Specialist tool for monitoring the measurement degradation process of induction active energy meters

This paper presents a methodology and a specialist tool for failure probability analysis of induction type watt-hour meters, considering the main variables related to their measurement degradation processes. The database of the metering park of a distribution company, named Elektro Electricity and Services Co., was used for determining the most relevant variables and to feed the data in the software. The modeling developed to calculate the watt-hour meters probability of failure was implemented in a tool through a user friendly platform, written in Delphi language. Among the main features of this tool are: analysis of probability of failure by risk range; geographical localization of the meters in the metering park, and automatic sampling of induction type watt-hour meters, based on a risk classification expert system, in order to obtain information to aid the management of these meters. The main goals of the specialist tool are following and managing the measurement degradation, maintenance and replacement processes for induction watt-hour meters. © 2011 IEEE.

Brazilian solar water heating systems evaluation

The Brazilian National Electricity Conservation Program - PROCEL - runs regular surveys in the electric-energy-consumption market. These studies are used as valuable data to better plan the actions of this program. These data also evaluate the program's performance by identifying the level of penetration of the most efficient electric equipment within the residential sector. PROCEL's main lines of action is to promote and make available the most efficient technologies. Based on the results from the latest survey, it is estimated that 24% of the electric-energy consumption of the residential sector is used by electric shower devices, which instantaneously heat the water that flows through them, normally using an electric resistance of 5 kW. These are an important factor in a country where electric-heating devices are present in about 73% of Brazilian households. Keeping that in mind, the purpose of this work is to present the main results of the Brazilian Solar-Water-Heating-Systems Evaluation, finished in 2010, where 535 installations were visited and more than 50 researchers from different universities participated in the project. Moreover, seven Brazilian cities were selected to be studied. The information was collected from field research and statistically treated. The collected information focused on the adequacy of the project to the household, installation, operation and life cycle of the systems, as well as the users' satisfaction level. Technical questionnaires were developed to summarize all the required information, such as a Web site designed to organize and manage the data collected and a Matlab application that performed the dimensioning and F-chart systems evaluation. Quality indicators were created through a full system monitoring, with thermographic analysis and evaluation of shading influence at the system's efficiency, using the Ecotect software.

Versatile and easy-to-assemble measurement system for impedance-based structural health monitoring

In this paper we present a versatile and easy-to-assemble measurement system for structural health monitoring (SHM) based on the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique. The hardware of the proposed system consists only of a common data acquisition (DAQ) device with external resistors and allows real-time data acquisition from multiple sensors. Besides the low-cost compared to conventional impedance analyzers, the hardware and the software are simple and easier to implement than other measurement systems that have been recently proposed.

A new microcontrolled structural health monitoring system based on the electromechanical impedance principle

This article presents a new method to detect damage in structures based on the electromechanical impedance principle. The system follows the variations in the output voltage of piezoelectric transducers and does not compute the impedance itself. The proposed system is portable, autonomous, versatile, and could efficiently replace commercial instruments in different structural health monitoring applications. The identification of damage is performed by simply comparing the variations of root mean square voltage from response signals of piezoelectric transducers, such as lead zirconate titanate patches bonded to the structure, obtained for different frequencies of the excitation signal. The proposed system is not limited by the sampling rate of analog-to-digital converters, dispenses Fourier transform algorithms, and does not require a computer for processing, operating autonomously. A low-cost prototype based on microcontroller and digital synthesizer was built, and experiments were carried out on an aluminum structure and excellent results have been obtained. © The Author(s) 2012.

A comparison of two nonlinear damping mechanisms in a vibration isolator

The vibration transmissibility characteristics of a single-degree-of- freedom (SDOF) passive vibration isolation system with different nonlinear dampers are investigated in this paper. In one configuration, the damper is assumed to be linear and viscous, and is connected to the mass so that it is perpendicular to the spring (horizontal damper). The vibration is in the direction of the spring. The second configuration is one in which the damper is in parallel with the spring but the damping force is proportional to the cube of the relative velocity across the damper (cubic damping). Both configurations are studied for small amplitudes of excitation, when some analysis can be conducted based on analytical expressions, and for large amplitudes of excitation, where the analysis is based on numerical simulations. It is found that the two nonlinear systems can outperform the linear system when force transmissibility is considered. However, for displacement transmissibility, the system with the horizontal damper exhibits some desirable properties, but the system with cubic damping does not. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

An investigation of a two-stage nonlinear vibration isolation system

This paper investigates the most desirable configuration of a two-stage nonlinear vibration isolation system, in which the isolators contain hardening geometric stiffness nonlinearity and linear viscous damping. The force transmissibility of the system is used as the measure of the effectiveness of the isolation system. The hardening nonlinearity is achieved by placing horizontal springs onto the suspended and intermediate masses, which are supported by vertical springs. It is found that nonlinearity in the upper stage has very little effect and thus serves little purpose. The nonlinearity in the lower stage, however, has a profound effect, and can significantly improve the effectiveness of the isolation system. Further, it is found that it is desirable to have high damping in the upper stage and very low damping in the lower stage. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Monitoring in precision metal drilling process using multi-sensors and neural network

This paper presents a new method to estimate hole diameters and surface roughness in precision drilling processes, using coupons taken from a sandwich plate composed of a titanium alloy plate (Ti6Al4V) glued onto an aluminum alloy plate (AA 2024T3). The proposed method uses signals acquired during the cutting process by a multisensor system installed on the machine tool. These signals are mathematically treated and then used as input for an artificial neural network. After training, the neural network system is qualified to estimate the surface roughness and hole diameter based on the signals and cutting process parameters. To evaluate the system, the estimated data were compared with experimental measurements and the errors were calculated. The results proved the efficiency of the proposed method, which yielded very low or even negligible errors of the tolerances used in most industrial drilling processes. This pioneering method opens up a new field of research, showing a promising potential for development and application as an alternative monitoring method for drilling processes. © 2012 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Active vibration control using delayed resonant feedback

Delayed feedback (DF) control is a well-established technique to suppress single frequency vibration of a non-minimum phase system. Modal control is also a well-established technique to control multiple vibration modes of a minimum phase system. In this paper these techniques are combined to simultaneously suppress multiple vibration modes of a non-minimum phase system involving a small time delay. The control approach is called delayed resonant feedback (DRF) where each modal controller consists of a modal filter to extract the target mode signal from the vibration response, and a phase compensator to account for the phase delay of the mode. The methodology is first discussed using a single mode system. A multi-mode system is then studied and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the control approach for two modes of a beam. It is shown that the system behaves as if each mode under control has a dynamic vibration absorber attached to it, even though the actuator and the sensor are not collocated and there is a time delay in the control system. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Monitoramento da Integridade Estrutural de Sistemas Mecânicos via Observador de Estado Modal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Implementação e análise do desempenho de técnicas de monitoramento através de medição de vibração e correlação com corrente estatórica

A crescente demanda por energia elétrica aliada à grande importância deste setor para o sistema econômico nacional tem levado o governo e empresas particulares a investirem em estudos que possibilitem melhorar o desempenho dos sistemas envolvidos nesse processo, em virtude dos relevantes ganhos que esta iniciativa pode produzir. Neste contexto, esse trabalho é uma contribuição ao estudo do desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de diagnóstico de defeitos para a máquina hidrogeradora número 3 da Usina Hidrelétrica de Coaracy Nunes, localizada no Estado do Amapá. Em muitas situações os métodos de análise de vibrações são utilizados para detectar a presença de falhas nesse tipo de máquina, neste trabalho também será utilizada a análise dos sinais de corrente para fornecer indicações similares. Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma metodologia de diagnóstico de defeito em máquinas elétricas através dos sinais de vibração e correlação com a análise da corrente do estator. No decorrer deste trabalho apresenta-se uma revisão bibliográfica das técnicas de monitoramento e diagnóstico das condições das máquinas elétricas, através dos ensaios de vibração correlacionados com as características da corrente estatórica. O resultado da correlação da medição de vibração com a medição de corrente se baseia em uma metodologia implementada por um sistema de aquisição e de processamento de dados desenvolvido na plataforma LabView. Os resultados experimentais foram obtidos a partir de defeitos mecânicos (desbalanceamento mecânico e defeitos nas pistas, externa e interna dos rolamentos) induzidos em uma bancada experimental concebida com intuito de representar um sistema de geração. Finalizando, os sinais de vibração e corrente foram analisados e comparados para verificar se os defeitos que foram evidenciados pelo método convencional de vibração alteravam o comportamento dos sinais de corrente. Os bons resultados desse trabalho mostram a viabilidade em estudos futuros nesta área.

Redes neurais artificiais aplicadas à manutenção baseada na condição

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A system for environmental monitoring of hydroelectric reservoirs in Brazil

Environmental monitoring of aquatic systems is an important tool to support policy makers and environmental managers' decisions. Long-term, continuous collection of environmental data is fundamental to the understanding of an aquatic system. This paper aims to present the integrated system for environmental monitoring (SIMA), a long-term temporal series system with a web-based archive for limnological and meteorological data. The following environmental parameters are measured by SIMA: chlorophyll-a (µgL-1), water surface temperature (ºC), water column temperature by a thermistor string (ºC), turbidity (NTU), pH, dissolved oxygen concentration (mg L-1), electric conductivity (µS cm-1), wind speed (ms-1) and direction (º), relative humidity (%), shortwave radiation (Wm-2) and barometric pressure (hPa). The data were collected in a preprogrammed time interval (1 hour) and were transmitted by satellite in quasi-real time for any user within 2500 km of the acquisition point. So far, 11 hydroelectric reservoirs are being monitored with the SIMA buoy. Basic statistics (mean and standard deviation) and an example of the temporal series of some parameters were displayed at a database with web access. However, sensor and satellite problems occurred due to the high data acquisition frequency. Sensors problems occurred due to the environmental characteristics of each aquatic system. Water quality sensors rapidly degrade in acidic waters, rendering the collected data invalid. Data is also rendered invalid when sensors become infested with periphyton. Problems occur with the satellites' reception of system data when satellites pass over the buoy antenna. However, the data transfer at some inland locations was not completed due to the satellite constellation position. Nevertheless, the integrated system of water quality and meteorological parameters is an important tool in understanding the aquatic system dynamic. It can also be used to create hydrodynamics models of the aquatic system to allow for the study of meteorological implications to the water body.

Vibration Control Applied in a Semi-Active Suspension using Magneto Rheological Damper and Optimal Linear Control Design

In this paper we study the behavior of a semi-active suspension witch external vibrations. The mathematical model is proposed coupled to a magneto rheological (MR) damper. The goal of this work is stabilize of the external vibration that affect the comfort and durability an vehicle, to control these vibrations we propose the combination of two control strategies, the optimal linear control and the magneto rheological (MR) damper. The optimal linear control is a linear feedback control problem for nonlinear systems, under the optimal control theory viewpoint We also developed the optimal linear control design with the scope in to reducing the external vibrating of the nonlinear systems in a stable point. Here, we discuss the conditions that allow us to the linear optimal control for this kind of non-linear system.

On the Performance of a Two-Stage Vibration Isolation System Which has Geometrically Nonlinear Stiffness

Linear single-stage vibration isolation systems have a limitation on their performance, which can be overcome passively by using linear two-stage isolations systems. It has been demonstrated by several researchers that linear single-stage isolation systems can be improved upon by using nonlinear stiffness elements, especially for low-frequency vibrations. In this paper, an investigation is conducted into whether the same improvements can be made to a linear two-stage isolation system using the same methodology for both force and base excitation. The benefits of incorporating geometric stiffness nonlinearity in both upper and lower stages are studied. It is found that there are beneficial effects of using nonlinearity in the stiffness in both stages for both types of excitation. Further, it is found that this nonlinearity causes the transmissibility at the lower resonance frequency to bend to the right, but the transmissibility at the higher resonance frequency is not affected in the same way. Generally, it is found that a nonlinear two-stage system has superior isolation performance compared to that of a linear two-stage isolator.

Predictive maintenance of a worm reducer with an unbalanced load

Among all predictive maintenance techniques the oil analysis and vibration analysis are the most important for monitoring some mechanical systems. The integration of these techniques has potential to improve industrial maintenance practices and provide a better economic gain for industries. To study the integration of these two techniques, a test rig was set up to obtain an extreme working condition for the worm reducer used in this paper. The test rig was composed by a motor connected to a reducer through a flexible coupling and with an unbalanced load. The analysis of the results carried out by using a sample of the oil recommended by the manufacturer in extreme conditions, and using liquid contaminant is presented. From the results it was observed that if there is an abnormal instantaneous load in a system, the subsequent vibration analysis may not perceive what occurred if there was no permanent damage, which is not the case with the lubricant analysis.