The aim of this research is to develop an optimisation tool to support the preliminary design of gas turbine combustors by providing a partial automation of the design process. This tool is to enable better design to be obtained faster, providing a reduction in the development costs and time to market of new engines. The first phase of this work involved the analysis of the combustor design process with the aim of identifying the critical tasks that are suitable for being automated and most importantly identifying the key parameters describing the performance of a combustor. During the second phase of this work an adequate design methodology for this problem was defined. This led to the development of a design optimisation Toolbox based on genetic algorithms, containing the tools required for it's proper integration into the combustor preliminary design environment. For the development of this Toolbox, extensive work was performed on genetic algorithms and derived techniques in order to provide the most efficient and robust optimisation method possible. The optimisation capability of the Toolbox was first validated and metered on analytical problems of known solution, where it demonstrated excellent optimisation performance especially for higher-dimensional problems. In a second step of the testing and validation process the combustor design capability of the Toolbox was demonstrated by applying it to diverse combustor design test cases. There the Toolbox demonstrated its capacity to achieve the required performance targets and to successfully optimise some key combustor parameters such as liner wall cooling flow and NOx emissions. In addition, the Toolbox demonstrated its ability to be applied to different types of engineering problems such as wing profile optimisation.

The thesis presents research into the understanding and improvement of heat dissipation from friction brakes. The investigations involved two brake types, considered to be the most thermally loaded and therefore most challenging; axle mounted high speed railway and commercial vehicle disc brakes. All three modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) and airflow characteristics have been analysed experimentally and theoretically in order to increase the understanding of heat dissipation. Despite the very practical aspects of this research, a 'generic heat transfer approach' was applied, enabling wider engineering applications of the results. Experimental analyses conducted on a specially developed Spin Rig allowed measurements of cooling and airflow characteristics for different designs. Methodologies have been developed to determine thermal contact resistance, heat transfer coefficients, emissivity and aerodynamic (pumping) losses. Established values and relationships compared very favourably with theoretical work. Analytical, FE and CFD analyses were employed to further investigate design variations and perform sensitivity studies. Inertia dynamometer route simulations provided disc temperatures for validation of the overall work. Recommendations have been made for optimising heat dissipation, by proposing practically acceptable and economically viable design solutions. A proposed ventilated disc design efficiency ratio allows large, high speed ventilated disc designs, to be efficiently and accurately evaluated and compared, providing a valuable disc design optimisation tool. The determination of the methodologies, parameters and functions defining cooling characteristics, enable heat dissipation to be predicted confidently and accurately for brakes and other engineering assemblies at early design stages.

The aim of this research is to develop an optimisation tool to support the preliminary design of gas turbine combustors by providing a partial automation of the design process. This tool is to enable better design to be obtained faster, providing a reduction in the development costs and time to market of new engines. The first phase of this work involved the analysis of the combustor design process with the aim of identifying the critical tasks that are suitable for being automated and most importantly identifying the key parameters describing the performance of a combustor. During the second phase of this work an adequate design methodology for this problem was defined. This led to the development of a design optimisation Toolbox based on genetic algorithms, containing the tools required for it's proper integration into the combustor preliminary design environment. For the development of this Toolbox, extensive work was performed on genetic algorithms and derived techniques in order to provide the most efficient and robust optimisation method possible. The optimisation capability of the Toolbox was first validated and metered on analytical problems of known solution, where it demonstrated excellent optimisation performance especially for higher-dimensional problems. In a second step of the testing and validation process the combustor design capability of the Toolbox was demonstrated by applying it to diverse combustor design test cases. There the Toolbox demonstrated its capacity to achieve the required performance targets and to successfully optimise some key combustor parameters such as liner wall cooling flow and NOx emissions. In addition, the Toolbox demonstrated its ability to be applied to different types of engineering problems such as wing profile optimisation.

Småskaliga vattenkraftverk regleras vanligtvis med avseende på vattennivån i magasinet eller vattenflödet, utan hänsyn till efterfrågan på elkraft. Examensarbetet utfördes på uppdrag av Fortum Generation som önskade att undersöka möjligheten att istället automatiskt optimera planeringen och regleringen av de småskaliga vattenkraftverken med hänsyn till prisbild, verkningsgrad, vattensituation, miljödomar, miljöhänsyn samt mekaniskt slitage. En optimeringsalgoritm framtagen i en parallellt pågående studie låg till grund för examensarbetet. En prototyp som skulle autoplanera produktionen och reglera ett enskilt vattenkraftverk skulle utvecklas, där det genom simulering skulle fastställas om en realisering av optimeringsalgoritmen i ett verktyget är möjlig och lönsam. Båthusströmmen, som användes som testobjekt för examensarbetet, ägs av Fortum och är ett småskaligt vattenkraftverk i Österdalälven. En kostnadseffektiv prototyp av ett optimeringsverktyg för automatisk planering och reglering av småskaliga vattenkraftverk utvecklades och testades genom simulering. Prototypen utvecklades i form av en mjukvara vilken utför optimeringen och kommunicerar kontinuerligt med befintliga optimerings-, övervaknings- och styrsystem. Resultaten av utförda kommunikationstester och simulerade optimeringar visade att en realisering av algoritmen i ett optimeringsverktyg är möjlig och förväntas öka effektiviteten för Båthusströmmen och därmed öka intäkterna för kraftverket. / Small-scale hydropower plants are usually controlled considering either the reservoir level or the water flow, regardless of the electricity demand. This thesis was conducted on behalf of Fortum Generation that wanted to investigate the possibility to automatically optimise the production plans and control of small-scale hydropower plants based on electricity price, generator efficiency, water situation, environmental restrictions, environmental concerns, and mechanical wear. The thesis is a continuation of a study where an optimisation algorithm was developed. A prototype that could automatically plan the production and control of an individual hydropower plant would be developed, and then based on simulations it would be determined if an implementation of the algorithm in an optimisation tool is possible and profitable. Båthusströmmen, the test case for this thesis, is owned by Fortum and is a small-scale hydropower plant in Österdalälven. A cost-effective prototype of an optimisation tool for automated planning and control was developed and tested through simulations. The prototype was developed as a software that performs the optimisation and communicates continuously with the existing optimisation, supervisory and control system. The results of the communication tests and optimisation simulations showed that an implementation of the algorithm in an optimisation tool is possible and is expected to increase the efficiency of Båthusströmmen and therefore increase the profit of the power plant.