Bayesian network model for traffic flow estimation using prior link flows

In order to estimate traffic flow a Bayesian network BN model using prior link flows is proposed.This model sets link flows as parents of the origin-destination OD flows. Under normal distribution assumptions the model considers the level of total traffic flow the variability of link flows and the violation of the conservation law.Using prior link flows the prior distribution of all the variables is determined. By updating some observed link flows the posterior distribution is given.The variances of the posterior distribution normally decrease with the progressive update of the link flows. Based on the posterior distribution point estimations and the corresponding probability intervals are provided. To remove inconsistencies in OD matrices estimation and traffic assignment a combined BN and stochastic user equilibrium model is proposed in which the equilibrium solution is obtained through iterations.Results of the numerical example demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed BN model and the combined method.

Enhancing production monitoring: A back allocation methodology to estimate well flow rates and assist well test scheduling

Production flow rates are crucial to make operational decisions,monitor,manage,and optimize oil and gas fields.Flow rates also have a financial importance to correctly allocate production to fiscal purposes required by regulatory agencies or to allocate production in fields owned by multiple operators.Despite its significance,usually only the total field production is measured in real time,which requires an alternative way to estimate wells'production.To address these challenges,this work presents a back allocation methodology that leverages real-time instrumentation,simulations,algorithms,and mathe-matical programming modeling to enhance well monitoring and assist in well test scheduling.The methodology comprises four modules:simulation,classification,error calculation,and optimization.These modules work together to characterize the flowline,wellbore,and reservoir,verify simulation outputs,minimize errors,and calculate flow rates while honoring the total platform flow rate.The well status generated through the classification module provides valuable information about the current condition of each well(i.e.if the well is deviating from the latest well test parameters),aiding in decision-making for well testing scheduling and prioritizing.The effectiveness of the methodology is demonstrated through its application to a representative offshore oil field with 14 producing wells and two years of daily production data.The results highlight the robustness of the methodology in properly classifying the wells and obtaining flow rates that honor the total platform flow rate.Furthermore,the methodology supports well test scheduling and provides reliable indicators for well conditions.By uti-lizing real-time data and advanced modeling techniques,this methodology enhances production monitoring and facilitates informed operational decision-making in the oil and gas industry.

Simultaneous ramp right heart catheterization and echocardiography in a Reliant Heart left ventricular assist device

Many clinicians caring for patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices(CF-LVAD) use ramp right heart catheterization(RHC) studies to optimize pump speed and also to troubleshoot CF-LVAD malfunction. An investigational device,the Reliant Heart Heart Assist 5(Houston,TX),provides the added benefit of an ultrasonic flow probe on the outflow graft that directly measures flow through the CF-LVAD. We performed a simultaneous ramp RHC and echocardiogram on a patient who received the above CF-LVAD to optimize pump parameters and investigate elevated flow through the CF-LVAD as measured by the flow probe. We found that the patient's hemodynamics were optimized at their baseline pump speed,and that the measured cardiac output via the Fick principle was lower than that measured by the flow probe. Right heart catheterization may be useful to investigate discrepancies between flow measured by a CF-LVAD and a patient's clinical presentation,particularly in investigational devices where little clinical experience exists. More data is needed to elucidate the correlation between the flow measured by an ultrasonic probe and cardiac output as measured by RHC.

Multitaper spectral method to estimate the elastic thickness of South China: Implications for intracontinental deformation

The effective elastic thickness （Te） represents the thickness of the elastic layer or the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere, the equivalent of which can be calculated from the spectral analysis of gravity and topographic data. Studies of Te have profound influence on intracontinental deformation, and coupling of the tectonic blocks. In this paper, we use the multitaper spectral estimation method to calculate the coherence between Bouguer gravity and topography data, and to obtain the Te map of South China. Through the process of correction, we discuss the relationships of Te versus heat flow, and Te versus seismicity. The results show that Te distribution of South China is affected by three factors：the original age, which controls the basic feature;the Mesozoic evolution, which affects the Te distribution;and the neotectonic movement, which shaped the final distribution. The crust age has a positive correlation with the first-order Te distribution;thus the Yangtze Craton has a relatively higher Te （about 50 km） whereas the Te in Cathaysia block is only 10e20 km. By analysis and comparison among the tectonic models of South China, the Te distribution can be well explained using the flat-subduction model. As is typical with neotectonics, the region with a higher heat flow is related with a lower Te. The seismicity does not have a clear relationship with Te, but the strong seismicity could cause a low Te. Seismogenic layer （Ts） has a similar trend as Te in the craton, whereas in other areas the relationship is complex.

ASSESSMENT OF OPTICAL CLEARING INDUCED IMPROVEMENT OF LASER SPECKLE CONTRAST IMAGING

Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging(LSCI)plays an important role in studying blood flow,but suffers from limited penetration depth of light in turbid tissue.The strong scattering of tissue obviously reduces the image contrast which decreases the sensitivity to flow velocity.Some image processing or optical clearing methods have been proposed to lessen the deficiency,but quantitative assessment of improvement is seldom given.In this study,LSCI was applied to monitor the blood flow through a capillary embedded within various tissue phantoms at depths of 0.25,0.45,0.65,0.85 and 1.05 mm,and the flow velocity in capillary was controllable from 0 to 4mm/s.Here,glycerol,a common optical clearing agent,was mixed with Intralipid at different volume ratio to make the reduced scattering coefficient of tissue phantom decrease from 13.00 to 0.50 cm−1.The quantitative analysis demonstrates that the optical clearing method can obviously enhance the image contrast,imaging depth,and sensitivity to blood flow velocity.Comparing the Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis methods and the optical clearing method,we find that for typical turbid tissue,the sensitivity to velocity estimated by the Laser Speckle Temporal Contrast Analysis(LSTCA)is twice of that by the Laser Speckle Spatial Contrast Analysis(LSSCA);while the sensitivity to velocity estimated by using the two analysis methods has a 10-fold increase,respectively,if addition of glycerol makes the reduced scattering coefficient of tissue phantom decrease by 30%.Combining the LSTCA and the optical clearing method,the sensitivity to flow velocity will be further enhanced.

Bio-inspired Flow Sensing and Prediction for Fish-like Undulating Locomotion： A CFD-aided Approach

Feedback flow information is of significance to enable underwater locomotion controllers with higher adaptability and efficiency within varying environments. Inspired from fish sensing their external flow via near-body pressure, a computational scheme is proposed and developed in this paper. In conjunction with the scheme, Computational Fluid Dynamics （CFD） is employed to study the bio-inspired fish swimming hydrodynamics. The spatial distribution and temporal variation of the near-body pressure of fish are studied over the whole computational domain. Furthermore, a filtering algorithm is designed and implemented to fuse near-body pressure of one or multiple points for the estimation on the external flow. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed computational scheme and its corresponding algorithm are both effective to predict the inlet flow velocity by using near-body pressure at distributed spatial points.

A high-safety active/passive hybrid control approach for compressor surge based on nonlinear model predictive control

Surge active control can expand the stable operating range of the compressor.However,the difficulty of flow measurement,dynamic uncertainty disturbance,actuator delay characteristics,hard constraints of control variable,and system security measures have not been fully considered in the existing active control system,which significantly hinders its engineering application.Therefore,a nonlinear model predictive surge active control method is first presented based on flow estimator designed by using a continuous-time Kalman filter for dealing with the hard constraint of control variable and the impact of actuator delay of compression system with dynamic uncertainty.Then,a high-safety active/surge passive hybrid control strategy is designed,dominated by the surge active control and supplemented by the surge passive control,to ensure the compression system’s safe and stable operation.Lastly,the simulation results suggest that the flow estimator accurately estimates the compressor flow.When considering the delay impact of the actuators and sensors and measurement noise on the system,the proposed method exhibits stronger robustness than the existing meth-ods.The active/surge passive hybrid control strategy can successfully ensure the compression system’s safe and stable operation.This paper is of high practical significance for the engineering application of future compressor surge active control technologies.

Geothermal data analysis at the high-temperature hydrothermal area in Western Sichuan

The western Sichuan hydrothermal area is located at the northeastern margin of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is also the eastern end of the Mediterranean-Himalayan geothermal activity zone. There are 248 warm or hot springs in this area, and 11 have temperatures beyond the local boiling temperature. Most of these hot springs are distributed along the Jinshajiang, Dege-Xiangcheng, Ganzi-Litang, and Xianshuihe faults, forming a NW-SE hydrothermal belt. A geothermal analysis of this high-temperature hydrothermal area is an important basis for understanding the deep geodynamic process of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In addition, this study offers an a priori view to utilize geothermal resources, which is important in both scientific research and application. We use gravity, magnetic, seismic, and helium isotope data to analyze the crust-mantle heat flow ratio and deep geothermal structure. The results show that the background terrestrial heat flow descends from southwest to northeast. The crustal heat ratio is not more than 60%. The high temperature hydrothermal active is related to crustal dynamics processes. Along the Batang-Litang-Kangding line, the Moho depth increases eastward, which is consistent with the changing Qc/Qm(crustal/mantle heat flow) ratio trend. The geoid in the hydrothermal zone is 4–6 km higher than the surroundings, forming a local "platform". The NW-SE striking local tensile stress zone and uplift structure in the upper and middle crust corresponds with the surface hydrothermal active zone. There is an average Curie Point Depth(CPD) of 19.5–22.5 km in Batang, Litang, and Kangding. The local shear-wave(S-wave) velocity is relatively low in the middle and lower crust. The S-wave shows a low velocity trap(Vs<3.2 km s.1) at 15–30 km, which is considered a high-temperature partial melting magma, the crustal source of the hydrothermal active zone. We conclude that the hydrothermal system in this area can be divided into Batang-type and Kangding-type, both of which rely on a crustal heating cycle of atmospheric precipitation and surface water along the fracture zone. The heat is derived from the middle and lower crust: groundwater penetrates the deep faults bringing geothermal energy back to the surface and forming high-temperature springs.