Constant Frequency Research Articles

Optimization of thermosonication conditions for critical quality parameters of watermelon juice using response surface methodology

Topical consumer interest in natural, healthier, safer and nutritional juice, has inspired the search for innovative technologies that can minimize product degradation. In this regard, thermosonication has been proposed as a potential processing technology that can preserve and produce “fresh” products. Watermelon (Citrulluslanatus) juice is a nutrient-rich fruit juice that is desired by consumers due to its appealing color, pleasant odor, sweet taste and low-calorie content. This fruit juice is, however, highly perishable and prone to microorganisms, because of its neutral pH value and high amount of water activity. In addition, it is thermo-sensitive and therefore degrades quickly under thermal processing. This study aimed to identify the optimal thermosonication processing conditions for retaining the critical quality parameters (lycopene, β-carotene, ascorbic acid and total polyphenolic content) of watermelon juice. Response surface methodology, employing a central composite design, was used to determine the effects of temperature (18–52 °C), processing time (2–13 min) and amplitude level (24–73 μm) at a constant frequency of 25 kHz. The highest quality parameters were obtained at 25 °C, 2 min, and 24 µm at a constant frequency of 25 kHz, which resulted in lycopene of 8.10 mg/100 g, β-carotene of 0.19 mg/100 g, ascorbic acid of 3.11 mg/100 g and total polyphenolic content of 23.96 mg/GAE/g with a desirability of 0.81. The proposed model was adequate (p < 0.0001), with a satisfactory determination coefficient (R2) of less than 0.8 for all phytochemicals. Thermosonicated watermelon juice samples showed minimal changes in their phytochemical properties, when compared to fresh juices; the lycopene content showed a significant increase after thermosonication, and a significant retention of β-carotene, ascorbic acid and total polyphenolic acid was observed. According to the findings, thermosonication could be a viable method for preserving watermelon juice, with minimal quality loss and improved functional attributes.

Procedure for the Orientation of Laser Triangulation Sensors to a Stereo Camera System for the Inline Measurement of Rubber Extrudate

Abstract. Rubber production is a labour-intensive process. In order to reduce the needed number of workers and the waste of material, the level of digitalisation should be increased. One part of the production is the extrusion to produce gaskets and similar objects. An automated observation of the continuous rubber extrudate enables an early intervention in the production process. In addition to chemical monitoring, the geometrical observation of the extrudate is an important aspect of the quality control. For this purpose, we use laser triangulation sensors (LTS) at the beginning and the end of the cooling phase of the extrudate after the extrusion. The LTS acquire two-dimensional profiles at a constant frequency. To combine these profiles into a three-dimensional model of the extrudate, the movement of the extrudate has to be tracked. Since the extrudate is moved over a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt can be tracked by a stereo camera system to deduce the movement of the extrudate. For the correct usage of the tracking, the orientation between the LTS and the stereo camera system needs to be known. A calibration object that considers the different data from the LTS and the camera system was developed to determine the orientation. Afterwards, the orientation can be used to combine arbitrary profiles. The measurement setup, consisting of the LTS, the stereo camera system and the conveyor belt, is explained. The development of the calibration object, the algorithm for evaluating the orientation data and the combination of the LTS profiles are described. Finally, experiments with real extrusion data are presented to validate the results and compare three variations of data evaluation. Two use the calculated orientation, but have different tracking approaches and one without any orientation necessary.

Modelling and Simulation of 12 MWP Independent Power Plant using Photovoltaic Energy Resources to a Grid Network

This paper proposes a renewable energy resource (photovoltaic) to generate green and halal energy for household and feeding the excess energy into the Nigeria National Grid Network. The energy demand in third world nation like Nigeria will increase in nearest future. The renewable energy is one of the alternative energy sources that could satisfy the increasing energy demands. Nigerians depends heavily on fossil fuel to generate its electricity needs. Fossil fuels are depleted and the main source of pollution. Photovoltaic (PV) systems generate electricity directly from the sunlight without any emission of global warming gases, and the fuel is free. In order to optimize the performance of PV systems their operation should be well understood. In this paper, we present the modelling of a real 1.2 MWp photovoltaic system. The PV power plant is tied to the grid. The PV array, the DC/DC converter and the DC/AC inverter are modelled and implemented in Matlab/Simulink. The controller of the grid-connected inverter is modelled to achieve constant voltage, constant frequency and to be synchronized with the grid. The system is simulated under Nigeria weather conditions and the results are acceptable.

Constant Envelope Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing With Index Modulation

Constant Envelope Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing With Index Modulation

Analysis of frequency stability of power grid considering variable speed constant frequency wind motor with local low rotational inertia

Abstract A significant quantity of renewable energy equipment, including photovoltaics and wind turbines, will be connected to the grid instead of traditional synchronous generator sets. However, the significant percentage of renewable energy sources that have been integrated into the power grid will lead to the frequency safety problem of the power system. The decrease in system inertia can adversely affect the stability of the power system’s frequency. Therefore, the influence of the local low moment of inertia on the frequency stability of the power grid is analyzed from the static and dynamic perspectives, and the method of participating in the primary frequency modulation after the wind turbine is connected to the grid is studied by taking the variable speed constant frequency wind turbine as an example.

Active particle manipulation with valley vortex phononic crystal

The valley vortex state presents an emerging domain in condensed matter physics. As a new information carrier with orbital angular momentum, it demonstrates remarkable ability for reliable, non-contact particle manipulation. In this paper, an acoustic system is constructed to exhibit the acoustic valley state, and traps particles using acoustic radiation force generated by the acoustic valley. Considering temperature effect on the acoustic system, the band structures for temperature fluctuations are discussed. An active controlled method for manipulating particle movement is proposed. Numerical simulations confirm that the particles can be captured by acoustic valley state, and can be repositioned through alterations in temperature, while maintaining a constant excitation frequency.

Flower-like hierarchical TS-1/Al2O3 composite supported NiMo catalysts for efficient hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophenes

Flower-like Al2O3 materials were successfully incorporated by TS-1 nanocrystals to synthesize Flower-like TS-1-Al2O3 (FTA) micro-mesoporous composite by a facile nano self-assembly method. FTA supported NiMo bimetallic catalysts (NiMo/FTA) were further constructed and applied to the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reactions for dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). FTA composites were constructed from flower-like pore structures stacked with nanosheets, which are conducive to the even load and dispersion of active species and the diffusion of macromolecular sulfur-containing compounds with relatively low resistance. The fabrication of TS-1 nanocrystals effectively enhanced the acidic sites, regulated the metal-support interaction, which could increase the stacking layer of MoS2 slabs, and producing more NiMoS-II type active phase. NiMo/FTA-10 presented the excellent HDS conversion of DBT (99.3 %) and 4,6-DMDBT (93.2 %) at 10 h−1, the highest reaction rate constant (2.6 × 10-7 mol g−1 s−1) and turnover frequency values (6.7 × 10-4 s−1) for 4,6-DMDBT HDS reaction. Compared to the direct desulfurization route (DDS), hydrogenation route (HYD) and isomerization route (ISO) can effectively eliminate the steric hindrance of 4,6-DMDBT, which is more conducive to the HDS reaction.

Optimizing inset-fed rectangular micro strip patch antenna by improved particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing

ABSTRACT The recent wireless communication systems require high gain, lightweight, low profile, and simple antenna structures to ensure high efficiency and reliability. The existing microstrip patch antenna (MPA) design approaches attain low gain and high return loss. To solve this issue, the geometric dimensions of the antenna should be optimized. The improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm which is the combination of PSO and simulated annealing (SA) approach (PSO-SA) is employed in this paper to optimize the width and length of the inset-fed rectangular microstrip patch antennas for Ku-band and C-band applications. The inputs to the proposed algorithm such as substrate height, dielectric constant, and resonant frequency and outputs are optimized for width and height. The return loss and gain of the antenna are considered for the fitness function. To calculate the fitness value, the Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) is employed in the PSO-SA approach. The design and optimization of the proposed MPA are implemented in MATLAB software. The performance of the optimally designed antenna with the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of the radiation pattern, return loss, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR), gain, computation time, directivity, and convergence speed.

Constant static pressure strategy for residential kitchen exhaust system: Deducing control parameters from required exhaust rate and non-distributed data transmission

Roof fans have gradually replaced the non-powered hood as supplementary power to increase exhaust rate in high-rise residential kitchen shafts. However, an effective control strategy for roof fans is lacking. This paper studies the constant static pressure strategy and deduces its control parameters based on required exhaust rate and non-distributed data transmission. First, the static pressure set value (SV) is investigated under the worst exhaust condition, considering variations in shaft heights and measuring positions (MP). Then, an on/off mechanism is set up based on the measured static pressure and the fan frequency when the exhaust rate is adequate. Results show that under the recommended shaft sizes and design concurrent usage rates, the SVs for users' exhaust rate reaching 500 m³/h are −60, −60, and 0 Pa for 10/18/26-floor shafts when the MP is at a shaft's outlet, and roof fans are turned on when the static pressure reaches 100, 90, and 90 Pa and turned off when the fan frequency is below 32, 30, and 22 Hz. The MP at the shafts' outlet can keep the shaft at a slightly negative pressure. Control parameters for specific applications can be obtained through the proposed calculation process. An 18-floor shaft study found that the constant static pressure strategy can achieve 50 % energy savings compared to the constant frequency operation of the roof fan. These findings contribute to reliable control without users' distributed data transmission and to lower energy consumption of the residential kitchen exhaust system.

Multi-channel decentralized decoupling FxLMS algorithm and active vibration control experiment

When vibrations generated by marine machinery propagate through a ship’s hull into the ocean, they produce low-frequency radiated noise with distinct “acoustic fingerprint” characteristics. This noise, characterized by stable and concentrated energy, long transmission distances, and difficulty in elimination, becomes the primary target for enemy sonar detection. Active vibration isolation serves as a critical method for reducing low-frequency vibrations in ships and enhancing their acoustic stealth performance. However, control challenges persist, including multi-frequency excitation, frequency fluctuation, multi-channel coupling, and slow convergence speed. To address these issues, this paper introduced an innovative multi-channel decentralized decoupling filtered-x least mean square (DMFxLMS) algorithm. Firstly, a recursive least squares identification algorithm with a forgetting factor was proposed, taking into account the characteristics of single-input, multi-output and multi-input, and multi-output control systems, effectively enhancing the algorithm’s convergence speed and control accuracy. Secondly, based on the decentralized decoupling control concept, the multi-channel control system was simplified into parallel single-channel control loops. The control weight coefficient updates were only related to adjacent error signals, significantly reducing the algorithm’s computational complexity. Thirdly, an anti-impact link was designed to improve the algorithm’s robustness, considering the interference caused by other mechanical equipment during the control process. The influence of abnormal error signals in the control weight coefficient correction term was suppressed, and a percentage function was introduced to limit the output signal. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the DMFxLMS algorithm were verified through simulations and experiments. The results demonstrated that the DMFxLMS algorithm achieved significant control effects for both constant frequency line spectrum excitation and frequency fluctuating line spectrum excitation, fulfilling the objective of reducing base vibration. The DMFxLMS algorithm exhibited fast convergence and excellent robustness, making it suitable for practical engineering applications.

Research on fault detection and remote monitoring system of variable speed constant frequency wind turbine based on Internet of Things

In order to study the operating characteristics of variable speed constant frequency wind turbine under different working conditions and the monitoring system of wind turbine. In this paper, the simulation model of each component system of wind turbine is established by MATLAB/Simulink module, and the influence law of different wind speed and ground fault types on the output power of wind turbine is studied. The active power of wind turbines under different short-circuit fault types is compared. At the same time, in order to realize real-time monitoring of wind turbine speed and output power, an online monitoring system for wind turbine operation based on industrial Internet of Things is proposed, and the composition and operation characteristics of this remote monitoring system are given. The practical application shows that the on-line monitoring system can accurately and remotely monitor the running status of the wind turbine and avoid the unstable running of the wind turbine. The research conclusions of this paper can provide reference for the design and construction of wind turbines and the operation of connecting to the power grid.

Charge separation control in organic photosensitizers for photocatalytic water splitting without sacrificial electron donors

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (photoHER) is one of the most promising approaches towards production of “green” hydrogen. Currently, the state-of-the-art photoHER systems require the use of sacrificial electron donors (SED), because of inefficient charge separation in photosensitizers and thermodynamically challenging water oxidation by the same catalyst. Here, we present a molecular design approach for all-organic photosensitizers with effective intramolecular charge separation, microsecond lifetime of excited states, controllable direction of electron transfer, and ability to oxidize water for recovery of the photocatalytic system to its initial state. Such photosensitizers comprise weakly conjugated strong electron donor and acceptor what enables charge transfer during the light absorption. The excitation energy is stored in long-living triplet states, whose lifetime can be monitored by the thermally activated delayed fluorescence. Additionally, application of heavy-atom effect helps not only to increase the population of triplet state but also to increase its stability and lifetime. When such photosensitizers are attached to the platinized TiO2, efficient photoHER catalysts are obtained which produce H2 under irradiation with sunlight. In the presence of SED, the highest turnover number after 24 h (TON24h) of such systems exceed 3500, whilst in pure water without any SED, TON24h reaches 2000. Our best system performs photocatalytic SED-free water-splitting for 48 h keeping 100 % of its activity and constant turnover frequency of 26 h−1. The described here investigations reveal that water splitting can be performed by a simple three component system “photosensitizer|TiO2|Pt” under specific control of 1) the charge separation and its direction, 2) intersystem crossing rate and triplet state lifetime, and 3) favorable water oxidation thermodynamics within a photosensitizer together with 4) appropriate alignment of energy levels to the catalyst.

Model Predictive Control With Stability Guarantee for Second-Order DC/DC Converters

This paper proposes a continuous-control-set model-predictive control (CCS-MPC) designed explicitly for second-order dc/dc converters such as the boost, buck, buck-boost, and non-inverting buck-boost converters. These converters share a bilinear dynamic structure that allows designing a generalized control. In contradistinction to the conventional finite-control-set approach, the proposed control uses a pulse-width modulation that allows a continuous control set with constant switching frequency. The modulation index's saturation is considered an inequality constraint in the optimization model. The proposed control guarantees stability in the sense of Lyapunov. This property is proven by using the passive structure of these converters. Experimental results on the four converters mentioned above show the superior performance of the proposed control in terms of robustness, offset, computation time in the central processing unit and, of course, stability.

Influence of Ultrasonication Treatment on Mechanical, Optical, and Physiochemical Properties of Polyvinyl-alcohol/cornstarch Biocomposite Thin Films

Over the past few decades, Polyvinyl-alcohol (PVOH)/cornstarch (CS)-based composite thin films have garnered significant interest due to their enhanced properties. Synthesis of such films relies heavily on depolymerization reactions within the solution of the PVOH/CS blends. Understanding how depolymerization affects the crystal structure and properties of these films is crucial for further improvement. This study aims to evaluate the depolymerization effects of crosslinked PVOH incorporated with CS as filler materials (with an 80:20 mass ratio) using ultrasonication at various time intervals while maintaining a constant frequency of 25 KHz. The prepared solution is then cast into thin films using blade coating. Comparative analyses were then conducted between samples subjected to ultrasonication (treated) and without ultrasonication (untreated) to assess their properties based on structural physical, mechanical, optical, and aspects of biodegradability . The investigation revealed significant changes in crystal structure and lattice strains following ultrasonication of the PVOH/CS solution when compared to untreated PVOH/CS samples. Importantly, longer ultrasonication times correlated with increased tensile strength. Additionally, the treated samples led to improvements in thin film transparency and a notable decrease in absorbance. These changes were attributed to the mechanical depolymerization induced by ultrasonication, aligning the thin films with the necessary properties for food packaging applications.

High-Temperature Fatigue Testing of Turbine Blades

Abstract This paper evaluates the efficacy of a patented grip for high-temperature fatigue testing by establishing the S-N curve for full-scale nickel-based turbine blades under simulated environmental conditions. Initially, a bending test assessed the stress-displacement characteristics of the component. This was followed by a series of fatigue tests at 950°C, using cyclic bending with force amplitudes from 5.2 kN to 6.6 kN and a constant frequency of 10 Hz. The setup, integrating the grip into a standard testing machine, proved effective for high-temperature tests and successfully determined the service life of full-scale components.

Gelation of PU elastomers: rheological characterization for liquid additive manufacturing

AbstractPolyurethane (PU) is a versatile polymer with many applications in a wide range of products. A novel 3D printing technology called liquid additive manufacturing (LAM) extended its possibilities by generating PU elastomers with gradient properties in continuous processing. LAM, being a relatively new technique, has not been extensively researched, particularly in terms of the curing behavior of the liquid resin. In this work, we investigated the effect of composition on gelation time tGP as measured by time-resolved mechanical spectroscopy (TRMS) and analyzed using the Winter–Chambon criterion with the assistance of the IRIS software. This method is more accurate than the previous approach, which involved time sweeps with a constant frequency. It was found that the gel time tGP first decreased and then increased with increasing polyol ratio, ranging from 231 to 378 min. Furthermore, the crosslink densities of the different PU elastomers measured from the rheological and tensile tests were calculated and compared based on the theory of rubber elasticity. The crosslink density decreased with an increasing polyol ratio in both methods. However, the crosslink density values obtained from the rheological measurements were higher than those from the tensile tests. These findings demonstrate that adjusting the polyol ratio is an effective means of achieving gradient properties. The composition effects we measured offer valuable insights for the design of LAM–PU elastomers.

Harnessing energy from hand-shaking vibration for electronics through a magnetic rolling pendulum bistable energy harvester

Converting the kinetic energy of human movement into electricity provides a solution for the power supply of portable electronics for communication, medical treatment, positioning, search-and-rescue, etc. Due to the characteristics of high sensitivity and snap-through, a magnetic rolling pendulum bistable energy harvester (MRP-BEH) based on magnetic-spring mechanism is proposed for scavenging energy from handshaking vibration. The harvester possessing the advantage of small damping exploits the rolling oscillation of a suspended magnet. By establishing the electromechanical model, numerical outcomes of the MRP-BEHs with different potential well depths are investigated through the response under constant and sweep frequency excitations. Particularly, the complex dynamic behaviors are characterized by basins of attraction and bifurcation diagrams. A prototype is fabricated, and experiments are undertaken under harmonic and handshaking excitations. Experimental results are consistent with numerical simulations, and excitation of 0.5 g witnesses a broadband frequency range from 5.18 Hz to 10.02 Hz for the harvester with proper system parameters. Regarding the excitation of handshaking, an instantaneous maximum power of 21.9 mW and an average power of 4.21 mW is achieved with matched load resistance. By boosting the output voltage with a transformer, the charging and discharging experiments of capacitors for powering various electronics demonstrate the broad application prospects of the harvester. This research, in a nutshell, broadens the methodology for achieving bistable oscillation and introduces a fresh perspective for designing high-efficiency energy harvesters attuned to human motion.

Multiple resonance in coupled Duffing oscillators and nonlinear normal modes.

The resonance of N linearly coupled damped Duffing oscillators with a constant frequency sinusoidal driving force acting on the first oscillator is studied analytically by calculating the fixed points of the corresponding dynamical system and numerically using a fourth-order multivariate Runge-Kutta method. For a chain with N oscillators, we establish a general recursion scheme in the form of a system of equationsthat relates the amplitudes of the oscillators and the driving frequency, capable of describing resonance curves. We consider in detail the case of an oscillator chain with N=2 for high values of the driving amplitude and stiffness, and find hysteretical unstable regions in the resonance curves. In this unstable driving frequency regime, analysis of the time series reveals the presence of nonlinear normal modes visible as beating quasiperiodic oscillations.

Learning control for body caudal undulation with soft sensory feedback

Soft bio-mimetic robotics is a growing field of research that seeks to close the gap with animal robustness and adaptability where conventional robots fall short. The embedding of sensors with the capability to discriminate between different body deformation modes is a key technological challenge in soft robotics to enhance robot control–a difficult task for this type of systems with high degrees of freedom. The recently conceived Linear Repetitive Learning Estimation Scheme (LRLES)–to be included in the traditional Proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control–is proposed here as a way to compensate for uncertain dynamics on a soft swimming robot, which is actuated with soft pneumatic actuators and equipped with soft sensors providing proprioceptive information pertaining to lateral body caudal bending akin to a goniometer. The proposed controller is derived in detail and experimentally validated, with the experiment consisting of tracking a desired trajectory for the bending angle envelope while continuously oscillating with a constant frequency. The results are compared vis a vis those achieved with the traditional PID controller, finding that the PID endowed with the LRLES outperforms the PID controller (though the latter has been separately tuned) and experimentally validating the novel controller’s effectiveness, accuracy, and matching speed.

Understanding the influence of environmental conditions on the low cycle fatigue behaviour of high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel under air and corrosive (3.5% NaCl) conditions

Offshore structures which are made up of high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steel experience fatigue load due to sea waves and corrosion. In the present work, the influence of environmental conditions (air and 3.5 % NaCl solution) on the strain-controlled fatigue life of High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel has been determined. Low cycle fatigue experiments were conducted on HSLA steel specimens of 12 mm diameter which were prepared parallel to the rolling direction. The strain amplitude was varied in the range of 0.4 to 0.7 % for a constant test frequency of 0.3 Hz. For all the total strain amplitudes (Δεt/2), a significant reduction in fatigue life was observed while testing the specimens under the presence of 3.5 % NaCl solution compared to the air environment. Microscopic investigation indicates that rigorous grain boundary oxidation has happened, and it has created the grain boundary cracking and several sites for fatigue crack initiation and propagation. The presence of corrosive compounds (Fe2O3, FeOOH) was also confirmed by the X-ray diffraction patterns. In addition, mixed modes (transannular and intergranular) of fractures were observed due to the presence of 3.5 % NaCl solution.