Sharif Digital Repository

The practicality of robust model predictive control of systems with model uncertainties depends on the time consumed for solving a defined optimization problem. This paper presents a method for the computational complexity reduction in a robust model predictive control. First a scaled state vector is defined such that the objective function contours in the defined optimization problem become vertical or horizontal ellipses or circles, and then the control input is determined at each sampling time as a state feedback that minimizes the infinite horizon objective function by solving some linear matrix inequalities. The simulation results show that the number of iterations to solve the problem... 

This paper presents a robust model predictive control algorithm with a time-varying terminal constraint set for systems with model uncertainty and input constraints. In this algorithm, the nonlinear system is approximated by a linear model where the approximation error is considered as an unstructured uncertainty that can be represented by a Lipschitz nonlinear function. A continuum of terminal constraint sets is constructed off-line, and robust stability is achieved on-line by using a variable control horizon. This approach significantly reduces the computational complexity. The proposed robust model predictive controller with a terminal constraint set is used in tracking set-points for... 

This paper presents some computationally efficient algorithms for online tracking of set points in robust model predictive control context subject to state and input constraints. The nonlinear systems are represented by a linear model along with an additive nonlinear term which is locally Lipschitz. As an unstructured uncertainty, this term is replaced in the robust stability constraint by its Lipschitz coefficient. A scheduled control technique is employed to transfer the system to desired set points, given online, by designing local robust model predictive controllers. This scheme includes estimating the regions of feasibility and stability of the related equilibriums and online switching... 

The laminar natural convection from an isothermal horizontal cylinder confined between vertical walls is investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The experimental and numerical data are well correlated, independently, to equations which give the average Nusselt number in terms of the wail spacing to cylinder diameter ratio, t/D, and the Rayleigh number, Ra, for two different values of the wall height to cylinder diameter ratios, H/D=7 and 15.2. For the low Rayleigh numbers considered (Ra<1000), there are certain conditions for the confining walls under which heat transfer from the cylinder is maximum. Results are compared with the reported numerical and/or experimental results... 

The use of cell phone is a significant source of driver distraction. Phone use while driving can impair a number of factors critical for safe driving which can cause serious traffic safety problems. The objective of this paper was to investigate the frequency of using cell phones while driving in Iran's roads through an observational survey with a random sample of drivers, to recognize contributing factors to cell phone usage and to understand the magnitude of the problem. A total of 1794 observations were collected from 12 sites at controlled intersections, entrance and exit points of highways. The cell phone use rate among drivers (talking or texting) was estimated at 10% which is... 

Purpose: This work aims to study factors, such as driver characteristics, environmental conditions, and vehicle characteristics, that affect different crash types with a special focus on distraction parameters. For this purpose, distraction factors are divided into five groups: cellphone usage, cognitive distractions, passengers distracting the driver, outside events attracting the driver’s attention, and in-vehicle activities. Methods: Taking the crashes that occurred in the USA into account, the crash types are divided into two main groups, single-vehicle crashes and two-vehicle crashes. Since there were different crash types (alternatives) in the dataset and the probable correlation in... 

The use of cell phone is a significant source of driver distraction. Phone use while driving can impair a number of factors critical for safe driving which can cause serious traffic safety problems. The objective of this paper was to investigate the frequency of using cell phones while driving in Iran's roads through an observational survey with a random sample of drivers, to recognize contributing factors to cell phone usage and to understand the magnitude of the problem. A total of 1794 observations were collected from 12 sites at controlled intersections, entrance and exit points of highways. The cell phone use rate among drivers (talking or texting) was estimated at 10% which is... 

This study provides a comprehensive literature review to summarize all contributing factors and the logit-based models that were used to predict the severity of crashes. Using the General Estimates Systems (GES) dataset, as a subset and a branch of the National Automotive Sampling System in the US, a Generalized Ordered Logit (GLM) model is developed to predict the crash severity. The developed severity model detects the most important parameters based on characteristics of the driver, the environment, the vehicle, the road, and the type of crash. This study aims to take a more in-depth look into the distraction-related factors as one of the most important groups of contributing factors to... 

The online condition assessment of circuit breakers (CBs) has been increasingly requested by power utilities in recent years. Trip and close coil current (CC) signature is an effective and noninvasive parameter in CB online condition monitoring. This paper gives an insight into the impacts of the various failures on the coil current waveform, as well as on the CB operation time. The failures and their causes are categorized based on the outcome of these investigations. Finally, a new algorithm using trip/close CC is proposed to detect the mode and cause of CB incipient failures. In this study, the CC patterns are acquired by measurements carried out on (healthy and faulty) CBs of 72.5-kV and... 

Recognition of the circuit-breaker's (CB) vital role in reliable operation and protection of power systems (i.e., during energization, disconnecting loads, and clearing faults), helps to understand the requirement and importance of its maintenance management as well as maintenance scheduling. Condition-based maintenance (CBM), employing online monitoring (OLM) of CBs, has been long reported as the most practical maintenance policy on the power system CBs. There are a large number of CBs in a power system to be monitored; however, to address the financial limitations for OLM implementation (in utilities), a method will be proposed to find the most critical breakers for enforcing effectively... 

The proper and reliable operation of circuit breakers (CBs) directly affects the reliability and continuity of electricity services in a power systems. Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is the best economic CB maintenance strategy through its online monitoring (OLM) possibilities. Since there is a large number of CBs in a power system, to equip all CBs with OLM systems is not economically justifiable however. This paper, as the second part of a two-part paper, presents an effective optimization framework to find the optimal number of CBs to be monitored online as the kernel of CBM process. To prove its feasibility, the proposed approach is applied to the IEEE Roy Billinton Test System, which... 

This paper presents a neuro-predictive controller for temperature control of automotive air conditioning system. A numerical model for the automotive refrigeration cycle, which includes transient operating conditions, has been employed in simulations. In this model, which has been created from numerous laboratory tests on a typical passenger car, the vehicle is divided into two linked modules representing the air conditioning (A/C) system as well as the passenger compartment climate. Moreover, the thermal loads have been considered. This system demonstrates variable and large time delays, which is the case in reality. The simulation results show good performance of the proposed controller. ©... 

Porous silicon (PS) is widely utilized in gas sensors. Palladium is a good choice to sensitize the surface of PS to hydrogen. Ideally for highest sensitivity of the sensor, all the pores of PS should be completely covered with palladium. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) technique is routinely used to determine depth profile of elements in thin layers. By using microbeam analysis as a complementary technique, we clearly observed the lateral image of penetrated Pd in depth. In this work, we used electrochemically anodized-silicon wafer doped with Pd by the electroless process. In our analysis, we intentionally characterized both the area of PS where Electric Field is applied during... 

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in synthesizing electrodes used in zinc electrowinning, increasing active surface area, decreasing specific energy consumption, and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential. In this study, modified nanocomposite anodes were synthesized by applying pulsed and constant direct current electrodeposition to improve the catalytic activity of the electrodes toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and reduce energy consumption in zinc electrowinning. By decreasing particle size, the active surface area of PbO2-RuO2 nano-mixed composite electrode was 2.88 and 14.22 times greater than PbO2-RuO2 microcomposite and pure PbO2 electrodes, respectively.... 

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) infrastructures have so far been brought into the huge amount of focus since the need for a more reliable power system accosting with the catastrophic events of interruptions has been raised. Hence, benefiting from an automation technology which can remotely monitor and coordinate commands to enable immediate response and switching are obviously inevitable. This paper outlines an implementable method in response to the goal of placement of remote terminal units (RTUs) which are in charge for data acquisition and control in a power distribution system. In this light, a new practical methodology based on the robust decision making (DM) method,... 

Confronted with the power system restructuring trend reforming the past-regulated power systems, the need for a narrower insight on the costly maintenance strategies seems imperative. It falls within the realm of reliability centered maintenance to enhance the cost effectiveness of power distribution maintenance policies. From a practical point of view, this paper devises a novel approach on the basis of the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) accompanied by fuzzy sets theory to determine the most critical component types of distribution power systems to be prioritized in maintenance scheduling. In the presence of many qualitative and quantitative attributes, fuzzy sets can effectively... 

In this paper, with the aim of enhancing the thermal conductivity of the fluid, a nanofluid is prepared based on SiO2. A series of experimental tests were carried out for both laminar and forced convection regimes in a horizontal tube with two different geometric shapes (circular and square cross section) subjected to constant wall heat flux (4735 W m−2). A comparative study has been done to investigate the effect of the geometry on the convective heat transfer. Moreover, the effect of the volume concentration on the behavior of the nanofluid and the base fluid was evaluated by comparing various volume concentrations (0.05, 0.07 and 0.2%). The experiments were done under two different...