A safety assessment methodology applied to CNS/ATM-based air traffic control system

In the last decades, the air traffic system has been changing to adapt itself to new social demands, mainly the safe growth of worldwide traffic capacity. Those changes are ruled by the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) paradigm, based on digital communication technologies (mainly satellites) as a way of improving communication, surveillance, navigation and air traffic management services. However, CNS/ATM poses new challenges and needs, mainly related to the safety assessment process. In face of these new challenges, and considering the main characteristics of the CNS/ATM, a methodology is proposed at this work by combining ""absolute"" and ""relative"" safety assessment methods adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in ICAO Doc.9689 [14], using Fluid Stochastic Petri Nets (FSPN) as the modeling formalism, and compares the safety metrics estimated from the simulation of both the proposed (in analysis) and the legacy system models. To demonstrate its usefulness, the proposed methodology was applied to the ""Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting"" (ADS-B) based air traffic control system. As conclusions, the proposed methodology assured to assess CNS/ATM system safety properties, in which FSPN formalism provides important modeling capabilities, and discrete event simulation allowing the estimation of the desired safety metric. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiobjective Particle Swarm Approach for the Design of a Brushless DC Wheel Motor

The roots of swarm intelligence are deeply embedded in the biological study of self-organized behaviors in social insects. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is one of the modern metaheuristics of swarm intelligence, which can be effectively used to solve nonlinear and non-continuous optimization problems. The basic principle of PSO algorithm is formed on the assumption that potential solutions (particles) will be flown through hyperspace with acceleration towards more optimum solutions. Each particle adjusts its flying according to the flying experiences of both itself and its companions using equations of position and velocity. During the process, the coordinates in hyperspace associated with its previous best fitness solution and the overall best value attained so far by other particles within the group are kept track and recorded in the memory. In recent years, PSO approaches have been successfully implemented to different problem domains with multiple objectives. In this paper, a multiobjective PSO approach, based on concepts of Pareto optimality, dominance, archiving external with elite particles and truncated Cauchy distribution, is proposed and applied in the design with the constraints presence of a brushless DC (Direct Current) wheel motor. Promising results in terms of convergence and spacing performance metrics indicate that the proposed multiobjective PSO scheme is capable of producing good solutions.

Modeling and simulation of severe slugging in air-water pipeline-riser systems

A mathematical model, numerical simulations and stability and flow regime maps corresponding to severe slugging in pipeline riser systems, are presented. In the simulations air and water were used as flowing fluids. The mathematical model considers continuity equations for liquid and gas phases, with a simplified momentum equation for the mixture, neglecting inertia. A drift-flux model, evaluated for the local conditions in the riser, is used as a closure law. The developed model predicts the location of the liquid accumulation front in the pipeline and the liquid level in the riser, so it is possible to determine which type of severe slugging occurs in the system. The numerical procedure is convergent for different nodalizations. A comparison is made with experimental results corresponding to a catenary riser, showing very good results for slugging cycle and stability and flow regime maps. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An air-standard cycle and a thermodynamic perspective on operational limits of Ranque-Hilsh or vortex tubes

A Thermodynamic air-standard cycle was envisaged for Ranque-Hilsh (R-H) or Vortex Tubes to provide relevant Thermodynamic analysis and tools for setting operating limits according to the conservation laws of mass and energy, as well as the constraint of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The study used an integral or control volume approach and resulted in establishing working equations for evaluating the performance of an R-H tube. The work proved that the coefficient of performance does not depend on the R-H tube operating mode, i.e., the same value is obtained independently if the R-H tube operates either as a heat pump or as a refrigeration device. It was also shown that the isentropic coefficient of performance displays optima values of cold and hot mass fractions for a given operating pressure ratio. Finally, the study was concluded by comparing the present analysis with some experimental data available in the literature for operating pressures ranging 2-11 atm. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation of flow-induced vibration on isolated and tandem circular cylinders fitted with strakes

The effect of varying the geometric parameters of helical strakes on vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is investigated in this paper. The degree of oscillation attenuation or even suppression is analysed for isolated circular cylinder cases. How a cylinder fitted with strakes behaves when immersed in the wake of another cylinder in tandem arrangement is also investigated and these results are compared to those with a single straked cylinder. The experimental tests are conducted at a circulating water channel facility and the cylindrical models are mounted on a low-damping air bearing elastic base with one degree-of-freedom, restricted to oscillate in the transverse direction to the channel flow. Three strake pitches (p) and heights (h) are tested: p = 5, 10, 15d, and h = 0.1, 0.2, 0.25d. The mass ratio is 1.8 for all models. The Reynolds number range is from 1000 to 10000, and the reduced velocity varies up to 21. The cases with h = 0.1d strakes reduce the amplitude response when compared to the isolated plain cylinder, however the oscillation still persists. On the other hand, the cases with h = 0.2, 0.25d strakes almost completely suppress VIV. Spanwise vorticity fields, obtained through stereoscopic digital particle image velocimetry (SDPIV), show an alternating vortex wake for the p = 10d and h = 0.1d straked cylinder. The p = 10d and h = 0.2d cylinder wake has separated shear layers with constant width and no roll-up close to the body. The strakes do not increase the magnitude of the out-of-plane velocity compared to the isolated plain cylinder. However, they deflect the flow in the out-of-plane direction in a controlled way, which can prevent the vortex shedding correlation along the span. In order to investigate the wake interference effect on the strake efficiency, an experimental arrangement with two cylinders in tandem is employed. The centre-to-centre distance for the tandem arrangement varies from 2 to 6. When the downstream p = 10d and h = 0.2d cylinder is immersed in the wake of an upstream fixed plain cylinder, it loses its effectiveness compared with the isolated case. Although the oscillations have significant amplitude, they are limited, which is a different behaviour from that of a tandem configuration with two plain cylinders. For this particular case, the amplitude response monotonically increases for all gaps, except one, a trait usually found in galloping-like oscillations. SDPIV results for the tandem arrangements show alternating vortex shedding and oscillatory wake. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Friction coefficient and abrasive wear modes in ball-cratering tests conducted at constant normal force and constant pressure-Preliminary results

The micro-scale abrasive wear test by rotative ball has gained large acceptance in universities and research centers, being widely used in studies on the abrasive wear of materials. Two wear modes are usually observed in this type of test: ""rolling abrasion"" results when the abrasive particles roll on the surface of the tested specimen, while ""grooving abrasion"" is observed when the abrasive particles slide; the type of wear mode has a significant effect on the overall behaviour of a tribological system. Several works on the friction coefficient during abrasive wear tests are available in the literature, but only a few were dedicated to the friction coefficient in micro-abrasive wear tests conducted with rotating ball. Additionally, recent works have identified that results may also be affected by the change in contact pressure that occurs when tests are conducted with constant applied force. Thus, the purpose of this work is to study the relationship between friction coefficient and abrasive wear modes in ball-cratering wear tests conducted at ""constant normal force"" and ""constant pressure"". Micro-scale abrasive wear tests were conducted with a ball of AISI52100 steel and a specimen of AISIH10 tool steel. The abrasive slurry was prepared with black silicon carbide (SiC) particles (average particle size of 3 mu m) and distilled water. Two constant normal force values and two constant pressure values were selected for the tests. The tangential and normal loads were monitored throughout the tests and their ratio was calculated to provide an indication of the friction coefficient. In all cases, optical microscopy analysis of the worn craters revelated only the presence of grooving abrasion. However, a more detailed analysis conducted by SEM has indicated that different degrees of rolling abrasion have also occurred along the grooves. The results have also shown that: (i) for the selected values of constant normal force and constant pressure, the friction coefficient presents, approximately, the same range of values and (ii) loading conditions play an important role on the occurrence of rolling abrasion or grooving abrasion and, consequently, on the average value and scatter of the friction coefficient in micro-abrasive wear tests. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comparison of the critical impeller speed for solids suspension in a bench-scale and a pilot-scale mechanical flotation cell

This paper compares the critical impeller speed results for 6 L Denver and Wemco bench-scale flotation cells with findings from a study by Van der Westhuizen and Deglon [Van der Westhuizen, A.P., Deglon, D.A., 2007. Evaluation of solids suspension in a pilot-scale mechanical flotation cell: the critical impeller speed. Minerals Engineering 20,233-240; Van der Westhuizen, A.P., Deglon, D.A., 2008. Solids suspension in a pilot scale mechanical flotation cell: a critical impeller speed correlation. Minerals Engineering 21, 621-629] conducted in a 125 L Batequip flotation cell. Understanding solids suspension has become increasingly important due to dramatic increases in flotation cell sizes. The critical impeller speed is commonly used to indicate the effectiveness of solids suspension. The minerals used in this study were apatite, quartz and hematite. The critical impeller speed was found to be strongly dependent on particle size, solids density and air flow rate, with solids concentration having a lesser influence. Liquid viscosity was found to have a negligible effect. The general Zwietering-type critical impeller speed correlation developed by Van der Westhuizen and Deglon [Van der Westhuizen, A.P., Deglon, D.A., 2008. Solids suspension in a pilot scale mechanical flotation cell: a critical impeller speed correlation. Minerals Engineering 21, 621-629] was found to be applicable to all three flotation machines. The exponents for particle size, solids concentration and liquid viscosity were equivalent for all three cells. The exponent for solids density was found to be less significant than that obtained by the previous authors, and to be consistent with values reported in the general literature for stirred tanks. Finally, a new dimensionless critical impeller speed correlation is proposed where the particle size is divided by the impeller diameter. This modified equation generally predicts the experimental measurements well, with most predictions within 10% of the experimental. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abrasion and corrosion resistance of new Ni-based coating deposited by HVOF thermal spray process

Coatings based on NiCrAlC intermetallic based alloy were applied on AISI 316L stainless steel substrates using a high velocity oxygen fuel torch. The influence of the spray parameters on friction and abrasive wear resistance were investigated using an instrumented rubber wheel abrasion test, able to measure the friction forces. The corrosion behaviour of the coatings were studied with electrochemical techniques and compared with the corrosion resistance of the substrate material. Specimens prepared using lower O(2)/C(3)H(8) ratios showed smaller porosity values. The abrasion wear rate of the NiCrAlC coatings was much smaller than that described in the literature for bulk as cast materials with similar composition and one order of magnitude higher than bulk cast and heat treated (aged) NiCrAlC alloy. All coatings showed higher corrosion resistance than the AISI 316L substrate in HCl (5%) aqueous solution at 40 degrees C.

Influence of Temperature, Basiscity and Particle Size on MnO Reduction

The aim of this work is to study MnO reduction by solid carbon. The influence of size of carbon particles, slag basicity, and bath temperature on MnO reduction was investigated. Fine Manganese ore particles were used as a source of MnO. Three sizes of carbon particles were used; 0.230 mm, 0.162 mm and 0.057 mm, binary basicity of 1 and 1.5 and temperatures of 1550, 1550 and 1600 degrees C. Curves were drawn for Mn content in the bath as a function of time and temperature for the several studied parameters. The MnO reduction rates were determined using these data. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2011007]

In-Line Monitoring of Particle Size during Emulsion Polymerization under Different Operational Conditions using NIR Spectroscopy

In the present work, the sensitivity of NIR spectroscopy toward the evolution of particle size was studied during emulsion homopolymerization of styrene (Sty) and emulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate-butyl acrylate conducted in a semibatch stirred tank and a tubular pulsed sieve plate reactor, respectively. All NIR spectra were collected online with a transflectance probe immersed into the reaction medium. The spectral range used for the NIR monitoring was from 9 500 to 13 000 cm(-1), where the absorbance of the chemical components present is minimal and the changes in the NIR spectrum can be ascribed to the effects of light scattering by the polymer particles. Off-line measurements of the average diameter of the polymer particles by DLS were used as reference values for the development of the multi-variate NIR calibration models based on partial least squares. Results indicated that, in the spectral range studied, it is possible to monitor the evolution of the average size of the polymer particles during emulsion polymerization reactions. The inclusion of an additional spectral range, from 5 701 to 6 447 cm(-1), containing information on absorbances (""chemical information"") in the calibration models was also evaluated.

Miniaturized structures for removal or selection of particles from liquid flow

The aim of this work was the development of miniaturized structures useful for retention and/or selection of particles and viscous substances from a liquid flow. The proposed low costs structures are similar to macroscopic wastewater treatment systems, named baffles, and allow disassemble. They were simulated using FEMLAB 3.2b package and manufactured in acrylic with conventional tools. Tests for retention or selection of particles in water or air and viscous fluids in water were carried out. Either in air or water particles with 50 mu m diameter will be retained but not with 13 mu m diameter. In aqueous flow, it is also possible the retention of viscous samples, such as silicone 350 cSt. The simulated results showed good agreement with experimental measurements. These miniaturized structures can be useful in sample pretreatment for chemical analysis and microorganism manipulation. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using economic instruments to address emissions from air transport in the European Union

Air transport has become a vital component of the global economy. However, greenhouse-gas emissions from this sector have a significant impact on global climate, being responsible for over 3.5% of all anthropogenic radiative forcing. Also, the accrued visibility of aircraft emissions greatly affects the public image of the industry. In this context, incentive-based regulations, in the form of price or quantity controls, can be envisaged as alternatives to mitigate these emissions. The use of environmental charges in air transport, and the inclusion of the sector in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), are considered under a range of scenarios. The impacts of these measures on demand are estimated, and results suggest that they are likely to be minimal-mainly due to the high willingness to pay for air transport. In particular, in the EU ETS scenario currently favoured by the EU, demand reductions are less than 2%. This may not be true in the longer run, for short trips, or if future caps become more stringent. Furthermore, given current estimates of the social Cost Of CO2 as well as typical EU ETS prices, supply-side abatement would be too costly to be encouraged by these policies in the short term. The magnitude of aviation CO2 emissions in the EU is estimated, both in physical and monetary terms; the results are consistent with Eurocontrol estimates and, for the EU-25, the total social cost of these emissions represents only 0.03% of the region`s GDP. It is concluded that the use of multisector policies, such as the EU ETS, is unsuitable for curbing emissions from air transport, and that stringent emission charges or an isolated ETS would be better instruments. However, the inclusion of aviation in the EU ETS has advantages under target-oriented post-2012 scenarios, such as policy-costs dilution, certainty in reductions, and flexibility in abatement allocation. This solution is also attractive to airlines, as it would improve their public image but require virtually no reduction of their own emissions, as they would be fully capable of passing on policy costs to their customers.

Particle-Image Velocimetry Study of a Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device

Particle-image velocimetry (PIV) was used to visualize the flow within an optically transparent pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) under development in our laboratory The device studied is a diaphragm type pulsatile pump with an ejection volume of 30 ml per beating cycle intended for temporary cardiac assistance as a bridge to transplantation or recovery in children. Of particular interest was the identification of flow patterns, including regions of stagnation and/or strong turbulence that often promote thrombus formation and hemolysis, which can degrade the usefulness of such devices. For this purpose, phase-locked PIV measurements were performed in planes parallel to the diaphram that drives the flow in the device. The test fluid was seeded with 10 Am polystyrene spheres, and the motion of these particles was used to determine the instantaneous flow velocity distribution in the illumination plane. These measurements revealed that flow velocities up to 1.0 m/s can occur within the PVAD. Phase-averaged velocity fields revealed the fixed vortices that drive the bulk flow within the device, though significant cycle-to-cycle variability was also quite apparent in the instantaneous velocity distributions, most notably during the filling phase. This cycle-to-cycle variability can generate strong turbulence that may contribute to greater hemolysis. Stagnation regions have also been observed between the input and output branches of the prototype, which can increase the likelihood of thrombus formation. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4001252]

Comparative physical-chemical characterization of encapsulated lipid-based isotretinoin products assessed by particle size distribution and thermal behavior analyses

Isotretinoin is the drug of choice for the management of severe recalcitrant nodular acne. Nevertheless, some of its physical-chemical properties are still poorly known. Hence, the aim of our study consisted to comparatively evaluate the particle size distribution (PSD) and characterize the thermal behavior of the three encapsulated isotretinoin products in oil suspension (one reference and two generics) commercialized in Brazil. Here, we show that the PSD, estimated by laser diffraction and by polarized light microscopy, differed between the generics and the reference product. However, the thermal behavior of the three products, determined by thermogravimetry (TGA), differential thermal (DTA) analyses and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), displayed no significant changes and were more thermostable than the isotretinoin standard used as internal control. Thus, our study suggests that PSD analyses in isotretinoin lipid-based formulations should be routinely performed in order to improve their quality and bioavailability. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Over the Air Download for Digital Television Receivers Upgrade

Over the air download is an important feature for terrestrial digital television systems. It provides a cheaper option for DTV receiver manufacturers to provide bug fixes and quality improvements to their products, allowing a shorter time to the market. This paper presents a mechanism proposal of an over the air download software update for the Brazilian system. This mechanism was specified considering the Brazilian DTV over the air download specifications, but it was extended considering efficiency, reliability and user transparency as requirements for software update. A proof of concept was implemented on a Linux based set-top box. The mechanism is divided into five main functional parts: download schedule, packets download, packets authentication, installation and error robustness. Some analyses were conducted upon the implementation considering the following criteria: download robustness and maximum downloading rate. (1)