Wind energy is on an upswing due to climate concerns and increasing energy demands on conventional sources. Wind energy is attractive and has the potential to dramatically reduce the dependency on non-renewable energy resources. With the increase in wind farms there is a need to improve the efficiency in power allocation and power generation among wind turbines. Wake interferences among wind turbines can lower the overall efficiency considerably, while offshore conditions pose increased loading on wind turbines. In wind farms, wind turbines* wake affects each other depending on their positions and operation modes. Therefore it becomes essential to optimize the wind farm power production as a whole than to just focus on individual wind turbines. The work presented here develops a hierarchical power optimization algorithm for wind farms. The algorithm includes a cooperative level (or higher level) and an individual level (or lower level) for power coordination and planning in a wind farm. The higher level scheme formulates and solves a quadratic constrained programming problem to allocate power to wind turbines in the farm while considering the aerodynamic effect of the wake interaction among the turbines and the power generation capabilities of the wind turbines. In the lower level, optimization algorithm is based on a leader-follower structure driven by the local pursuit strategy. The local pursuit strategy connects the cooperative level power allocation and the individual level power generation in a leader-follower arrangement. The leader, could be a virtual entity and dictates the overall objective, while the followers are real wind turbines considering realistic constraints, such as tower deflection limits. A nonlinear wind turbine dynamics model is adopted for the low level study with loading and other constraints considered in the optimization. The stability of the algorithm in the low level is analyzed for the wind turbine angular velocity. Simulations are used to show the advantages of the method such as the ability to handle non-square input matrix, non-homogenous dynamics, and scalability in computational cost with rise in the number of wind turbines in the wind farm.

The concept of &#039 / sustainability&#039 / came into question during the last few decades world-wide. As one of the main source of carbon emission, construction industry is also affected by this movement. High-rise buildings which became proliferative components of construction industry dominate today&#039 / s urban centers. Although they are defended as being inherently energy efficient by some people, specially designed sustainable high-rise building examples emerged after the sustainability movement all over the world. This dissertation examines the role of the service core configuration on the sustainability of high-rise buildings. In this context, the effect of different core types and locations on the energy consumption of high-buildings is evaluated. For this respect, sixteen alternative configuration models with central, end and split core types are determined as the representative of possible design choices. The alternatives share the same height, net and gross floor area, floor efficiency, materials, internal gains, etc. They just vary in type and location of the service core and orientation of the building mass. Energy consumptions of the sixteen models are tested with eQUEST, a thermal simulation program, by using the climatic data of Istanbul. The simulation is conducted according to two air conditioning scenarios for office and core zones. For both of the scenarios, split core alternatives are found as the most energy efficient configurations regardless of the core location and building orientation. Moreover, it is observed that while the end core alternatives giving average values, central core configurations have the highest energy consumption results, as predicted.

The control of the African stalk borer Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sugarcane fields of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa has proved problematical. Researchers at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI) have since 1974 been intensively investigating various means of controlling the pest. Among the methods of control currently being investigated are biological control, chemical control, production of more resistant varieties and crop management. These investigations, however, require many years of experimentation before any conclusions can be made. In order to aid the research currently being carried out in the Entomology Department at SASRI (to investigate biological control strategies, insecticide application strategies and the carry-over decision), a simulation model of E. saccharina growth in sugarcane has been formulated. The model is cohort-based and includes the effect of temperature on the physiological development of individuals in each life-stage of the insect. It also takes into account the effect of the condition of sugarcane on the rate of E. saccharina infestation, by making use of output from the sugarcane growth model CANEGRO. Further, a crop damage index is defined that gives an indication of the history of E. saccharina infestation levels during the sugarcane’s growth period. It is linked to the physiological activity of the borer during the period spent feeding on the stalk tissue. The damage index can further be translated into length of stalks bored and hence the percentage of the stalk length bored can be calculated at each point in the simulation using the total length of stalks calculated in the CANEGRO model. Using an industry accepted relationship between percent stalks damaged and reduction in sucrose content of the crop, reductions in losses in the relative value of the crop when the various control measures are implemented can be compared. Relationships between the reduction in percent stalk length bored (and hence gains in the relative value of the crop) and the various control strategies are obtained. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermartzburg, 2008.

The diploma thesis with research of efficiency of renewable and low-potential energy sources of buildings. It is available on numerical simulations for sharing office and heating and cooling system buildings in DesignBuilder. There are various energy sources and ways of controlling heating and cooling. The results are evaluated in terms of time, after the expected compromises in the building, in terms of energy consumption and its price.

Increasing demands regarding performance, safety and environmental compatibility of hydraulic mobile machines in combination with rising cost pressures create a growing need for specialized optimization of hydraulic systems; particularly with regard to hydraulic reservoirs. In addition to the secondary function of cooling the oil, two main functions of the hydraulic reservoir are oil storage and de-aeration of the hydraulic oil. While designing hydraulic reservoirs regarding oil storage is quite simple, the design regarding de-aeration can be quite difficult. The author presents an approach to a system optimization of hydraulic reservoirs which combines experimental and numerical techniques to resolve some challenges facing hydraulic tank design. Specialized numerical tools are used in order to characterize the de-aeration performance of hydraulic tanks. Further the simulation of heat transfer is used to study the cooling function of hydraulic tank systems with particular attention to plastic tank solutions. To accompany the numerical tools, experimental test rigs have been built up to validate the simulation results and to provide additional insight into the design and optimization of hydraulic tanks which will be presented as well.

The impact of climate changes on various sectors of human activity and preparation of mitigation and adaptation measures are becoming an important subject of global policy, thus also the policy of the Czech Republic. According to the research results, the impact of climate changes on minimum discharges is very significant and indicates a threat to storage function of water sources, without adequate accumulation for period of drought. One of the ways of preventing or completely avoiding the appearance of these problems is the construction of new reservoirs or the re-evaluation of the size of the storage and protective capacity of existing reservoirs. In relation to climate changes and their impact on the water yield there is a growing need for the participation of operative control progressive methods of reservoir storage function today. The dissertation thesis is aimed at storage function of water management system. Aim of the dissertation work is to create program with graphical user interface, which allows solving the storage function of water management system. Program allows automatically set up optimization and simulation model of any water supply system and solve of optimal control and optimal development of the water supply system. The program was verified on the selected water supply subsystem.

A major objective in the design stage of an underground mine is the reliable prediction of roof falls' size, frequency and location. Probabilistic simulation of potential roof control problems allows a designer to test the performance of competing mine layouts against assumed roof conditions. By comparing different roof control plans using the simulation, the option that provides the lowest overall cost can be selected. The program ROCSIM (Roof control Optimization Cost Simulation) was developed to provide a theoretical solution to this problem. The occurrence and frequency of roof falls are related to the type of roof support, support density, geology, structural discontinuities, location in the mine, and elapsed time between mining and the roof fall. Using a Roof Rating System (RRS) developed for this research, a numerical rating can be given to each area of roof. Using this rating, specific parameters can be assigned to these probability distributions to simulate the occurrence of roof falls within a given geologic setting. Once the location of a roof fall is determined, a cost is calculated taking into account the production delay that would result and the direct cost of cleaning up the fall and resupporting the roof. Assigning a cost to a roof fall allows the comparison of competing roof support designs relative to their overall cost. The final decision on the amount of support and room width must be determined based on legal restraints and minimization of mining costs. / Master of Science

O planejamento da operação de sistemas hidrotérmicos pode ser classificado como um problema de um sistema acoplado no tempo e no espaço, não linear, não convexo, estocástico e de grande porte. A complexidade do problema justifica a necessidade de utilização de diversas ferramentas computacionais com abordagens variadas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo a realização de estudos relacionados ao planejamento da operação energética de sistemas hidrotérmicos de geração, pela aplicação de componentes de software e de sistemas de inferência fuzzy. Pretende-se apresentar e aplicar um processo de desenvolvimento (UML Components), baseado em componentes de software, para a construção de modelos computacionais de simulação e otimização para servir de apoio ao planejamento da operação energética do sistema hidrotérmico brasileiro. O processo de desenvolvimento UML Components é aplicado de forma a nortear o desenvolvimento do software, para englobar as diferentes atividades realizadas nos fluxos de trabalho, além de incluir os vários artefatos produzidos. Como contribuição adicional, paralelamente ao uso dos componentes de software, este trabalho apresenta uma política de operação energética para reservatórios baseada em sistemas de inferência fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno. A política proposta é baseada na otimização da operação energética das usinas hidrelétricas, empregando o modelo de otimização desenvolvido. Com a operação energética otimizada, obtém-se as relações entre a energia armazenada do sistema e o volume útil operativo de cada usina a reservatório. A partir dessas relações são ajustados os parâmetros do modelo Takagi-Sugeno de ordem um. Ao optar-se por um sistema de inferência fuzzy para determinar a política de operação energética de um conjunto de reservatórios, obtém-se uma estratégia de ação/controle que pode ser monitorada e interpretada, inclusive do ponto de vista lingüístico. Outra vantagem na aplicação de sistemas fuzzy deve-se ao fato dos operadores humanos (especialistas) poderem traduzir, de forma consistente, e em termos de regras lingüísticas, o seu processo de tomada de decisões, fazendo com que a ação do sistema fuzzy seja tão fundamentada e consistente quanto a deles. / The operation planning of hydrothermal power systems can be classified as a nonseparable, nonlinear, nonconvex, stochastic and of large scale optimization problem. The complexity of this problem justifies the need for the use of various computational tools with different approaches. This work aims the accomplishment of studies related to the operation planning of hydrothermal power systems through the implementation of software components and fuzzy inference systems. It is intended to provide and implement a development process (UML Components) based on software components for building computational model of optimization and simulation to support the operation planning of the Brazilian hydrothermal power systems. The UML Components development process is a applied in a way to guide the software development to encompass different activities realized on workflows, as well as to include the various artifacts produced. As additional contribution, in parallel to the use of software components, it is intended to present an operational policy of reservoirs based on Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy inference systems. The proposed policy is based on optimization of hydropower operation, using the optimization model developed. Through the optimized operation, relations between system stored energy and the reservoir volume of each plat are obtained. With these relationships, the parameters of the Takagi-Sugeno model are adjusted. In choosing a fuzzy inference system for determining the operational policy of a set of reservoirs, it is obtained as strategy of action/control that can be monitored and interpreted including linguistic standpoint. Another benefit of the fuzzy system application refers to the fact that human specialists can consistently represent, through linguistic rules, their decision making process, making the fuzzy system action as consistent and sound as theirs.

O planejamento da operação de sistemas hidrotérmicos pode ser classificado como um problema de um sistema acoplado no tempo e no espaço, não linear, não convexo, estocástico e de grande porte. A complexidade do problema justifica a necessidade de utilização de diversas ferramentas computacionais com abordagens variadas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo a realização de estudos relacionados ao planejamento da operação energética de sistemas hidrotérmicos de geração, pela aplicação de componentes de software e de sistemas de inferência fuzzy. Pretende-se apresentar e aplicar um processo de desenvolvimento (UML Components), baseado em componentes de software, para a construção de modelos computacionais de simulação e otimização para servir de apoio ao planejamento da operação energética do sistema hidrotérmico brasileiro. O processo de desenvolvimento UML Components é aplicado de forma a nortear o desenvolvimento do software, para englobar as diferentes atividades realizadas nos fluxos de trabalho, além de incluir os vários artefatos produzidos. Como contribuição adicional, paralelamente ao uso dos componentes de software, este trabalho apresenta uma política de operação energética para reservatórios baseada em sistemas de inferência fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno. A política proposta é baseada na otimização da operação energética das usinas hidrelétricas, empregando o modelo de otimização desenvolvido. Com a operação energética otimizada, obtém-se as relações entre a energia armazenada do sistema e o volume útil operativo de cada usina a reservatório. A partir dessas relações são ajustados os parâmetros do modelo Takagi-Sugeno de ordem um. Ao optar-se por um sistema de inferência fuzzy para determinar a política de operação energética de um conjunto de reservatórios, obtém-se uma estratégia de ação/controle que pode ser monitorada e interpretada, inclusive do ponto de vista lingüístico. Outra vantagem na aplicação de sistemas fuzzy deve-se ao fato dos operadores humanos (especialistas) poderem traduzir, de forma consistente, e em termos de regras lingüísticas, o seu processo de tomada de decisões, fazendo com que a ação do sistema fuzzy seja tão fundamentada e consistente quanto a deles. / The operation planning of hydrothermal power systems can be classified as a nonseparable, nonlinear, nonconvex, stochastic and of large scale optimization problem. The complexity of this problem justifies the need for the use of various computational tools with different approaches. This work aims the accomplishment of studies related to the operation planning of hydrothermal power systems through the implementation of software components and fuzzy inference systems. It is intended to provide and implement a development process (UML Components) based on software components for building computational model of optimization and simulation to support the operation planning of the Brazilian hydrothermal power systems. The UML Components development process is a applied in a way to guide the software development to encompass different activities realized on workflows, as well as to include the various artifacts produced. As additional contribution, in parallel to the use of software components, it is intended to present an operational policy of reservoirs based on Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy inference systems. The proposed policy is based on optimization of hydropower operation, using the optimization model developed. Through the optimized operation, relations between system stored energy and the reservoir volume of each plat are obtained. With these relationships, the parameters of the Takagi-Sugeno model are adjusted. In choosing a fuzzy inference system for determining the operational policy of a set of reservoirs, it is obtained as strategy of action/control that can be monitored and interpreted including linguistic standpoint. Another benefit of the fuzzy system application refers to the fact that human specialists can consistently represent, through linguistic rules, their decision making process, making the fuzzy system action as consistent and sound as theirs.

The thesis deals with the environmental assessment of buildings, concrete objects Letní lázně at Karlova Studánka. The first part describes the issue and legislation. There is also described a method of experimental measurement and methods of moisture measurement. The second part deals with the analysis of the specified object, description of selected renewable sources and description of possible modifications of the object. The third part is devoted to modeling and simulation of the specified object in DesignBuilder. Using the model were created various simulations with various modifications in order to reduce energy intensity of the object. Results were then evaluated and compared.