Engineering Design Techniques Research Articles

A comprehensive analysis of magnetized Non-Newtonian nanofluids ' peristaltic mechanism for optimized fluid flow and heat transfer

Magnetized non-Newtonian models nowadays have attracted many researchers because it is an exciting field in the collaboration of material science, fluid dynamics, and applied physics. Their unique properties and adaptability render them invaluable across various technological and industrial applications, promising further innovations as research advances. This research unveils the intricate rheological and thermal behavior of magnetized non-Newtonian nanofluids undergoing peristaltic motion. The study aims to enhance engineering design techniques for optimal biophysiological performance by incorporating second-order slip, convective conditions, and temperature-dependent thermal conductivity. The Buongiorno nanofluid model is adopted to investigate heat and mass transfer phenomena, while the Prandtl non-Newtonian fluid model is employed to comprehend the complex rheological characteristics of the fluid. A long-wavelength approximation with a low Reynolds number was employed to simplify the governing equations. Analytical solutions have been obtained by solving the nonlinear transformed equations using the Homotopy perturbation technique. The findings are validated with previous literature and indicate that magnetic fields play a key role in controlling peristaltic flow behavior and nanofluid pumping rates. Moreover, the interplay between non-Newtonian rheology and nanofluid parameters significantly affects temperature distribution patterns. An increase in the species Biot number and thermophoresis parameter leads to improved concentration behavior. Conversely, a reversible trend is noted with the augmentation of the Prandtl number, Eckart number, variable thermal conductivity, and Brownian motion parameters. This research provides new insights into magnetohydrodynamic transport mechanisms in peristaltic systems. The modeling approach, coupled with analysis, lays the background for improved fluid circulation, oxygen delivery, waste removal, and nutrient transport in biomedical applications. Specifically, the findings are important for advancing the design of peristaltic pumps tailored for targeted drug delivery and optimizing fluid flow within gastrointestinal tracts.

Editorial

The Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, to share and to develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for the mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design.Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in subject area of the mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment and software developers.The 52nd AIAS Conference edition was held in Genoa, Italy. The response of researchers and students has been outstanding: over 200 oral contributions have been presented during the three days of the conference, with four parallel sessions. In addition to the thematic sessions on AIAS traditional subjects, special sessions on additive manufacturing, energy methods for structural analysis, circular design in mechanical engineering, mechanical behavior under extreme conditions, have been successfully organized with the contribution of the AIAS technical committees.Among all contributions presented at the conference, 44 have been selected to be published after peer review, in this volume. This was made possible thanks to the active participation of all AIAS members, to the work of the AIAS Scientific Committee panel (Profs Umberto Galietti, AIAS Scientific Coordinator, Gabriele Arcidiacono AIAS Scientific coordinator for external relationships, Enrico Armentani, Davide Castagnetti, Virgilio Fontanari and Aurelio Somá) and Conference Papers Reviewers. Their outstanding contribution is gratefully acknowledged. Disclaimer AIAS2023 Conference was held in presence on Sept. 6-9, 2023. Presentations were arranged on four parallel sessions with a time slot of 15 min assigned to each presenter. Approximately 280 participants attended the conference during the three days event. All sessions have been continuously monitored by the organizers to provide technical support. The conference ran smoothly, and participants feedback was very positive.

Ingenious Game: Insights Into Evolving From a Learning Card Game to a Learning Software Application Game

Ingenious is a collaborative and competitive learning game application in which groups of students compete against each other in a product design and development (PDD) scenario where each group is responsible for a multidisciplinary team of engineers. The game has been used since 2020 to support a mechanical engineering master course. In this period, the game evolved from a card game to a software application. During the four game rounds representing the PDD phases, the players learn when to use over 80 different engineering design techniques. By choosing varying engineers and techniques, a student group creates a design strategy with a cost to execute and might be proven more effective than the competitors’ strategies. Winning the game is about effectiveness in solving the challenges posed in the PDD scenario at a minimum cost. Once the game allows scenario customisation, new PDD scenarios can be created with different complexity levels. In the gamified classroom, grading is not a result of winning the game but a reflection of the group’s choices and consequences while playing the game. This article presents the different game versions, describes the Ingenious game mechanics and dynamics and reflects on the game evolution and coverage of the Octalysis dimensions.

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF A STEM PROJECT FOR THE FORMATION OF ENGINEERING COMPETENCE IN THE FUTURE TEACHER OF LABOR TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY

The article presents the possibility of introducing STEM education in higher education institutions. The general concept of STEM education, which belongs to the advanced innovative educational systems of improving the level of education, in particular the formation of scientific, technological, engineering, mathematical, information and communication competencies, is revealed, the theoretical justification of the relevance of the STEM project for the formation of engineering competence in future teachers of labor training and technology is presented. Engineering competence is knowledge of the basics of technical sciences, practical engineering skills, the desire for engineering activities, professional and value interests, and methods of engineering and pedagogical design.Improvement of the Ukrainian education system is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of future graduates of educational institutions, which is due to by the implementation of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) Concept and driven by the development of scientific and technological progress. The main emphasis is on changing the methodology of education and on developing the ability to see and solve problems that are becoming more complex and global. As teachers are one of the main forces supporting progressive education, they are constantly improving their skills and knowledge.Having carried out a theoretical analysis, we realized that the formation of engineering competencies of future teachers of labor education and technology in higher education institutions is possible with the use of STEM projects. The introduction of STEM projects into the educational process involves mastering knowledge of the basics of engineering, acquiring practical engineering skills, striving for engineering activities, identifying professional and value interests, and techniques for engineering and pedagogical design.
 Keywords: teacher of labor training and technology; STEM project; STEM education; educational process; higher education institution; engineering competence; New Ukrainian School; creative project.

PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF WOVEN METAL MESHES AS PHASE SEPARATORS

The constant complication of the tasks that arise before spacecraft during their flight mission puts very high demands on the fuel supply system. First of all, during orbital flight, very often there is a need to restart the main engines, or a constant supply of fuel to the engines of the control system. It is necessary to deliver fuel from tanks to engine combustion chambers in conditions of practical weightlessness. To ensure the ingress of fuel components from the tank into the drain line without gas inclusions, a fuel continuity system is added to the fuel supply system. 
 Among the various systems for ensuring fuel continuity, the most widespread over the past fifty years have been mesh phase separators, the main working element of which is woven metal mesh.
 The paper considers the basic properties of systems of this type, their main design parameters from the point of view of the possibility of their improvement and the possibility of use in future designs of spacecraft. Considerable attention is paid to the shortcomings inherent in systems of this type. Possible ways to eliminate the limitations of the use of mesh phase separators through the development of new engineering design techniques and the use of modern technologies to create analogues of woven metal meshes, which are devoid of their main drawbacks, are considered.

Editorial

The Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers, and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, share, and develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design.Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in the subject area of mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas, and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment, and software developers.The 51st AIAS Conference edition was held in Padova, Italy again in presence after two years of online-only events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The response of researchers and students has been outstanding: over 200 oral contributions have been presented during the three days of the conference, with four parallel sessions. In addition to the thematic sessions on AIAS traditional subjects, special sessions on additive manufacturing, energy methods for structural analysis, circular design in mechanical engineering, and mechanical behavior under extreme conditions, have been successfully organized with the contribution of the AIAS technical committees.Among all contributions presented at the conference, 48 have been selected to be published after peer review, in this volume. This was made possible thanks to the active participation of all AIAS members, to the work of the AIAS Scientific Committee and Conference Papers Review panel (Profs Giovanni Meneghetti, AIAS Scientific Coordinator, Luciano Afferrante, Francesco Bucchi, Filippo Cianetti, Enrico Armentani, Marco Sasso). Their outstanding contribution is gratefully acknowledged. Disclaimer AIAS2022 Conference was held in presence on Sept. 7-10, 2022. Presentations were arranged in four parallel sessions with a time slot of 15 min assigned to each presenter. Approximately 250 participants attended the conference during the three days event. All sessions have been continuously monitored by the organizers to provide technical support. The conference ran smoothly, and the participants’ feedback was very positive.

A Reference Architecture for Data-Driven and Adaptive Internet-Delivered Psychological Treatment Systems: Software Architecture Development and Validation Study.

BackgroundInternet-delivered psychological treatment (IDPT) systems are software applications that offer psychological treatments via the internet. Such IDPT systems have become one of the most commonly practiced and widely researched forms of psychotherapy. Evidence shows that psychological treatments delivered by IDPT systems can be an effective way of treating mental health morbidities. However, current IDPT systems have high dropout rates and low user adherence. The primary reason is that the current IDPT systems are not flexible, adaptable, and personalized as they follow a fixed tunnel-based treatment architecture. A fixed tunnel-based architecture follows predefined, sequential treatment content for every patient, irrespective of their context, preferences, and needs. Moreover, current IDPT systems have poor interoperability, making it difficult to reuse and share treatment materials. There is a lack of development and documentation standards, conceptual frameworks, and established (clinical) guidelines for such IDPT systems. As a result, several ad hoc forms of IDPT models exist. Consequently, developers and researchers have tended to reinvent new versions of IDPT systems, making them more complex and less interoperable.ObjectiveThis study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a reference architecture (RA) for adaptive systems that can facilitate the design and development of adaptive, interoperable, and reusable IDPT systems.MethodsThis study was conducted in collaboration with a large interdisciplinary project entitled INTROMAT (Introducing Mental Health through Adaptive Technology), which brings together information and communications technology researchers, information and communications technology industries, health researchers, patients, clinicians, and patients’ next of kin to reach its vision. First, we investigated previous studies and state-of-the-art works based on the project’s problem domain and goals. On the basis of the findings from these investigations, we identified 2 primary gaps in current IDPT systems: lack of adaptiveness and limited interoperability. Second, we used model-driven engineering and Domain-Driven Design techniques to design, develop, and validate the RA for building adaptive, interoperable, and reusable IDPT systems to address these gaps. Third, based on the proposed RA, we implemented a prototype as the open-source software. Finally, we evaluated the RA and open-source implementation using empirical (case study) and nonempirical approaches (software architecture analysis method, expert evaluation, and software quality attributes).ResultsThis paper outlines an RA that supports flexible user modeling and the adaptive delivery of treatments. To evaluate the proposed RA, we developed an open-source software based on the proposed RA. The open-source framework aims to improve development productivity, facilitate interoperability, increase reusability, and expedite communication with domain experts.ConclusionsOur results showed that the proposed RA is flexible and capable of adapting interventions based on patients’ needs, preferences, and context. Furthermore, developers and researchers can extend the proposed RA to various health care interventions.

Fitting Regression Model and Optimization of Cutting Parameters In Order To Achieve Economical Machining Of a Cryogenic Soaked Magnesium Alloy

Abstract: In present times many industries are giving more importance in reducing the overall cost of production and in this regard reduction in weight of the work material has become necessary which in turn reduces the power consumption required for machining and hence leads to reduction in overall costs. Thus usage of light weight materials has garnered deep interest in the industries. This project deals with the turning of Mg AZ31B alloy for the above stated reasons. The objective of this work is to optimize the influencing cutting parameters like speed, feed, depth of cut and approach angle of the cutting tool by using experimental engineering design techniques like Taguchi method of orthogonal array, analysis of variance method to compute contribution of each of these parameters on the quality of machined output. The response variables taken up for this analysis were surface roughness, material removal rate, tool wear rate and machining time as all these factors governs the quality of the machined product and hence relates to economics of machining. Regression models have been developed in order to study about the mathematical relation between the input cutting parameters and each of the output variables. Contour plots have been drawn to study about interactions between the input cutting parameters and its impact on the output variables. In order to study the effect of cryogenic soaking on the work specimen Vickers hardness test has been performed to check the enhancement of the hardness before and after cryogenic soaking. The experimental data shows that surface roughness is mostly affected by approach angle of the cutting tool whereas material removal rate, tool wear rate and machining time were mostly affected by depth of cut. From the confirmatory test it was evident that Taguchi analysis helps in optimizing the output variables. It was also observed that cryogenic soaking suitably increases the hardness of the material thus making it more machinable. Keywords: Economical Machining, Optimization, Taguchi method, CNC Turning, Mg AZ31B, Regression Modelling, Contour plots, Cryogenic Soaking.

Preface

The Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, to share and to develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for the mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design.Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in subject area of the mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment and software developers.The 50th AIAS Conference edition was initially re-scheduled to be held in Genoa, Italy after it was switched as virtual conference in 2020 due to COVID-19 emergency. Unfortunately, due to the continuing pandemic emergency, it was decided to go virtual again to keep continuity with the tradition, confident that, despite the difficulties of the moment, united we stand.As for the previous year, the response of researchers and students has been outstanding: over 180 oral contribution have been presented in synchronous, during the three days of the conference, with three simultaneous parallel sessions. In addition to the thematic sessions on AIAS traditional subjects, special sessions on additive manufacturing, energetic methods for structural analysis and smart materials and MEMS have been successfully organized with the contribution of the AIAS technical committees.Among all contributions presented at the conference, 54 have been selected to be published after peer review, in this volume. This was made possible thanks to the active participation of all AIAS members, to the work of the AIAS Scientific Committee and Conference Papers Review panel (Profs Giovanni Meneghetti, AIAS Scientific Coordinator, Luciano Afferrante, Francesco Bucchi, Filippo Cianetti, Enrico Armentani, Marco Sasso). Their outstanding contribution is gratefully acknowledged.List of Disclaimer, Editors, Scientific Committee are available in this pdf.

Pocket-Sized Portable Labs: Control Engineering Practice Made Easy in Covid-19 Pandemic Times

New pocket-sized laboratories are proving to be an excellent tool as complementary equipment that students and lecturers can deploy to test control engineering design techniques. Here, the description and outcome results of an IFAC activity funded project entitled as Pocket-Sized Portable Labs: Control Engineering Practice Made Easy are presented. The project was executed in Portugal, from January 2021 to the end of June 2021, during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. The global aim of this project was to motivate pre-university students to enroll in control engineering courses by showing and demonstrating that simple practical experiments may be easily accomplished using portable pocket-size laboratories.

Methodology for designing tillage working bodies of a stubble cultivator-flat-cutter based on agricultural biomechanics

The article presents an engineering design technique based on agricultural biomechanics. This technique made it possible to theoretically substantiate the main parameters of the model of the working bodies of the cultivator-flat-cutter for tillage on the stubble using two bionic prototypes - the fan-shaped jaw of the scarab beetle (Scarabaeus) and the burrowing foot of the common dung beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius). The model of the working body of the cultivator-flat-cutter allows you to preserve the top stubble and ensure the anti-erosion resistance of the soil in the soil-protective agriculture system for the “Mini-till” technology. The results of experimental studies are presented, confirming the decrease in the traction resistance of the proposed models of the working bodies of the cultivator of the flat cutter for processing on the stubble with the preservation of its structure in the upper soil layer.

You Want Me to Teach Engineering? Impacts of Recurring Experiences on K-12 Teachers’ Engineering Design Self-Efficacy, Familiarity with Engineering, and Confidence to Teach with Design-Based Learning Pedagogy

This paper reports on findings from a group of ten teachers who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used design-based learning to explore the integration of making and the engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. Using convergent mixed methods, this study examines how the course impacted teachers’ familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, as viewed through their pre- and post-semester engineering design self-efficacy scores and their weekly reflective journal entries. These measures are important factors for developing teacher experience and confidence in integrating engineering and design-based learning strategies within K-12 educational contexts. Statistically significant results include increased confidence in design and decreased anxiety toward design. Findings illustrate how participants acknowledged increased familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, including their increased ability to make connections to the engineering design process, maker tools, and techniques. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

Formal Specification Approach for Smart Space Development

Being an important application of the Internet of Things, smart spaces are increasingly developed throughout the world for different purposes ranging from home automation to smart grids. Despite the considerable focus given to the practical development of smart spaces, there are few attempts of utilizing formal methods in this domain. Especially, the requirements of developing a smart space have not yet been formally specified, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. To fill this gap, a formal specification approach is presented in this paper for smart space development. The proposed approach first identifies the key components of a smart space, then it uses a state-based formal specification language – Z, to formally specify the requirements of these components. The requirements of developing a hypothetical smart space are considered for formal specification in this paper. This work does not only demonstrate how the components of complex systems, such as smart spaces, can elegantly be modeled using a Software Engineering formalism. But it can also be used as a step towards defining a holistic smart space development framework, along with requirement engineering and system design techniques.

Editorial

N Bonora1, F Cianetti2, P Livieri3 1University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino I-03043, Italy 2University of Perugia, Perugia I-06123, Italy 3University of Ferrara, Ferrara, I-44121, Italynicola.bonora@unicas.itThe Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, share and develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for the mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design.Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in subject area of the mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment and software developers.

Method of winch drive permanent magnet inverted motor design

Designing a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) of a winch drive needs to take into account the features of this machine. The engine has an inverted design with limited dimensions, is powered by a fre-quency converter, runs at the nominal power frequency and nominal load without using the damping winding and frequency start, and provides the required range of rope winding speeds. There is no specialized engi-neering design methodology for the winch drive PMSM. It is required to make changes and additions to the existing methods of designing synchronous machines when solving the problem of designing a winch drive PMSM. Design and validation calculations were performed in the Mathcad environment based on the tech-nique of designing machines with V.A. Balagurov’s permanent magnets and methods of designing general-purpose industrial synchronous machines with electromagnetic excitation. Field models of PMSM were used for modelling electromechanical processes and thermal status. The developed technique of designing the winch drive permanent magnet inverted motor is different from the known methods and due to this allows accounting for the design features of PMSM in the calculation of the size of the machine, the magnets, the stator core, the choice of electromagnetic loads, the design of the stator winding, the choice of the cooling system and the steel grade of the stator core. The specific requirements of the technical specification are taken into account when calculating the number of poles and the frequency of the supply voltage. A design project of the inverted PMSM of the winch drive has been developed. And the paper presents the design and verification calculations results. The reliability of the results was checked by field modeling of electromechanical processes and the thermal state of the PMSM. The study has solved the problem of no specialized engineering design techniques of the winch drive PMSM. The technique can be used by electromechanical engineers in solving the problem of designing winch drive PMSM as it allows making a design project of the PMSM corresponding to the requirements of the technical specifications and operation feature.

Исследование интегральных характеристик охлаждающей системы с термоэлектрическим модулем

Thermoelectric modules (TEM) are devices using which it is possible to implement either thermoelectric cooling due to the Peltier effect or electricity generation due to the Seebeck effect. In the first case, electric energy is directly converted into thermal energy, and in the second case, thermal energy is converted into electricity. Recent advances in the development of new thermoelectric nanostructured materials with characteristics significantly better than those found in bulk ones, prompted an increased interest in cooling and electricity generation through the use of thermoelectric devices. Special engineering design techniques are used in developing thermoelectric systems. However, such techniques only yield successful results for some simple designs. If the design of a thermoelectric device is non-trivial, some approximations have to be applied for the design, which seriously affects the accuracy of the result. The existing engineering methods for calculating the parameters and integral characteristics of TEMs involve a large number of simplifications and shortcomings, due to which the calculated integral characteristics of a TEM can differ significantly from their actual ones. In the field of thermoelectric devices, numerical simulation has to be used to solve various problems, in particular, for studying and evaluating promising designs of thermoelectric devices. The article presents the mathematical model of a cooling system equipped with TEMs. Numerical solution of the conjugate heat transfer equations describing the cooling system operation is obtained. It is shown that the TEM operating parameters are influenced by a number of factors that should preferably be taken into account in temperature distribution calculations. It is also shown that under real conditions the integral TEM operation parameters may differ considerably from those calculated according to the standard engineering procedures. Owing to its containing a rigorous body of mathematics, the developed model makes it possible to calculate the TEM parameters and integral characteristics under the real conditions of their operation.

Geometric-Structural Study of the Accelerated Degradation of Mold Cavities for HDPE Injection

In this work, we present the case of a series of injection cavities that showed accelerated degradation. A combination of computer-aided engineering design (CAED) techniques contributed to deduce the failure origin, which may be used to increase the lifetime of the studied product. The failure in the metallic material of the injection cavity was due to degradation in the quality of the final product that was made of high-density polyethylene. The failure generated non-expected protuberances in the final product. The study was complemented by scanning electron microscopy that confirmed the initial failure hypothesis. Using the finite element method (FEM), a series of load scenarios was carried out that gave further support to understand the origin of the failure. Due to the appearance of microcracks at the surface of the injection cavity, thermal and mechanical stresses were shown to be the responsible of plastic deformation at the injection cavity. We also propose a redesign of the piece to avoid the existence of the detected damage in the injection cavity and the final product.

Optimization Techniques for Engineering Design

Optimization Techniques for Engineering Design

Dynamic Control Allocation for Damping of Inter-Area Oscillations

Use of actuator redundancy to achieve higher reliability is a widely accepted engineering design technique and is used in this study to build resiliency and ensure power system stability in the presence of high levels of renewables. This paper presents a new design method for fault-tolerant wide-area damping controllers (WADCs) using modal-based control allocation (MB-CA), which coordinates a set of actuators to contribute to damping of inter-area oscillations. In our proposed method, when an actuator fails or is unavailable (e.g., due to communication failure), the supervisory MB-CA distributes the control signals to the remaining healthy actuators based on effects on the modal system, desired control actions, and actuator constraints. Our proposed block offers the benefits of modular design where it is independent of the nominal WADC. The proposed method consists of mainly two design steps. The first step is to design a WADC based on a fault-free model using robust control methods. The second step is to design an MB-CA to manage actuator availability and constraints. To validate the feasibility and demonstrate the design principles, a set of comprehensive case studies are conducted on a modified 192-bus Western Electricity Coordinating Council system. Numerical results verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach in ensuring resiliency to different actuator failures and actuator availability.

Virtual Actuators for Wide-Area Damping Control of Power Systems

In this paper, a new approach to design fault-tolerant wide-area damping controllers (WADCs) is presented. Use of actuator redundancy to achieve higher reliability has always been an accepted engineering design technique and is used in this study to help ensure power system security. In our proposed method when an actuator fails or is unavailable (e.g., due to loss of communication), the supervisory controller redistributes the control signals to the remaining actuators. The WADC is initially designed to provide satisfactory damping. In the next step, virtual actuators (VAs) are designed to manage actuator failures without the need to redesign the nominal WADC. By inserting this reconfiguration block between the nominal WADC and the new actuator, there is no need to retune the WADC and the performance of the fault-free system can be recovered. Our proposed block is independent of the nominal WADC and does not need any information beyond that an actuator is unavailable. The approach is applied to Kundur's two-area system, and the 39-bus New England system. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed method subjected to different failures.