There is a great need to reduce nutrient leaching from arable land into lakes and oceans. By using several different types of models it has previously been possible to describe nutrient losses in a catchment area with a minimum unit of sub-catchment level. At present, it is instead desirable to model a smaller catchment with an opportunity to re-connect the results to the corresponding fields in the catchment. Such models already exist but they are not fully able to properly describe Swedish conditions and land characteristics in our region. With the approach of creating such a model, SLU has developed a project with this work as its first stage. The model is expected to be created under the working name SWE-model which stands for Soil Water Environment and is in this first stage supposed to apply the SOIL model in catchment scale. During the procedure to describe the first step in the process of developing such a model adapted to Swedish conditions and which works in the catchment scale with an area of about 10-30 km2, focus has been set on calculating the transport of water flow from different hydrological response units. Regardless of the processes occurring in the soil after the water has been added, it is assumed that all the water which flows from each simulated unit is drained. In the first step the hydrologic response units were identified based on land use and soil type in the study area. With the help of a script with functions that retrieve and transform data, certain units were chosen for simulation. The script was also created in this project. Finally, the model results were aggregated and summarized for each unique unit, for each sub-catchment, and also for the whole catchment. From the results it is possible to see similarities in the flow dynamics between modeled and measured data. The efficiency coefficient has been calculated to correspond to the mean of the measured values for the whole simulation period. With an automated calibration process the model should be able to perform better. The volume error gives an indication of overestimation from the model.

This thesis work has been performed at the department of diagnosis and dependability at Volvo Car Company, Torslanda. The background of this project is based on interest in ascertaining how different factors possibly can affect a diagnosis method, which has been developed to find leaks in the fuel tank and evaporation system. According to the OBD II requirements leaks with an orifice diameter larger or equal to 0,5 mm, must be detected. The idea of the diagnosis method is to create an over pressure in the system with an air-pump. The current through the pump is measured and correlates to the power consumed by the pump. As the power is a function of the pressure difference over the pump, the pump current correlates to the pressure in the tank. Thus, the pump current can be used as a measure of the impenetrability. Changes in the system pressure, not caused by the pump, are accordingly disturbances to the method. The object of this work was to develop mathematical models, describing the lapse where the system is pressurized by the pump under the influence of different physical factors. The model is for instance considering variations in temperature and height, flow resistance in lines and valves, component characteristics, fuel evaporation, leaks etc. Furthermore the pump current is treated by the diagnosis evaluation algorithm with purpose to judge whether there is a leak in the system. The model has been implemented in Matlab/Simulink and it can consequently be used in dynamic simulations according to the over pressure leakage detection concept. Numerical experiments can be done in purpose to examine how changes in environmental conditions or component characteristics will affect the diagnosis method. Good agreement has been found between measurements and simulated results. The diagnosis function produces correct decisions under different conditions with disparity in leak sizes, additionally confirming the reliability of the model.

Over the last 10 years, digital subthreshold logic circuits have been developed for applications in the ultra-low power design domain, where performance is not the priority. Recently, devices optimized for subthreshold operation have been introduced as potential construction blocks. However, for these devices, a strong sensitivity to process variations is expected due to the exponential relationship of the subthreshold drive current and the threshold voltage. In this thesis, a yield optimization technique is proposed to suppress the variability of a device optimized for subthreshold operation. The goal of this technique is to construct and inscribe a maximum yield cube in the 3-D feasible region composed of oxide thickness, gate length, and channel doping concentration. The center of this cube is chosen as the maximum yield design point with the highest immunity against variations. By using the technique, a transistor is optimized for subthreshold operation in terms of the desired total leakage current and intrinsic delay bounds. To develop the concept of the technique, sample devices are designed for 90nm and 65nm technologies. Monte Carlo simulations verify the accuracy of the technique for meeting power and delay constraints under technology-specific variances of the design parameters of the device.

Native heart valves that have limited functionality due to cardiovascular disease or congenital birth defects are commonly replaced by prosthetic heart valves. Bileaflet mechanical heart valves (BMHV) are the most commonly implanted valve design due to their long-term durability. However, their unnatural hemodynamics promote thrombosis and thromboembolic events. Clinical reports and in vitro experiments suggest that the thrombogenic complications in bileaflet valves are related to the stress imposed on blood by the valves during the closing phase. Additionally, animal and clinical studies have shown that BMHV in the aortic position demonstrate reduced failure rates compared to identical valves in the mitral position. The present study aimed to investigate the leakage, hinge, and near hinge flow fields of two BMHV under simulated physiologic aortic flow conditions and to compare these results with previous findings in the mitral position to better understand how the implant location influences the valve performance and the subsequent risk of blood damage. Two and three-component Laser Doppler Velocimetry techniques were used to quantify the velocity and turbulent shear stress fields in both the hinge and the upstream leakage flow regions. The study focused on the 23 mm St. Jude Medical Regent (SJM) and the 23 mm CarboMedics (CM) valves. Although they were tested under similar physiologic conditions, shape and location of the leakage jets were dependent on valve design. Nevertheless, turbulent shear stress levels recorded within all jets were well above the threshold shear stress for the onset of blood cell damage. Within the hinge region, the flow fields were complex and unsteady. The angulated hinge recess of the CM valve appeared to promote blood damage while the streamlined geometry of the SJM valve contributed to better washout of the hinge region. Animations of the velocity flow fields are given in QuickTime or MPEG format. Comparison of the present findings with previously published results for the mitral position suggests that the superior clinical results of the mechanical valves in the aortic position may be due to less severe leakage flow upon valve closure as well as to enhanced hinge washout during the forward flow phase.

New low power solutions for Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) are proposed. Especially, we focus on leakage power reduction. Although neglected at 0.18u technology and above, leakage power is nearly equal to dynamic power consumption in nanoscale technology, e.g., 0.07u. We present a novel circuit structure, we call it sleepy stack, which is a combination of two well-known low-leakage techniques: the forced stack and sleep transistor techniques. Unlike the forced stack technique, the sleepy stack technique can utilize high-Vth transistors without incurring a large delay increase. Also, unlike the sleep transistor technique, the sleepy stack technique can retain exact logic state while achieving similar leakage power savings. In short, our sleepy stack structure achieves ultra-low leakage power consumption while retaining logic state. We apply the sleepy stack technique to both generic logic circuits as well as SRAM. At 0.07u technology, the sleepy stack logic circuits achieves up to 200X leakage reduction compared the forced stack technique with small (under 7%) delay variations and 51~118% area overheads. The sleepy stack SRAM cell with 1.5xVth achieves 5X leakage reduction with 32% delay increase or 2.49X leakage reduction without delay increase compared to the high-Vth SRAM cell. As such, the sleepy stack technique can be applicable to a design that requires ultra-low leakage power with quick response time while paying area and delay cost. We also propose a new low power architectural technique named Low-Power Pipelined Cache (LPPC). Although a conventional pipelined cache is mainly used to reduce cache access time, we lower supply voltage of cache using LPPC to save dynamic power. We achieve 20.43% processor dynamic energy savings with 4.14% execution cycle increase using 2-stage low-Vdd LPPC. Furthermore, we apply LPPC to the sleepy stack SRAM. The sleepy stack pipelined SRAM achieves 17X leakage power reduction while increasing execution time by 4% on average. Although this combined technique increases active power consumption by 33%, this technique is well suited for the system that spends most of its time in sleep mode.

An accurate and computationally fast method to generate nodal cross sections for the Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) was presented. In this method, named Spectral History Correction (SHC), a set of fine group microscopic cross section libraries, pre-computed at specified depletion and moderation states, was coupled with the nodal nuclide densities and group bucklings to compute the new fine group spectrum for each node. The relevant fine group cross-section library was then recollapsed to the local broad group cross-section structure with this new fine group spectrum. This library set was tracked in terms of fuel isotopic densities. Fine group modulation factors (to correct the homogeneous flux for heterogeneous effects) and fission spectra were also stored with the cross section library. As the PBR simulation converges to a steady state fuel cycle, the initial nodal cross section library becomes inaccurate due to the burnup of the fuel and the neutron leakage into and out of the node. Because of the recirculation of discharged fuel pebbles with fresh fuel pebbles, a node can consist of a collection of pebbles at various burnup stages. To account for the nodal burnup, the microscopic cross sections were combined with nodal averaged atom densities to approximate the fine group macroscopic cross-sections for that node. These constructed, homogeneous macroscopic cross sections within the node were used to calculate a numerical solution for the fine group spectrum with B1 theory. This new fine spectrum was used to collapse the pre-computed microscopic cross section library to the broad group structure employed by the fuel cycle code. This SHC technique was developed and practically implemented as a subroutine within the PBR fuel cycle code PEBBED. The SHC subroutine was called to recalculate the broad group cross sections during the code convergence. The result was a fast method that compared favorably to the benchmark scheme of cross section calculation with the lattice cross-section generator for two PBR reactor designs.

In this study, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is proposed to have a capability of viewing-angle-switching in all directions. In the proposed LCD, a three-electrode structure is used to control the viewing angle of the LCD. By using a bi-direction slit type electrode, fringe fields with two different directions are generated. The fringe fields cause a light leakage of the dark state in all directions. Experimental results reveal that the proposed LCD has viewing angle within 40o in both vertical and horizontal directions when the area ratio of the vertical and horizontal slit is 1:1. Furthermore, contrast ratio (CR) of the proposed LCD increases as cell gap increases. When the angle between polarizer axis and LC is 0, the proposed LCD has the highest CR in the normal direction. The personal privacy is protected based on the proposed LCD due to the all-direction light leakage in the dark state.

A seal is a component used in a turbomachine to reduce internal leakage of the working fluid and to increase the machine's efficiency. The stability of a turbomachine partially depends upon the rotodynamic coefficients of the seal. The integral control volume based rotodynamic coefficient prediction programs are no more accurate than the accuracy of the leakage mass flow rate estimation. Thus an accurate prediction of the mass flow rate through seals is extremely important, especially for rotodynamic analysis of turbomachinery. For labyrinth seals, which are widely used, the energy dissipation is achieved by a series of constrictions and cavities. When the fluid flows through the constriction (under each tooth), a part of the pressure head is converted into kinetic energy, which is dissipated through small scale turbulence-viscosity interaction in the cavity that follows. Therefore, a leakage flow rate prediction equation can be developed by comparing the seal to a series of orifices and cavities. Using this analogy, the mass flow rate is modeled as a function of the flow coefficient under each tooth and the carry over coefficient, which accounts for the turbulent dissipation of kinetic energy in a cavity. This work, based upon FLUENT CFD simulations, initially studies the influence of flow parameters, in addition to geometry, on the carry over coefficient of a cavity, developing a better model for the same. It is found that the Reynolds number and clearance to pitch ratios have a major influence and tooth width has a secondary influence on the carry over coefficient and models for the same were developed for a generic rectangular tooth on stator labyrinth seal. The discharge coefficient of the labyrinth seal tooth (with the preceding cavity) was found to be a function of the discharge coefficient of a single tooth (with no preceding cavity) and the carry over coefficient. The discharge coefficient of a single tooth is established as a function of the Reynolds number and width to clearance ratio of the tooth and a model for the same is developed. It is also verified that this model describes the discharge coefficient of the first tooth in the labyrinth seal. By comparing the coefficients of discharge of compressible flow to that of incompressible flow at the same Reynolds number, the expansion factor was found to depend only upon the pressure ratio and ratio of specific heats. A model for the same was developed. Thus using the developed models, it is possible to compute the leakage mass flow rate as well as the axial distribution of cavity pressure across the seal for known inlet and exit pressures. The model is validated against prior experimental data.

This research compares the leakage and rotordynamic characteristics of a slanted-tooth labyrinth seal to a conventional straight-tooth labyrinth. Detailed results comparing the rotordynamic coefficients and leakage parameters of a slanted-tooth see-through labyrinth seal and a straight-tooth see-through labyrinth seal are presented. The straight-tooth labyrinth seal used in this research was originally tested by Arthur Picardo. The slanted-tooth labyrinth seal was designed and fabricated to be identical to the straight-tooth labyrinth seal in terms of pitch, depth, and the number of teeth. The angle of inclination of the teeth in the slanted-tooth labyrinth seal was chosen to be 65° from the normal axis. The seals were tested at an inlet pressure of 70 bar-a (1015 psi-a), pressure ratios of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, rotor speeds of 10,200, 15,350, and 20,200 rpm, and a radial clearance of 0.2 mm (8 mils). The experiments were carried out at zero, medium, and high inlet preswirl ratios. The experimental results show only minute differences in the rotordynamic coefficients between the two seals. But, the slanted-tooth labyrinth seal leaked approximately 10% less than the straight-tooth labyrinth seal. A study of prediction versus experimental data was done. XLlaby was used for prediction. XLlaby was developed for a straight-tooth labyrinth seal design and did not do a good job in predicting the rotordynamic coefficients and the leakage rate.

Since the traditional CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) replaced by FPD(Flat Panel Display), e.g. LCD¡BOLED¡BPDP, FPD industry is regarded as the important one of global industry following Semi-conductor industry. The main stream of Large-Area Displays is TFT-LCD(Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) and it¡¦s applied a-Si:H TFT (the hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Transistor) as pixel-switch device on LCD. In a-Si:H TFT Cell process, the active region material(a-Si:H) with higher Photoconductivity results into higher off-state current under light illumination and that causes color performance discrepancy as incomplete On/Off operation of pixel-switch devices. As long as the introduction of F into a-Si:H modify the density of states in the gap of a-Si:H(:F), that may result the shift of the Fermi level toward the valence band edge and The density-of-states increasing. It¡¦s effective to decrease the photo leakage current. Due to electro-optical properties of liquid crystal(LC), to drive Pixel-switch device in TFT-LCD shall force On/Off voltage to change Twist Angle of LC is corresponding to have Stress on TFT device. According to DC Stress experiment results, it¡¦s found TFT device with SiF4 dopant can reach better reliability. This issue is aimed to research the photo leakage current variation of a-Si:H TFT at low temperature and ON/Off state effect by stress on TFT device.