Shape design for a cylinder with uniform temperature distribution on the outer surface by inverse heat transfer method

Performance of the inverse heat transfer method in application to the shape design for the heat convection problems has been evaluated. The approach is constructed by combining curvilinear grid generation scheme, direct problem solver, conjugate gradient optimization method, and redistribution method. Shape design for the outer surface profile of a solid medium in a crossflow that contains a heating element and features an isothermal outer surface has been carried out. Practical cases under different combinations of the dominant physical parameters, including Reynolds number (Re), thermal conductivity ratio (k_f/k_s), desired outer surface temperature (θ_d), and Prandtl number (Pr), are studied to evaluate the effects of the physical parameters on the shape design.     

Design structure matrix (DSM) method application to issue of modeling and analyzing the fault tree of a wind energy asset

The perpetual energy production of a wind farm could be accomplished (under proper weather conditions) if no failures occurred. But even the best possible design, manufacturing, and maintenance of a system cannot eliminate the failure possibility. In order to understand and minimize the system failures, the most crucial components of the wind turbines, which are prone to failures, should be identified. Moreover, it is essential to determine and classify the criticality of the system failures according to the impact of these failure events on wind turbine safety. The present study is processing the failure data from a wind farm and uses the Fault Tree Analysis as a baseline for applying the Design Structure Matrix technique to reveal the failure and risk interactions between wind turbine subsystems. Based on the analysis performed and by introducing new importance measures, the “readiness to fail” of a subsystem in conjunction with the “failure riskiness” can determine the “failure criticality.” The value of the failure criticality can define the frame within which interventions could be done. The arising interventions could be applied either to the whole system or could be focused in specified pairs of wind turbine subsystems. In conclusion, the method analyzed in the present research can be effectively applied by the wind turbine manufacturers and the wind farm operators as an operation framework, which can lead to a limited (as possible) design‐out maintenance cost, failures' minimization, and safety maximization for the whole wind turbine system.