Abstract In this dissertation, the eigenvalue analysis and decentralized robust controller design of uncertain multi-time-scale system with parametrical perturbations are considered. Because the eigenvalues of the multi-time-scale systems cluster in some difference regions of the complex plane, we can use the singular perturbation method to separate the systems into some subsystems. These subsystems are independent to each other. We can discuss the properties of eigenvalues and design controller for these subsystem respectively, then we composite these controllers to a decentralized controller. The eigenvalue positions dominate the stability and the performance of the dynamic system. However, we cannot obtain the precise position of the eigenvalues from the influence of parametrical perturbations. The sufficient conditions of the eigenvalues clustering for the multi-time-scale systems will be discussed. The uncertainties consider as unstructured and structured perturbations are taken into considerations. The design algorithm provides for designing a decentralized controller that can assign the poles to our respect regions. The specified regions are half-plane and circular disk. Furthermore, the concepts of decentralized control and optimal control are used to design the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller and linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller for the perturbed multi-time-scale systems. That is, the system can get the optimal robust performance. The bound of the singular perturbation parameter would influence the robust stability of the multi-time-scale systems. Finally, the sufficient condition to obtain the upper bound of the singular perturbation parameter presented by the Lyapunov method and matrix norm. The condition also extends for the pole assignment in the specified regions of each subsystem respectively. The illustrative examples are presented behind each topic. They show the applicability of the proposed theorems, and the results are satisfactory.

This thesis presents strict LMI conditions for the bounded real lemma of discrete descriptor systems. Compared with existing nonstrict LMI conditions, the proposed new conditions are more tractable and reliable in numerical computations, in the sense that they can be tested easily by using the LMI Control Toolbox of Matlab. Based on the strict LMI conditions, the state feedback design for H-infinite control problem is also addressed. A sufficient LMI condition is derived so that the constructed feedback gain matrix from its solution will meet the design criteria of the closed-loop systems. Furthermore, we can probe into the problems of robust H-infinite control and pole-clustering in a disk for uncertain discrete descriptor systems subject to time-invariant norm-bounded uncertainty and convex polytopic uncertainty in the state matrix, respectively. Some sufficient LMI conditions are derived for analysis and design of these problems as well. Numerical examples are included to illustrate the results.

It has been proposed that the various 14-3-3 isotypes and isoforms present in all eukaryotes are largely functionally equivalent. However, this is not consistent with the conservation of multiple isoforms and isotypes, especially in vertebrates with seven 14-3-3 encoding genes and nine isotypes. The hypothesis tested in this thesis is that both isoform-specific and overlapping functions are likely mediated through tissue specific expression, colocalization and dimerization of 14-3-3 proteins occur in vivo. Drosophila melanogaster was selected because it offers a simple, but representative system to study these proteins functionally. This thesis focuses primarily on D14-3-3?, although the expression pattern and phenotypes associated with all three Drosophila 14-3-3s were determined. I first determined the expression pattern of the three different 14-3-3 isotypes (leoI, leoII and D14-3-3?) and described developmental phenotypes associated with mutations in 14-3-3 isotypes in Drosophila. I found that there is partial redundancy with respect to lethality. Both LEO and D14-3-3? appear required for normal germ-line and somatic gonadal development. However, they do not appear to be functionally equivalent with respect to this phenotype since LEO is unable to compensate for the loss of D14-3-3?. I also determined that D14-3-3? mutants have unique phenotypes including deficits in adult cross-vein formation and rapid habituation to olfactory and footshock stimuli. To further understand the unique role that D14-3-3? plays in the adult CNS, I mapped the areas in the brain involved in olfactory and footshock habituation. I found that although the mushroom bodies (MBs) are necessary to inhibit premature habituation such as that exhibited by D14-3-3? mutants, D14-3-3? expression specifically in the MBs is not sufficient to rescue premature habituation. Although the loss of either LEO or D14-3-3? appears to cause a deficit in olfactory associative learning, premature habituation is the cause of the deficit seen in D14-3-3? mutants. As leo mutants do not exhibit a premature habituation phenotype, it appears that within the MBs LEO and D14-3-3? are not functionally equivalent. Therefore, the data supports the hypothesis that 14-3-3s have functional specificity and redundancy likely to represent use of homo and heterodimers in different processes within the tissues of an organism.

<p>Auto-tuning has become an important function in distributed control systems (DCS) and is especially appreciated in large industries that can have hundreds of controllers. In the DCS 800xA manufactured by ABB, there is an auto-tuning method implemented based on a relay experiment to determine the ultimate gain and the ultimate period, with which the PID parameters are obtained using the modified Ziegler-Nichols tuning rules. The tuning procedure can then proceed with a step identification experiment to get additional parameters for kappa-tau tuning. In the previous DCS, called Advant, there was another auto-tuning approach implemented. This method was based on dominant pole design, which included an identification of the process. The purpose of this thesis is to compare these auto-tuning methods, to investigate if the dominant pole placement method should be migrated to the 800xA system.</p> / <p>Automatisk trimning har blivit en viktig funktion i distribuerade styrsystem (DCS och är speciellt av intresse för stora industrier som kan ha flera hundra regulatorer. Den automatiska trimningen som idag är implementerad i ABB:s DCS 800xA är baserad på ett reläexperiment för att bestämma den ultimata förstärkningen och den ultimata periodtiden. Modifierade Ziegler-Nichols trimningsregler används sedan för att bestämma PID parametrarna. Vidare kan trimningen fortsätta med ett stegsvars-experiment för att erhålla ytterliggare parametrar och trimma med kappa-tau metoden. Den automatiska trimningsmetoden som var implementerad i tidigare DCS, Advant, var baserad på dominant polplacering med identifiering av processen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att jämföra dessa automatiska trimningsmetoder för att undersöka om den tidigare trimningsmetoden baserad på dominant polplacering ska implementeras i 800xA systemet.</p>

The electrostatic actuation with its several advantages is the main principle for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). One major drawback is the nonlinear behavior, which results into instability, known as the electrostatic pull-in effect. This effect might also push a closed-loop configuration into instability and thus makes a linear time-invariant control inapplicable to the system. The paper investigates the stability of an acceleration sensor in closed-loop operation with this setting. A simplified controller adjustment gives a first insight into this topic. Practical implementations saturate on the quantizer's full-scale value, which is also considered in the stability analysis. Numerical phase-plane analysis verifies the stability and shows further surprising results.

Auto-tuning has become an important function in distributed control systems (DCS) and is especially appreciated in large industries that can have hundreds of controllers. In the DCS 800xA manufactured by ABB, there is an auto-tuning method implemented based on a relay experiment to determine the ultimate gain and the ultimate period, with which the PID parameters are obtained using the modified Ziegler-Nichols tuning rules. The tuning procedure can then proceed with a step identification experiment to get additional parameters for kappa-tau tuning. In the previous DCS, called Advant, there was another auto-tuning approach implemented. This method was based on dominant pole design, which included an identification of the process. The purpose of this thesis is to compare these auto-tuning methods, to investigate if the dominant pole placement method should be migrated to the 800xA system. / Automatisk trimning har blivit en viktig funktion i distribuerade styrsystem (DCS och är speciellt av intresse för stora industrier som kan ha flera hundra regulatorer. Den automatiska trimningen som idag är implementerad i ABB:s DCS 800xA är baserad på ett reläexperiment för att bestämma den ultimata förstärkningen och den ultimata periodtiden. Modifierade Ziegler-Nichols trimningsregler används sedan för att bestämma PID parametrarna. Vidare kan trimningen fortsätta med ett stegsvars-experiment för att erhålla ytterliggare parametrar och trimma med kappa-tau metoden. Den automatiska trimningsmetoden som var implementerad i tidigare DCS, Advant, var baserad på dominant polplacering med identifiering av processen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att jämföra dessa automatiska trimningsmetoder för att undersöka om den tidigare trimningsmetoden baserad på dominant polplacering ska implementeras i 800xA systemet.

The IceCube neutrino observatory is located in the deep glacial ice below the South Pole. IceCube consists of over 5, 000 photomultiplier tubes regularly spaced throughout a cubic kilometre volume of ice. The photomultiplier tubes are receptive to the light produced by high energy neutrino interactions. As a means of evaluating our understanding of the physics of light propagation, a comparison was made between the data taken from artificial light sources and Monte Carlo simulations of these events. The evaluation was done by comparing the shape of the light arrival-time distributions. The three icemodels compared were the Additionally Heterogeneous Absorption (AHA), South Pole Ice - 1 (Spice) and South Pole Ice - Mie (Spice Mie). The artificial light sources used are LEDs, known as flashers, located within each of the detector modules. The data set used in this study was taken on string 63 with single- photoelectron settings (one LED). Various orientations of the flashing LED and relative position of the light source in the detector, were studied over 15 depths in instrumented ice. Through a χ2 comparison and distribution characteristics it was found that for the majority of cases, simulations which used the Spice Mie ice model matched the data best. There were, however, some isolated cases in which simulations using the Spice 1 or AHA ice models matched the flasher data best.

The requirements on vehicle industry are constantly getting stricter, especially when it comes to emissions. At the same time cars, trucks and buses are needed for our way of living. This have forced companies to be as ecient as possible in their way of using fossil fuels for travelling and transport. To increase the eciency companies investigate all possible fuel savings to decrease their carbon footprint as much as possible. One area of savings that is not that obvious to many people is the alternator. Several percent of the total energy used by a vehicle are needed to operate the alternator. With a typical alternator eciency of 70% considerable savings can be achieved. This thesis that concern alternator eciency was carried out at Scania in Södertälje, Sweden. The goal of the thesis is to construct a mathematical model of an alternator. The model is supposed to consider all losses in the alternator and together with the output power give an eciency model of the alternator at different speeds and loads. A great part of the project has been dealing with the magnetic losses. The magnetic losses have been modeled as an equivalent circuit with the load angle as a central piece. The equivalent circuit is built up by the fact that the alternator used in the vehicles is a salient pole alternator. The equivalent circuit describes a voltage equation where the voltage drop over the magnetic inductance is described. From that relations between the signals in the alternator and output signals can be written. The alternator model is then used together with data recorded from different buses all over the world, this to be able to investigate how the alternator contributes to the fuel consump- tion depending on the way that the buses are driven. The result of this thesis is a mathematical model that describes the losses in the alternator for different load cases and speeds.

The rotor shaft of a synchronous machine can experience severe mechanical stress due to torque pulsations during a pole-slip condition. All pole-slip protection relays currently on the market use the impedance pole-slip protection method to detect a pole-slip. No commercial relay currently available can predict accurately when a generator is about to experience a damaging pole-slip. All the relays will only trip a generator after it has pole-slipped one or more times. Severe mechanical damage could be caused to a machine after only one pole-slip. It is therefore essential to enhance pole-slip protection relays to such an extent that it can trip a generator before it pole slips. The proposed pole-slip protection function must predict when a generator will become unstable during a network fault. As soon as instability is predicted, the generator must be tripped before the fault is cleared to avoid damaging post-fault torque effects. Conventional impedance pole-slip protection methods are are also discussed and the shortcomings of impedance pole-slip protection are investigated. The new pole-slip protection function was designed by using PSCAD. Detailed PSCAD simulations on different network configurations proved that the new pole-slip protection function will trip a generator before a damaging pole-slip occurs. The new pole-slip protection function was also implemented on an ABB REM543 multifunctional protection relay and tested on a RTDS. The concept of the new pole-slip function was successfully demonstrated on the protection relay. The operation of conventional impedance scheme relays was compared with the proposed pole-slip function for different fault conditions. Although the new pole-slip protection function is more complex than the existing impedance functions, it was concluded that similar skills are required to test and commission the new protection function. The new pole-slip function outperforms the impedance protection methods, since the new protection function can trip the generator before it pole-slips. / PhD (Electrical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

The rotor shaft of a synchronous machine can experience severe mechanical stress due to torque pulsations during a pole-slip condition. All pole-slip protection relays currently on the market use the impedance pole-slip protection method to detect a pole-slip. No commercial relay currently available can predict accurately when a generator is about to experience a damaging pole-slip. All the relays will only trip a generator after it has pole-slipped one or more times. Severe mechanical damage could be caused to a machine after only one pole-slip. It is therefore essential to enhance pole-slip protection relays to such an extent that it can trip a generator before it pole slips. The proposed pole-slip protection function must predict when a generator will become unstable during a network fault. As soon as instability is predicted, the generator must be tripped before the fault is cleared to avoid damaging post-fault torque effects. Conventional impedance pole-slip protection methods are are also discussed and the shortcomings of impedance pole-slip protection are investigated. The new pole-slip protection function was designed by using PSCAD. Detailed PSCAD simulations on different network configurations proved that the new pole-slip protection function will trip a generator before a damaging pole-slip occurs. The new pole-slip protection function was also implemented on an ABB REM543 multifunctional protection relay and tested on a RTDS. The concept of the new pole-slip function was successfully demonstrated on the protection relay. The operation of conventional impedance scheme relays was compared with the proposed pole-slip function for different fault conditions. Although the new pole-slip protection function is more complex than the existing impedance functions, it was concluded that similar skills are required to test and commission the new protection function. The new pole-slip function outperforms the impedance protection methods, since the new protection function can trip the generator before it pole-slips. / PhD (Electrical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011