streams under changing climatic, socio-economic and technical boundary conditions with an integrated transport model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Honti, Mark; Schuwirth, Nele; Rieckermann, Jörg; Ghielmetti, Nico; Stamm, Christian

    2014-05-01

    Catchments are complex systems where water quantity, quality and the ecological services provided are determined by interacting physical, chemical, biological, economical and social factors. The realization of these interactions led to the prevailing catchment management paradigm: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). IWRM requires considering all these aspects during the design of sustainable resource utilization. Due to the complexity of this task, mathematical modeling plays a key role in IWRM, namely in the evaluation of the impacts of hypothetical scenarios and management measures. Toxicity is a key determinant of the ecological state and as such a focal point in IWRM, but we still have significant knowledge gaps about the diffuse loads of organic micropollutants (OMP) that leak from both urban and agricultural areas. Most European catchments possess mixed land use, containing rural (natural and agricultural) landscapes and settlements in varying proportions. Thus, a catchment model supporting IWRM must be able to cope with both classes. However, the majority of existing catchment models is dedicated to either rural or urban areas, while the minority capable of simulating both contain overly simplified descriptions for either land use category. We applied a conceptual model that describes all major land use classes for assessing the impacts of climate change, socio-economic development and management alternatives on diffuse OMP loads. We simulated the loads of 12 compounds (agricultural and urban pesticides and urban biocides) with daily resolution at 11 locations in the stream network of a small catchment (46 km2) in Switzerland. The model considers all important diffuse transport pathways separately, but each with a simple empirical process rate. Consequently, some site-specific observations were required to calibrate rate parameters. We assessed uncertainty during both calibration and prediction phases. Predictions indicated that future OMP loads were predominantly determined by human activities in each simulated sub-catchment, as reflected by the socio-economic scenarios and management alternatives. Climatic and the corresponding hydrological changes had a much weaker influence. This indicates that - conditionally on the confidence of our predictions - catchment management would possess effective options to prevent the degradation of water quality in the future. However, prediction uncertainty varied between high and huge levels depending on compound. Most of the identified uncertainty was related to the quality of input data. Application rates and timings could be estimated only roughly for most compounds. Concentration peaks were simulated with high uncertainty. The highest pollutant concentrations were often associated with known but unidentified pollution sources such as accidental spills, or brief high-intensity precipitation events whose amount could only be observed with high uncertainty. So while acute exposure would be as important as the chronic one for IWRM, neither climatic nor catchment models excel at predicting rare and brief events. This deficiency highlights why the assessment of predictive uncertainty should be an integral part of OMP modeling.

  18. Reconciling Consumer and Utility Objectives in the Residential Solar PV Market

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnold, Michael R.

    Today's energy market is facing large-scale changes that will affect all market players. Near the top of that list is the rapid deployment of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Yet that growing trend will be influenced multiple competing interests between various stakeholders, namely the utility, consumers and technology provides. This study provides a series of analyses---utility-side, consumer-side, and combined analyses---to understand and evaluate the effect of increases in residential solar PV market penetration. Three urban regions have been selected as study locations---Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle---with simulated load data and solar insolation data at each locality. Various time-of-use pricing schedules are investigated, and the effect of net metering is evaluated to determine the optimal capacity of solar PV and battery storage in a typical residential home. The net residential load profile is scaled to assess system-wide technical and economic figures of merit for the utility with an emphasis on intraday load profiles, ramp rates and electricity sales with increasing solar PV penetration. The combined analysis evaluates the least-cost solar PV system for the consumer and models the associated system-wide effects on the electric grid. Utility revenue was found to drop by 1.2% for every percent PV penetration increase, net metering on a monthly or annual basis improved the cost-effectiveness of solar PV but not battery storage, the removal of net metering policy and usage of an improved the cost-effectiveness of battery storage and increases in solar PV penetration reduced the system load factor. As expected, Phoenix had the most favorable economic scenario for residential solar PV, primarily due to high solar insolation. The study location---solar insolation and load profile---was also found to affect the time of year at which the largest net negative system load was realized.

  19. Threshold-based queuing system for performance analysis of cloud computing system with dynamic scaling

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shorgin, Sergey Ya.; Pechinkin, Alexander V.; Samouylov, Konstantin E.

    Cloud computing is promising technology to manage and improve utilization of computing center resources to deliver various computing and IT services. For the purpose of energy saving there is no need to unnecessarily operate many servers under light loads, and they are switched off. On the other hand, some servers should be switched on in heavy load cases to prevent very long delays. Thus, waiting times and system operating cost can be maintained on acceptable level by dynamically adding or removing servers. One more fact that should be taken into account is significant server setup costs and activation times. Formore » better energy efficiency, cloud computing system should not react on instantaneous increase or instantaneous decrease of load. That is the main motivation for using queuing systems with hysteresis for cloud computing system modelling. In the paper, we provide a model of cloud computing system in terms of multiple server threshold-based infinite capacity queuing system with hysteresis and noninstantanuous server activation. For proposed model, we develop a method for computing steady-state probabilities that allow to estimate a number of performance measures.« less

  20. Integrating GDM management in primary care: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) perspective.

    PubMed

    Anjum, Qudsia; Mumtaz, Shadma

    2016-09-01

    Diabetes is prevailing universally and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is no exception. Pregnancies associated with gestational diabetes place women at high risk of natal complications. Statistics from GCC gives variable figures for GDM. Family Physicians are the first level health care providers and their role in management of GDM can be promising. This has been evident from a focused group study where patients prefer screening for GDM in primary care settings. Strengthening of primary care is important universally. Government should have mandatory primary care registration to be referred to secondary level for obstetric follow up and management. An important issue needing attention is presence of multiple criteria for diagnosing and screening GDM. There is need for a single guideline globally to avoid confusion for primary care providers.10 Primary care centers can better be utilized to screen for GDM at early stages. This will decrease the load on secondary and tertiary care centers and can also maintain continuity of care.

  1. A game theory analysis of green infrastructure stormwater management policies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    William, Reshmina; Garg, Jugal; Stillwell, Ashlynn S.

    2017-09-01

    Green stormwater infrastructure has been demonstrated as an innovative water resources management approach that addresses multiple challenges facing urban environments. However, there is little consensus on what policy strategies can be used to best incentivize green infrastructure adoption by private landowners. Game theory, an analysis framework that has historically been under-utilized within the context of stormwater management, is uniquely suited to address this policy question. We used a cooperative game theory framework to investigate the potential impacts of different policy strategies used to incentivize green infrastructure installation. The results indicate that municipal regulation leads to the greatest reduction in pollutant loading. However, the choice of the "best" regulatory approach will depend on a variety of different factors including politics and financial considerations. Large, downstream agents have a disproportionate share of bargaining power. Results also reveal that policy impacts are highly dependent on agents' spatial position within the stormwater network, leading to important questions of social equity and environmental justice.

  2. GIS Application System Design Applied to Information Monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qun, Zhou; Yujin, Yuan; Yuena, Kang

    Natural environment information management system involves on-line instrument monitoring, data communications, database establishment, information management software development and so on. Its core lies in collecting effective and reliable environmental information, increasing utilization rate and sharing degree of environment information by advanced information technology, and maximizingly providing timely and scientific foundation for environmental monitoring and management. This thesis adopts C# plug-in application development and uses a set of complete embedded GIS component libraries and tools libraries provided by GIS Engine to finish the core of plug-in GIS application framework, namely, the design and implementation of framework host program and each functional plug-in, as well as the design and implementation of plug-in GIS application framework platform. This thesis adopts the advantages of development technique of dynamic plug-in loading configuration, quickly establishes GIS application by visualized component collaborative modeling and realizes GIS application integration. The developed platform is applicable to any application integration related to GIS application (ESRI platform) and can be as basis development platform of GIS application development.

  3. Tool Helps Utilities Assess Readiness for Electric Vehicle Charging (Fact Sheet)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    NREL research helps answer a fundamental question regarding electric vehicles: Is the grid ready to handle them? Environmental, economic and security concerns regarding oil consumption make electrifying the transportation sector a high national priority. NREL's Center for Transportation Technologies & Systems (CTTS) has developed a framework for utilities to evaluate the plug-in vehicle (PEV) readiness of distribution transformers. Combining a wealth of vehicle performance statistics with load data from partner utilities including the Hawaiian Electric Company and Xcel Energy, NREL analyzed the thermal loading characteristics of distribution transformers due to vehicle charging. After running millions of simulations replicating varying climatesmore » and conditions, NREL is now able to predict aging rates for transformers when PEVs are added to existing building loads. With the NREL tool, users define simulation parameters by inputting vehicle trip and weather data; transformer load profiles and ratings; PEV penetration, charging rates and battery sizes; utility rates; the number of houses on each transformer; and public charging availability. Transformer load profiles, drive cycles, and ambient temperature data are then run through the thermal model to produce a one-year timeseries of the hotspot temperature. Annual temperature durations are calculated to help determine the annual aging rate. Annual aging rate results are grouped by independent variables. The most useful measure is transformer mileage, a measure of how many electrically-driven miles must be supplied by the transformer. Once the spectrum analysis has been conducted for an area or utility, the outputs can be used to help determine if more detailed evaluation is necessary, or if transformer replacement is required. In the majority of scenarios, transformers have enough excess capacity to charge PEVs. Only in extreme cases does vehicle charging have negative long-term impact on transformers. In those cases, upgrades to larger transformers would be recommended. NREL analysis also showed opportunity for newly-installed smart grids to offset distribution demands by time-shifting the charging loads. Most importantly, the model demonstrated synergies between PEVs and distributed renewables, not only providing clean renewable energy for vehicles, but also reducing demand on the entire distribution infrastructure by supplying loads at the point of consumption.« less

  4. The composite load spectra project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newell, J. F.; Ho, H.; Kurth, R. E.

    1990-01-01

    Probabilistic methods and generic load models capable of simulating the load spectra that are induced in space propulsion system components are being developed. Four engine component types (the transfer ducts, the turbine blades, the liquid oxygen posts and the turbopump oxidizer discharge duct) were selected as representative hardware examples. The composite load spectra that simulate the probabilistic loads for these components are typically used as the input loads for a probabilistic structural analysis. The knowledge-based system approach used for the composite load spectra project provides an ideal environment for incremental development. The intelligent database paradigm employed in developing the expert system provides a smooth coupling between the numerical processing and the symbolic (information) processing. Large volumes of engine load information and engineering data are stored in database format and managed by a database management system. Numerical procedures for probabilistic load simulation and database management functions are controlled by rule modules. Rules were hard-wired as decision trees into rule modules to perform process control tasks. There are modules to retrieve load information and models. There are modules to select loads and models to carry out quick load calculations or make an input file for full duty-cycle time dependent load simulation. The composite load spectra load expert system implemented today is capable of performing intelligent rocket engine load spectra simulation. Further development of the expert system will provide tutorial capability for users to learn from it.

  5. Heat pipes for sodium-sulfur batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartenstine, John R.

    1989-08-01

    The objective of this program was to develop a variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) for the thermal management of sodium-sulfur batteries. The VCHP maintains the sodium sulfur battery within a specified temperature rise limit (20 C) while the battery discharges a thermal load from 0 watts to 500 watts. A preliminary full scale thermal management design was developed for the sodium-sulfur battery, incorporating the VCHPs and supporting integration hardware. The feasibility of the VCHPs for this application was proved by test. The VCHP developed in Phase 1 utilized titanium as the heat pipe envelope material, and cesium as the heat pipe working fluid. The wick structure was axial grooves. Analysis and test indicate that the VCHP can provide the passive thermal control necessary for the sodium-sulfur battery. Test data show that with the heat input from Q = 0 watts to Q = 500 watts, the VCHP evaporator temperature increased from 350 C to 385 C. The temperature control range was higher than predicted due to working fluid vapor diffusion into the noncondensible gas and thermal axial conduction into the VCHP reservoir. Analysis has shown that by utilizing VCHPs for passive temperature control, the sodium-sulfur battery cells will have a lower axial delta-T during discharge than a current louver design. The VCHP thermal management package has the potential to be used in geosynchronous earth orbits (GEO) and low earth orbits (LEO).

  6. Ultra-low-power conversion and management techniques for thermoelectric energy harvesting applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fleming, Jerry W.

    2010-04-01

    Thermoelectric energy harvesting has increasingly gained acceptance as a potential power source that can be used for numerous commercial and military applications. However, power electronic designers have struggled to incorporate energy harvesting methods into their designs due to the relatively small voltage levels available from many harvesting device technologies. In order to bridge this gap, an ultra-low input voltage power conversion method is needed to convert small amounts of scavenged energy into a usable form of electricity. Such a method would be an enabler for new and improved medical devices, sensor systems, and other portable electronic products. This paper addresses the technical challenges involved in ultra-low-voltage power conversion by providing a solution utilizing novel power conversion techniques and applied technologies. Our solution utilizes intelligent power management techniques to control unknown startup conditions. The load and supply management functionality is also controlled in a deterministic manner. The DC to DC converter input operating voltage is 20mV with a conversion efficiency of 90% or more. The output voltage is stored into a storage device such as an ultra-capacitor or lithium-ion battery for use during brown-out or unfavorable harvesting conditions. Applications requiring modular, low power, extended maintenance cycles, such as wireless instrumentation would significantly benefit from the novel power conversion and harvesting techniques outlined in this paper.

  7. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakafuji, Dora; Gouveia, Lauren

    This project supports development of the next generation, integrated energy management infrastructure (EMS) able to incorporate advance visualization of behind-the-meter distributed resource information and probabilistic renewable energy generation forecasts to inform real-time operational decisions. The project involves end-users and active feedback from an Utility Advisory Team (UAT) to help inform how information can be used to enhance operational functions (e.g. unit commitment, load forecasting, Automatic Generation Control (AGC) reserve monitoring, ramp alerts) within two major EMS platforms. Objectives include: Engaging utility operations personnel to develop user input on displays, set expectations, test and review; Developing ease of use and timelinessmore » metrics for measuring enhancements; Developing prototype integrated capabilities within two operational EMS environments; Demonstrating an integrated decision analysis platform with real-time wind and solar forecasting information and timely distributed resource information; Seamlessly integrating new 4-dimensional information into operations without increasing workload and complexities; Developing sufficient analytics to inform and confidently transform and adopt new operating practices and procedures; Disseminating project lessons learned through industry sponsored workshops and conferences;Building on collaborative utility-vendor partnership and industry capabilities« less

  8. Utilization of Minor Actinides as a Fuel Component for Ultra-Long Life Bhr Configurations: Designs, Advantages and Limitations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dr. Pavel V. Tsvetkov

    2009-05-20

    This project assessed the advantages and limitations of using minor actinides as a fuel component to achieve ultra-long life Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) configurations. Researchers considered and compared the capabilities of pebble-bed and prismatic core designs with advanced actinide fuels to achieve ultra-long operation without refueling. Since both core designs permit flexibility in component configuration, fuel utilization, and fuel management, it is possible to improve fissile properties of minor actinides by neutron spectrum shifting through configuration adjustments. The project studied advanced actinide fuels, which could reduce the long-term radio-toxicity and heat load of high-level waste sent to a geologicmore » repository and enable recovery of the energy contained in spent fuel. The ultra-long core life autonomous approach may reduce the technical need for additional repositories and is capable to improve marketability of the Generation IV VHTR by allowing worldwide deployment, including remote regions and regions with limited industrial resources. Utilization of minor actinides in nuclear reactors facilitates developments of new fuel cycles towards sustainable nuclear energy scenarios.« less

  9. Lessons learned: the switch from VMS to UNIX operations for the STScI's Science and Mission Scheduling Branch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, David S.; Workman, William M., III; Chance, Don

    2004-09-01

    The Science and Mission Scheduling Branch (SMSB) of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) historically operated exclusively under VMS. Due to diminished support for VMS-based platforms at STScI, SMSB recently transitioned to Unix operations. No additional resources were available to the group; the project was SMSB's to design, develop, and implement. Early decisions included the choice of Python as the primary scripting language; adoption of Object-Oriented Design in the development of base utilities; and the development of a Python utility to interact directly with the Sybase database. The project was completed in January 2004 with the implementation of a GUI to generate the Command Loads that are uplinked to HST. The current tool suite consists of 31 utilities and 271 tools comprising over 60,000 lines of code. In this paper, we summarize the decision-making process used to determine the primary scripting language, database interface, and code management library. We also describe the finished product and summarize lessons learned along the way to completing the project.

  10. Deployable System for Crash-Load Attenuation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kellas, Sotiris; Jackson, Karen E.

    2007-01-01

    An externally deployable honeycomb structure is investigated with respect to crash energy management for light aircraft. The new concept utilizes an expandable honeycomb-like structure to absorb impact energy by crushing. Distinguished by flexible hinges between cell wall junctions that enable effortless deployment, the new energy absorber offers most of the desirable features of an external airbag system without the limitations of poor shear stability, system complexity, and timing sensitivity. Like conventional honeycomb, once expanded, the energy absorber is transformed into a crush efficient and stable cellular structure. Other advantages, afforded by the flexible hinge feature, include a variety of deployment options such as linear, radial, and/or hybrid deployment methods. Radial deployment is utilized when omnidirectional cushioning is required. Linear deployment offers better efficiency, which is preferred when the impact orientation is known in advance. Several energy absorbers utilizing different deployment modes could also be combined to optimize overall performance and/or improve system reliability as outlined in the paper. Results from a series of component and full scale demonstration tests are presented as well as typical deployment techniques and mechanisms. LS-DYNA analytical simulations of selected tests are also presented.

  11. Design and analysis of advanced flight planning concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sorensen, John A.

    1987-01-01

    The objectives of this continuing effort are to develop and evaluate new algorithms and advanced concepts for flight management and flight planning. This includes the minimization of fuel or direct operating costs, the integration of the airborne flight management and ground-based flight planning processes, and the enhancement of future traffic management systems design. Flight management (FMS) concepts are for on-board profile computation and steering of transport aircraft in the vertical plane between a city pair and along a given horizontal path. Flight planning (FPS) concepts are for the pre-flight ground based computation of the three-dimensional reference trajectory that connects the city pair and specifies the horizontal path, fuel load, and weather profiles for initializing the FMS. As part of these objectives, a new computer program called EFPLAN has been developed and utilized to study advanced flight planning concepts. EFPLAN represents an experimental version of an FPS. It has been developed to generate reference flight plans compatible as input to an FMS and to provide various options for flight planning research. This report describes EFPLAN and the associated research conducted in its development.

  12. Time-varying value of electric energy efficiency

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mims, Natalie A.; Eckman, Tom; Goldman, Charles

    Electric energy efficiency resources save energy and may reduce peak demand. Historically, quantification of energy efficiency benefits has largely focused on the economic value of energy savings during the first year and lifetime of the installed measures. Due in part to the lack of publicly available research on end-use load shapes (i.e., the hourly or seasonal timing of electricity savings) and energy savings shapes, consideration of the impact of energy efficiency on peak demand reduction (i.e., capacity savings) has been more limited. End-use load research and the hourly valuation of efficiency savings are used for a variety of electricity planningmore » functions, including load forecasting, demand-side management and evaluation, capacity and demand response planning, long-term resource planning, renewable energy integration, assessing potential grid modernization investments, establishing rates and pricing, and customer service. This study reviews existing literature on the time-varying value of energy efficiency savings, provides examples in four geographically diverse locations of how consideration of the time-varying value of efficiency savings impacts the calculation of power system benefits, and identifies future research needs to enhance the consideration of the time-varying value of energy efficiency in cost-effectiveness screening analysis. Findings from this study include: -The time-varying value of individual energy efficiency measures varies across the locations studied because of the physical and operational characteristics of the individual utility system (e.g., summer or winter peaking, load factor, reserve margin) as well as the time periods during which savings from measures occur. -Across the four locations studied, some of the largest capacity benefits from energy efficiency are derived from the deferral of transmission and distribution system infrastructure upgrades. However, the deferred cost of such upgrades also exhibited the greatest range in value of all the components of avoided costs across the locations studied. -Of the five energy efficiency measures studied, those targeting residential air conditioning in summer-peaking electric systems have the most significant added value when the total time-varying value is considered. -The increased use of rooftop solar systems, storage, and demand response, and the addition of electric vehicles and other major new electricity-consuming end uses are anticipated to significantly alter the load shape of many utility systems in the future. Data used to estimate the impact of energy efficiency measures on electric system peak demands will need to be updated periodically to accurately reflect the value of savings as system load shapes change. -Publicly available components of electric system costs avoided through energy efficiency are not uniform across states and utilities. Inclusion or exclusion of these components and differences in their value affect estimates of the time-varying value of energy efficiency. -Publicly available data on end-use load and energy savings shapes are limited, are concentrated regionally, and should be expanded.« less

  13. Subcontracted activities related to TES for building heating and cooling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, J.

    1980-01-01

    The subcontract program elements related to thermal energy storage for building heating and cooling systems are outlined. The following factors are included: subcontracts in the utility load management application area; life and stability testing of packaged low cost energy storage materials; and development of thermal energy storage systems for residential space cooling. Resistance storage heater component development, demonstration of storage heater systems for residential applications, and simulation and evaluation of latent heat thermal energy storage (heat pump systems) are also discussed. Application of thermal energy storage for solar application and twin cities district heating are covered including an application analysis and technology assessment of thermal energy storage.

  14. 14 CFR 23.321 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.321 General. (a) Flight load factors represent the ratio of the aerodynamic force component (acting normal to... distribution of disposable load within the operating limitations specified in §§ 23.1583 through 23.1589. (c...

  15. Performance of Steel Stud Walls Subjected to Blast Loads

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-02-01

    be used as load-bearing components or non-load-bearing components, and a variety of exterior finishes and internal sheathing may be used. From an...common sheathing materials such as drywall , oriented strand board (OSB), stucco, etc., utilizing conventional structural connections (e.g., slip

  16. Automated Demand Response Approaches to Household Energy Management in a Smart Grid Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adika, Christopher Otieno

    The advancement of renewable energy technologies and the deregulation of the electricity market have seen the emergence of Demand response (DR) programs. Demand response is a cost-effective load management strategy which enables the electricity suppliers to maintain the integrity of the power grid during high peak periods, when the customers' electrical load is high. DR programs are designed to influence electricity users to alter their normal consumption patterns by offering them financial incentives. A well designed incentive-based DR scheme that offer competitive electricity pricing structure can result in numerous benefits to all the players in the electricity market. Lower power consumption during peak periods will significantly enhance the robustness of constrained networks by reducing the level of power of generation and transmission infrastructure needed to provide electric service. Therefore, this will ease the pressure of building new power networks as we avoiding costly energy procurements thereby translating into huge financial savings for the power suppliers. Peak load reduction will also reduce the inconveniences suffered by end users as a result of brownouts or blackouts. Demand response will also drastically lower the price peaks associated with wholesale markets. This will in turn reduce the electricity costs and risks for all the players in the energy market. Additionally, DR is environmentally friendly since it enhances the flexibility of the power grid through accommodation of renewable energy resources. Despite its many benefits, DR has not been embraced by most electricity networks. This can be attributed to the fact that the existing programs do not provide enough incentives to the end users and, therefore, most electricity users are not willing to participate in them. To overcome these challenges, most utilities are coming up with innovative strategies that will be more attractive to their customers. Thus, this dissertation presents various demand response schemes that can be deployed by electricity providers to manage customer loads. This study also addresses the problem of manual demand response by proposing smart systems that will autonomously execute the DR programs without the direct involvement of the customers.

  17. Multi-range force sensors utilizing shape memory alloys

    DOEpatents

    Varma, Venugopal K.

    2003-04-15

    The present invention provides a multi-range force sensor comprising a load cell made of a shape memory alloy, a strain sensing system, a temperature modulating system, and a temperature monitoring system. The ability of the force sensor to measure contact forces in multiple ranges is effected by the change in temperature of the shape memory alloy. The heating and cooling system functions to place the shape memory alloy of the load cell in either a low temperature, low strength phase for measuring small contact forces, or a high temperature, high strength phase for measuring large contact forces. Once the load cell is in the desired phase, the strain sensing system is utilized to obtain the applied contact force. The temperature monitoring system is utilized to ensure that the shape memory alloy is in one phase or the other.

  18. Advanced phase change composite by thermally annealed defect-free graphene for thermal energy storage.

    PubMed

    Xin, Guoqing; Sun, Hongtao; Scott, Spencer Michael; Yao, Tiankai; Lu, Fengyuan; Shao, Dali; Hu, Tao; Wang, Gongkai; Ran, Guang; Lian, Jie

    2014-09-10

    Organic phase change materials (PCMs) have been utilized as latent heat energy storage and release media for effective thermal management. A major challenge exists for organic PCMs in which their low thermal conductivity leads to a slow transient temperature response and reduced heat transfer efficiency. In this work, 2D thermally annealed defect-free graphene sheets (GSs) can be obtained upon high temperature annealing in removing defects and oxygen functional groups. As a result of greatly reduced phonon scattering centers for thermal transport, the incorporation of ultralight weight and defect free graphene applied as nanoscale additives into a phase change composite (PCC) drastically improve thermal conductivity and meanwhile minimize the reduction of heat of fusion. A high thermal conductivity of the defect-free graphene-PCC can be achieved up to 3.55 W/(m K) at a 10 wt % graphene loading. This represents an enhancement of over 600% as compared to pristine graphene-PCC without annealing at a comparable loading, and a 16-fold enhancement than the pure PCM (1-octadecanol). The defect-free graphene-PCC displays rapid temperature response and superior heat transfer capability as compared to the pristine graphene-PCC or pure PCM, enabling transformational thermal energy storage and management.

  19. Dynamic virtual machine allocation policy in cloud computing complying with service level agreement using CloudSim

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aneri, Parikh; Sumathy, S.

    2017-11-01

    Cloud computing provides services over the internet and provides application resources and data to the users based on their demand. Base of the Cloud Computing is consumer provider model. Cloud provider provides resources which consumer can access using cloud computing model in order to build their application based on their demand. Cloud data center is a bulk of resources on shared pool architecture for cloud user to access. Virtualization is the heart of the Cloud computing model, it provides virtual machine as per application specific configuration and those applications are free to choose their own configuration. On one hand, there is huge number of resources and on other hand it has to serve huge number of requests effectively. Therefore, resource allocation policy and scheduling policy play very important role in allocation and managing resources in this cloud computing model. This paper proposes the load balancing policy using Hungarian algorithm. Hungarian Algorithm provides dynamic load balancing policy with a monitor component. Monitor component helps to increase cloud resource utilization by managing the Hungarian algorithm by monitoring its state and altering its state based on artificial intelligent. CloudSim used in this proposal is an extensible toolkit and it simulates cloud computing environment.

  20. Environmental indicators in effluent assessment of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared in raceway system through phosphorus and nitrogen.

    PubMed

    Moraes, M A B; Carmo, C F; Tabata, Y A; Vaz-Dos-Santos, A M; Mercante, C T J

    2016-01-01

    The phosphorus and nitrogen discharge via effluent of intensive trout farming system was quantified through the use of environmental indicators. The nutrient loads, the mass balance, the estimated amount of nutrients in feed and the amount of nutrients converted in fish biomass were calculated based on the concentrations of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in the feed and in the water. Of the offered feed, 24.75 kg were available as P and 99.00 kg as N, of these, 9.32 kg P (38%) and 29.12 kg N (25%) were converted into fish biomass and 15.43 kg P (62%) and 69.88 kg N (75%) were exported via effluent. The loads and the mass balance show the excessive discharge of nutrients via effluent, corroborated by the feed conversion ratio (2.12:1) due to the low efficiency of feed utilization, therefore, it is proposed the use of this zootechnical parameter as environmental indicator. In addition, feed management practices are not adequate, highlighting the low frequency of feeding during the day, excessive amount and low quality of feed offered. These results demonstrate the need for adequate feed management and the need for careful monitoring of effluent.

  1. Scientific Guidance for Rehabilitation of the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem under the Changing Climate.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boesch, D. F.; Johnson, Z. P.; Li, M.

    2017-12-01

    While the Chesapeake Bay is an estuary and not a marginal sea on the scale of the Baltic Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, it has a complex set of environmental issues and multiple political jurisdictions such that it can serve as a test bed for science-informed management in larger marine systems. In particular, the Chesapeake Bay possesses a relatively advanced effort to ameliorate eutrophication, reduce toxic stresses, rehabilitate critical habitats, and sustainably utilized resources. Furthermore, both scientists and managers are addressing these challenges while now beginning to incorporate the effects of changes in temperature, precipitation and runoff, sea level, ocean boundary conditions, and pH. Increases in temperature and sea level are already apparent and future conditions can be estimated from global model projections, although sea level and ocean exchanges are also affected by variations in Gulf Stream flows and mesoscale climate. Changes in the volume, seasonality and variability in freshwater delivery from the multiple rivers discharging to the bay are harder to project with confidence, but may have pervasive consequences for circulation, reducing nutrient loads to ameliorate eutrophication, biogeochemical processes, and biotic distributions and dynamics. Science is now challenged to inform multiple adaptation strategies, including minimizing the vulnerability of humans and infrastructure, sustaining important tidal wetlands, managing sediment resources, sustaining living resources, redefining achievable ecosystem rehabilitation goals, and achieving shifting goals for nutrient load reductions. At the same time, science will also have to identify effective means to meet these challenges while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

  2. Effectiveness of SWAT in characterizing the watershed hydrology in the snowy-mountainous Lower Bear Malad River (LBMR) watershed in Box Elder County, Utah

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salha, A. A.; Stevens, D. K.

    2015-12-01

    Distributed watershed models are essential for quantifying sediment and nutrient loads that originate from point and nonpoint sources. Such models are primary means towards generating pollutant estimates in ungaged watersheds and respond well at watershed scales by capturing the variability in soils, climatic conditions, land uses/covers and management conditions over extended periods of time. This effort evaluates the performance of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model as a watershed level tool to investigate, manage, and characterize the transport and fate of nutrients in Lower Bear Malad River (LBMR) watershed (Subbasin HUC 16010204) in Utah. Water quality concerns have been documented and are primarily attributed to high phosphorus and total suspended sediment concentrations caused by agricultural and farming practices along with identified point sources (WWTPs). Input data such as Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use/Land cover (LULC), soils, and climate data for 10 years (2000-2010) is utilized to quantify the LBMR streamflow. Such modeling is useful in developing the required water quality regulations such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL). Measured concentrations of nutrients were closely captured by simulated monthly nutrient concentrations based on the R2 and Nash- Sutcliffe fitness criteria. The model is expected to be able to identify contaminant non-point sources, identify areas of high pollution risk, locate optimal monitoring sites, and evaluate best management practices to cost-effectively reduce pollution and improve water quality as required by the LBMR watershed's TMDL.

  3. Efficient parallelization for AMR MHD multiphysics calculations; implementation in AstroBEAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carroll-Nellenback, Jonathan J.; Shroyer, Brandon; Frank, Adam; Ding, Chen

    2013-03-01

    Current adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations require algorithms that are highly parallelized and manage memory efficiently. As compute engines grow larger, AMR simulations will require algorithms that achieve new levels of efficient parallelization and memory management. We have attempted to employ new techniques to achieve both of these goals. Patch or grid based AMR often employs ghost cells to decouple the hyperbolic advances of each grid on a given refinement level. This decoupling allows each grid to be advanced independently. In AstroBEAR we utilize this independence by threading the grid advances on each level with preference going to the finer level grids. This allows for global load balancing instead of level by level load balancing and allows for greater parallelization across both physical space and AMR level. Threading of level advances can also improve performance by interleaving communication with computation, especially in deep simulations with many levels of refinement. While we see improvements of up to 30% on deep simulations run on a few cores, the speedup is typically more modest (5-20%) for larger scale simulations. To improve memory management we have employed a distributed tree algorithm that requires processors to only store and communicate local sections of the AMR tree structure with neighboring processors. Using this distributed approach we are able to get reasonable scaling efficiency (>80%) out to 12288 cores and up to 8 levels of AMR - independent of the use of threading.

  4. Managing the space-time-load continuum in TMDL planning: a case study for understanding groundwaer loads through advanced mapping techniques

    Treesearch

    Phillip Harte; Marcel Belaval; Andrea Traviglia

    2016-01-01

    The lag time between groundwater recharge and discharge in a watershed and the potential groundwater load to streams is an important factor in forecasting responses to future land use practices. We call this concept managing the “space-time-load continuum.” It’s understood that in any given watershed, the response function (the load at any given time) will differ for...

  5. 14 CFR 23.787 - Baggage and cargo compartments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and... critical load distributions at the appropriate maximum load factors corresponding to the flight and ground...

  6. Maximizing Energy Savings Reliability in BC Hydro Industrial Demand-side Management Programs: An Assessment of Performance Incentive Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gosman, Nathaniel

    For energy utilities faced with expanded jurisdictional energy efficiency requirements and pursuing demand-side management (DSM) incentive programs in the large industrial sector, performance incentive programs can be an effective means to maximize the reliability of planned energy savings. Performance incentive programs balance the objectives of high participation rates with persistent energy savings by: (1) providing financial incentives and resources to minimize constraints to investment in energy efficiency, and (2) requiring that incentive payments be dependent on measured energy savings over time. As BC Hydro increases its DSM initiatives to meet the Clean Energy Act objective to reduce at least 66 per cent of new electricity demand with DSM by 2020, the utility is faced with a higher level of DSM risk, or uncertainties that impact the costeffective acquisition of planned energy savings. For industrial DSM incentive programs, DSM risk can be broken down into project development and project performance risks. Development risk represents the project ramp-up phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not materialize due to low customer response to program incentives. Performance risk represents the operational phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not persist over the effective measure life. DSM project development and performance risks are, in turn, a result of industrial economic, technological and organizational conditions, or DSM risk factors. In the BC large industrial sector, and characteristic of large industrial sectors in general, these DSM risk factors include: (1) capital constraints to investment in energy efficiency, (2) commodity price volatility, (3) limited internal staffing resources to deploy towards energy efficiency, (4) variable load, process-based energy saving potential, and (5) a lack of organizational awareness of an operation's energy efficiency over time (energy performance). This research assessed the capacity of alternative performance incentive program models to manage DSM risk in BC. Three performance incentive program models were assessed and compared to BC Hydro's current large industrial DSM incentive program, Power Smart Partners -- Transmission Project Incentives, itself a performance incentive-based program. Together, the selected program models represent a continuum of program design and implementation in terms of the schedule and level of incentives provided, the duration and rigour of measurement and verification (M&V), energy efficiency measures targeted and involvement of the private sector. A multi criteria assessment framework was developed to rank the capacity of each program model to manage BC large industrial DSM risk factors. DSM risk management rankings were then compared to program costeffectiveness, targeted energy savings potential in BC and survey results from BC industrial firms on the program models. The findings indicate that the reliability of DSM energy savings in the BC large industrial sector can be maximized through performance incentive program models that: (1) offer incentives jointly for capital and low-cost operations and maintenance (O&M) measures, (2) allow flexible lead times for project development, (3) utilize rigorous M&V methods capable of measuring variable load, process-based energy savings, (4) use moderate contract lengths that align with effective measure life, and (5) integrate energy management software tools capable of providing energy performance feedback to customers to maximize the persistence of energy savings. While this study focuses exclusively on the BC large industrial sector, the findings of this research have applicability to all energy utilities serving large, energy intensive industrial sectors.

  7. A distributed algorithm for demand-side management: Selling back to the grid.

    PubMed

    Latifi, Milad; Khalili, Azam; Rastegarnia, Amir; Zandi, Sajad; Bazzi, Wael M

    2017-11-01

    Demand side energy consumption scheduling is a well-known issue in the smart grid research area. However, there is lack of a comprehensive method to manage the demand side and consumer behavior in order to obtain an optimum solution. The method needs to address several aspects, including the scale-free requirement and distributed nature of the problem, consideration of renewable resources, allowing consumers to sell electricity back to the main grid, and adaptivity to a local change in the solution point. In addition, the model should allow compensation to consumers and ensurance of certain satisfaction levels. To tackle these issues, this paper proposes a novel autonomous demand side management technique which minimizes consumer utility costs and maximizes consumer comfort levels in a fully distributed manner. The technique uses a new logarithmic cost function and allows consumers to sell excess electricity (e.g. from renewable resources) back to the grid in order to reduce their electric utility bill. To develop the proposed scheme, we first formulate the problem as a constrained convex minimization problem. Then, it is converted to an unconstrained version using the segmentation-based penalty method. At each consumer location, we deploy an adaptive diffusion approach to obtain the solution in a distributed fashion. The use of adaptive diffusion makes it possible for consumers to find the optimum energy consumption schedule with a small number of information exchanges. Moreover, the proposed method is able to track drifts resulting from changes in the price parameters and consumer preferences. Simulations and numerical results show that our framework can reduce the total load demand peaks, lower the consumer utility bill, and improve the consumer comfort level.

  8. Architectural constructs of Ampex DST

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Clay

    1993-01-01

    The DST 800 automated library is a high performance, automated tape storage system, developed by AMPEX, providing mass storage to host systems. Physical Volume Manager (PVM) is a volume server which supports either a DST 800, DST 600 stand alone tape drive, or a combination of DST 800 and DST 600 subsystems. The objective of the PVM is to provide the foundation support to allow automated and operator assisted access to the DST cartridges with continuous operation. A second objective is to create a data base about the media, its location, and its usage so that the quality and utilization of the media on which specific data is recorded and the performance of the storage system may be managed. The DST tape drive architecture and media provides several unique functions that enhance the ability to achieve high media space utilization and fast access. Access times are enhanced through the implementation of multiple areas (called system zones) on the media where the media may be unloaded. This reduces positioning time in loading and unloading the cartridge. Access times are also reduced through high speed positioning in excess of 800 megabytes per second. A DST cartridge can be partitioned into fixed size units which can be reclaimed for rewriting without invalidating other recorded data on the tape cartridge. Most tape management systems achieve space reclamation by deleting an entire tape volume, then allowing users to request a 'scratch tape' or 'nonspecific' volume when they wish to record data to tape. Physical cartridge sizes of 25, 75, or 165 gigabytes will make this existing process inefficient or unusable. The DST cartridge partitioning capability provides an efficient mechanism for addressing the tape space utilization problem.

  9. Novel optimization technique of isolated microgrid with hydrogen energy storage.

    PubMed

    Beshr, Eman Hassan; Abdelghany, Hazem; Eteiba, Mahmoud

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a novel optimization technique for energy management studies of an isolated microgrid. The system is supplied by various Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), Diesel Generator (DG), a Wind Turbine Generator (WTG), Photovoltaic (PV) arrays and supported by fuel cell/electrolyzer Hydrogen storage system for short term storage. Multi-objective optimization is used through non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm to suit the load requirements under the given constraints. A novel multi-objective flower pollination algorithm is utilized to check the results. The Pros and cons of the two optimization techniques are compared and evaluated. An isolated microgrid is modelled using MATLAB software package, dispatch of active/reactive power, optimal load flow analysis with slack bus selection are carried out to be able to minimize fuel cost and line losses under realistic constraints. The performance of the system is studied and analyzed during both summer and winter conditions and three case studies are presented for each condition. The modified IEEE 15 bus system is used to validate the proposed algorithm.

  10. Novel optimization technique of isolated microgrid with hydrogen energy storage

    PubMed Central

    Abdelghany, Hazem; Eteiba, Mahmoud

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a novel optimization technique for energy management studies of an isolated microgrid. The system is supplied by various Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), Diesel Generator (DG), a Wind Turbine Generator (WTG), Photovoltaic (PV) arrays and supported by fuel cell/electrolyzer Hydrogen storage system for short term storage. Multi-objective optimization is used through non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm to suit the load requirements under the given constraints. A novel multi-objective flower pollination algorithm is utilized to check the results. The Pros and cons of the two optimization techniques are compared and evaluated. An isolated microgrid is modelled using MATLAB software package, dispatch of active/reactive power, optimal load flow analysis with slack bus selection are carried out to be able to minimize fuel cost and line losses under realistic constraints. The performance of the system is studied and analyzed during both summer and winter conditions and three case studies are presented for each condition. The modified IEEE 15 bus system is used to validate the proposed algorithm. PMID:29466433

  11. Lactic acid production with undefined mixed culture fermentation of potato peel waste.

    PubMed

    Liang, Shaobo; McDonald, Armando G; Coats, Erik R

    2014-11-01

    Potato peel waste (PPW) as zero value byproduct generated from food processing plant contains a large quantity of starch, non-starch polysaccharide, lignin, protein, and lipid. PPW as one promising carbon source can be managed and utilized to value added bioproducts through a simple fermentation process using undefined mixed cultures inoculated from wastewater treatment plant sludge. A series of non-pH controlled batch fermentations under different conditions such as pretreatment process, enzymatic hydrolysis, temperature, and solids loading were studied. Lactic acid (LA) was the major product, followed by acetic acid (AA) and ethanol under fermentation conditions without the presence of added hydrolytic enzymes. The maximum yields of LA, AA, and ethanol were respectively, 0.22 g g(-1), 0.06 g g(-1), and 0.05 g g(-1). The highest LA concentration of 14.7 g L(-1) was obtained from a bioreactor with initial solids loading of 60 g L(-1) at 35°C. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Solid state power controllers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gibbs, R. S.

    1974-01-01

    Solid state power controllers (SSPC's) are to be considered for use as replacements of electromechanical relays and circuit breakers in future spacecraft and aircraft. They satisfy the combined function of both the relay and circuit breaker and can be remotely controlled by small signals, typically 10 mA, 5 to 28 v(dc). They have the advantage over conventional relay/circuit breaker systems in that they can be located near the utilization equipment and the primary ac or dc bus. The low level control, trip indication and status signals can be circuited by small gauge wire for control, computer interface, logic, electrical multiplexing, onboard testing, power management, and distribution purposes. This results in increased system versatility at appreciable weight saving and increased reliability. Conventional systems require the heavy gage load wiring and the control wiring to be routed from the bus to the load to other remote relay contacts, switches, sensors, etc. and to the circuit breaker located in the flight engineer's compartment for purposes of manual reset.

  13. Smart Grid | Climate Neutral Research Campuses | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    begun to build smart grids. Most operate electricity grids that include power generation; load control plant managers use these communications for energy management and load shedding, which are among the top familiar with equipment interoperability, central dispatch, and load shedding. These are common in smart

  14. Ecological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Groffman, P.M.; Baron, Jill S.; Blett, T.; Gold, A.J.; Goodman, I.; Gunderson, L.H.; Levinson, B.M.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Paerl, H.W.; Peterson, G.D.; Poff, N.L.; Rejeski, D.W.; Reynolds, J.F.; Turner, M.G.; Weathers, K.C.; Wiens, J.

    2006-01-01

    An ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property or phenomenon, or where small changes in an environmental driver produce large responses in the ecosystem. Analysis of thresholds is complicated by nonlinear dynamics and by multiple factor controls that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales. These complexities have challenged the use and utility of threshold concepts in environmental management despite great concern about preventing dramatic state changes in valued ecosystems, the need for determining critical pollutant loads and the ubiquity of other threshold-based environmental problems. In this paper we define the scope of the thresholds concept in ecological science and discuss methods for identifying and investigating thresholds using a variety of examples from terrestrial and aquatic environments, at ecosystem, landscape and regional scales. We end with a discussion of key research needs in this area.

  15. A DDS-Based Energy Management Framework for Small Microgrid Operation and Control

    DOE PAGES

    Youssef, Tarek A.; El Hariri, Mohamad; Elsayed, Ahmed T.; ...

    2017-09-26

    The smart grid is seen as a power system with realtime communication and control capabilities between the consumer and the utility. This modern platform facilitates the optimization in energy usage based on several factors including environmental, price preferences, and system technical issues. In this paper a real-time energy management system (EMS) for microgrids or nanogrids was developed. The developed system involves an online optimization scheme to adapt its parameters based on previous, current, and forecasted future system states. The communication requirements for all EMS modules were analyzed and are all integrated over a data distribution service (DDS) Ethernet network withmore » appropriate quality of service (QoS) profiles. In conclusion, the developed EMS was emulated with actual residential energy consumption and irradiance data from Miami, Florida and proved its effectiveness in reducing consumers’ bills and achieving flat peak load profiles.« less

  16. Many-core computing for space-based stereoscopic imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCall, Paul; Torres, Gildo; LeGrand, Keith; Adjouadi, Malek; Liu, Chen; Darling, Jacob; Pernicka, Henry

    The potential benefits of using parallel computing in real-time visual-based satellite proximity operations missions are investigated. Improvements in performance and relative navigation solutions over single thread systems can be achieved through multi- and many-core computing. Stochastic relative orbit determination methods benefit from the higher measurement frequencies, allowing them to more accurately determine the associated statistical properties of the relative orbital elements. More accurate orbit determination can lead to reduced fuel consumption and extended mission capabilities and duration. Inherent to the process of stereoscopic image processing is the difficulty of loading, managing, parsing, and evaluating large amounts of data efficiently, which may result in delays or highly time consuming processes for single (or few) processor systems or platforms. In this research we utilize the Single-Chip Cloud Computer (SCC), a fully programmable 48-core experimental processor, created by Intel Labs as a platform for many-core software research, provided with a high-speed on-chip network for sharing information along with advanced power management technologies and support for message-passing. The results from utilizing the SCC platform for the stereoscopic image processing application are presented in the form of Performance, Power, Energy, and Energy-Delay-Product (EDP) metrics. Also, a comparison between the SCC results and those obtained from executing the same application on a commercial PC are presented, showing the potential benefits of utilizing the SCC in particular, and any many-core platforms in general for real-time processing of visual-based satellite proximity operations missions.

  17. REopt Lite Training Video - Text Version | State, Local, and Tribal

    Science.gov Websites

    information about your electric load profile. So, if you have hourly interval data from your utility, you can input that by selecting custom load profile. If you don't have that, you can simulate your electric load Palmdale, California. And we're going to simulate this load profile based on a medium office that consumes

  18. Structural analysis for a 40-story building

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hua, L.

    1972-01-01

    NASTRAN was chosen as the principal analytical tool for structural analysis of the Illinois Center Plaza Hotel Building in Chicago, Illinois. The building is a 40-story, reinforced concrete structure utilizing a monolithic slab-column system. The displacements, member stresses, and foundation loads due to wind load, live load, and dead load were obtained through a series of NASTRAN runs. These analyses and the input technique are described.

  19. Impact of sampling strategy on stream load estimates in till landscape of the Midwest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vidon, P.; Hubbard, L.E.; Soyeux, E.

    2009-01-01

    Accurately estimating various solute loads in streams during storms is critical to accurately determine maximum daily loads for regulatory purposes. This study investigates the impact of sampling strategy on solute load estimates in streams in the US Midwest. Three different solute types (nitrate, magnesium, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) and three sampling strategies are assessed. Regardless of the method, the average error on nitrate loads is higher than for magnesium or DOC loads, and all three methods generally underestimate DOC loads and overestimate magnesium loads. Increasing sampling frequency only slightly improves the accuracy of solute load estimates but generally improves the precision of load calculations. This type of investigation is critical for water management and environmental assessment so error on solute load calculations can be taken into account by landscape managers, and sampling strategies optimized as a function of monitoring objectives. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  20. Simulation of flight maneuver-load distributions by utilizing stationary, non-Gaussian random load histories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leybold, H. A.

    1971-01-01

    Random numbers were generated with the aid of a digital computer and transformed such that the probability density function of a discrete random load history composed of these random numbers had one of the following non-Gaussian distributions: Poisson, binomial, log-normal, Weibull, and exponential. The resulting random load histories were analyzed to determine their peak statistics and were compared with cumulative peak maneuver-load distributions for fighter and transport aircraft in flight.

  1. Utilization of oral sucrose load during exercise in humans. Effect of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose.

    PubMed

    Gerard, J; Jandrain, B; Pirnay, F; Pallikarakis, N; Krzentowski, G; Lacroix, M; Mosora, F; Luyckx, A S; Lefèbvre, P J

    1986-11-01

    We investigated the hormonal and metabolic response to a 100-g sucrose load given 15 min after adaptation to moderate-intensity (50% VmaxO2) long-duration (4-h) exercise in healthy volunteers. The effect of a 100-mg dose of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor Acarbose ingested with the sucrose load was also investigated. "Naturally labeled [13C] sucrose" was used to follow the conversion to expired-air CO2 of the sugar ingested by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Circulating hormone and metabolite data were obtained in nine subjects, and indirect calorimetry and stable isotope methodology were applied to six of them. Under placebo, 93 +/- 4 g sucrose were entirely oxidized during the 4 h of exercise, total carbohydrate utilization was 235 +/- 14 g, endogenous carbohydrate utilization was 142 +/- 13 g, and total lipid oxidation was 121 +/- 7 g. A single oral dose of 100 mg Acarbose ingested with the sucrose load did not significantly modify total carbohydrate (239 +/- 2 g/4 h) or lipid (122 +/- 6 g/4 h) oxidation. In contrast, sucrose oxidation was reduced to 53 +/- 6 g/4 h and endogenous carbohydrate utilization increased to 186 +/- 7 g/4 h. Reduction of the rises in blood glucose and fructose and of the increases in plasma insulin and C peptide under Acarbose confirmed these effects, whereas lower circulating levels of alanine suggested a higher rate of gluconeogenesis. These data show that a 100-g glucose load ingested soon after initiation of exercise is a perfect available metabolic substrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  2. 3. Cement and Plaster Warehouse, north facade. Loading ramp on ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. Cement and Plaster Warehouse, north facade. Loading ramp on the right. Utility building, intrusion, on the far right. - Curtis Wharf, Cement & Plaster Warehouse, O & Second Streets, Anacortes, Skagit County, WA

  3. 20. VIEW OF WORTHINGTON BASE LOAD OXYGEN COMPRESSOR IN THE ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    20. VIEW OF WORTHINGTON BASE LOAD OXYGEN COMPRESSOR IN THE HIGH PURITY OXYGEN BUILDING LOOKING NORTH. - U.S. Steel Duquesne Works, Fuel & Utilities Plant, Along Monongahela River, Duquesne, Allegheny County, PA

  4. 7 CFR 1710.203 - Requirement to prepare a load forecast-distribution borrowers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Requirement to prepare a load forecast-distribution borrowers. 1710.203 Section 1710.203 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL AND PRE-LOAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMON TO ELECTRIC LOANS AND GUARANTEES Load...

  5. 7 CFR 1710.205 - Minimum approval requirements for all load forecasts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minimum approval requirements for all load forecasts. 1710.205 Section 1710.205 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL AND PRE-LOAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMON TO ELECTRIC LOANS AND GUARANTEES Load Forecasts §...

  6. Modular container assembled from fiber reinforced thermoplastic sandwich panels

    DOEpatents

    Donnelly, Mathew William; Kasoff, William Andrew; Mcculloch, Patrick Carl; Williams, Frederick Truman

    2007-12-25

    An improved, load bearing, modular design container structure assembled from thermoformed FRTP sandwich panels in which is utilized the unique core-skin edge configuration of the present invention in consideration of improved load bearing performance, improved useful load volume, reduced manufacturing costs, structural weight savings, impact and damage tolerance and repair and replace issues.

  7. 14 CFR 23.443 - Gust loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Vertical Surfaces § 23.443 Gust loads. (a) Vertical surfaces must be designed to withstand, in unaccelerated flight at speed V C... computed as follows: ER09FE96.000 Where— Lvt=Vertical surface loads (lbs.); ER09FE96.001 ER09FE96.002 Ude...

  8. 14 CFR 23.443 - Gust loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Vertical Surfaces § 23.443 Gust loads. (a) Vertical surfaces must be designed to withstand, in unaccelerated flight at speed V C... computed as follows: ER09FE96.000 Where— Lvt=Vertical surface loads (lbs.); ER09FE96.001 ER09FE96.002 Ude...

  9. 14 CFR 23.443 - Gust loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Vertical Surfaces § 23.443 Gust loads. (a) Vertical surfaces must be designed to withstand, in unaccelerated flight at speed V C... computed as follows: ER09FE96.000 Where— Lvt=Vertical surface loads (lbs.); ER09FE96.001 ER09FE96.002 Ude...

  10. 14 CFR 23.443 - Gust loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Vertical Surfaces § 23.443 Gust loads. (a) Vertical surfaces must be designed to withstand, in unaccelerated flight at speed V C... computed as follows: ER09FE96.000 Where— Lvt=Vertical surface loads (lbs.); ER09FE96.001 ER09FE96.002 Ude...

  11. 14 CFR 23.443 - Gust loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Vertical Surfaces § 23.443 Gust loads. (a) Vertical surfaces must be designed to withstand, in unaccelerated flight at speed V C... computed as follows: ER09FE96.000 Where— Lvt=Vertical surface loads (lbs.); ER09FE96.001 ER09FE96.002 Ude...

  12. A procedure for utilization of a damage-dependent constitutive model for laminated composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lo, David C.; Allen, David H.; Harris, Charles E.

    1992-01-01

    Described here is the procedure for utilizing a damage constitutive model to predict progressive damage growth in laminated composites. In this model, the effects of the internal damage are represented by strain-like second order tensorial damage variables and enter the analysis through damage dependent ply level and laminate level constitutive equations. The growth of matrix cracks due to fatigue loading is predicted by an experimentally based damage evolutionary relationship. This model is incorporated into a computer code called FLAMSTR. This code is capable of predicting the constitutive response and matrix crack damage accumulation in fatigue loaded laminated composites. The structure and usage of FLAMSTR are presented along with sample input and output files to assist the code user. As an example problem, an analysis of crossply laminates subjected to two stage fatigue loading was conducted and the resulting damage accumulation and stress redistribution were examined to determine the effect of variations in fatigue load amplitude applied during the first stage of the load history. It was found that the model predicts a significant loading history effect on damage evolution.

  13. Microgrids for Service Restoration to Critical Load in a Resilient Distribution System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xu, Yin; Liu, Chen-Ching; Schneider, Kevin P.

    icrogrids can act as emergency sources to serve critical loads when utility power is unavailable. This paper proposes a resiliency-based methodology that uses microgrids to restore critical loads on distribution feeders after a major disaster. Due to limited capacity of distributed generators (DGs) within microgrids, dynamic performance of the DGs during the restoration process becomes essential. In this paper, the stability of microgrids, limits on frequency deviation, and limits on transient voltage and current of DGs are incorporated as constraints of the critical load restoration problem. The limits on the amount of generation resources within microgrids are also considered. Bymore » introducing the concepts of restoration tree and load group, restoration of critical loads is transformed into a maximum coverage problem, which is a linear integer program (LIP). The restoration paths and actions are determined for critical loads by solving the LIP. A 4-feeder, 1069-bus unbalanced test system with four microgrids is utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The method is applied to the distribution system in Pullman, WA, resulting in a strategy that uses generators on the Washington State University campus to restore service to the Hospital and City Hall in Pullman.« less

  14. Moving Aerospace Structural Design Practice to a Load and Resistance Factor Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larsen, Curtis E.; Raju, Ivatury S.

    2016-01-01

    Aerospace structures are traditionally designed using the factor of safety (FOS) approach. The limit load on the structure is determined and the structure is then designed for FOS times the limit load - the ultimate load. Probabilistic approaches utilize distributions for loads and strengths. Failures are predicted to occur in the region of intersection of the two distributions. The load and resistance factor design (LRFD) approach judiciously combines these two approaches by intensive calibration studies on loads and strength to result in structures that are efficient and reliable. This paper discusses these three approaches.

  15. New approaches to provide ride-through for critical loads in electric power distribution systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montero-Hernandez, Oscar C.

    2001-07-01

    The extensive use of electronic circuits has enabled modernization, automation, miniaturization, high quality, low cost, and other achievements regarding electric loads in the last decades. However, modern electronic circuits and systems are extremely sensitive to disturbances from the electric power supply. In fact, the rate at which these disturbances happen is considerable as has been documented in recent years. In response to the power quality concerns presented previously, this dissertation is proposing new approaches to provide ride-through for critical loads during voltage disturbances with emphasis on voltage sags. In this dissertation, a new approach based on an AC-DC-AC system is proposed to provide ride-through for critical loads connected in buildings and/or an industrial system. In this approach, a three-phase IGBT inverter with a built in Dc-link voltage regulator is suitably controlled along with static by-pass switches to provide continuous power to critical loads. During a disturbance, the input utility source is disconnected and the power from the inverter is connected to the load. The remaining voltage in the AC supply is converted to DC and compensated before being applied to the inverter and the load. After detecting normal utility conditions, power from the utility is restored to the critical load. In order to achieve an extended ride-through capability a second approach is introduced. In this case, the Dc-link voltage regulator is performed by a DC-DC Buck-Boost converter. This new approach has the capability to mitigate voltage variations below and above the nominal value. In the third approach presented in this dissertation, a three-phase AC to AC boost converter is investigated. This converter provides a boosting action for the utility input voltages, right before they are applied to the load. The proposed Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control strategy ensures independent control of each phase and compensates for both single-phase or poly-phase voltage sags. Algorithms capable of detecting voltage disturbances such as voltage sags, voltage swells, flicker, frequency change, and harmonics in a fast and reliable way are investigated and developed in this dissertation as an essential part of the approaches previously described. Simulation and experimental work has been done to validate the feasibility of all approaches under the most common voltage disturbances such as single-phase voltage sags and three-phase voltage sags.

  16. Analysis of collaborative communication for linguistic cues of cognitive load.

    PubMed

    Khawaja, M Asif; Chen, Fang; Marcus, Nadine

    2012-08-01

    Analyses of novel linguistic and grammatical features, extracted from transcribed speech of people working in a collaborative environment, were performed for cognitive load measurement Prior studies have attempted to assess users' cognitive load with several measures, but most of them are intrusive and disrupt normal task flow. An effective measurement of people's cognitive load can help improve their performance by deploying appropriate output and support strategies accordingly. The authors studied 33 members of bushfire management teams working collaboratively in computerized incident control rooms and involved in complex bushfire management tasks. The participants' communication was analyzed for some novel linguistic features as potential indices of cognitive load, which included sentence length, use of agreement and disagreement phrases, and use of personal pronouns, including both singular and plural pronoun types. Results showed users' different linguistic and grammatical patterns with various cognitive load levels. Specifically, with high load, people spoke more and used longer sentences, used more words that indicated disagreement with other team members, and exhibited increased use of plural personal pronouns and decreased use of singular pronouns. The article provides encouraging evidence for the use of linguistic and grammatical analysis for measuring users' cognitive load and proposes some novel features as cognitive load indices. The proposed approach may be applied to many data-intense and safety-critical task scenarios, such as emergency management departments, for example, bushfire or traffic incident management centers; air traffic control rooms; and call centers, where speech is used as part of everyday tasks.

  17. Standby power generation under utility curtailment contract agreements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nolan, G.J.; Puccio, V.J.; Calhoun, C.W.

    1995-12-31

    Many utilities in the US offer large industrial and commercial customers power sales contracts which have attractive rates under a curtailment requirement. This curtailment requirement allows the utility to require the customer to reduce its power demand to a predetermined level within a specific time period. If the required curtailment is not achieved by the customer within the allocated time period, stiff financial penalties are usually enforced by the utility. The attractiveness of the contract rates usually is proportional to the amount of curtailment required. To take advantage of these attractive rates, a customer must be able to withstand themore » curtailment without supplemental generation or must add standby generation to meet its needs. Obviously, the cost of the curtailments to the customer should not exceed the economic benefits of reduced rates. This paper reviews the alternatives faced by a curtailment contract customer together with potential load shedding and standby generation system designs. An example of implementing a curtailment contract at an existing industrial facility is presented. The example facility, Boeing Helicopters of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania required both load shedding and standby generation. The load shedding scheme is fairly complex and is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The standby generation and load shedding systems for the example facility are examined in detail. Also, lessons learned from implementing the required modifications to the example facility are discussed.« less

  18. Energy-Water Microgrid Case Study at the University of Arizona's BioSphere 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daw, J.; Macknick, J.; Kandt, A.; Giraldez, J.

    2016-12-01

    Microgrids can provide reliable and cost-effective energy services in a variety of conditions and locations. To date, there has been minimal effort invested in developing energy-water microgrids that demonstrate the feasibility and leverage the synergies associated with designing and operating renewable energy and water systems in a coordinated framework. Water and wastewater treatment equipment can be operated in ways to provide ancillary services to the electrical grid and renewable energy can be utilized to power water-related infrastructure, but the potential for co-managed systems has not yet been quantified or fully characterized. Co-management and optimization of energy and water resources could lead to improved reliability and economic operating conditions. Energy-water microgrids could be a promising solution to improve energy and water resource management for islands, rural communities, distributed generation, Defense operations, and many parts of the world lacking critical infrastructure.The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Arizona have been jointly researching energy-water microgrid opportunities through an effort at the university's BioSphere 2 (B2) Earth systems science research facility. B2 is an ideal case study for an energy-water microgrid test site, given its size, its unique mission and operations, the existence and criticality of water and energy infrastructure, and its ability to operate connected-to or disconnected-from the local electrical grid. Moreover, the B2 is a premier facility for undertaking agricultural research, providing an excellent opportunity to evaluate connections and tradeoffs in the food-energy-water nexus. The research effort at B2 identified the technical potential and associated benefits of an energy-water microgrid through the evaluation of energy ancillary services and peak load reductions and quantified the potential for B2 water-related loads to be utilized and modified to provide grid services in the context of an optimized energy-water microgrid. The foundational work performed at B2 also serves a model that can be built upon for identifying relevant energy-water microgrid data, analytical requirements, and operational challenges associated with development of future energy-water microgrids.

  19. Best management practices for reducing nutrient loads in a sub-watershed of Chesapeake Bay

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Water quality improvement in the Chesapeake Bay is a grave concern. An initiative to reduce the nutrient loads to stream has been undertaken to attain a target total maximum daily load (TMDL) at Chesapeake Bay. A general guideline with a set of best management practices (BMPs) has been in place for ...

  20. Best management practices for reducing nutrient loads in a sub-watershed of Chesapeake Bay area

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Water quality improvement in the Chesapeake Bay is a grave concern. An initiative to reduce the nutrient loads to stream has been undertaken to attain a target total maximum daily load (TMDL) at Chesapeake Bay. A general guideline with a set of best management practices (BMPs) has been in place for ...

  1. Orbiter Gap Filler Bending Model for Re-entry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, Charles H.

    2007-01-01

    Pressure loads on a protruding gap filler during an Orbiter reentry are investigated to evaluate the likelihood of extraction due to pressure loads, and to ascertain how much bending will be induced by re-entry pressure loads. Oblique shock wave theory is utilized to develop a representation of the pressure loads induced on a gap filler for the ISSHVFW trajectory, representative of a heavy weight ISS return. A free body diagram is utilized to react the forces induced by the pressure forces. Preliminary results developed using these methods demonstrate that pressure loads, alone, are not likely causes of gap filler extraction during reentry. Assessment of the amount a gap filler will bend over is presented. Implications of gap filler bending during re-entry include possible mitigation of early boundary layer transition concerns, uncertainty in ground based measurement of protruding gap fillers from historical Orbiter flight history, and uncertainty in the use of Orbiter gap fillers for boundary layer prediction calibration. Authors will be added to the author list as appropriate.

  2. Further Examination of the Vibratory Loads Reduction Results from the NASA/ARMY/MIT Active Twist Rotor Test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilbur, Matthew L.; Yeager, William T., Jr.; Sekula, Martin K.

    2002-01-01

    The vibration reduction capabilities of a model rotor system utilizing controlled, strain-induced blade twisting are examined. The model rotor blades, which utilize piezoelectric active fiber composite actuators, were tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel using open-loop control to determine the effect of active-twist on rotor vibratory loads. The results of this testing have been encouraging, and have demonstrated that active-twist rotor designs offer the potential for significant load reductions in future helicopter rotor systems. Active twist control was found to use less than 1% of the power necessary to operate the rotor system and had a pronounced effect on both rotating- and fixed-system loads, offering reductions in individual harmonic loads of up to 100%. A review of the vibration reduction results obtained is presented, which includes a limited set of comparisons with results generated using the second-generation version of the Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics (CAMRAD II) rotorcraft comprehensive analysis.

  3. El-Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences on monthly NO 3 load and concentration, stream flow and precipitation in the Little River Watershed, Tifton, Georgia (GA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keener, V. W.; Feyereisen, G. W.; Lall, U.; Jones, J. W.; Bosch, D. D.; Lowrance, R.

    2010-02-01

    SummaryAs climate variability increases, it is becoming increasingly critical to find predictable patterns that can still be identified despite overall uncertainty. The El-Niño/Southern Oscillation is the best known pattern. Its global effects on weather, hydrology, ecology and human health have been well documented. Climate variability manifested through ENSO has strong effects in the southeast United States, seen in precipitation and stream flow data. However, climate variability may also affect water quality in nutrient concentrations and loads, and have impacts on ecosystems, health, and food availability in the southeast. In this research, we establish a teleconnection between ENSO and the Little River Watershed (LRW), GA., as seen in a shared 3-7 year mode of variability for precipitation, stream flow, and nutrient load time series. Univariate wavelet analysis of the NINO 3.4 index of sea surface temperature (SST) and of precipitation, stream flow, NO 3 concentration and load time series from the watershed was used to identify common signals. Shared 3-7 year modes of variability were seen in all variables, most strongly in precipitation, stream flow and nutrient load in strong El Niño years. The significance of shared 3-7 year periodicity over red noise with 95% confidence in SST and precipitation, stream flow, and NO 3 load time series was confirmed through cross-wavelet and wavelet-coherence transforms, in which common high power and co-variance were computed for each set of data. The strongest 3-7 year shared power was seen in SST and stream flow data, while the strongest co-variance was seen in SST and NO 3 load data. The strongest cross-correlation was seen as a positive value between the NINO 3.4 and NO 3 load with a three-month lag. The teleconnection seen in the LRW between the NINO 3.4 index and precipitation, stream flow, and NO 3 load can be utilized in a model to predict monthly nutrient loads based on short-term climate variability, facilitating management in high risk seasons.

  4. Extending operating range of a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine via cylinder deactivation

    DOEpatents

    Hergart, Carl-Anders [Peoria, IL; Hardy, William L [Peoria, IL; Duffy, Kevin P [Metamora, IL; Liechty, Michael P [Chillicothe, IL

    2008-05-27

    An HCCI engine has the ability to operate over a large load range by utilizing a lower cetane distillate diesel fuel to increase ignition delay. This permits more stable operation at high loads by avoidance of premature combustion before top dead center. During low load conditions, a portion of the engines cylinders are deactivated so that the remaining cylinders can operate at a pseudo higher load while the overall engine exhibits behavior typical of a relatively low load.

  5. Expansion of the MANAGE database with forest and drainage studies

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The “Measured Annual Nutrient loads from AGricultural Environments” (MANAGE) database was published in 2006 to expand an early 1980’s compilation of nutrient export (load) data from agricultural land uses at the field or farm spatial scale. Then in 2008, MANAGE was updated with 15 additional studie...

  6. Spatial optimization of watershed management practices for nitrogen load reduction using a modeling-optimization framework

    EPA Science Inventory

    Best management practices (BMPs) are perceived as being effective in reducing nutrient loads transported from non-point sources (NPS) to receiving water bodies. The objective of this study was to develop a modeling-optimization framework that can be used by watershed management p...

  7. 76 FR 12617 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 777-200 and -300 Series Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-08

    ... installing new operational software for the electrical load management system and configuration database... the electrical load management system operational software and configuration database software, in... Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H-65, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207; telephone 206- 544-5000, extension 1...

  8. Multi-PON access network using a coarse AWG for smooth migration from TDM to WDM PON

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shachaf, Y.; Chang, C.-H.; Kourtessis, P.; Senior, J. M.

    2007-06-01

    An interoperable access network architecture based on a coarse array waveguide grating (AWG) is described, displaying dynamic wavelength assignment to manage the network load across multiple PONs. The multi-PON architecture utilizes coarse Gaussian channels of an AWG to facilitate scalability and smooth migration path between TDM and WDM PONs. Network simulations of a cross-operational protocol platform confirmed successful routing of individual PON clusters through 7 nm-wide passband windows of the AWG. Furthermore, polarization-dependent wavelength shift and phase errors of the device proved not to impose restrain on the routing performance. Optical transmission tests at 2.5 Gbit/s for distances up to 20 km are demonstrated.

  9. Predictive functional control for active queue management in congested TCP/IP networks.

    PubMed

    Bigdeli, N; Haeri, M

    2009-01-01

    Predictive functional control (PFC) as a new active queue management (AQM) method in dynamic TCP networks supporting explicit congestion notification (ECN) is proposed. The ability of the controller in handling system delay along with its simplicity and low computational load makes PFC a privileged AQM method in the high speed networks. Besides, considering the disturbance term (which represents model/process mismatches, external disturbances, and existing noise) in the control formulation adds some level of robustness into the PFC-AQM controller. This is an important and desired property in the control of dynamically-varying computer networks. In this paper, the controller is designed based on a small signal linearized fluid-flow model of the TCP/AQM networks. Then, closed-loop transfer function representation of the system is derived to analyze the robustness with respect to the network and controller parameters. The analytical as well as the packet-level ns-2 simulation results show the out-performance of the developed controller for both queue regulation and resource utilization. Fast response, low queue fluctuations (and consequently low delay jitter), high link utilization, good disturbance rejection, scalability, and low packet marking probability are other features of the developed method with respect to other well-known AQM methods such as RED, PI, and REM which are also simulated for comparison.

  10. Power management circuits for self-powered systems based on micro-scale solar energy harvesting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoon, Eun-Jung; Yu, Chong-Gun

    2016-03-01

    In this paper, two types of power management circuits for self-powered systems based on micro-scale solar energy harvesting are proposed. First, if a solar cell outputs a very low voltage, less than 0.5 V, as in miniature solar cells or monolithic integrated solar cells, such that it cannot directly power the load, a voltage booster is employed to step up the solar cell's output voltage, and then a power management unit (PMU) delivers the boosted voltage to the load. Second, if the output voltage of a solar cell is enough to drive the load, the PMU directly supplies the load with solar energy. The proposed power management systems are designed and fabricated in a 0.18-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process, and their performances are compared and analysed through measurements.

  11. Development and characterization of morin hydrate loaded microemulsion for the management of Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Dheeraj; Singh, Manpreet; Kumar, Punnet; Vikram, Vir; Mishra, Neeraj

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this study is to prepare and characterize intranasal delivery of morin hydrate loaded microemulsion for the management of Alzheimer's diseases. After intranasal delivery, brain and blood drug concentrations were found to be higher for optimized morin hydrate loaded microemulsion as compared to plain morin hydrate. Significant (P < 0.05) reduction in assessed pharmacodynamic parameters was observed after intranasal administration of morin hydrate loaded microemulsion as compared to sham control group. Daily chronic treatment with morin loaded microemulsion till the 21st day significantly increased the memory in wistar rats with STZ-induced dementia.

  12. [Spatial pattern of land surface dead combustible fuel load in Huzhong forest area in Great Xing'an Mountains].

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhi-Hua; Chang, Yu; Chen, Hong-Wei; Zhou, Rui; Jing, Guo-Zhi; Zhang, Hong-Xin; Zhang, Chang-Meng

    2008-03-01

    By using geo-statistics and based on time-lag classification standard, a comparative study was made on the land surface dead combustible fuels in Huzhong forest area in Great Xing'an Mountains. The results indicated that the first level land surface dead combustible fuel, i. e., 1 h time-lag dead fuel, presented stronger spatial auto-correlation, with an average of 762.35 g x m(-2) and contributing to 55.54% of the total load. Its determining factors were species composition and stand age. The second and third levels land surface dead combustible fuel, i. e., 10 h and 100 h time-lag dead fuels, had a sum of 610.26 g x m(-2), and presented weaker spatial auto-correlation than 1 h time-lag dead fuel. Their determining factor was the disturbance history of forest stand. The complexity and heterogeneity of the factors determining the quality and quantity of forest land surface dead combustible fuels were the main reasons for the relatively inaccurate interpolation. However, the utilization of field survey data coupled with geo-statistics could easily and accurately interpolate the spatial pattern of forest land surface dead combustible fuel loads, and indirectly provide a practical basis for forest management.

  13. Time-Varying Value of Energy Efficiency in Michigan

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mims, Natalie; Eckman, Tom; Schwartz, Lisa C.

    Quantifying the time-varying value of energy efficiency is necessary to properly account for all of its benefits and costs and to identify and implement efficiency resources that contribute to a low-cost, reliable electric system. Historically, most quantification of the benefits of efficiency has focused largely on the economic value of annual energy reduction. Due to the lack of statistically representative metered end-use load shape data in Michigan (i.e., the hourly or seasonal timing of electricity savings), the ability to confidently characterize the time-varying value of energy efficiency savings in the state, especially for weather-sensitive measures such as central air conditioning,more » is limited. Still, electric utilities in Michigan can take advantage of opportunities to incorporate the time-varying value of efficiency into their planning. For example, end-use load research and hourly valuation of efficiency savings can be used for a variety of electricity planning functions, including load forecasting, demand-side management and evaluation, capacity planning, long-term resource planning, renewable energy integration, assessing potential grid modernization investments, establishing rates and pricing, and customer service (KEMA 2012). In addition, accurately calculating the time-varying value of efficiency may help energy efficiency program administrators prioritize existing offerings, set incentive or rebate levels that reflect the full value of efficiency, and design new programs.« less

  14. Optimizing Industrial Consumer Demand Response Through Disaggregation, Hour-Ahead Pricing, and Momentary Autonomous Control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdulaal, Ahmed

    The work in this study addresses the current limitations of the price-driven demand response (DR) approach. Mainly, the dependability on consumers to respond in an energy aware conduct, the response timeliness, the difficulty of applying DR in a busy industrial environment, and the problem of load synchronization are of utmost concern. In order to conduct a simulation study, realistic price simulation model and consumers' building load models are created using real data. DR action is optimized using an autonomous control method, which eliminates the dependency on frequent consumer engagement. Since load scheduling and long-term planning approaches are infeasible in the industrial environment, the proposed method utilizes instantaneous DR in response to hour-ahead price signals (RTP-HA). Preliminary simulation results concluded savings at the consumer-side at the cost of increased supplier-side burden due to the aggregate effect of the universal DR policies. Therefore, a consumer disaggregation strategy is briefly discussed. Finally, a refined discrete-continuous control system is presented, which utilizes multi-objective Pareto optimization, evolutionary programming, utility functions, and bidirectional loads. Demonstrated through a virtual testbed fit with real data, the new system achieves momentary optimized DR in real-time while maximizing the consumer's wellbeing.

  15. Utilization management in anatomic pathology.

    PubMed

    Lewandrowski, Kent; Black-Schaffer, Steven

    2014-01-01

    There is relatively little published literature concerning utilization management in anatomic pathology. Nonetheless there are many utilization management opportunities that currently exist and are well recognized. Some of these impact only the cost structure within the pathology department itself whereas others reduce charges for third party payers. Utilization management may result in medical legal liabilities for breaching the standard of care. For this reason it will be important for pathology professional societies to develop national utilization guidelines to assist individual practices in implementing a medically sound approach to utilization management. © 2013.

  16. SiC MOSFET Based Single Phase Active Boost Rectifier with Power Factor Correction for Wireless Power Transfer Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Onar, Omer C; Tang, Lixin; Chinthavali, Madhu Sudhan

    2014-01-01

    Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology is a novel research area in the charging technology that bridges the utility and the automotive industries. There are various solutions that are currently being evaluated by several research teams to find the most efficient way to manage the power flow from the grid to the vehicle energy storage system. There are different control parameters that can be utilized to compensate for the change in the impedance due to variable parameters such as battery state-of-charge, coupling factor, and coil misalignment. This paper presents the implementation of an active front-end rectifier on the grid side formore » power factor control and voltage boost capability for load power regulation. The proposed SiC MOSFET based single phase active front end rectifier with PFC resulted in >97% efficiency at 137mm air-gap and >95% efficiency at 160mm air-gap.« less

  17. Automation in the Space Station module power management and distribution Breadboard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walls, Bryan; Lollar, Louis F.

    1990-01-01

    The Space Station Module Power Management and Distribution (SSM/PMAD) Breadboard, located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, models the power distribution within a Space Station Freedom Habitation or Laboratory module. Originally designed for 20 kHz ac power, the system is now being converted to high voltage dc power with power levels on a par with those expected for a space station module. In addition to the power distribution hardware, the system includes computer control through a hierarchy of processes. The lowest level process consists of fast, simple (from a computing standpoint) switchgear, capable of quickly safing the system. The next level consists of local load center processors called Lowest Level Processors (LLP's). These LLP's execute load scheduling, perform redundant switching, and shed loads which use more than scheduled power. The level above the LLP's contains a Communication and Algorithmic Controller (CAC) which coordinates communications with the highest level. Finally, at this highest level, three cooperating Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems manage load prioritization, load scheduling, load shedding, and fault recovery and management. The system provides an excellent venue for developing and examining advanced automation techniques. The current system and the plans for its future are examined.

  18. 7 CFR 1710.202 - Requirement to prepare a load forecast-power supply borrowers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Requirement to prepare a load forecast-power supply borrowers. 1710.202 Section 1710.202 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL AND PRE-LOAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMON TO ELECTRIC LOANS AND GUARANTEES Load...

  19. 7 CFR 1710.209 - Approval requirements for load forecast work plans.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) In addition to the approved load forecast required under §§ 1710.202 and 1710.203, any power supply... that are members of a power supply borrower with a total utility plant of $500 million or more must cooperate in the preparation of and submittal of the load forecast work plan of their power supply borrower...

  20. 17 CFR 270.6c-10 - Exemption for certain open-end management investment companies to impose deferred sales loads.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... management investment companies to impose deferred sales loads. 270.6c-10 Section 270.6c-10 Commodity and... ACT OF 1940 § 270.6c-10 Exemption for certain open-end management investment companies to impose... purposes of this section: (1) Company means a registered open-end management investment company, other than...

  1. Sediment loads and erosion in forest headwater streams of the Sierra Nevada, California

    Treesearch

    Carolyn T. Hunsaker; Daniel G. Neary

    2012-01-01

    Defining best management practices for forests requires quantification of the variability of stream sediment loads for managed and unmanaged forest conditions and their associated sediment sources. Although "best management practices" are used, the public has concerns about effects from forest restoration activities and commercial timber harvests. It is...

  2. Composite-Material Point-Stress Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spears, F., S.

    1982-01-01

    PSANAL computes composite-laminate elastic and thermal properties and allowable load levels for any combination of applied membrane and bending loads occurring at a point. Basic linear orthotropic stress/ strain relationships and standard composite-laminate theory formulas are utilized.

  3. Attentional Modulation of Brain Responses to Primary Appetitive and Aversive Stimuli

    PubMed Central

    Field, Brent A.; Buck, Cara L.; McClure, Samuel M.; Nystrom, Leigh E.; Kahneman, Daniel; Cohen, Jonathan D.

    2015-01-01

    Studies of subjective well-being have conventionally relied upon self-report, which directs subjects’ attention to their emotional experiences. This method presumes that attention itself does not influence emotional processes, which could bias sampling. We tested whether attention influences experienced utility (the moment-by-moment experience of pleasure) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the activity of brain systems thought to represent hedonic value while manipulating attentional load. Subjects received appetitive or aversive solutions orally while alternatively executing a low or high attentional load task. Brain regions associated with hedonic processing, including the ventral striatum, showed a response to both juice and quinine. This response decreased during the high-load task relative to the low-load task. Thus, attentional allocation may influence experienced utility by modulating (either directly or indirectly) the activity of brain mechanisms thought to represent hedonic value. PMID:26158468

  4. Wind-tunnel evaluation of an advanced main-rotor blade design for a utility-class helicopter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yeager, William T., Jr.; Mantay, Wayne R.; Wilbur, Matthew L.; Cramer, Robert G., Jr.; Singleton, Jeffrey D.

    1987-01-01

    An investigation was conducted in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel to evaluate differences between an existing utility-class main-rotor blade and an advanced-design main-rotor blade. The two rotor blade designs were compared with regard to rotor performance oscillatory pitch-link loads, and 4-per-rev vertical fixed-system loads. Tests were conducted in hover and over a range of simulated full-scale gross weights and density altitude conditions at advance ratios from 0.15 to 0.40. Results indicate that the advanced blade design offers performance improvements over the baseline blade in both hover and forward flight. Pitch-link oscillatory loads for the baseline rotor were more sensitive to the test conditions than those of the advanced rotor. The 4-per-rev vertical fixed-system load produced by the advanced blade was larger than that produced by the baseline blade at all test conditions.

  5. Benchmark for Performance: Geothermal Applications in Lincoln Public Schools

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Durfee, D.J.; Hughes, P.J.; Martin, M.A.

    1999-06-19

    Vertical-bore, geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) have been providing heating and cooling to four new elementary schools located in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1995. According to representatives of the local utility and school district, the systems are providing a comfortable, complaint-free environment with utility costs that are nearly half of that of other schools in the district. Performance data collected from on-site energy management systems and district billing and utility records for all fifty schools in the Lincoln district indicate that only five consume less energy than the best performing GHP school; however these five cool less than 10% of their totalmore » floor area, while the GHP schools cool 100% of their floor area. When compared to other new schools (with similar ventilation loads), the GHP schools used approximately 26% less source energy per square foot of floor area. Variations in annual energy performance are evident among the four GHP schools, however, together they still consume less source energy than 70% of all schools in the district. These variations are most likely due to operational differences rather than installed equipment, building orientation, or environmental (bore field) conditions.« less

  6. Benchmark for performance: Geothermal applications in Lincoln public schools

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shonder, J.A.; Martin, M.A.; Sharp, T.R.

    1999-07-01

    Vertical-bore, geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) have been providing heating and cooling to four new elementary schools located in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1995. According to representatives of the local utility and school district, the systems are providing a comfortable, complaint-free environment with utility costs that are nearly half of that of other schools in the district. Performance data collected from on-site energy management systems and district billing and utility records for all fifty schools in the Lincoln district indicate that only five consume less energy than the best performing GHP school; however, these five cool less than 10% of their totalmore » floor area, while the GHP schools cool 100% of their floor area. When compared to other new schools (with similar ventilation loads), the GHP schools used approximately 26% less source energy per square foot of floor area. Variations in annual energy performance are evident amongst the four GHP schools, however, together they still consume less source energy than 70% of all schools in the district. These variations are most likely due to operational differences rather than installed equipment, building orientation, or environmental (bore field) conditions.« less

  7. Virtual Interactive Musculoskeletal System (VIMS) in orthopaedic research, education and clinical patient care.

    PubMed

    Chao, Edmund Y S; Armiger, Robert S; Yoshida, Hiroaki; Lim, Jonathan; Haraguchi, Naoki

    2007-03-08

    The ability to combine physiology and engineering analyses with computer sciences has opened the door to the possibility of creating the "Virtual Human" reality. This paper presents a broad foundation for a full-featured biomechanical simulator for the human musculoskeletal system physiology. This simulation technology unites the expertise in biomechanical analysis and graphic modeling to investigate joint and connective tissue mechanics at the structural level and to visualize the results in both static and animated forms together with the model. Adaptable anatomical models including prosthetic implants and fracture fixation devices and a robust computational infrastructure for static, kinematic, kinetic, and stress analyses under varying boundary and loading conditions are incorporated on a common platform, the VIMS (Virtual Interactive Musculoskeletal System). Within this software system, a manageable database containing long bone dimensions, connective tissue material properties and a library of skeletal joint system functional activities and loading conditions are also available and they can easily be modified, updated and expanded. Application software is also available to allow end-users to perform biomechanical analyses interactively. Examples using these models and the computational algorithms in a virtual laboratory environment are used to demonstrate the utility of these unique database and simulation technology. This integrated system, model library and database will impact on orthopaedic education, basic research, device development and application, and clinical patient care related to musculoskeletal joint system reconstruction, trauma management, and rehabilitation.

  8. Virtual interactive musculoskeletal system (VIMS) in orthopaedic research, education and clinical patient care

    PubMed Central

    Chao, Edmund YS; Armiger, Robert S; Yoshida, Hiroaki; Lim, Jonathan; Haraguchi, Naoki

    2007-01-01

    The ability to combine physiology and engineering analyses with computer sciences has opened the door to the possibility of creating the "Virtual Human" reality. This paper presents a broad foundation for a full-featured biomechanical simulator for the human musculoskeletal system physiology. This simulation technology unites the expertise in biomechanical analysis and graphic modeling to investigate joint and connective tissue mechanics at the structural level and to visualize the results in both static and animated forms together with the model. Adaptable anatomical models including prosthetic implants and fracture fixation devices and a robust computational infrastructure for static, kinematic, kinetic, and stress analyses under varying boundary and loading conditions are incorporated on a common platform, the VIMS (Virtual Interactive Musculoskeletal System). Within this software system, a manageable database containing long bone dimensions, connective tissue material properties and a library of skeletal joint system functional activities and loading conditions are also available and they can easily be modified, updated and expanded. Application software is also available to allow end-users to perform biomechanical analyses interactively. Examples using these models and the computational algorithms in a virtual laboratory environment are used to demonstrate the utility of these unique database and simulation technology. This integrated system, model library and database will impact on orthopaedic education, basic research, device development and application, and clinical patient care related to musculoskeletal joint system reconstruction, trauma management, and rehabilitation. PMID:17343764

  9. Hybrid power system intelligent operation and protection involving distributed architectures and pulsed loads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohamed, Ahmed

    Efficient and reliable techniques for power delivery and utilization are needed to account for the increased penetration of renewable energy sources in electric power systems. Such methods are also required for current and future demands of plug-in electric vehicles and high-power electronic loads. Distributed control and optimal power network architectures will lead to viable solutions to the energy management issue with high level of reliability and security. This dissertation is aimed at developing and verifying new techniques for distributed control by deploying DC microgrids, involving distributed renewable generation and energy storage, through the operating AC power system. To achieve the findings of this dissertation, an energy system architecture was developed involving AC and DC networks, both with distributed generations and demands. The various components of the DC microgrid were designed and built including DC-DC converters, voltage source inverters (VSI) and AC-DC rectifiers featuring novel designs developed by the candidate. New control techniques were developed and implemented to maximize the operating range of the power conditioning units used for integrating renewable energy into the DC bus. The control and operation of the DC microgrids in the hybrid AC/DC system involve intelligent energy management. Real-time energy management algorithms were developed and experimentally verified. These algorithms are based on intelligent decision-making elements along with an optimization process. This was aimed at enhancing the overall performance of the power system and mitigating the effect of heavy non-linear loads with variable intensity and duration. The developed algorithms were also used for managing the charging/discharging process of plug-in electric vehicle emulators. The protection of the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system was studied. Fault analysis and protection scheme and coordination, in addition to ideas on how to retrofit currently available protection concepts and devices for AC systems in a DC network, were presented. A study was also conducted on the effect of changing the distribution architecture and distributing the storage assets on the various zones of the network on the system's dynamic security and stability. A practical shipboard power system was studied as an example of a hybrid AC/DC power system involving pulsed loads. Generally, the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system, besides most of the ideas, controls and algorithms presented in this dissertation, were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed, Energy Systems Research Laboratory. All the developments in this dissertation were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed.

  10. Rapid Propellant Loading Approach Exploration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-11-01

    the impact upon ground operations of three configuration options. Ground operations management was addressed through a series of studies performed...and operations management system can enable safe rapid propellant loading operations with limited operator knowledge and involvement. A single

  11. Capital requirements for the US investor-owned electric utility industry, 1985-2005: Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kolbe, A.L.; Johnson, S.K.; O'Loughlin, M.P.

    1988-06-01

    In recent years, financial concerns have increasingly constrained the traditional utility planning focus, on engineering and economic tradeoffs. After a troubled period, however, many utilities have completed major construction programs and face fewer financial constraints in the near term, while other utilities hope to achieve this status shortly. At the same time, many utilities and regulatory commissions are reluctant to begin construction of large new plants, both because of current high reserve margins and because of past unhappy outcomes for ratepayers and investors when load growth proved lower than expected. This study examines the potential long-run financial constraints and risksmore » the electric utility industry faces as a result of the current incentives to delay the start of major new projects as long as possible. The study analyzes industry-wide financial and operating data from 1985 to 2005 under several scenarios. The findings suggest that if the future is no worse than postulated in our scenarios, total construction expenditures and external funding requirements should be manageable at the national level. Also, the study finds that the cost of delaying new construction /en dash/ although possibly significant /en dash/ will depend critically on the relative prices of coal and natural gas which actually occur. Thus this report concludes that the possibility of significant future financial constraints does not appear to be a problem at the national level. There is good reason to believe, however, that there could be a problem under certain adverse conditions for specific regions and for individual utilities. Given the relatively large amount of external funds likely to be needed by some utilities in those situations and the risks investors may perceive in supplying these funds, financial constraints may cause some construction delays. 23 refs., 21 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  12. Variability Extraction and Synthesis via Multi-Resolution Analysis using Distribution Transformer High-Speed Power Data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chamana, Manohar; Mather, Barry A

    A library of load variability classes is created to produce scalable synthetic data sets using historical high-speed raw data. These data are collected from distribution monitoring units connected at the secondary side of a distribution transformer. Because of the irregular patterns and large volume of historical high-speed data sets, the utilization of current load characterization and modeling techniques are challenging. Multi-resolution analysis techniques are applied to extract the necessary components and eliminate the unnecessary components from the historical high-speed raw data to create the library of classes, which are then utilized to create new synthetic load data sets. A validationmore » is performed to ensure that the synthesized data sets contain the same variability characteristics as the training data sets. The synthesized data sets are intended to be utilized in quasi-static time-series studies for distribution system planning studies on a granular scale, such as detailed PV interconnection studies.« less

  13. Effects of overstory composition and prescribed fire on fuel loading across a heterogeneous managed landscape in the southeastern USA

    Treesearch

    Bernard R. Parresol; John I. Blake; Andrew J. Thompson

    2012-01-01

    In the southeastern USA, land use history, forest management and natural geomorphic features have created heterogeneous fuel loads. This apparent temporal and spatial variation in fuel loads make it difficult to reliably assess potential fire behavior from remotely sensed canopy variables to determine risk and to prescribe treatments. We examined this variation by...

  14. Utilization of Model Predictive Control to Balance Power Absorption Against Load Accumulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Abbas, Nikhar; Tom, Nathan M

    2017-06-03

    Wave energy converter (WEC) control strategies have been primarily focused on maximizing power absorption. The use of model predictive control strategies allows for a finite-horizon, multiterm objective function to be solved. This work utilizes a multiterm objective function to maximize power absorption while minimizing the structural loads on the WEC system. Furthermore, a Kalman filter and autoregressive model were used to estimate and forecast the wave exciting force and predict the future dynamics of the WEC. The WEC's power-take-off time-averaged power and structural loads under a perfect forecast assumption in irregular waves were compared against results obtained from the Kalmanmore » filter and autoregressive model to evaluate model predictive control performance.« less

  15. Utilization of Model Predictive Control to Balance Power Absorption Against Load Accumulation: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Abbas, Nikhar; Tom, Nathan

    Wave energy converter (WEC) control strategies have been primarily focused on maximizing power absorption. The use of model predictive control strategies allows for a finite-horizon, multiterm objective function to be solved. This work utilizes a multiterm objective function to maximize power absorption while minimizing the structural loads on the WEC system. Furthermore, a Kalman filter and autoregressive model were used to estimate and forecast the wave exciting force and predict the future dynamics of the WEC. The WEC's power-take-off time-averaged power and structural loads under a perfect forecast assumption in irregular waves were compared against results obtained from the Kalmanmore » filter and autoregressive model to evaluate model predictive control performance.« less

  16. Acoustic emission evaluation of reinforced concrete bridge beam with graphite composite laminate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Dan E.; Shen, H. Warren; Finlayson, Richard D.

    2001-07-01

    A test was recently conducted on August 1, 2000 at the FHwA Non-Destructive Evaluation Validation Center, sponsored by The New York State DOT, to evaluate a graphite composite laminate as an effective form of retrofit for reinforced concrete bridge beam. One portion of this testing utilized Acoustic Emission Monitoring for Evaluation of the beam under test. Loading was applied to this beam using a two-point loading scheme at FHwA's facility. This load was applied in several incremental loadings until the failure of the graphite composite laminate took place. Each loading culminated by either visual crack location or large audible emissions from the beam. Between tests external cracks were located visually and highlighted and the graphite epoxy was checked for delamination. Acoustic Emission data was collected to locate cracking areas of the structure during the loading cycles. To collect this Acoustic Emission data, FHwA and NYSDOT utilized a Local Area Monitor, an Acoustic Emission instrument developed in a cooperative effort between FHwA and Physical Acoustics Corporation. Eight Acoustic Emission sensors were attached to the structure, with four on each side, in a symmetrical fashion. As testing progressed and culminated with beam failure, Acoustic Emission data was gathered and correlated against time and test load. This paper will discuss the analysis of this test data.

  17. Economically dispatching cogeneration facilities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hernandez, E.

    Economic dispatching has been used by utilities to meet the energy demands of their customers for decades. The objective was to first load those units which cost the least to run and slowly increase the loading of more expensive units as the incremental energy price increased. Although this concept worked well for utility based systems where incremental costs rose with peak demand, the independent power producers(IPPs) and the power purchase agreements (PPAs) have drastically changed this notion. Most PPAs structured for the IPP environment have negotiated rates which remain the same during peak periods and base their electrical generation onmore » specific process steam requirements. They also must maintain the required production balance of process steam and electrical load in order to qualify as a Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) facility. Consequently, economically dispatching Cogeneration facilities becomes an exercise in adhering to contractual guidelines while operating the equipment in the most efficient manner possible for the given condition. How then is it possible to dispatch a Cogeneration facility that maintains the electrical load demand of JFK Airport while satisfying all of its heating and cooling needs? Contractually, Kennedy International Airport Cogen (KIAC) has specific obligations concerning electrical and thermal energy exported to JFK Airport. The facility`s impressive array of heating and cooling apparatuses together with the newly installed cogen fulfilled the airport`s needs by utilizing an endless combination of new and previously installed equipment. Moreover, in order to economically operate the plant a well structured operating curriculum was necessary.« less

  18. A method for improving predictions of bed-load discharges to reservoirs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lopes, V.L.; Osterkamp, W.R.; Bravo-Espinosa, M.

    2007-01-01

    Effective management options for mitigating the loss of reservoir water storage capacity to sedimentation depend on improved predictions of bed-load discharges into the reservoirs. Most predictions of bed-load discharges, however, are based on the assumption that the rates of bed-load sediment availability equal the transport capacity of the flow, ignoring the spatio-temporal variability of the sediment supply. This paper develops a semiquantitative method to characterize bed-load sediment transport in alluvial channels, assuming a channel reach is non-supply limited when the bed-load discharge of a given sediment particle-size class is functionally related to the energy that is available to transport that fraction of the total bed-load. The method was applied to 22 alluvial stream channels in the USA to determine whether a channel reach had a supply-limited or non-supply-limited bed-load transport regime. The non-supply-limited transport regime was further subdivided into two groups on the basis of statistical tests. The results indicated the pattern of bed-load sediment transport in alluvial channels depends on the complete spectrum of sediment particle sizes available for transport rather than individual particle-size fractions represented by one characteristic particle size. The application of the method developed in this paper should assist reservoir managers in selecting bed-load sediment transport equations to improve predictions of bed-load discharge in alluvial streams, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of management options for maintaining the storage capacity of waterbodies. ?? 2007 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  19. 7 CFR 1710.202 - Requirement to prepare a load forecast-power supply borrowers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Requirement to prepare a load forecast-power supply...—power supply borrowers. (a) A power supply borrower with a total utility plant of $500 million or more... be prepared pursuant to the approved load forecast work plan. (b) A power supply borrower that is a...

  20. Towards smart energy systems: application of kernel machine regression for medium term electricity load forecasting.

    PubMed

    Alamaniotis, Miltiadis; Bargiotas, Dimitrios; Tsoukalas, Lefteri H

    2016-01-01

    Integration of energy systems with information technologies has facilitated the realization of smart energy systems that utilize information to optimize system operation. To that end, crucial in optimizing energy system operation is the accurate, ahead-of-time forecasting of load demand. In particular, load forecasting allows planning of system expansion, and decision making for enhancing system safety and reliability. In this paper, the application of two types of kernel machines for medium term load forecasting (MTLF) is presented and their performance is recorded based on a set of historical electricity load demand data. The two kernel machine models and more specifically Gaussian process regression (GPR) and relevance vector regression (RVR) are utilized for making predictions over future load demand. Both models, i.e., GPR and RVR, are equipped with a Gaussian kernel and are tested on daily predictions for a 30-day-ahead horizon taken from the New England Area. Furthermore, their performance is compared to the ARMA(2,2) model with respect to mean average percentage error and squared correlation coefficient. Results demonstrate the superiority of RVR over the other forecasting models in performing MTLF.

  1. Biomechanical analysis of loading/unloading a ladder on a truck.

    PubMed

    Moriguchi, Cristiane Shinohara; Carnaz, Leticia; de Miranda, Luiz Carlos; Marklin, Richard William; Coury, Helenice Jane Cote Gil

    2012-01-01

    Loading/unloading a ladder on vehicles are frequent tasks and involve overhead handling that may expose workers to risk factors of shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. The objective of the present study was to evaluate posture, forces required and perceived exertion when loading and unloading the ladder on a utility truck. Thirteen male overhead line workers from an electric utility in Brazil participated in this study. Shoulder elevation angle was measured using inclinometers. The required force to load/unload the ladder was measured by dynamometer. Subjective assessment of the perceived exertion was recorded to compare the exertion reported during the test conditions to the field conditions. The task of loading/unloading the ladder presented risks of shoulder musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to workers because it requires high levels of force (approximately 60% of the maximal force) combined with overhead posture of the shoulders (more than 100° from the neutral posture). Age and height presented to interfere in biomechanical risks presented in load/unload task. There was no significant difference between the subjective exertion during the test conditions and handling the ladder in the field. Ergonomic intervention is recommended to reduce these risks for shoulder MSDs.

  2. The effect of physician practice organization on efficient utilization of hospital resources.

    PubMed

    Burns, L R; Chilingerian, J A; Wholey, D R

    1994-12-01

    This study examines variations in the efficient use of hospital resources across individual physicians. The study is conducted over a two-year period (1989-1990) in all short-term general hospitals with 50 or more beds in Arizona. We examine hospital discharge data for 43,625 women undergoing cesarean sections and vaginal deliveries without complications. These data include physician identifiers that permit us to link patient information with information on physicians provided by the state medical association. The study first measures the contribution of physician characteristics to the explanatory power of regression models that predict resource use. It then tests hypothesized effects on resource utilization exerted by two sets of physician level factors: physician background and physician practice organization. The latter includes effects of hospital practice volume, concentration of hospital practice, percent managed care patients in one's hospital practice, and diversity of patients treated. Efficiency (inefficiency) is measured as the degree of variation in patient charges and length of stay below (above) the average of treating all patients with the same condition in the same hospital in the same year with the same severity of illness, controlling for discharge status and the presence of complications. After controlling for patient factors, physician characteristics explain a significant amount of the variability in hospital charges and length of stay in the two maternity conditions. Results also support hypotheses that efficiency is influenced by practice organization factors such as patient volume and managed care load. Physicians with larger practices and a higher share of managed care patients appear to be more efficient. The results suggest that health care reform efforts to develop physician-hospital networks and managed competition may promote greater parsimony in physicians' practice behavior.

  3. The effect of physician practice organization on efficient utilization of hospital resources.

    PubMed Central

    Burns, L R; Chilingerian, J A; Wholey, D R

    1994-01-01

    OBJECTIVE. This study examines variations in the efficient use of hospital resources across individual physicians. DATA SOURCES AND SETTING. The study is conducted over a two-year period (1989-1990) in all short-term general hospitals with 50 or more beds in Arizona. We examine hospital discharge data for 43,625 women undergoing cesarean sections and vaginal deliveries without complications. These data include physician identifiers that permit us to link patient information with information on physicians provided by the state medical association. STUDY DESIGN. The study first measures the contribution of physician characteristics to the explanatory power of regression models that predict resource use. It then tests hypothesized effects on resource utilization exerted by two sets of physician level factors: physician background and physician practice organization. The latter includes effects of hospital practice volume, concentration of hospital practice, percent managed care patients in one's hospital practice, and diversity of patients treated. Efficiency (inefficiency) is measured as the degree of variation in patient charges and length of stay below (above) the average of treating all patients with the same condition in the same hospital in the same year with the same severity of illness, controlling for discharge status and the presence of complications. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. After controlling for patient factors, physician characteristics explain a significant amount of the variability in hospital charges and length of stay in the two maternity conditions. Results also support hypotheses that efficiency is influenced by practice organization factors such as patient volume and managed care load. Physicians with larger practices and a higher share of managed care patients appear to be more efficient. CONCLUSIONS. The results suggest that health care reform efforts to develop physician-hospital networks and managed competition may promote greater parsimony in physicians' practice behavior. PMID:8002351

  4. A Methodology for Flight-Time Identification of Helicopter-Slung Load Frequency Response Characteristics Using CIFER

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sahai, Ranjana; Pierce, Larry; Cicolani, Luigi; Tischler, Mark

    1998-01-01

    Helicopter slung load operations are common in both military and civil contexts. The slung load adds load rigid body modes, sling stretching, and load aerodynamics to the system dynamics, which can degrade system stability and handling qualities, and reduce the operating envelope of the combined system below that of the helicopter alone. Further, the effects of the load on system dynamics vary significantly among the large range of loads, slings, and flight conditions that a utility helicopter will encounter in its operating life. In this context, military helicopters and loads are often qualified for slung load operations via flight tests which can be time consuming and expensive. One way to reduce the cost and time required to carry out these tests and generate quantitative data more readily is to provide an efficient method for analysis during the flight, so that numerous test points can be evaluated in a single flight test, with evaluations performed in near real time following each test point and prior to clearing the aircraft to the next point. Methodology for this was implemented at Ames and demonstrated in slung load flight tests in 1997 and was improved for additional flight tests in 1999. The parameters of interest for the slung load tests are aircraft handling qualities parameters (bandwidth and phase delay), stability margins (gain and phase margin), and load pendulum roots (damping and natural frequency). A procedure for the identification of these parameters from frequency sweep data was defined using the CIFER software package. CIFER is a comprehensive interactive package of utilities for frequency domain analysis previously developed at Ames for aeronautical flight test applications. It has been widely used in the US on a variety of aircraft, including some primitive flight time analysis applications.

  5. Knowledge-based systems for power management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lollar, L. F.

    1992-01-01

    NASA-Marshall's Electrical Power Branch has undertaken the development of expert systems in support of further advancements in electrical power system automation. Attention is given to the features (1) of the Fault Recovery and Management Expert System, (2) a resource scheduler or Master of Automated Expert Scheduling Through Resource Orchestration, and (3) an adaptive load-priority manager, or Load Priority List Management System. The characteristics of an advisory battery manager for the Hubble Space Telescope, designated the 'nickel-hydrogen expert system', are also noted.

  6. Optimal Operation of Data Centers in Future Smart Grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghamkhari, Seyed Mahdi

    The emergence of cloud computing has established a growing trend towards building massive, energy-hungry, and geographically distributed data centers. Due to their enormous energy consumption, data centers are expected to have major impact on the electric grid by significantly increasing the load at locations where they are built. However, data centers also provide opportunities to help the grid with respect to robustness and load balancing. For instance, as data centers are major and yet flexible electric loads, they can be proper candidates to offer ancillary services, such as voluntary load reduction, to the smart grid. Also, data centers may better stabilize the price of energy in the electricity markets, and at the same time reduce their electricity cost by exploiting the diversity in the price of electricity in the day-ahead and real-time electricity markets. In this thesis, such potentials are investigated within an analytical profit maximization framework by developing new mathematical models based on queuing theory. The proposed models capture the trade-off between quality-of-service and power consumption in data centers. They are not only accurate, but also they posses convexity characteristics that facilitate joint optimization of data centers' service rates, demand levels and demand bids to different electricity markets. The analysis is further expanded to also develop a unified comprehensive energy portfolio optimization for data centers in the future smart grid. Specifically, it is shown how utilizing one energy option may affect selecting other energy options that are available to a data center. For example, we will show that the use of on-site storage and the deployment of geographical workload distribution can particularly help data centers in utilizing high-risk energy options such as renewable generation. The analytical approach in this thesis takes into account service-level-agreements, risk management constraints, and also the statistical characteristics of the Internet workload and the electricity prices. Using empirical data, the performance of our proposed profit maximization models for data centers are evaluated, and the capability of data centers to benefit from participation in a variety of Demand Response programs is assessed.

  7. Experimental study to the influences of rotational speed and blade shape on water vortex turbine performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kueh, T. C.; Beh, S. L.; Ooi, Y. S.; Rilling, D. G.

    2017-04-01

    Water vortex turbine utilizes the natural behaviour of water to form free surface vortex for energy extraction. This allows simple construction and ease of management on the whole water vortex power plant system. To our findings, the literature study specifically on water vortex turbine is inadequate and low efficiency was reported. Influences of operating speed and blade shape on turbine performance are the two parameters investigated in this study. Euler Turbomachinery Equation and velocity triangle are used in the improvement analysis. Two turbines with flat blades and curved blades are tested and compared. Both turbines show similar rotational speed at no load condition. This suggested that the circulation force of the water vortex has more dominant effect on the turbine rotational speed, compared to the turbine’s geometry. Flat-blades turbine showed maximum efficiency of 21.63% at 3.27 rad/s whereas curved-blades turbine showed 22.24% at 3.56 rad/s. When operating load is applied, the backward-leaning curve helps the turbine blades to reduce the disturbance on the water vortex, and hence provide a better performance.

  8. Effects of urban best management practices on streamflow and phosphorus and suspended-sediment transport on Englesby Brook in Burlington, Vermont, 2000-2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Medalie, Laura

    2012-01-01

    An assessment of the effectiveness of several urban best management practice structures, including a wet extended detention facility and a shallow marsh wetland (together the "wet extended detention ponds"), was made using data collected from 2000 through 2010 at Englesby Brook in Burlington, Vermont. The purpose of the best management practices was to reduce high streamflows and phosphorus and suspended-sediment loads and concentrations and to increase low streamflows. Englesby Brook was monitored for streamflow, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations at a streamgage downstream of the best management practice structures for 5 years before the wet extended detention ponds were constructed in 2005 and for 4 years (phosphorus and suspended-sediment concentrations) or 5 years (streamflow) after they were constructed. The period after construction of the best management practice structures was wetter and had higher discharges than the period before construction. Despite the wetter conditions, streamflow duration curves provided evidence that the streamflow regime appeared to have shifted so that the percentages of low streamflows have increased and those of high streamflows may have slightly decreased. Two other hydrologic measures showed improvements in the years following construction of the best management practices: the percentage of annual discharge transported during the 3 days with highest discharges and the number of days with zero streamflow have both decreased. Evidence was mixed for the effectiveness of the best management practices in reducing phosphorus and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads. Annual phosphorus and suspended-sediment loads, monthly loads, low-streamflow concentrations, storm-averaged streamflow-adjusted concentrations, and total storm loads either did not change significantly or increased in the period after construction. These results likely were because of the wetter conditions in the period after construction. For example, monthly loads assessed using analysis of covariance, which compensated for the effects of streamflow on loads, suggested no difference in phosphorus or suspended-sediment loads between the two periods, whereas the comparison of monthly loads without factoring in streamflow showed an increase. This result could be viewed as evidence that the ponds may have mitigated the effect of greater discharges in the period after construction by preventing a corresponding increase in loads. In another analysis used to adjust for the difference in discharge between the two comparison periods, annual and monthly load results were grouped into dry and wet years. Large (50 percent) reductions in annual loads were observed when data from dry (or wet) years before construction were compared with data from dry (or wet) years after construction. When paired monthly loads of each constituent were grouped into dry and wet years, approximately the same number of months had increases as did decreases with the magnitudes of the decreases generally larger than the magnitudes of the increases. These differences in magnitude explain the decrease in annual loads for dry and wet years. The close association of phosphorus with suspended-sediment data suggested that most of the phosphorus was in the particulate form and was controlled by suspended-sediment dynamics.

  9. How much is too much? (Part 2) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of illness

    PubMed Central

    Schwellnus, Martin; Alonso, Juan-Manuel; Bahr, Roald; Clarsen, Ben; Dijkstra, H Paul; Gabbett, Tim J; Gleeson, Michael; Hutchinson, Mark R; Janse Van Rensburg, Christa; Meeusen, Romain; Orchard, John W; Pluim, Babette M; Raftery, Martin; Budgett, Richard; Engebretsen, Lars

    2016-01-01

    The modern-day athlete participating in elite sports is exposed to high training loads and increasingly saturated competition calendar. Emerging evidence indicates that inappropriate load management is a significant risk factor for acute illness and the overtraining syndrome. The IOC convened an expert group to review the scientific evidence for the relationship of load—including rapid changes in training and competition load, competition calendar congestion, psychological load and travel—and health outcomes in sport. This paper summarises the results linking load to risk of illness and overtraining in athletes, and provides athletes, coaches and support staff with practical guidelines for appropriate load management to reduce the risk of illness and overtraining in sport. These include guidelines for prescription of training and competition load, as well as for monitoring of training, competition and psychological load, athlete well-being and illness. In the process, urgent research priorities were identified. PMID:27535991

  10. An Analytics-Based Approach to Managing Cognitive Load by Using Log Data of Learning Management Systems and Footprints of Social Media

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yen, Cheng-Huang; Chen, I-Chuan; Lai, Su-Chun; Chuang, Yea-Ru

    2015-01-01

    Traces of learning behaviors generally provide insights into learners and the learning processes that they employ. In this article, a learning-analytics-based approach is proposed for managing cognitive load by adjusting the instructional strategies used in online courses. The technology-based learning environment examined in this study involved a…

  11. Improving Learning Results and Reducing Cognitive Load through 3D Courseware on Color Management and Inspection Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiung, Liang-Yuan; Lai, Mu-Hui

    2013-01-01

    This study intends to solve the problem that schools in Taiwan lack of the equipment for color management and inspection instruction and seek ways to improve learning results and reduce cognitive load. The researchers developed 3D courseware for color management and inspection through a research and development process. To further scrutinize the…

  12. Thermal storage for electric utilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Swet, C. J.; Masica, W. J.

    1977-01-01

    Applications of the thermal energy storage (TES) principle (storage of sensible heat or latent heat, or heat storage in reversible chemical reactions) in power systems are evaluated. Load leveling behind the meter, load following at conventional thermal power plants, solar thermal power generation, and waste heat utilization are the principal TES applications considered. Specific TES examples discussed include: storage heaters for electric-resistance space heating, air conditioning TES in the form of chilled water or eutectic salt baths, hot water TES, and trans-seasonal storage in heated water in confined aquifers.

  13. 7 CFR 1710.207 - RUS criteria for approval of load forecasts by distribution borrowers not required to maintain an...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false RUS criteria for approval of load forecasts by distribution borrowers not required to maintain an approved load forecast on an ongoing basis. 1710.207 Section 1710.207 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL AND PR...

  14. Online Reading: A Preliminary Study of the Impact of Integrated and Split-Attention Formats on L2 Students' Cognitive Load

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Shehri, Saleh; Gitsaki, Christina

    2010-01-01

    Cognitive load theory has been utilized by second language acquisition (SLA) researchers to account for differences in learner performance with regards to different learning tasks. Certain instructional designs were shown to have an impact on cognitive load and working memory, and this impact was found to be accentuated in a multimedia environment…

  15. Nurse Case Management and Housing Interventions Reduce Allergen Exposures: The Milwaukee Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Breysse, Jill; Wendt, Jean; Dixon, Sherry; Murphy, Amy; Wilson, Jonathan; Meurer, John; Cohn, Jennifer; Jacobs, David E.

    2011-01-01

    Objective We examined the impact of a combination of home environmental interventions and nurse case management services on total settled dust loadings and on allergen concentrations in the homes of asthmatic children. Methods Using a randomized longitudinal controlled trial study design, we randomly assigned homes of asthmatic children in Milwaukee to either a control (n=64) or an intervention (n=57) group. Control group homes received a visual assessment, education, bed/pillow dust mite encasings, and treatment of lead-based paint hazards. The intervention group received these same services plus nurse case management that included tailored, individual asthma action plans, provision of minor home repairs, home cleaning using special vacuuming and wet washing, and integrated pest management. Dust vacuum samples were collected from measured surface areas of floors in the TV room, kitchen, and child's bedroom at baseline and at three-, six-, and 12-month follow-up visits. Dust loading (mass per surface area) is a means of measuring total dust and the total amount of allergen present. Results For the intervention group, geometric mean dust loadings declined significantly from baseline (39 milligrams per square foot [mg/ft2]) to post-intervention (11 mg/ft2) (p<0.001). Baseline dust loading, treatment group, visit, and season were significant predictors of follow-up dust loadings. Mean post-intervention dust loadings were 72% higher in the control group. The total amount of allergen in settled house dust declined significantly following the intervention because total dust loading declined; the concentration of allergens in settled dust did not change significantly. Conclusion The combination of nurse case management and home environmental interventions promotes collaboration between health and housing professionals and is effective in reducing exposures to allergens in settled dust. PMID:21563716

  16. 14 CFR 23.409 - Tabs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Control Surface and System Loads § 23.409 Tabs. Control surface tabs must be designed for the most severe combination of airspeed and tab deflection likely to be obtained within the flight envelope for any usable loading condition. ...

  17. Development and characterization of morin hydrate-loaded micellar nanocarriers for the effective management of Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Singh, Manpreet; Thakur, Vandana; Deshmukh, Rahul; Sharma, Amit; Rathore, M S; Kumar, Ajay; Mishra, Neeraj

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this study was to prepare and characterise oral delivery of morin hydrate-loaded micellar nanocarriers using Pluronic P127 and Pluronic F123 for the effective management of Alzheimer's disease. After administration of formulation brain and blood drug concentration were found to be highest for optimised morin hydrate-loaded micellar nanocarriers as compared to plain morin hydrate. Significant (p < 0.05) reduction in assessed pharmacodynamic parameters was observed after administration of morin hydrate-loaded micellar nanocarriers as compared to disease control group. Chronic treatment with morin-loaded micelles significantly increased the memory in AlCl 3 induced Alzheimer's disease in Wistar rats.

  18. A Multi Agent-Based Framework for Simulating Household PHEV Distribution and Electric Distribution Network Impact

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cui, Xiaohui; Liu, Cheng; Kim, Hoe Kyoung

    2011-01-01

    The variation of household attributes such as income, travel distance, age, household member, and education for different residential areas may generate different market penetration rates for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Residential areas with higher PHEV ownership could increase peak electric demand locally and require utilities to upgrade the electric distribution infrastructure even though the capacity of the regional power grid is under-utilized. Estimating the future PHEV ownership distribution at the residential household level can help us understand the impact of PHEV fleet on power line congestion, transformer overload and other unforeseen problems at the local residential distribution network level.more » It can also help utilities manage the timing of recharging demand to maximize load factors and utilization of existing distribution resources. This paper presents a multi agent-based simulation framework for 1) modeling spatial distribution of PHEV ownership at local residential household level, 2) discovering PHEV hot zones where PHEV ownership may quickly increase in the near future, and 3) estimating the impacts of the increasing PHEV ownership on the local electric distribution network with different charging strategies. In this paper, we use Knox County, TN as a case study to show the simulation results of the agent-based model (ABM) framework. However, the framework can be easily applied to other local areas in the US.« less

  19. Multi-agent systems and their applications

    DOE PAGES

    Xie, Jing; Liu, Chen-Ching

    2017-07-14

    The number of distributed energy components and devices continues to increase globally. As a result, distributed control schemes are desirable for managing and utilizing these devices, together with the large amount of data. In recent years, agent-based technology becomes a powerful tool for engineering applications. As a computational paradigm, multi agent systems (MASs) provide a good solution for distributed control. Here in this paper, MASs and applications are discussed. A state-of-the-art literature survey is conducted on the system architecture, consensus algorithm, and multi-agent platform, framework, and simulator. In addition, a distributed under-frequency load shedding (UFLS) scheme is proposed using themore » MAS. Simulation results for a case study are presented. The future of MASs is discussed in the conclusion.« less

  20. System and method of DPF passive enhancement through powertrain torque-speed management

    DOEpatents

    Sujan, Vivek A.; Frazier, Timothy R.

    2015-11-24

    This disclosure provides a method and system for determining recommendations for vehicle operation that reduce soot production in view of a diesel particulate filter (DPF) of an exhaust aftertreatment system. Recommendations generated can reduce excessive particulate matter (PM) production during transient engine events and provide for operating conditions favorable for passive regeneration. In this way, less frequent active regeneration of the DPF is needed and/or more opportunities are provided for passive regeneration. The system and method can utilize location and terrain information to anticipate and project a window of operation in view of reducing soot production and soot loading of the DPF, or provide the operator with instruction when such opportunities are present or will soon be encountered.

  1. Multi-agent systems and their applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xie, Jing; Liu, Chen-Ching

    The number of distributed energy components and devices continues to increase globally. As a result, distributed control schemes are desirable for managing and utilizing these devices, together with the large amount of data. In recent years, agent-based technology becomes a powerful tool for engineering applications. As a computational paradigm, multi agent systems (MASs) provide a good solution for distributed control. Here in this paper, MASs and applications are discussed. A state-of-the-art literature survey is conducted on the system architecture, consensus algorithm, and multi-agent platform, framework, and simulator. In addition, a distributed under-frequency load shedding (UFLS) scheme is proposed using themore » MAS. Simulation results for a case study are presented. The future of MASs is discussed in the conclusion.« less

  2. California Publicly-Owned Utilities (POUs) – LBNL ‘Beyond Widgets’ Project. Task: ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. System Program Manual

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Robinson, Alastair; Mathew, Paul A.; Regnier, Cynthia

    This program manual contains detailed technical information for implementing an incentive program for task-ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. This manual was developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the California Publicly-Owned Utilities (CA POUs) as a partner in the ‘Beyond Widgets’ program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office. The primary audience for this manual is the program staff of the various CA POUs. It may also be used by other utility incentive programs to help develop similar programs. It is anticipated that the content of this manual be utilized by the CAmore » POU staff for developing related documents such as the Technical Resource Manual and other filings pertaining to the rollout of an energy systems-based rebate incentive program.« less

  3. Molten salt thermal energy storage for utility peaking loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrara, A.; Haslett, R.; Joyce, J.

    1977-01-01

    This paper considers the use of thermal energy storage (TES) in molten salts to increase the capacity of power plants. Five existing fossil and nuclear electric utility plants were selected as representative of current technology. A review of system load diagrams indicated that TES to meet loads over 95% of peak was a reasonable goal. Alternate TES heat exchanger locations were evaluated, showing that the stored energy should be used either for feedwater heating or to generate steam for an auxiliary power cycle. Specific salts for each concept are recommended. Design layouts were prepared for one plant, and it was shown that a TES tube/shell heat exchanger system could provide about 7% peaking capability at lower cost than adding steam generation capacity. Promising alternate heat exchanger concepts were also identified.

  4. Advanced batteries for load-leveling - The utility perspective on system integration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delmonaco, J. L.; Lewis, P. A.; Roman, H. T.; Zemkoski, J.

    1982-09-01

    Rechargeable battery systems for applications as utility load-leveling units, particularly in urban areas, are discussed. Particular attention is given to advanced lead-acid, zinc-halogen, sodium-sulfer, and lithium-iron sulfide battery systems, noting that battery charging can proceed at light load hours and requires no fuel on-site. Each battery site will have a master site controller and related subsystems necessary for ensuring grid-quality power output from the batteries and charging when feasible. The actual interconnection with the grid is envisioned as similar to transmission, subtransmission, or distribution systems similar to cogeneration or wind-derived energy interconnections. Analyses are presented of factors influencing the planning economics, impacts on existing grids through solid-state converters, and operational and maintenance considerations. Finally, research directions towards large scale battery implementation are outlined.

  5. Flicker Detection, Measurement and Means of Mitigation: A Review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Virulkar, V. B.; Aware, M. V.

    2014-04-01

    The voltage fluctuations caused by rapid industrial load change have been a major concern for supply utilities, regulatory agencies and customers. This paper gives a general review about how to examine/assess voltage flicker and methods followed in measuring the flickers due to rapid changing loads and means for its mitigation. It discusses the effects on utilities conditions, compensators response time and compensator capacity of flicker mitigation. A comparison between conventional mitigation techniques and the state-of-art mitigation techniques are carried out. It is shown in many cases that the state-of-art solution provides higher performance compared with conventional mitigation techniques. However, the choice of most suitable solution depends on characteristics of the supply at the point of connection, the requirement of the load and economics.

  6. How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury.

    PubMed

    Soligard, Torbjørn; Schwellnus, Martin; Alonso, Juan-Manuel; Bahr, Roald; Clarsen, Ben; Dijkstra, H Paul; Gabbett, Tim; Gleeson, Michael; Hägglund, Martin; Hutchinson, Mark R; Janse van Rensburg, Christa; Khan, Karim M; Meeusen, Romain; Orchard, John W; Pluim, Babette M; Raftery, Martin; Budgett, Richard; Engebretsen, Lars

    2016-09-01

    Athletes participating in elite sports are exposed to high training loads and increasingly saturated competition calendars. Emerging evidence indicates that poor load management is a major risk factor for injury. The International Olympic Committee convened an expert group to review the scientific evidence for the relationship of load (defined broadly to include rapid changes in training and competition load, competition calendar congestion, psychological load and travel) and health outcomes in sport. We summarise the results linking load to risk of injury in athletes, and provide athletes, coaches and support staff with practical guidelines to manage load in sport. This consensus statement includes guidelines for (1) prescription of training and competition load, as well as for (2) monitoring of training, competition and psychological load, athlete well-being and injury. In the process, we identified research priorities. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  7. How much is too much? (Part 2) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of illness.

    PubMed

    Schwellnus, Martin; Soligard, Torbjørn; Alonso, Juan-Manuel; Bahr, Roald; Clarsen, Ben; Dijkstra, H Paul; Gabbett, Tim J; Gleeson, Michael; Hägglund, Martin; Hutchinson, Mark R; Janse Van Rensburg, Christa; Meeusen, Romain; Orchard, John W; Pluim, Babette M; Raftery, Martin; Budgett, Richard; Engebretsen, Lars

    2016-09-01

    The modern-day athlete participating in elite sports is exposed to high training loads and increasingly saturated competition calendar. Emerging evidence indicates that inappropriate load management is a significant risk factor for acute illness and the overtraining syndrome. The IOC convened an expert group to review the scientific evidence for the relationship of load-including rapid changes in training and competition load, competition calendar congestion, psychological load and travel-and health outcomes in sport. This paper summarises the results linking load to risk of illness and overtraining in athletes, and provides athletes, coaches and support staff with practical guidelines for appropriate load management to reduce the risk of illness and overtraining in sport. These include guidelines for prescription of training and competition load, as well as for monitoring of training, competition and psychological load, athlete well-being and illness. In the process, urgent research priorities were identified. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  8. Pasture BMP effectiveness using an HRU-based subarea approach in SWAT.

    PubMed

    Sheshukov, Aleksey Y; Douglas-Mankin, Kyle R; Sinnathamby, Sumathy; Daggupati, Prasad

    2016-01-15

    Many conservation programs have been established to motivate producers to adopt best management practices (BMP) to minimize pasture runoff and nutrient loads, but a process is needed to assess BMP effectiveness to help target implementation efforts. A study was conducted to develop and demonstrate a method to evaluate water-quality impacts and the effectiveness of two widely used BMPs on a livestock pasture: off-stream watering site and stream fencing. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was built for the Pottawatomie Creek Watershed in eastern Kansas, independently calibrated at the watershed outlet for streamflow and at a pasture site for nutrients and sediment runoff, and also employed to simulate pollutant loads in a synthetic pasture. The pasture was divided into several subareas including stream, riparian zone, and two grazing zones. Five scenarios applied to both a synthetic pasture and a whole watershed were simulated to assess various combinations of widely used pasture BMPs: (1) baseline conditions with an open stream access, (2) an off-stream watering site installed in individual subareas in the pasture, and (3) stream or riparian zone fencing with an off-stream watering site. Results indicated that pollutant loads increase with increasing stocking rates whereas off-stream watering site and/or stream fencing reduce time cattle spend in the stream and nutrient loads. These two BMPs lowered organic P and N loads by more than 59% and nitrate loads by 19%, but TSS and sediment-attached P loads remained practically unchanged. An effectiveness index (EI) quantified impacts from the various combinations of off-stream watering sites and fencing in all scenarios. Stream bank contribution to pollutant loads was not accounted in the methodology due to limitations of the SWAT model, but can be incorporated in the approach if an amount of bank soil loss is known for various stocking rates. The proposed methodology provides an adaptable framework for pasture BMP assessment and was utilized to represent a consistent, defensible process to quantify the effectiveness of BMP proposals in a BMP auction in eastern Kansas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. 78 FR 23685 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-22

    ... installing new operational software for the electrical load management system and configuration database. The..., installing a new electrical power control panel, and installing new operational software for the electrical load management system and configuration database. Since the proposed AD was issued, we have received...

  10. The Flexible Solar Utility. Preparing for Solar's Impacts to Utility Planning and Operations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sterling, John; Davidovich, Ted; Cory, Karlynn

    2015-09-01

    This paper seeks to provide a flexible utility roadmap for identifying the steps that need to be taken to place the utility in the best position for addressing solar in the future. Solar growth and the emergence of new technologies will change the electric utility of tomorrow. Although not every utility, region, or market will change in the same way or magnitude, developing a path forward will be needed to reach the Electric System of the Future in the coming decades. In this report, a series of potential future states are identified that could result in drastically different energy mixesmore » and profiles: 1) Business as Usual, 2) Low Carbon, Centralized Generation, 3) Rapid Distributed Energy Resource Growth, 4) Interactivity of Both the Grid and Demand, and 5) Grid or Load Defection. Complicating this process are a series of emerging disruptions; decisions or events that will cause the electric sector to change. Understanding and preparing for these items is critical for the transformation to any of the future states to be successful. Predicting which future state will predominate 15 years from now is not possible; however, utilities still will need to look ahead and try to anticipate how factors will impact their planning, operations, and business models. In order to dig into the potential transformations facing the utility industry, the authors conducted a series of utility interviews, held a working session at a major industry solar conference, and conducted a quantitative survey. To focus conversations, the authors leveraged the Rapid Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Growth future to draw out how utilities would have to adapt from current processes and procedures in order to manage and thrive in that new environment. Distributed solar was investigated specifically, and could serve as a proxy resource for all distributed generation (DG). It can also provide the foundation for all DERs.« less

  11. Identifying and managing inappropriate hospital utilization: a policy synthesis.

    PubMed Central

    Payne, S M

    1987-01-01

    Utilization review, the assessment of the appropriateness and efficiency of hospital care through review of the medical record, and utilization management, deliberate action by payers or hospital administrators to influence providers of hospital services to increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which services are provided, are valuable but relatively unfamiliar strategies for containing hospital costs. The purpose of this synthesis is to increase awareness of the scope of and potential for these approaches among health services managers and administrators, third-party payers, policy analysts, and health services researchers. The synthesis will assist the reader to trace the conceptual context and the historical development of utilization review from unstructured methods using individual physicians' professional judgment to structured methods using explicit criteria; to establish the context of utilization review and clarify its uses; to understand the concepts and tools used in assessing the efficiency of hospital use; and to select, design, and evaluate utilization review and utilization management programs. The extent of inappropriate (medical unnecessary) hospital utilization and the factors associated with it are described. Implications for managers, providers, and third-party payers in targeting utilization review and in designing and evaluating utilization management programs are discussed. PMID:3121538

  12. Development of preliminary load and resistance factor design of drilled shafts in Iowa.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-10-01

    The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandated utilizing the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach for all new : bridges initiated in the United States after October 1, 2007. To achieve part of this goal, a database for Drilled SHAft ...

  13. 7 CFR 1710.404 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... serve the load. Eligible borrower means a utility system that has direct or indirect responsibility for... analysis of energy flows in a building, process, or system with the goal of identifying opportunities to... output. HVAC means heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Load means the Power delivered to power...

  14. Solar plus: Optimization of distributed solar PV through battery storage and dispatchable load in residential buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'Shaughnessy, Eric; Cutler, Dylan; Ardani, Kristen

    As utility electricity rates evolve, pairing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage has potential to ensure the value proposition of residential solar by mitigating economic uncertainty. In addition to batteries, load control technologies can reshape customer load profiles to optimize PV system use. The combination of PV, energy storage, and load control provides an integrated approach to PV deployment, which we call 'solar plus'. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Renewable Energy Optimization (REopt) model is utilized to evaluate cost-optimal technology selection, sizing, and dispatch in residential buildings under a variety of rate structures and locations. The REopt modelmore » is extended to include a controllable or 'smart' domestic hot water heater model and smart air conditioner model. We find that the solar plus approach improves end user economics across a variety of rate structures - especially those that are challenging for PV - including lower grid export rates, non-coincident time-of-use structures, and demand charges.« less

  15. Solar plus: Optimization of distributed solar PV through battery storage and dispatchable load in residential buildings

    DOE PAGES

    O'Shaughnessy, Eric; Cutler, Dylan; Ardani, Kristen; ...

    2018-01-11

    As utility electricity rates evolve, pairing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage has potential to ensure the value proposition of residential solar by mitigating economic uncertainty. In addition to batteries, load control technologies can reshape customer load profiles to optimize PV system use. The combination of PV, energy storage, and load control provides an integrated approach to PV deployment, which we call 'solar plus'. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Renewable Energy Optimization (REopt) model is utilized to evaluate cost-optimal technology selection, sizing, and dispatch in residential buildings under a variety of rate structures and locations. The REopt modelmore » is extended to include a controllable or 'smart' domestic hot water heater model and smart air conditioner model. We find that the solar plus approach improves end user economics across a variety of rate structures - especially those that are challenging for PV - including lower grid export rates, non-coincident time-of-use structures, and demand charges.« less

  16. Integral blow moulding for cycle time reduction of CFR-TP aluminium contour joint processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barfuss, Daniel; Würfel, Veit; Grützner, Raik; Gude, Maik; Müller, Roland

    2018-05-01

    Integral blow moulding (IBM) as a joining technology of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFR-TP) hollow profiles with metallic load introduction elements enables significant cycle time reduction by shortening of the process chain. As the composite part is joined to the metallic part during its consolidation process subsequent joining steps are omitted. In combination with a multi-scale structured load introduction element its form closure function enables to pass very high loads and is capable to achieve high degrees of material utilization. This paper first shows the process set-up utilizing thermoplastic tape braided preforms and two-staged press and internal hydro formed load introduction elements. Second focuses on heating technologies and process optimization. Aiming at cycle time reduction convection and induction heating in regard to the resulting product quality is inspected by photo micrographs and computer tomographic scans. Concluding remarks give final recommendations for the process design in regard to the structural design.

  17. Changes in speckle patterns induced by load application onto an optical fiber and its possible application for sensing purpose

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasegawa, Makoto; Okumura, Jyun-ya; Hyuga, Akio

    2015-08-01

    Speckle patterns to be observed in an output light spot from an optical fiber are known to be changed due to external disturbances applied onto the optical fiber. In order to investigate possibilities of utilizing such changes in speckle patterns for sensing application, a certain load was applied onto a jacket-covered communication-grade multi-mode glass optical fiber through which laser beams emitted from a laser diode were propagating, and observed changes in speckle patterns in the output light spot from the optical fiber were investigated both as image data via a CCD camera and as an output voltage from a photovoltaic panel irradiated with the output light spot. The load was applied via a load application mechanism in which several ridges were provided onto opposite flat plates and a certain number of weights were placed there so that corrugated bending of the optical fiber was intentionally induced via load application due to the ridges. The obtained results showed that the number of speckles in the observed pattern in the output light spot as well as the output voltage from the photovoltaic panel irradiated with the output light spot showed decreases upon load application with relatively satisfactory repeatability. When the load was reduced, i.e., the weights were removed, the number of speckles then showed recovery. These results indicate there is a certain possibility of utilizing changes in speckle patterns for sensing of load application onto the optical fiber.

  18. Modeling of thermo-mechanical fatigue and damage in shape memory alloy axial actuators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wheeler, Robert W.; Hartl, Darren J.; Chemisky, Yves; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.

    2015-04-01

    The aerospace, automotive, and energy industries have seen the potential benefits of using shape memory alloys (SMAs) as solid state actuators. Thus far, however, these actuators are generally limited to non-critical components or over-designed due to a lack of understanding regarding how SMAs undergo thermomechanical or actuation fatigue and the inability to accurately predict failure in an actuator during use. The purpose of this study was to characterize the actuation fatigue response of Nickel-Titanium-Hafnium (NiTiHf) axial actuators and, in turn, use this characterization to predict failure and monitor damage in dogbone actuators undergoing various thermomechanical loading paths. Calibration data was collected from constant load, full cycle tests ranging from 200-600MPa. Subsequently, actuator lifetimes were predicted for four additional loading paths. These loading paths consisted of linearly varying load with full transformation (300-500MPa) and step loads which transition from zero stress to 300-400MPa at various martensitic volume fractions. Thermal cycling was achieved via resistive heating and convective cooling and was controlled via a state machine developed in LabVIEW. A previously developed fatigue damage model, which is formulated such that the damage accumulation rate is general in terms of its dependence on current and local stress and actuation strain states, was utilized. This form allows the model to be utilized for specimens undergoing complex loading paths. Agreement between experiments and simulations is discussed.

  19. Michigan | Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States | Solar Research |

    Science.gov Websites

    program were retained. System size limit: 150 kW Aggregate cap: 0.75% of utility's peak load of the are currently no community solar policies in Michigan. Utilities and third-party developers offer

  20. Microgrid optimized resource dispatch for public-purpose resiliency and sustainability

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burr, Michael; Camilleri, John; Lubkeman, David

    Communities in Atlantic coastal regions have in recent years sought to improve the resiliency of their critical infrastructure and public services, especially to protect against hurricanes and other events capable of causing widespread damage and disruption. As the backbone of any community’s critical functions, the electricity distribution system requires high resiliency in order to maintain local energy delivery services. Against this backdrop, the Project sought to develop a resilient energy microgrid control system capable of integrating distributed renewable energy resources, natural gas CHP units, energy storage, and demand-side management technologies in near-real-time optimization schemes for the community of Olney, Md.more » The Montgomery County Planning Board in 2005 established the Olney Town Center area as a “civic center/town commons,” in part because it serves as a key point of interaction in the community – but also because it contains numerous vital community assets. With a total peak electrical load of about 8 MW (including Montgomery General Hospital with a 2.4 MW peak), the Project area is a business and essential services area, directly serving a suburban population of more than 33,000 residents. It contains a hospital, police station, two fire stations, two schools, grocery stores, and gas stations, and the community’s water tower, among other things. Moreover, the location stands at the crossroads of two state highways that represent major regional arteries for commerce and public safety in Montgomery County. These characteristics made the Project area an appropriate setting for considering microgrid deployment. It presented a model of a typical Maryland suburban community, with geographic dispersion of vital assets over a sizeable area, and a combination of overhead distribution lines and underground cables serving those critical loads. Such a representative model helped to ensure the solutions developed and the scenarios tested would be readily applicable to other communities in the state and the region. Further, the Project’s outcomes and lessons provide insights to guide community microgrid design and development in many locations. To achieve Project objectives – including those established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory – the Project team researched, developed, and tested in simulation a set of microgrid controls capable of maintaining electricity supplies for critical community loads in the event of a regional utility outage lasting many days or even weeks. Testing and analysis showed that the microgrid would be capable of maintaining electricity supply to critical loads essentially indefinitely in most outage scenarios, while also substantially improving overall reliability for microgrid customers. With targeted improvements in local utility distribution infrastructure, test analysis showed that the microgrid would be capable of reducing annual electricity outages for critical loads by 98%. Further, to help achieve environmental and efficiency policy goals established by both the State of Maryland and the federal government, the team designed the system to reduce the annual carbon footprint of served loads by 20%, and to improve system energy efficiency for those loads by at least 20%. Testing showed that, as designed, the system is capable of meeting these performance requirements, with potential for further improvements through more effective thermal energy utilization. This Final Report, comprised of four volumes and 11 annexes, presents the results of these project efforts, including feasibility assessment (section F) and guidance for decision-makers considering prospective deployment of public-purpose microgrid systems in Maryland communities.« less

  1. Low-back electromyography (EMG) data-driven load classification for dynamic lifting tasks.

    PubMed

    Totah, Deema; Ojeda, Lauro; Johnson, Daniel D; Gates, Deanna; Mower Provost, Emily; Barton, Kira

    2018-01-01

    Numerous devices have been designed to support the back during lifting tasks. To improve the utility of such devices, this research explores the use of preparatory muscle activity to classify muscle loading and initiate appropriate device activation. The goal of this study was to determine the earliest time window that enabled accurate load classification during a dynamic lifting task. Nine subjects performed thirty symmetrical lifts, split evenly across three weight conditions (no-weight, 10-lbs and 24-lbs), while low-back muscle activity data was collected. Seven descriptive statistics features were extracted from 100 ms windows of data. A multinomial logistic regression (MLR) classifier was trained and tested, employing leave-one subject out cross-validation, to classify lifted load values. Dimensionality reduction was achieved through feature cross-correlation analysis and greedy feedforward selection. The time of full load support by the subject was defined as load-onset. Regions of highest average classification accuracy started at 200 ms before until 200 ms after load-onset with average accuracies ranging from 80% (±10%) to 81% (±7%). The average recall for each class ranged from 69-92%. These inter-subject classification results indicate that preparatory muscle activity can be leveraged to identify the intent to lift a weight up to 100 ms prior to load-onset. The high accuracies shown indicate the potential to utilize intent classification for assistive device applications. Active assistive devices, e.g. exoskeletons, could prevent back injury by off-loading low-back muscles. Early intent classification allows more time for actuators to respond and integrate seamlessly with the user.

  2. Lunar base thermal management/power system analysis and design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcghee, Jerry R.

    1992-01-01

    A compilation of several lunar surface thermal management and power system studies completed under contract and IR&D is presented. The work includes analysis and preliminary design of all major components of an integrated thermal management system, including loads determination, active internal acquisition and transport equipment, external transport systems (active and passive), passive insulation, solar shielding, and a range of lunar surface radiator concepts. Several computer codes were utilized in support of this study, including RADSIM to calculate radiation exchange factors and view factors, RADIATOR (developed in-house) for heat rejection system sizing and performance analysis over a lunar day, SURPWER for power system sizing, and CRYSTORE for cryogenic system performance predictions. Although much of the work was performed in support of lunar rover studies, any or all of the results can be applied to a range of surface applications. Output data include thermal loads summaries, subsystem performance data, mass, and volume estimates (where applicable), integrated and worst-case lunar day radiator size/mass and effective sink temperatures for several concepts (shielded and unshielded), and external transport system performance estimates for both single and two-phase (heat pumped) transport loops. Several advanced radiator concepts are presented, along with brief assessments of possible system benefits and potential drawbacks. System point designs are presented for several cases, executed in support of the contract and IR&D studies, although the parametric nature of the analysis is stressed to illustrate applicability of the analysis procedure to a wide variety of lunar surface systems. The reference configuration(s) derived from the various studies will be presented along with supporting criteria. A preliminary design will also be presented for the reference basing scenario, including qualitative data regarding TPS concerns and issues.

  3. Electronic Switch Arrays for Managing Microbattery Arrays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mojarradi, Mohammad; Alahmad, Mahmoud; Sukumar, Vinesh; Zghoul, Fadi; Buck, Kevin; Hess, Herbert; Li, Harry; Cox, David

    2008-01-01

    Integrated circuits have been invented for managing the charging and discharging of such advanced miniature energy-storage devices as planar arrays of microscopic energy-storage elements [typically, microscopic electrochemical cells (microbatteries) or microcapacitors]. The architecture of these circuits enables implementation of the following energy-management options: dynamic configuration of the elements of an array into a series or parallel combination of banks (subarrarys), each array comprising a series of parallel combination of elements; direct addressing of individual banks for charging/or discharging; and, disconnection of defective elements and corresponding reconfiguration of the rest of the array to utilize the remaining functional elements to obtain the desited voltage and current performance. An integrated circuit according to the invention consists partly of a planar array of field-effect transistors that function as switches for routing electric power among the energy-storage elements, the power source, and the load. To connect the energy-storage elements to the power source for charging, a specific subset of switches is closed; to connect the energy-storage elements to the load for discharging, a different specific set of switches is closed. Also included in the integrated circuit is circuitry for monitoring and controlling charging and discharging. The control and monitoring circuitry, the switching transistors, and interconnecting metal lines are laid out on the integrated-circuit chip in a pattern that registers with the array of energy-storage elements. There is a design option to either (1) fabricate the energy-storage elements in the corresponding locations on, and as an integral part of, this integrated circuit; or (2) following a flip-chip approach, fabricate the array of energy-storage elements on a separate integrated-circuit chip and then align and bond the two chips together.

  4. An optimization-based approach for facility energy management with uncertainties, and, Power portfolio optimization in deregulated electricity markets with risk management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jun

    Topic 1. An Optimization-Based Approach for Facility Energy Management with Uncertainties. Effective energy management for facilities is becoming increasingly important in view of the rising energy costs, the government mandate on the reduction of energy consumption, and the human comfort requirements. This part of dissertation presents a daily energy management formulation and the corresponding solution methodology for HVAC systems. The problem is to minimize the energy and demand costs through the control of HVAC units while satisfying human comfort, system dynamics, load limit constraints, and other requirements. The problem is difficult in view of the fact that the system is nonlinear, time-varying, building-dependent, and uncertain; and that the direct control of a large number of HVAC components is difficult. In this work, HVAC setpoints are the control variables developed on top of a Direct Digital Control (DDC) system. A method that combines Lagrangian relaxation, neural networks, stochastic dynamic programming, and heuristics is developed to predict the system dynamics and uncontrollable load, and to optimize the setpoints. Numerical testing and prototype implementation results show that our method can effectively reduce total costs, manage uncertainties, and shed the load, is computationally efficient. Furthermore, it is significantly better than existing methods. Topic 2. Power Portfolio Optimization in Deregulated Electricity Markets with Risk Management. In a deregulated electric power system, multiple markets of different time scales exist with various power supply instruments. A load serving entity (LSE) has multiple choices from these instruments to meet its load obligations. In view of the large amount of power involved, the complex market structure, risks in such volatile markets, stringent constraints to be satisfied, and the long time horizon, a power portfolio optimization problem is of critical importance but difficulty for an LSE to serve the load, maximize its profit, and manage risks. In this topic, a mid-term power portfolio optimization problem with risk management is presented. Key instruments are considered, risk terms based on semi-variances of spot market transactions are introduced, and penalties on load obligation violations are added to the objective function to improve algorithm convergence and constraint satisfaction. To overcome the inseparability of the resulting problem, a surrogate optimization framework is developed enabling a decomposition and coordination approach. Numerical testing results show that our method effectively provides decisions for various instruments to maximize profit, manage risks, and is computationally efficient.

  5. Volcanic ashfall accumulation and loading on gutters and pitched roofs from laboratory empirical experiments: Implications for risk assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hampton, S. J.; Cole, J. W.; Wilson, G.; Wilson, T. M.; Broom, S.

    2015-10-01

    Volcanic ash load is dependent on the migration and accumulation of ash on roofing surfaces and guttering, of which limited research has been conducted. This study investigates this knowledge gap through the empirical experimental testing of volcanic ash on variably pitched metal sheet roofs with modern PVC gutter systems, highlighting the relative importance of accumulation, migration, remobilization, saturation, and subsequent load. A testing rig delivered ash onto variably pitched roofs (pitches 15°, 25°, 30°, 35°, and 45°) with two 45° tests involving a wet surface with subsequent ashfall, and the second of ashfall with periods of wetting, followed by wetting until failure. In testing, dry ash on a dry roof accumulates at pitches up to 35°, above this pitch the percentage of ash accumulating reduces with greater percentages infilling guttering and or lost to the ground. With the introduction of a wet roof surface at 45° pitch, adherence of dry ash greatly increases, increasing accumulated ash thickness as compared to dry tests from 8% to 38%. For testing involving periods of wetting at 45° roof pitch, accumulation percentages further increased to 50%. Ash migrating from the roof surface filled guttering more rapidly at greater pitches, which once full resulted in further migrating ash to spill over the front or back gutter lips. Collapse of guttering did not occur during testing, but deformation and bracket detachment did occur at loads > 1 kPa. This study provides data on load calculations on roofing and PVC guttering through the quantification and utilization of relationships between ash fate, pitch, and the influence of water, in the development of two scenarios for both roof and gutter. These two scenarios then enable the estimation of ash accumulation and thus the load and collapse thresholds for roof and gutter at different roof pitch, which could be adopted for volcanic risk modeling or risk management.

  6. Laterally Loaded Partially Prestressed Concrete Piles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-09-01

    of an extensive test program onl laterali y ioadeu. partially pr- estressed concrete fender piles. The study Included service load range as well ats...12,000-psi design strength). Configura- tion G utilized 14 r:- estress strand, in an unsymmetric pattern. To provide a uniform concrete prestress of 540...sudden loss in load carrying capacity directly related to the loss of concrete area. The compression concrete fractured longitudinally and along the

  7. Peridynamics for failure and residual strength prediction of fiber-reinforced composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colavito, Kyle

    Peridynamics is a reformulation of classical continuum mechanics that utilizes integral equations in place of partial differential equations to remove the difficulty in handling discontinuities, such as cracks or interfaces, within a body. Damage is included within the constitutive model; initiation and propagation can occur without resorting to special crack growth criteria necessary in other commonly utilized approaches. Predicting damage and residual strengths of composite materials involves capturing complex, distinct and progressive failure modes. The peridynamic laminate theory correctly predicts the load redistribution in general laminate layups in the presence of complex failure modes through the use of multiple interaction types. This study presents two approaches to obtain the critical peridynamic failure parameters necessary to capture the residual strength of a composite structure. The validity of both approaches is first demonstrated by considering the residual strength of isotropic materials. The peridynamic theory is used to predict the crack growth and final failure load in both a diagonally loaded square plate with a center crack, as well as a four-point shear specimen subjected to asymmetric loading. This study also establishes the validity of each approach by considering composite laminate specimens in which each failure mode is isolated. Finally, the failure loads and final failure modes are predicted in a laminate with various hole diameters subjected to tensile and compressive loads.

  8. New optomechanical approach to quantitative characterization of fatigue behavior of dynamically loaded structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Furlong, Cosme; Pryputniewicz, Ryszard J.

    1995-06-01

    The basic relationships between stress and strain under cyclic conditions of loading are not at present well understood. It would seem that information of this type is vital for a fundamental approach to understand the fatigue behavior of dynamically loaded structures. In this paper, experimental and computational methods are utilized to study the fatigue behavior of a thin aluminum cantilever plate subjected to dynamic loading. The studies are performed by combining optomechanical and finite element methods. The cantilever plate is loaded periodically by excitation set at a fixed amplitude and at a specific resonance frequency of the plate. By continuously applying this type of loading and using holographic interferometry, the behavior of the plate during a specific period of time is investigated. Quantitative information is obtained from laser vibrometry data which are utilized by a finite element program to calculate strains and stresses assuming a homogeneous and isotropic material and constant strain elements. It is shown that the use of experimental and computational hybrid methodologies allows identification of different zones of the plate that are fatigue critical. This optomechanical approach proves to be a viable tool for understanding of fatigue behavior of mechanical components and for performing optimization of structures subjected to fatigue conditions.

  9. 41 CFR 109-28.5006 - Utilization.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... AND DISTRIBUTION 28.50-Management of Equipment Held for Future Projects § 109-28.5006 Utilization. It... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Utilization. 109-28.5006 Section 109-28.5006 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations...

  10. Adding concentrated solar power plants to wind farms to achieve a good utility electrical load match

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Texas has the greatest installed wind turbine capacity of any state in the United States, the percentage of wind capacity approaches 10% of the utilities capacity (in 2010 the total wind generated capacity in Texas was 8%). It is becomimg increasingly difficult for the utility to balance the elec...

  11. Effect of high loading on substrate utilization kinetics and microbial community structure in super fast submerged membrane bioreactor.

    PubMed

    Sözen, S; Çokgör, E U; Başaran, S Teksoy; Aysel, M; Akarsubaşı, A; Ergal, I; Kurt, H; Pala-Ozkok, I; Orhon, D

    2014-05-01

    The study investigated the effect of high substrate loading on substrate utilization kinetics, and changes inflicted on the composition of the microbial community in a superfast submerged membrane bioreactor. Submerged MBR was sequentially fed with a substrate mixture and acetate; its performance was monitored at steady-state, at extremely low sludge age values of 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5d, all adjusted to a single hydraulic retention time of 8.0 h. Each MBR run was repeated when substrate feeding was increased from 200 mg COD/L to 1000 mg COD/L. Substrate utilization kinetics was altered to significantly lower levels when the MBR was adjusted to higher substrate loadings. Molecular analysis of the biomass revealed that variable process kinetics could be correlated with parallel changes in the composition of the microbial community, mainly by a replacement mechanism, where newer species, better adapted to the new growth conditions, substituted others that are washed out from the system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. 48 CFR 41.301 - Requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... not later than 120 days prior to the date new services are required to commence an existing contract..., and the cost of providing or obtaining necessary backup and other ancillary services. (c) For new...., demand side management, load or energy management, peak shaving, on site generation, load shaping), and...

  13. Evaluation of LADOTD traffic load data for determination of traffic load equivalency factors : technical summary.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-04-01

    Louisianan has established a traffic monitoring program, compliant with FHWA incentives, that is designed to collect and manage the traffic data needed for the design and management of LADOTD's network of current and future highways. In the early 198...

  14. A fully integrated, wide-load-range, high-power-conversion-efficiency switched capacitor DC-DC converter with adaptive bias comparator for ultra-low-power power management integrated circuit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asano, Hiroki; Hirose, Tetsuya; Kojima, Yuta; Kuroki, Nobutaka; Numa, Masahiro

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we present a wide-load-range switched-capacitor DC-DC buck converter with an adaptive bias comparator for ultra-low-power power management integrated circuit. The proposed converter is based on a conventional one and modified to operate in a wide load range by developing a load current monitor used in an adaptive bias comparator. Measurement results demonstrated that our proposed converter generates a 1.0 V output voltage from a 3.0 V input voltage at a load of up to 100 µA, which is 20 times higher than that of the conventional one. The power conversion efficiency was higher than 60% in the load range from 0.8 to 100 µA.

  15. Load sharing in bioinspired fibrillar adhesives with backing layer interactions and interfacial misalignment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bacca, Mattia; Booth, Jamie A.; Turner, Kimberly L.; McMeeking, Robert M.

    2016-11-01

    Bio-inspired fibrillar adhesives rely on the utilization of short-range intermolecular forces harnessed by intimate contact at fibril tips. The combined adhesive strength of multiple fibrils can only be utilized if equal load sharing (ELS) is obtained at detachment. Previous investigations have highlighted that mechanical coupling of fibrils through a compliant backing layer gives rise to load concentration and the nucleation and propagation of interfacial flaws. However, misalignment of the adhesive and contacting surface has not been considered in theoretical treatments of load sharing with backing layer interactions. Alignment imperfections are difficult to avoid for a flat-on-flat interfacial configuration. In this work we demonstrate that interfacial misalignment can significantly alter load sharing and the kinematics of detachment in a model adhesive system. Load sharing regimes dominated by backing layer interactions and misalignment are revealed, the transition between which is controlled by the misalignment angle, fibril separation, and fibril compliance. In the regime dominated by misalignment, backing layer deformation can counteract misalignment giving rise to improved load sharing when compared to an identical fibrillar array with a rigid backing layer. This result challenges the conventional belief that stiffer (and thinner) backing layers consistently reduce load concentration among fibrils. Finally, we obtain analytically the fibril compliance distribution required to harness backing layer interactions to obtain ELS. Through fibril compliance optimization, ELS can be obtained even with misalignment. However, since misalignment is typically not deterministic, it is of greater practical significance that the array optimized for perfect alignment exhibits load sharing superior to that of a homogeneous array subject to misalignment. These results inform the design of fibrillar arrays with graded compliance capable of exhibiting improved load sharing over large areas.

  16. Economics of Red Pine Management for Utility Pole Timber

    Treesearch

    Gerald H. Grossman; Karen Potter-Witter

    1991-01-01

    Including utility poles in red pine management regimes leads to distinctly different management recommendations. Where utility pole markets exist, managing for poles will maximize net returns. To do so, plantations should be maintained above 110 ft2/ac, higher than usually recommended. In Michigan's northern lower peninsula, approximately...

  17. DNS load balancing in the CERN cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reguero Naredo, Ignacio; Lobato Pardavila, Lorena

    2017-10-01

    Load Balancing is one of the technologies enabling deployment of large-scale applications on cloud resources. A DNS Load Balancer Daemon (LBD) has been developed at CERN as a cost-effective way to balance applications accepting DNS timing dynamics and not requiring persistence. It currently serves over 450 load-balanced aliases with two small VMs acting as master and slave. The aliases are mapped to DNS subdomains. These subdomains are managed with DDNS according to a load metric, which is collected from the alias member nodes with SNMP. During the last years, several improvements were brought to the software, for instance: support for IPv6, parallelization of the status requests, implementing the client in Python to allow for multiple aliases with differentiated states on the same machine or support for application state. The configuration of the Load Balancer is currently managed by a Puppet type. It discovers the alias member nodes and gets the alias definitions from the Ermis REST service. The Aiermis self-service GUI for the management of the LB aliases has been produced and is based on the Ermis service above that implements a form of Load Balancing as a Service (LBaaS). The Ermis REST API has authorisation based in Foreman hostgroups. The CERN DNS LBD is Open Software with Apache 2 license.

  18. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Uses Host Triacylglycerol to Accumulate Lipid Droplets and Acquires a Dormancy-Like Phenotype in Lipid-Loaded Macrophages

    PubMed Central

    Daniel, Jaiyanth; Sirakova, Tatiana D.; Kolattukudy, Pappachan E.

    2011-01-01

    Two billion people are latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Mtb-infected macrophages are likely to be sequestered inside the hypoxic environments of the granuloma and differentiate into lipid-loaded macrophages that contain triacylglycerol (TAG)-filled lipid droplets which may provide a fatty acid-rich host environment for Mtb. We report here that human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages and THP-1 derived macrophages incubated under hypoxia accumulate Oil Red O-staining lipid droplets containing TAG. Inside such hypoxic, lipid-loaded macrophages, nearly half the Mtb population developed phenotypic tolerance to isoniazid, lost acid-fast staining and accumulated intracellular lipid droplets. Dual-isotope labeling of macrophage TAG revealed that Mtb inside the lipid-loaded macrophages imports fatty acids derived from host TAG and incorporates them intact into Mtb TAG. The fatty acid composition of host and Mtb TAG were nearly identical suggesting that Mtb utilizes host TAG to accumulate intracellular TAG. Utilization of host TAG by Mtb for lipid droplet synthesis was confirmed when fluorescent fatty acid-labeled host TAG was utilized to accumulate fluorescent lipid droplets inside the pathogen. Deletion of the Mtb triacylglycerol synthase 1 (tgs1) gene resulted in a drastic decrease but not a complete loss in both radiolabeled and fluorescent TAG accumulation by Mtb suggesting that the TAG that accumulates within Mtb is generated mainly by the incorporation of fatty acids released from host TAG. We show direct evidence for the utilization of the fatty acids from host TAG for lipid metabolism inside Mtb. Taqman real-time PCR measurements revealed that the mycobacterial genes dosR, hspX, icl1, tgs1 and lipY were up-regulated in Mtb within hypoxic lipid loaded macrophages along with other Mtb genes known to be associated with dormancy and lipid metabolism. PMID:21731490

  19. 78 FR 23866 - Airworthiness Directives; the Boeing Company

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-23

    ... operational software in the cabin management system, and loading new software into the mass memory card. The...-200 and -300 series airplanes. The proposed AD would have required installing new operational software in the cabin management system, and loading new software into the mass memory card. Since the...

  20. Comparison Virtual Landing Gear Drop Test for Commuter Aircraft Utilize MSC ADAMS And Solidworks Motion Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hidayat, Dony; Istiyanto, Jos; Agus Sumarsono, Danardono

    2018-04-01

    Loads at main landing gear while touchdown impact is function of aircraft weight and ground reaction load factor. In regulation states ground reaction load factor at Vsink = 3.05 m/s is below 3. Contact/impact force from simulation using MSC ADAMS is 94680 N, while using Solidworks Motion Analysis is 97691 N. The difference between MSC ADAMS and Solidworks Motion Analysis is 3.08%. The ground reaction load factor in MSC ADAMS is 2.78 while in Solidworks Motion Analysis is 2.87.

  1. The Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Final Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lu, Ning; Makarov, Yuri V.; Weimar, Mark R.

    2010-08-31

    The higher penetration of intermittent generation resources (including wind and solar generation) in the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authorities (BAs) raises issue of requiring expensive additional fast grid balancing services in response to additional intermittency and fast up and down power ramps in the electric supply system. The overall goal of the wide-area energy management system (WAEMS) project is to develop the principles, algorithms, market integration rules, a functional design, and a technical specification for an energy storage system to help cope with unexpected rapid changes in renewable generation power output. The resultingmore » system will store excess energy, control dispatchable load and distributed generation, and utilize inter-area exchange of the excess energy between the California ISO and Bonneville Power Administration control areas. A further goal is to provide a cost-benefit analysis and develop a business model for an investment-based practical deployment of such a system. There are two tasks in Phase 2 of the WAEMS project: the flywheel field tests and the battery evaluation. Two final reports, the Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Flywheel Field Tests Final Report and the Wide-area Energy Storage and Management System Battery Storage Evaluation, were written to summarize the results of the two tasks.« less

  2. Three dimensional adaptive mesh refinement on a spherical shell for atmospheric models with lagrangian coordinates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penner, Joyce E.; Andronova, Natalia; Oehmke, Robert C.; Brown, Jonathan; Stout, Quentin F.; Jablonowski, Christiane; van Leer, Bram; Powell, Kenneth G.; Herzog, Michael

    2007-07-01

    One of the most important advances needed in global climate models is the development of atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs) that can reliably treat convection. Such GCMs require high resolution in local convectively active regions, both in the horizontal and vertical directions. During previous research we have developed an Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) dynamical core that can adapt its grid resolution horizontally. Our approach utilizes a finite volume numerical representation of the partial differential equations with floating Lagrangian vertical coordinates and requires resolving dynamical processes on small spatial scales. For the latter it uses a newly developed general-purpose library, which facilitates 3D block-structured AMR on spherical grids. The library manages neighbor information as the blocks adapt, and handles the parallel communication and load balancing, freeing the user to concentrate on the scientific modeling aspects of their code. In particular, this library defines and manages adaptive blocks on the sphere, provides user interfaces for interpolation routines and supports the communication and load-balancing aspects for parallel applications. We have successfully tested the library in a 2-D (longitude-latitude) implementation. During the past year, we have extended the library to treat adaptive mesh refinement in the vertical direction. Preliminary results are discussed. This research project is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach involving atmospheric science, computer science and mathematical/numerical aspects. The work is done in close collaboration between the Atmospheric Science, Computer Science and Aerospace Engineering Departments at the University of Michigan and NOAA GFDL.

  3. Development of a multiobjective optimization tool for the selection and placement of best management practices for nonpoint source pollution control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maringanti, Chetan; Chaubey, Indrajeet; Popp, Jennie

    2009-06-01

    Best management practices (BMPs) are effective in reducing the transport of agricultural nonpoint source pollutants to receiving water bodies. However, selection of BMPs for placement in a watershed requires optimization of the available resources to obtain maximum possible pollution reduction. In this study, an optimization methodology is developed to select and place BMPs in a watershed to provide solutions that are both economically and ecologically effective. This novel approach develops and utilizes a BMP tool, a database that stores the pollution reduction and cost information of different BMPs under consideration. The BMP tool replaces the dynamic linkage of the distributed parameter watershed model during optimization and therefore reduces the computation time considerably. Total pollutant load from the watershed, and net cost increase from the baseline, were the two objective functions minimized during the optimization process. The optimization model, consisting of a multiobjective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) in combination with a watershed simulation tool (Soil Water and Assessment Tool (SWAT)), was developed and tested for nonpoint source pollution control in the L'Anguille River watershed located in eastern Arkansas. The optimized solutions provided a trade-off between the two objective functions for sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen reduction. The results indicated that buffer strips were very effective in controlling the nonpoint source pollutants from leaving the croplands. The optimized BMP plans resulted in potential reductions of 33%, 32%, and 13% in sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen loads, respectively, from the watershed.

  4. A systematic review of quantitative burn wound microbiology in the management of burns patients.

    PubMed

    Halstead, Fenella D; Lee, Kwang Chear; Kwei, Johnny; Dretzke, Janine; Oppenheim, Beryl A; Moiemen, Naiem S

    2018-02-01

    The early diagnosis of infection or sepsis in burns are important for patient care. Globally, a large number of burn centres advocate quantitative cultures of wound biopsies for patient management, since there is assumed to be a direct link between the bioburden of a burn wound and the risk of microbial invasion. Given the conflicting study findings in this area, a systematic review was warranted. Bibliographic databases were searched with no language restrictions to August 2015. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed in duplicate using pre-defined criteria. Substantial heterogeneity precluded quantitative synthesis, and findings were described narratively, sub-grouped by clinical question. Twenty six laboratory and/or clinical studies were included. Substantial heterogeneity hampered comparisons across studies and interpretation of findings. Limited evidence suggests that (i) more than one quantitative microbiology sample is required to obtain reliable estimates of bacterial load; (ii) biopsies are more sensitive than swabs in diagnosing or predicting sepsis; (iii) high bacterial loads may predict worse clinical outcomes, and (iv) both quantitative and semi-quantitative culture reports need to be interpreted with caution and in the context of other clinical risk factors. The evidence base for the utility and reliability of quantitative microbiology for diagnosing or predicting clinical outcomes in burns patients is limited and often poorly reported. Consequently future research is warranted. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Recent developments on SMA actuators: predicting the actuation fatigue life for variable loading schemes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wheeler, Robert W.; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.

    2017-04-01

    Shape memory alloys (SMAs), due to their ability to repeatably recover substantial deformations under applied mechanical loading, have the potential to impact the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and energy industries as weight and volume saving replacements for conventional actuators. While numerous applications of SMA actuators have been flight tested and can be found in industrial applications, these actuators are generally limited to non-critical components, are not widely implemented and frequently one-off designs, and are generally overdesigned due to a lack of understanding of the effect of the loading path on the fatigue life and the lack of an accurate method for predicting actuator lifetimes. In recent years, multiple research efforts have increased our understanding of the actuation fatigue process of SMAs. These advances can be utilized to predict the fatigue lives and failure loads in SMA actuators. Additionally, these prediction methods can be implemented in order to intelligently design actuators in accordance with their fatigue and failure limits. In the following paper, both simple and complex thermomechanical loading paths have been considered. Experimental data was utilized from two material systems: equiatomic Nickel-Titanium and Nickelrich Nickel-Titanium.

  6. Satellite Cloud and Radiative Property Processing and Distribution System on the NASA Langley ASDC OpenStack and OpenShift Cloud Platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, L.; Chee, T.; Palikonda, R.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Bedka, K. M.; Spangenberg, D.; Vakhnin, A.; Lutz, N. E.; Walter, J.; Kusterer, J.

    2017-12-01

    Cloud Computing offers new opportunities for large-scale scientific data producers to utilize Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) IT resources to process and deliver data products in an operational environment where timely delivery, reliability, and availability are critical. The NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) is building and testing a private and public facing cloud for users in the Science Directorate to utilize as an everyday production environment. The NASA SatCORPS (Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property Retrieval System) team processes and derives near real-time (NRT) global cloud products from operational geostationary (GEO) satellite imager datasets. To deliver these products, we will utilize the public facing cloud and OpenShift to deploy a load-balanced webserver for data storage, access, and dissemination. The OpenStack private cloud will host data ingest and computational capabilities for SatCORPS processing. This paper will discuss the SatCORPS migration towards, and usage of, the ASDC Cloud Services in an operational environment. Detailed lessons learned from use of prior cloud providers, specifically the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud and the Government Cloud administered by the Langley Managed Cloud Environment (LMCE) will also be discussed.

  7. Optimization under Uncertainty of a Biomass-integrated Renewable Energy Microgrid with Energy Storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Yingying

    The growing energy demands and needs for reducing carbon emissions call more and more attention to the development of renewable energy technologies and management strategies. Microgrids have been developed around the world as a means to address the high penetration level of renewable generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while attempting to address supply-demand balancing at a more local level. This dissertation presents a model developed to optimize the design of a biomass-integrated renewable energy microgrid employing combined heat and power with energy storage. A receding horizon optimization with Monte Carlo simulation were used to evaluate optimal microgrid design and dispatch under uncertainties in the renewable energy and utility grid energy supplies, the energy demands, and the economic assumptions so as to generate a probability density function for the cost of energy. Case studies were examined for a conceptual utility grid-connected microgrid application in Davis, California. The results provide the most cost effective design based on the assumed energy load profile, local climate data, utility tariff structure, and technical and financial performance of the various components of the microgrid. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses are carried out to illuminate the key parameters that influence the energy costs. The model application provides a means to determine major risk factors associated with alternative design integration and operating strategies.

  8. Quantification of BMPs Selection and Spatial Placement Impact on Water Quality Controlling Plans in Lower Bear River Watershed, Utah

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salha, A. A.; Stevens, D. K.

    2016-12-01

    The aim of the watershed-management program in Box Elder County, Utah set by Utah Division of Water Quality (UDEQ) is to evaluate the effectiveness and spatial placement of the implemented best-management practices (BMP) for controlling nonpoint-source contamination at watershed scale. The need to evaluate the performance of BMPs would help future policy and program decisions making as desired end results. The environmental and costs benefits of BMPs in Lower Bear River watershed have seldom been measured beyond field experiments. Yet, implemented practices have rarely been evaluated at the watershed scale where the combined effects of variable soils, climatic conditions, topography and land use/covers and management conditions may significantly change anticipated results and reductions loads. Such evaluation requires distributed watershed models that are necessary for quantifying and reproducing the movement of water, sediments and nutrients. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is selected as a watershed level tool to identify contaminant nonpoint sources (critical zones) and areas of high pollution risks. Water quality concerns have been documented and are primarily attributed to high phosphorus and total suspended sediment concentrations caused by agricultural and farming practices (required load is 460 kg/day of total phosphorus based on 0.075 mg/l and an average of total suspended solids of 90 mg/l). Input data such as digital elevation model (DEM), land use/Land cover (LULC), soils, and climate data for 10 years (2000-2010) is utilized along with observed water quality at the watershed outlet (USGS) and some discrete monitoring points within the watershed. Statistical and spatial analysis of scenarios of management practices (BMP's) are not implemented (before implementation), during implementation, and after BMP's have been studied to determine whether water quality of the two main water bodies has improved as required by the LBMR watershed's TMDL and if the BMPs are cost-effectively targeting the critical zones.

  9. The laboratory test utilization management toolbox

    PubMed Central

    Baird, Geoffrey

    2014-01-01

    Efficiently managing laboratory test utilization requires both ensuring adequate utilization of needed tests in some patients and discouraging superfluous tests in other patients. After the difficult clinical decision is made to define the patients that do and do not need a test, a wealth of interventions are available to the clinician and laboratorian to help guide appropriate utilization. These interventions are collectively referred to here as the utilization management toolbox. Experience has shown that some tools in the toolbox are weak and other are strong, and that tools are most effective when many are used simultaneously. While the outcomes of utilization management studies are not always as concrete as may be desired, what data is available in the literature indicate that strong utilization management interventions are safe and effective measures to improve patient health and reduce waste in an era of increasing financial pressure. PMID:24969916

  10. Integrated Baseline System (IBS) Version 2.0: Utilities Guide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burford, M.J.; Downing, T.R.; Williams, J.R.

    1994-03-01

    The Integrated Baseline System (IBS) is an emergency management planning and analysis tool being developed under the direction of the US Army Nuclear and Chemical Agency. This Utilities Guide explains how you can use the IBS utility programs to manage and manipulate various kinds of IBS data. These programs include utilities for creating, editing, and displaying maps and other data that are referenced to geographic location. The intended audience for this document are chiefly data managers but also system managers and some emergency management planners and analysts.

  11. Planning and Resource Management in an Intelligent Automated Power Management System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morris, Robert A.

    1991-01-01

    Power system management is a process of guiding a power system towards the objective of continuous supply of electrical power to a set of loads. Spacecraft power system management requires planning and scheduling, since electrical power is a scarce resource in space. The automation of power system management for future spacecraft has been recognized as an important R&D goal. Several automation technologies have emerged including the use of expert systems for automating human problem solving capabilities such as rule based expert system for fault diagnosis and load scheduling. It is questionable whether current generation expert system technology is applicable for power system management in space. The objective of the ADEPTS (ADvanced Electrical Power management Techniques for Space systems) is to study new techniques for power management automation. These techniques involve integrating current expert system technology with that of parallel and distributed computing, as well as a distributed, object-oriented approach to software design. The focus of the current study is the integration of new procedures for automatically planning and scheduling loads with procedures for performing fault diagnosis and control. The objective is the concurrent execution of both sets of tasks on separate transputer processors, thus adding parallelism to the overall management process.

  12. Load Balancing Integrated Least Slack Time-Based Appliance Scheduling for Smart Home Energy Management.

    PubMed

    Silva, Bhagya Nathali; Khan, Murad; Han, Kijun

    2018-02-25

    The emergence of smart devices and smart appliances has highly favored the realization of the smart home concept. Modern smart home systems handle a wide range of user requirements. Energy management and energy conservation are in the spotlight when deploying sophisticated smart homes. However, the performance of energy management systems is highly influenced by user behaviors and adopted energy management approaches. Appliance scheduling is widely accepted as an effective mechanism to manage domestic energy consumption. Hence, we propose a smart home energy management system that reduces unnecessary energy consumption by integrating an automated switching off system with load balancing and appliance scheduling algorithm. The load balancing scheme acts according to defined constraints such that the cumulative energy consumption of the household is managed below the defined maximum threshold. The scheduling of appliances adheres to the least slack time (LST) algorithm while considering user comfort during scheduling. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated against an existing energy management scheme through computer simulation. The simulation results have revealed a significant improvement gained through the proposed LST-based energy management scheme in terms of cost of energy, along with reduced domestic energy consumption facilitated by an automated switching off mechanism.

  13. Effect of Variation of Speed Limits on Intercity Bus Fuel Consumption, Coach and Driver Utilization, and Corporate Profitability

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1975-11-01

    The effect of speed limit and passenger load on fuel consumption was determined using actual intercity buses with simulated passenger loads over different types of terrain. In addition to road tests, laboratory type measurements were made on four int...

  14. Energy Integrated Lighting-Heating-Cooling System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meckler, Gershon; And Others

    1964-01-01

    Energy balance problems in the design of office buildings are analyzed. Through the use of integrated systems utilizing dual purpose products, a controlled environment with minimum expenditure of energy, equipment and space can be provided. Contents include--(1) office building occupancy loads, (2) office building heating load analysis, (3) office…

  15. Open-mouthed hybrid microcapsules with elevated enzyme loading and enhanced catalytic activity.

    PubMed

    Shi, Jiafu; Zhang, Shaohua; Wang, Xiaoli; Jiang, Zhongyi

    2014-10-25

    Open-mouthed hybrid microcapsules (HMCs) are synthesized through a hard-templating method. When utilized for enzyme immobilization and enzymatic catalysis, the open-mouthed HMCs show high enzyme loading capability, enhanced catalytic activity and desirable recycling stability, due to their fully exposed outer and inner surfaces.

  16. Linking on-farm dairy management practices to storm-flow fecal coliform loading for California coastal watersheds.

    PubMed

    Lewis, D J; Atwill, E R; Lennox, M S; Hou, L; Karle, B; Tate, K W

    2005-08-01

    How and where to improve water quality within an agricultural watershed requires data at a spatial scale that corresponds with individual management decision units on an agricultural operation. This is particularly true in the context of water quality regulations, such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), that identify agriculture as one source of non-point source pollution through larger tributary watershed scale and above and below water quality investigations. We have conducted a systems approach study of 10 coastal dairies and ranches to document fecal coliform concentration and loading to surface waters at the management decision unit scale. Water quality samples were collected on a storm event basis from loading units that included: manure management systems; gutters; storm drains; pastures; and corrals and lots. In addition, in-stream samples were collected above and below the dairy facilities and from a control watershed, managed for light grazing and without a dairy facility or human residence and corresponding septic system. Samples were analyzed for fecal coliform concentration by membrane filtration. Instantaneous discharge was measured for each collected sample. Storm runoff was also calculated using the curve number method (SCS, 1985). Results for a representative dairy as well as the entire 10 dairy data set are presented. Fecal coliform concentrations demonstrate high variability both within and between loading units. Fecal coliform concentrations for pastures range from 206 to 2,288,888 cfu/100 ml and for lots from 1,933 to 166,105,000 cfu/100 ml. Mean concentrations for pastures and lots are 121,298 (SE = 62,222) and 3,155,584 (SE = 1,902,713) cfu/100 ml, respectively. Fecal coliform load from units of concentrated animals and manure are significantly more than units such as pastures while storm flow amounts were significantly less. Compared with results from earlier tributary scale studies in the watershed, this systems approach has generated water quality data that is beneficial for management decisions because of its scale and representation of current management activities. These results are facilitating on-farm changes through the cooperative efforts of dairy managers, regulatory agency staff, and sources of technical and financial assistance.

  17. Load balance in total knee arthroplasty: an in vitro analysis.

    PubMed

    El-Hawary, Ron; Roth, Sandra E; King, Graham J W; Chess, David G; Johnson, James A

    2006-09-01

    One of the goals of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is to balance the loads between the compartments of the knee. An instrumented load cell that measures compartment loads in real time is utilized to evaluate conventional, qualitative methods of achieving this balance. TKA was performed on 10 cadaveric knees. Prior to and after load balancing, compartment forces were measured at flexion angles of 0-90 degrees. Knees were randomly assigned into one of two groups, based upon whether or not the surgeons could visualize the load cell's output during balancing. Prior to attempting load balance, there were significant differences between the medial and lateral compartment loads for all knees (p < 0.05). After attempting balance with the aid of the load cell, there was equal load balance at all angles studied. Without the aid of the load cell, balance was not consistently achieved at every angle. Conventional load balancing techniques in TKA are not perfect. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. 42 CFR 423.153 - Drug utilization management, quality assurance, and medication therapy management programs (MTMPs).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT Cost Control and Quality Improvement Requirements § 423.153 Drug utilization... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Drug utilization management, quality assurance, and medication therapy management programs (MTMPs). 423.153 Section 423.153 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE...

  19. Optimal control, investment and utilization schemes for energy storage under uncertainty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mirhosseini, Niloufar Sadat

    Energy storage has the potential to offer new means for added flexibility on the electricity systems. This flexibility can be used in a number of ways, including adding value towards asset management, power quality and reliability, integration of renewable resources and energy bill savings for the end users. However, uncertainty about system states and volatility in system dynamics can complicate the question of when to invest in energy storage and how best to manage and utilize it. This work proposes models to address different problems associated with energy storage within a microgrid, including optimal control, investment, and utilization. Electric load, renewable resources output, storage technology cost and electricity day-ahead and spot prices are the factors that bring uncertainty to the problem. A number of analytical methodologies have been adopted to develop the aforementioned models. Model Predictive Control and discretized dynamic programming, along with a new decomposition algorithm are used to develop optimal control schemes for energy storage for two different levels of renewable penetration. Real option theory and Monte Carlo simulation, coupled with an optimal control approach, are used to obtain optimal incremental investment decisions, considering multiple sources of uncertainty. Two stage stochastic programming is used to develop a novel and holistic methodology, including utilization of energy storage within a microgrid, in order to optimally interact with energy market. Energy storage can contribute in terms of value generation and risk reduction for the microgrid. The integration of the models developed here are the basis for a framework which extends from long term investments in storage capacity to short term operational control (charge/discharge) of storage within a microgrid. In particular, the following practical goals are achieved: (i) optimal investment on storage capacity over time to maximize savings during normal and emergency operations; (ii) optimal market strategy of buy and sell over 24-hour periods; (iii) optimal storage charge and discharge in much shorter time intervals.

  20. Applications of ERTS-1 imagery to terrestrial and marine environmental analyses in Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, D. M.; Mckim, H. L.; Crowder, W. K.; Haugen, R. K.; Gatto, L. W.; Marlar, T. L.

    1974-01-01

    ERTS-1 imagery provides a means of distinguishing and monitoring estuarine surface water circulation patterns and changes in the relative sediment load of discharging rivers on a regional basis. It also will aid local fishing industries by augmenting currently available hydrologic and navigation charts. The interpretation of geologic and vegetation features resulted in preparation of improved surficial geology, vegetation and permafrost terrain maps at a scale of 1:1 million utilizing ERTS-1 band 7 imagery. This information will be further utilized in a route and site selection study for the Nome to Kobuk Road in central Alaska. Large river icings along the proposed Alaska pipeline route have been monitored. Sea ice deformation and drift northeast of Point Barrow, Alaska has been measured and shorefast ice accumulation and ablation along the west coast of Alaska is being mapped for the spring and early summer seasons. These data will be used for route and site selection, regional environmental analysis, identification and inventory of natural resources, land use planning, and in land use regulation and management.

  1. Thermal energy storage heat exchanger: Molten salt heat exchanger design for utility power plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferarra, A.; Yenetchi, G.; Haslett, R.; Kosson, R.

    1977-01-01

    The use of thermal energy storage (TES) in the latent heat of molten salts as a means of conserving fossil fuels and lowering the cost of electric power was evaluated. Public utility systems provided electric power on demand. This demand is generally maximum during late weekday afternoons, with considerably lower overnight and weekend loads. Typically, the average demand is only 60% to 80% of peak load. As peak load increases, the present practice is to purchase power from other grid facilities or to bring older less efficient fossil-fuel plants on line which increase the cost of electric power. The widespread use of oil-fired boilers, gas turbine and diesel equipment to meet peaking loads depletes our oil-based energy resources. Heat exchangers utilizing molten salts can be used to level the energy consumption curve. The study begins with a demand analysis and the consideration of several existing modern fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants for use as models. Salts are evaluated for thermodynamic, economic, corrosive, and safety characteristics. Heat exchanger concepts are explored and heat exchanger designs are conceived. Finally, the economics of TES conversions in existing plants and new construction is analyzed. The study concluded that TES is feasible in electric power generation. Substantial data are presented for TES design, and reference material for further investigation of techniques is included.

  2. Fuzzy Logic Control Based QoS Management in Wireless Sensor/Actuator Networks

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Feng; Zhao, Wenhong; Sun, Youxian; Tian, Yu-Chu

    2007-01-01

    Wireless sensor/actuator networks (WSANs) are emerging rapidly as a new generation of sensor networks. Despite intensive research in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), limited work has been found in the open literature in the field of WSANs. In particular, quality-of-service (QoS) management in WSANs remains an important issue yet to be investigated. As an attempt in this direction, this paper develops a fuzzy logic control based QoS management (FLC-QM) scheme for WSANs with constrained resources and in dynamic and unpredictable environments. Taking advantage of the feedback control technology, this scheme deals with the impact of unpredictable changes in traffic load on the QoS of WSANs. It utilizes a fuzzy logic controller inside each source sensor node to adapt sampling period to the deadline miss ratio associated with data transmission from the sensor to the actuator. The deadline miss ratio is maintained at a pre-determined desired level so that the required QoS can be achieved. The FLC-QM has the advantages of generality, scalability, and simplicity. Simulation results show that the FLC-QM can provide WSANs with QoS support. PMID:28903288

  3. Use of circulating-fluidized-bed combustors in compressed-air energy storage systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakhamkin, M.; Patel, M.

    1990-07-01

    This report presents the result of a study conducted by Energy Storage and Power Consultants (ESPC), with the objective to develop and analyze compressed air energy storage (CAES) power plant concepts which utilize coal-fired circulating fluidized bed combustors (CFBC) for heating air during generating periods. The use of a coal-fired CFBC unit for indirect heating of the compressed air, in lieu of the current turbomachinery combustors, would eliminate the need for expensive premium fuels by a CAES facility. The CAES plant generation heat rate is approximately one-half of that for a conventional steam condensing power plant. Therefore, the required CFBCmore » heat generation capacity and capital costs would be lower per kW of power generation capacity. Three CAES/CFBC concepts were identified as the most promising, and were optimized using specifically developed computerized procedures. These concepts utilize various configurations of reheat turbomachinery trains specifically developed for CAES application as parts of the integrated CAES/CFBC plant concepts. The project team concluded that the optimized CAES/CFBC integrated plant concepts present a potentially attractive alternative to conventional steam generation power plants using CFBC or pulverized coal-fired boilers. A comparison of the results from the economic analysis performed on three concepts suggests that one of them (Concept 3) is the preferred concept. This concept has a two shaft turbomachinery train arrangement, and provides for load management functions by the compressor-electric motor train, and continuous base load operation of the turboexpander-electric generator train and the CFBC unit. 6 refs., 30 figs., 14 tabs.« less

  4. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sumner, Dennis; Vosburg, Tom; Brunner, Steve

    This project titled “Research, Development and Demonstration of Peak Load Reduction on Distribution Feeders Using Distributed Energy Resources for the City of Fort Collins” evolved in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number DE-PS26-07NT43119. Also referred to as the Fort Collins Renewable and Distributed System Integration (RDSI) Project, the effort was undertaken by a diverse group of local government, higher education and business organizations; and was driven by three overarching goals: I. Fulfill the requirements of the DOE FOA’s Area of Interest 2: Renewable and Distributed System Integration; most notably, to demonstrate the ability tomore » reduce electric system distribution feeder peak load by 15% or more through the coordinated use of Distributed Energy Resources (DER). II. Advance the expertise, technologies and infrastructure necessary to support the long term vision of the Fort Collins Zero Energy District (FortZED) and move towards creating a zero energy district in the Fort Collins “Old Town” area. III. Further the goals of the City of Fort Collins Energy Policy, including the development of a Smart Grid-enabled distribution system in Fort Collins, expanded use of renewable energy, increased energy conservation, and peak load reduction. Through the collaborative efforts of the partner organizations, the Fort Collins RDSI project was successful in achieving all three of these goals. This report is organized into two distinct sections corresponding to the two phases of the project: • Part 1: Feeder Peak Load Reduction and the FortZED Initiative. • Part 2: Forming and Operating Utility Microgrids and Managing Load and Production Variability The original project scope addressed the Part 1 feeder peak load reduction. That work took place from 2009 through 2011 and was largely complete when the project scope was amended to include a demonstration of microgrid operations. While leveraging the assets, partner relationships, and lessons learned from Part 1, Part 2 was managed and executed as a distinct and substantially independent sub-project during the spring and summer of 2013. Both Parts 1 and 2 of the overall RDSI project can be viewed as cohesive stand-alone bodies of work and are presented as such within this report. In addition to the narratives, this document includes two Appendices that were compiled to supplement information about the various aspects of activities performed during Parts 1 and 2 of the project. Moreover, these Appendices are organized (as outlined below) so as to directly relate to the narratives in Part 1 and 2 of this report. • Appendix - Part 1: describes the roles of each project participant in regards to the feeder peak load reduction effort, and • Appendix - Part 2: deals with the microgrid research/demonstration.« less

  5. Evaluating the potential for watershed restoration to reduce nutrient loading to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McCormick, Paul V.; Campbell, Sharon G.

    2007-01-01

    A literature review of best management practices to reduce nutrient loading was performed to provide information for resource managers in the Klamath Basin, Oregon. Although BMPs have already been implemented in the watershed, some sense of their effectiveness in reducing phosphorus loading and their cost for installation and maintenance is still lacking. This report discusses both causes of nutrient loading and a wide-variety of BMPs used to treat or reduce causal factors. We specifically focused on cattle grazing as the principal land-use and causal factor for nutrient loading in the Klamath Basin above Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Several BMP types, including stream corridor fencing, riparian buffer strips and constructed wetlands, seem to have potential for reducing phosphorus loading that may result from cattle grazing. However, no single BMP is likely to be the most effective in all locations or situations.

  6. Empirical Investigations of the Opportunity Limits of Automatic Residential Electric Load Shaping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cruickshank, Robert F.; Henze, Gregor P.; Balaji, Rajagopalan

    Residential electric load shaping is often modeled as infrequent, utility-initiated, short-duration deferral of peak demand through direct load control. In contrast, modeled herein is the potential for frequent, transactive, intraday, consumer-configurable load shaping for storage-capable thermostatically controlled electric loads (TCLs), including refrigerators, freezers, and hot water heaters. Unique to this study are 28 months of 15-minute-interval observations of usage in 101 homes in the Pacific Northwest United States that specify exact start, duration, and usage patterns of approximately 25 submetered loads per home. The magnitudes of the load shift from voluntarily-participating TCL appliances are aggregated to form hourly upper andmore » lower load-shaping limits for the coordination of electrical generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and demand. Empirical data are statistically analyzed to define metrics that help quantify load-shaping opportunities.« less

  7. Empirical Investigations of the Opportunity Limits of Automatic Residential Electric Load Shaping: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cruickshank, Robert F.; Henze, Gregor P.; Balaji, Rajagopalan

    Residential electric load shaping is often modeled as infrequent, utility-initiated, short-duration deferral of peak demand through direct load control. In contrast, modeled herein is the potential for frequent, transactive, intraday, consumer-configurable load shaping for storage-capable thermostatically controlled electric loads (TCLs), including refrigerators, freezers, and hot water heaters. Unique to this study are 28 months of 15-minute-interval observations of usage in 101 homes in the Pacific Northwest United States that specify exact start, duration, and usage patterns of approximately 25 submetered loads per home. The magnitudes of the load shift from voluntarily-participating TCL appliances are aggregated to form hourly upper andmore » lower load-shaping limits for the coordination of electrical generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and demand. Empirical data are statistically analyzed to define metrics that help quantify load-shaping opportunities.« less

  8. Handbook of evaluation of utility DSM programs. [Demand-Side Management (DSM)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hirst, E.; Reed, J.; Bronfman, B.

    Program evaluation has become a central issue in the world of utility integrated resource planning. The DSM programs that utilities were operating to meet federal requirements or to improve customer relations are now becoming big business. DSM is being considered an important resource in a utility's portfolio of options. In the last five years, the amount of money that utilities have invested in DSM has grown exponentially in most regulatory jurisdictions. Market analysts are now talking about DSM being a $30 billion industry by the end of the decade. If the large volume of DSM-program investments was not enough tomore » highlight the importance of evaluation, then the introduction of regulatory incentives has really focused the spotlight. This handbook was developed through a process that involved many of those people who represent the diverse constituencies of DSM-program evaluation. We have come to recognize the many technical disciplines that must be employed to evaluate DSM programs. An analysis might start out based on the principles of utility load research to find out what happened, but a combination of engineering and statistical methods must be used to triangulate'' an estimate of what would have happened without the program. The difference, of course, is that elusive but prized result of evaluation: what happened as the direct result of the DSM program. Technical performance of DSM measures is not the sole determinant of the answer, either. We also recognize the importance of such behavioral attributes of DSM as persistence and free ridership. Finally, DSM evaluation is meaningless without attention to planning an approach, communicating results to relevant decision-makers, and focusing as much on the process as the impacts of the program. These topics are all covered in this handbook.« less

  9. Electric system restructuring and system reliability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horiuchi, Catherine Miller

    In 1996 the California legislature passed AB 1890, explicitly defining economic benefits and detailing specific mechanisms for initiating a partial restructuring the state's electric system. Critics have since sought re-regulation and proponents have asked for patience as the new institutions and markets take shape. Other states' electric system restructuring activities have been tempered by real and perceived problems in the California model. This study examines the reduced regulatory controls and new constraints introduced in California's limited restructuring model using utility and regulatory agency records from the 1990's to investigate effects of new institutions and practices on system reliability for the state's five largest public and private utilities. Logit and negative binomial regressions indicate negative impact from the California model of restructuring on system reliability as measured by customer interruptions. Time series analysis of outage data could not predict the wholesale power market collapse and the subsequent rolling blackouts in early 2001; inclusion of near-outage reliability disturbances---load shedding and energy emergencies---provided a measure of forewarning. Analysis of system disruptions, generation capacity and demand, and the role of purchased power challenge conventional wisdom on the causality of Californian's power problems. The quantitative analysis was supplemented by a targeted survey of electric system restructuring participants. Findings suggest each utility and the organization controlling the state's electric grid provided protection from power outages comparable to pre-restructuring operations through 2000; however, this reliability has come at an inflated cost, resulting in reduced system purchases and decreased marginal protection. The historic margin of operating safety has fully eroded, increasing mandatory load shedding and emergency declarations for voluntary and mandatory conservation. Proposed remedies focused on state-funded contracts and government-managed power authorities may not help, as the findings suggest pricing models, market uncertainty, interjurisdictional conflict and an inability to respond to market perturbations are more significant contributors to reduced regional generation availability than the particular contract mechanisms and funding sources used for power purchases.

  10. Utilization of stored elastic energy in leg extensor muscles by men and women.

    PubMed

    Komi, P V; Bosco, C

    1978-01-01

    An alternating cycle of eccentric-concentric contractions in locomotion represents a sequence when storage and utilization of elastic energy takes place. It is possible that this storage capacity and its utilization depends on the imposed stretch loads in activated muscles, and that sex differences may be present in these phenomena. To investigate these assumed differences, subjects from both sexes and of good physical condition performed vertical jumps on the force-platform from the following experimental conditions: squatting jump (SJ) from a static starting position; counter-movement jump (CMJ) from a free standing position and with a preparatory counter-movement; drop jumps (DJ) from the various heights (20 to 100 cm) on to the platform followed immediately by a vertical jump. In all subjects the SJ, in which condition no appreciable storage of elastic energy takes place, produced the lowest height of rise of the whole body center of gravity (C.G.). The stretch load (drop height) influenced the performance so that height of rise of C. of G. increased when the drop height increased from 26 up to 62 cm (males) and from 20 to 50 cm (females). In all jumping conditions the men jumped higher than the women. However, examination of the utilization of elastic energy indicated that in CMJ the female subjects were able to utilize most (congruent to 90%) of the energy produced in the prestretching phase. Similarly, in DJ the overall change in positive energy over SJ condition was higher in women as compared to men. Thus the results suggest that although the leg extensor muscles of the men subjects could sustain much higher stretch loads, the females may be able to utilize a greater portion of the stored elastic energy in jumping activities.

  11. Evaluation of the RealTime HIV-1, Xpert HIV-1, and Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assays in Comparison to the NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 v2.0 Assay for Quantification of HIV-1 Viral Load.

    PubMed

    Mor, Orna; Gozlan, Yael; Wax, Marina; Mileguir, Fernando; Rakovsky, Avia; Noy, Bina; Mendelson, Ella; Levy, Itzchak

    2015-11-01

    HIV-1 RNA monitoring, both before and during antiretroviral therapy, is an integral part of HIV management worldwide. Measurements of HIV-1 viral loads are expected to assess the copy numbers of all common HIV-1 subtypes accurately and to be equally sensitive at different viral loads. In this study, we compared for the first time the performance of the NucliSens v2.0, RealTime HIV-1, Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx, and Xpert HIV-1 viral load assays. Plasma samples (n = 404) were selected on the basis of their NucliSens v2.0 viral load results and HIV-1 subtypes. Concordance, linear regression, and Bland-Altman plots were assessed, and mixed-model analysis was utilized to compare the analytical performance of the assays for different HIV-1 subtypes and for low and high HIV-1 copy numbers. Overall, high concordance (>83.89%), high correlation values (Pearson r values of >0.89), and good agreement were observed among all assays, although the Xpert and Aptima assays, which provided the most similar outputs (estimated mean viral loads of 2.67 log copies/ml [95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50 to 2.84 log copies/ml] and 2.68 log copies/ml [95% CI, 2.49 to 2.86 log copies/ml], respectively), correlated best with the RealTime assay (89.8% concordance, with Pearson r values of 0.97 to 0.98). These three assays exhibited greater precision than the NucliSens v2.0 assay. All assays were equally sensitive for subtype B and AG/G samples and for samples with viral loads of 1.60 to 3.00 log copies/ml. The NucliSens v2.0 assay underestimated A1 samples and those with viral loads of >3.00 log copies/ml. The RealTime assay tended to underquantify subtype C (compared to the Xpert and Aptima assays) and subtype A1 samples. The Xpert and Aptima assays were equally efficient for detection of all subtypes and viral loads, which renders these new assays most suitable for clinical HIV laboratories. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  12. The spatial epidemiology of cocaine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use: a demonstration using a population measure of community drug load derived from municipal wastewater.

    PubMed

    Banta-Green, Caleb J; Field, Jennifer A; Chiaia, Aurea C; Sudakin, Daniel L; Power, Laura; de Montigny, Luc

    2009-11-01

    To determine the utility of community-wide drug testing with wastewater samples as a population measure of community drug use and to test the hypothesis that the association with urbanicity would vary for three different stimulant drugs of abuse. Single-day samples were obtained from a convenience sample of 96 municipalities representing 65% of the population of the State of Oregon. Chemical analysis of 24-hour composite influent samples for benzoylecgonine (BZE, a cocaine metabolite), methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The distribution of community index drug loads accounting for total wastewater flow (i.e. dilution) and population are reported. The distribution of wastewater-derived drug index loads was found to correspond with expected epidemiological drug patterns. Index loads of BZE were significantly higher in urban areas and below detection in many rural areas. Conversely, methamphetamine was present in all municipalities, with no significant differences in index loads by urbanicity. MDMA was at quantifiable levels in fewer than half the communities, with a significant trend towards higher index loads in more urban areas. CONCLUSION; This demonstration provides the first evidence of the utility of wastewater-derived community drug loads for spatial analyses. Such data have the potential to improve dramatically the measurement of the true level and distribution of a range of drugs. Drug index load data provide information for all people in a community and are potentially applicable to a much larger proportion of the total population than existing measures.

  13. Low-back electromyography (EMG) data-driven load classification for dynamic lifting tasks

    PubMed Central

    Ojeda, Lauro; Johnson, Daniel D.; Gates, Deanna; Mower Provost, Emily; Barton, Kira

    2018-01-01

    Objective Numerous devices have been designed to support the back during lifting tasks. To improve the utility of such devices, this research explores the use of preparatory muscle activity to classify muscle loading and initiate appropriate device activation. The goal of this study was to determine the earliest time window that enabled accurate load classification during a dynamic lifting task. Methods Nine subjects performed thirty symmetrical lifts, split evenly across three weight conditions (no-weight, 10-lbs and 24-lbs), while low-back muscle activity data was collected. Seven descriptive statistics features were extracted from 100 ms windows of data. A multinomial logistic regression (MLR) classifier was trained and tested, employing leave-one subject out cross-validation, to classify lifted load values. Dimensionality reduction was achieved through feature cross-correlation analysis and greedy feedforward selection. The time of full load support by the subject was defined as load-onset. Results Regions of highest average classification accuracy started at 200 ms before until 200 ms after load-onset with average accuracies ranging from 80% (±10%) to 81% (±7%). The average recall for each class ranged from 69–92%. Conclusion These inter-subject classification results indicate that preparatory muscle activity can be leveraged to identify the intent to lift a weight up to 100 ms prior to load-onset. The high accuracies shown indicate the potential to utilize intent classification for assistive device applications. Significance Active assistive devices, e.g. exoskeletons, could prevent back injury by off-loading low-back muscles. Early intent classification allows more time for actuators to respond and integrate seamlessly with the user. PMID:29447252

  14. Management mechanisms for development of personnel professional competencies at a loading and haulage company

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shishkina, S. V.; Pristupa, Yu D.; Pavlova, L. D.; Fryanov, V. N.

    2018-05-01

    The necessity for development a management mechanism for development of personnel professional competencies at a loading and haulage company in order to ensuring the compliance of competencies with labor functions, regulated by the current professional standards, is substantiated. A functional diagram of the organizational and technical system of the loading and haulage company was developed, that includes the interaction mechanism between the personnel and the objects of the main production. The problem of algorithm development to assess the correspondence of communicative competencies and labor functions of loading and haulage companies, ensuring the achievement of the management goal with a minimum risk of an emergency situation or an accident, was set and solved. The idea of management problem solving consists in the operational development and implementation of anticipatory measures at each deviation in personnel actions from normative or target indicators. The dependence of the risk of imbalance of communicative competences and labor functions in a given period of time is established. The effectiveness of the developed and implemented mechanism is confirmed by the positive dynamics of the test results.

  15. Experimental study of mini SCADA renewable energy management system on microgrid using Raspberry Pi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tridianto, E.; Permatasari, P. D.; Ali, I. R.

    2018-03-01

    Renewable Energy Management System (REMS) is a device that can be able to monitor power through a microgrid. The purpose of this system is to optimize power usage that produced from renewable energy with the result that reduces power demand from the grid. To reach the goal this device manage the load power needs fully supplied by renewable energy when the power produced from renewable energy is higher than load demand, besides power surplus will be stored in battery in this way energy stored in battery can be used when it needed. When the power produced from renewable energy can not satisfy the power demand, power will supply by renewable energy and grid. This device uses power meters for record any power flow through microgrid. In order to manage power flow in microgrid this system use relay module. The user can find out energy consumption (consumed by the load) and production (produced by renewable energy) in a period of time so that the user can switch on the load in right time.

  16. The Utility of CDOM for Improving the Resolution of Riverine DOM Fluxes and Biogeochemical Function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spencer, R. G.; Aiken, G.; Mann, P. J.; Holmes, R. M.; Niggemann, J.; Dittmar, T.; Hernes, P.; Stubbins, A.

    2014-12-01

    A major historical limitation to geochemical studies assessing fluvial fluxes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been the issue of both temporal and spatial scaling. Examples will be presented from watersheds around the world highlighting how chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) measurements can be utilized as proxies for more intensive and expensive analytical analyses (e.g. molecular-level organic biomarkers). Utilizing these refined CDOM loads for terrigenous biomarkers results in improved temporal resolution and a significant change in flux estimates. Examining CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux data from an assortment of terrestrial biomes we establish a robust relationship between CDOM and DOC loads. The application of this relationship allows future studies to derive DOC loads from CDOM utilizing emerging in-situ or remote sensing technologies and thus refine river-to-ocean DOC fluxes, as well as exploit historic imagery to examine how fluxes may have changed. Calculated CDOM yields from a range of rivers are correlated to watershed percent wetland and highlight the importance of certain regions with respect to CDOM flux to the coastal ocean. This approach indicates that future studies might predict CDOM and DOC yields for different watershed types that could then be readily converted to loads providing for the estimation of CDOM and DOC export from ungauged watersheds. Examination of CDOM yields also highlights important geographical regions for future study with respect to the role of terrigenous CDOM in ocean color budgets and CDOM's role in biogeochemical processes. Finally, examples will be presented linking CDOM parameters to DOM composition and biogeochemical properties with the aim of providing measurements to improve the spatial and especially temporal resolution of the role DOM plays in fluvial networks.

  17. Key Residential Building Equipment Technologies for Control and Grid Support PART I (Residential)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Starke, Michael R; Onar, Omer C; DeVault, Robert C

    2011-09-01

    Electrical energy consumption of the residential sector is a crucial area of research that has in the past primarily focused on increasing the efficiency of household devices such as water heaters, dishwashers, air conditioners, and clothes washer and dryer units. However, the focus of this research is shifting as objectives such as developing the smart grid and ensuring that the power system remains reliable come to the fore, along with the increasing need to reduce energy use and costs. Load research has started to focus on mechanisms to support the power system through demand reduction and/or reliability services. The powermore » system relies on matching generation and load, and day-ahead and real-time energy markets capture most of this need. However, a separate set of grid services exist to address the discrepancies in load and generation arising from contingencies and operational mismatches, and to ensure that the transmission system is available for delivery of power from generation to load. Currently, these grid services are mostly provided by generation resources. The addition of renewable resources with their inherent variability can complicate the issue of power system reliability and lead to the increased need for grid services. Using load as a resource, through demand response programs, can fill the additional need for flexible resources and even reduce costly energy peaks. Loads have been shown to have response that is equal to or better than generation in some cases. Furthermore, price-incentivized demand response programs have been shown to reduce the peak energy requirements, thereby affecting the wholesale market efficiency and overall energy prices. The residential sector is not only the largest consumer of electrical energy in the United States, but also has the highest potential to provide demand reduction and power system support, as technological advancements in load control, sensor technologies, and communication are made. The prevailing loads based on the largest electrical energy consumers in the residential sector are space heating and cooling, washer and dryer, water heating, lighting, computers and electronics, dishwasher and range, and refrigeration. As the largest loads, these loads provide the highest potential for delivering demand response and reliability services. Many residential loads have inherent flexibility that is related to the purpose of the load. Depending on the load type, electric power consumption levels can either be ramped, changed in a step-change fashion, or completely removed. Loads with only on-off capability (such as clothes washers and dryers) provide less flexibility than resources that can be ramped or step-changed. Add-on devices may be able to provide extra demand response capabilities. Still, operating residential loads effectively requires awareness of the delicate balance of occupants health and comfort and electrical energy consumption. This report is Phase I of a series of reports aimed at identifying gaps in automated home energy management systems for incorporation of building appliances, vehicles, and renewable adoption into a smart grid, specifically with the intent of examining demand response and load factor control for power system support. The objective is to capture existing gaps in load control, energy management systems, and sensor technology with consideration of PHEV and renewable technologies to establish areas of research for the Department of Energy. In this report, (1) data is collected and examined from state of the art homes to characterize the primary residential loads as well as PHEVs and photovoltaic for potential adoption into energy management control strategies; and (2) demand response rules and requirements across the various demand response programs are examined for potential participation of residential loads. This report will be followed by a Phase II report aimed at identifying the current state of technology of energy management systems, sensors, and communication technologies for demand response and load factor control applications for the residential sector. The purpose is to cover the gaps that exist in the information captured by the sensors for energy management system to be able to provide demand response and load factor control. The vision is the development of an energy management system or other controlling enterprise hardware and software that is not only able to control loads, PHEVs, and renewable generation for demand response and load factor control, but also to do so with consumer comforts in mind and in an optimal fashion.« less

  18. 41 CFR 109-39.301 - Utilization guidelines.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Utilization guidelines... Management System Vehicles § 109-39.301 Utilization guidelines. DOE activities utilizing GSA IFMS motor... meeting DOE utilization guidelines or established local use objectives, as appropriate. Those vehicles not...

  19. The prediction of nonlinear dynamic loads on helicopters from flight variables using artificial neural networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cook, A. B.; Fuller, C. R.; O'Brien, W. F.; Cabell, R. H.

    1992-01-01

    A method of indirectly monitoring component loads through common flight variables is proposed which requires an accurate model of the underlying nonlinear relationships. An artificial neural network (ANN) model learns relationships through exposure to a database of flight variable records and corresponding load histories from an instrumented military helicopter undergoing standard maneuvers. The ANN model, utilizing eight standard flight variables as inputs, is trained to predict normalized time-varying mean and oscillatory loads on two critical components over a range of seven maneuvers. Both interpolative and extrapolative capabilities are demonstrated with agreement between predicted and measured loads on the order of 90 percent to 95 percent. This work justifies pursuing the ANN method of predicting loads from flight variables.

  20. Improving medical stores management through automation and effective communication.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Ashok; Cariappa, M P; Marwaha, Vishal; Sharma, Mukti; Arora, Manu

    2016-01-01

    Medical stores management in hospitals is a tedious and time consuming chore with limited resources tasked for the purpose and poor penetration of Information Technology. The process of automation is slow paced due to various inherent factors and is being challenged by the increasing inventory loads and escalating budgets for procurement of drugs. We carried out an indepth case study at the Medical Stores of a tertiary care health care facility. An iterative six step Quality Improvement (QI) process was implemented based on the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. The QI process was modified as per requirement to fit the medical stores management model. The results were evaluated after six months. After the implementation of QI process, 55 drugs of the medical store inventory which had expired since 2009 onwards were replaced with fresh stock by the suppliers as a result of effective communication through upgraded database management. Various pending audit objections were dropped due to the streamlined documentation and processes. Inventory management improved drastically due to automation, with disposal orders being initiated four months prior to the expiry of drugs and correct demands being generated two months prior to depletion of stocks. The monthly expense summary of drugs was now being done within ten days of the closing month. Improving communication systems within the hospital with vendor database management and reaching out to clinicians is important. Automation of inventory management requires to be simple and user-friendly, utilizing existing hardware. Physical stores monitoring is indispensable, especially due to the scattered nature of stores. Staff training and standardized documentation protocols are the other keystones for optimal medical store management.

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