Sliding Mode Control of Coupled Tank Systems Using Conditional Integrators

For the problem of set point regulation of the liquid level in coupled tank systems, we present a continuous sliding mode control(SMC) with a "conditional integrator", which only provides integral action inside the boundary layer. For a special choice of the controller parameters, our design can be viewed as a PID controller with anti-windup and achieves robust regulation.The proposed controller recovers the transient response performance without control chattering. Both full-state feedback as well as output-feedback designs are presented in this work. Our output-feedback design uses a high-gain observer(HGO) which recovers the performance of a state-feedback design where plant parameters are assumed to be known. We consider both interacting as well as non-interacting tanks and analytical results for stability and transient performance are presented in both the cases. The proposed controller continuous SMC with conditional integrators(CSMCCI) provides superior results in terms of the performance measures as well as performance indices than ideal SMC, continuous SMC(CSMC) and continuous SMC with conventional integrator(CSMCI). Experimental results demonstrate good tracking performance in spite of unmodeled dynamics and disturbances.

Adaptive robust control for triple avoidance - striking - arrival performance of uncertain tank mechanical systems

This paper puts forward an unprecedented avoidance-striking-arrival problem aiming to address the need for tank's uncertain mechanical systems on the intelligent battlefield.The associated system uncertainties(possibly rapid)are time-varying but bounded(possibly unknown).The goal is to design a controller that enables the tank to aim at and attack the enemy tank while keeping itself(out of the enemy fire zone).The tank maintains this condition until reaching the predefined region.In this paper,an approximate constraint following control method is adopted to solve this problem,and the original constraints are creatively divided into two categories:the avoidance-tracking constraint and the striking-arrival constraint.An adaptive robust control method is proposed and consequently verified through simulation experiments.It is proved that the system fully obeys the avoidance-tracking-constraint and strictly obeys the striking-arrival constraint under the control input.Besides,the control of the tank vehicle running system and tank gun bidirectional stabilization system are unified to deal with the control signal delay caused by complex uncertainties on the battlefield.Overall,this paper reduced the delay of signal transmission in the system while solved the avoidance-striking-arrival problem.

Primary Research on Real-Time Fault Diagnosis Platform for Fuel Tank System of an Aircraft

Sub-tanks in fuel tank systems of aircrafts transfer fuel to engines in certain order. These sub-tanks and attached tank-accessories affect each other, and make fault diagnosis in such systems rather difficult. Without real measured data, this paper analyzes fault modes and fault effects of the fuel tank system, including its tankaccessories, of a given aircraft. Fault model of the system is built theoretically, and fault diagnosis criteria are deduced. Such criteria are then quantified to train a back propagation neural network(BPNN) as fault diagnosis model. To realize fault diagnosis of the real fuel tank system, a real-time fault diagnosis platform based on Lab View and Vx Works to perform this diagnosis method is discussed. This platform is a technical groundwork for fault diagnosis in real fuel tank systems.

Seismic analysis of a LNG storage tank isolated by a multiple friction pendulum system

The seismic response of an isolated vertical, cylindrical, extra-large liquefied natural gas （LNG） tank by a multiple friction pendulum system （MFPS） is analyzed. Most of the extra-large LNG tanks have a fundamental frequency which involves a range of resonance of most earthquake ground motions. It is an effective way to decrease the response of an isolation system used for extra-large LNG storage tanks under a strong earthquake. However, it is difficult to implement in practice with common isolation bearings due to issues such as low temperature, soft site and other severe environment factors. The extra-large LNG tank isolated by a MFPS is presented in this study to address these problems. A MFPS is appropriate for large displacements induced by earthquakes with long predominant periods. A simplified finite element model by Malhotra and Dunkerley is used to determine the usefulness of the isolation system. Data reported and statistically sorted include pile shear, wave height, impulsive acceleration, convective acceleration and outer tank acceleration. The results show that the isolation system has excellent adaptability for different liquid levels and is very effective in controlling the seismic response of extra-large LNG tanks.

Numerical simulation of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks in recirculating aquaculture systems

A three-dimensional numerical model was established to simulate the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank of a recirculating aquaculture system. The realizable k-e turbulence model was applied to describe the flow, the discrete phase model （DPM） was applied to generate particle trajectories, and the governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. To validate this model, the numerical results were compared with data obtained from a full-scale physical model. The results show that： （1） the realizable k-e model applied for turbulence modeling describes well the flow pattern in octagonal tanks, giving an average relative error of velocities between simulated and measured values of 18% from contour maps of velocity magnitudes; （2） the DPM was applied to obtain particle trajectories and to simulate the rate of particle removal from the tank. The average relative error of the removal rates between simulated and measured values was 11%. The DPM can be used to assess the self-cleaning capability of an octagonal tank; （3） a comprehensive account of the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank can be assessed from simulations. The velocity distribution was uniform with an average velocity of 15 cm/s; the velocity reached 0.8 m/s near the inlet pipe, which can result in energy losses and cause wall abrasion; the velocity in tank corners was more than 15 cm/s, which suggests good water mixing, and there was no particle sedimentation. The percentage of particle removal for octagonal tanks was 90% with the exception of a little accumulation of 〈5 mm particle in the area between the inlet pipe and the wall. This study demonstrated a consistent numerical model of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks that can be further used in their design and optimization as well as promote the wide use of computational fluid dynamics in aquaculture engineering.

Optimal operation of water supply systems with tanks based on genetic algorithm

In view of the poor water supply system’s network properties, the system’s complicated network hydraulic equations were replaced by macroscopic nodal pressure model and the model of relationship between supply flow and water source head. By using pump-station pressure head and initial tank water levels as decision variables, the model of optimal allocation of water supply between pump-sources was developed. Genetic algorithm was introduced to deal with the model of optimal allocation of water supply. Methods for handling each constraint condition were put forward, and overcome the shortcoming such as premature convergence of genetic algorithm; a solving method was brought forward in which genetic algorithm was combined with simulated annealing technology and self-adaptive crossover and mutation probabilities were adopted. An application example showed the feasibility of this algorithm.

A Neuro-fuzzy-sliding Mode Controller Using Nonlinear Sliding Surface Applied to the Coupled Tanks System

The aim of this paper is to develop a neuro-fuzzy-sliding mode controller （NFSMC） with a nonlinear sliding surface for a coupled tank system. The main purpose is to eliminate the chattering phenomenon and to overcome the problem of the equivalent control computation. A first-order nonlinear sliding surface is presented, on which the developed sliding mode controller （SMC） is based. Mathematical proof for the stability and convergence of the system is presented. In order to reduce the chattering in SMC, a fixed boundary layer around the switch surface is used. Within the boundary layer, where the fuzzy logic control is applied, the chattering phenomenon, which is inherent in a sliding mode control, is avoided by smoothing the switch signal. Outside the boundary, the sliding mode control is applied to drive the system states into the boundary layer. Moreover, to compute the equivalent controller, a feed-forward neural network （NN） is used. The weights of the net are updated such that the corrective control term of the NFSMC goes to zero. Then, this NN also alleviates the chattering phenomenon because a big gain in the corrective control term produces a more serious chattering than a small gain. Experimental studies carried out on a coupled tank system indicate that the proposed approach is good for control applications.

Performance of hybrid constructed wetland systems for treating septic tank effluent

The integrated wetland systems were constructed by combining horizontal-flow and vertical-flow bed, and their purification efficiencies for septic tank effluent were detected when the hydraulic retention time （HRT） was 1 d, 3 d, 5 d under different seasons. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, phosphorus were steady in the hybrid systems, but the removal efficiency of total nitrogen was not steady due to high total nitrogen concentration in the septic tank effluent. The average removal rates of COD （chemical oxygen demand） were 89%, 87%, 83%, and 86% in summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively, and it was up to 88%, 85%, 73%, and 74% for BOD5 （5 d biochemical oxygen demand） removal rate in four seasons. The average removal rates of TP （total phosphorous） could reach up to 97%, 98%, 95%, 98% in four seasons, but the removal rate of TN （total nitrogen） was very low. The results of this study also indicated that the capability of purification was the worst in winter. Cultivating with plants could improve the treated effluent quality fTom the hybrid systems. The results of the operation of the horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells （hybrid systems） showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, TP and TN in horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells were improved significantly with the extension of HRT under the same season. The removal rate of 3 d HRT was obviously higher than that of 1 d HRT, and the removal rate of 5 d HRT was better than that of 3 d HRT, but the removal efficiency was not very obvious with the increment of HRT. Therefore, 3 d HRT might be recommended in the actual operation of the hybrid systems for economic and technical reasons.

Operation Performance of Central Solar Heating System with Seasonal Storage Water Tank in Harbin

This paper presented a preliminary research on the central solar heating system with seasonal storage(CSHSSS)used in cold climate in China.A mathematical model of the solar energy seasonal storage water tank used in the central solar heating system was firstly developed based on energy conservation.This was followed by the simulation of the CSHSSS used in a two-floor villa in Harbin,and analysis of the impacts on storage water temperature of tank volume,solar collector area,tank burial depth,insulation thickness around the tank,etc.The results show there is a relatively economical tank volume to optimize the system efficiency,which decreases with increasing tank volume at the constant collector area,and increases with increasing collector area at the constant tank volume.Furthermore,the insulation thickness has obvious effect on avoiding heat loss,while the tank burial depth doesn't.In addition,the relationship between the solar collector efficiency and storage water temperature is also obtained,it decreases quickly with increasing storing water temperature,and then increases slowly after starting space heating system.These may be helpful for relevant design and optimization in cold climates in China and all over the world.

An Expanded Optimal Control Policy for a Coupled Tanks System with Random Disturbance

In this paper, an expanded optimal control policy is proposed to study the coupled tanks system, where the random disturbance is added into the system. Since the dynamics of the coupled tanks system can be formulated as a nonlinear system, determination of the optimal water level in the tanks is useful for the operation decision. On this point of view, the coupled tanks system dynamics is usually linearized to give the steady state operating height. In our approach, a model-based optimal control problem, which is adding with adjusted parameters, is considered to obtain the true operating height of the real coupled tanks system. During the computation procedure, the differences between the real plant and the model used are measured repeatedly, where the optimal solution of the model used is updated. On this basis, system optimization and parameter estimation are integrated. At the end of the iteration, the iterative solution approximates to the correct optimal solution of the original optimal control problem, in spite of model-reality differences. In conclusion, the efficiency of the approach proposed is shown.

Migration of Infiltrated NH_4 and NO_3 in a Soil and Groundwater System Simulated by a Soil Tank

The infiltration of water contaminants into soil and groundwater systems can greatly affect the quality of groundwater. A laboratory-designed large soil tank with periodic and continuous infiltration models, respectively, was used to simulate the migration of the contaminants NH4 and NO3 in a soil and groundwater system, including unsaturated and saturated zones. The unsaturated soil zone had a significant effect on removing NH4 and NO3 infiltrated from the surface water. The patterns of breakthrough curves of NH4 and NO3 in the unsaturated zone were related to the infiltration time. A short infiltration time resulted in a single sharp peak in the breakthrough curve, while a long infiltration time led to a plateau curve. When NH4 and NO3 migrated from the unsaturated zone to the saturated zone, an interracial retardation was formed, resulting in an increased contaminant concentration on the interface. Under the influence of horizontal groundwater movement, the infiltrated contaminants formed a contamination-prone area downstream. As the contaminants migrated downstream, their concentrations were significantly reduced. Under the same infiltration concentration, the concentration of NO3 was greater than that of NH4 at every corresponding cross-section in the soil and groundwater tank, suggesting that the removal efficiency of NH4 was greater than that of NO3 in the soil and groundwater system.

Design and Analysis of Typical Buoyancy Tank Riser Tensioner Systems

The method for design and analysis of a buoyancy tank riser tensioner system （BTRTS） was put forward in this paper, taking the free standing hybrid riser＇s top buoyancy tank as an example. The design procedure was discussed and was also illustrated in a flowchart, after a short description of the global arrangement, structure configuration, and the function of different types of buoyancy tanks （BT）. The objective of this paper is to describe a way of developing a BT with minimal hydro force, maximal net lift, and no redundancy of compartments. The method of determining the main dimensions of the BT, namely the length and the outer diameter, was outlined. A series of investigations was conducted for a West Africa FSHR BT design, and the effect of the ratio of the length to the outer diameter （L/D） on the hydrodynamics and the weight of the BT was discussed. The methodology of designing the internal structure of the BT was presented. The effects of the number of compartments and the dimension of the inner stem on the BT weight and strength were compared. The relationship between inner structure and the number one index of the BT as well as the riser＇s top tension factor （TTF） were illustrated for normal operating conditions and conditions with one or more compartments （or inner stem） damaged. A design instance was given in this paper, when L/D is 4-6, the BT weight and the drag force are compromised. When the BT is divided into 10 compartments, the riser TTF will reach the maximum value, and the ratio of the stem OD to shell OD is about 0.3. A global strength analysis method of the BT and the main load case matrix was also included in the paper, together with the local strength analysis of the buoyancy tank＇s pad-eye assembly.

Research of refrigeration system for a new type of constant temperature hydraulic tank

Different from the traditional hydraulic oil cooling method,a new type of constant temperature oil tank cooling system based on semiconductor refrigeration technology is designed. This paper studies the principle of semiconductor refrigeration and establishes a heat transfer model. Semiconductor cooler on piping refrigeration is simulated,and influence of the parameters on the outlet temperature,such as pipe pressure difference of inlet and outlet,pipe length,pipe radius,are gotten,and then hydraulic tank semiconductor refrigeration system is proposed. The semiconductor refrigeration system can control temperature at 37 ± 1°C.

Global Think Tanks and the AMI Index Evaluation System

This paper has 4 parts. Part 1 presents a comparative analysis of think tank evaluation methods. Part 2 introduces the AMI index system for comprehensive evaluation of global think tanks. Part 3 describes the current situation of global think tanks based on ranking by AMI. Part 4 proposes the construction of new type think tanks with Chinese characteristics under the global perspective.

Water Quality Variation of Malagane Tank:Lessons Learnt from Sustainable Ancient Hydraulic System,Sri Lanka

Tank Cascade Systems(TCS)are the back bone of the dry zone prosperity in Sri Lanka and supply water throughout the year to agricultural lands since the 2nd century BC.The main aim of this study was to understand the nutrient dynamics of small TCS and find out evidence for the sustainability of the system for thousands of years.Malagane tank cascade in the Deduru Oya Basin(the 5th largest river basin

Adjusting the Parameters of PI Regulator in All-electrical Tank Gun Control System by Computer Program

Both the traverse subsystem and the elevation subsystem of the all-electrical tank gun control system are composed of electrical drive control system respectively. The parameters of PI regulator in these electrical drive control systems affect the performance of the control system seriously. Up to now, there is not a simple and practical method for choosing regulator parameters, which are usually determined by repeated and continual readjustment. This method is low efficient, and the parameters got are not always optimal. A method for on-line adjusting the parameters of PI regulator in the electrical drive control system by computer program is introduced in this paper. The function of adjusting PI parameters of the electrical drive control system is realized by PC program written by VC++ and controlling program written by assemble language and by the communication between PC and DSP completed by the control MSCOMM in VC++6.0. The method as mentioned above which is applied for an all-electrical tank gun control system under development is proved very available, a better performance might be obtained for the all-electrical tank gun control system easily.

Enhanced structural damage behavior of liquid-filled tank by reactive material projectile impact

A series of ballistic experiments were performed to investigate the damage behavior of high velocity reactive material projectiles(RMPs) impacting liquid-filled tanks,and the corresponding hydrodynamic ram(HRAM) was studied in detail.PTFE/Al/W RMPs with steel-like and aluminum-like densities were prepared by a pressing/sintering process.The projectiles impacted a liquid-filled steel tank with front aluminum panel at approximately 1250 m/s.The corresponding cavity evolution characteristics and HRAM pressure were recorded by high-speed camera and pressure acquisition system,and further compared to those of steel and aluminum projectiles.Significantly different from the conical cavity formed by the inert metal projectile,the cavity formed by the RMP appeared as an ellipsoid with a conical front.The RMPs were demonstrated to enhance the radial growth velocity of cavity,the global HRAM pressure amplitude and the front panel damage,indicating the enhanced HRAM and structural damage behavior.Furthermore,combining the impact-induced fragmentation and deflagration characteristics,the cavity evolution of RMPs under the combined effect of kinetic energy impact and chemical energy release was analyzed.The mechanism of enhanced HRAM pressure induced by the RMPs was further revealed based on the theoretical model of the initial impact wave and the impulse analysis.Finally,the linear correlation between the deformation-thickness ratio and the non-dimensional impulse for the front panel was obtained and analyzed.It was determined that the enhanced near-field impulse induced by the RMPs was the dominant reason for the enhanced structural damage behavior.

SOLID-LIQUID SUSPENSION SYSTEM IN AGITATED TANK WITH DRAFT TUBE

Solid-liquid suspension in an agitated tank with a draft tube was investigated witha newly developed infrared turbidimeter for measuring solid concentration.The diameter of theflared inlet transition tube and the distance from the inlet to the tank bottom are two importantparameters for draft tube design The NAX-4 impeller,developed in this study,is characterized byits high flow efficiency and low power consumption.Some modifications are made to the Bald′smodel by considering the effects of solid concentration and fluid viscosity on the critical speed forcomplete off-bottom suspension.The modified equation fits the experimental data satisfactority andcan be used in scale-up

Accuracy Assignment Study of Tank Fire Control System Based on Value Analysis Method

A method of accuracy assignment based on value analysis method （VAM） in tank fire control system （TFCS） is proposed. From the analysis of primary error sources and their error transfer relationships, the mathematical model is built on the basis of VAM to solve the accuracy assignment problem. Simulation results show the validation and feasibility of the proposed method. It can help designer of tank fire control system work out an optimal system more efficiently and more economically.

Fuzzy System for Prognosis of Tank Failure Based on Neural Network

A system for prognosis of tank failures was set up based on the results of analysis on fault phenomena. An algorithm incorporating fuzzy mathematics with the BP neural network was used to solve this prognosis model, and the availability of this model was also analyzed. This neural network-based fuzzy system for prognosis of tank failures has been put into operation at Huangdao oil terminal. The application results have shown that this system is effective for real-time prognosis of various potential tank failures and timely adoption of mitigative measures to avoid major tank accidents, which would have great significance for safeguarding the safe operation of the oil terminal.