Data Acquisition Control Research Articles

An Experimental Implementation and Testing of GA based Maximum Power Point Tracking for PV System under Varying Ambient Conditions Using dSPACE DS 1104 Controller

- Maximum power point trackers (MPPT) are required to obtain the accurate and high tracking efficiency from the photovoltaic (PV) panel. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (GA) based MPPT is proposed because of its simple design implementation, high convergence speed and excellent capability to get global peak power point under variable weather conditions. Also, cuk converter based PV power system is selected because of excellent buck-boost power capability, better voltage regulation and lower power losses compared to other dc-dc converter. The proposed MPPT tracker has been tested under steady as well as transient operating conditions. The experimental responses are validated through control data acquisition system of real time dSPACE DS 1104 kit, which provides better performance characteristics with small steady state error compared to conventional MPPT algorithm.

Performance and environmental impact of a turbojet engine fueled by blends of biodiesels

Depletion of conventional fuels, concerns about environmental pollution and the tightening of exhaust emission legislations are the main reasons for increasing research on alternative fuels produced from agricultural feedstock. In this study, biodiesel fuels produced from cotton and corn vegetable oils are investigated as renewable fuels for a gas turbine engine for aviation. The biodiesel fuels are defined as cotton methyl ester (CTME) and corn methyl ester. The performance characteristics and exhaust emissions of the gas turbine engine are investigated when the engine fueled with three blends of 10%(B10), 20%(B20) and 50%(B50) of biodiesel/JetA-1 by volume. The biodiesel fuels were produced using transesterification process and characterized according to ASTM biodiesel specifications. Chemical and physical properties show a real potential of using biodiesel blends as an alternative for JetA-1. The measured engine performance parameters and exhaust emissions are compared with that of pure JetA-1 over a range of throttle setting. The gas turbine engine used in this study is equipped with pressure, flow, temperature, thrust and speed sensors that connected to data acquisition system and control unit in addition to exhaust gas analyzer. The experimental results show that biodiesel fuels can be used up to blend of 50% with JetA-1 in gas turbine engines with slight enhancement in engine performance and significant improvements in exhaust emissions. The engine static thrust is increased with 2% for B50 at lower and medium engine speeds and decreased with 11% at high engine speed compared to conventional JetA-1 fuel. The thrust-specific fuel consumption for biodiesel blends is lower than that for regular JetA-1 fuel. The gas turbine engine efficiency is increased for biodiesel blends by 14% compared to JetA-1, and this is reported for CTME B50. For oxygen concentration in exhaust gases emissions, the higher the biodiesel blend, the higher the O2 concentration in the exhaust compared with JetA-1 fuel. The O2 level increased by 6% for biodiesel blend of B50 compared to JetA-1 fuel. The emissions of CO and HC emissions decreased by 5 and 37%, respectively, compared with conventional JetA-1. Additionally, the biodiesel blends achieve a higher CO2 and NOx emissions with 11 and 27%, respectively, compared to JetA-1. The sulfur dioxide SO2 decreased by 75% compared to the regular JetA-1 fuel.

Multi-Agent System Fault Protection with Topology Identification in Microgrids

Data acquisition and supervisory control are usually performed using client-server architecture and centralized control in conventional power systems. However, the message transmission and fault clearing are too slow for large-scale complex power systems. Microgrid systems have various types of distributed energy resources (DERs) which are quite different in characteristics and capacities, thus, the client-server architecture and centralized control are inadequate to control and operate in microgrids. Based on MATLAB/Simulink (ver.R2012a) simulation software and Java Agent Development Framework (JADE) (JADE 4.1.1-revision 6532), this paper proposes a novel fault protection technology that used multi-agent system (MAS) to perform fault detection, fault isolation and service restoration in microgrids. A new topology identification method using the YBus Matrix Algorithm is presented to successfully recognize the network configurations. The identification technology can respond to microgrid variations. Furthermore, the interactive communications among intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), circuit breakers (CBs), and agents are clarified during fault occurrence. The simulation results show that the proposed MAS-based microgrids can promptly isolate faults and protect the system against faults in real time.

Novel Networked Remote Laboratory Architecture for Open Connectivity Based on PLC-OPC-LabVIEW-EJS Integration. Application in Remote Fuzzy Control and Sensors Data Acquisition.

In this paper the design and implementation of a network for integrating Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), the Object-Linking and Embedding for Process Control protocol (OPC) and the open-source Easy Java Simulations (EJS) package is presented. A LabVIEW interface and the Java-Internet-LabVIEW (JIL) server complete the scheme for data exchange. This configuration allows the user to remotely interact with the PLC. Such integration can be considered a novelty in scientific literature for remote control and sensor data acquisition of industrial plants. An experimental application devoted to remote laboratories is developed to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of the proposed approach. The experiment to be conducted is the parameterization and supervision of a fuzzy controller of a DC servomotor. The graphical user interface has been developed with EJS and the fuzzy control is carried out by our own PLC. In fact, the distinctive features of the proposed novel network application are the integration of the OPC protocol to share information with the PLC and the application under control. The user can perform the tuning of the controller parameters online and observe in real time the effect on the servomotor behavior. The target group is engineering remote users, specifically in control- and automation-related tasks. The proposed architecture system is described and experimental results are presented.

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Symposium on Fusion Engineering

This special issue is the first one published in the IEEE Transactions of Plasma Science covering the 26th Symposium on Fusion Engineering (SOFE 2015) chaired by Jean Paul Allain and Mark Tillack. SOFE 2015 was colocated with the 20th Pulsed Power Conference in Austin, TX, USA, from May 31 to June 4, 2015. The Symposium included an exciting collection of papers on the technological, engineering, and scientific advances in the field. Notable new technical areas, including fusion materials, concepts for a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility, and design and analysis tools for stellerator DEMO devices (a timely topic with W7-X at Max Planck Insitut in Greifswald coming online in 2015, and innovative divertor concepts) were emphasized, unlike previous SOFE meetings. Other topics in the Symposium covered engineering and scientific advances in both inertial confinement and magnetic confinement fusion, with attendees from major fusion energy research centers worldwide. Fusion engineering continues to be an important area to the fusion community, given the continued engineering and technology advances and challenges in magnetic and inertial thermonuclear fusion. The objective of this special issue is to bring the most up-to-date developments reported at the SOFE 2015 to the readership of the IEEE Transactions of Plasma Science. In addition to the above-listed new topics, SOFE 2015 highlighted continued interest in the areas of fusion engineering, including ITER and experimental fusion devices including alternate fusion confinement devices, new device design and reactor studies, divertors and plasma-material interactions, chambers, vacuum vessels related to fusion device technology, plasma diagnostics, data acquisition and plasma control systems, safety and environmental engineering, plasma fueling, pumping and tritium handling systems, IFE drivers, targets, and related technologies; fusion device power systems; magnet engineering and electromagnetics; and electromechanics. SOFE 2015 has an unprecedented participation from our Asian colleagues, as nuclear fusion programs are broadening, particularly the technological and engineering efforts across many major devices and facilities. This is one of the reasons for our decision to proudly hold the next SOFE 2017 in Shanghai, China, led by General Chair Dr. Hutch Neilson and General Co-Chair Dr. Jiangang Li.

DAQ for commissioning and calibration of a multichannel analyzer of scintillation counters

ABSTRACTWe report the status of the Data Acquisition (DAQ) system for the Coordinate Detector (CDET) module of the Super Bigbite Spectrometer facility at Hall A of Thomas Jefferson Accelerator Facility. Presently, the DAQ is fully assembled and tested with one CDET module. The commissioning of CDET module, that is the goal of the tests presented here, consists essentially in the measures of the amplitude and time-over-threshold of signals from cosmic rays. Hardware checks, the developing of DAQ control and off-line analysis software are ongoing; the module currently seems to work roughly accordingly to expectations. Data presented in this note are still preliminary.

Design and Implementation of a Solar Controller and PC Data Acquisition System for PV Energy Applications

In this study, a mainboard was designed for solar energy control with PC data acquisition system. The released system included forty-eight pieces of PV panels, 1.92 kW BLDC and eight pieces of 65 Ah batteries. The buck type DC-DC converter was controlled to charge battery depending on its voltage and current scheme. The BLDC motor was coupled to a pump and a MOSFET was used as motor run/stop switch for automatic working. This system was applied to irrigation in Turkey that it is consist of 1000 pieces of dwarf cherry tree. The controller had communication with PC and DAQ card. All analog values of system (currents, voltages, temperatures, etc.) send to PC with RS-232 and DAQ with reading analog values.

Development of MATLAB software to control data acquisition from a multichannel systems multi-electrode array.

A Multichannel Systems (MCS) microelectrode array data acquisition (DAQ) unit is used to collect multichannel electrograms (EGM) from a Langendorff perfused rabbit heart system to study sudden cardiac death (SCD). MCS provides software through which data being processed by the DAQ unit can be displayed and saved, but this software's combined utility with MATLAB is not very effective. MCSs software stores recorded EGM data in a MathCad (MCD) format, which is then converted to a text file format. These text files are very large, and it is therefore very time consuming to import the EGM data into MATLAB for real-time analysis. Therefore, customized MATLAB software was developed to control the acquisition of data from the MCS DAQ unit, and provide specific laboratory accommodations for this study of SCD. The developed DAQ unit control software will be able to accurately: provide real time display of EGM signals; record and save EGM signals in MATLAB in a desired format; and produce real time analysis of the EGM signals; all through an intuitive GUI.

Overview of data acquisition and central control system of steady state superconducting Tokamak (SST-1)

Steady State Superconducting Tokamak (SST-1) has been commissioned successfully and has been carrying out limiter assisted ohmic plasma experiments since the beginning of 2014 achieving a maximum plasma current of 75kA at a central field of 1.5T and the plasma duration ∼500ms. In near future, SST-1 looks forward to carrying out elongated plasma experiments and stretching plasma pulses beyond 1s. The data acquisition and central control system (CCS) for SST-1 are distributed, modular, hierarchical and scalable in nature The CCS has been indigenously designed, developed, implemented, tested and validated for the operation of SST-1. The CCS has been built using well proven technologies like Redhat Linux, vxWorks RTOS for deterministic control, FPGA based hardware implementation, Ethernet, fiber optics backbone for network, DSP for real-time computation & Reflective memory for high-speed data transfer etc.CCS in SST-1 controls & monitors various heterogeneous SST-1 subsystems dispersed in the same campus. The CCS consists of machine control system, basic plasma control system, GPS time synchronization system, storage area network (SAN) for centralize data storage, SST-1 networking system, real-time networks, SST-1 control room infrastructure and many other supportive systems. Machine Control System (MCS) is a multithreaded event driven system running on Linux based servers, where each thread of the software communicates to a unique subsystem for monitoring and control from SST-1 central control room through network programming. The CCS hardware and software architecture is capable to fulfill the present operation and control requirement of SST-1. The CCS is successfully validated in several operation campaigns of SST-1 since year 2013.The lossless PXI based data acquisition of SST-1 is capable of acquiring around 130 channels of the ranging from 10KHz to 1MHz sampling frequency and is capable to acquire the volume of 500Mbytes of data in each shot. The indigenously developed Matlab based software utility is being used to analyze the data. The complete system is also validated in several operation campaigns of SST-1 since year 2013.This paper will provide the overview of all the above mentioned subsystems of SST-1 DAQ and SST-1 CCS focusing on the design, architecture, performance, lesson learned and future upgrade plans.

Sensing flame structure by process tomography.

Non-intrusive visualization of the structure of flames can offer us many advantages in studying the reaction mechanisms of combustion and observing special distributions of the parameters required for the development of equipment such as jet engines and gas turbines. Process tomography is a relatively new technique for such a task, but is useful owing to its fast speed and capability of detecting signals related to ionizations caused by chemical reactions and thermal effects. Electric capacitance tomography (ECT) is one of the process tomographic techniques. ECT usually comprises a sensor array of electrodes that detect permittivity variations in the measuring zone, a data-logging device and a computer that controls data acquisition and carries out image reconstruction. There have been studies on ECT imaging of flames; however, ECT has not been exploited sufficiently to reveal the inner structure of the flames. In this study, a sensor with planar electrodes is created, and the associated three-dimensional sensitivity map is generated by the finite-element method to detect flame structure. A series of experiments are carried out covering a range of feed rates of fuel and air. Data are collected by the ECT sensor and hardware. The results of the ECT reconstruction show good agreement with actual features, and the structure of the flame is found. This opens up a new route for the study of flames. This article is part of the themed issue 'Supersensing through industrial process tomography'.

WE-FG-BRA-04: A Portable Confocal Microscope to Image Live Cell Damage Response Induced by Therapeutic Radiation

Purpose: To construct a custom and portable fluorescence confocal laser-scanning microscope (FCLSM) that can be placed in the path of therapeutic radiation beams to study real-time radiation-induced damage response in live cells. Methods: We designed and constructed a portable FCLSM with three laser diodes for excitation (405, 488, and 635 nm). An objective lens focuses the excitation light and collects fluorescence from the sample. A pair of galvanometer mirrors scans/collects the laser beam/fluorescence along the focal plane (x/y-directions). A stepper motor stage scans in the axial direction and positions the x/y of the image field. Barrier filters and dichroic mirrors are used to route the spectral emission bands to the appropriate photodetector. An avalanche photodiode collects near-infrared fluorescence; a photodiode collects back-reflected 635 nm light; and a photomultiplier tube collects green fluorescence in the range of eGFP/eYFP. A 200-µm diameter pinhole was used to implement the confocal geometry for near-infrared and red channels and a 150-µm diameter pinhole for the green channel. Data acquisition and system control were achieved using a high-throughput data acquisition card. In-house software developed in LabVIEW was used to control the hardware, collect data from the photodetectors and reconstruct the confocal images. Results: 6 frames/s can be acquired for a 25 µm2 (128×128 pixels) field of view, visualizing the entire volume of the cell nucleus (∼10 µm depth) in <10 s. To demonstrate the usefulness of our FCLSM, we imaged gold nanoshells in live cells, radiation-induced damage in fibrosarcoma cells expressing eGFP tagged to a DNA repair protein, and neurons expressing eGFP. The system can also image particle tracks in fluorescent nuclear track detectors. Conclusion: We developed a versatile and portable FCLSM that allows radiobiology studies in live cells exposed to therapeutic radiation. The FCLSM can be placed in any vertical beam line for top-to-bottom exposures. This research was supported by the Sister Institution Network Fund and the Center for Radiation Oncology Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Gabriel Sawakuchi has research support from Elekta Inc.

Adaptable Fuzzy Expert System for Ship Lock Control Support

A ship lock zone represents a specific area on waterway, and control of the ship lockage process requires a comprehensive approach. This research is a practical application of a Mamdani-type fuzzy inference system and particle swarm optimisation to control this process. It presents an optimisation process that adapts control logic to the desired criteria. The initially proposed Fuzzy Expert System (FES) was developed using suggestions from lockmasters (ship lock operators) with extensive experience. Further optimisation of the membership function parameters of the input variables was performed to achieve better results in the local distribution of ship arrivals. The presented fuzzy logic-based expert system was designed as part of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to support decision making and control. The developed fuzzy algorithm is a rare application of artificial intelligence in navigable canals and significantly improves performance of the ship lockage process. This adaptable FES is designed to be used as a support in decision-making processes or for the direct control of ship lock operations.

분위기 조건 변화에 따른 저압 직접분사식 LPG의 점화성 및 연소특성 연구

Abstract: Under part load condition of spark-ignition engine, pumping loss had great effect on engine efficiency. To reduce pumping loss, the study designed spark-ignited engines to make direct spray of gasoline to combustion chamber. In spark-ignited direct-injection engines, ignition probability is important for successful combustion and flame propagation characteristics are also different from pre-mixed combustion. This study designed a visualization testing device to study ignition probability of spark-ignited direct-injection LPG fuel and combustion flame characteristics. This visualization device consists of combustion chamber, fuel supply system, air supply system, electronic control system and data acquisition system. Ambient pressure, ambient temperature and ambient air flow velocity are important parameters on ignition probability of LPG-air mixture and flame propagation characteristics, and the study also found that sprayed LPG fuel can be directly ignited by spark-plug under proper ambient conditions. To all successful cases of ignition, the study recorded flame propagation image in digital method through ICCD camera and its flame propagation characteristics were analyzed.

Desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Controle e Aquisição de Dados para Testes do Detector de Fibras Cintilantes do Experimento LHCb

Desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Controle e Aquisição de Dados para Testes do Detector de Fibras Cintilantes do Experimento LHCb

Design, development and performance evaluation of an automatic control system for rice whitening machine based on computer vision and fuzzy logic

The objective of this study was developing an intelligent automatic control system (ACS) based on machine vision and fuzzy logic techniques to control the performance of rice whitening machines. The developed ACS consisted of two main parts, namely hardware (including sampling unit, kernel singulation unit, image capturing unit, processor (computer), discharge pressure control unit and data acquisition unit), and software (including image processing, fuzzy inference and central control units). Two important qualitative indices, degree of milling and percentage of broken kernels, were considered as input variables and the level of pressure on the discharge section of the whitening machine was selected as the output variable in the fuzzy inference unit. Results of the evaluations indicated that the developed ACS had 89.2% accuracy in determining the desired working conditions for the whitening machine. The total time of each monitoring round was, on the average, equal to 14.73s, of which 6.4s was devoted to kernel sampling and transporting the samples into the imaging chamber, 7.33s for taking three images from the kernels, processing the captured images and executing the fuzzy inference process, and the remaining 1.5s for making the adjustments in the level of pressure in the mechanism. Based on this information and in contrast to the corresponding time spent by the human operator to perform a similar process, it was revealed that the performance speed of the ACS was, on average, 31.3% higher than that of the human operator. Evaluation of the samples obtained from the discharge section of the rice whitening machine at different stages of the control process showed that the decisions made by the developed ACS during the control process resulted in a satisfactory improvement in the quality of the output product.

STM32 프로세서를 이용한 고속 데이터 수집 및 융합 시스템 설계

In this paper, we describe the design of a high speed data acquisition system(DAS) with STM32 processor based on Cortex-M4. The system is used for the sensor devices to collect raw data on production lines at factory and send them to the servo computer in real time. The system is designed for multi functions with universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter(UART), analog to digital converter(ADC), digital to analog converter(DAC), and general purpose input output(GPIO). those are well tested for various data acquisition and high speed motor control in real time.

The European Narcolepsy Network (EU-NN) database.

Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a rare disease with an estimated prevalence of 0.02% in European populations. Narcolepsy shares many features of rare disorders, in particular the lack of awareness of the disease with serious consequences for healthcare supply. Similar to other rare diseases, only a few European countries have registered narcolepsy cases in databases of the International Classification of Diseases or in registries of the European health authorities. A promising approach to identify disease-specific adverse health effects and needs in healthcare delivery in the field of rare diseases is to establish a distributed expert network. A first and important step is to create a database that allows collection, storage and dissemination of data on narcolepsy in a comprehensive and systematic way. Here, the first prospective web-based European narcolepsy database hosted by the European Narcolepsy Network is introduced. The database structure, standardization of data acquisition and quality control procedures are described, and an overview provided of the first 1079 patients from 18 European specialized centres. Due to its standardization this continuously increasing data pool is most promising to provide a better insight into many unsolved aspects of narcolepsy and related disorders, including clear phenotype characterization of subtypes of narcolepsy, more precise epidemiological data and knowledge on the natural history of narcolepsy, expectations about treatment effects, identification of post-marketing medication side-effects, and will contribute to improve clinical trial designs and provide facilities to further develop phase III trials.

Development of a single-sided guarded hot plate apparatus for thermal conductivity measurements

This work presents the development of an experimental setup for measurements on of thermal conductivity of solid materials, such as ceramics, polymers, rubbers, glasses, biological materials, etc. whose thermal conductivity lies in the approximate range between 0.1 and 2 Wm-1K-1. The setup was designed on the principle of the single-sided guarded hot plate method. In order to find the optimal design for generation of traceable one-dimensional heat flux through an investigated 300?300 mm2 specimen, a numerical heat transfer FEM analysis was performed. The principal components of the measuring apparatus, such as hot plate with thermopile, cold plate and auxiliary hot plate were constructed according to the obtained results of simulations. Software for the control of experiment and data acquisition was developed using the LabVIEW programming environment.

Instrumentation to study myofibril mechanics from static to artificial simulations of cardiac cycle

Many causes of heart muscle diseases and skeletal muscle diseases are inherited and caused by mutations in genes of sarcomere proteins which play either a structural or contractile role in the muscle cell. Tissue samples from human hearts with mutations can be obtained but often samples are only a few milligrams and it is necessary to freeze them for storage and transportation. Myofibrils are the fundamental contractile components of the muscle cell and retain all structural elements and contractile proteins performing in contractile event; moreover viable myofibrils can be obtained from frozen tissue.•We are describing a versatile technique for measuring the contractility and its Ca2+ regulation in single myofibrils. The control of myofibril length, incubation medium and data acquisition is carried out using a digital acquisition board via computer software. Using computer control it is possible not only to measure contractile and mechanical parameters but also simulate complex protocols such as a cardiac cycle to vary length and medium independently.•This single myofibril force assay is well suited for physiological measurements. The system can be adapted to measure tension amplitude, rates of contraction and relaxation, Ca2+ dependence of these parameters in dose-response measurements, length-dependent activation, stretch response, myofibril elasticity and response to simulated cardiac cycle length changes. Our approach provides an all-round quantitative way to measure myofibrils performance and to observe the effect of mutations or posttranslational modifications. The technique has been demonstrated by the study of contraction in heart with hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy mutations in sarcomere proteins.

一种储水式电热水器能耗测试系统

本文以电气安全检测实验室原有测试设备，在增加少许控制仪器和数据采集仪器的基础上，利用计算机编程语言，设计开发一种储水式电热水器能耗测试系统，可灵活设定控制参数，实现多标准要求下对测试过程的控制、测试数据的采集、测试数据的计算等功能，特别适用复杂测试过程中自动化控制的要求。本文在减少测试成本，提高测试精度等方面做出了积极研究，其论述的系统已在实践中应用，为国内外相关测试实验室进行储水式电热水器能耗的测试提供了一种高效低成本的解决方案。 Based on the testing equipment in electrical safety testing laboratory, this paper increased a little control instruments and data acquisition instruments and used computer programming language to develop one kind of energy testing system for electric storage water-heaters. This testing system can be flexibly set to meet the multi-standards testing requirements and to achieve the purpose of controlling the tested process, data collection, data calculation and the other functions. The testing system also can satisfy the requirements of complex testing in automated control process. The paper has made a positive research to reduce testing costs and improve testing accuracy. The testing system has been applied in practice and has provided a high efficient and low-cost solution plan for domestic and foreign laboratories which have engaged in the energy consumption testing of electric storage water-heaters.