ALBERT

Description: Natural gas is an extremely important bridge fuel to a low-carbon energy economy for improving local air quality. Coal to synthetic natural gas (SNG) is an effective way to convert the high-carbon energy (coal) into the low-carbon energy with rich hydrogen (natural gas). For the modern coal to SNG industry, the high-temperature methanation (HTM) catalyst plays an important role, and the advanced evaluation process should necessitate the elimination of mass transfer effect. Some simple but effective model catalysts, such as slab and sphere, can be very helpful in defining the reaction conditions, and thus facilitating the evaluation process for real HTM catalysts. In this work, slab and sphere model catalysts were adopted to derive mass transfer and reaction-coupled equations, the numerical methods were used to solve the coupled equations for the concentration profiles in catalysts, and the effectiveness factors were accordingly calculated. By taking advantage of the Thiele module and the Weisz–Prater module , the criteria for the elimination of mass transfer effect in the HTM catalyst evaluation process were successfully defined. This work also complements the Weisz–Prater criterion by incorporating ‘negative reaction orders’.

Description: The energy expended for conditioning buildings around the world is worryingly large and increasing every year. Currently, almost half of houses around the world use some type of energy-expensive conventional air-conditioning system. These systems are high emitters of gases such as carbon dioxide and so high contributors to climate change. Consequently, alternatives must be considered. Earth–air heat exchangers (EAHEs) and phase-change materials (PCMs) may be options; they have, however, limitations. This paper proposes a novel hybrid space-conditioning system combining EAHEs with PCMs, which uses surfaces as sources of heating or cooling to provide better temperature distribution across a space and comfort enhancement with low energy use. The idea is to use an EAHE to provide cool air to discharge the PCM, consequently helping to overcome most of the limitations of both strategies. Two of a series of experiments undertaken to test the proposed system are reported in this article. The EAHE + PCM system compared with a reference room could decrease temperature swings by up to 47%. The system was proved to work although further work is required to make it commercially viable.

Description: The design of a future building with very high-energy efficiency demands from the architect to study the available solar resources in this urban environment. The purpose of the presented methodology is to study the variations in all components of the incident solar radiation daily, monthly and seasonally for all building facades. This is realized in the computer program 3D–SOLARIA. In the focus of the paper is the estimation of the background component of the incident diffuse solar irradiation on a building facade under orthogonally obstructed sky, using anisotropic sky view factors.

Description: The assessment of building envelope sustainability using existing building performance assessment methods is still a challenge and yet to be fully addressed. This is due to the single-dimensional nature and lack of integration of sustainable performance values. Besides, the issue of sustainability assessment in the building envelope requires considering many factors including life cycle considerations. As such, in an effort to develop an integrated approach that combines relevant sustainable development factors and life cycles, an integrated performance model (IPM) was developed. The IPM is an essential tool developed to aid the sustainable design of the residential building envelope that can reduce carbon emission and whole residential building energy consumption and ensure sustainable performance of the building envelope.

Description: The results and considerations on one self-consumption photovoltaic installation with net balance in Granada (South of Spain) are presented and discussed in this paper. The use of the building (one faculty) makes it optimal for this kind of consumption. Finally, the potential benefits and problems of self-consumption with net balance are presented.

Description: Passive convective heat transfer enhancement can be achieved by improving the thermo-physical properties of the working fluid, changing flow geometry or both. This work presents a numerical study to investigate the combined effect of using helical coils and nanofluids on the heat transfer characteristics and pressure losses in turbulent flow regime. The developed computational fluid dynamics models were validated against published experimental data and empirical correlations. Results have shown that combining the effects of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles and tube coiling could enhance the heat transfer coefficient by up to 60% compared with that of pure water in straight tube at the same Reynolds number. Also, results showed that the pressure drop in helical coils using Al 2 O 3 nanofluid for volume fraction of 3% was six times that of water in straight tubes (80% of the pressure drop increase is due to nanoparticles addition), while the effect of Reynolds number on the pressure drop penalty factor was found to be insignificant.

Description: The demand for better indoor environment has led to a wide use of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. However, this demanding cannot be sustained without a strategy to reduce the energy consumption of HVAC systems. Employing advanced HVAC control is one of the strategies to maintain high-quality indoor thermal comfort with low energy consumption. This paper reviews the development of control technologies for HVAC systems. It summarizes the problems in existing reviews and gives a future perspective on HVAC control systems for occupant comfort and energy efficiency.

Description: In buildings without mechanical ventilation, the fresh air needed by the occupants is supplied only by air infiltration or natural ventilation. Its quantification by analytical methods is difficult, and so experimental methods such as the tracer gas technique are very useful. In this work, several case studies are presented, where one may see the potential of this technique to detect small differences in building air tightness, due to different envelope elements, namely the type of window frames and location of blinds' boxes. The applicability of this technique to other spaces rather than buildings can also be analyzed. When dealing with mechanical ventilation, it is difficult to measure the duct air flow rate precisely, because of the minimum duct length necessary to obtain a good mixing of the tracer gas with the air, when conventional probes are used. Research was carried out with the development of new probes to overcome this situation, and results are also shown. With accurate measurements of air flow rates, it is possible to reduce CO 2 emissions due to air heating or cooling in buildings.

Description: A number of factors influence the performance of an ejector, e.g. working fluid, geometry and operating conditions. In the present work, six low-environmental-impact working fluids were evaluated for their use in an ejector cooling system running on low-temperature thermal energy. The numerical analysis was based on a model applying the 1D constant-pressure mixing theory. Ejector performance was assessed for the temperatures of the generator, evaporator and condenser in the range of 80–120°C, 5–15°C and 25–40°C, respectively. The results indicated that owing to its high coefficient of performance and moderate operating pressures throughout the entire ejector cycle, isobutane is a good choice for a refrigerant. The area ratio required for running the ejector in critical mode, under changing operating conditions, varied in a significant range regardless of the selected refrigerant. This clearly indicates the importance of a variable geometry ejector design to strengthen the position of ejector cooling systems among other refrigeration technologies.

Description: The thermal performance of a disc-shaped heat generation body with cooling channels is investigated by using constructal theory based on previous model of heat convection on a disc and previous analytical method of heat conduction on a disc. By taking minimum dimensionless maximum thermal resistance as optimization objective, the optimal aspect ratio of the elemental sector in the radial-pattern disc is obtained for the specified power pumping of the elemental sector; the optimal width ratio of the first-order and elemental cooling channels and the optimal dimensionless radius of the elemental sector are obtained for the specified power pumping of the disc. There exists a critical radius of the disc to determine whether the radial-pattern design and branched-pattern design should be adopted. These conclusions are different from those obtained by Wechsatol et al. 's model, and the essential reason for these differences is that the power pumping is specified in this article, but not the specified flow rate number in Wechsatol et al. 's model. Finally, the assumption about the heat capacity of the coolant and the thermal conductivity of the disc is validated. An analytical method is introduced in this article, which can provide another thought for the constructal optimization of disc with heat convection. The optimal constructs of the discs are obtained for the specified power pumping, which provides some different guidelines for the design of disc with heat convection.

Description: In this paper, solar box cookers with ordinary and finned absorber plates are theoretically investigated in terms of thermodynamic performance parameters. For a typical summer and winter day, temperatures of solar cooker components such as glass cover, internal air, absorber plate, cooking vessel and the liquid are determined theoretically versus time. The analysis is carried out for conventional and finned absorber plates, and accuracy of the results is verified by a previously published experimental work. Energy and exergy efficiencies of box-type solar cookers are plotted versus time for various cases. The methodology presented in this paper enables to make a preliminary evaluation of ordinary and modified solar box cookers with respect to changes in main environmental parameters such as temperature and illumination intensity. Some recommendations are also made to enhance the power outputs of the aforementioned solar cookers.

Description: The sun is the more plentiful source of natural power that we have in the Earth. However, the amount of radiation reaching the Earth's surface depends on astronomical and climatic factors. One of the factors exerting a greater influence is cloudiness. For that reason, it is important to quantify its influence on solar radiation. According to that, in this work, a prototype to capture images of the celestial vault is designed and implemented to be able to measure parameters related to the cloud properties and, later, to determine their influence on solar radiation.

Description: Under transient climatic conditions, solar water heaters using heat pipes are more effective at capturing incident solar radiation than other equivalent sized solar water heaters. The cost must be reduced to improve uptake of such systems. To investigate two methods were considered by this study: thermosyphon fluid flow and reflective concentrators. A physical reconfigurable laboratory model of the manifold and associated condensers of a heat-pipe-evacuated tube system were fabricated; fluid circulation was via thermosyphonic action, particle imaging velocimetry derived velocity maps and the use of concentrators was simulated. When condenser spacing was doubled, the Nusselt number increased by 43%, the velocity by 55% but the heat transfer efficiency of the model manifold decreased by 9%. Potential annual energy savings of 10 207 GWh could be realized if such systems could be successfully fabricated.

Description: This paper presents the results of two field studies to examine the differences in ambient temperatures in a micro-scale environment (at distances of 50–200 m between measuring points) in two different climates during typical summer weather conditions at two similar sites in terms of construction and activities. The analysis considered the land use around the measuring locations split into three categories (built, green and open) as well as climatic conditions and studied the effect of these on ambient temperature at each measuring location. It was found that, similarly to macro-scale studies at the urban level, measuring locations with a higher green cover have a lower ambient temperature compared with measuring locations with a higher built and/or open land cover. The results provide measured evidence in two different climates that small green areas distributed within the urban environment can provide a reduction in the ambient temperature thus contributing to the mitigation of urban heat island.

Description: Capillary pump loop (CPL) is a two-phase heat transfer device considered as a useful solution for thermal control applications in spacecrafts, satellites and electronic components. The purpose of this paper is to study various aspects of the working state of the CPL evaporator. A two-dimensional computational model was developed in order to analyze the flow and the phase transformation inside a cylindrical evaporator. At the present analysis, different cases were studied by changing liquid saturation temperature, inclination angle of the evaporator and the length of the porous heated wick. Water, ammonia, acetone and freon-134 were used as working liquids for numerical experiments. Results present the evaporator capability to vaporize each working liquid and find out its possibility of dry-out causing failure. This information is useful in choosing the best working liquid for an evaporator, enabling bigger amounts of heat to be transferred.

Description: In recent years, the concept of green building is becoming popular in China. Architects and engineers have the opportunity to actually implement green building practices. This paper reveals the failure of a naturally ventilated LEED-certified townhouse development project in China mentioned in recent research. The house owners made great alterations for the purpose of decoration, which removed or minimized the effectiveness of natural ventilation elements in the original design. The research shows that the houses show ‘International Style’ because the natural ventilation design principles were not fully applied in the design and the localized natural ventilation strategies were not fully considered by means of computational simulation in the design stage. Also, the lack of communication between designers and the owners caused the removal of most natural ventilation elements of these houses during the occupancy period. The authors advocate three criteria to avoid failures of natural ventilation design: localized/ climate adaptive design, relationship among design elements and design intention awareness.

Description: In the present paper, design of solar chimney (SC) and earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) to meet the thermal need of flat buildings are studied regarding adaptive thermal comfort criteria. Investigation on the effects of geometric features shows that the design of SC with the air gap and outlet sizes of 0.2 m and also EAHE with the diameter and length of 0.5 and 25.0 m reveals better performance. Thermal comfort analysis shows that the SC is capable to power the underground heating system during few hours of the sunny days even at the ambient temperature as low as 0°C and the heating demand of 1000 W without needing the auxiliary devices. In addition, the required numbers of SCs and the underground air channels are strongly influenced by environmental outdoor conditions and heating demand of building and are approximately calculated by: $$\hbox{ room }\phantom{\rule{0.08em}{0ex}}\hbox{ volume/50 }\phantom{\rule{0.08em}{0ex}}\hbox{ and }\phantom{\rule{0.08em}{0ex}}\hbox{ 2 }\times (\hbox{ room }\phantom{\rule{0.08em}{0ex}}\hbox{ volume/50 })+\hbox{ 1, }$$ respectively.

Description: Daylighting has an important role in sustainable architecture as it affects the energy consumption in a building. Especially for an office building, daylight helps not only to reduce the load on artificial lighting but also to promote work efficiency through promoting good human health, well-being and user comfort. The objective of this research is to develop an innovative façade design strategy that comes from the development of digital technology and dynamic daylight performance measuring methods. Thus, the various parameters are studied through the computational process of cellular automata (CA) to generate the several alternative opening patterns on the building façade. Each CA design value was tested under static and dynamic sky condition to analyze the quality and quantity of daylight and visual comfort throughout the year. The results were compared to find an optimum alternative design in terms of the daylighting design criteria, from building code, standard and design guidelines for the office building. Finally, research of an adaptive façade design strategy was concluded with the results from the above hybridization of generative and performative design methodology. This study discovers the architectural design approach from the CA and it will make not only progress in building façade esthetics, but also human comfort with building sustainability.

Description: A cascaded Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) with scroll expanders is investigated in this paper, the system performances under various configurations are evaluated and the effect of superheating on the system efficiency is clarified. The efficiency of two-stage ORC system is 38.9% higher than that of single-stage system when R245fa is used as the working fluid, while the efficiency of two-stage ORC system is 10% lower than that of single stage when R134a is adopted. The specific work of single-stage ORC system with R245fa increases linearly with the degree of superheat. There is an optimal superheated degree for the system output power and efficiency, which is 35 K for the expansion ratio of 3.5 and 45 K for the expansion ratio of 5.

Description: This article demonstrates a study on finite-time thermodynamic assessment and analysis of a Stirling heat engine. Finite-time thermodynamics is performed to specify the net thermal efficiency and power output of the Stirling system with finite-rate heat transfer, regenerative heat loss, conductive thermal bridging loss and finite regeneration process time. The model investigates effects of the inlet temperature of the heat source, the volumetric ratio of the engine, effectiveness of heat exchangers and heat capacitance rates on the net power output and thermal efficiency of the engine. Output power of the Stirling engine is maximized under two optimization scenarios. In the first scenario, the higher working temperature of the Stirling engine is considered as a decision design parameter (decision variable) while in the second scenario, in addition to the higher working temperature, the temperature ratio of the engine is also considered as a design parameter. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency of the cycle corresponding to the magnitude of the maximized power of the engine is evaluated. Finally, sensitivities of results towards shift in the thermal parameters of the engine are studied.

Description: Vapour compression refrigeration-based air conditioners are being used for comfort cooling in residences, offices and commercial buildings in many countries throughout the world. These systems consume substantial power and energy and produce harmful effect on environment by damaging ozone layer. This article presents an analytical evaluation of energy saving potential of an indirect evaporative cooler for summer months in Indian climates. Three climates likely to be suitable for indirect evaporative cooling, namely composite, hot and dry and moderate, have been selected for this purpose. The monthly average environmental data for three Indian cities namely Delhi, Jodhpur and Bangalore representing three different climates were used for this study. Summer month—May was selected for the study. It has been found that in order to produce same cooling effect under the same climatic conditions, the power needed by indirect evaporative cooler to be about 55% less than that needed by a conventional air conditioner. The performance of an indirect evaporative cooler in the climates, hot and dry and composite, has been found to be almost similar. Thus, substantial energy can be saved by using this alternative in summer months.

Description: A MATLAB-based computer model to design a novel directly absorbing receiver system (DARS) for concentrating solar collectors employing nanofluid-based solar radiation volumetric absorption is presented. Graphene and aluminum nanosphere-based suspensions in Therminol VP-1 were simulated to identify the optimum thermo-geometric configuration of a DARS comprising a transparent all glass tubular absorber. Several particle concentrations were simulated scrutinizing the optical response of the two colloidal dispersions to yield a minimum supply temperature of 250°C; further investigated are the implications of fluid flow velocity upon system yield. The resulting temperature fields and geometric dimensions of the DARS are predicted. Findings demonstrate that the DARS is able to deliver heat at ~265°C with a receiver tube diameter of 5 mm opposed to commercially available 70-mm diameter metallic absorbers.

Description: Distributed power generation (DPG) based on organic Rankine cycle offers potential in the effective use of energy from low grade heat sources up to 200°C. In this regard, developing an effective expander plays a major role in determining the overall cycle efficiency. In this work mean-line modeling and CFD techniques are employed to develop a small-scale radial turbine for DPG systems with a power output of ~5 kWe. A parametric study is carried out using the mean-line approach to investigate the effects of key input parameters such as operating conditions, velocity ratio, rotational speed and rotor flow angles on the turbine rotor inlet diameter and overall performance. Results from the mean-line approach show that in order to achieve high power output, inlet total temperature, mass flow rate and pressure ratio should be increased. However, for reducing the rotor inlet diameter the velocity ratio should be decreased. CFD technique is then used to assess the flow field and to improve the blade loading by modification of blade angle distribution. CFD is also used to determine the minimum number of rotor blades and the results show that the value suggested by mean-line modeling overestimates this parameter. By using these two approaches a wide range of design configurations are explored and the most effective design is identified to be with specific diameter of 4.83 (rotor inlet diameter of 0.0787 m), specific speed of 0.433 (rotational speed of 55 000 rpm), 10 blades and output power of 4.662 kW.

Description: Concerns about greenhouse gases as well as the price and security of oil supply have acted as a spur to sustainable automobile development. The hydrogen fuel cells electric vehicle (HFCEV) is generally recognised by leading automobile manufacturers and scientists as one of the optimum technologies for long-term future low carbon vehicle. In a typical HFCEV power train, a DC–DC converter is required to balance the voltage difference between the fuel cells (FCs) stack and batteries. However, research shows that a considerable amount of energy generated by the hydrogen FCs stack is deplete during this conversion process as heat. This experiment aims to improve the power train efficiency by eliminating the DC–DC converter by finding the best combination of FC stack and batteries, matching the size and capacity of the electrical components.

Description: In this communication, a comprehensive thermodynamic model for exergy analysis of a passive solar distillation system is presented. Temperatures of basin-liner, saline water body and inner and outer glass cover are estimated theoretically with the help of a computer program using a set of typical design and operating parameters. Energy and exergy analysis of a single-effect, single-slope horizontal passive solar still has been carried out under climatic conditions of India. It has been shown that the passive solar still can produce 4.17 l/m 2 of freshwater daily. Energy and exergy efficiency of the solar still are 30.42 and 4.93%, respectively. Causes, quantity and place of exergy destruction have also been explored for further research and improvement in the design and performance of solar stills. Exergy destruction or irreversibility in the process of each component, i.e. basin-liner, saline water body and glass cover, has been evaluated as 3353, 1633 and 362 W/m 2 , respectively, corresponding to the total solar exergy input of 6958 W/m 2 on a typical day. Their corresponding exergy efficiencies are found to be 3.91, 17.67 and 42.36%. The global exergy efficiency of the solar still is also estimated as 23.14%, taking these exergy destructions into account. The basin-liner is identified as the component around which there is highest possibility of improvement.

Description: A comparison is presented between experimental and numerical results regarding the operation of a capillary pumped loop evaporator. Two cylindrical evaporators were tested, with different heated porous lengths, 20 and 40 mm, respectively. Both have 22 mm external diameter, 9 mm porous thickness and 80 mm porous length. The working liquid was water. The loop was made from copper tubes and the evaporator from copper porous wick covered with aluminum with grooves formed in the inner surface. All tests took place on a horizontal level using heat load applied to the evaporator surface from an 85-W electric resistance. The experimental measurements were compared with the predictions of a three-dimensional CFD model of the evaporator and were found to be in satisfactory agreement. For the 20-mm wick heated length evaporator CFD model with water initial temperature of 20°C the divergence with the experimental pressure drop mean value was 0 Pa for volume flow rates between 0.4 and 0.6 l/min and 50 Pa for the rest of the values. For 30°C the divergence was 0 Pa 〈0.4 l/min and 50 Pa for larger flow rates. Moreover, for 40°C the difference was up to 50 Pa from 0 to 0.9 l/min. In every case predictions were below the wick capillary limit. The computed outflow temperature presented a maximum difference of 1.5% compared with the experimental data, which is very satisfying. On the other hand, the predictions of the evaporator CFD model with a 40-mm wick heated length were even better.

Description: A new CO 2 cryogenic capture and liquefaction system has been proposed previously in order to separate CO 2 from exhausted gases and make it as a resource for industry. This system combines CO 2 cryogenic capture with N 2 /O 2 separation together. Its energy consumption is lower than the traditional amine solution capture process as theoretical analysis. In this study, the simulation of the proposed system with several improvements was carried out aiming to reduce the energy consumption further. Many heat exchangers were introduced and the heat exchanger arrangements were optimized to recycle the refrigeration capacity from the returned N 2 after the N 2 /O 2 separation. The discharge pressure of mixture gas from the compressor was reduced from 10 to 3.493 MPa. The simulation results showed that the compression work could be greatly reduced and the energy consumption of CO 2 capture in this new system after these improvements reached 2.884 GJ/ton CO 2 . The new system is promising because not only liquid or solid CO 2 could be produced but also N 2 and O 2 could be separated.

Description: Learning by doing, or learning through market experience, reduces costs for energy production technologies. This phenomenon is modelled by using experience curves which reflect the changes in the cost of the technology as it becomes increasingly used. This article calculates the Spanish photovoltaic (PV) learning curve over the period 2001–12 by using cost data from the PV sector itself (installers, distributors and even engineers) and determines the accuracy of the obtained progress ratio by using both the coefficient of determination R 2 and also the error PR , which is directly determined from fitting the data. The results show a curve with a strong structural change in the speed of cost reduction in October 2009.

Description: Important advances have been made in solar water desalination technology but their wide application is restricted by relatively high capital and running costs. Until recently, solar concentrator collectors had usually been employed to distill water in compact desalination systems. Currently, it is possible to replace these collectors by the more efficient evacuated tube collectors, which are now widely available on the market at lower prices. This paper describes the results of experimental and theoretical investigations of the operation of a novel small-scale solar water desalination technology using the psychometric humidification and dehumidification process coupled with a heat pipe evacuated tube solar collector with an aperture area of ~1.73 m 2 . Solar radiation during spring in the Middle East was simulated by an array of halogen floodlights. A synthetic brackish water solution was used for the tests and its total dissolved solids (TDSs) and electrical conductivity were measured. A mathematical model was developed to describe the system's operation. A computer program was written to solve the system of governing equations to perform the theoretical calculations of the humidification and dehumidification processes. The experimental and theoretical values for the total daily distillate output were found to be closely correlated. The test results demonstrate that, at temperatures of 55–60°C, the system produces ~5–6 kg/h of clean water with a high desalination efficiency. Following the experimental calibration of the mathematical model, it was demonstrated that the performance of the system could be improved to produce a considerably higher amount of fresh water.

Description: Phase change material (PCM)-filled glass window was suitable for absorbing or releasing more heat than conventional glass window. Comparisons of thermal performance between PCM-filled glass windows and insulated glass windows (double glass windows filled with dry air and surrounded by sealing strips) were presented in this paper. A 3D unsteady model was built in FLUENT to obtain the internal and external surface temperature fluctuations of these windows in 48 h. Compared with insulated glass windows, thermal performance (especially the thermal regulation effect) of double glass windows filled with Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O was quite satisfactory in sunny days of summer, while double glass windows filled with CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O had a better thermal performance in overcast and rainy days of summer. Because the phase change temperature of these PCM is higher than the ambient temperature in winter, the thermal regulation effects of them were not as good as expected.

Description: Optimization of heat exchanger network is attributed to improving the process industrial energy utilization ratio. Energy consumption reduction plays an important role in the low-carbon economic development. Several synthesis approaches for heat exchanger network have been proposed and extended during the last three decades. With the evolution of the computer technology, the simultaneous synthesis method via mathematic programming attracts a great deal of attention worldwide. However, some difficulties still need to be overcome, for instance, model simplification and computational complexity. In this work, the simultaneous stage-wise synthesis model without the assumption of isothermal mixing is presented and implemented using effective initialization strategies and a novel two-level algorithm. Three case studies illustrated the better performance of the initialization strategies and two-level algorithm for heat exchanger network synthesis problems, considering non-isothermal mixing.

Description: Atmospheric carbon dioxide is one of the primary greenhouse gases on earth and its continuous emission by manmade activities is leading to a rise in atmospheric temperature. On the other hand, various natural phenomena exist that contribute to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, i.e. its capture and long-term storage. These phenomena include oceanic, geological and chemical processes happening on earth. In addition to the above-mentioned nonbiological methods, various biological methods viz. soil carbon sequestration and phytosequestration have also been contributing to fixation of atmospheric carbon. Phytosequestration is mainly performed by several photosynthetic mechanisms such as C 3 , C 4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) pathways of plants, carboxysomes of cyanobacteria and pyrenoids of microalgae. For an effective mitigation of global climate change, it is required to stabilize the CO 2 concentration to viable levels. It requires various permutations and combinations of naturally existing and engineering strategies. Although numerous strategies are in commodious use in the present times, the issues of sustainability and long-term stability still exist. We present an overview of the natural and manmade biological and nonbiological processes used today to reduce atmospheric CO 2 levels and discuss the scope and limitations of each of them.

Description: A conventional natural convection flat plate solar collector needs to be placed at an incline to the horizontal and exposed to the sun in order for the solar hot water heater system to work. This arrangement is satisfactory where there is ample roof top space to locate the collector and storage tank. In a high-rise apartment, space is at a premium and also the hot-water recticulation requires long lengths of piping to distribute the hot water supply to the individual apartment. Most every modern high-rise apartment has a balcony facing outward from the wall structure. Balcony-type solar water heaters (SWHs) are catching up fast in China. Their performance would depend on collector and storage tank designs and sizes, weather conditions (solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature) and direction in which the balconies are facing. This article compares the outdoor performance of two SWH systems incorporating the evacuated glass U-tube solar collectors operating under natural convection. The panels were tested in both the vertical and inclined positions using the same tank but at different times of the year. It was found that the inclined panel system performed better than the system with the vertical panel system.

Description: The Construction Industry Council (CIC) Zero-Carbon Building is a net zero-carbon building that was designed for local hot and humid climate of sub-tropical Hong Kong. Over 80 sustainability features of the architecture and building systems have considered the life-cycle carbon emissions, including the embodied carbon of construction materials, emissions associated with the construction process, the 50-years of operation and decommission of the building. The total life-cycle carbon emission was off-set by on-site renewable energy generated by photovoltaics (PV) and bio-diesel combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system. To optimise the design, a series of climate-responsive strategies on passive architecture were applied to the construction of the building. These include the high-performance facade, effective air tightness and optimised window design that allows the application of natural ventilation and daylighting. Reduction of 20% energy demand was achieved by these passive designs. To further lower the carbon emission on operation, energy-efficient air-conditioning (A/C) systems using desiccant dehumidification, underfloor air supply and radiant cooling have also contributed on achieving an ultralow energy use value. Amalgamated saving of these passive and active systems are over 45% when compared with the design per existing local building energy codes.

Description: Behavior of different planar multilayer periodic structures due to plane wave excitation has been studied using the transfer matrix method. Multilayer structure is composed of odd number of slabs and the layers at odd locations have same characteristics and layers at even locations have same characteristics. For each structure, layers at odd locations are of chiral nihility metamaterial whereas three different cases are considered for layers at even locations, i.e., dielectric, chiral and chiral nihility. Effects of polarization rotation due to the optical activity of material's chirality is studied with respect angle of incidence and frequency in THz region. Chiral nihility adds property of transparency to the structure for normal incidence. Chiral nihility-chiral nihility structure for normal incidence yields transparency whereas same structure for oblique incidence yields total rejection at higher frequencies. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131724 Authors Nayyar Abbas Shah, Department of Electronics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Faiz Ahmad, Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan Aqeel A. Syed, Department of Electronics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Qaisar A. Naqvi, Department of Electronics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The contact behavior between a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material and a rigid-conducting punch of flat-end was analyzed under the condition that there is no biased-electric potential applied to the punch. Two limiting cases were studied; one was for semi-infinite piezoelectric materials and the other for piezoelectric films with contact radius much larger than the film thickness. Analytical relationships were derived between the indentation load and the indentation depth and between the indentation-induced potential and the indentation depth. Both the indentation load and the indentation-induced potential are proportional to the indentation depth. For the adhesive contact, the pull-off force is proportional to the 3/2 power of the punch radius for semi-infinite piezoelectric materials and to the square of the punch radius for piezoelectric films. The piezoelectric charge coefficient determined from the contact deformation of a piezoelectric film with contact radius much larger than the film thickness is only dependent on dielectric constant and piezoelectric constant. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131721 Authors Fuqian Yang, Materials Program, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA. Tel.: +1 859 257 2994; Fax: +1 859 323 1929; E-mail: fyang0@engr.uky.edu Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: This paper deals with the novel structure and coupling analysis of a 3-degrees of freedom (3-DOF) conical magnetic bearing. The conical stators of the bearing are designed symmetrical to provide the axial control exclusively, and the radial stators are separated by nonmagnetic material between X and Y channels, so the magnetic flux path can be separated among different channels. The configuration and working principle of the bearing are provided, and the mathematical model is derived based on the bias and control magnetic circuits. In order to evaluate the degree of force coupling between different channels, the concept of coupling factor is proposed, which is defined as the ratio of force variation caused by coupling to the original force when there is no coupling. The coupling factors are analyzed not only among the translational movement of X, Y and Z channels but also between the translational and rotational degrees of freedom. The calculation results show that although the component coupling factors of each magnetic poles are a little larger, the resultant ones in X, Y and Z directions of the designed bearing are all less than 4%. Therefore, the magnetic forces and torques of different channels are weakly coupled, and it is convenient for the control of the magnetic bearing. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131725 Authors Chun'e Wang, Science and Technology on Inertial Laboratory, Fundamental Science on Novel Inertial Instrument and Navigation System Technology Laboratory, Beihang University, Beijing, China Jiancheng Fang, Science and Technology on Inertial Laboratory, Fundamental Science on Novel Inertial Instrument and Navigation System Technology Laboratory, Beihang University, Beijing, China Jiqiang Tang, Science and Technology on Inertial Laboratory, Fundamental Science on Novel Inertial Instrument and Navigation System Technology Laboratory, Beihang University, Beijing, China Jinji Sun, Science and Technology on Inertial Laboratory, Fundamental Science on Novel Inertial Instrument and Navigation System Technology Laboratory, Beihang University, Beijing, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In order to improve recycling quality of asphalt mixtures based on microwave heating, thermoelectric coupling theory is researched. Heat conduction equation is built according to Fourier's Law. Series model, parallel model and Maxwell model are studied to solve thermal conductivity of asphalt mixtures. Radiation field model of pyramidal horn antenna is set up and mean value of electric field intensity is measured by experiment. Thermoelectric coupling model is built on the basis of dielectric property of asphalt mixtures. Numerical simulation is performed for the model. It is found that influence of asphalt-aggregate ratio on temperature field is not distinct. Average temperature of asphalt mixtures is related to microwave power and increases with microwave power linearly. The asphalt mixtures using diorite as aggregate have a strongest adsorption capability to energy. The result can simulate hot in-place regeneration process, and has important significance to improve regeneration quality of asphalt mixtures. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131722 Authors Tongsheng Sun, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, China. Tel.: +86 553 287 1252; E-mail: suntongsheng@ahpu.edu.cn Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: Design optimization of antennas is challenging, in most cases it involves electromagnetic (EM) simulations. High-fidelity simulation is computationally expensive and, therefore, employing EM solver in an optimization loop may be prohibitive. In this paper, we discuss optimization approaches that exploit coarse-discretization EM simulations as a low-fidelity model, and allow us to locate the optimum design of the antenna at a low computational cost. Some practical issues, including the importance and selection of the model fidelity are also discussed. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131726 Authors Slawomir Koziel, School of Science and Engineering, Engineering Optimization and Modeling Center, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland Stanislav Ogurtsov, School of Science and Engineering, Engineering Optimization and Modeling Center, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The paper proposes an optimization procedure suited to design the shape and the current feed of active coils. A suitable spline-based basis is used for the coil geometry modeling, based on a rather limited number of optimization parameters. In order to simplify the constraints treatment, a set of knot points are introduced, linked with the design degrees of freedom. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131727 Authors Andrea Gaetano Chiariello, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e della Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Aversa, Italy Alessandro Formisano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e della Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Aversa, Italy Raffaele Martone, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e della Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Aversa, Italy Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: We propose a general global optimal algorithm to optimize the miniature permanent magnet structure of a micro magnetic resonance chip (μ NMR-chip). For this purpose, we analyze the sensitivity of the permanent magnet structure to the design variables and determine the optimization variables. After this, radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are constructed to model the objective functions, and the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) is improved by introducing a different weighting factor for each objective function in calculating the crowding distance. Combining the RBFNN with the improved NSGA II optimizes the miniature permanent magnet structure. Through comparison, the optimization solutions are proven effective. Finally, the optimized permanent magnet structure is manufactured and tested experimentally. After optimization, the volume of the permanent magnet block is reduced by 39%, and the permanent magnet becomes easier to manufacture. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131678 Authors Rongsheng Lu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Hong Yi, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Weiping Wu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Yun Jiang, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Zhonghua Ni, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In this paper, we propose a new method for solving the Loney's solenoid benchmark problem based on stem cells algorithm (SCA). The key idea of the algorithm is using a modified version of our proposed stem cells optimization method that can efficiently achieve the best solution for the position and size of two correcting coils in the famous Loney's solenoid problem. The results show the superiority of the proposed method on other previously proposed methods for electromagnetic optimization. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/TAD-131675 Authors Mohammad Taherdangkoo, Taba Medical Imaging Center, 444 Felestin Street, Shiraz, 713 475 3151, Iran. Tel.: +98 711 231 7801; Fax: +98 711 235 7088; E-mail: mtaherdangkoo@yahoo.com Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In this paper the dynamical characteristics of a ferrofluid acceleration sensor are studied experimentally and theoretically. The stiffness coefficient and damping coefficient are key factors in dynamical characteristics of a ferrofluid acceleration sensor. The damping coefficient depends on the viscosity of ferrofluid. The experimental data is very close to theoretical calculation. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/TAD-131677 Authors Qiang Li, Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China Zuobin Yuan, Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China Yongming Yang, Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China Jun Lv, Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China Hui Xiang, Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In this paper, radar target recognition is given by KSDA (kernel scatter-difference discriminant analysis) pattern recognition on RCS (radar cross section). The kernel method converts the traditional FLDA (Fisher linear discriminant analysis) to a nonlinear high-dimensional space and such a kernel technique is called KFDA (kernel Fisher discriminant analysis). The basic concept of KFDA is to map training samples in the original space to a high-dimensional feature space via a nonlinear mapping function. Pattern recognition is then implemented in the feature space through extracted nonlinear discriminant features. However, as the kernel within-class scatter matrix is singular, the optimal discriminant features can not be achieved directly. To improve this drawback of KFDA, this study utilizes the scatter difference as the discriminant function, i.e., KSDA, to implement radar target recognition. The KSDA can modify the Fisher discrimination function and then serves as an efficient tool of radar target recognition. As a result, the computational complexity is reduced and then the computational speed is increased. Of great importance, the proposed target recognition scheme (based on KSDA) can still work well even though the kernel within-class scatter matrix is singular. Our KDSA based target recognition scheme is accurate, efficient and has good ability to tolerate random noises. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131673 Authors Sheng-Chih Chan, Department of Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Kun-Chou Lee, Department of Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: As a novel electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique, capacitive imaging (CI) has been successfully used on a various types of materials, including concrete, glass/carbon fibre composite, steel, etc. In this work, studies on the design principles for the CI probes were presented. Firstly, measures for the evaluation of the CI probe performance are presented. The concept of volume of influence is then raised, to evaluate the imaging ability of a given CI probe. Examples of CI probe designs are then provided, namely symmetric and concentric geometries. Design factors, such as separation between electrodes, guard electrodes, and electrode shapes are also discussed and examined experimentally. CI scans were performed on two typical specimens, namely Perspex and aluminium, to evaluation the imaging performance of CI probes with different geometries. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131676 Authors Xiaokang Yin, Center for Offshore Engineering and Safety Technology, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, China David A Hutchins, Advanced Imaging and Measurement Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Guoming Chen, Center for Offshore Engineering and Safety Technology, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, China Wei Li, Center for Offshore Engineering and Safety Technology, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The railgun system is an electromechanical coupled system. The electromagnetic field may cause an essential change of the dynamic behaviors of the railgun system. Here, considering the changes of the electromagnetic force caused by the rail displacement, the electromechanical coupled dynamic equations for the rail are given. Using these equations, the natural frequencies of the railgun system and their changes along with the system parameters are investigated, the vibration modes of the railgun system are discussed, and the forced responses of the rail to the running electromagnetic force are analyzed. The results show that the moving electromagnetic force causes the changes of the natural frequencies for the railgun system. As the armature moves, the vibration modes of the rail are change as well. The electromechanical coupled effects change the forced responses of the rail to the running electromagnetic load. The effects are more obvious for larger armature distance and current, small distance between the two rails and stiffness of the elastic foundation. The results are useful for design and application of the railgun system. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/TAD-131671 Authors Yanbo Geng, Xuzhou Jiangsu Construction Machinery Research Institute, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China. E-mail: yanbo211@163.com Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: Mostly in industrial spray applications pneumatic systems are utilized for operating the automatic spray gun. Linear motor can be one of the alternatives for triggering the spray gun instead of pneumatic systems due to its accuracy in valve positioning according to the required flow rate. From this point of view a tubular linear permanent magnet motor has been designed using Permeance Analysis Method (PAM) and developed. Three permeance models have been developed for PAM analysis. Among these three models, only one model is selected as a PAM model which can be produced the required amount of thrust for triggering the spray gun. After selecting the PAM thrust model, the size of the motor has been optimized by analyzing the effect of thrust constant, electrical and mechanical time constant. Finally based on the optimized data, the motor has been fabricated and tested that shows the good argument with the analysis result. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131723 Authors A.K.M. Parvez Iqbal, Center for Advanced Mechatronics and Robotics, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia Ishak Aris, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Selangor, Malaysia M. Norhisam, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Selangor, Malaysia Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The aim of this study is to analyze and investigate some techniques to reduce eddy current losses in permanent magnets. First, a model using Maxwell's equations to analyze eddy current in permanent magnets is presented. Second, the effect of magnet circumferential segmentation on the eddy current losses in case of a surface mounted permanent magnets synchronous machine is investigated. A simple analysis of magnet demagnetization due to its eddy current losses is also studied. In a third step, second technique for reducing eddy current losses is presented. It relates to the stator slots skew, where the best skewing angle is obtained by means of an optimization process using genetic algorithm. A 2D nonlinear finite elements code is developed to achieve the purposes of the presented work. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-131720 Authors Belli Zoubida, Electrical Engineering Department, University of Jijel, Jijel, Algeria Mohamed Rachid Mekideche, Electrical Engineering Department, University of Jijel, Jijel, Algeria Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The impact of climatic change through greenhouse gas emission is a recognized major global crisis. Energy use in residential and commercial buildings is a major part of the total consumption in European countries and is estimated to be ~40% of the total load. Currently, the concept of building retrofit has become a top priority for the UK government in order to meet the national plans for reducing CO 2 emissions by 80% compared with 1990 levels by 2050. This study presents the simulation results for a case study of energy and CO 2 emission savings of a nineteenth century semi-detached building in the UK. The building was refurbished to high standards of energy efficiency, with four simulation scenarios developed for analysis: As-built, As-built 1965, As-reality and post-retrofit. DesignBuilder software was used to simulate the annual energy consumption and carbon emissions in all cases. In addition to this, thermal imaging and air-tightness tests were conducted and the results were used to validate the models. The post-retrofit results showed there is a significant reduction in energy consumption that exceeded 80% with carbon emissions being reduced above 70%. Economic analysis of each retrofit scenario was then undertaken, and results showed payback varied between 9 and 40 years due to the fluctuation in fuel prices and construction retrofit materials. The models indicate performance of the building post-retrofit can be significantly improved in terms of energy reduction and CO 2 emission savings. Further research is being performed to improve performance through field monitoring and installation of innovative retrofit technologies.

Description: In the last decade, interest in heat storage systems has been increasing. These systems will have increasing importance for utilization of solar energy in domestic heating systems. As solar energy is a diurnal cyclic resource, storing excess solar energy for long- or short-term periods will both increase the utilization of solar energy systems and decrease fossil fuel consumption. The relatively new heat storage method using thermochemical storage has shown some significant advantages such as low heat loss (-〉 zero), high heat storage density and low space requirement. These important properties make thermochemical storage a promising alternative for long-term energy storage. In the present study, a numerical investigation on ‘open’ seasonal thermochemical storage has been undertaken. The simulation results show that the volume/mass of the absorbent, mass flow rate and relative humidity of air have significant importance on the reaction kinetics and system performance during the system discharging process. Conversely, total collector area, solar radiation and mass flow rate of air are important parameters during the charging process. The results conclude that, overall, reactor design is the most important factor for storage performance. In addition, reaction advancement ( X ) has a significant importance on process efficiency.

Description: For the purpose of energy conservation, modern buildings are becoming more and more air-tight and generally rely on a mechanical ventilation system. According to the literature, solar air heating systems can contribute in a cost-effective way to the heating and ventilation of utility buildings. Especially cost-efficient, unglazed, façade-integrated solar air collectors seem to be an attractive new market for façade renovation. To demonstrate the technical feasibility of generating heating energy on facades, a demonstration plant based on an unglazed solar air collector was installed in 2013 in the façade of a demonstration building and was intensively studied using energy metering.

Description: The article describes the innovative solutions of power, heating and cooling generation utilizing low- or medium-grade heat sources. The proposed technology based on the well-known irreversible Brayton cycle and the revolutionary Maisotsenko cycle (M-cycle) operates at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressures. Such energetic systems are simple and reliable and utilize moisture-saturated air as a working fluid. The ejector replacing the mechanical compressor in the Brayton cycle system allows increasing the cycle work by three to five times at the constant airflow. At the same time, the utilized heat serves for simultaneous heating and cooling production that makes the system economically viable and environmentally friendly with the increased integral performance. For system's performance improvement, the schematic and the cycle were upgraded allowing the off-the-shelf components to be employed and replace the electrically driven fan with fluidic jet-fan that served for energy saving of the innovative turbo-ejector system operation.

Description: Photovoltaic (PV) combined with phase change material (PV/PCM) system is a hybrid solar system that uses a PCM to reduce the PV temperature and to store energy for other applications. This study aims to increase the integrated PV efficiency of buildings by incorporating PCM while utilizing the stored heat in PCM for controlling indoor conditions. Experiments have been carried out on a prototype PV/PCM air system using monocrystalline PV modules. Transient simulations of the system performance have also been performed using a commercial computational fluid dynamics package based on the finite volume method. The results from simulation were validated by comparing it with experimental results. The results indicate that PCM is effective in limiting temperature rise in PV device and the heat from PCM can enhance night ventilation and decrease the building energy consumption to achieve indoor thermal comfort for certain periods of time.

Description: Heat pipes and thermosyphons—devices of high effective thermal conductivity—have been studied for many years for enhancing the performance of solid, liquid and phase change material (PCM) heat stores. However, as the applications of heat storage widen, from micro-electronics thermal control to concentrated solar heat storage and vehicle thermal management, and even for chemical reactor isothermalization, the challenges facing heat storage increasingly are moving from those associated with the ‘standard’ diurnal storage, in itself a problem for low thermal conductivity materials, to response times measured in a few hours or even minutes. While high thermal conductivity metals such as foams can be impregnated with a PCM, for example, to increase local conductivity, the rapid heat input and removal necessitates a more radical approach—heat pipes, possibly with feedback control, with innovative PCM interfaces. This paper reviews the use of heat pipes in conventional and rapid response PCM and liquid or cold storage applications and introduces some novel concepts that might overcome current limitations.

Description: The effect of different charging infrastructure configurations on the electric-driven distance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (e-mileage) has been investigated, using an agent-based traffic simulation. Our findings suggest that the same e-mileage can be achieved with fewer charging poles if the poles support charging from several parking slots around them, and the charging cable is switched from one vehicle to the next. We also find that the charging power supported by most Finnish charging stations, 3.7 kW, and the cable switching delay of 1 h seem to be sufficient for effective workplace charging.

Description: A circularly polarized (CP) spiral antenna array for wideband application is presented, which employs a simple single-arm spiral antenna (SASA), as the radiating element. By introducing a small round disc backed near the antenna center and loading a termination resistor, the SASA achieves a wide impedance bandwidth without a balun circuit and a good axial ratio (AR) performance, respectively. A total of four array elements are used in the 2 × 2 configuration to obtain a higher gain. Particularly, a method of sequentially rotating the elements is used to improve the axial ratio. The array performs an impedance bandwidth for VSWR ⩽ 1.5 of 40% ranging from 1.25 to 1.88 GHz, an excellent AR of better than 0.74 dB, and a gain variation from 11.34 to 14.56 dB within the operating band. Measured and simulated results presented for the array confirm its wide impedance, axial ratio, and gain bandwidths. Acceptable agreement between the simulation and measured results validates the proposed design. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140151 Authors Zhi-Ya Zhang, National Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Peng Huang, National Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Shao-Li Zuo, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Jia-Yue Zhao, National Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Guang Fu, National Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: A novel metamaterial absorber (MA) based on triple hexagonal shaped resonators has proposed in this paper. This metamaterial unit cell absorber possesses a nearly wide angle perfect absorption of incidence wave and polarization independence. The absorption is occurred in three different frequencies. The absorptivity is as high as 94%, 95% and 99%, at 3.4 (GHz), 4.6 (GHz) and 6.4 (GHz), respectively. An important feature of this metamaterial absorber is easy fabrication and maximum absorption is observed in three different frequencies. The proposed metamaterial absorber has wide applications such as stealth technology, thermal detector and imaging. Moreover, a very good agreement between simulation and measurement results has been observed. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140180 Authors Mehdi Bahdorzadeh Ghandehari, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Nooshin Feiz, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Ali Akbar Khazaei, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The two-step finite-difference time-domain method of solving full-wave Maxwell's equations is adopted to analyze the lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP) coupled to shielding enclosure with different apertures. The coupled field at different positions in the shielding room is calculated. The results suggest that the shielding enclosure can attenuate most of LEMP energy at its center even if there are some apertures on the shielding room. However, in the shielding enclosure the coupled LEMP is still rather strong near the apertures. Furthermore, both the size and direction of the slots on the shielding enclosure strongly affect the coupled field. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140182 Authors Bo Yang, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Qi Zhang, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Zhidong Jiang, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: This paper considers the pull-in of electromagnetic actuator with permanent magnet for the first time. The pull-in mechanism of electromagnetic actuator is explained from the perspective of system stiffness. Pull-in is about to occur when system stiffness becomes null. Based on the system stiffness analysis method, the pull-in parameters of an E-core electromagnetic actuator with permanent magnet are derived. Then, the effects of the permanent magnet on the derived pull-in parameters are studied. The analysis results show that the permanent magnet enlarges the pull-in displacement for its reluctance. If the permanent magnet length is more than three times as large as the initial displacement, pull-in would not occur. The effects of the permanent magnet on the pull-in current are complicated, especially the effects of the permanent magnet length. A method based on analyzing the roots of two properly defined equations is introduced to study the effects of the permanent magnet length on the pull-in current. The method is effective and simplifies the complicated analysis. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to validate the pull-in model and analysis methods in this paper. It is shown that the theoretical results are in a good agreement with the simulation results. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140033 Authors Yongjun Long, The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Xinshu Chen, Qiushi College, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China Chunlei Wang, The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Xiaohui Wei, The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Jinqiu Mo, The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Shigang Wang, The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: Heat pipe heat exchangers could be employed as run-around coils in air conditioning systems for enhanced dehumidification and cooling. This article reviews some of the works conducted on the cooling and dehumidification aspects in various air conditioning systems. They have been proved to be effective in enhancing dehumidification and reducing air conditioning costs especially in hot and humid tropical countries.

Description: The mitigation options to meet the ambitious carbon reduction targets set by the UK government are discussed in this paper, including the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, clean renewable energy integration and a proposed system of integrated fuel cell combined heat and power (FC-CHP) technology. Analysis shows that the use of CCS technology within the current infrastructure can abate half the electricity-associated CO 2 emissions; however, this comes at a high cost penalty. The emissions associated with domestic heat cannot be prevented without changes in the energy infrastructure. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells can provide clean energy at a range of scales and high efficiencies, especially when employed with a CHP system. However, production of CO 2 -free hydrogen is essential for fuel cell technology to contribute substantially to a low carbon economy globally. In this work, three methods were investigated for small-scale distributed hydrogen production, namely steam methane reforming, water electrolysis (WE) and cold plasma jet (CPJ). The criteria used for comparisons include the associated CO 2 emissions and the cost of energy production. CPJ decomposition of methane shows a high potential when combined with integrated FC-CHP technology for economically viable and CO 2 -free generation of energy, especially in comparison to WE. Including the value of the solid carbon product makes the plasma system most attractive economically.

Description: Primary energy consumption has increased by 49% and CO 2 emissions by 43% during the last two decades, and the predictions indicate that the growing trend will continue as a consequence of the notable growth in world population. Nations with developing economies (South America, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia) have an average annual energy consumption rate of 3.2%, whereas the rate is 1.1% for most of the developed economies (North America, Japan, Australia and Western Europe). In this paper, overall energy consumption in the UK by sector is evaluated from 1973 oil crisis to the present. The scope is split into four sectors as transport, domestic, industrial and services sector and the results for each are presented in a comparable way. Percentage of total primary energy consumption and final energy consumption by fuel type are presented. Several factors affecting the overall energy consumption are also investigated.

Description: A multistage continuous isothermal endoreversible chemical engine system with a finite driving fluid is investigated in this paper, and the mass transfer law obeys the linear mass transfer law [ $$g\propto \mathrm{\Delta }\mu $$ ]. Under the condition that both the initial time and the initial key component concentration in the driving fluid are fixed, the maximum power output of the multistage chemical engine system and the corresponding optimal concentration configuration of the key component in the driving fluid are derived by applying Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) theory, and numerical examples for three different boundary conditions are given. The results show that the difference between the chemical potential of the key component and the Carnot chemical potential for the maximum power output is a constant, and the key component concentration in the driving fluid decreases with the increase of time nonlinearly; when both the process period and the final concentration of the key component are fixed, there is an optimal control strategy for the maximum power output of the multistage chemical engine system, and the maximum power outputs of the system and the corresponding optimal control strategies are different for different final concentrations. The obtained results can provide some theoretical guidelines for the optimal designs and operations of practical energy conversion systems.

Description: In the UK, finances and resources are invested into the application of new technologies, construction materials and control systems for homes, with the aim of improving energy efficiency. One such example is the experimental BASF house, built to study the thermal performance to achieve a comfortable home that uses energy efficiently. The house includes low to zero carbon (LZC) technologies that are promoted to reach a higher level within the UK Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). For this study a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design (Creswell JW. Research Design. Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd edn. Sage Publication, 2009; Nataliya VI, Creswell JW, Stick SL. Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: from theory to practice. Field Methods 2006;18:3) that has been developed in the field of social and behavioural sciences has been applied, consisting of two distinctive phases: quantitative and qualitative. The rationale behind is for the quantitative data and its analysis is used to understand system performances while the qualitative data explain the numerical results in-depth, through the subjects in study, the occupants' perceptions. This article presents conclusions from an investigation into the use and performance of a biomass boiler and passive design features, derived from a live-in experience in a well-insulated and airtight CSH Level 4 home over two consecutive winter periods (2008–9 and 2009–10), which is part of on-going research project. The study also discusses a number of issues regarding the effective efficiency and appropriateness of the systems, which were selected based on a desire to comply with regulations for a better rated home rather than on their user friendliness and comfort for the occupants of a sustainable home; jeopardizing people's safety in times.

Description: Metal–ceramic nanocomposite films for solar absorbers have been obtained by electro-deposition. This coating technique uses a mixed solution of nickel nanoparticles and sub-micron alumina particles. The relative ratio of Ni-to-Al in these films is varied by tuning the concentration of nickel and alumina particles in the starting solution. Three films with different Ni/Al ratio have been prepared and characterized with X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. Even in absence of any heat treatment, significant amount of nickel in metallic state has been found in all three samples.

Description: With the development of the energy demands, solar energy medium-temperature applications (〉80°C) for refrigeration, building heating, seawater desalination, thermal power generation etc. has become popular research fields. The article presents an investigation on a static low-concentration evacuated tube (LCET) solar collector for medium-temperature applications. Ray trace outcome at the incident angles between 0 and 60° shows that the average optical efficiency can reach 76.9%. The experimental testing was conducted in the medium temperature range of 80 and 140°C which indicates the instantaneous thermal efficiency is still larger than about 30.0%, and the instantaneous exergetic efficiency is 〉5.92%. The results comprehensively indicate the good performance of LCET solar collector for medium-temperature applications.

Description: A model of a double resonance energy selective electron (ESE) heat pump in one-dimensional system with two idealized energy filters is established in this paper. The analytical expressions of heating load and coefficient of performance (COP) for the ESE heat pump are derived. The optimum heating load and COP performances of the double resonance ESE heat pump are analyzed by using the theory of finite time thermodynamics. The effective regions of central energy level and heating load are obtained. The influences of energy space as well as resonance width of the two resonances on the performance of the ESE heat pump are discussed by detailed numerical examples. The values of some important performance parameters are also obtained by numerical calculations. The performance of the double resonance device is compared with that of the single resonance device. It is found that the maximum heating load decreases with the increase of energy space or the decrease of resonance width, while the maximum COP decreases with the increase of energy space or resonance width. By reasonable choices of the first resonance energy level, the energy space and the resonance width, the heat pump can be controlled to operate under the maximum COP condition. The results obtained herein can provide some theoretical guidelines for the design of practical multi-barrier nanostructured devices.

Description: Recently, several studies have been conducted regarding the Atkinson cycle and Atkinson engine which have resulted in various thermal efficiency and output power analysis. In the present study, output power and engine thermal efficiency are maximized via employing the NSGA-II approach and thermodynamic analysis. The multi-objective evolutionary approach on the basis of the NSGA-II method is implemented throughout this work for optimizing the above-mentioned variables. To evaluate the aforementioned goal, two objective functions which comprises the power output ( W ) and cycle efficiency ( ) have been included in the optimization process simultaneously.

Description: Indonesia is blessed with solar energy. Photovoltaic (PV) experiences an internal problem of efficiency reduction due to temperature increase. The use of phase change material as a passive cooling has been conducted to address this problem. In this study, yellow petroleum jelly is used as passive cooling on photovoltaic. The jelly performs effectively in reducing the temperature of PV. Therefore, the application of yellow petroleum jelly on PV is proven to suppress PV temperature, increase the efficiency and the power of the PV.

Description: The generation and supply of electricity to residential and commercial/office buildings has been well established in different parts of the world for some decades now. However, sources like coal, nuclear and gas turbine electric generators which constitute most of the technologies applied in grid power stations usually involve fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions which are not environmentally friendly. As a solution to reduce the global carbon footprint and provide sustainable source of electricity, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) or solar electricity has been identified as one of the most attractive sustainable energy technologies in the building sectors. This research work aims at assessing the energy impact of a grid connected solar electric system integrated in a commercial/office high-rise building in UK for a period of 1 year, by carrying out a numerical evaluation based on measured daily BIPV system energy outputs and the overall electrical energy demand of the applied building before and after the installation of the BIPV system. The results of the assessment showed that BIPV has the capacity to provide ~0.4% of the total electrical energy required in applied building.

Description: Specification of CO 2 and brine phase behaviour plays a vital role in CO 2 sequestration and CO 2 reduction from atmosphere to deep saline aquifers. Because CO 2 solubility in brines determine how much carbon can be stored in deep saline aquifers. To tackle the referred issue, high precise model with low uncertainty parameters called ‘least square support vector machine (LS-SVM)’ was executed to predict CO 2 –brine solubility. The proposed intelligent-based approach is examined by using extensive experimental data reported in open literature. Results obtained from the proposed numerical solution model were compared with the relevant experimental CO 2 –brine solubility data. The average relative absolute deviation between the model predictions and the relevant experimental data was found to be 〈0.1% for LS-SVM model.

Description: A crawling robot with a magnetic binder called CROMAB is developed and the finite element magnetic analysis and the speed control system of the robot are studied. CROMAB is designed to be used on the slopped surface and to perform pipe-cutting, welding, or similar process onto the work-surface. The robot binds itself to the magnetic-permeable surface using magnetic force and autonomously travels along the work-path. In the current research, the particular application of pipe-cutting process is considered. A repetitive learning controller is designed and implemented to maintain a constant velocity and consistent cutting performance by compensating the varying gravitational effect caused by the position change of the robot and the nonlinear disturbances caused by mechanical defects of the robot. An accelerometer-based angular displacement estimation system is developed and implemented for the improved control performance.The magnetic binding system is analyzed by using an finite element analysis tool. The numerical analysis of the magnetic system and the experimental results of the control system verify the effectiveness of CROMAB. Content Type Journal Article Pages 191-205 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1358 Authors Sung-Whan Lee, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea Jeonghoon Yoo, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Sungsoo Rhim, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper describes the development of a hand rehabilitation system for stroke patients. Our objective is to provide fine motion assistance in exercises for a hand and fingers. Thus, a hand rehabilitation device that assists patient's finger movements was developed. Because this device has 18 degrees of freedom, it is difficult for disabled patients to use it by themselves. Therefore, an appropriate control strategy and a control system are required to allow it to be used safely and effectively. In light of this requirement, a control system was developed that comprises four separate controllers. This paper presents the structure of the control system and introduces the control protocols used in the hand rehabilitation system. Content Type Journal Article Pages 151-158 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1353 Authors Satoshi Ito, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Satoshi Ueki, Toyota National Colleges of Technology, Toyota, Japan Koji Ishihara, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Masayuki Miura, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Haruhisa Kawasaki, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yasuhiko Ishigure, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yutaka Nishimoto, School of Medicine, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: Human characteristics are supposed to be applied to the control systems of the human-friendly robots. Therefore, it is important to know the human characteristics in human-robot cooperative tasks. In this study, we considered a single rotational degree of freedom experimental system as well as a mass-spring-damper-friction dynamic model for the human arm, measured the torque acting on the armload from subject's forearm and the angular displacement of subject's forearm using the force sensor and the eddy current sensor, analyzed their mutual relation, and attained the characteristics of the human arm with the effect of the gravity load. We compared this cooperative motion to that studied without the gravity load and found that the damping and friction characteristics remained unchanged and the spring characteristics disappeared. In this case, the characteristics of the follower's arm had no relationship with the weight of the load. Content Type Journal Article Pages 95-107 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1348 Authors Yuanxin Wang, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Japan Ryojun Ikeura, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Japan Nan Zhang, RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human Interactive Robot Research, Nagoya, Japan Hideki Sawai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Japan Soichiro Hayakawa, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: A new possibility of residual stress detector is proposed for iron based materials through measurement of angle resolved Barkhausen noise which is known as phenomena of dynamic magnetic process. It is important for keeping safety of our society to early detect metal fatigue, therefore the convenient residual stress detector will be available especially for machines including any robots given heavy loads Content Type Journal Article Pages 71-74 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1345 Authors Katsuhiko Yamaguchi, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan Kazuhito Imae, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan Osamu Nittono, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan Toshiyuki Takagi, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Koji Yamada, Faculty of Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper presents a method for indoor personal positioning especially addressing on a simple gait measurement using a body-mounted inertial sensor, a walk path estimation algorithm, and a trajectory identification technique. Considering utility of on-site customer traffic tracking, the method was designed to be autonomous needless of neither external measures nor cumbersome installations to the environment. The inertial sensor combining three-dimensional accelerometer, angular rate sensors, and geomagnetic sensors was used to assess walking dynamics and to obtain changes of heading directions. To avoid an inherent problem of the walk trajectory estimation by conventional dead-reckoning algorithm, an advanced probabilistic map matching method which employs a Particle filter was developed. The experiment with healthy male adults was evaluated to confirm the utility of the method in a condition of small retail store. The result showed that the proposed method demonstrated sufficiently feasible tacking which delineated personal trajectories and positioning while shopping. The method showed possible availability with the portable instrument and improved estimation accuracy by the advanced probabilistic map matching which identifies proper routings on the basis of the maximum likelihood. The method will be useful to enhance ambulatory personal tracking technique in daily indoor environment. Content Type Journal Article Pages 75-83 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1346 Authors Yasuaki Ohtaki, Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan Dan Hu, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Koichi Hashimoto, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan Hikaru Inooka, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: The lack of carers for senior citizens and physically handicapped persons in our country has now become a huge issue and has created a great need for carer robots. The usual carer robots (many of which have switches or joysticks for their interfaces), however, are neither easy to use it nor very popular. Therefore, haptic devices have been adopted for a human-machine interface that will enable an intuitive operation. At this point, a method is being tested that seeks to prevent a wrong operation from occurring from the user's signals. This method matches motions with EMG signals. Content Type Journal Article Pages 121-130 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1350 Authors S. Horihata, Laboratory of Physics, School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan H. Iwahara, Gifu University, Japan K. Yano, Mie University, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: To solve energy supply problems for ubiquitous equipment, dynamic analysis of a gyroscopic power generator that uses the kinetic energy developed from human movement is proposed. In the generator, a rotor increases its spinning velocity by precession and friction caused by input vibration. This paper first presents an analytical method of rotor movement. The equations of motion are derived by using Euler's equation and their approximate solution is obtained by assuming the spinning velocity is constant. Then the output power of the prototype generator is estimated by using the solution. The output power of the ideal generator was shown to be 0.11 W and 0.85 W during walking and running, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Pages 131-139 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1351 Authors Tomohiro Ishii, Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Jun Iwasaki, Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Hiroshi Hosaka, Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: In this paper an active random noise control using adaptive learning rate neural networks with an immune feedback law is presented. The adaptive learning rate strategy increases the learning rate by a small constant if the current partial derivative of the objective function with respect to the weight and the exponential average of the previous derivatives have the same sign, otherwise the learning rate is decreased in proportion to its value. The use of an adaptive learning rate attempts to keep the learning step size as large as possible without inducing oscillation. In the proposed method, because an immune feedback law is changing the learning rate of the neural networks individually and adaptively, it is expected that the neural cost function will reach its minimum rapidly, resulting in a reduced training time. Numerical simulations and experiments of active random noise control with the transfer function of the error path will be performed to validate the convergence properties of the method. Control results show that the adaptive learning rate neural network control structure can outperform linear controllers and conventional neural network controllers for active random noise control. Content Type Journal Article Pages 29-39 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1341 Authors Minoru Sasaki, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Takumi Kuribayashi, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Satoshi Ito, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yoshihiro Inoue, Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper presents a frequency-dependent damping element, called an analog input shaper (AIS), to improve the stability of haptic interaction with virtual or real environments. High frequency inputs to a haptic interface, which usually occur in the collision with very stiff objects, can bring limit cycle oscillations and instabilities. In order to reduce these high frequency inputs and thus to improve the stability of haptic interaction, the AIS is added to the haptic system. Moreover, the AIS is applied to a passivity-based haptic stability control algorithm, called an energy-bounding algorithm (EBA), to increase the displayed impedance range by the EBA. Through scaled teleoperation experiments using an atomic force microscope (AFM), we show that the AIS can enhance stability during haptic interaction and consequently increase impedance range that a haptic interface can stably display. Also, we show that the AIS can alleviate conservativeness of the passivity-based haptic control algorithms. Content Type Journal Article Pages 11-27 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1340 Authors Yo-An Lim, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Korea Jong-Phil Kim, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Korea Jeha Ryu, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Korea Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper presents a system identification process and control system design of an artificial neural network based suspension assembly with self-sensing micro-actuator for hard disk drives. Artificial neural networks can be used effectively for the identification and control of nonlinear dynamical systems such as flexible micro-actuators and self-sensing systems. Three neural networks are developed for the self-sensing micro-actuator. The first for system identification, the second for inverse modeling for control using the signal from a laser sensor, and the third for inverse modeling for control using the signal from a self-sensing piezoelectric. We also use a neural network inverse model to control the suspension assembly which includes a micro-actuator pair. Simulation and experimental results show that good control performance can be achieved using artificial neural networks. Content Type Journal Article Pages 63-70 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1344 Authors Minoru Sasaki, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Hiroyuki Yamada, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yoonsu Nam, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kangwon National Univeristy, Chunchon, Korea Satoshi Ito, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yoshihiro Inoue, Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: Tracking position control of a linear magnetic actuator implemented on distributed control network was studied. In the distributed control system involving a discrete-time controller and a linear magnetic actuator, time delay happens as the controller reads the sensor data or sends out the control input to the actuator located at a local or a remote site. In many cases the time delay is not ignorable, and has significant effect on the control system performance. In order to compensate for the adverse effect of the time delay, the modified Smith predictor was introduced to the control system. The results of simulation and experiment show that the performance of linear magnetic actuator can be improved by augmenting the modified Smith predictor onto the existing control system. With the modified Smith predictor, the position error is reduced and the constant disturbance is suppressed. Content Type Journal Article Pages 3-10 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1339 Authors Ki Won Song, School of Information, Communications, and Electronics Engineering, Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Korea Gi Sang Choi, Department of ECE, University of Seoul, Seoul, Korea Gi Heung Choi, Departemnt of Mech Systems Engg, Hansung University, Seoul, Korea Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: A robot manipulator control method using an electromyogram (EMG) from a human face is proposed. The robot has a three-degree-of-freedom arm with an end effector installed on the tip of the robot. The amplitude of the EMG signal generated from the masseter, a jaw muscle, is used to control the robot hand velocity and to grasp the object. The difference of the EMG level between right and left masseter determines the hand's direction of movement. The open-close control of the robot hand is activated by detecting double clenches performed within 0.6 s. Low-pass filters of two kinds are applied to the measured EMG to enable reliable and effortless control of the velocity and grasping task. Picking, transferring, and placing of a brick object are performed. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified. Content Type Journal Article Pages 85-93 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1347 Authors Koichi Sagawa, Faculty of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan Orie Kimura, Nihon System Design, Inc., Hokkaido, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: The problem in improving the high positioning precision of permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) for direct drive conveyer is the large detent force, which contains two components: one is the cogging force caused by the interaction between the permanent magnet (PM) and the iron core, the other is the end effect caused by the finite mover length. In this paper a force compensator in the field oriented control (FOC) algorithm is employed to reduce this detent force, thus the thrust and the normal force characteristics analyses of PMLSM are of the most importance. First the characteristics of the thrust and the normal force are simulated by finite element method (FEM), and the relation of the thrust and the normal force to the q-axis current is analyzed. Then the components of detent force are defined by Fourier series using the curve fitting method, and compensated by injecting the instantaneous currents using the FOC method. Finally the dynamic characteristics of this PMLSM for direct drive conveyer are investigated, and the numerical results are reported to validate the effectiveness of this proposed method. Content Type Journal Article Pages 41-48 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1342 Authors Yu-wu Zhu, Power Electronics Application Lab. Dong-A University, Busan, Korea Sang-geon Lee, Power Electronics Application Lab. Dong-A University, Busan, Korea Yun-hyun Cho, Power Electronics Application Lab. Dong-A University, Busan, Korea Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper describes quick and stable standing and sitting motion of an inverted pendulum type robot by whole-body motion including force control. The whole-body motion is achieved by controlling composite center of gravity of the robot, and damping force control of a wrist-roller is employed to assure the stability of inverted pendulum control on a contact situation with the ground. Motion planning of standing and sitting based on the proposed control method is also proposed. Standing and sitting motion using the proposed motion control and motion planning is simulated with a dynamic simulator, ODE (Open Dynamics Engine). From the simulation results, it was confirmed that the robot successively realized the standing and sitting motion quickly and stably. Content Type Journal Article Pages 167-175 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1355 Authors Seonghee Jeong, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Osaka Electro-Comunication University, Neyagawa, Japan Takayuki Takahashi, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: A new kind of motion base is proposed for the purpose of setting up a user-friendly interaction system on a desktop. It aims at generating motion in various situations with a large range of movement using a simple mechanism, and generating motion adequate for an interaction with a man and for computer application. In this paper, a prototype of the motion base is developed. Its mechanism consists of a combination of a wheel drive locomotion mechanism and a 3-degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel link mechanism in parallel. It is aimed at generating 3 DOF translational motion on a desktop with a simple mechanism as a whole and with a large range of movement, especially in the horizontal direction. In consideration of application for man-computer interaction, the prototype is controlled by a microprocessor, a microcontroller and FPGA. This paper presents a description of the concept of the motion base for a desktop interaction system, the prototype mechanism, the control system and the preliminary experiment which demonstrates typical translational motions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 183-189 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1357 Authors Susumu Tarao, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo National College of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Toshihiko Koiwa, Group of Production and Manufacturing, Ichinoseki National College of Technology, Hagisho, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: This paper presents a passivity based control method combined with velocity estimation by an extended Kalman filter for a magnetically levitated flexible beam with both ends free by two electromagnets. An energy-based analysis concludes that the system can be decomposed into two passive subsystems: a mechanical subsystem consisting of the flexible beam and an electrical subsystem consisting of the electromagnets. We designed a passivity based controller independently for each subsystem. An output feedback controller for the mechanical subsystem computes the desired force that is required to achieve position convergence and vibration suppression of the flexible beam. A feed forward controller for the electrical subsystem computes the input voltage for the electromagnets to generate the desired force. In a practical point of view, structural and economic considerations restrict simultaneous usage of both position sensors and velocity sensors while the control strategy requires accurate measurements of the position and velocity of the flexible beam. We employ the extended Kalman filtering technique in order to estimate the velocity of the flexible beam from the measured micro-displacement vibration at a high sampling frequency. Effectiveness of the proposed controller and velocity estimator is demonstrated by a numerical simulation. Content Type Journal Article Pages 141-149 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1352 Authors Toshimi Shimizu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan Minoru Sasaki, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Tokuji Okada, Department of Biocybernetics, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: In this paper, we develop a meal assistance robot for people with disabilities of upper limbs and pacemakers in the body. In the robot, ultrasonic motors are used because the motors do not generate an electromagnetic field. The robot is handled using acts of user's eyes so that the people can use it. Moreover, the vibration is small because the arms of our robot move independently of each other. In this paper, we introduce structure of our robot and show the advantage with experiment results. Content Type Journal Article Pages 177-181 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1356 Authors K. Tanaka, Graduate school of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Ube, Japan Y. Kodani, Brother Industries, Co., Ltd., Japan M. Oka, Ube National College of Technology, Ube, Japan Y. Nishimura, Graduate school of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Ube, Japan F.A. Farida, Graduate school of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Ube, Japan S. Mu, Graduate school of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Ube, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: The present paper describes a two-degree-of-freedom control of a self-sensing micro-actuator for a dual-stage hard disk drive. The two-degree-of-freedom control system is comprised of a feedforward controller and a feedback controller. Two controllers are designed for the two-degree-of-freedom control system, one using the inverse dynamic model for the feedforward controller and one for the feedback controller using a self-sensing signal from the actuator itself. The micro-actuator uses a PZT actuator pair, installed on the assembly of the suspension. The self-sensing micro-actuator can be used to form a combined actuation and sensing mechanism. Experimental results show that the two-degree-of-freedom control approach can be used effectively for the control of the self-sensing micro-actuator system. Content Type Journal Article Pages 159-166 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1354 Authors Minoru Sasaki, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Koji Fujihara, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yoonsu Nam, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Korea Satoshi Ito, Department of Human and Information Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Yoshihiro Inoue, Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Gifu University, Gifu, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: In this paper we propose a new rehabilitation training support system of upper limbs with a teaching/guided function for personalized rehabilitation. The proposed teaching/guided function enables the therapists to easily make training trajectories of the resistance training to suit the individual needs of the patients. It is shown in this paper that two kinds of training programs requested by therapists can be made by using the teaching/guided function. In the algorithm of the teaching/guided function, the impedance control and modification of training trajectory are used. The availability of the teaching/guided function is verified experimentally. Content Type Journal Article Pages 109-119 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1349 Authors Masaki Uchida, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Suzuka National College of Technology, Mie, Japan Yoshifumi Morita, Department of Computer Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan Masaya Magasaki, Department of Computer Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan Hiroyuki Ukai, Department of Computer Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan Nobuyuki Matsui, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Suzuka National College of Technology, Mie, Japan Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: The nonlinear dynamic model of a class of underactuated mechanical systems (UMSs) in a potential field is built with the Lagrangian method and some system properties are analyzed such as the system passivity. A genetic algorithm (GA) based stable intelligent control algorithm is proposed for the class of UMSs combining fuzzy control and sliding mode control. The real-valued GA is used to adjust the parameters of stable intelligent controller to improve the system performance. The underactuated double-pendulum-type overhead crane (DPTOC) is used to validate the proposed control algorithm. The system is proved to be stabilized asymptotically to its equilibrium with sliding mode theory. Simulation results illustrate the system's complexity and the validity of proposed control algorithm under different conditions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 49-61 DOI 10.3233/JAE-2011-1343 Authors Diantong Liu, Institute of Computer Science and Technology, Yantai University, Shandong Province, China Weiping Guo, Institute of Computer Science and Technology, Yantai University, Shandong Province, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416 Journal Volume Volume 36 Journal Issue Volume 36, Number 1-2 / 2011

Description: In this paper, uniaxial anisotropic perfectly matched layer (UPML) absorbing boundary condition (ABC) of dispersive materials is presented for 2-D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with weighted Laguerre polynomials (WLP). Taking advantage of the auxiliary differential equation (ADE) technique, our proposed algorithm avoids not only the complicated formulations but also the convolution integral. Using ADE scheme, the relationship between field components and auxiliary differential variables is derived in Laguerre domain. Substituting auxiliary differential variables into UPML-ABC, the electric field E of order q can be expressed directly by magnetic field H in Laguerre domain. Inserting magnetic field H of order q into electric field, and using central difference scheme, the formulations of uniaxial anisotropic dispersive media PML are obtained. One numerical example of wave propagation in 2-D dispersive materials is simulated. Numerical results validate the efficiency of the presented method. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140196 Authors Feng Lu, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Yao Ma, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Run Xiong, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Yan-Tao Duan, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Li-Yuan Su, National Key Laboratory on Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electro-Optical Engineering, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: A new experimental setup was designed in order to study the loading process among stages of magnetic fluid seal. Magnetic field distributions under the pole pieces of the magnetic fluid seal with six stages were simulated by finite element method, and the results proved its rationality. A series of tests on experimental setup were run in order to study the way of pressure transmission among stages of magnetic fluid seal and to extend our knowledge on the mechanism of seal operation. The results of the experiments not only proved the correctness of the corollaries of previous researchers and more detailedly shows the way of pressure transmission in each stage. A mathematical model of the way of pressure transmission among stages of magnetic fluid sea was constructed by previous inference and the present experimental results, and it is able to express the specific way of pressure transmission at certain extent. The experimental conclusion also shows that the quantity of magnetic liquid in each stage will be redistributed and the quantity of magnetic liquid in each stage may be unevenly distributed when the pressure of the pressure chamber is imposed. It has a certain value of reference in the improvement of design and structure process of magnetic fluid seal in engineering problem. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140126 Authors Zhongzhong Wang, School of Mechanical Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China Decai Li, School of Mechanical Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: The effects of stirring current and stirring frequency on the microstructure of semisolid AlCu2.4 alloy prepared by electromagnetic stirring (EMS) were investigated. The microstructural evolution of the partial remelting semi-solid AlCu2.4 alloy under different stirring currents, stirring frequencies, and isothermal holding time was also investigated. Results showed that with increased stirring current and frequency, the microstructures of semisolid AlCu2.4 alloy evolved from coarse dendrites to fine, small, and quasi-globular solid particles uniformly distributed among the eutectic. Moreover, after partial remelting, these microstructures became smaller and more spherical and were distributed more evenly with increased stirring current and stirring frequency. When the stirring parameters were 30 A and 30 Hz, the average grain size was approximately 80 μm and the shape factor was about 0.76. During partial remelting, both average particle size and the degree of spheroidization constantly increased with prolonged holding time because of Ostwald ripening. The current coarsening rate constant of the semisolid AlCu2.4 alloy prepared by EMS was 567 μ^{3}s^{-1} at 590°C. Comparison between the present work and other literature results indicated that the coarsening rate was associated with the microstructure prior to partial remelting, as well as with the alloy composition. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140139 Authors Chenyang Zhang, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Shengdun Zhao, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Xiaolan Han, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Yongfei Wang, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China Xuzhe Zhao, Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In this paper, a metamaterial embedded planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) is proposed for cellular phone. A dual band PIFA is designed to operate both GSM 900 MHz and DCS 1800 MHz. The ground plane of conventional PIFA is modified using a double negative (DNG) metamaterial array. The investigation is performed using the Finite Integration Technique (FIT) of CST Microwave Studio. The specific absorption rate (SAR) values are calculated considering two different holding positions-cheek and tilt. The results indicate that the proposed metamaterial embedded antenna produces lower SAR in the human head compared to conventional PIFA. Moreover, the modified antenna substrate leads to slight improvement of the antenna performances. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140201 Authors M.I. Hossain, Space Science Center, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia M.R.I. Faruque, Space Science Center, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia M.T. Islam, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: BLIM, i.e. bearingless induction motor, is a multi-variable, nonlinear and strong coupling object. To achieve its dynamic decoupling control with high performance, a novel dynamic decoupling control strategy is proposed. After analyzing the working principle and mathematical model of BLIM, the state equations based on stator flux orientation are established firstly. On the basis of reversibility analysis of BLIM system, the inverse system dynamic mathematical model based on stator flux orientation is derived. And then, adopting inverse system method, the control system of BLIM is uncoupled to four linear subsystems, including: motor speed subsystem, stator flux subsystem, and two radial displacement components subsystems. System simulation results have shown that reliable dynamic decoupling control between relevant variables can be realized, higher static and dynamic control performance can be achieved; in particular, the influence of rotor parameters on the identification precision of motor magnetic flux-linkage can be avoided effectively. The proposed inverse system decoupling control strategy based on stator flux orientation is effective and feasible; a new way has been provided for high performance decoupling control of bearingless induction motor. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140202 Authors Wenshao Bu, Information Engineering College, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China Chunxiao Lu, Information Engineering College, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China Conglin Zu, Information Engineering College, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China Haitao Zhang, Information Engineering College, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China Juanya Xiao, Information Engineering College, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: In this paper, a controller based on error and the inverse segmented model, is used to control the position of an SMA actuator. First an inverse model using three segments for both heating and cooling processes is built and experiments are used to validate the model and to identify the parameters. Then a controller, which is based on inverse segmented model and the value of error between the reference and actual displacement, is proposed in the position control process. Furthermore, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed controller performs better than both traditional PID controller and inverse segmented model controller. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140193 Authors Junfeng Li, School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China Haibin Yin, School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China Guoliang Zhong, School of Mechanical Engineering, CentralSouth University Changsha, Changsha, Hunan, China Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416

Description: There exists a number of environmental and energy measures that, when deployed at urban scale, can directly impact energy use and emissions from power generation and indirectly affect the atmospheric environment which, in turn, impacts energy demand, emissions of greenhouse gas and ozone precursors and photochemical production of ozone. Atmospheric modeling is an important tool in evaluating the indirect effects, both beneficial and inadvertent, of urban heat-island mitigation. In this article, we provide a brief background discussion of heat-island research and modeling and present findings from three recent projects we have completed for California.

Description: A circular polarized highly directional S band patch antenna for small satellite applications has been proposed in this invention. The proposed antenna comprises of a square ground plane and two circular radiating patches with annular circular slot fed by a coaxial probe. The circular slot in the radiating patch is responsible for creating resonance at the S band. The prototype is can be easily integrated with a small satellite due to the simplicity of the design. The modification of the circular shape patch by cutting circular shape slots help to excite the resonance at the desired frequency. The simulation and the experimental results have a good agreement. The proposed antenna has achieved an impedance bandwidth of 55 MHz (2.380 GHz–2.435 GHz) and axial ratio (AR) 〈 3 dB is about 35 MHz (2.410 MHz–2.445 MHz) in the operating band. The prototype has achieved a gain of 8.13 dBi at centre frequency of 2.42 GHz. The directional radiation pattern, circular polarization (CP), and high gain characteristics make the proposed antenna suitable for small satellite applications. Content Type Journal Article Pages - DOI 10.3233/JAE-140147 Authors M. Samsuzzaman, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia M.T. Islam, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia M.K. Nahar, Centre of Space Science,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia J.S. Mandeep, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia F. Mansor, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia M.M. Islam, Centre of Space Science,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Journal International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Online ISSN 1875-8800 Print ISSN 1383-5416