A novel silicon nanotips antireflection surface for the micro Sun sensor

We have developed a new technique to fabricate an antireflection surface using silicon nanotips for use on a micro Sun sensor for Mars rovers. We have achieved randomly distributed nanotips of radii spanning from 20 to 100 nm and aspect ratio of approximately 200 using a two-step dry etching process. The 30 degrees specular reflectance at the target wavelength of 1 microm is only about 0.09%, nearly 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of bare silicon, and the hemispherical reflectance is approximately 8%. When the density and aspect ratio of these nanotips are changed, a change in reflectance is demonstrated. When surfaces are covered with these nanotips, the critical problem of ghost images that are caused by multiple internal reflections in a micro Sun sensor was solved.     

Simulation Study on On-Line MTPA/MTPV Trajectory Tracking in PMSMs with Power Management

Abstract

This paper proposes an on-line maximum torque per ampere (MTPA)/maximum torque per voltage (MTPV) trajectory tracking method in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) with power management. The on-line MTPA/MTPV machine current trajectory tracking algorithm is developed from PMSM model. Maximum source current and machine current are regulated to enhance hardware protection during machine current trajectory tracking. The maximum source current management is achieved by iterating within the current trajectory tracking algorithm over continuous torque command modifications based on power flow analysis, and the maximum machine current management is achieved by torque command limiting based on current angle modulation. Different from the existing techniques in literature, the proposed method has an unique feature of providing on-line regulation of source current, while maintaining on-line MTPA/MTPV trajectory tracking in PMSMs. It also provides machine and inverter overcurrent regulation to enhance their protection. In addition, the proposed method is flexible to tune and does not require off-line calibration. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulation results in MATLAB.     

The modified dynamic model of a riser type fluid catalytic cracking unit

The dynamic model developed by Ali and Rohani (1997) to describe the transient behavior of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit is modified (i) to incorporate the effect of volumetric expansion of the feed and product gases flowing in the riser reactor (ii) to consider the enhancement of mass and heat transfer coefficients due to high turbulence in the regenerator and (iii) to model the reactor and stripper as a continuous stirred tank. The modified model is validated using steady-state plant data from an industrial unit (Consumer's Co-operative Refineries Ltd., Regina, SK) and the results are found to be in good agreement.     

Estimation of the effect of biomass moisture content on the direct combustion of sugarcane bagasse in boilers

Many of the large-scale biomass combustion systems for producing heat, hot water, or steam accept biomass fuels containing relatively large amounts of moisture. Dry biomass burns at higher temperatures and thermal efficiencies than wet biomass. Flame temperature is directly related to the amount of heat necessary to evaporate the moisture contained in the biomass, the lower the moisture content, the lower the amount of energy needed to remove the water and the higher the boiler efficiency. In this article, a simple predictive tool is developed to estimate boiler efficiency as a function of stack gas temperature and sugarcane bagasse moisture content. The method quantitatively illustrates the effect of moisture content on the performance of a thermochemical process, for the direct combustion of sugarcane bagasse in a conventional boiler. The results are found to be in excellent agreement with reported data in the literature with average absolute deviation being around 1%. The tool developed in this study can be of immense practical value for engineers to have a quick check on biomass moisture content on the boiler performance at various conditions without opting for any experimental trials. In particular, engineers would find the approach to be user-friendly with transparent calculations involving no complex expressions.     

ESTIMATION OF CONFIGURATION FACTOR FOR RADIATION FROM A RECTANGLE TO A PARALLEL SMALL ELEMENT OF SURFACE LYING ON THE PERPENDICULAR TO A CORNER OF THE RADIATOR

To calculate the radiant intensity at a point distant from a radiator, a geometrical or configuration factor must be used. If the temperature is known, then the emissive power can be calculated using the mean equivalent beam length, but before the radiant heat flux at a distance can be estimated, a configuration factor must be calculated. In this article a simple predictive tool is developed to estimate the configuration factor for a geometry including a receiving element lying on the perpendicular to one corner of a radiant rectangle. The results are found to be in excellent agreement with reported data in the literature with average absolute deviation being around 2%. The results can be used in follow up calculations to estimate heat fluxes on surfaces exposed to radiation. The tool developed in this study can be of immense practical value for engineers as a quick check on the configuration factor for a geometry including a receiving element lying on the perpendicular to one corner of a radiant rectangle without opting for any experimental trials. In particular, engineers would find the approach to be user-friendly with transparent calculations involving no complex expressions.     

Identification and control of a riser‐type FCC unit

This paper addresses the use of feedforward neural networks for the steady‐state and dynamic identification and control of a riser type fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU). The results are compared with a conventional PI controller and a model predictive control (MPC) using a state space subspace identification algorithm. A back propagation algorithm with momentum term and adaptive learning rate is used for training the identification networks. The back propagation algorithm is also used for the neuro‐control of the process. It is shown that for a noise‐free system the adaptive neuro‐controller and the MPC are capable of maintaining the riser temperature, the pressure difference between the reactor vessel and the regenerator, and the catalyst bed level in the reactor vessel, in the presence of set‐point and disturbance changes. The MPC performs better than the neuro controller that in turn is superior to the conventional multi‐loop diagonal PI controller.     

A unidirectional temperature gradient stage for solidification studies in aqueous solutions

A low temperature light microscope stage has been designed and fabricated for quantitative analysis of the solidification of aqueous solutions. Thermal boundary conditions are controlled during freezing so as to enable direct comparison of data with complementary theoretical models. Evolution of the temperature distribution within the system is monitored by a one-dimensional thermocouple array, and growth of the phase interface is measured via a displacement transducer. The two-dimensional solution concentration field is assessed by computer densitometric analysis of the grey scale distribution for a light absorbing solute. Experimental and theoretical analyses of freezing processes with the stage correlate well, and the data base is shown to be internally consistent by independent thermal and mechanical measures of the interface velocity.     

Dynamic modeling and simulation of a riser-type fluid catalytic cracking unit

A dynamic model is developed for a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit to describe the dynamic behavior of both the riser and the regenerator reactors and their interactions. The cracking reactions are simulated by the four-lumped kinetic model [1]. The reactions in the riser occur in a transported bed with the fluid and the solids in ideal plug flow. The two-phase nature of the regenerator-fluidized bed is considered and the kinetic model for the coke combustion on the cracking catalyst [2,3] is incorporated. The proposed model is validated using steady-state plant data from an industrial unit and the results are found to be in good agreement. One of the main advantages of the model is that it does not include any partial differential equations. This facilitates the solution of the equations and makes the model particularly suitable for control studies. Simulation studies are performed to investigate the effect of changing various process variables, such as catalyst circulation rate, gas oil feed rate, and oxygen feed concentration.