This paper addresses the development and testing of a remotely controlled boat platform with an innovative air-ventilated hull. The application of air cavities on the underside of ship hulls is a promising means for r...This paper addresses the development and testing of a remotely controlled boat platform with an innovative air-ventilated hull. The application of air cavities on the underside of ship hulls is a promising means for reducing hydrodynamic drag and pollutant emissions and increasing marine transportation efficiency. Despite this concept＇s potential, design optimization and high-performance operation of novel air-cavity ships remain a challenging problem. Hull construction and sensor instrumentation of the model-scale air-cavity boat is described in the paper. The modular structure of the hull allows for easy modifications, and an electric propulsion unit enables self-propelled operation. The boat is controlled remotely via a radio transmission system. Results of initial tests are reported, including thrust, speed, and airflow rate in several loading conditions. The constructed platform can be used for optimizing air-cavity systems and testing other innovative hull designs. This system can be also developed into a high-performance unmanned boat.展开更多
Power line inspection is an essential procedure in the power lines maintenance area, especially thinking about service availability and energy efficiency. Aerial inspection of electric power transmission lines is typi...Power line inspection is an essential procedure in the power lines maintenance area, especially thinking about service availability and energy efficiency. Aerial inspection of electric power transmission lines is typically performed using human-piloted helicopters, which is a procedure that is both expensive and prone to accidents taking risks to human beings＇ lives. The work presents a solution based on UAS （unmanned aircraft system） for inspecting power lines. In this context a R ＆ D project of an unmanned aircraft system to be used for performing complete aerial inspection of overhead power lines is being executed by ITA （Instituto Tecnol6gico de Aeron^utica） （Technological Institute of Aeronautics） in Brazil. Special attention is dedicated to the communication system conception in order to comply with Remotely Piloted Aircraft System definition in the context of long endurance operations of the system. It presents a solution based on LTA （lighter than air） platform in order to extend the communication range beyond line of sight.展开更多
Simulation has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing pipeline network systems （PNS） in order to determine the design and operational variables which are essential for evaluating the performance of the system....Simulation has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing pipeline network systems （PNS） in order to determine the design and operational variables which are essential for evaluating the performance of the system. This paper discusses the use of simulation for performance analysis of transmission PNS. A simulation model was developed for determining flow and pressure variables for different configuration of PNS. The mathematical formulation for the simulation model was derived based on the principles of energy conservation, mass balance, and compressor characteristics. For the determination of the pressure and flow variables, solution procedure was developed based on iterative Newton Raphson scheme and implemented using visual C＋＋6. Evaluations of the simulation model with the existing pipeline network system showed that the model enabled to determine the operational variables with less than ten iterations. The performances of the compressor working in the pipeline network system xvhich includes energy consumption, compression ratio and discharge pressure were evaluated to meet pressure requirements ranging from 4000-5000 kPa at various speed. Results of the analyses from the simulation indicated that the model could be used for performance analysis to assist decisions regarding the design and optimal operations of transmission PNS.展开更多
基金Foundation item： Supported by the National Science Foundation （CMMI-1026264 and EEC-1157094）.
文摘This paper addresses the development and testing of a remotely controlled boat platform with an innovative air-ventilated hull. The application of air cavities on the underside of ship hulls is a promising means for reducing hydrodynamic drag and pollutant emissions and increasing marine transportation efficiency. Despite this concept＇s potential, design optimization and high-performance operation of novel air-cavity ships remain a challenging problem. Hull construction and sensor instrumentation of the model-scale air-cavity boat is described in the paper. The modular structure of the hull allows for easy modifications, and an electric propulsion unit enables self-propelled operation. The boat is controlled remotely via a radio transmission system. Results of initial tests are reported, including thrust, speed, and airflow rate in several loading conditions. The constructed platform can be used for optimizing air-cavity systems and testing other innovative hull designs. This system can be also developed into a high-performance unmanned boat.
文摘Power line inspection is an essential procedure in the power lines maintenance area, especially thinking about service availability and energy efficiency. Aerial inspection of electric power transmission lines is typically performed using human-piloted helicopters, which is a procedure that is both expensive and prone to accidents taking risks to human beings＇ lives. The work presents a solution based on UAS （unmanned aircraft system） for inspecting power lines. In this context a R ＆ D project of an unmanned aircraft system to be used for performing complete aerial inspection of overhead power lines is being executed by ITA （Instituto Tecnol6gico de Aeron^utica） （Technological Institute of Aeronautics） in Brazil. Special attention is dedicated to the communication system conception in order to comply with Remotely Piloted Aircraft System definition in the context of long endurance operations of the system. It presents a solution based on LTA （lighter than air） platform in order to extend the communication range beyond line of sight.
文摘Simulation has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing pipeline network systems （PNS） in order to determine the design and operational variables which are essential for evaluating the performance of the system. This paper discusses the use of simulation for performance analysis of transmission PNS. A simulation model was developed for determining flow and pressure variables for different configuration of PNS. The mathematical formulation for the simulation model was derived based on the principles of energy conservation, mass balance, and compressor characteristics. For the determination of the pressure and flow variables, solution procedure was developed based on iterative Newton Raphson scheme and implemented using visual C＋＋6. Evaluations of the simulation model with the existing pipeline network system showed that the model enabled to determine the operational variables with less than ten iterations. The performances of the compressor working in the pipeline network system xvhich includes energy consumption, compression ratio and discharge pressure were evaluated to meet pressure requirements ranging from 4000-5000 kPa at various speed. Results of the analyses from the simulation indicated that the model could be used for performance analysis to assist decisions regarding the design and optimal operations of transmission PNS.
