De l’avion plus électrique, en passant par l’hybridation de véhicules automobiles et jusqu’aux implants cardiaques d’assistance circulatoire, la compacité est devenue le graal de l’électrotechnique embarquée moderne. En effet, la densité de puissance des systèmes électromécaniques ne cesse de s’accroitre. Ainsi, pour répondre aux besoins de forte intégration, les convertisseurs en électronique de puissance trouvent un vecteur de développement dans l’augmentation de leur température et des fréquences de fonctionnement mais aussi dans la réduction des temps de commutation des interrupteurs, leur permettant de réduire leurs pertes thermiques et ainsi, de réduire leurs besoins en refroidissement. Les moteurs et générateurs électriques évoluent avec des topologies aussi diverses qu’innovantes pour répondre aux besoins d’intégration, robustesse et sureté de fonctionnement. Particulièrement, les bobinages des moteurs sont les premiers éléments sur le front de bataille. Au sein du bobinage s’effectuent les échanges entre moteur et convertisseur. L’augmentation des contraintes fréquentielles et transitoires sous forme de fronts de courant et tension issus des ensembles d’électronique de puissance constituent des défis en termes de compatibilité électromagnétique (CEM) pour les systèmes embarqués. Le travail présenté ici est le fruit d’une étroite collaboration entre la société NOVATEM et le laboratoire Génie de Production de l’ENIT de Tarbes au travers d’un financement CIFRE, en association avec la plateforme Labceem de l’IUT de Tarbes. Il propose d’apporter des modèles prédictifs permettant de déterminer les conséquences de ces contraintes d’intégration dans les systèmes mécatroniques de puissance dès les premières étapes de leur conception. Les perturbations conduites dont la source HF est au sein des interrupteurs de puissance du convertisseur, sont façonnées par les impédances caractérisant le chemin de couplage dont le moteur fait partie intégrante. Ce travail vise à élaborer des méthodes et outils pour contribuer à l’étude prédictive de la compatibilité électromagnétique (CEM) des ensembles mécatroniques en essayant de couvrir une plage de fréquence allant de 0 à 300 MHz. Dans une première partie, un état de l’art est détaillé afin de délimiter le contexte et les frontières de l’étude. Puis, un deuxième chapitre porte sur la modélisation analytique de bobinages concentrés de moteurs électriques. Les modèles analytiques établis permettent de déterminer les paramètres de réseaux de circuits pour effectuer des simulations dans le domaine temporel et harmonique. Contrairement aux modèles comportementaux de moteurs répandus dans la littérature, les modèles ici synthétisés prennent en compte les paramètres physiques des bobinages. Ils donnent la possibilité à l’utilisateur de paramétrer les architectures de bobinages concentrés en changeant des paramètres tels que la géométrie des bobines, les matériaux d’isolation ou encore la perméabilité des culasses. Un troisième chapitre, détaille l’établissement d’une méthode rationnelle d’extraction numérique de paramètres fonctionnels et parasites des PCB multicouches de puissance. Cette méthode, de par la prise en compte de paramètres physiques, s’inscrit dans une logique générique et prédictive. Finalement, dans le dernier chapitre, les outils et méthodes précédemment établis sont appliqués à l’étude d’un système réel de motorisation de véhicule électrique développé par la société partenaire Novatem. Le caractère physique et prédictif de ces outils vise à permettre l’expérimentation virtuelle sur l’ensemble moteur-convertisseur sans la nécessité de prototypes. Ce dernier chapitre illustre l’intérêt d’une approche physique en modélisation pour la compatibilité électromagnétique de systèmes mécatroniques. / From the more electrically operated aircraft, to the hybridization of motor vehicles, all the way to electromechanic cardiac implants, compactness has become the holy grail of modern embedded electrical engineering. Indeed, the power-to-weight ratio demands for electromechanical systems has greatly increased. To meet these high integration needs, power electronic converters find a vector of development by increasing their temperature and operating frequencies but also by reducing the switching time of power switches, thus enabling them to reduce their power losses and thereby reducing their cooling requirements. Electric motors and generators operate with various innovative topologies that meet integration, robustness and reliability needs. Motor windings, particularly, are the first motor components on the battle front. It is at the heart of the winding that occur the exchanges between motor and converter. In terms of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for embedded systems, the increased frequency and transient stresses in the form of current and voltage edges from the power electronic assemblies are considered steep challenges. The work presented herein is the result of a close cooperation between the company Novatem and the laboratory Génie de Production of ENIT de Tarbes, through CIFRE funding, in combination with the Labceem platform of IUT of Tarbes. Its aim is to develop predictive models that will serve to determine the consequences of such integration constraints in power mechatronic systems that are in the early stages of design. Conducted disturbances whose HF source is located at the inverter power switches are shaped by the impedances characterizing the coupling path of which the electrical machine is an integral part. This work proposes to develop methods and tools to support the predictive study of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of mechatronic assemblies, by attempting to cover a modeling frequency range that goes from 0 to 300 MHz’s. In the first chapter of this work, a literature review is detailed for the definition of the context and boundaries of the study. A second chapter focuses on the analytical modeling of concentrated windings in electric motors. The analytical models that are established allow determination of circuit networks settings to perform time- and frequency- domain simulations. Unlike the widespread behavioral models of electrical machine in the literature, the models that are synthesized here take into account the physical parameters of the coils. The user of such models is offered the opportunity to account for the different winding architectures, by changing core parameters such as geometry, insulation materials or permeability. A third chapter describes the establishment of a rational method for extraction of functional and parasitic parameters in multilayer Power PCBs. This method being of a generic and predictive logic aims to account for physical parameters. Finally, in the last chapter, the previously established tools and methods are applied to the study of a real electric vehicle drive system developed by the company Novatem. The physical and predictive value of these tools allows for execution of virtual experimentations on the motorconverter assembly without the need for prototypes. This chapter illustrates the value of a physical approach to modeling the electromagnetic compatibility of mechatronic systems.

In order to meet EU legislation on emissions, significant effort is being invested into the development of cost-effective renewable power generation technologies. The two leading technologies are solar and wind power because of their potential for the lowest levelised cost of energy and for showing a growth in installed capacity and technological development. Various research findings have suggested that significant cost savings in the capital expenditure of renewable energy projects can be made through the optimisation of their support foundations, the understanding of which has formed the main goal of the research.

O mapeamento de inundações tem sido objeto de estudo para o desenvolvimento de Planos Diretores (PD). Desde 2002, a Prefeitura Municipal de São Carlos-SP (PMSC) desenvolve seu PD com diretrizes para prevenção e controle de enchentes. No entanto, o cenário atual é o de execução de obras estruturais anti-enchentes, onerosas e de soluções pontuais. Pela ausência de planejamento prévio da urbanização em áreas de risco, a região do Mercado Municipal de São Carlos (MMSC) é a principal atingida pelas enchentes na várzea do córrego do Gregório. Este estudo provê elementos à tomada de decisão no PD através de medidas estruturais e não-estruturais como o mapeamento de enchentes. Foram inventariados os eventos críticos que produziram inundações próximo ao MMSC, via entrevista à população da várzea. Para essas datas e para chuvas de projeto, foram simulados os escoamentos com transformação chuva-vazão integrada e propagação simples através de um modelo concentrado IPHS-1 e um modelo distribuído HIDRORAS, cujos resultados foram comparados. Os dados de entrada foram calibrados usando dados monitorados. As incertezas inerentes aos modelos foram identificadas. Os eventos simulados oferecem importantes subsídios para o mapeamento de inundações, a discutir na agenda do PD da cidade. Foram estudadas medidas estruturais de controle de inundação, consistindo em um “piscinão” sem necessidade de escavação, e não-estruturais, como o acréscimo de áreas de infiltração. Concluiu-se que, para bacias urbanas, como a bacia do córrego do Gregório, as alterações nos padrões de fluxo de escoamento devido às vias urbanas são mais bem representadas pelo modelo distribuído HIDRORAS, apesar de se reservar uma parcela de incertezas quanto a este modelo, como a atribuição de valores ao parâmetro da condutividade hidráulica saturada / Since 2002, the Municipality of São Carlos, SP, Brazil (PMSC) is developing a Master Plan, thereby pursuing the guidelines for flood preventing and controlling. However, the present scenario shows expensive, on-site anti-flood works in São Carlos. Due to the absence of previous watershed planning, the area around the Municipality Market (MMSC) is continuously threatened by overspilling inundation events in the floodplain of the Gregorio river. Aim of this work is to provide supporting information to decision-making in the Master Plan using structural and nonstructural measures, as flood zoning of risk-prone areas. Critical flood events that produced inundation at MMSC were identified interviewing inhabitants living in these urban risk-areas. Those critical events were simulated with runoff-stormflow transformation and wave routing by the concentrated model IPHS-1 and the distributed model HIDRORAS, which results were compared. Input data were calibrated from monitored flood events. Uncertainties inherent to each model were identified. Results depict initial yardsticks for flood mapping to be included in the Master Plan agenda. Structural measures of flooding control, consisting in a retention basin without excavation, and non-structural measures, as increase of the infiltration area, were investigated. It came out that for urban watersheds as the Gregório basin, changes in the flow patterns due to urban paths are better represented by the distributed model HIDRORAS. However, a portion of uncertainties for this model, like the influence of soil’s saturated hydraulic conductivity still remain

A hybrid FEM/FDM algorithm for particle migration of quasi-steady flow in concentrated suspension materials is proposed in this study. This hybrid FEM/FDM algorithm in which the planar variables, such as pressure field, are described in terms of finite element method, and gapwise variables of temperature, density concentration and time derivatives are expressed by finite difference method. The particle concentration inhomogeneities can be predicted, which is ignored by the existing injection molding simulation packages. Simulation results indicated that powder concentration variation could be significant in practical processing in PIM. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

A regular vehicle of today is equipped with an internal combustion engine that runs on either gasoline or diesel, which are fossil fuels from oil reserves that are millions of years old. In all types of combustion processes carbon dioxide and several other emissions are produced. There are none known technologies of today that can reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from combustion, but the amount that is produced is mainly dependent on the fuel that is used. Combustion of fossil fuels increases the contamination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and diminishes the oil resources. The results are global warming and empty oil reserves within a few decades with the current production tempo, in addition to many other pollution effects that are harmful to the environment. A transition towards a society based on sustainable transportation is therefore urgent. The hydrogen fuel cell powered car with an electric propulsion system has the potential to be the car of the future that possesses the required characteristics of no harmful tailpipe emissions. There are some obstacles in the way for an early commercialisation, including the expensive catalysts used today and the lack of an infrastructure based on hydrogen, though. The hybrid electric vehicle, with both a conventional as well as an electric drivetrain, is a natural candidate for making the transition from the conventional car towards the car of the future. This thesis is focused on the design and analysis of permanent magnet machines for a novel hybrid electric vehicle drive system called the Four Quadrant Transducer. A number of electrical machine aspects are identified, including cores of soft magnetic composites, fractional pitch concentrated windings, core segmentation, novel machine topologies and cost effective production methods. The main objective is to analyse and judge the many unconventional machine aspects of which some may have the potential to improve the performance and reduce the cost of permanent magnet machines. Another objective is to study the effects of the use of fossil fuels and describe them with a new perspective and thereby make one small contribution to the debate about energy issues. Much focus has been spent on the theory of concentrated windings for permanent magnet machines. The potential parasitic effects and methods to improve the torque performance have been described. Other topics that have been given a high priority are material and power loss studies. An important contribution to the understanding of iron losses during field-weakening operation has been presented. A comprehensive use of finite element modeling has been done in the analysis combined with measurements on several laboratory prototypes. The Four Quadrant Transducer drivetrain and its two electrical machines intended for a midsized passenger car has been studied. The gearbox can be of a simple single stage type, which reduces the mechanical complexity and makes the traction performance of the vehicle smooth, without gear changes and drops in power. Simulations on a complete hybrid system show that fuel savings of more than 40% compared to a conventional vehicle can be achieved at citytraffic driving. The savings are modest at highway driving, since the engine is required to operate at high power during such conditions, and the support from the electrical system is negligible. The laboratory prototypes have shown that it is possible to manufacture high performance electrical machines with high material utilization and potential for automated production. The described concepts offer cost effective solutions for future drive systems in automotive and industrial applications. A number of weaknesses with the presented constructions have also been characterized, which should serve as guidelines for creating more optimized machines.

This research addresses and illuminates a little understood region of miscible polymer mixtures and demonstrates a new means of separating wax from such blends. The method, termed Deformation Induced Phase Segregation potentially eliminates need of toxic processing solvents for wax removal or recovery in these types of blends. Previous theories of polymer combinations address them exclusively as solutions or as blends, two independent classes having very different behaviors. This study provides bridge connecting these two classes by identifying crossover points between them and the behaviors exhibited therein. The blends of this form were found to be semi-miscible, forming a homogenous phase in the melt but a two-phase system in the solid, with the rheological behavior influenced by the polymer's molecular weight and architecture. It also demonstrates practical promise of this regime by introducing a mechanical compression process to separate the wax phase from such a type of blend. This process potentially permits production of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMwPE) films and fibers by melt processing, thereby obviating need of otherwise essential but expensive and environmentally unfriendly toxic solvents.

The need for effective disposal of huge volumes of industrial waste is becoming more challenging due to expected imposition of stringent pollution control regulations in the near future. Thermochemical conversion, particularly gasification of organics in the waste is considered the best route from the perspective of volume reduction and prevalent eco-friendly concept of waste-to-energy transformation. It is considered imperative to have adequate understanding of basic combustion features as a part of the thermochemical conversion process, leading to gasification. The aim of this thesis is to understand the fundamental combustion processes associated with one of the top listed hazardous wastes from distilleries (Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) ~ 40,000 - 50,000 mg/L), commonly known as vinasse, stillage or spent wash, through experiments and modeling efforts. Specially designed experiments on distillery effluent combustion and gasification are conducted in laboratory scale reactors. As an essential starting point of the studies on ignition and combustion of distillery effluent containing solids consisting of 62 ± 2 % organics and 38 ± 2 % inorganics (primarily sugarcane derivatives), the roles of solids concentration, drop size and ambient temperature were investigated through experiments on (1) liquid droplets of 65 % and 77 % solids (remaining water) and (2) spheres of dried effluent (100 % solids) of size 0.5 mm to 20 mm diameter combusted at ambient temperatures of 773 to 1273 K. The investigation reveals that the droplets burn with two distinct regimes of combustion, flaming and char glowing. The ignition delay ‘t1’ of the droplets increased with size as is in the case of non-volatile droplets, while that of bone-dry spheres was found to be independent of size. The ‘t1’ decreased with increase in solids concentration. The ignition delay has showed an Arrhenius dependence on temperature. The initial ignition of the droplets and the dry spheres led to either homogeneous (flaming) or heterogeneous (flameless) combustion, depending on the ambient temperature in the case of sphere and on solid concentration and the ambient temperature, in the case of liquid droplets. The weight loss during the flaming combustion was found to be 50 - 80 % while during the char glowing it was 10-20 % depending on the ambient temperature. The flaming time tc is observed as tc~ d2c , as in the case of liquid fuel droplets and wood spheres. The char glowing time tc' is observed as tc ~ d2c as in the case of wood char, though the inert content of effluent char is as large as 50 % compared to 2 - 3 % in wood char. In the case of initial flameless combustion, the char combustion rate is observed to be lower. The heterogeneous char combustion in quiescent air in controlled temperature conditions has been studied and modeled using one-dimensional, spherico-symmetric conservation equations and the model predicts most of the features of char combustion satisfactorily. The measured surface and core temperatures during char glowing typically are in the range of 200 to 400 K and are higher than the controlled temperature of the furnace. Based on the results of single droplet combustion studies, combustion experiments were conducted in a laboratory scale vertical reactor (throughput ranging from 4 to 10 g/s) with the primary aim of obtaining sustained combustion. Spray of effluents with 50 % and 60 % solids (calorific value 6.8 - 8.2 MJ/kg), achieved by an air blast atomizer, was injected into a hot oxidizing environment to determine the parameters (ambient temperature and air-fuel ratio) at which auto-ignition could occur and subsequently studies were continued to investigate pre-ignition, ignition and combustion processes. Effluent with lower solids concentration was considered first from the point of view of the less expensive evaporator required in the field conditions for concentration and a spin-off in terms of better atomization consequently. Three classes of experiments were conducted: 1) Effluent injection from the wall with no auxiliary heat input, 2) Effluent injection with auxiliary heat input and 3) effluent injection within kerosene enveloping flame. Though individual particles in the spray periphery were found to combust, sustained spray combustion was not achieved in any of the three sets of experiments even with fine atomization. While conducting the third class of experiments in an inclined metallic reactor, sustained combustion of the pool resulting of accumulated spray seemed to result in large conversion of carbon. This led to the adoption of a new concept for effluent combustion in which the residence time is controlled by varying reactor inclination and the regenerative heat transfer from the product gases supplies heat for endothermic pre-ignition process occurring on the bed. Combustion and gasification experiments were conducted in an inclined plate reactor with rectangular cross section (80 mm x 160 mm) and 3000 mm long. A support flame was found necessary in the injection zone in addition to the regenerative heat transfer. Effluent with 60% solids was injected as film on the reactor bed. This film disintegrated into fine particles due to induced aerodynamic stretching and shear stripping. Combustion of individual particles provided exothermic heat profile and resulted into high carbon conversion. However, effluent clogging in the cold injection zone hindered system from attaining steady state. Effluent injected directly on the hot zone caused it to remain mobile due to the spheroidal evaporation and thus assuaging this problem. Improved mass distribution was achieved by displacing nozzle laterally in a cycle, actuated by a mechanism. Consistent injection led to sustained effluent combustion with resulting carbon conversion in excess of 98 %. The typical gas fractions obtained during gasification condition (air ratio = 0.3) were CO2 = 14.0 %, CO = 7.0 %, H2 = 12.9 %, CH4 - 1 % H2S = 0.6 - 0.8 % and about 2 % of saturated moisture. This composition varied due to variation in temperature (± 30 K) and is attributed to combined effect of local flow variations, shifting zones of endothermic processes due to flowing of evaporating effluent over a large area. In order to minimize this problem, experiments were conducted by injecting effluent at higher solids (73 % solids is found injectable). The effluent was found to combust close to the injection location-due to the reduced ignition delay and lower endothermic evaporation load helped raising the local temperature. This caused the pyrolysis to occur in this hottest zone of the reactor with higher heating rates resulting in larger yield of devolatilized products and improved char conversion. Effluent combustion was found to sustain temperature in the reactor under sub-stoichiometric conditions without support of auxiliary heat input and achieved high carbon conversion. These results inspired the use of higher concentration effluent, which is also known in the case of wood to have improved gasification efficiency due to reduction in moisture fraction. In addition, the recent studies on the sulfur emission in the case of black liquor combustion in recovery boilers have revealed that with increase in solids concentration, release of sulfur in gas phase is reduces. The required concentration can be carried out using low-grade waste heat from the reactor itself. It was found through experiments that, even though spray ignition occurred at this concentration, the confined reactor space prevented the spray from attaining sustained combustion. This led to the conduct of experiments in a new vertical reactor with adequate thermal inertia, essential to prevent variations in local temperature to reach a steady state gasification and required space to accommodate the spray. The results of the experiments conducted in the vertical reactor in which effluents with 73 % solids, heated close to the boiling point and injected as fine spray in a top-down firing mode are consolidated and reported in the thesis in detail. Single particle combustion with enveloping faint flame was seen unlike stable flame found in coal water slurry spray combustion. Sustained gasification of gas-entrained particles occurred at reactor temperature in the range of 950 K - 1000 K and sub-stoichiometric air ratio 03 - 0.35 without the support of auxiliary fuel. The typical gas fractions obtained during gasification condition (air ratio = 0.3) were CO2 = 10.0 -11.5 %, CO - 10.0 - 12.0 %, H2 - 6.7 - 8.0 %, CH4 = 1.75 % H2S = 0.2 - 0.4 % and about 2 % of saturated moisture. The carbon conversion obtained was in the range of 95 - 96 %. These experiments have provided the conditions for gasification. The extraction of potassium salts (mostly sulfates, carbonate and chloride) from the ash, using a simple water leaching process, was found to recover these chemicals to as high an extent as 70 - 75 % of total ash. In summary it is concluded that increasing the solid concentrations to as high levels as acceptable to the system (~ 75 %) and introducing as a fine spray of heated material (~ 363 K) into furnace with air at sub-stoichiometric conditions in a counter current combustion reactor will provide the frame work for the design of a gasification system for vinasse and similar effluent material. The thesis consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the problem and motivation of the work presented in the thesis. Literature review is presented in Chapter 2. The Chapter 3 deals with the single particle combustion studies. The results of effluent spray combustion experiments conducted in a laboratory scale vertical reactor are presented in Chapter 4. The results of combustion and gasification experiments conducted in another variant of a reactor, namely, inclined flat plate rectangular reactor is consolidated in Chapter 5. The results of gas-entrained spray gasification experiment of higher concentration effluent injected as spray in the vertical reactor are presented in Chapter 6. The general conclusions and scope for the future work are presented in the concluding chapter 7.

<p>A regular vehicle of today is equipped with an internal combustion engine that runs on either gasoline or diesel, which are fossil fuels from oil reserves that are millions of years old. In all types of combustion processes carbon dioxide and several other emissions are produced. There are none known technologies of today that can reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from combustion, but the amount that is produced is mainly dependent on the fuel that is used. Combustion of fossil fuels increases the contamination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and diminishes the oil resources. The results are global warming and empty oil reserves within a few decades with the current production tempo, in addition to many other pollution effects that are harmful to the environment. A transition towards a society based on sustainable transportation is therefore urgent. The hydrogen fuel cell powered car with an electric propulsion system has the potential to be the car of the future that possesses the required characteristics of no harmful tailpipe emissions. There are some obstacles in the way for an early commercialisation, including the expensive catalysts used today and the lack of an infrastructure based on hydrogen, though. The hybrid electric vehicle, with both a conventional as well as an electric drivetrain, is a natural candidate for making the transition from the conventional car towards the car of the future. </p><p>This thesis is focused on the design and analysis of permanent magnet machines for a novel hybrid electric vehicle drive system called the Four Quadrant Transducer. A number of electrical machine aspects are identified, including cores of soft magnetic composites, fractional pitch concentrated windings, core segmentation, novel machine topologies and cost effective production methods. The main objective is to analyse and judge the many unconventional machine aspects of which some may have the potential to improve the performance and reduce the cost of permanent magnet machines. Another objective is to study the effects of the use of fossil fuels and describe them with a new perspective and thereby make one small contribution to the debate about energy issues. Much focus has been spent on the theory of concentrated windings for permanent magnet machines. The potential parasitic effects and methods to improve the torque performance have been described. Other topics that have been given a high priority are material and power loss studies. An important contribution to the understanding of iron losses during field-weakening operation has been presented. A comprehensive use of finite element modeling has been done in the analysis combined with measurements on several laboratory prototypes. </p><p>The Four Quadrant Transducer drivetrain and its two electrical machines intended for a midsized passenger car has been studied. The gearbox can be of a simple single stage type, which reduces the mechanical complexity and makes the traction performance of the vehicle smooth, without gear changes and drops in power. Simulations on a complete hybrid system show that fuel savings of more than 40% compared to a conventional vehicle can be achieved at citytraffic driving. The savings are modest at highway driving, since the engine is required to operate at high power during such conditions, and the support from the electrical system is negligible. The laboratory prototypes have shown that it is possible to manufacture high performance electrical machines with high material utilization and potential for automated production. The described concepts offer cost effective solutions for future drive systems in automotive and industrial applications. A number of weaknesses with the presented constructions have also been characterized, which should serve as guidelines for creating more optimized machines. </p>

Global economic trends suggest that there is a need to generate sustainable renewable energy to meet growing global energy demands. Solar energy harnessed by concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems has a potential for strong contributions to future energy supplies. However, as a relatively new technology, there is still a need for considerable research into the relationship between the technology and the solar resource. Research into CPV systems was carried out at the University of Ottawa’s Solar Cells and Nanostructured Device Laboratory (SUNLAB), focusing on the acquisition and assessment of meteorological and local solar resource datasets as inputs to more complex system (cell) models for energy yield assessment. An algorithm aimed at estimating the spectral profile of direct normal irradiance (DNI) was created. The algorithm was designed to use easily sourced low resolution meteorological datasets, temporal band pass filter measurement and an atmospheric radiative transfer model to determine a location specific solar spectrum. Its core design involved the use of an optical depth parameterization algorithm based on a published objective regression algorithm. Initial results showed a spectral agreement that corresponds to 0.56% photo-current difference in a modeled CPV cell when compared to measured spectrum. The common procedures and datasets used for long term CPV energy yield assessment was investigated. The aim was to quantitatively de-convolute various factors, especially meteorological factors responsible for error bias in CPV energy yield evaluation. Over the time period from June 2011 to August 2012, the analysis found that neglecting spectral variations resulted in a ~2% overestimation of energy yields. It was shown that clouds have the dominant impact on CPV energy yields, at the 60% level.

[Truncated abstract] The scaled boundary finite element method is a novel computational method developed by Wolf and Song which reduces partial differential equations to a set of ordinary linear differential equations. The method, which is semi-analytical, is suitable for solving linear elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations. The method has proved to be very efficient in solving various types of problems, including problems of potential flow and diffusion. The method out performs the finite element method when solving unbounded domain problems and problems involving stress singularities and discontinuities. The scaled boundary finite element method involves solution of a quadratic eigenproblem, the computational expense of which increases rapidly as the number of degrees of freedom increases. Consequently, to a greater extent than the finite element method, it is desirable to obtain solutions at a specified level of accuracy while using the minimum number of degrees of freedom necessary. In previous work, no systematic study had been performed so far into the use of elements of higher order, and no consideration made of p adaptivity. . . The primal problem is solved normally using the basic scaled boundary finite element method. The dual problem is solved by the new technique using the fundamental solution. A guaranteed upper error bound based on the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is derived. A iv goal-oriented p-hierarchical adaptive procedure is proposed and implemented efficiently in the scaled boundary finite element method.