<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores the intersection of quantum interference, entanglement, and quantum algorithms in the context of chemical reactions. The initial exploration delves into the constructive quantum interference in the photoassociation reaction of a 87Rb Bose Einstein condensate (BEC), where a coherent superposition of multiple bare spin states is achieved and it’s impact on photo-association (PA) was studied. Employing a quantum processor, the study illustrates that interferences can function as a resource for coherent control in photochemical reactions, presenting a universally applicable framework relevant to a spectrum of ultracold chemical reactions. The subsequent inquiry scrutinizes the entanglement dynamics between the spin and momentum degrees of freedom in an optically confined BEC of 87Rb atoms, induced by Raman and RF fields. Significantly, this study unveils substantial spin momentum entanglement under specific experimental conditions, indicating potential applications in the realm of quantum information processing. Finally, the third study advances a quantum algorithm for the computation of scattering matrix elements in chemical reactions, adeptly navigating the complexities of quantum interactions. This algorithm, rooted in the time-dependent method and Möller operator formulation, is applied to scenarios such as 1D semi-infinite square well potentials and co-linear hydrogen exchange reactions, showcasing its potential to enhance our comprehension of intricate quantum interactions within chemical systems.</p>

Recent experimental results have shown that the vibration induced by the tire air cavity resonance is transmitted into the vehicle cabin and may be responsible for significant interior noise. The tire acoustic cavity is excited by the road surface through the contact patch on the rotating tire. The effect of the cavity resonance is that results in significant forces developed at the vehicle's spindle, which in turn drives the vehicle's interior acoustic field. This tire-cavity interaction phenomenon is analytically investigated by modeling the fully coupled tire-cavity systems. The tire is modeled as an annular shell structure in contact with the road surface. The rotating contact patch is used as a forcing function in the coupled tire-cavity governing equation of motion. The contact patch is defined as a prescribed deformation that in turn is expanded in its Fourier components. The response of the tire is then separated into static (i.e. static deformation induced by the contact patch) and dynamic components due to inertial effects. The coupled system of equations is solved analytically in order to obtain the tire acoustic and structural responses. The model provides valuable physical insight into the patch-tire-acoustic interaction phenomenon. The influence of the acoustic cavity resonance on the spindles forces is shown to be very important. Therefore, the tire cavity resonance effect must be reduced in order to control the tire contribution to the vehicle interior. The analysis and modeling of two feasible approaches to control the tire acoustic cavity resonances are proposed and investigated. The first approach is the incorporation of secondary acoustic cavities to detune and damp out the main tire cavity resonance. The second approach is the addition of damping directly into the tire cavity. The techniques presented in this dissertation to suppress the adverse effects of the acoustic cavity in the tire response, i.e. forces at the spindle, show to be very effective and can be easily applied in practice. / Ph. D.

Control of radiated acoustic noise is vital to the survivability and the detectability of submersible watercraft. Two primary sources of radiated fluid noise in submersible vessels are the boundary layer turbulence along the forebody and propulsor fluid-structure interaction. The propulsor contains several locations of such interaction, one of which was investigated in this research. Specifically, this research focused on experimentally investigating active flow control techniques to reduce rotor-stator interaction noise sources. Two of the three flow control configurations applied to the flow involved the application of active flow control to the leading edge of a single exit guide vane (EGV) mounted downstream of a seven-bladed rotor. The leading edge blowing configuration (LEB) consisted of a single jet expelled from the leading edge of the EGV against the oncoming flow. This interaction between the wake and jet should offset or disrupt the coherency of any incoming flow structures. The second active flow control method applied to the EGV involved a tangential blowing configuration (TB) where two symmetric tangential jets were used to create an insulating fluid layer that reduced the effect of passing flow structures on the EGV. The final flow control design was the implementation of trailing edge wake filling on a three bladed rotor. A rotor was designed to ingest lower velocity flow from the hub and pump the fluid out of a blowing slot at the blade trailing edge. The blowing slot was concentrated on the outer third of the blade span in order to maximize pumping effect. In order to quantify the effects of the active flow control techniques on rotor-stator interaction, the fluctuating lift force on the EGV was measured. Since this fluctuating force serves as a primary acoustic source, the effects of the active flow control on the radiated interaction sound can be estimated. These active flow control techniques were intended for reduction of blade passing frequency tonal sound radiation. The LEB configuration showed minor changes in overall spectral response; however, there was no significant reduction in forcing at the BPF measured. Similarly the TB configuration also yielded no measurable change in BPF tonal forcing. The first generation design of the self-pumping rotor also proved to have problems. Experiments showed that the application of the flow control on the self-pumping rotor did not generate the expected increase in torque demand or changes in the tonal forcing on the EGV. Field alterations to the rotor were unable to improve the performance; therefore, the conclusion became that the initial design was unable to pump fluid due to excessive pressure losses. Further design iterations are required to perfect the functionality of the self-pumping rotor. / Master of Science

Trata do desenvolvimento de um controlador Proporcional-Integral-Derivativo (PID) para uma Mesa Angular Rotativa (MAR) destinada à usinagem de ultraprecisão. O sistema de controle tem como objetivo efetuar posicionamento angular de alta resolução e repetibilidade antes e durante a usinagem de ultraprecisão, propiciando fabricar peças complexas através de torneamento. A MAR faz uso de elementos como mancais de flexão, atuadores piezelétricos, juntamente com o sistema de controle PID. A estratégia de controle é baseada na aquisição de dados na plataforma de desenvolvimento LabVIEW®, para gerar curvas tensão de saída do tesatronic versus deslocamento da MAR e no processamento dos sinais adquiridos ao longo do microposicionamento da MAR em tempo real para realimentação de posição. Constatou-se que o sistema suporta deslocamentos da MAR correspondendo a expansão do atuador piezelétrico de até 24 µm com freqüência de acionamento de até 3 Hz. O uso de filtro Chebyshev provocou atraso na resposta e forte instabilidade no sistema. Conclui-se que para a melhora do desempenho do sistema em termos de freqüência pode ser conseguida através do uso de filtro do tipo FIR (Finite Impulse Response). / A Micro Tilt Stage (MTS) was developed in the Precision Engineering Laboratory (University of São Paulo) to be used in commercial diamond turning machines. The MTS has the aim of positioning workpieces angularly with high resolution and repeatability before and during ultraprecision machining. The use of flexural bearings and piezoelectric actuators together with a PID control system provided improved dynamic performance. The control strategy is based on data acquisition using LabView to create standard curves and perform the correction of positioning errors. Experimental tests are performed with displacement of the (MTS), up to 24 µm, with frequency, up to 3 Hz. The use of a Chebyshev filter caused a delay and a strong instability in the system. In conclusion, in order to improve the performance of the system in terms of frequency, the use of a FIR filter (Finite Impulse Response) may be indicated.

Trata do desenvolvimento de um controlador Proporcional-Integral-Derivativo (PID) para uma Mesa Angular Rotativa (MAR) destinada à usinagem de ultraprecisão. O sistema de controle tem como objetivo efetuar posicionamento angular de alta resolução e repetibilidade antes e durante a usinagem de ultraprecisão, propiciando fabricar peças complexas através de torneamento. A MAR faz uso de elementos como mancais de flexão, atuadores piezelétricos, juntamente com o sistema de controle PID. A estratégia de controle é baseada na aquisição de dados na plataforma de desenvolvimento LabVIEW®, para gerar curvas tensão de saída do tesatronic versus deslocamento da MAR e no processamento dos sinais adquiridos ao longo do microposicionamento da MAR em tempo real para realimentação de posição. Constatou-se que o sistema suporta deslocamentos da MAR correspondendo a expansão do atuador piezelétrico de até 24 µm com freqüência de acionamento de até 3 Hz. O uso de filtro Chebyshev provocou atraso na resposta e forte instabilidade no sistema. Conclui-se que para a melhora do desempenho do sistema em termos de freqüência pode ser conseguida através do uso de filtro do tipo FIR (Finite Impulse Response). / A Micro Tilt Stage (MTS) was developed in the Precision Engineering Laboratory (University of São Paulo) to be used in commercial diamond turning machines. The MTS has the aim of positioning workpieces angularly with high resolution and repeatability before and during ultraprecision machining. The use of flexural bearings and piezoelectric actuators together with a PID control system provided improved dynamic performance. The control strategy is based on data acquisition using LabView to create standard curves and perform the correction of positioning errors. Experimental tests are performed with displacement of the (MTS), up to 24 µm, with frequency, up to 3 Hz. The use of a Chebyshev filter caused a delay and a strong instability in the system. In conclusion, in order to improve the performance of the system in terms of frequency, the use of a FIR filter (Finite Impulse Response) may be indicated.

This thesis investigates the ways in which businesses’ privacy practices in pay-with-data scenarios affect the way users interact with the business, both in terms of their on-site behavior and the creation of brand equity, in regions covered by the GDPR. I address a gap in the literature by exploring a possible business case for using privacy-friendly data collection practices in the context of brand equity creation and growth. The methodology consists in a randomized survey experiment with a 3 x 3 within-subjects design, with participants recruited via Prolific. Results show that privacy-friendly practices reduce the likelihood of transaction abandonment use of data falsification and other data controlling techniques which reduce data accuracy and quality; they also show an increased likelihood in forming trust associations with the brand and resulting in increased brand preference and willingness to recommend the brand to friends and family. The primary practical implication is that an increase in conversion rates, collected data accuracy and increased brand equity are integral to building a business case in favor of privacy-friendly approaches in online scenarios.

The increasing demand for renewable energy sources to meet climate targets and reduce carbon emissions poses challenges to the power grid due to their intermittent nature. One potential solution to maintain grid stability is by implementing Hybrid Energy Systems (HESs) that incorporate a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). To achieve the most favorable outcome in terms of both technical feasibility and profitability of a BESS, it is essential to employ models for simulating and optimizing the control of system components. This thesis focuses on the analysis of energy and revenue streams in a HES consisting of a BESS, photovoltaics (PVs), and an energy load including a fast charging station for electric vehicles (EVs). The objective is to optimize the system based on revenue generation by comparing the control techniques of peak shaving, energy arbitrage, and the integration of ancillary services within the Swedish energy market. The research questions explore the optimal utilization of the BESS and assess the impact of the different control techniques. A model is created in Python with the package CasADi where data from an ongoing installation of a HES in southern Sweden is combined with data from literature research. The model includes an objective function that minimizes the total cost of power from the grid based on the day-ahead price, battery degradation, and monthly peak power.  To answer the research questions, four different scenarios are simulated. The first scenario is a base for comparison, the second one focuses on peak shaving and energy arbitrage, the third on participation in the ancillary service FCR-D upwards regulation, and the last one is a combination of peak shaving, energy arbitrage, and the ancillary service FCR-D. The results show that the remuneration from the ancillary service FCR-D is comparably much higher than the revenues generated from peak shaving and energy arbitrage, providing more than 500% of revenue compared to the same system but without a BESS. The scenario with peak shaving and energy arbitrage shows an increase in revenue of 29% but with more cycling of the battery which could cause losses in performance in the long term. To validate the results, sensitivity analyses are conducted by evaluating weighting in the objective function, implementing Model Predictive Control (MPC), and reviewing price variations.  In conclusion, efficient control techniques can enhance system performance, minimize losses, and ensure optimal utilization of different energy sources, leading to improved feasibility and profitability. The optimal usage of a BESS involves finding a balance between maximizing revenue generation and minimizing battery degradation. This can be achieved through control strategies that optimize the charging and discharging patterns of the BESS based on electricity price signals, demand patterns, and battery health considerations.

This dissertation presents control, analysis, and design of silicon carbide (SiC)-based critical conduction mode (CRM) high-frequency soft-switching three-phase ac-dc converters (inverter and rectifier). The soft-switching technique with SiC devices grounded in CRM makes the operation of the ac-dc converter at hundreds of kHz possible while maintaining high efficiency with high power density. This is beneficial for rapidly growing fields such as electric vehicle charging, photovoltaic (PV) systems, and uninterruptable power supplies, etc. However, for the soft-switching technique to be practically adopted to real products in the markets, there are a lot of challenges to overcome. In this dissertation, four types of the challenges are carefully studied and discussed to address them. First, the grid-tied inverters used for distributed energy resources, such as PV systems, must continue operating to deliver power to the grid, when it faces flawed grid conditions such as voltage drop and voltage rise. During abnormal grid conditions, delivering constant active power from the inverter to the grid is essential to avoid large voltage ripples on the dc side because it could trigger over-voltage protection or harm the circuitries, eventually shutting down the inverter. Hence, in such cases, unbalanced ac currents need to be injected into the grid. When the grid voltages and the ac currents are not balanced, there is a chance for the CRM soft-switching inverter to lose its soft-switching capability. Continuous conduction mode operation emerges, causing hard-switching where discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) operation is expected. This leads to huge turn-on loss and high dv/dt noise at the active switch's turn-on moment. To eradicate the hard-switching problem, two improved modulation schemes are developed; one with off-time extension in the CRM phase, the other by skipping switching pulses in the DCM phase. The DCM pulse skipping is applied for a variety of grid imbalance cases, and it is proven that it can be a generalized solution for any kinds of unbalanced grid conditions. Second, the CRM soft-switching scheme with 2-channel interleaving achieves high efficiency at heavy load. Nevertheless, the efficiency plunges as the output load is reduced. This is not suitable for PV inverters, which take account of light load efficiency in terms of "weighted efficiency". Small inductor currents at light load cause the switching frequency to soar because of its CRM-based operation characteristic, causing large switching loss. To increase the inductor current dealt with by the first channel, a phase shedding control is proposed. Gate signals for the second channel are not excited, increasing the first channel's inductor current, thus cutting down the first channel's switching frequency. To prevent the unwanted circulating current formed by shared zero-sequence voltage in the paralleled structure, only two phases in the second channel working in high frequency are shed. The proposed phase shedding control achieves a 0.5 to 3.9 % efficiency improvement with light loads. Third, due to the usage of SiC devices, high dv/dt generated at switching nodes over the system parasitic capacitance causes substantial common mode (CM) noise compared to that with Si devices. In this case, a balance technique with PCB winding inductors can effectively reduce the CM noise. First, winding interleaving structure is selected to minimize the eddy current loss in the windings. But the interwinding capacitance caused by the winding interleaving structure aggravates the CM noise. Impact of the interwinding capacitance on the CM noise is analyzed with a new inductor model containing the interwinding capacitance. Then, finally, a novel inductor structure is proposed to remove the interwinding capacitance and to improve the CM noise reduction performance. The soft-switching ac-dc converter built with the final PCB magnetics features almost similar efficiency compared to that with litz-wire inductor and 14 to 18 dB CM noise reduction up to 15 MHz. Lastly, the soft-switching technique is extended to inverters in standalone mode. To meet tight ac voltage total harmonic distortion requirements, a current control in dq-frame is introduced. As for the ac voltage regulation at no-load, on top of the improved phase shedding control, a frequency limiting with fixed frequency DCM method is applied to prevent excessive increase in the switching frequency. Then, how to deal with short-circuit at the output load is investigated. Since the soft-switching modulation violates inductor voltage-second balance during the short-circuit, the modulation method is switched to a conventional sinusoidal PWM at fixed frequency. It is concluded that all the additional requirements for the standalone inverters can be satisfied by the introduced control strategies. / Doctor of Philosophy / The world is facing an unprecedented weather crisis. Global warming is getting more severe because of excessive amount of carbon emission. In an effort to overcome this crisis, paradigm of energy and lifestyle of people have changed. Penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as wind turbines, and photovoltaic systems has been dramatically increased. Instead of internal combustion engine vehicles (EVs), electric vehicles hit the mainstream. In these changes, power electronics plays a critical role as the key element of the systems. Especially, three-phase inverter/rectifiers are essential parts in such applications. Most important aspects of the three-phase inverter/rectifier are efficiency and power density. In the past decades, Silicon (Si) power devices were mostly used for the systems and the technology based on Si has almost reached to its physical limits. The switching frequency of Si-based inverter/rectifier is limited below 20 – 30 kHz to reduce switching loss. This impedes high power density due to bulky passive components such as inductors and capacitors. Nowadays, the advent of wideband gap such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices gives us a great opportunity to improve the efficiency and the power density with its high switching speed capability, low switching energy and low on-resistance. The SiC power devices are more suitable for DERs and EVs due to higher voltage rating. Using SiC power devices allows to increase inverter/rectifier' switching frequency about five times to have similar efficiency with those based on Si power devices, making the power density high. However, there is still room to push the switching frequency even higher to hundreds of kHz with soft-switching. In this sense, studies on soft-switching techniques for three-phase inverter/rectifier have been intensively conducted. Particularly, soft-switching techniques based on critical conduction mode (CRM) are regarded as the most promising solutions because it does not have any additional circuits to achieve the soft-switching, keeping the system as straightforward as possible. However, most of the studies for the CRM-based soft-switching three-phase inverter/rectifier mainly focus on limited occasions such as ideal operation conditions. For this technique to be widely used and adopted in industry, more practical cases for the systems need to be studied. In this dissertation, the soft-switching three-phase inverter/rectifier under diverse situations are investigated in depth. First, behavior of the soft-switching inverter/rectifier under unbalanced grid conditions are analyzed and control methods are developed to maintain its soft-switching capability. Second, how to improve light load efficiency is explored. Circulating current issue for the light load efficiency improvement is analyzed and a control method is proposed to eliminate the circulating current. Third, a design methodology and considerations of inductors based on PCB magnetics are discussed to reduce electromagnetic noise and improve system efficiency. Lastly, the soft-switching technique is extended to standalone mode applications dealing with strict voltage regulation, no-load operation, and output short-circuit.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabelle Cacau de Alencar.pdf: 906134 bytes, checksum: b1fef19d6bec8e2b9fb189893963bf93 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Social variables are highlighted as a critical point for the acquisition of a self-control repertoire. The present study had nineteen children from ages of six to seven years old, of both genders. Seven of them participated in the first phase, called Evaluation of Instruction Understanding, in which the instructions were tested with children with the same age range, with the objective of guaranteeing the instruction given in the next phase. The initial instructions were altered based in the first procedure. In the second phase, called data collection, the children were submitted to a classical self-control experiment, following the model of gratification delay, with 15 minutes of waiting time. Bis® chocolates were used as reinforcers. Twelve children participated in couple conditions, following individual ones. They were distributed into three experimental groups, that had different variables in the couple condition; two pairs participated in each one. The groups were: 1) individual decision, consequence for the pair; 2) individual decision, individual consequence; 3) pair decision, individual consequence. The relevant responses for the study were registered and categorized. The results suggest that the final instruction was functional, hence none of the children didn´t become participant because they did not reproduce the instruction. Bis® became a social reinforcer, aggregating value to the chocolate by the social reinforcement of the other participants. Of the twelve participants of the second phase, only two gave up on the total waiting time and interrupted the experiment both in the couple as in the individual condition / As variáveis sociais são enfatizadas como ponto importante para o estudo da aquisição de repertorio de autocontrole. Com base nisto, este estudo trabalhou tendo como participantes 19 crianças com idades entre 6 e 7 anos, de ambos os sexos. 7 delas foram participantes da primeira fase, chamada de Avaliação do entendimento das instruções, em que instruções foram testadas com crianças de mesma faixa etária, com o objetivo de garantir a compreensão da instrução dada na fase posterior. As instruções iniciais foram alteradas com base nesse primeiro procedimento. Na segunda fase, chamada de coleta, as crianças foram submetidas a um experimento clássico de autocontrole, no modelo do atraso de gratificação, sendo 15 minutos o tempo de espera. Foram usados chocolates Bis® como reforçador. Doze crianças participaram em condições de dupla e em seguida individual. Elas foram distribuídas em 3 grupos experimentais que contavam com variáveis distintas na condição de dupla, duas duplas participaram de cada um deles. Os grupos eram: 1) decisão individual, consequência para a dupla, 2) decisão individual, consequência individual, 3) decisão em dupla, consequência individual. As respostas relevantes para o estudo foram registradas e categorizadas. Os resultados sugerem que a instrução final se mostrou funcional, pois nenhuma das crianças deixou de se tornar participante por não conseguir reproduzir a instrução. O Bis® se tornou um reforçador social, agregando valor ao chocolate pelo reforço social dos demais participantes. Dos doze participantes da segunda fase do trabalho, apenas 2 desistiram de esperar o tempo total e interromperam o experimento tanto na condição dupla quanto na condição individual

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματεύεται το σχεδιασμό και την κατασκευή διάταξης φόρτισης του κινητήρα ενός ηλεκτροκίνητου οχήματος. Η εργασία αυτή εκπονήθηκε στο Εργαστήριο Ηλεκτρομηχανικής Μετατροπής Ενέργειας του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών της Πολυτεχνικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Κύριος σκοπός της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η κατασκευή ενός αμφίδρομου ηλεκτρονικού μετατροπέα ισχύος, που θα ελέγχει μια μηχανή συνεχούς ρεύματος ξένης διέγερσης, η οποία συνδέεται μέσω ενός συστήματος μετάδοσης με τον κινητήρα ενός ηλεκτροκίνητου οχήματος. Απώτερος στόχος είναι η εξομοίωση όλων των πιθανών φορτίων που ασκούνται σε έναν κινητήρα κατά την κίνηση του οχήματος. Αρχικά αναλύεται το φορτίου του κινητήρα κατά την κίνηση του οχήματος και αναζητούνται τρόποι για την εξομοίωση και τη σύνδεση των εξωτερικών δυνάμεων που ασκούνται στο όχημα με τη ροπή της μηχανής. Στη συνέχεια αναλύθηκε ο αμφίδρομος ηλεκτρονικός μετατροπέας που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για τον έλεγχο της μηχανής συνεχούς ρεύματος και αναζητήθηκαν οι κατάλληλες μέθοδοι για τον έλεγχο του συγκεκριμένου μετατροπέα. Το επόμενο βήμα ήταν η προσομοίωση του συνολικού συστήματος φόρτισης προκειμένου να εξακρθωθεί η ορθή λειτουργία του πριν την κατασκευή, με χρήση του λογισμικού MATLAB/SIMULINK. Τέλος, μελετάται και κατασκευάζεται στο εργαστήριο η πειραματική διάταξη, με τη χρήση της οποίας διεξάγονται οι μετρήσεις για την επιβεβαίωση και την αξιολόγηση της θεωρητικής μελέτης. / This thesis discusses the design and manufacture of a charging device intended for an electric vehicle motor. The work was conducted in the Laboratory of Electromechanical Energy Conversion, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Patras. The main purpose of this thesis is to manufacture a bidirectional electronic power converter able to control a DC motor which is connected with the engine of an electric vehicle via a transmission system. The ultimate goal is to simulate all possible loads exerted on a motor during the vehicle movement. Initially we analyze the load on the engine during vehicle movement and seek ways to simulate and combine the external forces acting on the vehicle with the engine torque. In the sequel the bidirectional electronic power converter used to control the DC motor is analyzed and appropriate control methods are investigated. The next step is to simulate and validate the overall system functionality using MATLAB / SIMULINK, before actually proceeding with the manufacture. Finally, an experimental setup is prepared in our lab, the results of which are utilized to confirm and evaluate the aforementioned theoretical study.