Precise Compound Control of Loading Force for Electric Load Simulator of Electric Power Steering Test Bench

Electric load simulator(ELS) systems are employed for electric power steering(EPS) test benches to load rack force by precise control. Precise ELS control is strongly influenced by nonlinear factors. When the steering motor rapidly rotates, extra force is directly superimposed on the original static loading error, which becomes one of the main sources of the final error. It is key to achieve ELS precise loading control for the entire EPS test bench. Therefore, a three-part compound control algorithm is proposed to improve the loading accuracy. First, a fuzzy proportional–integral plus feedforward controller with force feedback is presented. Second, a friction compensation algorithm is established to reduce the influence of friction. Then, the relationships between each quantity and the extra force are analyzed when the steering motor rapidly rotates, and a net torque feedforward compensation algorithm is proposed to eliminate the extra force. The compound control algorithm was verified through simulations and experiments. The results show that the tracking performance of the compound control algorithm satisfies the demands of engineering practice, and the extra force in the ELS system can be suppressed by the net torque corresponding to the actuator’s acceleration.

Multiple Purpose Simulation for Electric Vehicles

Aim Toshorten integral design period of electric vehicles Methods The electric vehicle simulation program(EVSP), a modular user-friendly program which is written in Borland C++ OWL for Windows was developed. Results EVSP allows simulating the dynamic and the economy performance of electric vehicles.EVSP provides many kinds of data input module,a large components library of electric vehicles and several kinds of speed cycle with these library,it is easily to develop a new concept of different drive trains or even to compare or improve the existing electric vehicles. The paper simulated the performance of YW6120DD Electric Bus, and analyzed the test results comparing with simulation results Conclusion The simulation results indicate that the EVSP may contribute to the developments of electric vehicles in general and the definition of the optimal match management in the drive train in particular.

Dynamic self-adaptive ANP algorithm and its application to electric field simulation of aluminum reduction cell

Region partition(RP) is the key technique to the finite element parallel computing(FEPC),and its performance has a decisive influence on the entire process of analysis and computation.The performance evaluation index of RP method for the three-dimensional finite element model(FEM) has been given.By taking the electric field of aluminum reduction cell(ARC) as the research object,the performance of two classical RP methods,which are Al-NASRA and NGUYEN partition(ANP) algorithm and the multi-level partition(MLP) method,has been analyzed and compared.The comparison results indicate a sound performance of ANP algorithm,but to large-scale models,the computing time of ANP algorithm increases notably.This is because the ANP algorithm determines only one node based on the minimum weight and just adds the elements connected to the node into the sub-region during each iteration.To obtain the satisfied speed and the precision,an improved dynamic self-adaptive ANP(DSA-ANP) algorithm has been proposed.With consideration of model scale,complexity and sub-RP stage,the improved algorithm adaptively determines the number of nodes and selects those nodes with small enough weight,and then dynamically adds these connected elements.The proposed algorithm has been applied to the finite element analysis(FEA) of the electric field simulation of ARC.Compared with the traditional ANP algorithm,the computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm has been shortened approximately from 260 s to 13 s.This proves the superiority of the improved algorithm on computing time performance.

Numerical simulation of high voltage electric pulse comminution of phosphate ore

Numerical simulation of the electrical field distribution helps in-depth understanding of the mechanisms behind the responses and the benefits of the high voltage pulse comminution. The COMSOL Multiphysics package was used to numerically simulate the effect of ore compositions in this study. Regarding phosphate ore particles shape and composition, the effects of mineral composition, particle size, particle shape and electrodes distance were investigated on the electrical field intensity and distribution. The results show that the induced electrical field is significantly dependent on the electrical properties of minerals,the feed particle size and the location of conductive minerals in ores. The angle of material contact surface with the discharge electrode is also an important factor in the intensity of electrical field. Moreover,it is found that the specific liberation effect at the disintegration of phosphate ore by electrical pulses is due to the locality of the electrical field at the interface of mineral components of the phosphate ore aggregates with different permittivities. However, the intensity of the electrical field increases with sharpening the contact angle. Besides, the electrical discharge in the samples is converted to the electrohydraulic discharge across the surrounding water by changing the distance between the discharge electrode and sample surface.

Multi-parameter numerical simulation of dynamic monitoring of rock deformation in deep mining

The level of deformation development of surrounding rocks is a vital predictor to evaluate impending coal mine disasters and it is important to establish accurate measurements of the deformed status to ensure coal mine safety. Traditional deformation monitoring methods are mostly based on single parameter, in this paper, multiple approaches are integrated: firstly, both electric and elastic models are established,from which electric field distribution and seismic wave recording are calculated and finally, the resistivity profiles and source position information are determined using inversion methods, from which then the deformation and failure of mine floor are evaluated. According to the inversion results of both electric and seismic field signals, multiple-parameter dynamic monitoring of surrounding rock deformation in deep mine can be performed. The methodology is validated using numerical simulation results which shows that the multi-parameter dynamic monitoring methods have better results for surrounding rock deformation in deep mine monitoring than single parameter methods.

Study on ultracapacitor-battery hybrid power system for PHEV applications

For the battery only power system is hard to meet the energy and power requirements reasonably, a hybrid power system with uhracapacitor and battery is studied. A Topology structure is analyzed that the uhracapacitor system is connected with battery pack parallel after a bidirectional DC/DC converter. The ultracapacitor, battery and the hybrid power system are modeled. For the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle （PHEV） application, the control target and control strategy of the hybrid power system are put forward. From the simulation results based on the Chinese urban driving cycle, the hybrid power system could meet the peak power requirements reasonably while the battery pack＇ s current is controlled in a reasonable limit which will be helpful to optimize the battery pack＇ s working conditions to get long cycling life and high efficiency.

SYSTEM-LEVEL SIMULATION OF VIBRATORY MICROMACHINED GYROSCOPE WITH FENCE STRUCTURE

An equivalent circuit model of a novel fence structure vibratory micromachined gy- roscope's oscillating properties is modeled by electrical equivalent circuits according to its dynamics equation.Equivalent circuit model of oscillating and differential detection capacitance model are im- plemented in the circuit simulation tool PSPICE,which is available in oscillating properties analysis such as oscillating's transient response,steady response and frequency response to angular rate to op- timize working mode of the gyroscope.The model also enables sensor simulation with the interfacing electronics to analyse the performances of the whole system.Behavioral simulation of the system is performed to prove the function of detection circuits.The simulation results and measurement results show that the design of circuits is feasible.

Investigation of image segmentation effect on the accuracy of reconstructed digital core models of coquina carbonate

Digital core models reconstructed using X-ray tomography(X-CT)enable the quantitative characterization of the pore structure in three dimensions(3D)and the numerical simulation of petrophysics.When the X-CT images accurately reflect the micro structures of core samples,the greyscale threshold in the image segmentation determines the accuracy of digital cores and the simulated petrophysical properties.Therefore,it is vital to investigate the comparison parameter for determining the key greyscale threshold and the criterion to describe the accuracy of the segmentation.Representative coquina digital core models from X-CT are used in this work to study the impact of grayscale threshold on the porosity,pore percolation,connectivity and electrical resistivity of the pore scale model and these simulations are calculated by Minkowski functions,component labeling and fi nite element method,respectively,to quantify the pore structure and simulate electrical resistivity.Results showed that the simulated physical properties of the digital cores,varied with the gradual increase of the greyscale threshold.Among the four parameters related to the threshold,the porosity was most sensitive and chose as the comparison parameter to judge the accuracy of the greyscale threshold.The variations of the threshold change the micro pore structures,and then the electrical resistivity.When the porosity of the digital core model is close to the experimental porosity,the simulated porosity exponent matches the experimental porosity exponents well.The good agreement proved that the porosity is the critical comparison parameter to describe the accuracy of image segmentation.The criterion is that the porosity of the digital core after segmentation should be close to the experimental porosity.

Computational Tools for the Integrated Design of Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Advanced nuclear reactors offer safe, clean, and reliable energy at the global scale. The development of such devices relies heavily upon computational models, from the pre-conceptual stages through detailed design, licensing, and operation. An integrated reactor modeling framework that enables seamless communication, coupling, automation, and continuous development brings significant new capabilities and efficiencies to the practice of reactor design. In such a system, key performance metrics （e.g., optimal fuel management, peak cladding temperature in design-basis accidents, levelized cost of electricity） can be explicitly linked to design inputs （e.g., assembly duct thickness, tolerances）, enabling an exceptional level of design consistency. Coupled with high-performance computing, thousands of integrated cases can be executed simultaneously to analyze the full system, perform complete sensitivity studies, and efficiently and robustly evaluate various design tradeoffs. TerraPower has developed such a tool-the Advanced Reactor Modeling Interface （ARMI） code system-and has deployed it to support the TerraPower Traveling Wave Reactor design and other innovative energy products currently under development. The ARMI code system employs pre-existing tools with strong pedigrees alongside many new physics and data management modules necessary for innovative design. Verification and validation against previous and new physical measurements, which remain an essential element of any sound design, are being carried out. This paper summarizes the integrated core engineering tools and practices in production at TerraPower.

Hydration Process and Crack Tendency of Concrete Based on Resistivity and Restrained Shrinkage Crack

Hydration process, crack potential and setting time of concrete grade C30, C40 and C50 were monitored by using a non-contact electrical resistivity apparatus, a novel plastic ring mould and penetration resistance methods, respectively. The results show the highest resistivity of C30 at the early stage until a point when C50 accelerated and overtook the others. It has been experimentally confirmed that the crossing point of C30 and C50 corresponds to the final setting time of C50. From resistivity derivative curve, four different stages were observed upon which the hydration process is classified; these are dissolution, induction, acceleration and deceleration periods. Consequently, restrained shrinkage crack and setting time results demonstrated that C50 set and cracked the earliest. The cracking time of all the samples occurred within a reasonable experimental period thus the novel plastic ring is a convenient method for predicting concrete＇s crack potential. The highest inflection time（t_i） obtained from resistivity curve and the final setting time（t_f） were used with crack time（t_c） in coming up with mathematical models for the prediction of concrete＇s cracking age for the range of concrete grade considered. Finally, an ANSYS numerical simulation supports the experimental findings in terms of the earliest crack age of C50 and the crack location.

Agent-Based Simulation for Interconnection-Scale Renewable Integration and Demand Response Studies

This paper collects and synthesizes the technical requirements, implementation, and validation methods for quasi-steady agent-based simulations of interconnectionscale models with particular attention to the integration of renewable generation and controllable loads. Approaches for modeling aggregated controllable loads are presented and placed in the same control and economic modeling framework as generation resources for interconnection planning studies. Model performance is examined with system parameters that are typical for an interconnection approximately the size of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council(WECC) and a control area about 1/100 the size of the system. These results are used to demonstrate and validate the methods presented.

Multi-functional stainless steel composite frames stabilize the sodium metal battery

The sodium(Na)metal battery has the prospect of promising high energy density and sustainable tech-nology for low-cost energy storage.However,the soft texture and high reactivity of Na cause it easy to structure collapse and produce side reactions with organic electrolytes.Inspired by ancient Chinese ar-chitecture,a structural engineering strategy is introduced to conquer the above issues.PVDF film-covered stainless steel mesh(SMPF)embedded in the obverse of Na metal to form a“self-limiting”Na/electrolyte interface and bare stainless steel mesh(SM)with high electronic conductivity embedded in the reverse of Na metal to form a uniformly electronic distributed Na/collector interface.Based on the electric field simulation and in-situ optical tests,the well-designed structure of the SM@Na@SMPF electrode can re-strict the dendrite growth and slow down the bubbles release.The above strategies provide important technical support for the large-scale application of flexible Na metal batteries.

Adaptive Fuzzy Torque Control of Passive Torque Servo Systems Based on Small Gain Theorem and Input-to-state Stability

Passive torque servo system （PTSS） simulates aerodynamic load and exerts the load on actuation system, but PTSS endures position coupling disturbance from active motion of actuation system, and this inherent disturbance is called extra torque. The most important issue for PTSS controller design is how to eliminate the influence of extra torque. Using backstepping technique, adaptive fuzzy torque control （AFTC） algorithm is proposed for PTSS in this paper, which reflects the essential characteristics of PTSS and guarantees transient tracking performance as well as final tracking accuracy. Takagi-Sugeno （T-S） fuzzy logic system is utilized to compensate parametric uncertainties and unstructured uncertainties. The output velocity of actuator identified model is introduced into AFTC aiming to eliminate extra torque. The closed-loop stability is studied using small gain theorem and the control system is proved to be semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded. The proposed AFTC algorithm is applied to an electric load simulator （ELS）, and the comparative experimental results indicate that AFTC controller is effective for PTSS.

Dense-phase pneumatic conveying under pressure in horizontal pipeline

The gas/solid flow regime of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal under a pressure of 4.0 MPa in horizontal pipeline 10 mm in diameter, is monitored by electrical capacitance tomography （ECT） using 8 electrodes. To improve the accuracy of the capacitance measurement, an AC-based singlechannel capacitance measuring circuit was developed, and a modified iterative Landweber algorithm was used to reconstruct the image. A two-fluid model based on the kinetic theory of granular flow was used to study the three-dimensional steady-state flow behavior of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal.

Drift field improvement and test in a GEM-TPC prototype

With the help of Maxwell, Ansys and Garfield, a simulation of the electric field and the deviation of electron drift in the drift volume of a GEM-TPC prototype has been accomplished under the following conditions： Field Cages with one-side and double-side strips, with and without a guard ring. The advantage and necessity of a Field Cage with mirror strips and a guard ring were foreseen. According to the simulation results, TU-TPC was modified and tested; a larger effective area and better resolution were achieved.

High-Throughput Free Surface Electrospinning Using Solution Reservoirs with Different Depths and Its Preparation Mechanism Study

For obtaining high-throughput production of nanofibers,the preparation mechanism of a self-made spherical section free surface electrospinning(SSFSE)using solution reservoirs with different depths was studied.The effects of the solution res-ervoir depth on the SSFSE process as well as the quality and yield of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)nanofibers were investigated experimentally using high-speed camera,precise electronic balance and scanning electron microscopy.Furthermore,the results were analyzed theoretically by response surface methodology(RSM)and numerical simulation.The values predicted by the established RSM model and the electric field results obtained by Maxwell 3D were all consistent with the experimental data,which showed that the different depths of the solution reservoir had little effect on the quality of PAN nanofibers,but had great effects on the yields of them.The PAN nanofibers prepared have the best quality and the highest yields when the maximum depth of the solution reservoir was 4.29 mm.