Thesis (M.S. in Electrical Engineering) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1995. / "December 1995." Thesis advisor(s): John G. Ciezki. Bibliography: p. 107-108. Also available online.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--University of Louisville, 2007. / Title and description from thesis home page (viewed May 14, 2007). Department of Industrial Engineering. Vita. "May 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-35).

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Engineering design capabilities are highly specialised skills and are often begot through a number of years in a field of specialisation, the research’s aim is to establish how this engineering design capability can be brought into a an organisation through the International Technology Transfer (ITT) medium. In this paper a case study is presented whereby a South African State Owned Organisation (SOC) collaborated with an international company for the acquisition of a new technology, which in turn meant the acquisition of new know-how for the organisation. Despite the dynamics that inherently arise due to the Developed versus Developing Country dynamics it is imperative that the knowledge transfer (KT) initiatives are just as successful, however the difficulty is faced in actually measuring the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer processes. The local engineering industry is still growing and many more of these collaborations are still to be seen in the country, hence it makes it imperative from an engineering management perspective that the quality of the knowledge that can be salvaged from these collaborations is great value for money and is unquestionable. To not only prove the main drivers of the effectiveness of the transfer but to also highlight the areas for improvement a survey in the form of a questionnaire was issued out to the participants of the ITT within the local organisation. Based on literature on similar studies and from the survey results, it is clear that training and engineering human resource development in engineering designs of the technology being transferred is the most important method of ensuring maximum technology transfer. Moreover it was established from the survey results that most often than not this aspect of the transfer process, although ranked as important, is not structured strategically for the benefit of the transferee. Herein, a proposal is thus made as to the key interventions that may be adopted to close the gaps in the technological knowledge aspirations of the organisation.

This thesis offers a review and an analysis of all except the less important advances of the previously developed methods and equations for optimizing the operation of an electric system of m thermal and n hydro plants. In this analysis both short-range (twenty-four hours, seven days) and long-range (one year) periods are involved. The primary objective of this thesis is to derive, using the Calculus of Variations, general differential equations for short-range optimization of combined hydro-thermal systems. The basic criterion for choosing to solve the short-range instead of the long-term problem lies in the theory of forecasting in general, the theory of forecasting of stream flows in particular, and is based on the aforementioned analysis. Tests for establishing the fact that the above general equations actually produce the desired minimum cost of operation are given in the form of three other necessary conditions and three sufficient conditions. These conditions are known in this branch of mathematics as the analogue of Legendre's condition, the Weierstrass’ analogue of the Jacobi's condition and the Weierstrass' E-function condition for a minimum. A well-known example is worked out using these conditions. In addition to the above, this thesis also proves that all previously developed methods and equations for short-term optimization are essentially equivalent, and that these formulas are merely simplified forms of the general equations developed in this treatise. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Ph.D. / The use of cutting edge computer simulation tools such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) enables engineers to design, analyse and predict how effective and efficient a new design concept will be long before the plant or system is actually built. Although CFD software codes have progressed in vast leaps and bounds over the past ten to fifteen years, their application can still be found to be limited when complex systems have to be simulated. In such cases it is often possible for engineers to adapt or modify the software codes in order to cater for a specific need. This research is based on such a problem where the mere application of a standard CFD code was not sufficient to simulate the complexities and interactions which are found when analysing the performance and effectiveness of an Air Cooled Condenser (ACC). In the case of a mechanical draught ACC the multitude of fans which are employed to feed the cooling system with sufficient cooling air, require special treatment when attempting to simulate them using a standard CFD code. Most codes cater for detailed simulation of a rotating fan, however such simulation techniques require numerical meshes in excess of 40 000 computational cells per fan. In the case of an ACC such as the one at Matimba power station in South Africa, 288 fans would have to be simulated which would require a numerical mesh in excess of 11 million computational cells. Although this size of numerical problem could possibly be solved on some of the worlds fastest computers, it would not provide a practical engineering solution to the problem. The ACC at Matimba power station is the largest of its kind in the world. However, poor availability resulting from high sensitivity to changing ambient conditions such as high wind speeds, high ambient temperatures and changing wind directions prompted an urgent need for detailed simulation of the entire ACC system. As will be shown in the literature study, some attempts have been made to simulate air cooled condensers or parts thereof, however two main factors constantly limited the accuracy and usability of CFD codes for this application, (i) the interactive simulation of the fans with prevailing ambient conditions and (ii) the interaction between the performance of the ACC and the response of the turbine, which is thermodynamically coupled to the ACC via the steam pressure and temperature in the steam ducts. The abovementioned factors have in most cases restricted simulations to steady-state solutions and have also required tremendous computational and human effort resulting from the complexities surrounding the treatment of the high number of fans which need to be simulated. This research study submits a unique new integrated approach to simulation of a complex system such as an ACC, including its multitude of fans together with the complex interaction between the entire ACC system and the changing ambient conditions. A fan simulation sub-model was developed and tested and good agreement was achieved with the fan design data. Further sub models were developed in order to simulate the interaction between the ACC and the turbine generator. A test case was simulated and final results were compared to on site measurements achieving good agreement with physical test data and unit operating data.

No description available.

This research report discusses a binary power generation and salt water distillation cycle that was the subject of a feasibility study at Florida Technological University. The thermodynamic equations are derived and the results of a parametric study to determine optimum fluid properties is presented. This cycle produces power at efficiencies significantly higher than that of conventional cycles and at the same time produces a significant amount of fresh water. The efficiency is maintained even at the high turbine outlet temperature necessary to produce fresh water. The important quantities in considering they cycle efficiency and the fresh water production are the heat of reaction and the absorption capacity. Changes in these quantities will have the greatest effect on the efficiency and the fresh water production. The results of the calculations and the parametric study are presented which compare the turbine outlet temperature with the efficiency and fresh water production for a conventional cycle and the binary cycle discussed here. Conclusions are presented that this cycle should be afforded more study by means of a model plant and experimentation to validate the results calculated.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2003.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-182). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

M.Phil. / The Motraco transmission system is a classical case illustrating the increase in power transfer of a network considering the possibility of a voltage collapse. This case study was used in the dissertation to find a techno-economical solution for the Motraco system to increase the power transfer to satisfy an additional load. The Motraco power system is operating close to a voltage collapse at present. A voltage collapse will be experienced if additional load is added at the Maputo substation. The possibility of a voltage collapse can be reduced if the power transfer capability of the Motraco power system is increased. Various technologies can be used to increase the power transfer of the Motraco power system. The technologies used in this study to increase the power transfer were limited to the following: • Adding shunt capacitor banks at critical locations in the network • Adding a series capacitor bank on an existing 400 kV transmission line • Adding an additional 400 kV transmission line • Adding a series capacitor bank on the new 400 kV transmission line The correct use of the combination of the shunt capacitor banks, series capacitor bank and the new transmission line contributes to: • support voltages in the network; • reduce the transmission losses; and • increase the fault levels at the receiving end. The principles used in this dissertation can be used to increase the power transfer limit of any power system with the same characteristics.