Renewable Energy is by nature intermittent and matching the supply of energy to specific time dependent demand poses huge challenges. Energy storage is a useful tool in handling this temporal disparity, although except for regions very suitable for pumped hydroelectric storage schemes, it suffers from being technically difficult to implement and costly as a result. This study investigates the potential benefits offered by various scales of energy storage to different types of renewable energy generation. It also explores the economic drivers behind energy storage operating as part of an electricity spot market. A stochastic optimisation algorithm for determining the maximum possible arbitrage revenue available to energy storage devices is presented and schedule of operation of storage acting in this manner is analysed. The schedule of operation for maximising the revenue is compared to the schedule of operation for minimising the fuel cost to the network and it is demonstrated that because prices are more volatile than the demand which drives them, storage devices do not always act to decrease the fuel cost to the network. It is shown that storage behaving in the right manner can offer significant benefits to electricity systems, and increases the usage of base-load generation, reducing peak electricity demands and the need for expensive peaking plants. The value of storage also increases as the penetration of renewable energy generation increases, although the current electricity market framework is perhaps not the best way to encourage this behaviour. Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (AA-CAES) is also identified as a theoretical storage option which deserves further scrutiny. Using thermodynamic modelling the efficiency of this type of system is estimated in the range of 63-67%, and we suggest that this may be increased closer to 73% by using direct contact heat exchangers rather than indirect contact heat exchangers (and a separate thermal fluid), as described in the currently available literature. However, dealing with large pressure ranges (leading to large variations in pressure ratios) encountered in the expansion process is a problematic area which will have to be resolved before this type of system can be constructed with “off-the-shelf” components. Some small scale experiments are used to gain valuable insights into a AA-CAES system. While these suffer from a very low overall efficiency, they highlight the effect of variable pressure ratio on expander efficiency. We conclude that AA-CAES is thermodynamically sound and will be achieved one of two ways: either through the construction of expanders that can work with high efficiency over large pressure ratios, or by resolving the engineering issues with maintaining a constant storage pressure.

Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT), proyecto "Polímeros fluorescentes para aplicaciones en técnicas láser dirigidas al desarrollo de un dispositivo para almacenamiento holográfico de información" MAT2000-1361-C04-04.

The present study investigates the effect of fluorine species during anodizing of aluminium and AA2024-T3 alloy in sulphuric acid and tartaric-sulphuric acid (TSA) electrolytes. The investigation comprises four main parts; (i) Effects of fluoride on barrier film formation on aluminium. (ii) Effects of fluoride and fluorozirconic acid (FZ) on porous film growth on aluminium in sulphuric acid. (iii) Effects of FZ on porous film growth on aluminium and AA 2024-T3 alloy in sulphuric acid and TSA. (iv) Effects on anodizing of other fluoroacids (fluoroboric (FB), fluorosilicic (FS) and fluorotitanic acid (FT)). The anodic films were examined by analytical scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy. The behaviour of fluoride ions during the growth of barrier-type films on aluminium was investigated in ammonium pentaborate solution with added sodium fluoride. Additions of up to 3.5 x 10-3 M sodium fluoride had a negligible influence on the film growth. In contrast, 3.5 x 10-2 M sodium fluoride reduced the efficiency to 60% as fluoride ions promoted field-assisted ejection of Al3+ ions from the film. Incorporated fluoride ions migrated inwards at a rate about twice that of O2- ions, forming a fluoride-rich layer at the film base. The study of the influence of FZ on formation of porous anodic films in sulphuric acid and TSA employed a range of anodizing voltages, electrolyte temperatures and anodizing times. Fluoroacid increased the growth rate, with a reducing influence as the temperature increased. The films contained fluoride and sulphate ions, zirconium was not detected. The fluoride concentration decreased with increasing temperature, whereas the sulphate concentration was unaffected. Anodizing aluminium and AA 2024-T3 alloy in other fluoroacids resulted in similar influences on the anodizing behaviour as FZ. The differences in growth rate, film composition and film morphology were comparatively small and did not show a systematic dependence on the type of fluoroacid employed. Boron, silicon and titanium were not detected in the films.

In this work, the nucleation and growth of pores in anodic films formed on aluminium in chromic acid and the effect of low levels of sulphate impurity in the anodizing bath on the formation of the films on aluminium and AA 2024 alloy are investigated. The sulphate concentrations considered include levels within specified limits for industrial processing. The anodizing is carried out either potentiostatically or by stepping the voltage. The films are examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to determine the pore spacing, pore population densities, pore diameters and film thicknesses. Film compositions were determined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattered microscopy and nuclear reaction analysis. In order to investigate the mechanism of pore formation, two tracer methods are employed. In one method, anodic films are formed first in an arsenate electrolyte in the second method, a tungsten tracer band deposited by magnetron sputtering. The behaviours of arsenic and the tungsten are investigated during the subsequent anodizing in chromic acid. The results suggest that the initiation and growth of pores in occurred as a result of electric field assisted chemical dissolution. The effect of sulphate impurity in the chromic acid is investigated using electrolytes with different sulphate content. In the initial stages of anodizing aluminium at 100 V, sulphate impurity at a level of 38 ppm in the chromic acid is shown to lead to significant incorporation of sulphate ions into the anodic film, a lower current density, a smaller cell size and less feathering of the pore walls. In addition, the efficiency of film formation is increased. In later stages of anodizing, the growth of larger pores and cells, leads to a duplex film morphology, with finer pores in the outer region. The change in pore size correlates with a reduction in the incorporation of sulphate into the film. From the results of sequential anodizing experiments, it is suggested that incorporated sulphate ions generate a space charge layer, which has an important role in determining the current density. The effects of higher sulphate concentrations up to 3000 ppm are investigated, which are shown to significantly affect the current density and the pore diameter. Anodizing of aluminium and AA 2024 alloy was also carried out according to industrial practice. The results show that there is significant effect of sulphur impurity on the film thickness. Corrosion tests in 3.5 % NaCl solution for the alloy after anodizing in low (smaller or equal to 1.5 ppm) and high (~38 ppm) sulphate-containing chromic acid electrolytes demonstrate a better corrosion resistance with films formed in the latter electrolyte.

Amyloidoses are a group of protein misfolding diseases characterized by deposits of insoluble fibrillar protein aggregates. Medin amyloid, which is the focus of this thesis, appears in the media of the thoracic aorta in nearly all individuals over 50 years. The fibrils are derived from a 50 amino acid residue fragment of the precursor protein lactadherin. How medin amyloid arises is unknown, but in paper I we demonstrated, with immunohistochemical and in vitro binding experiments, that both lactadherin and medin interact with elastin, implying that the elastic fibre is central in amyloid formation. In paper II, we further showed that the last 18-19 amino acid residues constitute the amyloid-promoting region. In paper III, the consequence of medin deposition was investigated. Aortic specimens from patients with thoracic aorta aneurysm and dissection were examined for medin content. The tissue findings indicated that the two disease groups contained more medin oligomers than normal aortas. Interestingly, recent reports demonstrate that the toxicity of amyloid proteins is attributed to prefibrillar oligomeric aggregates rather than to mature fibrils. In support of this finding, we observed that prefibrillar medin, in contrast to medin fibrils, was toxic in cell culture. Amyloid formation is a nucleation-dependent process. Addition of preformed fibrils to an amyloid protein solution dramatically accelerates fibrillation, a phenomenon called seeding. In paper IV, serum amyloid A-derived (AA) amyloid was found co-localized with medin deposits in the aorta. In vitro, medin fibrils enhanced the formation of AA fibrils, indicative of a seeding mechanism. The data are of great importance as they suggest that one type of amyloid is capable of inducing fibrillation and deposition of another amyloid type. In conclusion, the results of this thesis shed light on how medin is formed, the function of lactadherin and the consequences of medin deposition for aortic pathology.

A numerical simulation is conducted using LS-DYNA to simulate hard projectile impact on a friction stir welded (FSW) plate. As the hard projectile has a wide range of velocity, mass and shape, when referring to AMC 25.963(e) of CS-25, ―Fuel Tank Access Cover‖, the hard projectile can be defined as 9.5 mm cubic-shaped steel engine debris with an initial impact velocity of 213.4 m/s (700 ft/s). This preliminary study was to evaluate whether the fuel tank adjacent skin panel joined by FSW would pass the regulation. First, the geometry and Johnson-Cook material model of the FSW joint were developed based on previous experimental research and validated by comparison with the tensile test on the FSW specimen. Then the impact on an Aluminium Alloy 2024 (AA 2024) plate without FSW was modelled. The minimum thickness of a homogeneous AA 2024 plate which could withstand the impact from engine debris is 3 mm. Finally the impact on 3 mm thick AA 2024 FSW plate was simulated. The welding induced residual stress was implemented in the plate model. The impact centre was changed from the nugget zone to the thermo-mechanically affected zone, heat-affected zone and base material zone of the FSW joint. Penetration only occurred in the model with impact centre on the nugget zone. Additional simulation indicated that increasing the thickness of the FSW plate to 3.6 mm could prevent the penetration.

The objective of this study was to investigate the low velocity impact behavior of both monolithic and laminated aluminum alloy plates. For this purpose, a drop-weight test unit was used. The test unit included the free fall and impact of an 8 kg hammer with an 8 mm punching rod from 0.5 m to 4 m. The relationship between the change in static mechanical properties (hardness, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, strain hardening rate) and low velocity impact behavior of monolithic aluminum plates were investigated. Tested material was AA 2024, heat treatable aluminum alloy, which was artificially aged to obtain a wide range of mechanical properties. In the second stage of the study, the relationship between the low velocity impact behavior of laminated plates was compared with that of monolithic aluminum plates at identical areal densities. For this purpose, a series of AA 2024 thin plates were combined with different types of adhesives (epoxy, polyurethane or tape). Finally, fracture surface of the samples and microstructure at the deformation zone were examined with both scanning electron microscope and optical microscope. It is found that the ballistic limit velocities of AA 2024 plates increase with increase in hardness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. It is also found that a linear relation exists between the ballistic limit velocity and strain hardening rate or hardness. When the low velocity impact behaviors of laminated and monolithic targets were compared, it was seen that monolithic targets have a higher ballistic limit velocity values for from the 2.5 to 10 mm thick targets. It was also observed that adhesives are not so effective to strengthen the low velocity impact performance. On the other hand, with increasing Charpy impact energy, penetration and perforation behaviors are getting worse in 10 to 30 joules energy range. Different types of failure mechanisms involving, plugging, dishing, stretching and bending were determined. For high strength and thick plates plugging type deformation was leaded. In contrast, for thinner and weaker targets bending, stretching and dishing type failures were dominating. For laminated targets also dishing type failure was determined.

Statewide accountability programs are incorporating academic growth estimates for general assessments. This transition focuses attention on modeling growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCD) who take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), as most states attempt to structure their AA-AAS systems as similarly as possible to their general assessments (GA). Test scaling, group heterogeneity, small sample sizes, missing data, and the use of status-based assessments that were not necessarily designed to measure a developmental continuum complicate modeling growth for SWSCD. This study addressed these challenges by: (a) analyzing test results from a common scale, (b) modeling achievement and growth for students in multiple demographic and exceptionality categories, and (c) using multiple cohorts to increase sample sizes. Latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) was used to define growth estimates based on exceptionality, sex, race, and economic disadvantage. Unconditional latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to determine the number of homogeneous subgroups that existed within the heterogeneous population of SWSCD for subsequent growth mixture modeling (GMM). Unconditional GMM was used to define the number of homogeneous subgroups of students with similar intercept and growth patterns within the overall population of SWSCD. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) including student exceptionality, sex, race, and economic disadvantage status was also used to analyze class membership post hoc. SWSCD with different exceptionalities generally had significantly different average initial achievement but growth rates that did not differ significantly from each other. SWSCD classified as economically disadvantaged performed significantly lower than their peers in initial achievement, yet exhibited growth rates that were not statistically different than the reference group. This study also found evidence for two separate latent classes of students with exceptionalities on the Oregon AA-AAS. The first class had lower achievement and larger growth rates, while the second class had higher achievement and slower growth rates. Students identified as SLD and CD were generally higher-performing, while students identified as ID, ASD, and OI were lower performing across all analytic models.

Resumo: Modificações na composição química e no processamento termomecânico têm sido algumas das várias alternativas estudadas, para melhorar o desempenho de ligas de alumínio tradicionais. Neste trabalho foi modificada a composição de uma liga Al-Mn-Mg do tipo AA 3104, endurecível por deformação, adicionando-se diversos teores de zinco, transformando-a numa liga Al-Mn-Mg(Zn), endurecível por precipitação. O objetivo foi estudar e quantificar os efeitos do zinco sobre o processamento termomecânico e as propriedades mecânicas da liga modificada. Ligas com teores de zinco entre 0,03 a 1,52% foram fundidas e processadas obtendo-se um encruamento semelhante a condição H-19 industrial, denominada rota R. Ligas com teores de zinco entre 1,14 a 2,17% foram fundidas e processadas segundo três diferentes rotas: na rota S, o recozimento da rota R foi substituído por solubilização antes da laminação a frio; nas rotas E3H e E6H, as tiras laminadas a frio foram envelhecidas em dois estágios: 121°C por três horas para as duas rotas, mais três horas para a rota E3H e seis para a rota EH a 163°. A tensão de escoamento (SIGMA IND E) e a resistência à tração (SIGMA IND T) para a rota R aumentaram da ordem de 18% e 19% respectivamente, com o aumento do teor de zinco, enquanto o alongamento (E) permaneceu em torno de 4,5%. As propriedades mecânicas (SIGMA IND E SIGMA T E ) AUMENTARAM EM TORNO DE 25%, 31% E 27%, respectivamente, para a rota S. Considerando concentrações aproximadamente iguais de zinco, não foram verificadas diferenças significativas para (SIGMA E SIGMA T), entre as rotas R E S, no entanto, a rota S apresentou alongamento médio maior que a rota R da ordem 44%. Os menores valores de (SIGMA IND E SIGMA IND T) e os maiores valores de E foram obtidos para a rota E6H. / Abstract: Modifications in the chemical compostion and termomechanical processing have been among various alternatives to improve the perfomance of the traditional alloys. In this work the composition of a Al-Mn-Mg non-heat treatable alloy of the type AA3104 has been modified by the addition of various zinc contents to transform it in a Al-Mn-Mg-(Zn) precipitation heat treating alloy. The aim of this work was to study and to value the effects of zinc additions on thermomechanical processing and mechanical properties of the modified alloy. In the R route, alloys containing zinc varyyng from 0,03 to 1,52%, after cas were processed to achieve a cold rolled condition similar to industrial H19 temper. Alloys containing zinc, varying from 1.14to 2.17% after cast were processed according to three different routes: a) the S route substituted the annealing of the R route by solution heat treatment and quenching, before cold rolling; b) for E3H and E6H routes, the cold rolling strips were heat reated in two-step aging, which consisted of 3 h at 121°C for two routes, plus 3 h at 163°C for E3H and 6h for E6H. It was found that for R roue the yield strength (SIGMA IND E) and the ultimate tensile strength (SIGMA IND T) increased on average for 18% and 19%, respectively, as the zinc content increased from 0,03 to 1,52, whereas the elongation (E) held almost constant on average for 4,5%. The mechanical properties (SIGMA IND E SIGMA IND T) and E for S route increased about 25%, 31% and 27% respectively. Aproximately equal amounts of zinc didn't cause significative differences for (SIGMA IND E e SIGMA IND T) among S and R routes, however, the average elongation of the S route was hogher than R route about 44%. Thw lowest values for (SIGMA IND E SIGMA IND T) and consequently the highest for E were obtained for E6H route.

The aluminium AA1050 alloy, known as commercially pure aluminium, contains 99.5% Al, together with Fe and Si as major alloying elements. During fabrication of aluminium substrates for lithographic printing plates in Bridgnorth Aluminium Ltd, the AA 1050 aluminium alloy proceeds through various stages of thermomechanical processing, with the conditions at each processing stage influencing the microstructure of the final coil. Because of its specific gravity, tensile strength, surface performance and coating adhesion behaviour, the AA 1050 aluminium alloy is one of the preferred materials for offset printing, which has been the dominant printing process for years. During manufacturing of the offset plate, the AA 1050 alloy is subjected to alkaline etching, electrograining and anodizing. Reactivity of the material to those chemical and electrochemical processes depends on various alloy properties, the thickness and composition of oxide film over the macroscopic alloy surface, cold work applied and the presence of second phase particles, which influence properties and quality of the final product.During the project, the main objectives were to understand the process in the production of the final product from slab to coil as well as to investigate some microstructural changes during the following stages of the production process and, finally, the performance behaviour of the final product.The set of experiments, including microstructural observation and electrochemical tests, has been developed to investigate the AA 1050 aluminium sheet in accordance with the objective of this study. Four homogenisation trials in the industry environment were performed to enable sample collection from the real production line; also, samples from each processing stage were examined with the special attention paid to those collected during the plant experimental homogenisation trials. It was found that the microstructure of the aluminium changed throughout the different production stages and influences the material response in the alkaline solution used for etching. Furthermore, the conditions of homogenisation (time and temperature) have impact on the properties like the electrochemical behaviour in alkaline and acid solutions, as well as the microstructure of the final aluminium sheet. Differentiation between the behaviour of final gauge samples was possible in terms of characterisation of the second phase particles characterisation (distribution and composition) present in the resultant alloy product.