No description available.

No description available.

A hybrid ac/dc microgrid is a more complex but practical network that combines the advantages of an AC and a DC system. The main advantage of this network is that it connects both alternating current and direct current networks via an interlinking converter (IC) to form a unified distribution grid. The hybrid microgrid (HMG) will enable the direct integration of both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) distributed generators (DGs), energy storage systems (ESS), and alternating current and direct current (DC) loads into the grid. The alternating current and direct current sources, loads, and ESS are separated and connected to their respective subgrids primarily to reduce power conversion and thus increase overall system efficiency. As a result, the HMG architecture improves power quality and system reliability. Planning a hybrid microgrid entails estimating the capacities of DGs while taking technical, economic, and environmental factors into account. The hybrid ac-dc microgrid is regarded as the distribution network of the future, as it will benefit from both ac and dc microgrids. This thesis presents a general architecture of a hybrid ac-dc microgrid, which includes both planning and design. The goal of the Hybrid ac-dc microgrid planning problem is to maximise social welfare while minimising total planning costs such as investment, maintenance, and operation costs. This configuration will assist Hybrid microgrid planners in estimating planning costs while allowing them to consider any type of load ac/dc and DER type. Finally, this thesis identifies the research questions and proposes a future research plan.

[ES] La cantidad de servicios de telecomunicación se ha incrementado signiticativamente en las últimas décadas. El uso de teléfonos inteligentes, así como el Internet de las Cosas, está generando una saturación del espectro electromágnetico. Por tanto, los requisitos de los sistemas de microondas han cambiado para adaptarse a estos nuevos avances. Para satisfacer estas necesidades, se busca el desarrollo de dispositivos de bajo coste, volumen, peso y consumo. Además, interesa que sean espectralmente eficientes y fácilmente integrables con otros dispositivos. Entre todos los dispostivos de microondas, los filtros son elementos clave dentro de los sistemas de comunicaciones móviles e inalámbricas. Es por ello que el diseño de filtros que cumplan con los requisitos mencionados se ha convertido en un tema de gran interés. Para dar respuesta a este problema ha surgido la tecnología de Guía de Onda Integrada en Sustrato (Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW)), que permite la implementación de filtros con un reducido tamaño y fácilmente integrables con otros dispositivos en tecnología planar. Dicha tecnología presenta unas prestaciones en cuanto a manejo de potencia y pérdidas mejores que la tecnología de circuito impreso (Printed Circuit Board (PCB)), aunque no llegan a ser iguales que las de la guía de onda clásica. Por otro lado, la saturación espectral también lleva al estudio de filtros con respuestas variables en frecuencia, es decir, que puedan cambiar su frecuencia central y ancho de banda con el fin de adaptarse a las necesidades del sistema. Por ello, el objetivo general de esta Tesis es el análisis y diseño de nuevos filtros reconfigurables en tecnología integrada. El trabajo empieza con el estudio de los fundamentos de los filtros de microondas hasta llegar al diseño de resonadores reconfigurables en tecnología SIW usando el cristal líquido como material de reconfiguración. En primer lugar, se ha estudiado la influencia que los cambios en el valor de la permitividad dieléctrica en el interior de las estructuras filtrantes pueden tener en la respuesta de las mismos. En particular, se desarrollan filtros alternando secciones de línea con y sin dieléctrico dentro de una SIW vacía, Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW). Una vez hecho esto, se procede al estudio de materiales que tengan un valor de permitividad dieléctrica variable de alguna forma. En concreto, se ha realizado la caracterización de diferentes mezclas de cristal líquido a la frecuencia de microondas. Dicho material cambia su valor de permitividad cuando se le aplica un campo eléctrico o magnético. Dado que para la reconfiguración de la respuesta de los filtros se requiere de una estructura desacoplada en baja frecuencia, es decir, con más de un conductor, se ha desarrollado una estrategia para el desacoplo de la estructuras ESIW, la tecnología Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW). Por último, se han diseñado resonadores en dicha tecnología DESIW, que se han llenado de cristal líquido y aplicado unos campos de polarización, consiguiendo variar su respuesta en frecuencia. Dichos resonadores constituyen el elemento básico para el desarrollo de filtros de microondas. Es por ello que el conocimiento obtenido en la Tesis es una buena base para futuros trabajos esta tecnología que permitan conseguir filtros de altas prestaciones. / [CA] La quantitat de serveis de telecomunicació s'ha incrementat significativament en les últimes dècades. L'ús de telèfons intel$\cdot$ligents, així com la internet de les coses, està generant una saturació de l'espectre electromagnètic. Per tant, els requisits dels sistemes de microones han canviat per a adaptar-se a aquests nous avanços. Per a satisfer aquestes necessitats, se cerca el desenvolupament de dispositius de baix cost, volum, pes i consum. A més, interessa que siguen espectralment eficients i fàcilment integrables amb altres dispositius. Entre tots els dispositius de microones, els filtres són elements clau dins dels sistemes de comunicacions mòbils i sense fil. És per això que el disseny de filtres que complisquen els requisits esmentats s'ha convertit en un tema de gran interès. Per a donar resposta a aquest problema ha sorgit la tecnologia de Guia d'Ona Integrada en Substrat (Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW)), que permet la implementació de filtres amb una reduïda grandària i fàcilment integrables amb altres dispositius en tecnologia planar. Aquesta tecnologia presenta unes prestacions quant a maneig de potència i pèrdues millors que la tecnologia de circuit imprès (Printed Circuit Board (PCB)), encara que no arriben a ser iguals que les de la guia d'ona clàssica. D'altra banda, la saturació espectral també porta a l'estudi de filtres amb respostes variables en freqüència, és a dir, que puguen canviar la seua freqüència central i l'amplada de banda amb la finalitat d'adaptar-se a les necessitats del sistema. Per això, l'objectiu general d'aquesta tesi és l'anàlisi i el disseny de nous filtres reconfigurables en tecnologia integrada. El treball comença amb l'estudi dels fonaments dels filtres de microones, fins a arribar al disseny de ressonadors reconfigurables en tecnologia SIW usant el cristall líquid com a material de reconfiguració. En primer lloc, s'ha estudiat la influència que els canvis en el valor de la permitivitat dielèctrica a l'interior de les estructures filtrants poden tenir en la resposta d'aquestes. En particular, es desenvolupen filtres que alternen seccions de línia amb dielèctric i sense dins d'una SIW buida, Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW). Una vegada fet això, es procedeix a l'estudi de materials que tinguen un valor de permitivitat dielèctrica variable d'alguna forma. En concret, s'ha realitzat la caracterització de diferents mescles de cristall líquid a la freqüència de microones. Aquest material canvia el seu valor de permitivitat quan se li aplica un camp elèctric o magnètic. Atès que per a la reconfiguració de la resposta dels filtres es requereix una estructura desacoblada en baixa freqüència, és a dir, amb més d'un conductor, s'ha desenvolupat una estratègia per al desacoblament d'estructures ESIW, la tecnologia Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW). Finalment, s'han dissenyat ressonadors en aquesta tecnologia DESIW, que s'han omplit de cristall líquid i aplicat uns camps de polarització, i s'ha aconseguit variar la seua resposta en freqüència. Aquests ressonadors constitueixen l'element bàsic per al desenvolupament de filtres de microones. És per això que el coneixement obtingut en la tesi és una bona base per a futurs treballs d'aquesta tecnologia que permeten aconseguir filtres d'altes prestacions. / [EN] The number of telecommunication services has increased significantly in recent decades. The use of smartphones, as well as the Internet of Things, is generating a saturation of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, the requirements of microwave systems have changed to adapt to these new developments and related challenges. For achieving these needs, the development of devices with low cost, volume, weight and power consumption is sought. In addition, it interests to be spectrally efficient, to offer high performance, and to be easily integrated with other devices. Among all microwave devices, filters are key elements within mobile and wireless communication systems. In this context, the design of filters that meet the aforementioned requirements has become a topic of great interest. For solving this problem, Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) technology has emerged, which allows the implementation of filters with a small size and to be easily integrated with other devices in planar technology. This technology has better power handling and loss performance than Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology, although they do not have the performance of the classic waveguide counterpart. On the other hand, the spectral saturation also leads to the study of filters with tunable frequency response, that is, they can change their central frequency and bandwidth, in order to fulfil the changing system requirements. Therefore, the general objective of this PhD Thesis work is the analysis and design of new reconfigurable filters in integrated technology. The work begins with the study of the basics of microwave filters until the design of reconfigurable resonators in SIW technology, using Liquid Crystal (LC) as reconfiguration material. Firstly, the influence that the change of the dielectric permittivity value inside the filtering structures have on the frequency response has been studied. Particularly, filters have been obtained by alternating line sections with and without dielectric material inside an empty SIW (Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (ESIW)). Once this is done, it is proceed to the study of materials that have a variable dielectric permittivity value. Specifically, the characterization of different LC mixtures at microwave frequencies has been carried out. This material changes its permittivity value when an electric or magnetic bias field is applied. A low-frequency decoupled structure is required for the reconfiguration of filters, that is, structures with more than one conductor. For that, a strategy for decoupling ESIW structures has been developed, i.e, the Decoupled Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide (DESIW) technology. Finally, some resonators have been designed in DESIW technology, which have been filled with LC. The use of LC allows to tune their frequency response. These resonators are basic elements for the development of microwave filters. So that, the knowledge obtained in this Thesis work is a good basis for future works in this technology that allow for achieving high performance filters. / Sánchez Marín, JR. (2019). Reconfigurable Devices using Liquid Crystal at Microwave Frequencies in Substrate Integrated Waveguide [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/132183

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This research proposes state-of-the-art multilevel converter topologies and their modulation strategies, the implementation of a conventional flying-capacitor converter topology up to four-level, and a new four-level flying-capacitor H-Bridge converter confi guration. The three phase version of this proposed four-level flying-capacitor H-Bridge converter is given as well in this study. The highlighted advantages of the proposed converter are as following: (1) the same blocking voltage for all switches employed in the con figuration, (2) no capacitor midpoint connection is needed, (3) reduced number of passive elements as compared to the conventional solution, (4) reduced total dc source value by comparison with the conventional topology. The proposed four-level capacitor-clamped H-Bridge converter can be utilized as a multilevel inverter application in an electri fied railway system, or in hybrid electric vehicles. In addition to the implementation of the proposed topology in this research, its experimental setup has been designed to validate the simulation results of the given converter topologies.

The ongoing European Refugee Crisis has been one of the most popular trending topics on Twitter for the past 8 months. This paper applies topic modeling on bulks of tweets to discover the hidden patterns within these social media discussions. In particular, we perform topic analysis through solving Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) as an Inexact Alternating Least Squares problem. We accelerate the computation using techniques including tweet sampling and augmented NMF, compare NMF results with different ranks and visualize the outputs through topic representation and frequency plots. We observe that supportive sentiments maintained a strong presence while negative sentiments such as safety concerns have emerged over time.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: From a systems operation and design perspective, it is important to understand the behaviour of HVDC system insulation when presented with high voltage transients, such as induced by lightning and switching operations. Therefore, this thesis investigates the design, operation and performance of a circuit arrangement that can be used in high voltage laboratories to generate impulse voltage waveforms superimposed on a dc bias voltage. The circuit arrangement consists of an impulse generator and a dc source that supplies continuous dc voltage to stress the test object, which can be any type of insulator, i.e. composite, porcelain, glass, gap arrangements, etc. The composite waveform obtained from the test arrangement is used experimentally to investigate the impulse flashover of insulators. For modelling and analysis purposes, the test circuit was transformed to a Laplace equivalent in order to derive the applicable nodal voltage equations. After substitution of circuit parameter values, the voltage equations are then transformed to time domain equations that predict the time-domain behaviour of the circuit. To validate this mathematical approach, the voltage waveforms obtained with this mathematical model is compared with the waveforms measured under laboratory conditions and also with waveforms simulated with HSPICE software. These comparisons are performed using graphical representations. Good correlation was obtained and the results are presented in this thesis. The final stage of this thesis discusses the application of the designed test arrangement for flashover and withstands tests on a silicon rubber insulator. The determination of the flashover values is done by using the existing statistical methods. The insulator was tested under dry conditions and also under polluted wet conditions for both positive and negative impulses compared to the DC bias voltage polarity. The results show that the dc bias voltage does not affect the total voltage flashover of the insulator significantly. It was also observed that wetting affects the flashover for negative impulse more severely, while the influence of wetting is minimal with positive impulse voltages / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vanuit ‘n stelselbedryf en ontwerp perspektief, is dit is belangrik om die gedrag van HSGS stelsels te verstaan wanneer dit onderwerp word aan hoogspanning oorgangsverskynsels soos veroorsaak deur weerlig en skakeloperasies. Daarom ondersoek hierdie tesis die ontwerp, werking en werkverrigting van ‘n stroombaanopstelling wat gebruik kan word in hoogspanningslaboratoriums om impulsspannings gesuperponeer op gelykspanning voorspannings op te wek. Die stroombaan bestaan uit ’n impulsgenerator en ‘n gs-bron wat die langdurige gs-spanning voorsien aan die toetsvoorwerp, wat enige tipe isolator kan wees. bv. porselein, glas, gapings, ens. Die saamgestelde golfvorm wat met die toetsopstelling verkry word, is eksperimenteel gebruik om die impulsoorvonking van isolators te ondersoek. Vir die doel van modellering and analise, is die stroombaan na ‘n Laplace ekwivalent getransformeer om die toepaslike knooppunt spanningsvergelykings af te lei. Na substitusie van die stroombaan parameter waardes, word die spanningsvergelykings getransformeer na die tydgebied vergelykings wat die tydgebied gedrag van die stroombaan voorspel. Om die wiskundige benadering te toets, word die spanningsgolfvorms wat met die wiskundige model voorspel word, vergelyk met golfvorms wat onder laboratorium toestande gemeet is en ook met golfvorms wat met HSPICE programmatuur gesimuleer is. Hierdie vergelykings word gedoen met behulp van grafiese voorstellings. Goeie korrelasie is verkry en die resultate word in die tesis gegee. Die finale stadium van hierdie tesis bespreek die toepassing van die ontwerpte toetsopstelling vir oorvonk- en weerstaantoetse op ‘n silikonrubber isolator. Die bepaling van die oorvonkwaardes word gedoen deur bestaande statistiese metodes te gebruik. Die isolator is onder droë en nat besoedelde toestande gedoen, vir beide positiewe sowel as negatiewe impulse met verwysing na die GS voorspan spanning. Die resultate toon dat die gsvoorspanning nie die oorvonkspanning van die isolator beïnvloed nie. Dit is ook waargeneem dat die benatting die oorvonking neer beïnvloed met ‘n negatiewe impuls terwyl die invloed minimaal is met positiewe impulsspannings.

This thesis develops efficient modeling frameworks via a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) approach for multi-factor financial derivatives, with emphasis on three-factor models, and studies highly efficient implementations of the numerical methods on novel high-performance computer architectures, with particular focus on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and multi-GPU platforms/clusters of GPUs. Two important classes of multi-factor financial instruments are considered: cross-currency/foreign exchange (FX) interest rate derivatives and multi-asset options. For cross-currency interest rate derivatives, the focus of the thesis is on Power Reverse Dual Currency (PRDC) swaps with three of the most popular exotic features, namely Bermudan cancelability, knockout, and FX Target Redemption. The modeling of PRDC swaps using one-factor Gaussian models for the domestic and foreign interest short rates, and a one-factor skew model for the spot FX rate results in a time-dependent parabolic PDE in three space dimensions. Our proposed PDE pricing framework is based on partitioning the pricing problem into several independent pricing subproblems over each time period of the swap's tenor structure, with possible communication at the end of the time period. Each of these subproblems requires a solution of the model PDE. We then develop a highly efficient GPU-based parallelization of the Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) timestepping methods for solving the model PDE. To further handle the substantially increased computational requirements due to the exotic features, we extend the pricing procedures to multi-GPU platforms/clusters of GPUs to solve each of these independent subproblems on a separate GPU. Numerical results indicate that the proposed GPU-based parallel numerical methods are highly efficient and provide significant increase in performance over CPU-based methods when pricing PRDC swaps. An analysis of the impact of the FX volatility skew on the price of PRDC swaps is provided. In the second part of the thesis, we develop efficient pricing algorithms for multi-asset options under the Black-Scholes-Merton framework, with strong emphasis on multi-asset American options. Our proposed pricing approach is built upon a combination of (i) a discrete penalty approach for the linear complementarity problem arising due to the free boundary and (ii) a GPU-based parallel ADI Approximate Factorization technique for the solution of the linear algebraic system arising from each penalty iteration. A timestep size selector implemented efficiently on GPUs is used to further increase the efficiency of the methods. We demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed GPU-based parallel numerical methods by pricing American options written on three assets.

Alternating timed automata are a powerful extension of classical Alur-Dill timed automata that are closed under all Boolean operations. They have played a key role, among others, in providing verification algorithms for prominent specification formalisms such as Metric Temporal Logic. Unfortunately, when interpreted over an infinite dense time domain (such as the reals), alternating timed automata have an undecidable language emptiness problem. In this thesis we consider restrictions on this model that restore the decidability of the language emptiness problem. We consider the restricted class of safety alternating timed automata, which can encode a corresponding Safety fragment of Metric Temporal Logic. This thesis connects these two formalisms with insertion channel machines, a model of faulty communication, and demonstrates that the three formalisms are interreducible. We thus prove a non-elementary lower bound for the language emptiness problem for 1-clock safety alternating timed automata and further obtain a new proof of decidability for this problem. Complementing the restriction to safety properties, we consider interpreting the automata over bounded dense time domains. We prove that the time-bounded language emptiness problem is decidable but non-elementary for unrestricted alternating timed automata. The language emptiness problem for alternating timed automata is a special case of a much more general and abstract logical problem: Church's synthesis problem. Given a logical specification S(I,O), Church's problem is to determine whether there exists an operator F that implements the specification in the sense that S(I,F(I)) holds for all inputs I. It is a classical result that the synthesis problem is decidable in the case that the specification and implementation are given in monadic second-order logic over the naturals. We prove that this decidability extends to MSO over the reals with order and furthermore to MSO over every fixed bounded interval of the reals with order and the +1 relation.

Dans ce travail, nous étudions le cadre de la morphologie mathématique sur les complexes simpliciaux. Complexes simpliciaux sont une structure versatile et largement utilisée pour représenter des données multidimensionnelles, telles que des maillages, qui sont des complexes tridimensionnels, ou des graphes, qui peuvent être interprétées comme des complexes bidimensionnels. La morphologie mathématique est l'un des cadres les plus puissants pour le traitement de l'image, y compris le traitement des structures numériques, et est largement utilisé pour de nombreuses applications. Toutefois, les opérateurs de morphologie mathématique sur des espaces complexes simpliciaux n'est pas un concept entièrement développé dans la littérature. Dans ce travail, nous passons en revue certains opérateurs classiques des complexes simpliciaux sous la lumière de la morphologie mathématique, de montrer qu'ils sont des opérateurs de morphologie. Nous définissons certains treillis de base et les opérateurs agissant sur ces treillis: dilatations, érosions, ouvertures, fermetures et filtres alternés séquentiels, et aussi leur extension à simplexes pondérés. Cependant, les principales contributions de ce travail sont ce que nous appelions les opérateurs dimensionnels, petites et polyvalents opérateurs qui peuvent être utilisés pour définir de nouveaux opérateurs sur les complexes simpliciaux, qui garde les propriétés de la morphologie mathématique. Ces opérateurs peuvent également être utilisés pour exprimer pratiquement n'importe quel opérateur dans la littérature. Nous illustrons les opérateurs définis et nous comparons les filtres alternés séquentiels contre filtres définis dans la littérature, où nos filtres présentent de meilleurs résultats pour l'enlèvement du petit, intense bruit des images binaires / In this work we study the framework of mathematical morphology on simplicial complex spaces. Simplicial complexes are a versatile and widely used structure to represent multidimensional data, such as meshes, that are tridimensional complexes, or graphs, that can be interpreted as bidimensional complexes. Mathematical morphology is one of the most powerful frameworks for image processing, including the processing of digital structures, and is heavily used for many applications. However, mathematical morphology operators on simplicial complex spaces is not a concept fully developped in the literature. In this work, we review some classical operators from simplicial complexes under the light of mathematical morphology, to show that they are morphology operators. We define some basic lattices and operators acting on these lattices: dilations, erosions, openings, closings and alternating sequential filters, including their extension to weighted simplexes. However, the main contributions of this work are what we called dimensional operators, small, versatile operators that can be used to define new operators on simplicial complexes, while mantaining properties from mathematical morphology. These operators can also be used to express virtually any operator from the literature. We illustrate all the defined operators and compare the alternating sequential filters against filters defined in the literature, where our filters show better results for removal of small, intense, noise from binary images