Analysis of ensemble models in the medium term hydropower scheduling

The medium term hydropower scheduling (MTHS) problem involves an attempt to determine, for each time stage of the planning period, the amount of generation at each hydro plant which will maximize the expected future benefits throughout the planning period, while respecting plant operational constraints. Besides, it is important to emphasize that this decision-making has been done based mainly on inflow earliness knowledge. To perform the forecast of a determinate basin, it is possible to use some intelligent computational approaches. In this paper one considers the Dynamic Programming (DP) with the inflows given by their average values, thus turning the problem into a deterministic one which the solution can be obtained by deterministic DP (DDP). The performance of the DDP technique in the MTHS problem was assessed by simulation using the ensemble prediction models. Features and sensitivities of these models are discussed. © 2012 IEEE.

On Non-ideal and Chaotic Energy Harvester Behavior

In this paper, we deal with the research of a proposed mathematical model of energy harvesting, including nonlinearities in the piezoelectric coupling and a non-ideal force of excitation. We showed using numerical simulations to analysis of the dynamic responses that, the power harvested was influenced by the nonlinear vibrations of the structure, as well as by the influence of the non-linearities in the piezoelectric coupling. We concluded through of the numerical results that the limited energy source was interacting with the system. Thus, the increasing of the voltage in DC motor led the system produce a good power response, especially in high-energy orbits in the resonance region, but the Sommerfeld effect occurs in the system and a chaotic behavior was found in the post-resonance region. So the power harvested along the time decreases because occurs loses of energy due the interaction between energy source and structure. Keeping the energy harvested constant over time is essential to make possible the use of energy harvesting systems in real applications. To achieve this objective, we applied a control technique in order to stabilize the chaotic system in a periodic stable orbit. We announced that the results were satisfactory and the control maintained the system in a stable condition. © 2012 Foundation for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.

Decay of photo-induced conductivity in Sb-doped SnO2 thin films, using monochromatic light of about bandgap energy

Doping tin dioxide (SnO2) with pentavalent Sb5+ ions leads to an enhancement in the electrical conductivity of this material, because Sb5+ substitutes Sn4+ in the matrix, promoting an electronic density increase in the conduction band, due to the donor-like nature of the doping atom. Results of computational simulation, based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT), of SnO2:4%Sb and SnO2:8%Sb show that the bandgap magnitude is strongly affected by the doping concentration, because the energy value found for 4 at%Sb and 8 at%Sb was 3.27 eV and 3.13 eV, respectively, whereas the well known value for undoped SnO2 is about 3.6 eV. Sb-doped SnO2 thin films were obtained by the sol-gel-dip-coating technique. The samples were submitted to excitation with below theoretical bandgap light (450 nm), as well as above bandgap light (266 nm) at low temperature, and a temperature-dependent increase in the conductivity is observed. Besides, an unusual temperature and time dependent decay when the illumination is removed is also observed, where the decay time is slower for higher temperatures. This decay is modeled by considering thermally activated cross section of trapping centers, and the hypothesis of grain boundary scattering as the dominant mechanism for electronic mobility. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energetic, ecologic and fluid-dynamic analysis of a fluidized bed gasifier operating with sugar cane bagasse

This work aims to study the thermodynamic, ecological and fluid-dynamic aspects of a circulating fluidized bed gasifier using sugar cane bagasse as biomass, in order to estimate a model of its normal operation. In the initial stage was analysed the composition of biomass selected (sugar cane bagasse) and its lower heating value (LHV) was calculated. The energy balance of the gasifier was done, being the volumetric flow of air, synthesis gas and biomass estimated. Also the power produced by this gasifier was theoretically estimated. Then the circulating fluidized bed gasifier was designed for operation with approximately 100 kg/h of processed biomass. Cross-sectional area of the reactor, feeder size, diameter of the exit zone of the gases and minimum height of the expanded bed were selected. Some bed gasifier hydrodynamic factors were also studied. The minimum fluidization velocity, fluidization terminal velocity, and average fluidizing velocity were calculated, in order to understand the fluid-dynamic behaviour of gasification of this fuel. It was obtained a theoretical model that can support a possible prototype of circulating fluidized bed gasifier biomass. Finally, there were studied the ecological aspects of the gasifier, through an overall methodology. Ecological efficiencies were estimated for two scenarios: first considering the carbon cycle and thereafter disregarding the carbon cycle. In both cases, it can be proved the ecological viability of the project. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monte Carlo simulation applied in total reflection X-ray fluorescence: Preliminary results

The X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis is a technique for the qualitative and quantitative determination of chemical constituents in a sample. This method is based on detection of the characteristic radiation intensities emitted by the elements of the sample, when properly excited. A variant of this technique is the Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) that utilizes electromagnetic radiation as excitation source. In total reflection of X-ray, the angle of refraction of the incident beam tends to zero and the refracted beam is tangent to the sample support interface. Thus, there is a minimum angle of incidence at which no refracted beam exists and all incident radiation undergoes total reflection. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the energy variation of the beam of incident x-rays, using the MCNPX code (Monte Carlo NParticle) based on Monte Carlo method. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Cellular automata-based spatial dynamic modeling for analyzing urban land use change

This paper analyzes land use change in Rio Claro City and its surroundings, located in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, in the period from 1988 to 1995, using air-borne digital imagery and a cellular automata model. The simulation experiment was carried out in the Dinamica EGO platform and the results revealed a constrained urban sprawl, resulting from both the densification of residential areas implemented in previous years and the economic recession that led to an internal financial crisis in Brazil during the early 1990s. The simulation outputs were validated using a multi-resolution procedure based on a fuzzy similarity index and showed a satisfactory fitness in relation to the historical reference data. © 2013 IEEE.

Fenômenos não-lineares, incluindo-se os não-ideias, em captura de energia utilizando-se dispositivos piezoelétricos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise conformacional dos petídeos protonectina e protonectina (1-6), isolados e em associação, em mistura TFE-água

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Previsão de ondas geradas por ventos em águas interiores e sua alteração devido à presença de vegetação aquática em margens de lagos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estudos estruturais por dinâmica molecular do peptídeo Polybia-MPI via Replica Exchange

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Energy Management and Control for Islanded Microgrid Using Multi-Agents

This paper presents a multi-agent system for real-time operation of simulated microgrid using the Smart-Grid Test Bed at Washington State University. The multi-agent system (MAS) was developed in JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment Framework) which is a Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) compliant open source multi-agent platform. The proposed operational strategy is mainly focused on using an appropriate energy management and control strategies to improve the operation of an islanded microgrid, formed by photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, batteries and resistive and rotating machines loads. The focus is on resource management and to avoid impact on loads from abrupt variations or interruption that changes the operating conditions. The management and control of the PV system is performed in JADE, while the microgrid model is simulated in RSCAD/RTDS (Real-Time Digital Simulator). Finally, the outcome of simulation studies demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed multi-agent approach for real-time operation of a microgrid.

Fluid-dynamic assessment of sugarcane bagasse to use as feedstock in bubbling fluidized bed gasifiers

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

An unequivocal normalization-based paradigm to solve dynamic economic and emission active-reactive OPF (optimal power flow)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The dynamic behavior of a cantilever beam coupled to a non-ideal unbalanced motor through numerical and experimental analysis

An excitation force that is not influenced by the system state is said to be an ideal energy source. In real situations, a direct and feedback coupling between the excitation source and the system must always exist at a certain level. This manifestation of the law of conservation of energy is known as the Sommerfeld effect. In the case of obtaining a mathematical model for such a system, additional equations are usually necessary to describe the vibration sources with limited power and its coupling with the mechanical system. In this work, a cantilever beam and a non-ideal DC motor fixed to its free end are analyzed. The motor has an unbalanced mass that provides excitation to the system which is proportional to the current applied to the motor. During the coast up operation of the motor, if the drive power is increased slowly, making the excitation frequency pass through the first natural frequency of the beam, the DC motor speed will remain the same until it suddenly jumps to a much higher value (simultaneously its amplitude jumps to a much lower value) upon exceeding a critical input power. It was found that the Sommerfeld effect depends on some system parameters and the motor operational procedures. These parameters are explored to avoid the resonance capture in the Sommerfeld effect. Numerical simulations and experimental tests are used to help gather insight of this dynamic behavior. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular design of new P3HT derivatives: Adjusting electronic energy levels for blends with PCBM

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)